JEREMIAH LESSON 5


     We will begin this lesson in Jeremiah 4:1 "If thou wilt return, O
Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away
thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove."

     We see, again, an offer from God to forgive them and start them
all over. God will not take them back, until they give up their idols.
When they give up their idols, God will welcome them back.

     Jeremiah 4:2 "And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in
judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves
in him, and in him shall they glory."

     This is very similar to the confessing with the mouth in Romans.
This is speaking of the promise God made to Abraham, that all the
nations would be blessed through him. There was only one condition.
They must follow God with all their heart. Look at the following
Scripture what they must confess. Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt
confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
It is not enough to just believe in your heart. You must confess with
your mouth.

     Jeremiah 4:3 "For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and
Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns."

     "Fallow", in the verse above, means freshly plowed. This, to me,
would mean to prepare the heart, and then plant the seed. The heart,
unprepared, will not receive the seed of the Word. It will be choked
out with the cares of the world.

     Jeremiah 4:4 "Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away
the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of
Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can
quench [it], because of the evil of your doings."

     We find in the Scripture above, and in the following, that God is
not satisfied with just the formality of circumcision, but wanted the
heart of the people pure. Romans 2:28 "For he is not a Jew, which is
one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the
flesh:" Romans 2:29 "But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and
circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the
letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God."  If they do not
learn to follow God with all their heart, He will destroy them.
I Samuel 12:24 "Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all
your heart; for consider how great [things] he hath done for you."

     Jeremiah 4:5 "Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and
say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say,
Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities."

     This declaration to God was to be throughout their land. The
blowing of the trumpet was for two things. It gathered them for
worship, or for war.

     Jeremiah 4:6 "Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not:
for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction."

     The standard was to be raised pointing to Jerusalem, or the
church. The standard must be raised by God's people, for others to
follow. The road into Jerusalem, that the enemy would come on, led to
the north.

     Jeremiah 4:7 "The lion is come up from his thicket, and the
destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his
place to make thy land desolate; [and] thy cities shall be laid waste,
without an inhabitant."

     The near interpretation is Nebuchadnezzar coming against them.
Gentiles, here, possibly means nations.  The lion, here, could be the
antichrist, who will come up from beneath and will destroy nations.
The destroyer is Satan, or someone greatly influenced of Satan. He
will destroy nations. The last nation, of course, will be Israel. The
thicket could be hell, or place of destruction. Notice, also, where he
came from. It was from his place. The land to be made desolate is
Israel.

     Jeremiah 4:8 "For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl:
for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us."

     God controls Satan, the same as He controls everyone else. God
can stop him at any time. The sackcloth, here, is the garment of
mourning. When the LORD is angry with His people, He will allow the
enemy to attack them.

     Jeremiah 4:9 "And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the
LORD, [that] the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the
princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall
wonder."

     In a situation like this, the king has no more protection than
the people. In many cases, he has less. These heathen people will not
respect the office of the priest either. God will allow this, because
He is angry with His people.

     Jeremiah 4:10 "Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast
greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have
peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul."

     God had promised there would be peace in Jerusalem. The problem
is that God did not mean that very day, but a time in the future. It
is as if Jeremiah was questioning God's intentions here. Men will try
to bring peace to this region, but there will be no true peace, until
the King of Peace comes to the earth and establishes His kingdom.
There will be peace in Jerusalem then. There is a sword that reaches
the soul in the following Scripture.  Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of
God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the
joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart."

     Jeremiah 4:11 "At that time shall it be said to this people and
to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward
the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,"

     The Jews are like a hot wind that brings no blessing. This wind
is not the wind of the Holy Spirit. This wind does not cleanse or
bless. The wind of the Spirit comes from an unknown place and brings
blessings. In verse 11, the wind comes from the mountain where the
false gods were worshipped.

     Jeremiah 4:12 "[Even] a full wind from those [places] shall come
unto me: now also will I give sentence against them."

