Jeremiah 17 1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; Judahs sin was so abominable that their hearts were grossly hardened. The reference is it would take an iron pen with a diamond point to penetrate their hard hearts. 2 Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills. Think of the horror on the little children who remembered their little friends who were sacrificed to Molech (the fire god). 3 O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders. O My mountain in the field refers to Jerusalem. All the vessels of the Great Temple would be taken to Babylon. 4 And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever. Judah would be taken captive to Jerusalem.They would be slaves again but no to Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar would be their ruler and Babylon their masters. God will not tolerate continual backsliding in His children. Our total trust in God is our only Hope. 5 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. All who trust in man is cursed, and whose heart departs from God. Backsliding will not be tolerated by God. Yes, He will forgive us when we backslide, but we must repent and return to Him with all our hearts. 6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. A backslider is a senseless fruitless person. They are in miserable spiritual condition. Most often the Believer wants nothing to do with them, and the sinner wants nothing to do with them either. They are no good for anybody. 7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. The man who trusts in the Lord is the person who stays in the Word of God. He is a wise man. His trust and his hope is only in God and God alone. 8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. When one is wise and understands the Word of God he will prosper and be blessed. Look at (Psalm 1:1-3). 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? The natural heart is very deceptive. The Born-Again Believers heart (spirit-man) will be receptive to the Holy Ghost and the Word of God. He will read and do what the Word of God says. 10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. This is interesting. God is Omniscient (all knowing). God know s and God owns eternity. God uses things and happenings to try our hearts all throughout our short lives. All men therefore, will not have an excuse when it come to the Judgment of our souls and spirit-man. We all stand befor God without any excuse at all. Therefore: God is just and God is righteous toward all men sinner and saint alike. All will stand before God without any excuse whatsoever. We know that there will be two separate and distinct Judgments. One is the Judgment Seat of Christ where reward are gained or lost for all Believers service for Christ (Romans 14:10). The other Judgment is for all the lost sinners. There they will be Judged guilty of death and cast into the eternal Lafe of Fire (Gehenna) (Revelation 20:11-15). 11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. All covetous people are fools. To gain wealth by doing what is wrong is sin. This person will leave their coveted riches behind to be squandered by someone. The end of that person is a fool. 12 A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. From the beginning of the beginnings God had had His Throne. This is where we look for all our help and strength and trust. We (Believers) look to God in Heaven. 13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters. Judah and all today who forsake the Lord will be ashamed. All those who depart from and will not listen to Jeremiah (Gods Prophet) will also be ashamed for they forsake God by hating Jeremiah and wanting him dead. 14 Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. Jeremiah asks God to heal his heart and the hearts of his people that they might be saved. 15 Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the Lord? let it come now. These evil people of Judah mock and sarcastically taunt God and Jeremiah 16 As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee. Jeremiah only says what God gives him to say. He is in effect prophesying the Word of God. 17 Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil. Jeremiah is still concerned that God might forsake him in the coming destruction and captivity. 18 Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction. Jeremiah like all of us. He now sees that Gods judgment is just and righteous with Judah. By keeping the Word of God Israel and Believers today will keep His statutes and do them. 19 Thus said the Lord unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; Jeremiah is commanded to go to the leadership, priests and pastors of Judah. Everybody would hear Gods Word through Jeremiah, none would be able to say, I didnt know that. 20 And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates: Everyone would hear the Word of God through Jeremiah! 21 Thus saith the Lord; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; Keep the Sabbath day! 22 Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. Keep the Sabbath day! God would send Judah captive for 70 years in Babylon. These 70 years correspond with Israels 70 years of Sabbaths they had not kept. Each and every 7th year Israel was to keep the 7th full year as a full Sabbath year unto the Lord. For 70 times 7 equals 490 years. For 490 years they had not kept the full 7th year as a Sabbath year unto the Lord (Leviticus 26:34-35). God was owed 70 years for 70 years of not keeping the Sabbath every 7th year. The year of Jubilee was every 50 years (Leviticus 25:8-23). 23 But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. Israel did not keep the 7th year as a Sabbath year to the Lord for 490 years. They owed God 70 years, and for 70 years they would be held captive in Babylon. 24 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein; 25 Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever. Judah and her capitol (Jerusalem) would have remained forever. If they had onle kept the Word of God (the Law) in their hearts. 26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the Lord. If Israel had only kept the Word of God (the law) in their hearts, they would still be in Jerusalem and have the Great Temple there today! 27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched. But If are plain and straightforward words. Israel and Judah would not keep the Word of God (the Law) in their hearts. They both rebelled and refused to do things Gods way. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians would come and destroy everything in their path. It was all because of Israel and Judahs backsliding against God. They could have been forgiven if they would only repent and turn back to God. They didnt!
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 17:18:02 +0000