The Prophet Isaiah

Study By Allen Ross  

I. Introduction

Please look to your right under Assuntos to find more Major Prophets:

The Book of Isaiah is one of the most important books of the Old Testament. While little is known of the personal life of the prophet, he is considered to be one of the greatest of them all.

The book is a collection of oracles, prophecies, and reports; but the common theme is the message of salvation. There was, according to these writings, no hope in anything that was made by people. The northern kingdom of Israel had been carried into captivity (722 B.C.), and the kingdom of Judah was in the middle of idolatry and evil. The kingdom of Assyria had dominated the Fertile Crescent and posed a major threat to both kingdoms; and the kingdom of Babylon was gaining power and would replace Assyria as the dominant threat. In view of the fast-changing international scene, the people of Israel would be concerned about their lot in life—what would become of the promises of God? How could the chosen people survive, let alone be a theocracy again? And must the remnant of the righteous also suffer with the nation that for all purposes was pagan?

To these and many other questions the book addresses itself.

There would be a purging of the nation because God is holy. Before the nation could inherit the promises made to the fathers, it would have to be made holy. So God would use the pagan nations to chasten Israel for its sins and cleanse it from iniquity. And even though the judgment of the captivity would punish sin and destroy the wicked unbelievers, the removal of iniquity would ultimately be the work of the Servant of the LORD, the promised Messiah. On the basis of such cleansing and purification, God would then establish the golden age, a time of peace and prosperity that the world has never known. When the holy God would make the remnant holy, then He would use them to rule over the nations rather than allow the nations again to discipline them.

The messenger of the message of salvation is the prophet Isaiah, whose name means “salvation of Yahweh,” or “Yah saves.” He was the son of Amoz; he may also have been related to the royal family, perhaps King Manasseh, by whom he was believed to have been sawn asunder (see the Apocryphal literature; Heb. 11:37). He prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, and also may have lived past Hezekiah into the reign of Manasseh. Assuming that he was a young man at the death of Uzziah in 742 B.C.when his official ministry began, he might have been 70 or 80 at the time of his death (ca. 680 B.C.). Therefore, the prophet would have ministered for at least 60 years in an effort to bring the nation back to God.

The collection of Isaianic oracles fits the progression of Israel’s history over this time. The prophet began preaching during the Assyrian crisis, about the time Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom and was threatening the southern kingdom. Although Hezekiah was able to survive that invasion through the help of the prophet, he foolishly allowed the ambassadors from Babylon to see all the treasures of the kingdom, a sin that brought Isaiah’s announcement of the Babylonian captivity in the future. The book includes this historical interlude before the second half which focuses on that captivity in Babylon.

The prophet has no idea when that captivity would come; for him it could have come right after the death of Hezekiah, and that would mean his audience might be the people to go into the exile. And so he began to prepare them—but it would not be that generation, for the exile began about 100 years after the death of Isaiah. But the second portion of the book looks in a general way to that future time and writes his message of comfort and hope for the exiles of Judah, as well as descriptions of the restoration to Jerusalem. The hope of such a salvation issues into the glorious vision of the new heavens and the new earth in the age to come.

So the setting of the first half of the book is Judah in the days of the Assyrians, and the setting of the second half of the book is Babylon, then Jerusalem again, and then beyond in the age to come. The “target audience” in the first half of the book is pre-exilic Israel; the “target audience” in the second half of the book is Israel during the exile and at the return (we know they are different; Isaiah did not). In both parts the oracles often look to the distant future for their main meaning and application. The fact that each section includes vivid descriptions as well as general and poetic descriptions has fueled controversy about the unity of the book and the prophet himself.

I I. The Assyrian Period

On the one hand we have the historical background of the book during the Assyrian crisis. Here are some of the most crucial events in this period:

A. “The Young Lion Roars.” 

In 743 B.C. there was a coalition under Azariah against Tiglathpileser III (743, 738, 735). The important comparative material can be read in ANET, p. 282, lines 103ff.1 The record in 2 Kings 15:19-20 (compare ANET, p. 283, lines 150ff.) tells how Rezin, Menahem, and Hiram were put under tribute to Assyria. This may have taken place in 738 (although Young in his commentary says 735).

B. “The Smoking Firebrand and the Trembling Heart.” 

The Syro-Ephraimite war took place in 735-733 B.C. According to 2 Kings 15, 16, there was an attempt to set up Ben Tabil on the throne when Ahaz of the Davidic dynasty did not go along with the treaty. Ahaz appealed to Tiglathpileser of Assyria for help, but this was a mistake (see ANET, pp. 283,4). Pekah was removed and Hoshea put in power in Israel; Ahaz became a “son of Pul,” a political vassal of Tiglathpileser.

C. “Silly Dove without Understanding.” 

Hoshea’s revolt and call to Egypt took place in 722 B.C. The accounts can be read in 2 Chronicles 28:21 and ANET, p. 284, lines 23ff. It was in 722 that Samaria finally fell to Sargon II, the general under and successor to Shalmaneser (the first king started the siege of Samaria and died during the time; his successor finished off the kingdom of Israel). 

D. “The Bird in the Cage.”

There were rebellions during the reign of Hezekiah in Judah in 713, 705, and 701. In 713 Ashdod rebelled against Sargon (Isa. 20). In 705 Hezekiah rebelled against Sennacherib (Isa. 30, 31). And in 701 Assyria invaded the land in what has become one of the most frequently described invasions of Israel’s history—Sennacherib’s own account says, “I shut up Hezekiah the Jew (or Judean) like a bird in a cage.” Isaiah 10 describes the invasion of the army from the north; Micah, a contemporary, describes the invasion of another part of the army from the lowlands (Micah 1), and the Book of Kings describes the historical event, as do sections of Isaiah. Since Tirhaqah of Ethiopia was involved, the literature also includes the Ethiopian records. Of course, only the Bible tells of the destruction of the Assyrian army by the Angel of Yahweh.

So there is a major section of the book written against the backdrop of the Assyrian crisis.

I I I. The Babylonian Period

On the other hand we have the apparent setting of the circumstances of the Babylonian captivity, 586-536 B.C. Actually, the passages do not include very specific details and descriptions of Babylon or the exile in the oracles—not anything like the Assyrian background—there are not the firsthand, eye-witness accounts of life and circumstances in Babylon one would expect if the author had lived thee.

The most specific reference comes with the mentioning of the name of the king of Persia, Cyrus, who would conquer Babylon (Isa. 44, 45). The presence of this name in the book has prompted many to see the second part of the collection as the work of another prophet, one who lived closer to the events and could reasonably be expected to use a name like Cyrus since he would be more of an eye-witness. In other words, this other prophet saw Cyrus coming against Babylon, and so “predicted” that he would destroy Babylon and free Israel.

I V. The Persian Deliverance

What can we make of the use of the name of Cyrus in the oracles? Critical scholarship finds it too difficult to accept that a prophet could predict the name of a king some 175 years before he came on the scene. But was the Persian empire or such a name that obscure? It is helpful to have the history clear in our minds before discussing the critical issues.

The royal line of which Cyrus was a part was founded by Achaemenes, who ruled from 700-675 (contemporary with Isaiah). It was he whose name was taken for the empire, the Achaemenid Empire. His son was Teispes (675-640); he expanded the boundaries of Parsa (Persia) as far south as Pasargadae. Because his empire was so great, he divided it between his two sons, Ariaramnes in the south and Cyrus I in the north. This division meant that there was a ruler known as Cyrus around 70 years before Israel went into captivity. Teispes also regained independence from the Medes, who had made Parsa a vassal in 670.

The line of Cyrus I produced Cambyses I (600-559) and Cyrus II (559-530). Cambyses was placed over the empire when Persia became a Median province again; he married the daughter of Astyages. Cyrus II, being the offspring of that marriage, thereby uniting in himself the royal houses of the Medes and the Persians. Cyrus’ grandfather on his mother’s side was the great Cyaxares who overthrew the Scythians and the Assyrians, establishing control over all northern Mesopotamia and Iran. Cyrus was in fact a vassal of his grandfather in the State of Persia. He organized the Persian states and made a pact with Nabonidus of Babylon—against the law of Astyages. When he was summoned to Ecbatana to answer for this, he refused to go. Astyges then attacked his willful grandson, but was defeated and taken prisoner.

Cyrus took Ecbatana and made Media a province of Persia. Thus began his great empire. When it came time to take Babylon, the people were eager for Cyrus the Great to do it, for they were bitter against their king Nabonidus who rejected their worship of Marduk and kept them exploited as slaves. Cyrus’ general Gubaru (“Darius” in the account of Daniel) took the city without a battle; a few days later Cyrus could march in triumphantly.

We shall return to this issue later. But it is important to realize that the movements of these world powers were well-known in the various courts, including Jerusalem. And the Book of Isaiah gives sufficient evidence that the prophet knew international affairs. The growth and influence of the Persian empire was not hidden from the rest of the world; this state and its kings were not non-existent until 536 B.C. And a name “Cyrus” was associated with this rising power as early as 670, 660 B.C. or thereabouts.

For the prophet, Persia seems to be the next major power after Assyria. Babylon has a brief interlude when she destroys Nineveh, but the rising power is beyond Babylon. The prophet Isaiah was certainly inspired by God; but he probably knew a great deal too. God revealed to him that Babylon would take Judea into captivity, and that a Persian king would allow them to come back.

V. The woes of Isaiah

A. The seven woes 

1. Woe to the greedy and the selfish  verses 8-1

Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no room, and ye be made to dwell alone in the midst of the land! In mine ears [saith] Jehovah of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall be desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield [but] an ephah.

The insatiable desire of men to own more and more is the direct and certain result of a gross materialism in the heart. God here promises a judgment upon such ambitious concentrations of wealth and power.

In mine ears…

This is a reference to Isaiah's hearing the voice of God conveying to him the words God would have him deliver to the people.

Acres…

The literal Hebrew word here is yokes, being a reference to the amount of ground that two strong oxen could plow in a day.

