The king of love my shepherd is (A study in Jeremiah 33)

 Truth and Consequences:    

A study in the prophecy of Jeremiah

Chapter 33

By Bob Mendelsohn

Given 12 August 2022

 

Lesson Thirty-three: The King of love my shepherd is

 

INTRODUCTION

  Springtime is a time of great hope and beauty; the winter’s chills and snow and ice are melting and the sun is lingering longer. For many, this is their favourite season. It won’t be long as summer’s heat will soon be on us, and the buds on the bushes and trees will soon be blossoming. Sheep have plenty of good grass to eat, and Bondi Beach is booming again with tumbling children and splashing surfers. The world will be wonderful for many; the promise of spring and thus summer was in us last week. We had temps in the 20s and the sun shone relentlessly. I thought winter was over; winter was not complete as this week has evidenced. 

Why am I giving you this meteorological report? That you and I might think thoughts of the promise of sunshine when the sun is not shining. We need to think of promises of warmth when baby, it’s cold outside. Promises are not to be held onto when they are fulfilled; you have to hold onto promises when they are oh, so far, far away.

That said, in today’s chapter, we hear a repeat of many of the promises God made to the Judeans in chapters 30 and 31, with a new promise about King David and about Levites. Stay tuned to hear what God will say, and remember, it’s not when they are fulfilled that you ponder them. 

Let’s hear what God is saying to us in this messed up and darkening world from chapter 33 of Jeremiah. 

Verse 1 tells us the timeline of this chapter, the same as last chapter. Jeremiah is still in prison, again, like house arrest, and in this whole chapter we don’t hear anything about his prayers or his response at all. It’s all “THUS SAYS GOD” and as such is a litany of God’s thoughts, not those of the prophet. 

Verse 2, God self-introduces as is his custom, as the God who created the world, and everything in it. And that would include Babylonians and Judeans and even Kiwis. 

Verse 3, call to me, and I will answer you. It’s particular. It’s personal. God is inviting us to listen and to pray and his promise is immediate. I will answer you, he says. Can you take comfort in that promise? Today? Are you currently asking God to accomplish something? He promises to hear us. Do you believe that?

What will he tell us, great and mighty things we don’t already know. Awesome, we will have wisdom granted. We will be alerted to his plans for our neighbours and our children. Things we do not know. Like the timing of his provision. Like the times he will answer in the affirmative and times in the negative. 

Verse 4, second time, “Thus says the Lord.” And what’s the subject of this word? The houses where we live and the houses of the leadership. The defences are broken down and the enemy will enter to ruin. God says that he is open to listen to us. There are walls around the city-- they are down; there are walls around God. They are also down, but open to us! It’s a brilliant image.

Verse 5, God has hidden himself, due to our sinfulness. Our ra’ah. Listen hell may well be defined as the ultimate isolation and loneliness, far not only from the madding crowd, but also far from the Living God. If heaven is relationship and fellowship and belonging, then hell is lack of relationship and loneness and not belonging. 

Verse 6 HINEY, Behold, don’t miss this. ‘Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth. God will heal, three times in this one verse, healing is coming. Yes, admit you are sick and go to the doctor of life (God) so that your healing comes. No one gets well without such an admission. 

Arucha means ‘health’ and it comes from the root ERECH, like in Erech Apayim, long or slow to anger, and I’m glad God is perhaps slow to bring healing, but it will surely come. Also I cannot get away from the last word. Truth. Telling the truth about God. About you. About your relationship or lack of one. This promise is worth writing on a post, or on a post it, or on your wall in bright colours… God will reveal an abundance of peace and truth. 

Verse 7, we’ve seen this phrase before several times…

וַהֲשִֽׁבֹתִי֙ אֶת־שְׁב֣וּת

I will restore the fortunes. Restore the captivity (that is, to erase the captivity) Not in a permanent or conclusive way, but reset factory settings, take us back to where we were before we fell. Before we were tainted by idolatry in Judah and before we were taken into captivity. 

Verse 8, God says he will both make us pure (Taher) and forgive us (Salach) for both our sins and our transgressions. Look, so many of us use different words either to soften the reality of our sin or to excuse it, but 

“The three most familiar Hebrew terms for sin occur in this verse. The verbs ‏חטא‎, “sin” (twice), and ‏פשׁע‎, “rebel,” take singular and plural forms of the noun ‏עון, “iniquity,” as their objects (cf Hos 12:9). Every indictment in the book of Jeremiah contributes to the description of Israel’s and Judah’s iniquity.”

 

And don’t miss this object word “LI” in the text. 

מִכָּל־עֲוֹנָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָֽטְאוּ־לִ֑י

You sinned li, that is, against me. God takes our sins against people and against nature and against our families and against ourselves… he takes those sins personally and says you sin against me. That’s why fixing problems people-to-people is useful in social circumstances, but it doesn’t fix our lives. Only in repairing our relationship with God, in atonement, in blood-for-blood atonement, is our relationship fixable. Our lives are restored if we get right with God, and it won’t be good until then. 

“It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’” (verse 9)

What is the ‘it’? It’s Jerusalem. That tells me that this is a prediction that will not take place until at least 70 years hence. And what are the three characteristics that define that new city? Joy, praise, and glory. Remember those from Jer. 13.11 and from Deuteronomy 26.19, God will fulfil his promises to make Jerusalem glorious, but not from military victories. Rather, this is from God being good to the peoples of the earth. Good is used twice in this sentence. God’s goodness leads people to repentance. God’s goodness leads us to thankfulness. 

Verse 10, Another “Thus says the Lord.” Third time. And through verse 11, the misfortunes of lack and of famine will be replaced with merriment and restoration. And the standard “Hodu” is sung, and is probably inserted by later authors to remind the people (“Sing God’s thanks as usual here.”)

