Jeremiah 8;1-12  The time was drawing near.. judgement on Judah would be devastating.  Everything that they had.. everything that they valued.. would be taken away from them.  Death would be preferred over the life that they were about to endure.  And even still, they would not repent. 

"Why.. has this people, Jerusalem, turned away in continual apostasy ? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return.  I have listened and heard, they have spoken what is not right; no man repented of his wickedness." (v6) 

The Lord uses this illustration, " Even the stork in the sky knows her seasons; and the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration; but My people do not know the ordinance of the Lord." (v7)   Birds are remarkable creatures.. we know that they fly hundreds of miles every year.. south in the winter.. usually to the same places.  They know the right time to migrate. But, their brains are not very big...they cannot reason or speak (usually).. yet, they have more sense than God's own people! They do what they must so that they can live.  Judah didn't have enough sense to listen to their God.. the only way for them to live. So many in our world today are in the same situation.. they don't care.. they don't want what they must have in order to live!

Instead they choose lies.  The scribes were guilty of writing lies. The people were guilty of rejecting truth and believing the lies because they were greedy and wicked. 

Again, God accuses the religious leaders.. the ones that should have been speaking His Word, "and they heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, saying ,' Peace, Peace' when there is no peace."  This is the second time that this pronouncement has been made.. (see 6:14).   This was something that God  said they should have been ashamed of.. that they should have blushed at.. but they did not.  This is something that would bring them down. 

Matthew Henry writes this, " The pretenders to wisdom were the priests and false prophets. They flattered people in sin, and so flattered them into destruction, silencing their fears and  complaints with "All is well". Selfish teachers promise peace when there is no peace; and thus men encourage each other in committing evil; but in the day of visitation they will have no refuge to flee unto. " 

This seems so true in some churches in America today.. the lies about sin are taught instead of truth;  fears are silenced.. guilty consciences are soothed with promises that are not true.  The Word of God is not understood, but rejected and ignored. The greed, the lies, and the false teaching will most definitely lead to destruction.  "Therefore they shall fall among those who fall." (v12) 

Father, keep our feet on Your paths. Keep our eyes on Jesus.  Keep our hearts yielded and still before You. Keep us filled with the Spirit of truth.  Keep our mouths from all deceit and lies and false teaching.  May we not encourage sin.. compromise with the world.. or accept anything less than Your Holy Word. May Your Presence fill our sanctuaries and all that is of the world and of the evil one be snatched away forever!  We ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. 

 Jeremiah 7:16  "As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you."   This must have brought Jeremiah to tears.. a command to not pray for those he loved, in spite of their stubborn rebellion.  It would bring me to tears if God told me to no longer pray for unsaved loved ones..  But, these people had gone too far.. 

"Do you not see what they are doing... The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out libations to other gods in order to spite Me.  'Do they spite Me?' declares the Lord. 'Is it not themselves they spite, to their own shame?'"   Not only that but "they set their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, and it did not come into MY mind." (v17-19; 30-31) 

The people of Judah were counting on their sacrifices to false gods.. and for good measure they brought in the burnt offerings to the Temple.  God reminds them that His very first and most important commandment was not about sacrifices, but, "Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you." (v23)

They broke this first command by walking in their own ways, with "stubbornness of their evil heart".  They went "backward and not forward".  They would not listen to God's prophets. They would not listen to God at all.. "but stiffened their neck" and did even more evil.  "This is a nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God or accept correction; truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth." (v28)

God would cause their valley of Hinnom, right outside Jerusalem,  to become the "Valley of Slaughter".  This place is also called Gehenna.  A place of judgement.  A place likened to Hell.  Where dead bodies would become food for the birds and the beasts because there would be too many to bury. 

God would also "make to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and voice of the bride; for the land will become a ruin."

There is an awful price that one must pay when they ignore or reject the Lord. Stubborn hearts insist on living their own way and doing their own form of "religion".  But there is only One True God and One way that is right.. and we must choose to surrender to His will and ways.. to obey His Word.. to believe in His Son... 