God's judgment upon the natural environment of greedy and selfish societies is shown in the prophecy here of a terrible drought in which a homer of seed shall yield only an ephah of grain. The severity of this is indicated by the fact that an ephah is only the tenth part of a homer. Thus the harvest would be cut to a disastrously low percentage of the seed sown.

      

2. Woe to pleasure-seeking verses 11, 12

Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that tarry late into the night, till wine inflame them! And the harp and the lute, the tabret and the pipe, and wine, are [in] their feasts; but they regard not the work of Jehovah, neither have they considered the operation of his hands.

This is a perfect picture of the reveling, drunken, irresponsibility of countless persons in our own society today; and the ultimate consequences of it shall not be any less serious than those which overtook ancient Israel. The international news services carried a story over the airwaves the very day this is being written stating that, "At least 100,000 deaths every year are caused by the consumption of alcohol in the United States." America seems intent upon drowning themselves in alcohol.

Note also the part played by instruments of music in the reveling and dissipation of the people. It has always been this way; and from the earliest times, instruments of music have been associated with pagan worship, as when, for example, Nebuchadrezzar associated them with the worship of his golden image. The reason for this is visible in the current influence of "rock music" upon teenagers.

Humiliation, captivity and death shall result like we see on verses 13-17

Therefore my people are gone into captivity for lack of knowledge; and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude are parched with thirst. Therefore Sheol hath enlarged its desire, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth among them, descend [into it]. And the mean man is bowed down, and the great man is humbled, and the eyes of the lofty are humbled: but Jehovah of hosts is exalted in justice, and God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness. 

Then shall the lambs feed as in their pasture, and the waste places of the fat ones shall wanderers eat.

"The present tense in Isa. 5:13 is the perfect of prophetic certitude." Note also that there is the strong affirmation here that Israel deserves the death, destitution, and deportation that awaited them. Here is a terrible metaphor of death. The grave, or Sheol, is compared to a great monster opening its mouth to swallow the evil people. The last verse of this paragraph is ambiguous. Rawlinson wrote that the reference to the feeding lambs means that, "Sheep shall feed on the desolated estates of the covetous; and the last clause is a reference to the occupation of Israel's lands by wandering tribes of Arabs and others."

     

3. Woe to cynical materialists verses 18, 19

Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and sin as it were with a cart rope; that say, Let him make speed, let him hasten his work, that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it!

These verses are the language of scoffing materialists who use one of Isaiah's favorite names for God, but in mockery. These fearless sinners even dare to challenge the eternal God to "Do his thing in their presence!"

Strangely, the words suggest the mockery of the leaders of Israel who challenged Jesus Christ to come down from the Cross. The mention of cords of falsehood and cart ropes, as Hailey stated, suggests that the "people are slaves to their idols and their sins ... They are harnessed with their falsehoods and their idolatry. Archer compared the picture given here to that of a group of pagan worshippers "drawing the cart of a great idol in festal procession. Those backslidden people dragged along their idol of iniquity, challenging the Holy One of Israel."

4.   Woe  to those who reverse moral standards verse 20

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Dummelow called this the "perversion of all moral distinctions." Calling sins by names that appear to approve of them is an old satanic trick. Thus the infidel is called a free thinker; the drunkard is called sociable; the alcoholic suffers from alcoholism; the stingy is called thrifty, etc.

   

5. Woe to proud, egotistical intellectuals Verse

Woe 21unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

The apostle Paul described perfectly the people of any generation who fall into this category, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, Romans 1:22

 

6. Woe to hard drinkers and debauchees Verse 22

Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink;

Peake described these characters as "Drunkards, heroes, not for the fray, but for the debauch, having the hard head of the hard drinker. Not content with ordinary wine, they mix spices with it to enhance its flavor and increase its strength." 

7 . Woe to crooked judges verse 23

That justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

The first three words of this verse are not in the text but are most certainly understood. Thus there are seven of these woes pronounced upon apostate Israel. Even the judiciary of wicked Israel had become corrupt; their judges had become evening wolves (Zephaniah 3:3).

There could be but one answer to the problem of such a wicked society; and that answer was at once announced by the prophet; but it must not be supposed that Israel alone would suffer the terrible judgment announced here for the sinful kingdom (Amos 9:8).

The judgment of Israel, as is also the case of many judgments of God upon wicked peoples throughout history, was a type of the eternal judgment itself. Thus, as we shall see in the final paragraph of this chapter, there will appear elements of both the judgment of Israel and that of the eternal judgment also.

B. The result is the Judgment of God verses 24-30

1. The reason for God’s judgment 24, 25
 
Therefore as the tongue of fire devoured the stubble, and as the dry grass sinketh down in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have rejected the law of Jehovah of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Therefore is the anger of Jehovah kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them; and the mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

The big thing in this paragraph is the clear statement of the reason why God's judgment and destruction of Israel were proclaimed here as already predetermined and certain to occur, the past perfect tenses used here being the Biblical tenses of prophetic certainty.

Sinful men who have rebelled against God's government and who stubbornly continue their wickedness are on a collision course with disaster, determined and foretold from the foundation of the world and absolutely impossible of avoidance.

The mention of "God's law" is a reference to the Pentateuch without any doubt whatever, thus categorically giving the lie to all theories about the Pentateuch having been derived from the post-exilic works of Jewish priests.

   

B. Metaphor of the judgment verses 26-30

And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss for them from the end of the earth; and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly. None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent; their horses' hoofs shall be accounted as flint, and their wheels as a whirlwind: their roaring shall be like a lioness, they shall roar like young lions; yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and carry it away safe, and there shall be none to deliver.

And they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold, darkness [and] distress; and the light is darkened in the clouds thereof.

The extended metaphor of the lion, the lioness, and the young lions points squarely at the king of Assyria and his merciless armies as instruments through which the impending judgment of God's rebellious and wicked people would be executed. A reading of Nah. 2:11-13 will quickly reveal how this lion metaphor constituted the universally known logo of Assyria, an identification that clung to that evil kingdom until their own final destruction.

God's providential help of the enemies who would destroy Israel is indicated in the promise that not even the hoofs of the horses would be lame, and that at centuries of time before the shoeing of horses, as known to us, was ever heard of.

Here we also have another glimpse of the pattern in God's punishment of nations. The first chapter of Zechariah has the remarkable story of the horns that changed into smiths; and there it was revealed that the same nation, at first a horn to execute God's judgment upon the wicked; but when any "horn," that is, a persecuting power against God's purpose on earth, went beyond God's purpose, God at once changes another horn into a smith that destroys the offending horn.

Thus Assyria was the "horn" that mined Egypt; but Babylon became the "smith" that mined Assyria. (See more on this in Vol. 4 of our series of commentaries on the minor prophets, pp. 35, 36.)

In this mention of Assyria as the horn that destroyed Egypt, it should be recognized that Assyria was also the horn that destroyed the Northern Israel. Long prior to that, Israel had been the smith that wrecked the Canaanites under the leadership of Joshua. From the whole Biblical record, it seems reasonable to assume that when any nation reaches a certain degree of wickedness, God will destroy and remove them.

V I. The outline of the contents

The following outline of the contents of the book will enable us to gain a quick overview and see how the different parts fit together.

A. The Book Of Judgment 1:1-35:10

The Message of Rebuke and Promise 1:1-6:13

Israel’s ungrateful rebellion and the LORD’s gracious invitation 1:1-31

Israel’s prospect of glory through Messiah after the chastening for sin that will make them holy 2:1-4:6

Israel’s swift and complete judgment in exile 5:1-30

Isaiah’s cleansing of unholiness and calling to the ministry to the unholy nation that faces desolation 6:1-13

B. The Message of Immanuel 7:1-12:6

The sign of the birth of Immanuel and the judgment to come by Assyria 7:1-25)

The judgment on the nation and the deliverance by the birth and reign of the Son 8:1—9:7

The doom of Samaria for its perversion of justice 9:8-10:4

The destruction of the pride of Assyria to Israel’s satisfaction and the ushering in of Messiah’s great kingdom of peace through the Branch of the root of Jesse 10:5—12:6

C. The Burden upon the Nations 13:l—23:18

Babylon will be made desolate 13:l—14:27

Philistia will howl over its calamity 14:28-32

Moab is lamented for her doom 15:l—16:14

Damascus and Samaria will be plagued 17:1-14

Ethiopia will be destroyed but left an access to God 18:1-7

Egypt will be confounded but in the future will be part of the covenant with access 19:1—20:6

Babylon’s fall is reiterated 21:1-10

Edom is threatened 21:11,12

Arabia has a set time for calamity 21:13-17

Jerusalem will be invaded 22:1-25

Tyre will be overthrown 23:1-18

D. Message of Judgment and Promise “Little Apocalypse” 24:1—27:13

Judgment for sin will fall on the land, but a remnant shall rejoice at the advancement of the kingdom 24:1-23

Praise is offered to the LORD for His judgments and His deliverance of the believing remnant 25:1-12

A song of rejoicing in the consolation of Judah in the time of trouble, and an exhortation to faith 26:1-21

As with a vineyard, the LORD cares for His own and so His discipline on them differs from His judgment on the pagans: they will be preserved to worship in Jerusalem 27:1-13

E. Woes upon Unbelievers in Israel 28:1—33:24

The self-indulgent and scoffing Israel will be judged, but the remnant will advance the kingdom as it will be securely founded in the laying in Zion of the stone 28:1-29

The blind souls of Jerusalem who deceive will be turned over to the insatiable enemies so that the nation may be sanctified for a blessing 29:1-24

The rebuke is given for trusting in allies rather than in the LORD in the time of chastening, which is designed to bring about faith 30:1-22).