Verses 12-13, there are five images of sheep and shepherds and if you think that’s about pastoral situations you are very close to right. It’s about the leadership of the ‘sheep of his pasture” namely the people of Israel and the kings. God will make those relationships back to ‘as in the beginning’ before the current kings had ruined things.

The verb ‘count’ surprised me, but when I think of the Lost items parables of Luke 15, that’s the only way the shepherd would know if there were 99 + 1. Only in counting his sheep did the shepherd know the flock. John 10 is where the apostle listed his “Jesus is the Good Shepherd” speech. And there we see that Jesus ‘knows his sheep’ and they ‘hear his voice and follow him.’ I identify with this notion. God made me one of his sheep and he loves and cares for me as a shepherd. The king of love, my shepherd is. No one “can take us out of his hand.”

Verse 14 introduces the promise he already gave us in chapter 23. The righteous branch, this one who is coming, will execute justice and that sounds royal and like a good king rather than the ones we’ve recently had to lead us. He will lead us to good, to holiness and purity. And in verse 15, another direct quote from the earlier chapter, the one who is born to us is named “Jehovah our righteousness.” Whoever this one is, he’s not only the rep of God; he IS God and that’s a massive surprise, eh?

Then verses 16 and 17, another Thus says the Lord (#4) the double surprise that only makes sense in terms of Yeshua, the greater Son of David. We read that there will never be a time without a Davidic king and without priests to perform sacrifices. This clearly is not fulfilled and we have an enigma.

Listen how Barnes solves this: “Read literally, these verses promise the permanent restoration of the Davidic throne and (of the Levitical priesthood. As a matter of fact Zedekiah was the last king of David’s line, and the Levitical priest-hood has long passed away. Both these changes Jeremiah himself foretold (Jeremiah 22:30; 3:16). In what way then is this apparent contradiction (compare Isaiah 66:20–23; Ezekiel 40–48) to be explained? The solution is probably as follows. It was necessary that the Bible should be intelligible to the people at the time when it was written, and in some degree to the writer. The Davidic kingship and the Levitical priest-hood were symbols, which represented to the Jew all that was most dear to his heart in the state of things under which he lived. Their restoration was the restoration of his national and spiritual life. Neither was so restored as to exist permanently. But that was given instead, of which both were types, the Church, whose Head is the true prophet, priest and King.”

Christopher Wright comments about Horizon 2 and 3. He says something similar to Barnes. “The NT affirms that the eternal nature of both the throne of David and the Leviti al priesthood was taken up and fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The angel declared the former (Luke 1.32-33) and Hebrews declares the latter (Heb. 8-10)”

This makes sense and we addressed it last week with the whole David restoration. It won’t be David himself, but the Greater Son of David who will make this happen and the priesthood of the Levites and their work in the Temple will terminate in 70 CE, BUT the Great High Priest Yeshua will take their place in substitution. 

Verse 20, Thus says the Lord, again. #5 in this chapter alone. If it’s possible that the sun and moon stop shining, then my covenant is breakable, BUT IT IS NOT. This will not happen as sure as I’m the Creator and SUSTAINER. Again the promises of God to Abraham and David are now reiterated and God will make this happen, for HIS NAME’s sake and in Yeshua they are fulfilled. 

Verse 24-26, people’s sins are apparent, AND YET, there it is…the interrupting grace of Almighty God. But I will ^crestore their ³fortunes and will have ^dmercy on them

God does this. Then. And in 70 years. And in Yeshua and in our lives. 

אָשׁוּב אֶת־שְׁבוּתָ֖ם וְרִחַמְתִּֽים

God, full of mercy and compassion. The Good Shepherd. Restoring the lost son to the Father, saving the 100^th sheep and bringing him back to himself. God doesn’t want any of us lost. He wants us restored. And he will do it. 

Have you encountered him yourself? Have you been born again?

 

CONCLUSION

God is calling each of us to know him and to walk with him, today and throughout our days. Have you received Yeshua as your messiah and Lord? He is risen from the dead! Have you renounced your sin, your idolatry, your forsaking God and given him First Place in your life? If not, please, do so now, just now, as we pray together. Use your own words, if you want, but yield, surrender, to the Lord of life. 

 

PRAYER

Then please write us (admin@jewsforjesus.org.au) to tell us what you have just done, and we will send you literature and encourage you. You are part of our family; we love and appreciate you. And we want you to enjoy the presence of the Lord who calls, who knows, who blesses and builds us up. 

We hope to see you again next week as we study chapter 34. Until then, Shabbat shalom!

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barnes, Albert, Commentary on the Old Testament. (Published by many, from 1880 on)

Henry, Matthew, Commentary.

Keown, Gerald, Scalise, Pamela, Smothers, Thomas, Word Biblical Commentary. Book of Jeremiah (Part 2).  1995. 

McConnville, Gordon, Jeremiah, New Bible Commentary. 

Wright, Christopher, The Message of Jeremiah, The Bible Speaks Today. Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 2014.

 

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ACTUAL TEXT

Restoration Promised

 

Jer. 33:1   Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard, saying, ² “Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it, the LORD is His name, ³ ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ ⁴ “For thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah which are broken down to make a defence against the siege ramps and against the sword, ⁵ ‘While they are coming to fight with the Chaldeans and to fill them with the corpses of men whom I have slain in My anger and in My wrath, and I have hidden My face from this city because of all their wickedness: ⁶ ‘Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth. ⁷ ‘I will restore the ¹fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and will rebuild them as they were at first. ⁸ ‘I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me. ⁹ ‘It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.’

