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Text: Jeremiah 22-24
The next section of Jeremiah deals with the end of sinners on David’s throne. Ever since the LORD put a throne in Israel against His own judgment, He’s known how the royal family would have to end. Jeremiah will mark the end of sinners sitting on the throne. It is called David’s throne because of the LORD’s promise to David. Why did he make that promise to David? Because David had the desire to build the LORD a house. The LORD essentially said you can’t build me a house, I will build my own house, but will use your throne to do it. And now we are at the end of a sinful royal line. Some kings have been good, some bad, but ultimately the nation has gone further away from her God under the stewardship of the kings, and even the priests.
Last generation on the throne (chapter 22)
- At the beginning of this chapter there are warnings and judgments that sound like the rest of the book of Jeremiah. I’m not going to go over these because they are the same warnings that keep showing up in Jeremiah.
- Now, what is different about this chapter is the finality of sinners sitting on David’s throne. Jehoiachin, also called Coniah, a grandson of Josiah, will have no children who sit on this throne. Coniah will eventually have children in Babylon, but none of them heirs to the throne.
- 2 Kings 24:8-16, Coniah is 18 years old when he is captured by Babylonian forces. It looks like he goes willingly along with his servants, his mom, his princes, and his officers.
- Nebuchadnezzar installs Coniah’s brother, Zedekiah, on the throne, until he rebels and is removed. But there is not another generation of sinners that would sit on that throne.
The true King to come (chapter 23)
- The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS!
- The prophet and the priest are profane in 23:11
- The prophets in Jerusalem are like Sodomites in 23:14. (Yet another example of the LORD likening Jerusalem to a filthy city.)
- The LORD is bringing judgment on the lying prophets who continue to speak good of the evil that God has judged (23:16-17, 31-32).
The fig illustration (chapter 24)
- Once again Jeremiah is given a spiritual and very consequential truth in an everyday illustration of a basket of figs. The two baskets are separated, one with good figs, the other with rotten figs. Out of this one nation of Israel there are believers and unbelievers.
- The bad figs are dismissed in judgment. These are targets of God’s wrath, not believers. They are the Israelites still under the curse of the law and will have no redeemer.
- The good figs are believers who will become part of a new covenant (24:4-7). Men like Daniel, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, Zechariah, and Malachi.
- Good toward them
- Built up
- Planted (no man pluck them out of my hand, John 10:27-29)
- Knowledge of God (Hebrews 8:11, John 6:45, 2 Corinthians 4:6, 1 John 2:20-27, Hosea 4:1-6)