Father in heaven, we hallow Your Name.. for You are God alone. You are righteous and holy. You are Sovereign and a consuming fire.  We yield to Your Rule and reign.  We surrender our own ways and turn to Jesus.. to follow Him as He leads us in Your paths and makes straight our ways.  Fill us with Your Spirit that our hearts will be sanctified and blameless before You.. Change stubborn hearts and bring repentance to those who are moving the wrong direction.. deliver them from evil, we pray.  In Jesus' name. Amen!

 Jeremiah 7 :1-15 This message.. that Jeremiah was to speak at the gates of the Temple.. is a powerful, clear, direct indictment of Judah.. God is giving them one chance to make the right choice that they might be saved from the enemy that was coming: 

"Amend your ways and your deeds and I will let you dwell in this place." (v3)  They were trusting in "deceptive words".  They were trusting in the temple building. They were trusting in their ritual sacrifices. But, they were not trusting in God. 

 "Amend your ways and deeds.. "  the Lord commands. ".. truly practice justice.. do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow.. do not shed innocent blood.. nor walk after other gods to your own ruin."  What does the Lord require?  As Micah wrote, "But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.." (Micah 6:8)  God makes His commands clear.. 

But, Judah would not listen.. "Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house and say, 'We are delivered!' - that you may do all these abominations? 'Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I even I, have seen it,' declares the Lord."

We recognize these words from the New Testament.. Jesus, on the last week before the cross, cleansed the temple of those who were doing the same thing that Judah did in Jeremiah's time.. They were deceiving the people.. they were not being just, kind, or honest.  They weren't sacrificing to Baal, but they were taking the sacrifices that were meant for the Lord and using them for their own gain. They were counting on the Temple to benefit them.. but they missed out on the True Temple.. the One that would never be torn down or destroyed.. Jesus Christ, the solid Rock. 

The Lord  told Judah  to go look at Shiloh. A city  that had been a place to worship Him.. yet the corruption of Israel made it an abomination and God destroyed it.  ".. see what I did.. " He tells them.."And now, because you have done all these things, declares the Lord , and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you but you did not answer, therefore, I will do to the house which is called by My name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave you and your fathers, as I did to Shiloh."   God was about to cast them out like He did Israel.  Judah would be taken in to exile and the Temple would be destroyed. 

God is calling us.. each of us.. to choose.. to listen to His Word and obey.  He is speaking. He is making His way clear.  We cannot trust in a religion or a government or any other thing.  Only He can deliver us. Only Jesus can save us from sin and death and destruction. 

Father in heaven, we are so thankful that Jesus Christ came to save the lost.. to open the eyes of the blind and to set the prisoner free!  Thank You for giving us a solid Rock on which to stand.. to trust in You and to walk in Your ways that lead us to an eternal dwelling place. Too many are trusting in "deceptive words".  Trusting in rituals or false teachings. May Your voice cry out once again across the earth.. that ears would hear and hearts would be turned back to You. Send forth workers into the harvest Lord.  We pray this with sincere and earnest hearts.. in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

 Jeremiah 6  Disaster was coming to Jerusalem.. the "comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion".. was about to be "cut off".  The enemy would come from the north, surround Jerusalem and attack.  And all this would happen because the Lord ordered it.. "This is the city to be punished, in whose midst there is only oppression.." 

The people of God would no longer listen to Him or to His prophets. They refused His warnings. They refused to repent. They kept getting more and more wicked.  "Violence and destruction are heard in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me." (v7)  God would pour out His wrath on every one in the city.. the young and the old; the husband and the wife; the aged and the very old.  "For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain, and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely." (v13)

Judah was described as "treacherous" by the Lord for their deception.. here He says, "and they have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying 'Peace, peace' But there is no peace."  Instead of speaking truth.. telling what the Lord was really saying.. that destruction was coming.. they lied and tried to manipulate and pacify the people.  We see.. and hear.. the same kinds of messages today.. 