 

Jer. 33:10   “Thus says the LORD, ‘Yet again there will be heard in this place, of which you say, “It is a waste, without man and without beast,” that is, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without beast, ¹¹  the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, 

            “Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, 

            For the LORD is good, 

            For His lovingkindness is everlasting”; 

            and of those who bring a thank offering into the house of the LORD. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ says the LORD.

 

Jer. 33:12   “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘There will again be in this place which is waste, without man or beast, and in all its cities, a habitation of shepherds who rest their flocks. ¹³ ‘In the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, in the cities of the Negev, in the land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah, the flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who numbers them,’ says the LORD.

 

The Davidic Kingdom

 

Jer. 33:14   ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfil the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵ ‘In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. ¹⁶ ‘In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the LORD is our righteousness.’ ¹⁷ “For thus says the LORD, ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; ¹⁸ and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to prepare sacrifices continually.’”

 

Jer. 33:19   The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁰ “Thus says the LORD, ‘If you can break My covenant for the day and My covenant for the night, so that day and night will not be at their appointed time, ²¹ then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant so that he will not have a son to reign on his throne, and with the Levitical priests, My ministers. ²² ‘As the host of heaven cannot be counted and the sand of the sea cannot be measured, so I will multiply the descendants of David My servant and the Levites who minister to Me.’”

 

Jer. 33:23   And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁴ “Have you not observed what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the LORD chose, He has rejected them’? Thus they despise My people, no longer are they as a nation ¹in their sight. ²⁵ “Thus says the LORD, ‘If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have not established, ²⁶ then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.’” 

 

 

Jailhouse Rock and prayer (Jeremiah 32)

  Truth and Consequences: 

 

Lesson Thirty-two: Jailhouse Rock

To watch this as a video: use this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJYBMJa2zBQ

 

 

INTRODUCTION

         Generally speaking jail and Jewish people, well it’s a recipe for problems. In fact, jail for everyone is problematic, isn’t it? I’ve spent time in jail in Washington, DC and again in Florida, and it’s no picnic, I’ll confirm that. We are now 32 chapters into the story of Jeremiah, the weeping prophet and his pronouncements of woe and starting a couple of chapters ago, his pronouncement of hope for the Jewish people. 

And when you think of prophets and hopefulness, you would not usually include a jail sentence, would you? Probably a sunshine coast holiday with a lovely beach scene, but a prison? Not a chance. 

Even so, today’s chapter begins with such incarceration and yet…there it is again, the words of hope that we keep finding throughout this book, the book of Truth and Consequences, but even so, there is a “And Yet…” when God himself intervenes to make his name known and his glory shown even in the midst of judgment on his Jewish people. 

The chapter divides into two major sections: Jeremiah in jail and Jeremiah’s prayer with God’s answer. Let’s dig in.

1.   Jeremiah incarcerated

At a specific time, again, Jeremiah is put in jail. He’s been in stocks before and now it’s another visit to the pen. The king is in his last days and wants to get things in order. But do you remember what God had told him some 11 chapters earlier?

⁴ ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will gather them into the center of this city. ⁵ “I Myself will war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in anger and wrath and great indignation. ⁶ “I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence. ⁷ “Then afterwards,” declares the LORD, ^“I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’ (Jer. 21.4-7)

Zedekiah had been forewarned and knew full well what Jeremiah had predicted. Yet he disregarded the entire scenario. Kings and military men have a hard time admitting defeat even before the battles have begun. But a wise king listens to the voices of his advisors and when they are right, and he knows they are right, he has little choice. He needed to agree, but he didn’t. He lost as a result. What a sad figure he remains in Jewish history.

Look at verses 3-5. “Why do you prophesy, saying…” What’s ironic and painful about this is that Zedekiah well knew why Jeremiah predicted and announced the way to go. And he knew the sins of the Jewish people. And he knew what he needed to do, but he refused. And it’s that refusal which brings the question of “Why?” into such a ridiculous light. 

You know people today ask that same question of God, and if there is a God, why is there evil? If there is a loving God, why is there suffering? And similar questioning. But the answer often points us back to our own failings, our own sins, our own disregard and rejection of God’s ways. 

Psalm 50 says, 

“To the wicked God says, “What right do you have to tell of my laws and to take my covenant in your mouth? You hate discipline and you cast my words behind you. You associate with adulterers and you let your mouth loose in evil and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.” (Psalm 50.16-21)

God is saying that all your religion is a self-contained mockery. If you don’t live like God tells you to live, why should you expect anything to happen for your good. Yes, God is good; but your behaviour is telling him that you don’t want his goodness. You get what you put in. 

Zedekiah (which means God is righteous) even had the prophecy of Jeremiah in hand. He quotes it extensively. He well knew what was spoken and what was expected, and yet, he refused. Shame. What a mistake. 

Six passages in the book of Jeremiah report a word from the LORD given through Jeremiah to Zedekiah (21:1–7; 32:1–5; 34:1–7; 37:1–10, 17; 38:14–28).  The other passages all announce the certain conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and Zedekiah’s capture.

Even so, Jeremiah answers, from jail! (Ok, maybe it was little more than house arrest, but still he was prevented from living freely in his day)

Verse 6, Jeremiah recounts the story of his first cousin coming and offering to sell some property. Now remember this is not the 21^st century with LJ Hooker and Richardson and Wrench selling real estate freely. Making commissions and gaining from all things property. Jews were not to sell property; it was to stay within the tribal units and certainly re-configured appropriately every 50 years on the Year of Jubilee. 

What might help us understand this is the reading from Leviticus 25. ‘The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me. ²⁴ ‘Thus for every piece of your property, you are to provide for the redemption of the land.