The people should turn from allies and trust in God who alone can bring down Assyria 31:1—32:20

Judgment will fall on the enemies of Israel but there will be great privileges for the believers in Israel 33:1-24

F. Further Messages of Judgment and Promise 34:1—35:10

The destruction of Gentile power will certainly come to pass 34:1-17

The blessing of the redeemed is to see the kingdom of peace and prosperity, physically and spiritually 35:1-10

G. The Book Of Hezekiah 36:l—39:8

The Deliverance of Judah 36:1—37:38

The invasion of Assyria and the blasphemy of Rabshekah challenges their faith 36:1-22

The encouragement of Isaiah in the time of mourning at the reception of the letter from Sennacherib prompts a prayer that leads to victory 37:1-38

The Deliverance of Judah’s King 38:1-22

The king’s life is extended through prayer.

The king offers a song of praise for his deliverance.

The Deliverance of Judah into Babylon’s Hands 39:1-8

The pride of Hezekiah displays the treasures to the king of Babylon.

The prophet announces the Babylonian captivity.

H. The Book Of Comfort 40:1—66:24

The Promise and Purpose of Peace 40:1—48:22

The prologue of the Book of Comfort announces the coming of God to Zion and the encouragement that that brings to the people 40:1-31

The exhortation of God over the raising of the Persian deliverer, over His promises, and over the folly of idols 41:1-29

The Servant of the LORD is raised up by the incomparable God, causing praise to Him 42:1-25

The Servant of the LORD will be regathered because they are His people and all will see His sovereign acts 43:1-44:5

The ability of God over idols to control history because He is the living God: the establishment of Cyrus as His shepherd and anointed servant, bringing the Gentiles into submission 44:6-45:25

Because of the weakness of the gods of Babylon, that power will be destroyed 46:1-47:15

Based on these prophecies, the LORD exhorts Israel to note the oracles, remember His love, and prepare to flee from the captivity 48:1-21).

I. The Prince of Peace 49:1-57:21

Messiah brings light and restoration: light to the Gentiles when Israel rejects; restoration to Israel at the appointed time 49:1-26

Israel is put away over her sins, but the Servant of the LORD is obedient and by His suffering can comfort the weary 50:1-11

Chosen Israel, the promised nation, should look in faith to the LORD for another return to the land 51:1-16

Israel should awake because dominion will replace slavery since God has come to rule in Zion 51:17—52:12

The Suffering Servant: blessings of redemption come to the nation and grace for the Gentiles (the next two sections) because (in this section) the Servant will be exalted from the lowly place by His death on behalf of the sins of the people as a reparation offering 52:13—53:12

The people of God, therefore, will be blessed with redemption and dominion 54:1-17

Grace will be extended to all (Gentile) sinners who trust in the LORD 55:1—56:8

Among the redeemed in the kingdom, wicked leaders and corrupt idolaters will not be found 56:9—57:21

J. The Program of Peace 58:1—66:24

In view of the false and ritualistic worship in his day, the prophet looks to the coming of Messiah in light and the turning of people to Him 58:1-14

Israel, condemned for her depravity and sinfulness, will be converted by the Redeemer in Zion with the covenant through the Spirit 59:1-21

There will be blessings of glory for Israel and access for the Gentiles—following a short period of affliction 60:1-22

Messiah will be filled with the Spirit of the LORD to fulfill the work of redemption and deliverance in the Messianic age 61:1-11

The prophet, wishing to see the promises of glory fulfilled, prepares and calls the people to God, who will defeat all enemies 62-63

In response to the mercies of God for His people Israel, the nation will confess its sin, calling for a demonstration of God’s power 64

In response to the prayer of Israel, judgments will purge the rebels from Israel and prepare the remnant for the consummation of the ages with a new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem, in all its peace and prosperity 65:1-25

The LORD God will be worshiped in sincerity and shall comfort the remnant in the great day of redemption 66:1-24

If you want to know more about this book, please click on the site below:

http://bible.org/seriespage/introduction-study-book-isaiah


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The Prophet Jeremiah

Study By David Malick:  
  

I. Introduction:

Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, is introduced as a prophet called from the womb by the Lord to prophesy the Lord’s words of judgment and restoration from the reign of Josiah until the captivity of Judah even through the people will resist him 1:1-19 

A. Preface to the Book of Jeremiah:

This book contains the words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, which were communicated by the Lord to him from the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign (627/6 B.C.), through the eleventh year of Zedekiah until the exile of Judah in the fifth month4 1:1-3

B. Call and Commission of Jeremiah: 

Jeremiah was called to be a prophet to the nations before his birth and encouraged to speak His words of judgment and restoration even through the people will resist him 1:4-19

1. Call of Jeremiah:

Jeremiah was chosen by the Lord before his birth to be a prophet of his words to the nations and is encouraged to speak his words of judgment and restoration 1:4-10

2. The Clarification of Jeremiah’s Call: 

Through two visions Jeremiah is told of coming judgment for Judah which the people will resist, but which the Lord will bring to pass 1:11-19

a. Two Visions: 1:11-16

The Rod of the Almond Tree--The Lord is Watching to Do His Word:6 1:11-12

A Boiling Pot--Coming Judgment by the Nations from the North: 1:13-16

b. Charge to Jeremiah: Jeremiah is urged to gird himself up and to begin prophesying with the knowledge that even though he will be resisted, God’s promises will prevail 1:17-19

I I. Prophecies to the Nation - Judah: 

Through a series of messages and historical illustrations Jeremiah demonstrated the rebellious character of Judah and which explained his prophesies of her coming judgment under the hand of Babylon also noting that she will be delivered one day by the Lord 2:1--45:5

A. Ten Messages of Judgment:

Ten Messages of Judgment upon Judah’s Kings and False Prophets so that They Might Repent:

Through a series of ten messages, Jeremiah exposes the disobedience of the people of Judah and pronounces necessary judgment as a consequence for them and the nations of the world as they refuse to head the word of Yahweh 2:1-25:38

1. Message One: 

Israel is accused of breaking the covenant by forsaking God and trusting in idols 2:1-3:5

a. The Nations Israel’s Past Love: 2:1-13

Introduction: 2:1

Yahweh’s separation of Israel to Him at the Exodus: 2:2-3

Israel’s Forgetfulness of Her Love for Yahweh when She Entered the Land: 2:4-8

Yahweh’s Charge against Israel--Doubly Guilty: 2:9-13

b. Israel, the Unfaithful Wife Will Be Judged 2:14-3:5

Object Lesson of the Northern Kingdom whose Sin Brought Her into Captivity: 2:14-19

Judah’s Spiritual Idolatry Is a Stain that Will Not Go Away: 2:20-25

Judah Will Be Ashamed when Judgment Comes: 2:26-28

Judgment Will Come: 2:29-37

A Plea For Judah to Repent from the Heart: 3:1-5

2. Message Two:

Judah will be judged due to its rejection of Yahweh and its refusal to repent: 3:6-6:30

a. God Calls His People to Repent: 3:6-4:4

b. God’s Wrath Will Come upon Judah and Jerusalem: 4:5-31

c. The Destruction of Jerusalem Will Come because It Has Turned Away from God: 5:1-31

d. The Complete Rejection of the Lord by the People Requires Judgment: 6:1-20

3. Message Three: 

Ritual will not save Judah, only Yahweh can save her; man’s foolishness leads to judgment9 7:1-10:25

a. The Temple Address--Salvation Will Not Come through Ritual: 7:1-8:3

The False Trust of the Nation: 7:1-28

Jeremiah’s Lament for Judah: 7:29-8:3

b. Salvation Will Not Come through Man’s Foolishness: 8:4-9:22

Apostasy only Leads to National Destruction 8:4-9:1

Man’s Foolishness Leads to Destruction: 9:2-22

c. Idol Worship vs. the Wisdom of the True God: 9:23-10:25

The Wisdom of Knowing the Lord: 9:23-26

Foolishness (idols) vs. Wisdom (true God): 10:1-25

4. Message Four: 

Rebellion against Yahweh leads to judgment, but God will restore His people and the nations will praise Yahweh 11:1-12:17

a. The Conspiracy against the Covenant: 11:1-17

b. The Conspiracy against Jeremiah: 11:18-12:17

The Plot: 11:18-23

Jeremiah’s Complaint: 12:1-4

God’s Response: 12:5-17

5. Message Five: 

Jeremiah gives five warnings to Judah of judgment due to pride which reveal Israel’s idolatrous character: 13:1-27

a. The Loincloth--Idolatry Brings Certain Ruin: 13:1-11

b. The Wine Jugs--God’s Wrath Will Fill the People: 13:12-14

c. The Warning against Pride: 13:15-17

d. The Warning to Rulers: 13:18-19

e. The Warning that Sin Brings Punishment: 13:20-27

6. Message Six: 

Judgment will come because of self-trust instead of faith in Yahweh, and God is asked to remember the covenant 14:1-17:27

a. The Lord Does Not Allow Jeremiah to Intercede for Judah 14:1-15:9

Jeremiah’s Petition for Deliverance 14:1-9

In a Discussion between the Lord and Jeremiah, the prophet asks the Lord to remember the covenant relationship 14:10-22

The Lord Tells Jeremiah of Certain Coming Judgment 15:1-9

b. The Lord Deals with Jeremiah by Proclaiming His Purpose for Him, Proclaiming Him is a Living Symbol of Judah’s Coming Judgment, and Proclaiming His Ultimate Plan of Restoration for the Nation: 16:1-21

c. The Lord Proclaims that the Consequences for Judah’s Sin of Idolatry Is to Serve the gods, Causing Jeremiah to Pray for Salvation and Justice 17:1-27

7. Message Seven: 

Since God is sovereign, the nation is to submit to His way--judgment is coming 18:1-20:18

a. God is Sovereign like a Potter with Clay: 18:1-23

b. The Destruction of the Nation Will Be Like the Breaking of an Earthen Vessel: 19:1-20:18

