Jeremiah 21–24

Some say this chapter is out of its historical place. They take that as evidence that this book had more than one author. For some reason unknown to us, the Spirit of God has put it here. Zedekiah sent Pashhur to Jeremiah to ask about Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon. This was a different Pashhur from the one in the previous chapter. This is of course Nebuchadnezzar, and here Jeremiah names the great king for the first time. The wicked Zedekiah may have remembered God's dealing with Hezekiah, when the Lord wiped out the army of Sennacherib the Assyrian.

If only the king had been right, though the people and the prophets were ever so wrong, God would still send blessing to Israel. Everything depended on the king, the seed of David. God might have disciplined the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But it was not only that they went astray. The king himself led the wickedness. Then it was utterly impossible to hold on to them, and Jeremiah's sorrowful task was to announce this divine decision.

Jeremiah refuses to be impressed by the importance of the messengers. He can only confirm the judgment already announced.

Then... Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words Jeremiah had spoken to all the people... So the princes said to the king, "We beg you, let this man be put to death, for he weakens the hands of the soldiers who remain in this city... This man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm."

The Lord's answer left no room for appeal. How could it be otherwise to a king who put on a show of honouring the Lord with his lips while his heart was far from Him? Everything was hopeless for the king of Judah, who valued the oath he had sworn less than the Gentile who had made him swear it.

It is often a mark of a backslidden state that the outward forms of godliness continue, and sometimes with increased zeal. As life decays, attention turns to rites and ceremonies. The soul deceives itself in this way, and slips into ignorance of its real condition.

Yet even then God has a word for the people (vv. 8-10), and sets before them the way of life as well as the way of death. "He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence. But he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live, and his life shall be his as a prize of war."

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's seed has failed for ever, then there is no gospel for us today! For the gospel makes known the sure mercies of David. Nor is there any coming age of worldwide blessing for this earth, for the One who rules and reigns to that end must be of David's line!

Zedekiah asked Jeremiah whether the Lord would step in for the people against Nebuchadnezzar. On that occasion the Spirit of God brought together the testimonies about all the members of David's family who presided, so to speak, over the ruin of Jerusalem — Jehoahaz (Jer. 22:10), Jehoiakim (vv. 13-19), Jeconiah (vv. 20-30).

Zedekiah sent Pashur to Jeremiah to ask about Nebuchadrezzar, the king of Babylon. (This Pashur is a different man from the Pashur in the chapter before.) This is of course Nebuchadnezzar. Here the great king is mentioned for the first time in Jeremiah. The wicked Zedekiah may have remembered God's dealing with Hezekiah when the Lord wiped out the army of Sennacherib, the Assyrian.

In chapter 21:1-7 he answers the two messengers of King Zedekiah. The king sent them hoping that God would deliver Judah from the king of Babylon through the prophet's intervention. Jeremiah, however, does not let the importance of the messengers impress him. He can only confirm the judgment already announced.

The answer of the Lord left no room at all for appeal. How could it be otherwise to a king who hypocritically honoured Jehovah with his lips while his heart was far from Him? All was hopeless for the king of Judah, who valued the oath he had taken less than the Gentile who had imposed it on him.

To fight it out was nothing less than resisting the Lord. Nebuchadnezzar was not the only one taking Jerusalem. Jehovah was giving up the city and their king of the house of David. It was a most solemn sign of His displeasure.

The king sends to Jeremiah to ask the Lord for them. But the answer gives them no hope. It only shows that the Lord Himself will fight against them (vv. 1-7). To the people it is said, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death." To live, they had to go over to the Chaldean army, which God was bringing; to die, they only had to stay in the sinful city (vv. 8-10).

Zedekiah failed, and so the fire of judgment would consume their homes and the royal dynasty would be overthrown. This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's seed has failed for ever, then there is no Gospel for us today! For the Gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either. The One who rules and reigns to bring that day must be of David's line!

Where, then, is this deeply desired King, this One upon Whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? The answer to these questions is in 2 Timothy 2:8: "Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David."

In chapter 21:1-7 he answers the two representatives of King Zedekiah. They were sent to him hoping that God would rescue Judah from the king of Babylon through the prophet's intervention. But the importance of the messengers does not impress Jeremiah. He can only confirm the judgment already announced.

The kingship was always the last channel of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, however wrong the people and the prophets were, God would still send blessing to Israel. Everything depended upon the king, the descendant of David. God might have disciplined the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But not only did they go astray; the king himself led the way in evil. Then it was impossible to hold on to them. It fell to Jeremiah, with sorrow, to announce this decision from God.