 

‘If a fellow countryman of yours becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and buy back what his relative has sold. ²⁶ ‘Or in case a man has no kinsman, but so recovers his means as to find sufficient for its redemption, ²⁷ then he shall calculate the years since its sale and refund the balance to the man to whom he sold it, and so return to his property. ²⁸ ‘But if ¹he has not found sufficient means to get it back for himself, then what he has sold shall remain in the hands of its purchaser until the year of jubilee; but at the jubilee, it shall revert, that he may return to his property.” (25.23-28)

We don’t see anything particularly fulfilling of the Torah rulings in this Jeremiah and his cousin transaction. And what we know about the timing makes this ridiculous.

1)   Jeremiah had no wife and kids, so no one to pass the land onto

2)   The war was already in full and thus Anathoth was probably already under siege

3)   No one would be back to fulfil its purposes until 70 more years; what a waste to buy it now

4)   Jeremiah was in jail and he had no assurance he could even get to the field in question, which was being trampled by soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar

And yet…there it is…and yet, Jeremiah took all his funds on hand, 17 shekels and a ceremony ensued. Deed signed. Transaction completed in verses 9-15. Some say he put his money where his mouth had been. Jeremiah predicted that we would return to the land. It would again be on loan from heaven to the Jewish people. We would again have a chance to live right and to represent him. Jeremiah buying that property was a statement of faith, wasn’t it? Verse 15 says, “God says, “houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.” 

2.   Jeremiah’s prayer and God’s answer

Verse 16 gives us a wonderful song from the 1980s or so. “Ah Lord God, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power. Nothing is too difficult for you!” That reminds itself to me but listen to the linkages the people would have heard as Jeremiah prayed this awesome prayer.  Verse 17: God made the heavens and the earth. He is the creator. Verse 17: Great power and outstretched arm. Verse 18: lovingkindness to thousands. Repays iniquity. That’s straight out of God’s self-revelation in Exodus. (34.6-7) Right? 

Verse 19: rewards and punishes. More Exodus language. Verse 20: The mention of Egypt underscores on what Jeremiah’s prayer is based. He is the God who saw us in our misery in those days about 1500 BCE (remember we are reading about 600 BCE or so, in other words, 900 years later). Verse 20: signs and wonders—that’s how he caused Israel to escape the exile in which we were, as jailed or incarcerated people in the detention centre known as the Land of Goshen.^[1] Verse 21: You did it in Egypt, with signs and wonders, strong hand and outstretched arm, with great terror and gave us the land. God is the God of deliverance and promise-keeping. He not only makes promises, he fulfils them, amen?

The prayer continues, with more history. To God and to himself. Verse 22: land flowing with milk and honey. This phrase is used 20 times in the Tenach! Promises, promises! Verse 23: God gave us the land. So far, so good. All about God. He said; he did; he will do it again. It’s a prayer of hope, and then… it all changes. 

Verse 23: they did not obey or walk in your Torah. We did nothing to earn or merit your love. So you were forced to act. You are faithful both to your promises and to your nature of holiness. Thus ‘all this calamity has come upon them.”

Jeremiah’s prayer continues with updating history, so as to get a good perspective of the situation. He reports the sale of property and the yielding of the land to the Babylonians (Chaldeans).  Listen to verse 24: “what you have spoken has come to pass…and you see it.” Jeremiah is wrapping his prayer in the words, in the faith-filled words of God to and through him. That’s prayer. That’s faith. That’s how this works.

God then answers the prayer. Verse 26 and following. He self-introduces. I’m the Lord, the God of all flesh. That’s an odd phrase. The short form, כָּל־בָּשָׂר, “all flesh,” parallels and even rhymes with כָּל־דָּבָר, “anything,” at the end of the verse.

 I wonder if God isn’t saying this: I know the peoples of the earth. I love everyone. I can use everyone to make my world mine. Babylonians and Egyptians and Jews and Kiwis and Americans and you and I are able to be part of God’s work and world. That, my friends, ought to encourage you. He’s the God of all flesh!

God repeats from Jeremiah’s prayer… is anything too difficult for me? The word for ‘difficult’ here and in verse 17 is PELA, a word you ought to remember from Isaiah’s prophecy, chapter 9, about a child who would be born to us. Nothing is too difficult for him; he will make his world his; he will accomplish his intention. Isaiah said in chapter 14, God wills and who can frustrate it? (14.27) The answer is loud—nothing is too difficult or wonderful. He runs the wonders. He is sovereign. THUS… don’t miss this—you can trust him!

Verse 30… the people of Israel and Judah, both…have bothered him. He is highlighting a 150-year-old problem and it’s not getting better. You guys are doing the same wrongs the Northern Tribes did in 725 BCE. You are verse 32, “provoking’ me to anger. Everyone…kings and leaders, priests and prophets, men and inhabitants… everyone! No one is helping the situation. 

Listen to verse 33 and see the action required to fix this. “They turned their back to me and not their face.” Though I taught them, again and again… they would not listen and receive instruction.” That’s how to fix this. Turn to him. Turn to God. Don’t turn to religion. Turning to self-advisement and self-satisfaction is what got you into trouble. You want this fixed? Turn to God. 

See that in verse 36 and following. Yes, it’s given to the Babylonians, BUT… and yet… verse 37, God will gather them, he will bring them back…he will make us dwell in safety…we will be his people (verse 38)

Verse 39 may be my favourite verse in all of this entire book: 

“I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.”

If you haven’t heard anything else this morning, hear this. God wants you to know him and he will put a new heart in you to love him, to obey him, to fear him, and it’s FOR YOUR GOOD. 