8. Message Eight: 

Jeremiah emphasizes that the city is going to be judged by God and their is no way out, so to be in God’s will, they must leave the land 21:1-14

a. Zedekiah Requests Mercy in His Time of Trouble: 21:1-2

b. Jeremiah Affirms that the Lord is at War with Jerusalem: 21:3-5

c. Jeremiah Urges the Nation to Surrender to Babylon or to Fight and Die: 21:8-10

d. Jeremiah Urges the House of David to Obey God’s Law 21:11-14

9. Message Nine: 

Jeremiah affirms that the wicked leaders (kings, lying prophets) are leading the people astray, but that the good shepherd gathers the people resulting in the principle that obedience leads to blessing, but disobedience leads to cursing 22:1--24:10

a. A Warning to the Wicked Kings: 22:1-30

An Exhortation to Zedekiah: 22:1-9

The Destiny of Shallum (Jehoahaz): 22:10-12

The Curse from Jehoiakim’s Evil: 22:13-23

The Destiny/Curse of Coniah (Jehoiachin): 22:24-30

b. The Work of the Good Shepherd--The Righteous Branch:10 23:1-8

c. Prophesy against the Wicked Prophets: 23:9-40

d. The Symbol of the Two Baskets of Figs Speaks of the Good Who Will Be Regathered and the Bad who Will Not: 24:1-10

10. Message Ten:

Judgment is certain from Judah to the whole world because there is a refusal to head the word of God 25:1-38

a. The Refusal to the People to Listen: 25:1-7

b. Judgment from Nebuchadnezzar (“my servant”) because the People Refuse to Head the Word: 25:8-11

c. Hope--A Seventy Year Captivity Only: 25:12-14

d. Judgment upon the Whole World: 25:15-38

I I I. The Opposition which Jeremiah Faced Due to His Messages:

The ten messages of judgment are vindicated through the hostile opposition which Jeremiah received from the religious leaders to his true messages 26:1--29:32

A. Consequences of the Temple Address: 

When Jeremiah spoke a message at the temple of repentance or necessary judgment, the priests and false prophets wanted his death, but he was spared 26:1-24

1. The Death Penalty Is Demanded for Jeremiah: 26:7-11

2. Jeremiah’s Defense--He is from the Lord: 26:12-15

3. The Verdict--Confirmation: 26:16-19

4. Unlike Uriah, Jeremiah was Spared from Death: 26:20-24

B. The Yoke of Babylon: 

Jeremiah exhorted the foreign countries, Zedekiah, and the people to submit to Babylon for life, otherwise they would die 27:1-22

1. Hananiah vs. Jeremiah: 

Jeremiah rebuked Hananiah’s prophecy by affirming that Hananiah’s act of breaking the yoke will cause a harsher bondage, and by prophesying and authenticating Hananiah’s death 28:1-17

2. Jeremiah’s Letters to the Exiles: 

When Shemaiah opposes Jeremiah’s open letter to the exiles concerning conduct et cetera, Jeremiah predicts Shemaiah’s death as a sign to the people 29:1-32

a. Setting--When the Upper Middle Class Had Been Taken into Captivity in Babylon (597 B.C.) 29:1-3

b. Jeremiah’s Open Letter to the Exiles: 29:4-23

Concerning Their Conduct: 29:4-23

Concerning the Lord’s Promise:13 29:10-14

Concerning Those Left in Jerusalem: 29:15-20

Concerning False Prophets among Them: 29:21-23

c. The Reaction to the Letter: 29:24-32

Negative - Shemaiah: 29:24-28

Another Letter From Jeremiah: 29:29-32

I V. Messages of Consolation to Judah:

Jeremiah confirms for Judah that although she will go into captivity that the Lord will yet fulfill His promises to her through direct affirmation, prophesying of a new exodus, a new covenant, buying property in the land, and predicting the restoration of the Davidic line 30:1--33:26

A. Punishment and Restoration: 

Although Judah was punished for her sin, the Lord promised to restore her, punish her enemies and restore Jerusalem 30:1-24

B. A New Exodus: 

The Lord promises to restore Israel to the land in a new exodus experience at the right time 31:1-22

1. Israel Will Be Restored: 31:1-6

2. Israel Will Return to Her Land in a New Exodus Experience: 31:7-14

3. Comfort for Israel as She Weeps over Those Who Have Been Deported: 31:15-20

4. Exhortation to Return to the Land at the Proper Time: 31:21-22

C. A New Covenant: 

The Lord will restore a unified nation which will flourish under a new covenant and be holy to the Lord 31:23-40

1. A Restoration Under the Lord’s Blessing: 31:23-26

b. Flourishing Physically and Morally: 31:27-30

c. Under a New Covenant: 31:31-34

d. Certainty of Restoration: 31:35-37

e. The Restoration Period: 31:38-40

D. Buying a Field: 

Jeremiah demonstrated his faith in Yahweh to restore the people to the land by buying a field affirming that the sovereign God will judge and restore 32:1-44

1. Setting:

Jeremiah is in Prison for Proclaiming that Zedekiah and the Nation would go into exile 32:1-5

2. An Illustration:

Jeremiah buys a field proclaiming that there will be a restoration 32:6-15

3. Jeremiah praises the Lord

When Jeremiah praises the Lord and yet asks “why” about the nation’s situation, he is told that the Lord will sovereignly give the nation over to Babylon and then will sovereignly restore the nation from captivity 32:16-44

E. Covenant Promises: 

Jeremiah affirms that God will keep his promises by restoring for unified Israel the people, the land, and the Davidic line 33:1-26

1. A Restoration of the People: 33:1-8

2. A Restoration of the Land: 33:9-13

3. A Restoration of the Davidic Line: 33:14-26

V. A Display of Judah’s Disobedience 

A Display of Judah’s Disobedience which Qualified them for Judgment:15 In spite of the words of consolation which preceded this unit, Jeremiah demonstrated the necessity of judgment upon Judah because her kings, unlike the Recabites, disobey God 34:1--36:32

A. Disobedience

Zedekiah and the Mistreated Slaves: When Zedekiah and the people took back the slaves which they had let go, they broke the covenant with Yahweh and were given over to Babylon 34:1-22

1. Setting: 

Babylon was getting ready to attack the city when the Lord told Zedekiah through Jeremiah that Jerusalem would fall and he would not die but be deported and then die of natural causes 34:1-7

2. The Broken Oath of Release:

Zedekiah convinced the people to enter into covenant and release their Hebrew slaves, but then they took them back into slavery 34:8-11

3. The Lord’s Response: 

After restating His commands after the Exodus about releasing slaves every seven years, and seeing the duplicity of Judah, he decided to “release” the nation into the hand of Babylon 34:17-22

B. Obedience

The Rechabites Not Drinking:17 The Rechabites became an example to Judah through their obedience in not drinking wine and were established 35:1-19

1. A Test by the Lord: 

The Lord had Jeremiah test the Recabites by trying to get them drunk, but they refused and continued in their obedience to the Lord

2. An Example to Judah:

Judah should obey the Lord just as the Rechabites did their founding fathers, but judgment is coming for disobedience 35:14-16

3. The Rechabites are promised a line that continues 35:18-19

A. Disobedience

Jehoiakim’s Destruction of God’s Word: When Jeremiah and Baruch wrote a scroll so that Judah would turn to Yahweh, Jehoiakim destroyed it, so it was rewritten and Jehoiakim was cut off 36:1-32

1. The Writing of the First Scroll: 36:1-7

2. The Reading of the Scroll: 36:8-9

3. Jehoiakim’s Burning of the Scroll: 36:20-26


4. The Writing of the Second Scroll: 36:27-32

V I. The Final Days of Jerusalem 

The Final Days of Jerusalem Up To and Including Its Fall to Babylon:18 When Zedekiah opposed Jeremiah’s exhortations to surrender to Babylon, Jerusalem fell causing the people to be deported and the city to be destroyed, but Jeremiah was protected and Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian, was spared for trusting in the Lord 37:1--39:18

A. Zedekiah’s Opposition to Jeremiah: 

When Zedekiah opposed Jeremiah, threw him into prison, and refused to surrender to Babylon during the siege of Jerusalem, Jerusalem was taken by Babylon 37:1--38:15

1. Setting: 

a. Egypt has pushed Babylon back for a time from Palestine, so Zedekiah asks Jeremiah to pray for the nation 37:1-5

b. Jeremiah Prophecies a Babylonian Victory: 37:6-10

c. Jeremiah Is Imprisoned for Being Anti-nationalistic: 37:11-16

d. When Zedekiah asks for a word from the Lord from Jeremiah, he is told that Babylon will be victorious and Jeremiah asks not to be placed back in prison, whereupon he is placed in the court of the guardhouse 37:17-21

e. Jeremiah is Placed in Prison Again for Speaking of Destruction by Babylon: 38:1-6

f. Ebed-Melech receives permission from Zedekiah to rescue Jeremiah from the cistern and place him again in the court of the guardhouse 38:7-13

g. Zedekiah Speaks Again with Jeremiah and Babylonian Judgment is confirmed: 34:14-26

h. Jeremiah Does Not Tell of His Conversation with the King and Remains in the Guardhouse until the Fall of Jerusalem 38:27-28

B. The Fall of Jerusalem:

With the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon the king and people were deported, Jerusalem was destroyed, Jeremiah was protected, and Ebed-melech was spared for trusting the Lord 39:1-18

1. A Summary of the Fall of Jerusalem: 39:1-3

2. The Deportation Zedekiah after His Attempted Escape: 39:4-10

3. The Destruction of Jerusalem: 39:8

4. The Taking of Most People to Babylon: 39:9

e. The Poor Are Left in the Land: 39:10

f. Jeremiah is Protected by Nebuchadnezzar: 39:11-14

g. Ebed-melech is Protected for His Faithful Saving of Jeremiah: 39:15-18

F. The Rebellious Activity 

The Rebellious Activity of Those Left in Jerusalem after the Fall of the City to Babylon:20 40:1--44:30