The people of God "were not even ashamed at all; they did not even know how to blush.. " They were not ashamed of their "abomination" that they had done.  Their idolatry and wickedness would bring them to be  "cast down". They would not listen to the Word of the Lord. They rejected all His warnings.  They went along with useless religious activities with hearts that refused to accept the truth.  "All of them are stubbornly rebellious.. all of them are corrupt." (v28)

"The bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain the refining goes on, but the wicked are not separated.." (v29)  There are none that will repent.. and therefore the "Lord has rejected them."

We had this discussion last night looking at II Peter 2.. "for if God did not spare angels when they sinned.. and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah.. and He condemned Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction.. having made them an example to those who live ungodly thereafter.. "  And we can add.. if God would not spare Judah, the "dainty daughter of Zion"..  we know that He does bring punishment on those who reject Him and His Word. 

But,  we are also reminded of this wonderful truth.. "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already.." Noah was preserved.. Lot was saved.. and all who call upon the Name of Jesus will also be saved.  Jeremiah will give this message of salvation in chapter 7!

Father in heaven, open our ears that we may hear Your warnings.. Your Truth.. for we live in a culture that has forgotten to be ashamed.. forgotten how to blush.. that tries to pacify people by saying that everything is alright.. but it is not.  We live in a world filled with corruption and rebellion. O God "Let the evil of the wicked come to an end but establish the righteous.." (Psalm 7:9)  We need Your Presence and Your refining work. We pray that there are still many who will turn from their sin and rebellion and come to Jesus that they may be saved! Send forth workers into Your harvest fields.. give them.. give us.. the words to speak and make manifest the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Christ in every place.  We ask this in His Powerful Name. Amen.

 Jeremiah 5:26-31  It does not take much imagination to hear the words of Jeremiah and apply it to our world today:

"For wicked men are found among My people,

They watch like fowlers lying in wait; 

They set a trap, they catch men.

Like a cage full of birds,

So their houses are full of deceit;

Therefore they have become rich.

They are fat, they are sleek, 

They also excel in deeds of wickedness.

They do not plead the cause,

The cause of the orphan, that they may prosper;

And they do not defend the rights of the poor.

Shall I not punish these people? declares the Lord,

On a nation such as this shall I not avenge Myself?"

Not just the USA.. but all around the world we see the rich grow richer and the poor suffer more and more. There is a reason that people flee from other nations.. trying to escape the tyranny and cruelty of wicked men.. full of deceit.  Our current culture seems is not much different.. 

But, the Lord is not done yet.. "An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority; and My people love it so!"  When those who are supposed to speak for God.. for truth..  speak lies.. and when those who are supposed to lead in God's ways.. start leading in their own.. it is an "appalling and horrible thing"!  This is also happening in our nation today.... O Lord help us!

"But what will you do at the end of it?"  That is the question!

Father in heaven,  we will each stand before You one day... we will give an account of our deeds. We  want to be those who pled the cause of the orphan and defended the rights of the poor.  We want to be counted with those who were faithful and true.. standing in the righteousness of Jesus Christ our Lord. May we remain diligent in our faith.. adding virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love.. that the character of Christ be made manifest in us.. to the glory of Your Name.  Send revival to our nation, Lord.  Turn the hearts of Your people back to Your Truth.. give us ears to hear and hearts to obey. We pray this for every church and every person who calls Jesus "Lord".  Let none remain in deceit or lies about who You are.  We ask this in the power of the Name that is above all names.. Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 Jeremiah 5:14-25  "The Lord, the God of hosts".. proclaimed His judgement over Judah.. " Behold I am making My words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it will consume them." 