     This is an ill wind, that brings no good. God is the One who
brings judgement against them.

     Jeremiah 4:13 "Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his
chariots [shall be] as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than
eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled."

     Babylon does come against these people and overcomes them. God,
we must remember, brings this as judgement against His people. In the
next few Scriptures, we will see God's power in the wind, or the
whirlwind. Nahum 1:3 The LORD [is] slow to anger, and great in power,
and will not at all acquit [the wicked]: the LORD hath his way in the
whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds [are] the dust of his feet.
Matthew 24:30 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in
heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they
shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory."  Daniel 7:2 "Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision
by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the
great sea."  We can see from this, that it is God who controls the
elements of the earth.

     Jeremiah 4:14 "O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness,
that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge
within thee?"

     Jeremiah cries out to Jerusalem to repent and be saved. It is as
if he is saying, why can't you see why this trouble is coming? They
imagine a vain thing. They appear to be caught up in their own values,
overlooking the needs of others. God wants man to be saved so badly,
that He sent His only Son to save us. Man has a part in his own
salvation. He must wash in the blood of the precious Lamb.

     Jeremiah 4:15 "For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth
affliction from mount Ephraim."

     It appears the enemy comes by the land of Dan and mount Ephraim.
The affliction had already begun.

     Jeremiah 4:16 "Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish
against Jerusalem, [that] watchers come from a far country, and give
out their voice against the cities of Judah."

     All of the countries surrounding Judah are to take notice of the
fact of the attack against Judah. God allows them to speak evil about
Judah, because He is angry with them. The Babylonians may be
performing the physical battle, but it is really God who has come
against Judah. He is using Babylon for His purpose.

     Jeremiah 4:17 "As keepers of a field, are they against her round
about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD."

     They have surrounded her as the keepers of the field do. They
rebelled against God, and God brought this punishment on them.

     Jeremiah 4:18 "Thy way and thy doings have procured these
[things] unto thee; this [is] thy wickedness, because it is bitter,
because it reacheth unto thine heart."

     Their own sin brought this evil upon them. They were wicked and
their bondage will be bitter. They have displeased God.

     Jeremiah 4:19  "My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very
heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because
thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of
war."

     This is a cry of the fearful. If this is Jeremiah speaking, it is
because the pains of his people are his pains. The trumpet has blown,
and it is time for war.

     Jeremiah 4:20 "Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the
whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, [and] my
curtains in a moment."

     Even the tent dwellers are taken and spoiled. This is a
destruction brought on by God. It is a terrible destruction.

     Jeremiah 4:21 "How long shall I see the standard, [and] hear the
sound of the trumpet?"

     The standard bearer is usually the last one to fall, because if
one falls another takes it up. Before this battle is over, there will
be no standard bearer, or trumpet blower.

     Jeremiah 4:22 "For my people [is] foolish, they have not known
me; they [are] sottish children, and they have none understanding:
they [are] wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge."

     The word "sottish" means silly, or fool. These are children, who
have made foolish decisions. They have chosen dumb idols over the true
God. They have gone out of their way to sin. These are a people whose
understanding is darkened. They had the Light of the world, and chose
darkness over Light.

     Jeremiah 4:23 "I beheld the earth, and, lo, [it was] without
form, and void; and the heavens, and they [had] no light."

     Jeremiah has jumped from their time, all the way back to the time
before the Light was applied to this present world. This is the same
Scripture as Genesis 1:2 "And the earth was without form, and void;
and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God
moved upon the face of the waters."  Both of these speak of the time
when there was no Light in the earth. It was a time when nothing, or
no one, had the power to exist. The Light gives everything the power
to be.

     Jeremiah 4:24 "I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled,
and all the hills moved lightly."

