DBG - August 23 - Jeremiah 33-36

In this chapter God reveals more of the Messiah and Millennial Kingdom.

vs. 1-5 – God calls for Jeremiah to pray for further revelation of what was coming for Judah. 

vs. 6-13 – The full restoration of Israel in the Millennial Kingdom is described.

vs. 14-18 – Christ is revealed as the Righteous Branch of David, ruling in the Millennial Kingdom.

vs. 19-26 – God emphasis that through His faithfulness all will come to pass as promised.  Christ the Messiah will come.  The Jews will not be forsaken.

In this chapter Jeremiah prophesies against the king and people as the end nears.

vs. 1-7 – Jeremiah personally announces Zedekiah’s fate.  The fall of Jerusalem was coming soon.  It is interesting to note the details of vs. 3 that say Zedekiah would see Nebuchadnezzar.  According to II Kings 25:7 his eyes were put out shortly after this meeting.

vs. 8-22 – It seems that Zedekiah emancipated the Jewish slaves during the siege of Jerusalem.  The thought was probably that doing so might improve their lot in the coming captivity, since they would be treated differently than mere slaves.  The people did not follow this command.  God rebukes them and declares that this sin would be rewarded with judgment.

In this chapter the faithfulness of the Rechabites is used to reprove Israel’s unfaithfulness.

vs. 1-11 – We jump back to 605 B.C. here.  The Rechabites were not Israelites but were Kenites who worshipped the true God and dwelt among the Israelites (Judges 1:16, etc.).  These were descended from Jehonadab who aided Jehu in II Kings 10:15-17.  This family had followed a strict lifestyle in their service to God by not drinking wine, building houses, or planting crops.  They lived much like Arabian nomads.  In this section, Jeremiah calls them to the Temple and offers them wine, which they refuse to drink because of their customs.

vs. 12-19 – The faithfulness of the Rechabites is contrasted to unfaithfulness of Judah.  The former were careful to maintain their obedience to their forefather, while the latter willingly turned away from the commands God had given to them.  The faithfulness of the Rechabites is blessed with a divine promise that their family would not be destroyed in the coming judgment.  I Chronicles 2:55 shows that they were among those that returned to the Promised Land after the Babylonian Captivity.

In this chapter Jehoiakim destroys a scroll of Jeremiah’s message.

vs. 1-3 – Jeremiah works with his scribe Baruch to create a scroll containing his prophecies against Judah and Israel. 

vs. 4-8 – The reason Jeremiah was not allowed to go to the Temple is not given.  It is likely due to ceremonial impurity or perhaps he was hiding for his own safety.  This is not related to his later imprisonment.  Baruch takes the scroll and reads its contents in the Temple courtyard.  This must have been a reoccurring act because time passes and Baruch continues to read in public.

vs. 9-20 – This is about a year later when Jehoiakim proclaimed a fast.  Baruch reads Jeremiah’s scroll in the Temple and the message affects Michaiah (“who is like God?”).  Michaiah tells the princes of the message he heard, and they bring Baruch to read it before them.  Fearing Jehoiakim’s reaction, they tell Baruch to have Jeremiah hide as they made a report of the message to the king.

vs. 21-26 – Jehoiakim has Jeremiah’s scroll read to him.  Before it finished, he cut it up and burned it. The princes protest to no avail.  The king’s heart was too hard to repent.  He orders the arrest of Jeremiah and Baruch.

vs. 27-32 – God tells Jeremiah to create another roll with the original message and more added to it.  Because of Jehoiakim’s disregard for God’s message, his line is cursed so that none of his descendants would sit on the throne. 

When I check our mailbox, if I receive mail from someone I know I will keep it and open it.  If the mail is from someone I don’t know it will likely end up in the trash.  It is sad to see Jehoiakim do this same thing with God’s Word.  He did not recognize that it was God’s message and not Jeremiah’s.  It is not our responsibility to find which parts of the Bible we should follow and then discard the rest.  We are called to accept it all and obey it.

Today’s hymn is “’Twas by an Order From the Lord” by Isaac Watts.  We read today of Jeremiah’s message being written down by Baruch.  This hymn praises God for His written word.

'Twas by an order from the Lord,
The ancient prophets spoke His Word;
His Spirit did their tongues inspire,
And warm'd their hearts with heav'nly fire.

The works and wonders which they wrought
Confirmed the messages they brought:
The prophet's pen succeeds His breath,
To save the holy words from death.

Great God! mine eyes with pleasure look
Upon Thy precious holy book;
There my Redeemer's face I see,
And read His name who died for me.

Let the false raptures of the mind
Be lost, and vanish in the wind;
Here I can fix my hope secure:
This is Thy word, and must endure.