He would bring an "enduring nation.. an ancient nation, a nation whose language you do not know.. " against Judah.  They would come and devour their food and their harvest. They would devour their sons and their daughters.  They would devour their flocks and herds.. their vines and fig trees.. and they would demolish their cities.   Everything that the people counted on and trusted in.. would be taken away.  "And it shall come about when they say, ' Why has the Lord our God done all these things to us?' then you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours.' " 

Yet, once again, the Lord promised, " I will not make you a complete destruction." (v18) 

We live in a nation that has also greatly forsaken the Lord, the God of hosts.  We trust in our abundance of food.. our wealth measured in assets of land, businesses, money, or fame.  We wonder at the disasters.. the fires, hurricanes, earthquakes.. illnesses.. and cannot understand a God who would allow such things.  We do not recognize the Truth at all.  So we refuse to believe that He even exists. 

"Hear this.. O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not; who have ears, but hear not. Do you not fear Me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble in My presence?" 

The Lord, the God of hosts is the One who "placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it."  Climate change or not... God's decrees will stand! This is our God!

"But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and departed. they do not say in their heart, 'Let us now fear the Lord our God, who gives rain in its season, both the autumn rain and the spring rain, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.'"   He speaks to Judah.. but this truth is for our land just as well. 

"Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have withheld good from you." 

Father, open the blinded eyes of people across this nation.. we have foolish and senseless leaders who have forsaken You.. who have not understood that all things come from Your Hand and that You alone can determine the future prosperity of a nation.  Thank You for always providing a way.. for a remnant to survive.. believers who will stand firm in the midst of stubborn, foolish, and rebellious people.  Help our nation, Lord, to turn back.. to repent.. and to once again tremble in Your Presence.  We ask this in the Name of Jesus, who is given authority over all things and every nation. Amen. 

 Jeremiah 5:1-13  The Lord tells Jeremiah to "Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and look now, and take note. And seek in her open squares, if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice, who seeks truth."   If there was one.. God would pardon the city.  So, Jeremiah went out searching.  But, there were only people who said that they were God's.. but they were "[swearing]  falsely".  They were weak, consumed.. stubborn.. refusing correction.. "they have made their faces harder than rock."

Jeremiah considered these people poor and foolish, not knowing any better.. so he decided to go to the greater ones.. the priests, the leaders "For they know the way of the Lord.. ".  But "they too, with one accord have broken the yoke and burst the bonds."  Every single person.. from the highest to the lowest... had turned away from the One true God.. 

"Because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are numerous"... God would send a vicious enemy against His people.  "Shall I not punish these people, declares the Lord, and on a nation such as this shall I not avenge Myself?"  

God again called His people treacherous.. "They have lied about the Lord.. " (v12)   They were so sure that they would be safe against the sword or famine.  They called the prophets windbags.. and they refused to repent. 

AW Tozer wrote this "Without doubt, the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God, and the weightiest word in any language is its word for God.... That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us."  He goes on to say, "Wrong ideas about God are not only the fountain from which the polluted waters of idolatry flow; they are themselves idolatrous. The idolater simply imagines things about God and acts as if they were true. Perverted notions about God soon rot the religion in which they appear. The long career of Israel demonstrates this clearly enough, and the history of the Church confirms it." ( From the Knowledge of the Holy)   

This was the treachery of Judah.  They lied about God. They lied about their allegiance to God. They used His name in vain. It is the same thing that Jesus accused the Pharisees of.. their outsides seemed "righteous".. but inside they were vipers.. like graves full of dead men's bones..  This is the danger we see in modern American churches. We have, as Tozer wrote, allowed the "lofty concept of God"  to "decline".  And when that happens.. "the Church with her worship and her moral standards declines along with it. The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God."

What lies have we allowed in our churches.. in our denominations.. in our nation.. about the One True God?  Do we have the wrong idea about His Word, His Will, His Majesty? May God help us!

Oh Father in heaven,  how we need You to unveil our eyes and make clear Your Truth.. we need the Light of the world to illumine our thoughts and to guide our steps.  Come Lord Jesus and draw us to Your heart that we might humble ourselves before You and receive Your forgiveness and grace.  Wash away every sin.. wipe away every lie.. fill us with Life and Truth by Your Spirit, we pray. Amen.