     This is speaking of an adjustment of the mountains and hills.
Some terrible calamity had come upon the earth killing all the living.
I believe this Scripture is a time before Adam and Eve. We must
remember, that God lives in the eternal day. He lived in the present
tense at the beginning of the world, and He will be living in the
present tense at the end of the world. There is no separation of time
in heaven where God dwells.  There is just one eternal day.

     Jeremiah 4:25 "I beheld, and, lo, [there was] no man, and all the
birds of the heavens were fled."

     There had been an habitation, but there had been a total
destruction, of that habitation. Who they were, and why they were
destroyed, is none of our business. If God had wanted us to know, He
would have told us.

     Jeremiah 4:26 "I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place [was] a
wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the
presence of the LORD, [and] by his fierce anger."

     This speaks of total desolation brought on by God. The place that
had brought forth fruit, is now a wilderness. We see the reason is the
anger of the LORD.

     Jeremiah 4:27 "For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall
be desolate; yet will I not make a full end."

     This earth that was null and void shall live again. God will
apply the Light of the world, and it will live. It is the Light that
brings life.

     Jeremiah 4:28 "For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens
above be black: because I have spoken [it], I have purposed [it], and
will not repent, neither will I turn back from it."

     This is a time of no Light. The blackness symbolizes mourning.
God is Truth. When He speaks, it happens.

     Jeremiah 4:29 "The whole city shall flee for the noise of the
horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon
the rocks: every city [shall be] forsaken, and not a man dwell
therein."

     This is a terrible time of fear. The fear is so great, they flee
from the onslaught, and run to the caves for help. No one is left in
the cities.

     Jeremiah 4:30 "And [when] thou [art] spoiled, what wilt thou do?
Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee
with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in
vain shalt thou make thyself fair; [thy] lovers will despise thee,
they will seek thy life."

     All of the beautiful clothing and jewelry will not make them
beautiful to God. We see that the ones they have thought of as lovers,
will be of no help at all. This adulterous people, who were the wife
of God, are now abandoned.

     Jeremiah 4:31 "For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail,
[and] the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the
voice of the daughter of Zion, [that] bewaileth herself, [that]
spreadeth her hands, [saying], Woe [is] me now! for my soul is wearied
because of murderers."

     This appears to be speaking of the physical house of Israel, who
is destroyed. The first child is generally speaking of physical
Israel. Zion can be the church or Jerusalem. She is crying, because of
the murderous destruction of her children. The woe is for the loss.





















                         Jeremiah 5 Questions


1.  To get back in good standing with God, what did Israel have to put
    away?
2.  What was the only condition, if the nations were to be blessed?
3.  What is "fallow" in verse 3?
4.  What does the author believe this is saying?
5.  What is the circumcision that is important to God?
6.  Quote 1 Samuel chapter 12 verse 24.
7.  How far-reaching was the declaration God made in verse 5?
8.  For what two reasons was the trumpet blown?
9.  Set up the standard toward ________.
10. Why must God's people raise the standard?
11. What is the near interpretation of verse 7?
12. Who is another the lion could be?
13. Who is the destroyer?
14. Why should they gird with sackcloth and lament?
15. What is the sackcloth?
16. What had God promised Jerusalem?
17. Quote Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12.
18. What are the Jews like, in verse 11?
19. Where does the wind of the Spirit come?
20. The wind, in verse 11, comes from where?
21. Quote Nahum chapter 1 verse 3.
22. Who controls the elements of the earth?
23. In verse 14, Jeremiah cries out for Jerusalem to do what?
24. Why does God allow them to speak evil of Judah?
25. Why is Jeremiah feeling pain in verse 19?
26. What is the last thing lost in battle?
27. What does the word "sottish" mean?
28. What is verse 23 speaking of?
29. The _________ gives everything the power to be.
30. The author believes the time, in verse 24, to be when?
31. Why had the fruitful place become a wilderness?
32. It is the ________ that brings life.
33. What has happened to this adulterous people, who were the wife of
    God?
34. What does verse 31 appear to be speaking of?