Verse 44 “I will restore them. That’s it; God wants us to be his and to make his name known in our world. Are you ready for that? Are you turning your face to him and not your back? Nothing is too difficult for God. Nothing. Nothing!

CONCLUSION

God is calling each of us to know him and to walk with him, today and throughout our days. Have you received Yeshua as your messiah and Lord? He is risen from the dead! Have you renounced your sin, your idolatry, your forsaking God and given him First Place in your life? If not, please, do so now, just now, as we pray together. Use your own words, if you want, but yield, surrender, to the Lord of life. 

 

PRAYER

Then please write us (admin@jewsforjesus.org.au) to tell us what you have just done, and we will send you literature and encourage you. You are part of our family; we love and appreciate you. And we want you to enjoy the presence of the Lord who calls, who knows, who blesses and builds us up. 

We hope to see you again next week as we study chapter 33. Until then, Shabbat shalom!

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barnes, Albert, Commentary on the Old Testament. (Published by many, from 1880 on)

Henry, Matthew, Commentary.

Keown, Gerald, Scalise, Pamela, Smothers, Thomas, Word Biblical Commentary. Book of Jeremiah (Part 2).  1995. 

McConnville, Gordon, Jeremiah, New Bible Commentary. 

Wright, Christopher, The Message of Jeremiah, The Bible Speaks Today. Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 2014.

 

For other links:

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ACTUAL TEXT

 

Jeremiah Imprisoned

 

Jer. 32:1   The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. ² Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the house of the king of Judah, ³ because Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it; ⁴ and Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye; ⁵ and he will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” declares the LORD. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed”’?”

 

Jer. 32:6   And Jeremiah said, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying, ⁷ ‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle is coming to you, saying, “Buy for yourself my field which is at Anathoth, for you have the right of redemption to buy it.”’ ⁸ “Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of the LORD and said to me, ‘Buy my field, please, that is at Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for you have the right of possession and the redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.

 

Jer. 32:9   “I bought the field which was at Anathoth from Hanamel my uncle’s son, and I weighed out the silver for him, seventeen shekels of silver. ¹⁰ “I signed and sealed the deed, and called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. ¹¹ “Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions and the open copy; ¹² and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle’s son and in the sight of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, before all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard. ¹³ “And I commanded Baruch in their presence, saying, ¹⁴ ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Take these deeds, this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, that they may last a long time.” ¹⁵ ‘For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”’

 

Jeremiah Prays and God Explains

 

Jer. 32:16   “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, then I prayed to the LORD, saying, ¹⁷ ‘Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, ¹⁸ who shows lovingkindness to thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God. The LORD of hosts is His name; ¹⁹ great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds; ²⁰ who has set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and even to this day both in Israel and among mankind; and You have made a name for Yourself, as at this day. ²¹ ‘You brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with great terror; ²² and gave them this land, which You swore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. ²³ ‘They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey Your voice or walk in Your law; they have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have made all this calamity come upon them. ²⁴ ‘Behold, the siege ramps have reached the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, the famine and the pestilence; and what You have spoken has come to pass; and behold, You see it. ²⁵ ‘You have said to me, O Lord GOD, “Buy for yourself the field with money and call in witnesses” — although the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’”

 

Jer. 32:26   Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, ²⁷ “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” ²⁸ Therefore thus says the LORD, “Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will take it. ²⁹ “The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will enter and set this city on fire and burn it, with the houses where people have offered incense to Baal on their roofs and poured out drink offerings to other gods to provoke Me to anger. ³⁰ “Indeed the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah have been doing only evil in My sight from their youth; for the sons of Israel have been only provoking Me to anger by the work of their hands,” declares the LORD. ³¹ “Indeed this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My wrath from the day that they built it, even to this day, so that it should be removed from before My face, ³² because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah which they have done to provoke Me to anger — they, their kings, their leaders, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. ³³ “They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, teaching again and again, they would not listen and receive instruction. ³⁴ “But they put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. ³⁵ “They built the high places of Baal that are in the valley of Ben-hinnom to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I had not commanded them nor had it entered My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

 

Jer. 32:36   “Now therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning this city of which you say, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine and by pestilence.’ ³⁷ “Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in safety. ³⁸ “They shall be My people, and I will be their God; ³⁹ and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. ⁴⁰ “I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. ⁴¹ “I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul. ⁴² “For thus says the LORD, ‘Just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them. ⁴³ ‘Fields will be bought in this land of which you say, “It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” ⁴⁴ ‘Men will buy fields for money, sign and seal deeds, and call in witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the environs of Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland and in the cities of the Negev; for I will restore their fortunes,’ declares the LORD.”

 

^[1] 20 “The hymnic style continues, using the language of Pss 78:43; 105:27 to describe the LORD’s acts of deliverance, beginning in Egypt. “Make a name for yourself” is an expression rarely used of God. In Isa 63:12, 14 it is also associated with the Exodus. Neh 9:10 is a close counterpart of 32:20, mentioning “signs” and “wonders” in Egypt and repeating the final clause verbatim, “you made a name for yourself which continues today.” V 20 looks beyond Israel in Egypt, however, to include humankind “until this day.” The LORD’s renown among the nations because of Israel’s deliverance is a theme of the ancient victory song in Exod 15:14–16. It is also part of Moses’ intercession in Num 14:13–16. If the LORD destroys Israel, the nations will conclude that the LORD “was not able” to bring them into the land. This verse, 32:20, seems to imply that other peoples have been more than mere observers of God’s “signs and wonders” in Israel. The perspective of v 19 is reversed. God is known by God’s deeds, just as people are known to God by theirs.” (Keown)

Who has a future and a hope? (Jeremiah 29)

 Truth and Consequences: 

A study in the prophecy of Jeremiah

 

Lesson Twenty-nine: Who has the future and the hope? A series of letters

 

INTRODUCTION

Did you receive a letter recently that really blessed you? Maybe it was a birthday card or a government cheque. I doubt it was a letter from a utility company that blessed you. Maybe you haven’t received a personal letter in years, even decades. I guess the use of email and now even faster-to-use services like Twitter and Tik Tok have changed all that, but I want you to think of a personal letter, sent to you, and only to you, that gave you a moment or perhaps a day or a week of pleasure. You held that letter. You read and re-read that letter, and you found something that gave you hope or assurance or resolution to something you had battled or about which you were worried for a long time. Thus, ease or happiness came to you and that letter was a symbol of that relief. 