1. Death of Gedaliah: 

Palestine was politically unstable with Ishmael’s assassination of Gedaliah and the captivity of the people, but Johanan, the son of Kareah, freed the people while Ishmael escaped to Ammon and the remnant under Johanan fled to Egypt 40:1--41:18

a. Jeremiah Remained in the Land:21 40:1-6

b. The People in the Land Gathered around Gedaliah:22 40:7-12

c. The Assassination of Gedaliah and Its Consequences: 40:13--41:18

The Plot: 40:13-16

The Assassination: 41:1-3

Ishmael Takes the People Captive:23 41:4-10

Release of the Captives by Johanan: 41:11-18

2. The Flight to Egypt:

Out of fear of Babylon’s reprisal, Johanan and the people desired to go to Egypt, but the Lord told Jeremiah that they should not flee; nevertheless, they disobeyed and went to Egypt where Babylon would soon come to conquer 42:1-43:13

a. Jeremiah was Asked about Fleeing to Egypt, and Gave God’s Warning against It: 42:1-22

b. The People Went to Egypt which Babylon Would Soon Control: 43:1-13

People Fled to Egypt: 43:1-7

An Object Lesson from the Lord about Babylon’s Soon Control of Egypt: 43:10-13

3. Jeremiah prophesied against the People in Egypt:

Jeremiah confronted the refugees in Egypt and rebuked them for their evil deeds, but the people worshiped idols and Jeremiah prophesied destruction 44:1-30

a. Jeremiah’s Message: Jeremiah reminds the people of their past experiences due to disobedience, their present sinful activities and God’s future judgment of the wicked 44:1-14

b. The People’s Response Was to Honor Their Other gods for Prosperity: 44:15-19

c. Jeremiah’s Response: Jeremiah Responded by exposing their wrong thinking, foretelling future judgment, and proclaiming that a sign will be in the death of the current Pharaoh at the hand of the Babylon 44:29-30

G. The Lord’s Message to Baruch:

The Lord gave a message of encouragement to Baruch that although Judah would fall, he would be kept safe 45:1-5

1. Setting (605/4 B.C.): 45:1

2. Introduction: A Word from God to Baruch: 45:2

3. Baruch Was Depressed: 45:3

4. The Lord’s Response: 45:4-5

a. The Nation Will Fall Soon: 45:4

b. Do Not Seek Self Recognition: 45:5a

c. You Will Be Kept Safe: 45:5b

V I I. Prophecies of Judgment to the Nations: 

Jeremiah prophesied nine messages of judgment against the nations who were located in an Arch from South-West to North West, and down to South-East to Encourage Judah:26 46:1--51:64. This unit provides that which came to Jeremiah through the word of the Lord about the nations 46:1 

A. Message One:

Message One against Egypt:27 The defeat of Egypt by Babylon is prophesied as judgment by God, and comfort is given to Judah in Egypt (regathered) 46:2-28

1. The Defeat of Egypt at Carchemish (605 B.C.): 46:1-12

2. The Defeat of the Land of Egypt: 46:13-26

3. Comfort for the People from Judah in Egypt

They Will Be Regathered and Restored: 46:27-28

B. Message Two:

Message Two against Philistia: Jeremiah prophesied against Philistia that she will be destroyed in judgment from God causing the nations to mourn 47:1-7

1. Introduction: 47:1

2. Conquest: 47:2-4

3. Results of Conquest: 47:5-7

C. Message Three

Message Three against Moab:28 Jeremiah prophesied against Moab because of its pride and false worship, but there is a promise of restoration in the latter days 48:1-47

1. The Destruction of the Nation: 48:1-10

2. Moab’s Complacency Will End: 48:11-15

3. Judgment Will Come Suddenly: 48:16-20

4. The Cities of Moab Will Fall: 48:21-25

5. Moab’s False Worship Will Fall: 48:26-35

6. A Lament for Moab: 48:36-39

7. A Complete Destruction of Moab: 48:40-46

8. *A Promise of Restoration for Moab: 48:47

D. Message Four:

Message Four against Ammon: Jeremiah prophesied against Ammon that judgment would come because they caused false worship in Israel, but restoration is promised 49:1-6

1. Caused False Worship in Israel: 49:1

2. Israel Will Control Ammon: 49:2

3. Destruction Will Come: 49:3-5

4. *A Promise of Restoration: 49:6

E. Message Five:

Message Five against Edom: Jeremiah prophesied judgment against Edom affirming that in arrogance they do not realize it, but judgment and exile are coming 49:7-22

1. Judgment Will Come: 49:7-13

2. Arrogance Prohibits Their Realization of Judgment Coming: 49:14-19

3. Destruction and Exile Are Coming: 49:20-22 

F. Message Six:

Message Six against Damascus: Jeremiah prophesied judgment against Damascus affirming that it will become helpless and fall 49:23-27 

G. Message Seven:

Message Seven against Kedar & Hazor:29 Jeremiah prophesied judgment against Kedar and Hazor affirming that these places will remain desolate 49:28-33 

H. Message Eight:

Message Eight against Elam: Jeremiah prophesied judgment against Elam affirming that it would be destroyed, but there is a promise of restoration 49:34-39

1. Introduction: A Prophecy at the Beginning of the Reign of Zedekiah (597 B.C.) 49:34

2. Elam Will Be Destroyed: 49:35-38

3. A Promise of Restoration: 49:39 

I. Message Nine:

Message Nine against Babylon: Jeremiah prophesied judgment against Babylon because of its arrogant attitude, and Israel will return home 50:1--51:64

1. Babylon’s Fall Will Mean Deliverance for Judah: 50:1-20

2. Judgment and Condemnation upon Babylon: 50:21-46

3. A Sovereign Shift of Political Power (the Medes): 51:1-19

4. The Final Fate of Babylon--Destruction: 50:20-33

5. Babylon’s Destruction for Destroying Judah: 51:34-40

6. The Lord’s Destruction of Babylon: 51:41-58

7. Jeremiah’s Instructions to Seraiah:

Jeremiah’s Instructions to Seraiah to take the scroll with the judgments upon Babylon, to read it there and to symbolize its destruction by throwing the scroll into the Euphrates River 51:63-64

V I I I. The “Confessions” of Jeremiah

Study by zachbardon (see site below) 

A. Introduction

Scholars have identified several passages in Jeremiah that can be understood as “confessions;” they occur in the first section of the book (chapters 1-25) and are 11.18-12.6, 15.10-21, 17.14-18, 18.18-23, and 20.7-18. In these passages, Jeremiah expresses his discontent with the message he is to deliver, but also his steadfast commitment to the divine call despite the fact that he had not sought it out. Additionally, in several of these “confessions,” Jeremiah prays that the Lord will avenge his persecutor (for example, see Jeremiah 12.3).

Jeremiah’s “confessions” are a type of individual lament. Such laments are found elsewhere in the psalms and the book of Job. Like Job, Jeremiah curses the day of his birth (Jer. 20.14-18 and Job 3.3-10). Likewise, Jeremiah’s exclamation “For I hear the whispering of many: Terror is all around!” (Jer. 20.10) matches Psalm 31.13 exactly. However, Jeremiah’s laments are made unique by his insistence that he has been called by Yahweh to deliver his messages. These laments that are attributed to Jeremiah “provide a unique look at the prophet's inner struggle with faith, persecution, and human suffering”

B. Confession 1 11:18-23

The way Jeremiah now reads, this passage is the first of Jeremiah's confessions, the first of several heartfelt passages throughout the book where, speaking in first person, he presents his case to Yahweh. Here Yahweh has evidently revealed to Jeremiah (through some means or another) a plot against the prophet's life. This is quite possibly the first major threat to Jeremiah's life, and it brings with it a great insult. These were "men of Anathoth" plotting against Jeremiah, and Anathoth was Jeremiah's hometown! And, as J. A. Thompson points out, "for any man of Israel, rejection by his society was a great grief."

Moreover, these men make reference to destroying the "tree and its fruit," so that "his name be remembered no more." They no doubt meant that since Jeremiah had yet to marry and have offspring, by killing him they would end his line, which Thompson rightly calls "a tragic end for a man of Israel, for whom descendents demonstrated the divine blessing on his life."

The people of Anathoth must have found Jeremiah's prophecies appalling and embarrassing to resort to murder. Because he prophesied the words of Yahweh, he was a disgrace to his home. "Little wonder," says Thompson, "that he fled to God in dismay and despair. As far as he was concerned, Yahwah was the reason he faced this problem; it was therefore Yahweh's responsibility to resolve the problem.

We see here the establishment of what we are going to call the "whining" theme. Jeremiah feels victimized and downtrodden, an unfair recipient of the injustice of the wicked, due entirely to his faithfulness in proclaiming the word of the Lord. The Lord, therefore, ought to turn the tables and deliver justice. And, in this case, he is probably afraid. If home is not safe, where is?

Yet, as in Job and some of the Psalms, we see a full confidence in God's ability to render justice. The very fact that he beseeches God, "let me see your vengeance upon them" indicates that he knows Yahweh is able to exact that vengeance. Jeremiah displays a confidence that has been slightly rattled, like a child when someone tells him something other than what his parents taught him. The child goes to his parents and says "isn't it so? Bob said it wasn't so, go tell him it's so." Reality is showing Jeremiah a different concept of justice than the concept he had believed God upheld, so he goes to God and says, "Aren't you just? Those men are wicked. Well?"

In this first of Jeremiah's laments, God gives a response that Thompson calls "decisive," one that must have satisfied Jeremiah's longing for certain justice. God assures Jeremiah of justice, promising a severe punishment for these wicked men, remarkably strong in its thoroughness. Yahweh very rarely punishes so completely.

When He says "Not even a remnant will be left," this is serious stuff.

C. Confession 2 12:1-6

The occasion of this lament is unsure. Perhaps Jeremiah was feeling overwhelmed, perhaps he was impatient with God's apparently delayed justice, or perhaps he was just whining (again) about his mistreatment. Most likely it was not a specific event, but rather the culmination of Jeremiah's observations on the sad unfairness of life. In any event, its premise fundamentally addresses the problem of theodicy: "Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do the faithless live at ease?" Jeremiah addresses a problem with the world that believers in God must address even today -- sometimes the wicked flourish, while the righteous are downtrodden, yet God promises justice. "Instead of the wicked," writes Thompson, "it was Jeremiah, the man called by God and the faithful servant of God, who was suffering."

