Day #229

Sermon - Audio
Jeremiah 32-34 - Audio
Jeremiah 32-34 - Reading

Daily Insights - Please Comment

Jeremiah 32

*Unfortunately, King Zedekiah chose to not humble himself before the words of Jeremiah. Zedekiah imprisoned Jeremiah for treason because of his claims that God had given Jerusalem into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar...Just ridiculous. The JSB claims that Jeremiah probably left during a dispute over his family property (which is later bought by him) and was captured at that time.

*See Lev. 25:25–32. When property was sold due to financial problems, a next of kin would buy it back so that it could stay in the family. The person who bought it back was called a “kinsman redeemer” - Think Ruth. Jeremiah does buy the field (pretty cheap) because God tells him to.

*The path that God put Jeremiah on was not a popular one among the people, previous friends, and now we see family issues as well.

*Q. Are we willing to walk the path God has set out for us no matter how unpopular it may be?

*v15 - Interesting comment here by Jeremiah. He knows that the Babylonians are going to come in and take Judah, but he basically is stating this because he is looking forward to a day when Judah's punishment is over.

*16-25 - Jeremiah’s prayer to God provides the basic outlines of God’s relationship with Israel from the time of the exodus. We can see a theme of God teaching his people. Unfortunately it has gotten to the point where the people have rejected the Word of God and have come to rely on themselves.

*v23 - "And they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or walk in your law. They did nothing of all you commanded them to do. Therefore you have made all this disaster come upon them. " = God called his people to DO and to WALK with Him. They did neither and this disaster is a choice that was made by God's people.

*Thought - Remember that God calls us to walk and to do as well. Faith without works is dead/worthless.

*v26-44 - God answers Jeremiah and tries to clear up His confusion on why He wanted him to purchase the property and why destruction is coming.

"They have provoked me to anger, by the work of their hands."
"They have turned to me their back and not their face."
"They have not listened to receive instruction"
"They've build idols"
"They sacrificed their children"

*After the discipline has subsided, God will gather His people once again. Giving them another chance. Our God is a God of patience/chances.

Q. Are we taking the patience/love/grace of God in vain by the way we live out each day?

*There is no fixed formula for the way God prepares Israel’s heart for participation in the promised covenant. Unfortunately, God needs to continuously discipline His people at varying levels in order to make sure the covenant stays in tact.

Jeremiah 33

*Jeremiah is still in prison.

*A second set of oracles continues the focus on the coming restoration, but emphasizes that the House of David and the Levitical priesthood will also be a part of God’s everlasting covenant with Israel. -JSB-

*God will restore His people after a time of destruction: "And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it."

*Give thanks to the LORD of Hosts, for the LORD is good, for His kindness is everlasting (v. 11), appears in Pss. 106:1; 118:1; 136:1; Ezra 3:11, and in many other places.

*God says that the first thing restored will be the worship/singing to Him within the land. Other things are to follow in this restoration process. God is going to restore it all.

*v13 - These are places of heated contention, battles, and sometimes a lot of pagan influence. They will become places of peace.

*See 31:35–37. Like the new covenant, God’s covenant with David and Levi will endure forever. This does not contradict the NT teaching about a new covenant (31:31), for Christ fulfills the promise that one of David’s descendants will always reign over the house of Israel. -ESVSB-

*v22 - 1 Peter 2:4-5 = "As you come to him, a living stone nrejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

*Thought - We, as a body, are God's priests (representation of God that carries out His work) in this world.

*v24-26 - Even though the nations of the world believe that God has left His people, they will someday know that He is their God and the covenant made with them is secure.

Jeremiah 34

*Most likely this is around 587BC in the middle of the Babylonian Invasion.

*v2-v5 Jeremiah receives the bad news about Zedekiah, in v6 he tells him the bad news.

*8-11 = The people are supposed to free their Hebrew brothers from slavery, they do, but once the fighting eases a little they put them right back where they were. Not what God had said.

*His people once again do not listen to God and they enslave their people.

*v18 - In a covenant agreement their would be two halves of slaughtered animals, the blood would drip down and each party would pass over the blood to represent what will happen to them if they violate the terms of the agreement. Blood for the breaking.