I get that. And I always like those moments that can last for a long time in my life. Cleaning up at my house is an ongoing project, and I recently found a pile of birthday cards, handwritten or at least signed, for a particular decade and those feelings of gladness re-arose in me. That’s what I’m talking about. 

Today we are talking about a letter sent by the prophet Jeremiah, probably the first of his many letters, and it expresses his heart for the Jewish people. His heart included a hope for them to survive. This includes all the people who had rejected his counsel and his predictions previously. Even so, he has a desire for them to survive and to thrive in the wrong land. 

You see, the rabbis teach that Judah went into captivity in 586 BCE (just a few years after this letter was sent to the previously captured Judah people), and that our captivity was due to three things: adultery, idolatry and murder. Heavy charges, to be sure. When in jail, and perhaps you have seen movies featuring redemption of prisoners, an incarcerated person is often hopeless and despondent. Often they mope around or get involved in even worse life choices than the ones that got them into jail in the first place. 

Let’s listen to this letter and especially see in context the often misquoted text of verse 11, and see what Jeremiah 29 has to say to us as 21^st century people.

The passage begins afresh, immediately after the death of the false prophet from last week’s lesson, Hananiah. Remember he had predicted a two-year captivity, but that didn’t happen. He was struck down by God. This passage begins with typical confusion. Verse one says Nebuchadnezzar had taken Judah into captivity, and yet in verse 4, God says He is responsible for the captivity. In verse 14 and again in verse 20, God says he is the one who sent us into exile. So the question has to be asked, “Who is the one who is responsible for the Jewish people living in Babylon for 70 years?” if you say, God, you are right. If you say, Nebuchadnezzar, you are also right. God uses human agencies to accomplish his purposes. God is the ultimate cause; Babylon and its hierarchy the immediate cause. Who is really in command? God. What lesson will Neb and the Babylonians also need to learn after 7 decades? That they are not all-powerful and supreme. And that lesson will evade the Babylonians as well which will result in their losses on that day, but that’s not in our discussion today.

The apparent permanence of the exiles in Babylon according to Christopher Wright works “in two ways. First (he says) such a perspective turns refugees into residents.” (page 291) I like that. Have you ever met people who no matter what happens in their lives, their desire to be elsewhere or with other people or in other circumstances persists and pervades their entire being. They are the ‘never satisfied’ and ever-aching, even belly-aching about their lot in life. If only my dad had not moved to Tamworth…, they complain. If only my boss hadn’t been such a loser and left me behind in my company advancement… If only, and you can fill in the blanks in their lives. 

Changing the Jewish people and their mind was a tough ask for Jeremiah, but he called this to us. We will return to Zion, but not too soon, not in the near future, certainly not in the two-years of Hananiah’s prediction. We are stuck. We are not going anywhere, so, Judah, get over it. Verses 8 and 9, “don’t listen to those false prophets who deceive you and don’t listen to the dreams which they dream.” It IS tantalizing for us to use wishful thinking and dreams of our own personal or national conquest, to make the future look like we want it to look. Isn’t that the deep and simple message of “The Secret” after all?  But Jeremiah warns, that is not how things are for you. You are not returning to Judah. Jerusalem will be downtrodden. Your homes are gone. Your livelihood and your life as you knew it—gone forever. Sadness about the past will linger. Feel this. Live in it. Learn from it. 

So the letter begins in verses 4 and 5. The words include “build, live, plant, eat, marry, seek…” and so much more. All are words of increase. And Wright says that this is the 2^nd way the language works for the exiles. He says the language “resonates strongly with Genesis. It is the language both of creation and of Abrahamic promise. For Israel in exile, there was the opportunity of a fresh creational start. And the God who blessed creation with fruitfulness and growth had promised the same to Abraham. (Gen. 12.1-3 17.3-6, 22.17) The language of increase also echoes Exodus 1.7 with the implication that if the people continued to grow after the decimation of 586 BCE even in a foreign land, God’s redemption from this latter-day bondage lay ahead in a new exodus.” (page 291)

In other words, God’s work in creation is the basis for God’s work in redemption. And that work, redemption will fulfil God’s work in creation (we will see reflections of that in later Jeremiah passages: 31.35-37, 33.14-26).

Salvation was coming, to be sure, but the only real hope, AT THAT MOMENT, and for those decades, was to fit in. To live in the land as if you belonged there. 

Gerald Keown says this of the acquiescence of the Jewish people to live in and thrive in Babylon.

“Voluntary submission is offered as a way to avoid conquest and death. But how can surrender be a mark of faithfulness? These chapters point to at least four ways to begin to answer these concerns. First, the assignment of authority to Nebuchadnezzar is an exercise of the Creator’s rule, not an abdication. Second, “submit to the king of Babylon” is a historically conditioned command. The explanatory addition of Nebuchadnezzar’s name and the date formulas define the particular circumstances in which the command is in effect. Third, the period of submission is also of limited duration (27:7). No eternal principle of “the divine right of emperors” is at work. One cannot conclude from this command that the LORD sides with the winners. Neither submission nor resistance to the despot is taught as an exclusive, eternal principle. Nebuchadnezzar is victor only because he acts as the LORD’s vassal, supplying troops in service of his suzerain’s purposes. Fourth, the greatest threat to God’s people was not the loss of independent statehood but the decay of national and personal integrity of faith and service to the LORD. It was the ministry of God’s servants the prophets to warn them against their true peril and to invite them to return to the LORD.” 