Jeremiah minces no words, bringing his "case" (legal terminology) before God, and requesting that God "drag them [the wicked] off like sheep to be butchered!" The "lamb to the slaughter" simile shows up again, but this time as an ideal for the fate of the wicked. Perhaps Jeremiah wanted lex talionis, an eye for an eye, and since the wicked had made him the helpless lamb, he felt God ought to do the same to them.

The tone of this lament seems a little more impatient. Certainly the words are strong, addressing God as though He were not holding up His end. In v. 1 Jeremiah displays again his love of justice, which may have been strengthened by the apparent dearth of said justice. Consistent with his love of justice is his focus on true worship; he is truly upset by fakes. Jeremiah points out false worship (cf. his well-known "temple sermon"), saying "You are always on their lips | But far from their hearts." This alone was enough, in Jeremiah's view, for them to be punished.

We must here mention that an Old Testament mindset pays little attention to an afterlife. When Jeremiah beseeched God for justice, he was not asking for a "final judgement" after the end of his life, or the world. He did not have a modern Christian's assurance of such a final judgement. Justice in his day was much more immediate. The Proverbs are full of this practical justice -- live righteously, and your life on Earth will be blessed. When the wicked were flourishing, this was seen as a serious problem in God's application of justice, and Jeremiah felt that God's reputation was at stake, and He ought to do something about it.

It is almost endearing how Jeremiah points out to God, "Moreover, the people are saying, 'He will not see what happens to us.'" This seems like a strong hint that God ought to show them that He does see, that He is in fact the all-seeing all-powerful God in which Jeremiah has placed confidence.

Now let us examine God's response. His response here is very different from His response to Jeremiah's first lament, and I'm sure Jeremiah found it very unsatisfactory. In God's first response, He promises the utter destruction of the wicked. This time He doesn't mention the wicked at all, instead merely gives Jeremiah a warning. "It will get worse," He basically says, "so quit whining and buck up." Thompson describes God's response as "vigorous metaphors," and is eloquent in describing the first of them:

The first metaphor is concerned with athletic prowess. If running a footrace had worn the prophet out, how would he hope to vie with horses? In this context running with men seems to refer to Jeremiah's encounters with other prophets. The other prophets, false prophets in Jeremiah's eyes, seem to have given him a 'good run' and to have provided strong opposition. But he had yet to compete with horses.

Interestingly, God never mentions the wicked, while his first response was entirely assurance of the wicked impending judgment. We might suggest, reading between the lines, that God had given Jeremiah assurance and the prophet did not need further reassurance; God's earlier word must still stand. "God's words to Jeremiah," observes Thompson, "were a warning to him both to be on his guard and to prepare for more severe trials yet to come."In human terms, this is an unsatisfactory response, because it doesn't answer the question asked.

But it does show a parental concern for the prophet, warning him of danger.

D. Confession 3 15:10-11

This is a short but intense lament, where Jeremiah wishes he'd never been born. Thompson points out that "to curse the day of his birth was tantamount to a rejection of his very mission" a very strong lament. Rather than focusing on the wicked, this lament is very inwardly focused. As opposed to his earlier charges that Yahweh make good on His promise of justice, this is more of a wallowing, Jeremiah feeling at war with the world and for no apparent reason.

And in this case, when Jeremiah is feeling truly low, God answers Jeremiah, this time offering further reassurance of his earlier promise, and including this time a personal promise: "I will deliver you." God reminds Jeremiah of his earlier promise of future justice, and of the purpose in his calling. God's varying responses make these confessions truly an interesting study. Jeremiah says much of the same "whining" things, but God's responses differ, while always displaying a concern for His prophet.

E. Confession 4 15:15-21

This is Jeremiah's most dangerous lament, and the only one which earns a rebuke from God. His previous feeling of worldly oppression grows bitter and turns outward towards God. The oppression is all for His sake, and in a sense God is answerable for it, so he grows impatient with Yahweh's delayed justice. His earlier righteous love of justice becomes entangled in his embittered sense of self-pity. Both laments are tied together.

Jeremiah briefly outlines his history, making his case, pointing out that he "never sat in the company of revelers," he "suffer[s] reproach." His lament culminates with the plea, "Why is my pain unending..? Will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails?" This after his earlier prophecies about the people of Israel digging broken cisterns (pursuing false gods) rather than drinking from the spring (following Yahweh).

It is remarkable that despite his bitterness towards God, Jeremiah turns to God to make his lament. Often, bitterness leads to a lack of communication. But as a pastor named Frank Logue once said, "God can deal with our anger better than our silence."

The response Yahweh gives may have satisfied Jeremiah. The prophet was clearly upset, and his laments to this point seemed intent on provoking Yahweh to action. Getting a rebuke from Yahweh was a kind of action, plus it provided Jeremiah with a direction. "If you repent," begins Yahweh, "I will restore you." And again, "If you utter worthy, not worthless words, you will be my spokesman." Yahweh goes on to describe how he will strengthen and aid Jeremiah in his calling, concluding with a promise of redemption: "I will save you from the hands of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the cruel."

Jeremiah really gets off pretty easy. The rebuke was not very strong, couched in a conditional promise of restoration, and full of direction for the future. God's responses thus far have all been directed towards the future, while all Jeremiah's responses have been focusing on the present. Maybe sometime soon Jeremiah will get the picture. Also of note is the fact that God again mentions the wicked, but here He does not discuss their destruction. Yahweh promises not that He will punish the wicked, but rather that he will deliver Jeremiah from them.

F. Confession 5 17:12-18

Confession 5 is something of a triumph. Particularly after the direction the last lament took, this is a refreshing change. Gone is the whiny self-pitying tone we've seen until now. Gone is the myopic focus on his own sufferings. "All who forsake you will be put to shame," declares Jeremiah confidently, looking toward the future for once. His focus, as often is the case (and probable occasion) for these laments, is the wicked, but we now see a new focus on Yahweh coming in alongside his focus on the wicked. "Those who turn away [the wicked]," declares Jeremiah, "will be written in the dust [future outlook], for they have forsaken the LORD, the spring of living water [no longer the deceptive brook]."

Jeremiah displays that same concern that God's justice is not presently evident (he's suffering and the wicked are not, yet he serves God and they do not), but now that he is finally understanding the future emphasis of God's justice, he is far less whiny. "There is an underlying confidence in Yahweh here," observes Thompson.

This confession is perhaps the best example of Jeremiah's unwavering faith in God's existence and his power to affect all things in the world.

Significantly, Yahweh gives no response. Perhaps He smiled. Since Jeremiah begins to reflect Yahweh's ideas in this confession, Yahweh perhaps felt no need to offer those ideas to Jeremiah again.

G. Confession 6 18:18-23

This confession is a reaction to the plots of the people to kill Jeremiah. Here Jeremiah reiterates his newfound confidence in Yahweh's future justice, while demonstrating his continuing concern at the success of the wicked. He here requests, "hear what my accusers are saying!" and follows their words with his requests for justice. His idea of justice is very stark. "Give their children over to famine," he asks. "Let their wives be made childless and widows; let their men be put to death... let a cry be heard from their houses."

Jeremiah is asking for judgement on all aspects of the families; men, women and children, displaying the same "focus on the family" that shows up elsewhere (cf. 7:18). Thompson also mentions that "famine, death by the sword in battle, bereavement, and screams of terror were all concomitants of an enemy invasion," pointing out Jeremiah's sometime references to the "foe from the north."

Some have observed that the plots against him indicate that his message is being heard and understood.

Jeremiah reminds God of his service and, after venting a bit in anger that people actually want to kill him for doing what is right, he hands the wicked over to God.

Again, Yahweh offers no spoken response to this confidence, or if He did, it was not necessary for the readers of Jeremiah.

H. Confession 7 20:7-13

Jeremiah's near bitterness surfaces again in this confession; it begins with strong words to Yahweh: "you deceived me" and expresses his feelings on the unfairness of his persecution for Yahweh's sake. "The word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long," he whines. The word of Yahweh which delights him in the end brings him only torment, and he is quite frustrated by this. He feels succored into the role of prophet against his will and against what is good for him.

The prophet's call is very poignantly described in this confession: "If I say, 'I will not mention him,'" says Jeremiah, "his word is like a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." These are very colorful words presenting a powerful picture of the divine call.

Jeremiah was consistently in a position of conflict, particularly with Yahweh. Thompson is eloquent on this matter:

He was engrossed in controversy with Yahweh. His sensitive nature was deeply hurt by the ridicule and sarcasm with which his preaching was received by the people. But he could do no other because of his deep commitment to his prophetic vocation. He was under a profound compulsion to expose the nation's rejection of Yahweh and his covenant. Yet he loved his own people deeply. Little wonder that deep emotional tensions and conflicts arose within him which led him at times to give expressions to the intense feeling which is found in these poems.

Despite Jeremiah's frustration, his faith in God remains unshaken. He still believes in the future downfall of the wicked, saying "they will fail and be utterly disgraced." Perhaps his confident statements are a hopeful reminder to Yahweh, for Jeremiah longs to live to see God's justice. "Let me see your vengeance upon them," he asks again.

Unlike his earlier requests for vengeance, this confession concludes with praise, a ray of light at the end of the storm.

I. Confession 8 20:14-18

In these words the spirit of the weeping prophet is laid bare at one of his particularly low moments. Unable to curse his actual parents, he curses all the circumstances surrounding his birth. "Cursed be the day I was born!" he begins. He curses the man who told his father "A child is born to you" and wishes he had been killed at birth. Thompson remarks on Jeremiah's pitiless curse of an innocent man: "such an expression must owe more to literary convention that to actual hatred of an innocent man, but well shows the intensity of Jeremiah's despair."

This kind of bitter lament, regretting that he had ever lived, is one that humanity has expressed in some form or another through the ages. In colloquial terms, life sucks. A lot of the time the equation of life adds up to a negative, which led the prophet Jeremiah to ask God why he was ever born. "To this poignant question Yahweh gave no answer," Thompson concludes. "But what answer could he give?"