The Lord's answer was final in the extreme. How else could He answer a king who honoured Him with his lips as a pretence while his heart was far from Him? All was hopeless for the king of Judah. He showed less regard for the oath he had taken than the foreign king who had made him swear it.

Zedekiah, whose name was Mattaniah, was a godless king. Nebuchadnezzar had made him king after carrying captives away from Jerusalem. Now he heard a message of judgment from Jeremiah. The Babylonian king's army stood in front of the city again, because Zedekiah had rebelled and broken his agreement with that king. How could Zedekiah even imagine that a righteous Lord had a message of peace for him? The Lord Himself will now fight against Jerusalem and its wicked king. The enemy will do the appointed work of judgment: "He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion."

Yet even then God has a word for the people (v. 8-10). He sets the way of life before them, as well as the way of death. "He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war."

He had already declared that the door was always open to repentance, and that blessing always followed a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). Then judgment is pronounced again, and a sentence from God upon the different kings.

The prophecy plainly foretold that Zedekiah would be handed over to Nebuchadnezzar, with the city and the people (Jer. 21:3-7), and it came true. There was nothing unclear about it, though it was a very solemn truth.

The Lord's answer was final and absolute. How could it be anything else to a king who made a hypocritical show of honouring the Lord with his lips while his heart was far from Him? Everything was hopeless for the king of Judah. He valued the oath he had sworn less than the foreign ruler who had made him swear it.

The Babylonian king's army stood in front of the city again. Zedekiah had revolted and broken his agreement with the king. How could Zedekiah even imagine that a righteous Lord had a message of peace for him? The Lord Himself will now fight against Jerusalem and its wicked king.

Royalty was always the last stem of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still send blessing to Israel, however wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended on the king, the seed of David. God might have disciplined the prophets and priests and people. But He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. Now not only had they gone astray; the king himself led the wickedness. So it was completely impossible to hold on to them.

In a day of ruin, faith always recognises the chastening of God and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and treats opposing it as patriotism, or perhaps as religion. That is why the men of Judah saw Jeremiah as a false Jew through and through. He always advised them to submit to the king of Babylon. They counted themselves far better Jews, because they were willing to fight Babylon's king.

More than once the prophet did not shrink back from speaking directly to King Zedekiah. His message was not like the one he gave in the time of the earlier kings. Back then repentance would have held back the judgment. More than one group had already gone into exile. God now commanded the people to submit to His discipline. They were not to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, but to accept the yoke, to surrender, and to serve the king of Babylon. Zedekiah and the rest of the people did not humble themselves. They kept on resisting the Lord's command.

Jehoiachin went to Babylon, and there yielded to the judgment of God, and in the end he was exalted. Zedekiah stayed at home. He could have accepted the punishment of his sin by submitting to the king of Babylon, the Lord's rod. Instead he rebelled against him, and at last perished.

The wicked Zedekiah may have remembered God's dealing with King Hezekiah. Back then the Lord wiped out the army of Sennacherib the Assyrian. So Zedekiah said: "Perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us."

The answer of the Lord left no room for appeal. How else could He answer a king who was a hypocrite, honouring the LORD with his lips while his heart was far from Him? All was hopeless for the king of Judah, who valued the oath he had taken less than the Gentile who had imposed it on him.

How could Zedekiah even imagine that a righteous Lord had a message of peace for him? The Lord Himself will now fight against Jerusalem and its wicked king. The enemy will do the appointed work of judgment: "he shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion."

The king sends to Jeremiah to enquire of the Lord for them, but the answer gives them no hope, and only shows that the Lord Himself will fight against them.

This was in line with His message through Moses: "I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians... and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment." God is holy, so He had to be against His people, because they were sinners in Egypt. Now He could be for them, in keeping with all that He was, because of the blood of the lamb.

On God's part nothing had been lacking in His dealings with Israel. So what had been their response to all this goodness? Verse 10 gives the sad answer: "But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit." So His holy government had to come into action. He became their adversary.

Yet even then God has a word for the people, and sets before them the way of life, no less than that of death. "He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war."

The judgment of Zedekiah had been pronounced, and after declaring that the door was always open to repentance, and that blessing always attended a godly walk, judgment is again pronounced.

The wicked Zedekiah may have remembered God's dealing with Hezekiah when the Lord destroyed the army of Sennacherib, the Assyrian.

The Lord's answer left no room for appeal. How could it be otherwise to a king who hypocritically honoured Jehovah with his lips while his heart was far from Him? All was hopeless for the king of Judah, who valued the oath he had taken less than the Gentile who had imposed it on him.

