Jeremiah: Unpopular Message 11/11/2021

It was a few years ago that I began to study the prophecy of Jeremiah in earnest. I remember being shocked by the words I read in chapter 15.

Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go! And if they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ tell them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“ ‘Those destined for death, to death;

those for the sword, to the sword;

those for starvation, to starvation;

those for captivity, to captivity.’ [Jeremiah 15: 1-2 NIV]

I found the words chilling, "Send them away from my presence! Let them go!". Our God is gracious, slow to anger and of great kindness. He is not angry without good reason. The people of Judah have consistently disobeyed God and committed sins against Him. They have violated the covenant He had made with them, mainly that given at Sinai. It was God who made the covenant with His people, but it was their responsibility to keep the commandments which were part of this covenant Basically they were promised blessings if they obeyed and curses if they disobeyed (See Deuteronomy 27 - 28). If we read Jeremiah chapter 2 verses 4-9 we see clearly why God was acting in judgement. Notice that verse 9 begins with "Therefore," which links the charges God is making against His people with their conduct as outlined in the previous verses.

Notice in the verses quoted from chapter 15 of Jeremiah the references to the detail of God's punishment. The word 'death' comes first and there would be many lives lost but there are other three forms of punishment - the brutality of warfare at the hands of the Babylonians (sword); starvation - maybe as the result of the siege of Jerusalem or the effects of the drought which is described in chapter 14; and the captivity - being evicted from their own homes and their own country and being taken to a foreign country by force. How did they travel the long distance from Judah to Babylon? It would have most likely have been on foot and I have a vivid picture of African slaves being marched across Africa to the coast where they were herded into overcrowded ships and transported like cattle to America. This might not be too far from the reality of the situation for those Judeans who were chosen for exile to Babylon.

The passage dealing with the effects of drought in chapter 14 (verses 1-5). Here are some of the headlines:

• Cisterns used to store water now completely empty.

• Even the servants of the nobles are unable to fill up their water jars.

• Covered heads in dismay and despair.

• Cracked parched ground due to the absence of rain

• Farmers are in despair

• No grass to be found for pasture

• Effects on livestock and animals - a doe unable to feed her new-born fawn

• Wild donkey panting because of thirst - leading to a loss of eyesight.

People are acknowledging God now that they are facing such a crisis and death is looming. God is not willing to relent and this is presented in stark terms. The Lord instructs Jeremiah to stop praying for the well-being of the people of Judah. God will not respond to their fasting or prayers (Jeremiah 11-12). It was too late to offer sacrifices and offerings to God. Even the great men of Israel who were renowned for interceding with God (Moses and Samuel) would be ineffective in persuading God to stop his judgement (Jeremiah 15:10. In the 21st century, God is still open to our prayers for our society and our nation. The time will come when it is too late to pray to God. Notice that when the people pray, they blame God for acting in breach of the covenant He had made with them. (Jeremiah 14: 21) and they remind God that it is His name which is at risk of being tarnished. They have missed the point that the punishment is due entirely to their failure to keep their side of the covenant made at Sinai (See Exodus 24:3-4)

While Jeremiah was proclaiming an unadulterated message from God, there were false prophets who were preaching a much more palatable message.

But I said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! The prophets keep telling them, ‘You will not see the sword or suffer famine. Indeed, I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ” [Jeremiah 14:13 NIV]

God made it clear that these prophets are prophesying lies in God's name - a very serious indictment. God had not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. It is a very serious matter to weaken God's message. Have I been a false prophet who was unfaithful to God and did not proclaim the message God gave me? This is a challenge to every Gospel preacher. God revealed to Jeremiah that the Judean prophets and priests were godless and they were committing sins even in God's temple (Jeremiah 23:11).

So there are two challenges to us. Firstly, are we watering down the message of the Gospel such as reducing the emphasis on sin and repentance and judgement to come? Are we placing less emphasis on the message of the cross with all its stigma in a postmodern society? Secondly, are we fully aware of the need for holy and careful living as those who are associated with the local church? Are we condoning ungodly conduct in any shape of form?