J. General reflections

Jeremiah's confessions all stem from Jeremiah's commitment to justice. Much of his lamentation is requesting that God make good on his word, that He prove to the people that the wicked will see judgement. While he would often assume a bit of a whiny tone, his laments by and large were not concerned solely with his own trouble.

His desire for vengeance on the wicked stemmed from his indignation that people should behave contrary to the covenant and thrive, that those whose worship was false should find life so pleasurable. He was offended on behalf of himself, yes, but at the center he was offended on behalf of Yahweh. "It was not simply a matter of wounded pride demanding revenge," states Thompson, "but rather of Jeremiah's profound identification with Yahweh and the demands of the covenant."

I was once asked by a Bible teacher, "do we have any rights?" And after much discussion, the teacher eventually argued that no, as Christians we do not. As Americans we are extended rights, but as Christians we know that we do not deserve any of God's mercies, from our eternal celestial future to our next breath. We are given them, not as our due, but as a gift. One cannot claim the right to a gift. The teacher's point was that if this mindset inundates our lifestyle, we will extend grace more readily and take offense at much less, since we really have no rights to be infringed. I thus found it interesting to see Jeremiah's perpetual indignation with the wicked, for their wickedness and its affront to Yahweh, which happened to take the form of persecuting the Lord's spokesman.

I mentioned above the notion that God would prefer our anger to our silence. I think we must qualify this with an understanding of one's relationship to Yahweh. In human relationships, close friends and loved ones are permitted to express frustrations and anger, since there is an understanding and a knowledge that such expressions are tempered by (or even a result of) love.

One simply does not express anger to a stranger (at least not without presenting a very poor image). Jeremiah's laments are permissible because he had a close relationship with Yahweh. Indeed, Thompson claims that "only one who walked intimately with God would dare to speak as Jeremiah did."

A further lesson we can learn from Jeremiah's voicing’s of his battles with despair and his prophetic call is the way he sank into bitterness. When Jeremiah's laments were focused mostly on his own sufferings, Yahweh became the caretaker reneging on his pledge, the guardian who failed to guard, the judge who was unrighteous lenient. Bitterness turns us towards worthless words.

It is only natural for mortal humanity to desire God's justice in the present. Jeremiah certainly wanted to "see" God's vengeance on the wicked. And I feel similarly at times; I want the final judgment to happen on a daily basis. But we, as modern Christians, have the assurance of that final judgment, not just in God's response to our first and third laments (and Jeremiah's, incidentally) but in the New Testament as well. We therefore have much less "right" to be impatient with the problem of theodicy.

The last reflection I will mention has to do with insecurity. Jeremiah was assured from his very first lament of the destruction of the wicked, without even a remnant left to them. Yet he kept asking God for the destruction of the wicked, despite that first assurance. Yahweh did not always answer him, certainly not always about the wicked, and when he did, it was usually to turn Jeremiah's attention toward the future (whether He was saying "it will get worse" or "I will deliver you").

But I think this insecurity is true of all of us. We believe what we see, and want ressurance of what we can't see. We don't see God's justice yet, so we want reassurance. Mothers are notorious for asking their children about details several times, just to make sure. Lovers want (maybe need?) to hear "I love you" over and over from their beloved, as though needing some kind of reassurance of something they already know. I believe Jeremiah's laments were mostly this kind of seeking reassurance. He never evidenced lack of confidence in

God's ability to render justice, nor in His concept of justice itself. His laments were merely entreaties for reassurance of God's justice in his present, something I believe it is permissible for all believers to do.

Provided we be on our guard against bitterness, and our focus remains on the future more than wallowing in our own insecurity, it is perfectly permissible (albeit unnecessary) for Christians to seek reassurance from God.

If you want to know more about this book, please click on the sites below:


http://bible.org/article/argument-book-jeremiah

http://zachbardon.com/compendium/out.php?t=academic/confessions


Would you like to know if FREEMASONRY is of the devil? Please, click below:

• Is Freemasonry of the devil?

The Prophet Ezekiel

Study By Imanuel Christian:  

I. The Holiness and Judgment of God - Chapters 1-24

A. Knowing God is the basic theme of the Book of Ezekiel.

What is the most basic relationship that a Christian can have? You would agree with me that the most basic relationship the Christian can have is his relationship with God.

But the question is, how can we develop that relationship with God? Developing a personal relationship with God, as with any other person, requires a personal and intimate knowledge of the person. Knowledge of God is the basis of eternal life, as John notes Jesus saying, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). Not only is the knowledge of God the basis of eternal life, but continued growth in the knowledge of God is the basis of a life that is pleasing to Him.

On the other hand, the lack of the knowledge of God is the basis of a life that is not pleasing to Him. One of the most basic weaknesses of the church today is not having enough emphasis on the knowledge of God. J. I. Packer, in the preface of his book Knowing God, writes:

The conviction behind the book is that ignorance of God – ignorance both of His ways and of the practice of communion with Him – lies at the root of much of the church’s weakness today. . . The modern way with God is to set Him at distance, if not to deny Him altogether; and the irony is that modern Christians, preoccupied with maintaining religious practices in an irreligious world, have allowed God to become remote.324

Knowing God is the basic theme of the Book of Ezekiel. The phrase, “They/you shall know that I am the Sovereign Lord” is used around 70 times in this book.

B. The people of God - lack of the knowledge of God.

On the one hand, the book presents God as holy and sovereign. On the other, it provides the picture of the sad predicament that the people of God – in a sense the whole world – has come into because of their lack of the knowledge of God.

It is not just the lack of the knowledge of God; it is a lack of desire for the knowledge of God. The picture is of willful ignorance and rebellion in spite of God’s clear revelation. The Apostle Paul writes in the New Testament:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1:18-23).325

If God holds the heathen accountable for their willful ignorance of the knowledge of God, how much more His own people, who in spite of His clear revelation in His Word would ignore Him?

Ezekiel’s message is not much different from his older contemporary, Jeremiah, who wrote:

This is what the Lord says: Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the Lord (Jeremiah 9:23-24).

Jeremiah then follows up in verses 25-26 to spell out the result of the lack of the knowledge of God.

Likewise, Ezekiel’s message is not much different from his predecessor the prophet Isaiah. Actually, the first few verses of the Book of Isaiah provide a concise overview of the Book of Ezekiel!

Right after the first introductory verse, the Book of Isaiah begins with God’s lament about His people not knowing Him:

Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his master, the donkey his owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand (Isaiah 1:2-3).

Right after this, verses 4-7 describe the sinful condition of the nation, which is the direct result of the lack of the knowledge of God. Then verses 7-8 describe the judgment of God on the nation because of their sinfulness. Finally, verse 9 provides the message of hope, “Unless the Lord almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.” This is not only the concise overview of the Book of Isaiah, but also of the Book of Ezekiel, except that Ezekiel adds one more principle, the principle of individual responsibility which was also touched by the prophet, Jeremiah.

Ezekiel preached to Israel from 592 to 570 B.C. for 22 years during their Babylonian captivity. During the later years of the monarchy, before the Babylonian captivity, the people of God had taken Him for granted. They assumed that God’s covenant with their forefathers was irrevocable, the ownership of the land was permanent, and that they were immune to any foreign captivity as long as God was in their midst because of the temple in Jerusalem.

But to their utter shock, Jerusalem was captured, and the nation was exiled from the land to live in captivity. How could this happen? Is our God impotent before the Babylonian gods? Has He forgotten us? Why has He abandoned us? They became angry. They became disillusioned. Bitter. Cynical.

To these people, Ezekiel is called to bring God’s message to the people who have constantly rebelled against God.

I am sending you to the Israelites, to the rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn (Ezekiel 2:3-4).

C. They are described a house of rebellion.

They are repeatedly described as a rebellious house or a house of rebellion.

Ezekiel has a two-fold message. On the one hand, he brings the message of judgment. The holiness of God cannot tolerate sin, especially sin in the life of His own people, people known by His name. So He has to bring judgment on them. God seems to be saying, “I have not forgotten you, you have forgotten Me; I have not been unfaithful to you, you have been unfaithful to Me.” If God seems far away, before blaming Him, consider who has moved! The first half of the book, chapters 1-24, presents this message of judgment.

On the other hand, Ezekiel brings the message of hope. God cannot forsake His people. God cannot forget His covenant.

God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19)

God is going to restore the faithful ones back to the land, back to the worship that will come from their hearts and He will be their God, and they will be His people. The second half of the book, chapters 25-48, presents this message of hope.

The book is filled with many visions and allegories and the prophet’s strange actions and behavior. Because of this, for many Christians, Ezekiel is too strange and the book too complex and bizarre to deserve serious attention. So the prophet remains a mystery. Liberal scholars have branded Ezekiel as ecstatic, visionary, neurotic, someone who periodically practiced acts of levitation, and the one who was psychotic and schizophrenic. However, no other prophet in the Bible is so creative in his presentation and forceful in his message as the prophet Ezekiel.

The book begins with a vision, with the call of the prophet which is not much different than the prophet Isaiah’s call in Isaiah chapter 6. We cannot and do not need to go into explaining all the details and symbols of the vision. But similar to Isaiah’s vision, Ezekiel’s vision reveals the character of God.

Isaiah saw God seated on a throne, high and exalted. Similarly, Ezekiel saw God seated on a throne high above. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the sovereign ruler of the whole universe. The faces of the four living creatures, of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle, represent aspects of the creation over which God rules.

The other aspect of God’s character revealed in the vision is the holiness of God. Ezekiel does not describe His holiness as much as He brings it out by powerful symbols. God is surrounded by flashing lightening and brilliant light (Ezekiel 1:4). “He looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire . . . and brilliant light surrounded him” (Ezekiel 1:27). All this shows His glory, His holiness, His judgment and wrath.

The most natural response of Ezekiel was, “When I saw it, I fell facedown” (Ezekiel 1:28). It was just like the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (Revelation 1:17).

In contrast to God’s awesome glory, Ezekiel is addressed as “son of man.” This phrase is used around 93 times in the book, which expresses the idea of man being formed from the dust, as it was said to Adam, “for dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). Several other places, especially in the Book of Psalms, the fact of man being created from dust is presented to bring out the contrast between God’s eternal character and man’s transitoriness (e.g., Psalm 90:2-3; 103:14-17; 104:29-30).

