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Text: Jeremiah 16-17
The LORD sent Jeremiah to preach at the gate of Jerusalem to royalty as well as all who would enter those gates. He was commissioned to preach obedience to the Sabbath rest: to quit working on the sabbath and let the land rest. This message was how Jeremiah came to understand the scope and reason for the type of judgment Jerusalem and Judah would face. Why would Judah spend 70 years in Babylon scattered? Because of the sabbaths that were broken.
Here’s a quick history. When Nebuchadnezzar initially began to siege Jerusalem and destroy Judean cities in 606 B.C., it was exactly 490 years from the time God had given Israel its first king, Saul. What is significant about 490? Every seven days was a sabbath day, and every seven years was a sabbath year to let the land rest. But ever since Israel was given a king the land continued to be worked and Israel failed to observe the yearly sabbaths. Seventy sabbaths later, that’s 70 x 7 years, 490 years later, God brought judgment. The judgment was a year for each sabbath missed, so 70 years of captivity. Of course, God’s judgment is made known to those that trust Him.
Warning of judgment (vss 1-9)
- Jeremiah is instructed to not marry because the land and people will be destroyed.
- Jeremiah is told to stay out of the house of mourning b/c the LORD is taking away his peace, lovingkindness, and mercies.
- Jeremiah is also told to stay out of the house of feasting b/c the LORD is taking away all joy and mirth from the nation.
Judgment explained (vss 10-13)
- When they ask how they’ve disobeyed God you’ll show them how they’ve prioritized the LORD under these other gods, and these other sets of cultural practices that trample the truth.
- They’ve even given these practices personalities as gods and made the law of God subject to the morals and behaviors of these other pleasures in their lives.
- They elevate their imaginations above God in verse 12
Judgment followed by hope (vss 14-21)
- This judgment will be more memorable than the Exodus from Egypt.
- The administration of that hope is explained with fishermen. Undoubtedly tied to the invitation Jesus Christ made to the apostles to become fishers of men (Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17). It’s fishers followed by hunters. The man with the bow in Revelation 6:1-2 marks the beginning of the end.
Judgment is finalized b/c the nation has seared its conscience (vss 1-4)
- The hearts and consciences of the people are lost in their own minds.
- They’ve put the names of their idols on the things of the one true God.
- They’ve fully polluted God’s land after they were given instruction on how to maintain it.
Blessings versus cursings upon the individual now (vss 5-8)
- The man that trusts in men by relying on the strength of his neighbor or
- Psalm 1
God tries the deceitful heart with his commandment to keep the sabbath (vss 9-11)
- Sabbath was given in Exodus 16:4-5 to prove their trust
- James 1:22-25
- Trusting riches is the chief problem against trusting God.
Jeremiah calls on the name of the LORD (vss 12-14)
Jeremiah remains faithful (vss 15-18)
For Israelites, trusting the LORD is keeping the sabbath (vss 19-27)
- If you continue to regard money and business over holiness, righteousness, and godliness, your money will not be able to save you. And you’ll bring upon yourselves the wrath of God and people that are greedy, but stronger than you are. People that are covetous like you, but they are more powerful than you.
