THE ENTIRE NATION VERSUS JEREMIAH

“The Word of the Lord came to me: ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ ‘I see the branch of an almond tree,’ I replied. The Lord said to me, ‘You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my Word is fulfilled.'” (Jeremiah 1:11-12)

Jeremiah closes chapter 1 with a depiction of his prophetic ministry in the land of Judah. This passage falls into three major divisions, beginning with verse 11. In the first division, the Lord gives Jeremiah a symbolic vision of what He will accomplish through Jeremah’s ministry.

In the original Hebrew, thee is a play on words here. The Jews called the almond tree “the watcher” (“shaqad) because it was the first tree to blossom in the spring. They saw it as watching for the return of the sun and the warming of the earth, and therefore it was the first to herald the coming of springtime.

God said to Jeremiah, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching (“shaqad”) to see that my Word is fulfilled.” This is a picture of health and healing. Throughout this prophecy there are comforting passages that deal with God’s plan to heal the land.

Later we look in detail at an incident in which God sent Jeremiah to buy a piece of property while the city was being conquered by the Babylonians. Amid the death and terror of a city under siege, Jeremiah was to buy this property, get the title deed, and have it sealed and witnessed. Why? It was because God was testifying, through Jeremiah’s actions, that He intended to restore the land. The property that Jeremiah purchased would still have value at some time in the future. This is God’s message of hope in a time of death and despair. God always shows us a glimmer of hope in our own darkest trials.

The next symbol God gives to Jeremiah is a vision of a boiling pot:

“The Word of the Lord came to me again: ‘What do you see?”‘ ‘I see a pot that is boiling.’ I answered. ‘It is tilting toward us from the north.’ The Lord said to me, ‘From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,’ declares the Lord. ‘Their kings will come and set up their thrones in the entrances of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah.'” (Jeremiah 1:13-15).

The prophet saw a pot boiling, with steam rising and streaming in the north wind toward the south. God was giving Jeremiah a symbolic glimpse of the future. He was saying that He would bring the confederation of nations down from the north against Jerusalem, and these nations would be like a flood of boiling water, bringing disaster, horror, and destruction upon the city. This is a picture of hot, boiling judgment against sin and godlessness.

At the time, Egypt was the greatest power on earth, but God didn’t choose Egypt to judge Judah. Instead, He seized upon Babylon as His instrument of judgment.

As the crow flies, Babylon is east, not north, of Jerusalem. But the Babylonians would not have invaded Judah by crossing the arid upper Arabian Desert. Instead, they went northwest along the Euphrates River, then south through Syria. From Jerusalem, the enemy would appear to descend from due north.

Next, God announces to Jeremiah the reasons for His judgment against the kingdom of Judah:

“I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made.” (Jeremiah 1:16).

The nation that forsakes God ultimately dies. In the kingdom of Judah, the impending death of the nation is evidenced by two idolatrous religious practices:

First, the people burned incense to other gods. Any nation that worships anyone other than the one true God has a lot to answer for. Just consider how much our own country is currently going to have to answer for.

Second, the people worshiped the work of their own hands. In other words, they exalted humanity and pointed to human beings as the solution to their own problems. This is never a good approach, and we can see today what happens to a society that leaves God out and exalts mankind to the highest position. Wherever human beings gather to exalt themselves, death is just around the corner.

In the closing verses of chapter 1, God issues a command and makes a promise to Jeremiah. “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land-against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you.” Declares the Lord (1:17-19).

Jeremiah faced a situation in which all the people of the kingdom of Judah, the government officials, the priests, and all the people of the land. They fought him and smeared his reputation and even sought his life. But God told Jeremiah, “Do not be terrified by them…for I am with you and will rescue you” (1:17-19). God promised to make him as strong as a fortified city, as immovable as an iron pillar, as unbreakable as a wall of bronze.

As we will later see, Jeremiah will endure persecution far beyond anything you and I are likely to face. Not only will he be ostracized, rejected, insulted, and slandered but he will also be thrown into a cistern, mixed in mud and filth, and left to die a slow, agonizing death. But God had commissioned him to speak. No matter what his enemies did to him, Jeremiah always said exactly what God told him to say. He was a man of unquenchable faith and unstoppable courage.

Over his life, Jeremiah learned four key truths: First, he learned that God is sovereign over the affairs of nations. He has absolute authority to raise one nation up and cast another down. Second, Jeremiah learned that God keeps His promises to judge sin and that those who serve other gods will not escape His judgment. Third, Jeremiah learned that God keeps His promises to bless those who love Him and obey Him. Fourth, Jeremiah learned that God is tenderhearted toward those who suffer, and God hurts with those who are hurting.

We will see Jeremiah go through times of discouragement in his ministry. There is a point where he loses all ahope and cries out, “Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth, a man with whom the whole land strives and contends!” (Jeremiah 15:10), Jeremiah was not only lamenting his own hurt over the rejection he suffered b it he also hurt for his persecutors. He wept over them, knowing the suffering they were inflicting on themselves by rejecting God.

Ultimately,Jeremiah realized that his sufferings echoed the pain that pierced the heart of God Himself. The people had rejected God. Jeremiah hurt for his Jewish brothers, but how much more did God Himself agonize over His wayward chosen people!

God is just and righteous, and He must punish sin. But God is also tenderhearted and merciful, and He does not want to see His children suffer, even when they bring judgment on themselves through sin and idolatry.

As we continue our Daily Scripture Series exploring the book of Jeremiah, we will discover the depths of the justice, righteousness, mercy, and love of God. Also, we will discover the deep wisdom of His plan for our lives-and for all the nations and peoples of our world.

Daily Questions

1. How does reading the book of Jeremiah give you strength to stand up in the face of persecution?
2. How does the book of Jeremiah encourage you when faced with trials?