When we have a true vision of God and see Him in His glory, we cannot help but realize that God is so exalted, so awesome, and we are but dust and we cannot stand before Him. We are filled with awe and fear and reverence. And when we know God in that manner, we will live a life that is pleasing to Him, a life that honors His name. We will not approach Him lightly, but with awe and reverence, with far more awe than queen Esther had before the king, her husband (Esther 4:11, 16). No wonder the wise man said, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).

But the sad reality is that the holiness of God and sinfulness of His own people are placed side-by-side. The darkness and awfulness of man’s sin is presented against the brilliant light of the glory of God. The major part of the first half of the Book of Ezekiel is spent in presenting the sinfulness of the people known by His name and God’s wrath against them because of that. As Moses wrote in his psalm, “You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence” (Psalm 90:8).

The emphasis in the New Testament is upon the love of God, and the grace of God. We do not talk much about the holiness of God and the wrath of God. However, why would we need the grace of God if there was no cause for the wrath of God? The tendency in the church today is to give them the “good” news; why talk about the bad news? However, the good news is good news only in the background of the bad news. But we do not want to scare the “seekers” away by preaching the wrath of God!

The result is that we have produced a wishy-washy Christianity that talks only about the promises of God, without mentioning commitment to God, and brings God down to the level of a vending machine. Again, hear what Packer says about the subject of God’s wrath:

The modern habit throughout the Christian church is to play the subject down. Those who still believe in the wrath of God (not all do) say little about it; perhaps they do not think much about it. To an age which has unashamedly sold itself to the gods of greed, pride, sex and self-will, the church mumbles about God’s kindness, but virtually says nothing about God’s judgment.326

There is no other book in the whole Bible that presents the sins of God’s people in as much detail as the Book of Ezekiel. Do you want to get the full picture of the sinfulness of man? Do you want to get the full picture of the hopeless situation of man? Do you want to get the full picture of the awesome character of God and His holiness? Do you want to get the full picture of the wrath of God? Study the Book of Ezekiel, and your life will be transformed.

In the beginning of his book, Isaiah described the awful situation of the people of God:

Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness – only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil (1:5b-6).

What Isaiah described through symbols, Ezekiel describes in gory details.

I I. The sins of God’s people

A. The Sin of Idolatry

Their sin of idolatry takes the most prominent place. Idols are mentioned more often in the Book of Ezekiel than any other book of the Bible (52 times). Chapter 8 describes the idol worship by the leaders of Israel right in the temple. God asks the prophet, “Is it is trivial matter for the house of Judah to do detestable things they are doing here?” (8:17) Chapter 16 describes Israel’s idolatry in most graphic terms. In spite of God’s love and tender care, they lusted after other gods.

Idols are the things we create to take care of our needs so we do not have to depend on God or anybody else. That is why idol worship in Israel was always connected with their foreign alliances:

You engaged in prostitution with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, and provoked me to anger with your increasing promiscuity. . . . You engaged in prostitution with the Assyrians too, because you were insatiable; and even after that, you still were not satisfied. Then you increased your promiscuity to include Babylonia, a land of merchants, but even with this you were not satisfied . . . . You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband! (Ezekiel 16:26-32).

The prophet Isaiah too noted:

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord (Isaiah 31:1).

What they were looking for was safety and security – outside God. What they really found was spiritual bondage that led them into the physical bondage. Instead of trusting God, they trusted their idols and perished because of the lack of their knowledge of God,

My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests” (Hosea 4:6).

B. The Sin of Bloodshed

The lack of fear of God led them into the lack of fear and respect for man. Those who do not fear God do not care about men (Luke 18:4). Like all the other prophets, Ezekiel takes note of the social sins of the people of God:

The sin of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great; the land is full of bloodshed and the city is full of injustice. See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the alien and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. . . . In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. In you men accept bribes to shed blood; you take usury and excessive interest and make unjust gain from your neighbors by extortion. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord (Ezekiel 9:9; 22:6-7, 10-12).

C. The sin of desecrating Sabbaths:

One of the sins noted both by Jeremiah and Ezekiel is the sin of desecrating Sabbaths:

I gave them my decrees and made known to them my laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. Also I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord made them holy. Yet the people of Israel rebelled against me in the desert. They did not follow my decrees but rejected my laws – although the man who obeys them will live by them – they utterly desecrated my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God; follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Keep my Sabbaths holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God. But the children rebelled against me: They did not follow my decrees, they were not careful to keep my laws – although the man who obeys them will live by them – and they desecrated my Sabbaths (Ezekiel 20:11-13, 19-21).

In the New Testament economy, we feel we are not under the law, and so we are not under the law of keeping the Sabbaths. However, the concept of keeping the Sabbaths is not based on the law, it is based on the character of God. In the creation account:

By the seventh day God finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done (Genesis 2:2-3).

This is the same reason given behind keeping the Sabbath holy in the Ten Commandments:

"For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (Exodus 20:11).

There was a time in the United States when most everything was closed on Sunday except the necessary services. All the department stores were closed on Sunday. Grocery stores were open, but you could buy only foodstuff from the grocery stores. If you needed to buy a pen or a paper or a hammer, you would have to wait for Monday. Now everything is open not only seven days a week, but also many places 24 hours and 7 days a week. Behind all this, the main reason is greed, “For their hearts were devoted to their idols” (Ezekiel 20:16).

One of the main reasons behind the breakdown of our family structure, the social structure, and the moral structure of our nation, is not keeping the Sabbath holy. Because with all of this, there is no time left for the family or for moral instruction to the children, and the vicious cycle of greed continues leading to the total breakdown. We have really ignored this important aspect of the Word of God.
The Results

A holy God cannot tolerate sin, especially sin in the people who are known by His name.

D. The results of their sin 

1. One of the results of their sin is the impending judgment:

Yet in her wickedness she has rebelled against my laws and decrees more than nations and countries around her. She has rejected my laws and not followed my decrees. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have been more unruly than the nations around you and have not followed my decrees and kept my laws. You have not even conformed to the standards of the nations around you (5:6-7).

What an indictment on the people of God that their heathen nations are morally better off! Like Paul said, quoting from Isaiah and Ezekiel, “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:24; Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:22).

And so, “They will go into exile as captives” (12:11). Babylon will be God’s sword of judgment.

Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will withdraw my favor; I will not look on you with pity or spare you (Ezekiel 5:11).

2. Another result of their sin was that the glory of God departed from among them.

The glory of God was in the temple, “And the glory of the Lord was standing there” (3:23). From there it moved to the threshold of the temple” (9:3). “Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim at the entrance to the east gate of the temple” (10:18-19). “Finally the glory of the Lord departed from within the city and stopped above the mountain outside the city” (11:23). And the sad fact was that the people of God did not even know it or care that it happened.

The moving of the glory of God in stages and also the hovering of the glory of God before it moves away seem to indicate the hesitation of God in leaving His people. God never leaves His people willingly and cheerfully. It breaks His heart. He leaves them as a last resort. But leave He will, because He cannot tolerate sin in His own people.

That departed glory is still not returned. Ezekiel later describes the return of the glory of God to Jerusalem in the millennial kingdom. But until then, as Jesus said, “Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:38-39; Luke 13:35).

E. The Soul that Sins Shall Die

The people said, “That’s not fair! We have not done anything wrong! We can’t help it if our forefathers sinned! Why are we punished for the sins of our forefathers?” Ezekiel sets down the principle, “The soul that sins shall die.” Jeremiah had already laid down this principle, “Everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes – his own teeth will set on edge” (Jeremiah 31:30). Ezekiel expands this principle with illustrations from three successive generations (chapter 18). The son is not punished because of his father’s sin, nor is he spared for his wickedness because of his father’s righteousness.

The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him (Ezekiel 18:20).

Of course, they had been warned earlier that, “I the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me” (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 5:9). And it is true that the children suffer for the sinful lifestyle of parents and also that the parents are responsible for raising children the way they should go so when they are old they will not turn from it (Proverbs 22:6). Children coming from broken homes many times suffer the consequences of their parents’ mistakes. In the case of the Israelites, a whole generation was born in the exile because of their parents’ sin as Jeremiah noted, “Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment” (Lamentations 5:7).

However, both Jeremiah and Ezekiel note here the principle of personal responsibility. A person cannot excuse his sinful lifestyle by saying that he was raised in a sinful environment. A person raised in a broken home does not have to go that way. He himself is responsible to take charge of his own life. Today we live in a society where people are very eager to take credit for anything good that happens in their life, but always find fault with someone or something else when they mess up their own life. Of course, there is nothing new, as we saw in Genesis when Adam blamed God when he said, “The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” She in turn tried to shift the blame when she said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12, 13).

Ezekiel also speaks about a person’s responsibility before God. When we stand before God, we will give account of our own life, not of the messed-up lives of others.
God’s Love Through Judgment

The question that may be asked is why God is so cruel in His judgment. Why would God be so cruel to His own people? Ezekiel brings out that God does not delight in judgment. We choose the judgment of God; God does not:

Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (Ezekiel 18:30-32).

Also,

Son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of them. How then can we live?” Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?’ (Ezekiel 33:10-11)

God does not delight in the death of the wicked. God provides them the way of life. People choose death, God does not. Even through His judgment, He shows His love for us so we would know Him and His loving concern for us.

When we know God as the holy One who cannot tolerate sin, we are forced to live a life that is pleasing to Him. But when we know God’s fatherly love, we WANT to live a life that is pleasing to Him.

In his epistle, Peter brings out both these aspects of God’s character when he says, “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear” (1 Peter 1:17), and he presents God both as a Judge to be feared and a Father Who loves.

If you want to know more about this book, please click on the site below:


http://bible.org/seriespage/book-ezekiel-part-1


Would you like to know if FREEMASONRY is of the devil? Please, click below:

• Is Freemasonry of the devil?