How could Zedekiah even imagine that a righteous Lord had a message of peace for him? The Lord Himself will now fight against Jerusalem and its wicked king. The enemy will do the appointed work of judgment.

Pestilence is often mentioned along with the sword and the famine as punishment from God upon His rebellious people. God Himself sends it directly. When David counted the people, the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, and 70,000 men died.

"I offer you three things," He said. "Choose one of them: either three years of famine, or three months of destruction at the hands of the enemy, or three days of the sword of Jehovah" — not of the enemy — "the pestilence in the land." David admits how hard and distressing the choice was, but he chooses the last. "Let me fall into the hand of Jehovah, for His mercies are very great. Let me not fall into the hand of man." David preferred the direct hand of Jehovah, and I think he was right.

Man, by his sin, has not only brought ruin on himself, but has spoiled his home and dragged down all the creatures that depend on him. Thorns and thistles are marks of man's sin, and much more the groans of the animal creation (Gen. 3:18). God made man, unlike angels, the centre of a system of things. The whole of this lower creation either suffers or rejoices with its head.

In Jeremiah 21 Jehovah's condemnation falls on the royal house of David in particular. The sin of Zedekiah was even more serious. The guilt of the people, the priests and the prophets already stands exposed. Now the responsible head of the nation comes under condemnation. There was no exception; the ruin of Judah is complete.

Suppose the Jews failed to represent the one true God. Suppose they falsified the testimony entrusted to them and were traitors to His name. What could Jehovah do then but destroy as enemies the people who, of all people, had the greatest responsibility to obey His law? So Jehovah must either accept His own dishonour if He kept Jerusalem standing despite its turning away from Him, or make them know that He is Jehovah by setting His face against them. A sorrowful choice! Since the first could not be, the second was the only course their sins deserved. It was the only road open until Messiah came. Bearing their judgment, He made it righteous for the mercies of God to begin again on the ground of sovereign grace.

The answer of the Lord was blunt in the extreme. How could it be otherwise to a king who hypocritically honoured Jehovah with his lips while his heart was far from Him? Everything was hopeless for the king of Judah, who valued the oath he had taken less than the Gentile who had imposed it on him.

How could Zedekiah even imagine that a righteous Lord had a message of peace for him? The Lord Himself will now fight against Jerusalem and its wicked king. The enemy will do the appointed work of judgment: "He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion." The king will be taken captive.

Royalty was always the last stem of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, though the people and the prophets were ever so wrong, God would still send blessing to Israel. Everything depended on the king, the seed of David. God might have chastised the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held to them for His servant David's sake. But not only did the people go astray — the king himself led the wickedness. Then it was impossible to hold to them, and Jeremiah's sorrowful task was to announce this decision from God.

Zedekiah's sin was still more serious. God had already exposed the guilt of the people, the priests and the prophets. Now He condemns the responsible head of the nation. There was no exception; the ruin of Judah is complete.

God put power into the hand of the Gentile. He gave his armies success, even against the nation of His choice, and even to the overthrow of Zion that He loved. Even so, He does not overlook the pride of heart, the lust of power, the self-will and violence of the rod He uses to correct His erring people. Those nations invaded His land again and again and destroyed life and property without restraint. They were His instruments to correct His stubborn and stiff-necked people. But doing the will of God was far from the thought of any one of them.

Zedekiah's case is perhaps even more astonishing, because puzzling details came true so exactly. God plainly foretold that He would give Zedekiah, with the city and the people, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 21:3-7) — and that is what happened. There was nothing obscure in that, though it was a most serious truth.

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's seed has failed for ever then there is no gospel for us today! For the gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, because the One who rules and reigns to bring it must come from David's line!

Zedekiah was a godless king. Nebuchadnezzar had made him king after carrying captives away from Jerusalem, and now he heard a message of judgment from Jeremiah. The Babylonian army stood before the city again, because Zedekiah had revolted and broken his agreement with the king. How could Zedekiah even imagine that a righteous Lord had a message of peace for him? The Lord Himself will now fight against Jerusalem and its wicked king.

Yet even then God has a word for the people (vv. 8–10), and sets before them the way of life, no less than that of death. "He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war." (v. 9.)

To the people God says, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death." To live, they must desert to the Chaldean army, which God was bringing. To die, they need only stay in the sinful city (vv. 8–10).

He was told only that God would give him his life as a "prey" or "spoil" wherever he might be carried. God would preserve his life and that was the only profit he was to expect.