All that from Peter Keown who along with a couple other folks authored the comments and explanations in the 2^nd half of Jeremiah in the Word Biblical Commentary series. 

Think of those who were contemporaneous with Jeremiah, like Daniel and the three who went into the lion’s den. They complied where they could, but refused when they had to do so. That’s probably what Keown is referencing. 

Verse 7, Jeremiah says to ‘seek the shalom of the city and pray on its behalf.” This is an outrage. Now, see if you can understand this from the people of Judah captive, prisoners of war, if you will, and their dreaded enemies have now incarcerated them. God wants you to not only make peace with them, but to pray for them. Pray for them? What! This is ridiculous. It’s bad enough we are in a foreign land. Now God wants us to pray for them? Not on your life. We are (Psalm 122) to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, not Babylon, not Oslo, not Melbourne, but Jerusalem. Who came up with this notion? Surely not the Lord.

In fact, this sounds like the people of Assyria and the prophet Jonah. He was sent to preach to our dreaded Northern enemy and told to proclaim God’s mercy, which caused the king (read: mayor) of Nineveh to proclaim a fast and cry out for that mercy. The whole town got saved and thus spared the wrath of the Lord. 

This action of God through Jeremiah carries that same valence. Praying for the enemies of the Jews, who have taken us captive, and praying for their shalom… that’s downright… Abrahamic! Yes, the mission of the Jewish people was to affect the world, even the Gentiles surrounding them. Our mission was to represent God and to bring his good name to the nations of the world. Is that what He is trying to do in this circumstance?

Apparently.

Four conclusions are able to be drawn:

1)   God can answer prayer anywhere on earth, not only in Jerusalem

2)   God can answer prayer on behalf of pagans

3)   God will answer prayers we pray for others

4)   Our lives are not over if we are displaced

Wright says that “prayer is a missional responsibility—always.” (page 294)

 

Next we come to a troublesome passage, and one more often misquoted than most others in the whole of Tenach, even the whole of the Bible. I know you have heard it spoken like this, “God has a future for you, and a hope” which is another way of saying, “Hakuna matata” or “No worries, mate.” She’ll be right. No dramas. Everything’s going to be all right. 

Now it’s entirely possible that at times, that is a good rendering of the promise of verse 11. BUT we have to read this in the context of this first letter to the Captives. It could be titled in the NT as “First Babylonians.”

What’s Jeremiah saying, in context? He’s telling Judah that their sin has led them away from Jerusalem. He has told them that nothing they can do will override the judgment which has and will come on them. Their plight is fixed and will last into the 3^rd generation. They are deservedly punished by being in this country about 1600 km from home. They are not at home. They are judged and displaced. Does that sound like a future and a hope to you? 

God is saying, remember from where you have fallen.

He’s saying your sin got you there and only repentance and the kindness of God our Saviour will overcome this. And HE WILL. But for whom?

Note this in verse 10. You. It’s a plural word here. And in verse 11. And throughout this prophetic word. What God is saying to captive Judah is that the hope and the future is not for those listening just now, but for their future, that is, their children and grandchildren. That 3^rd generation will enjoy returning with the exilic nation. Only then will hope be renewed. Only then will ‘the future’ make sense. Our nechedim will live in the Land again. If we show them the way, the right way, even though we are excluded, God will have his way in them, and isn’t this what you as parents want?

All that to say, I’m pretty sure God has some times in mind for you. And he also has some tribulation in mind for you. Times for everything, a time for rejoicing and a time for mourning. A time to tear down and a time to build up. There’s a time for everything under heaven. In this case, a misread of Jeremiah 29.11 will lead to a misstatement and thus a misappropriation of hope, when there is no real hope. There is ONE WAY to have hope with God, in those days, and dare I say, in these days. That is in acknowledgment of his Lordship, and his authority, his holiness and our need to repent, to get to know him and to love him with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might. Repentance and surrender—those are the keys to a future and a hope. 

Then verse 12, then you will seek and then you will find. This is not due to the serious seeking by the Jewish people, but this finding is due to the kindness of the findable God! Look, this is seen in Daniel 9 as Daniel alludes to the prophecy of the duration of the 70 years and that those decades are about to end. He then calls Judah to pray and seek God in forgiveness. 

The point I’m making is that the future and the hope is not the ‘just now’ or the ‘now now’ of the false prophets. It’s not two years later; it’s 70 years later. And yet, it is sure…God is sure. You can be sure. 

The rest of the chapter is not less significant. There is however a bit of repetition to it all. Verses 15-19 repeat much of the Two baskets of figs parable of chapter 24. The key in that section and in this one (verse 19) is would we appeal to God for grace then, and later?

Then verses 20-23 showcase the new false prophets who again are hoping to shorten the 70 to a more manageable number. These two newbies are named Ahab and Zedekiah. They are not previously known people, although the names are not entirely unfamiliar. Like Joe and Susan in our day, I guess. But this notion of shortening the pain is one I understand; even so, it was fake news.

Finally, the end of the chapter 24-32 has three further letters mentioned. 

