Jeremiah

Jeremiah Chapter 11

• Jeremiah 11:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
• 2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
• 3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
• 4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:
• 5 That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.

The men of Israel would be cursed if they did not the words of the covenant which God gave to them. God promises to bless and never forsake His people but if we forsake Him, we will bear the consequences.

It may not even mean that God sends punishment. If we forsake God, then cursing comes because we have taken ourselves out of His will and out of His care. He will not force Himself upon us.

Even when we fail though, He is with us but when we deliberately refuse to take His word seriously and heed to His teachings, the consequences come into our lives from making wrong decisions and making those decisions based on our own desires and wants and not according to the will of God. We can't blame God then when we suffer loss.

God makes laws to help us, not hurt us. He loves us and wants things that are for our good. Take the commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

That commandment wasn't made because God just wants us all to Himself and doesn't want to share the affection we have for Him with anyone else. God knows that the only other gods are false gods. Those false religions and gods have an evil spirit behind them. That evil one is Satan. God knows that Satan is out to kill, destroy and hurt. Satan is not out for our good.

So we see that the commandment about having no other gods is a commandment of love. God is saying that He is God and we must not trust in another who will be out for our destruction.

I realize that bad does happen to faithful believers. It comes to try their faith in God but much of the time troubles come because we ignore God or ignore what God has to say to us. We then try to blame God when we caused the evil to come upon us by getting out of His word and forsaking the good way He made for us.

Sometimes trouble comes because we live in a fallen world and we may not understand why things happen until we face our God in person. Trusting Him in all things is the way to go. 

In verse 11:4 God says, "Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:"

To obey God allows us to come into His presence. He wants to be our God but our sin and disobedience hinders Him from being just that. He can't fill us with His Holy Spirit if we do not allow Him to do so. He can't teach us His word if we do not seek to read it and understand. He wants us to obey Him for our own good not just to make Him happy.

• Jeremiah 11:6 Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.
• 7 For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.
• 8 Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.

The old covenant God had with Israel was broken when they refused to obey and keep the covenant. God made a new covenant with Israel that was better than the old one. That covenant is the promise of eternal life to those who listen to one God sent to become a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.

This man is Jesus Christ, the very Son of God. He came to save us and heal our lost condition. He came to reunite mankind to God that they lost in the garden of Eden. Jesus came that we might have life instead of eternal death apart from God. Jesus came that we might be filled with the Spirit of God that will help us to overcome evil and do that which is righteous. It is not the will of God that any person should die and be lost.

God sent Jesus and made a new and living way that we might live. All He asks of us is to believe that. To believe in the one He sent to save us. To forsake our sins and trust in Jesus Christ. To trust in Jesus is the same as trusting in God because Jesus is God. Jesus is God who came into the flesh and lived among men. He taught men the way to everlasting life. He taught men to repent and believe in Him and they will inherit eternal life. He said that He was the only way of salvation and that there was no other way. To receive Jesus is to be born again. Old things pass away and all things become new.

• Jeremiah11:9 And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
• 10 They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.

They broke the old covenant by refusing to obey the commandments and they chose rather to serve the false gods of the nations around them. God had to stop that and bring judgment. He could not let Israel continue in evil. Through Israel God was going to send a Messiah to offer salvation to the whole world. God then brought in a new covenant which would give all who believe power to live in holiness and truth.

• Jeremiah 11 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.
• 12 Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.

To reject God's plan of salvation through the Messiah we now know as Jesus or Yeshua, is fatal. God grants eternal life for those that receive the one He sent to save us. To reject Him is to suffer eternal punishment in hell. He wants to give us good things, why do we choose the evil?

• Jeremiah 11:13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.

This is how far they had fallen. They had so many gods that it was shameful. You may think that the majority of people do not worship idols today but if your neglecting God in your life, everything you do that is occupying your thoughts, actions and mediations is your gods. Anything you put ahead of God is a false god.

In saying this about idols though we must be careful not to change the word of God. There is still a danger in real idolatry and the use or images in worship. Whether or not they represent God, Jesus, Mary, a so called saint or a false deity, it is still forbidden in both the Old Testament and the New. It is an insult to God, it is wrong and evil is present with the worship of images. We can even get religious good feelings and be fooled into thinking it is the real God but if it is against the word of God then it is just our flesh, not God's spirit. He is not going to contradict His own word. 

• Jeremiah 11:14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.

Even though God has mercy and many times has delivered His people when they sin, He is under no obligation to do so. If we take ourselves out of His will, out of His way and away from His word, He has no obligation to save us when we get into trouble. Some wonder why God didn't protect us from the 9:11 attack. He is under no obligation to do so after the way this country has thrown Him out of schools, killed their own unborn children and ignored His word. 

God doesn't have to cause evil to come. If we reject Him, evil comes because His hand of protection is not there. Evil is always around us. If we are living for God and walking in His will, evil will not come unless He is allowing it for some reason but it will only be temporary. Eternity will be free from all trouble, death, sickness and grief. 

• Jeremiah 11:15 What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

Like the rebellious people we read about in the Old Testament, many countries today including the United States who has had the word, the truth, we have turned away from that which saves, heals and promises us eternal life to that which is vain, evil and will steal, kill and destroy our very nation.

• Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
• 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 
• 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 
• 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 
• 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 
• 26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 
• 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 
• 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
• 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 
• 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 
• 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 
• 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

We see from the scriptures in Romans that when we reject God and ignore the word of God, eventually we have a reprobate mind. A reprobate mind is a mind that is unapproved, rejected, worthless and castaway. Good for nothing.

When we continually refuse God's correction and His word, we start doing the sins mentioned above. This is why women can abort their babies, humans can have unnatural relationships with whoever or whatever they lust after bringing disease upon not only themselves but others. These kinds of sins do not start out for no reason. They come upon society that has continually rejected God over and over again until His presence is withdrawn from them.

Listen, I would hate not to have God's presence with me. I can't think of a hell worse than that would be. I need God in my spirit like my body needs food to survive. I need that living water in my soul just like my body needs natural water to live.

This isn't religion I'm talking of here, it is life, it is love, it is eternity. I'm trying to be a vessel to save lives, not destroy. I don't want to hurt anyone. I want to see all that is possible inherit eternal life. We have to deal with the sin issue first. We don't want sin in eternity. We don't want evil in the New Heavens and the New Earth. We have to get rid of it now in order to inherit that everlasting life that awaits us.

That is the whole reason Jesus came from God. He came to show us the way to live forever without sin and in the newness of life with a new body that will not ever die or suffer sickness. He didn't come just to forgive us of past sins, He came to save us from sin.

• Jeremiah 11:16 The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
• 17 For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.
• 18 And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.

God was showing Jeremiah what was to befall Israel and Judah because of their rejection of God. This caused the prophet to be hated by the people he was trying to save.

• Jeremiah 11:19 But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.
• 20 But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.
• 21 Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:

Evil men who reject the truth of God's word will even seek to kill those who tell the truth. Men love pleasure and sin more than they love God.

Here is this attitude in Revelation:

• Revelation 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
• 21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

When our conscience gets so seared and we continually reject God, evil looks good and good seems like evil to us. We are headed down a road that will lead to destruction. The destruction of our souls, our families and our nation.

• Jeremiah 11:22 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:
• 23 And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.

Just in Jeremiah's time and today also to reject God is to be destroyed not only in this life but for eternity. DC

• John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 
• 8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 
• 9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 
• 10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
• 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Study of Jeremiah 12