First Shemaiah wanted the priest in charge in Jerusalem who was named Zephaniah (not the prophet of the Tenach) to stop Jeremiah. That wouldn’t help. (.26-28)

Second a letter from Jeremiah to Shemaiah after that first letter was shown around, at least to Jeremiah. Yikes, Shemaiah was caught behind. (.25-29)

Finally, the third letter was from Jeremiah to all the Judeans there in exile. Reminding people not only about fake news, but naming and shaming the one Shemaiah who like the others will be without a future and a hope. (.29-32)

Dear friends, do you have such a promise, for you and your loved ones? Are you in exile and living out God’s plans for the people and the city in which you reside? We need to be good citizens, seeking God’s glory and the good of our mayor and our Councilpeople. We should be helpers at school boards and delivering packages of products to people in need. There is no end to civic humanism in the best sense of that word. 

And why is that? So that we can represent the One who cares for all nations. We can be Abrahamic in our missional orientation. God loves the world and he wants to use us to help them know him. 

If you don’t know the Lord, then in a moment Jimmy is going to invite you to pray with him, to meet Jesus and to receive mercy and grace to help in your time of need. That will be the greatest thing you can do today. 

 

Jimmy, over to you.

 

 

CONCLUSION

God is calling each of us to know him and to walk with him, today and throughout our days. Have you received Yeshua as your messiah and Lord? He is risen from the dead! Have you renounced your sin, your idolatry, your forsaking God and given him First Place in your life? If not, please, do so now, just now, as we pray together. Use your own words, if you want, but yield, surrender, to the Lord of life. 

 

PRAYER

Then please write us (admin@jewsforjesus.org.au) to tell us what you have just done, and we will send you literature and encourage you. You are part of our family; we love and appreciate you. And we want you to enjoy the presence of the Lord who calls, who knows, who blesses and builds us up. 

We hope to see you again next week as we study chapter 27. Until then, Shabbat shalom!

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barnes, Albert, Albert Barnes’ Commentary on the Old Testament.

Henry, Matthew, Commentary.

Keown, Gerald, Scalise, Pamela, Smothers, Thomas, Word Biblical Commentary. Book of Jeremiah (Part 2).  1995. 

McConnville, Gordon, Jeremiah, New Bible Commentary. 

Wright, Christopher, The Message of Jeremiah, The Bible Speaks Today, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 2014.

 

For other links:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/jewsforjesusau

The videos, especially the Bible teachings are always free. However, if you are enjoying and learning from them, and would like to share in the costs $ of putting them together, to donate use this link:  https://www.jewsforjesus.org.au/giving 

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If you haven’t yet done so, please click the red box to the right which says ‘SUBSCRIBE’ and you will be notified of any new content on our channel. Thanks!

 

ACTUAL TEXT

 

Jer. 29:1   Now these are the words of the ^aletter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. ² (This was after King ^aJeconiah and the ^bqueen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) ³ The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of ^aHilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, ⁴ “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have ^asent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ⁵ ‘^aBuild houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their ¹produce. ⁶ ‘Take ^awives and ¹become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. ⁷ ‘^aSeek the ¹welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and ^bpray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its ¹welfare you will have ¹welfare.’ ⁸ “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your ^aprophets who are in your midst and your diviners ^bdeceive you, and do not listen to ^1cthe dreams which ²they dream. ⁹ ‘For they ^aprophesy falsely to you in My name; ^bI have not sent them,’ declares the LORD.

 

Jer. 29:10   “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. ¹¹ ‘For I know the plans that I ¹have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ¹² ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ¹⁴ ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your ¹fortunes and will ^cgather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will ^dbring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’

 

Jer. 29:15   “Because you have said, ‘The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon’ — ¹⁶ for thus says the LORD concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who did ^anot go with you into exile — ¹⁷ thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, I am sending upon them the ^asword, famine and pestilence, and I will make them like ^bsplit-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness. ¹⁸ ‘I will pursue them with the sword, with famine and with pestilence; and I will ^amake them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a ^bcurse and a horror and a ^chissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, ¹⁹ because they have ^anot listened to My words,’ declares the LORD, ‘which I sent to them again and again by ^bMy servants the prophets; but you did not listen,’ declares the LORD. ²⁰ “You, therefore, hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles, whom I have ^asent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.

 

Jer. 29:21   “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who are ^aprophesying to you falsely in My name, ‘Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will slay them before your eyes. ²² ‘Because of them a ^acurse will be ¹used by all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon ^broasted in the fire, ²³ because they have ^aacted foolishly in Israel, and ^bhave committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have ^cspoken words in My name falsely, which I did not command them; and I am He who ^dknows and am a witness,” declares the LORD.’”

 

Jer. 29:24   To ^aShemaiah the Nehelamite you shall speak, saying, ²⁵ “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Because you have sent ^aletters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to ^bZephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, ²⁶ “The LORD has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to be the ^1aoverseer in the house of the LORD over every ^bmadman who ^cprophesies, to ^dput him in the stocks and in the iron collar, ²⁷ now then, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of ^aAnathoth who prophesies to you? ²⁸ “For he has ^asent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘The exile will be ^blong; ^cbuild houses and live in them and plant gardens and eat their ¹produce.’”’”

 

Jer. 29:29   ^aZephaniah the priest read this letter ¹to Jeremiah the prophet. ³⁰ Then came the word of the LORD to Jeremiah, saying, ³¹ “Send to ^aall the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD concerning ^bShemaiah the Nehelamite, “Because Shemaiah has ^cprophesied to you, although I did not send him, and he has ^dmade you trust in a lie,” ³² therefore thus says the LORD, “Behold, I am about to ^apunish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his ¹descendants; he will ^bnot have anyone living among this people, ^cand he will not see the good that I am about to do to My people,” declares the LORD, “because he has ^2dpreached rebellion against the LORD.”’”