These men found the prophet's advice, which urged submission to the Chaldeans, deeply distasteful. The same spirit that rebelled against the Lord was bound to refuse His discipline and their own humbling. But this is the only path of godly feeling and repentance.

His message was no longer the message he gave under the earlier kings, when repentance would still have held back the judgment. More than one had already gone into exile, and God now commanded the people to submit to His discipline. They were not to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, but to accept the yoke, to surrender, and to serve the king of Babylon.

Jehoiachin went to Babylon. There he bowed to the judgment of God, and in the end he was lifted up (2 Kings 24, 25). Zedekiah stayed at home. He would not take the punishment of his sin by submitting to the king of Babylon, the Lord's rod. He rebelled against him, and in the end he died.

How could Zedekiah even imagine that a righteous Lord had a message of peace for him? The Lord Himself will now fight against Jerusalem and its wicked king. The enemy will do the appointed judgment work.

God says to the people, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death." To live, they must go over to the Chaldean army, which God was bringing. To die, they need only stay in the sinful city.

In a day of ruin, faith always recognises God's chastening and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and calls it patriotism, or perhaps religion, to oppose. That is why the men of Judah thought Jeremiah was a very false Jew. He always advised them to submit to the king of Babylon. They thought themselves much better Jews, because they were willing to fight against him.

Those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could evade it, either by staying in Jerusalem to fight or by fleeing to Egypt. Keep in mind that since the first deportation in 606 BC, God had handed government in the world over to Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 28:14; Dan. 2:37–38; 5:18–19). The only right course of action was to acknowledge this fact and to confess the sins that had led to it.

The same word and the same Spirit spoke through both prophets. Through Isaiah, God told the people of Jerusalem to be still, and said He would keep them safe from the Assyrian. Through Jeremiah, He said that whoever went out to the Chaldeans would be kept alive. What was faith and obedience in the one case was nothing less than presumption and disobedience in the other.

Ebed-melech loved the prophet of God. Facing an insulting court and a timid king, he pleaded for Jeremiah and served him. But he was not a witness as the prophet was: he was afraid of the Chaldeans. Yet in His rich grace God did not despise his weakness. The measure he gave was measured back to him, and in the day of the Lord's judgment Ebed-melech got his life as a prize, while Jeremiah was held in honour. He was saved then, but that was all. The prophet was rewarded.

This is one of the effects of the evil heart that turns away from the living God. It always seems to forget the word just when the word is needed most. It feels the force of that word only later, once it has turned to some new plan of its own, as disappointing as all the plans before it. How bitter to remember too late that everything the heart clung to must be handed over to vengeance and the enemy. How bitter to see that the ruin about to follow is the fruit of one's own folly.

In Israel's history, the kingship was always the last support of blessing. If only the king had been right, God would still send blessing to Israel, no matter how wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended on the king, the descendant of David. God might have disciplined the prophets and priests and people, but He would have stayed with them for the sake of His servant David. But the people went astray, and the king himself led the wickedness. Then God could no longer stay with them, and Jeremiah had the sad task of announcing His decision.

How strong this assurance is! Jehovah would not only give the people of Jerusalem up like the vine for fuel — He would also "set His face against them." And what does that mean to those who know His name and His necessary hatred of evil! As if His settled opposition were not plain enough, He adds that they will go out from the fire, and the fire will devour them. That is just what happened to the guilty city of the Great King. If they escaped the fire here, it was only to meet the fire there. There was no escape, for no real repentance followed, and God was not mocked.

Then the Lord told him to speak to Zedekiah king of Judah on His own behalf. He assured him that He would "give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire." To fight on was to resist the Lord. It was not only Nebuchadnezzar who was taking Jerusalem. Jehovah was giving up the city and their king from the house of David — a most solemn sign of His displeasure.

The king sends to Jeremiah to ask the Lord about them. The answer gives them no hope. It only shows that the Lord Himself will fight against them (vv. 1-7). The Lord says to the people, "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death." To live, they must desert to the Chaldean (Babylonian) army, which God was bringing. To die, they need only stay in the sinful city (vv. 8-10).

Jehovah meant their exile to be for their eventual good. This is a very important point. In a day of ruin, faith always recognises God's discipline and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and calls its opposition patriotism or even religion. That is why the men of Judah saw Jeremiah as a false Jew. He always advised them to submit to the king of Babylon. They thought themselves much better Jews, because they were willing to fight the king of Babylon.

As soon as the people had gone into captivity, God hands the "sword" of government over to the Gentile king, and the "times of the Gentiles" begin… The people had proved themselves worse than the nations around them, and completely untrue witnesses to the "Lord of all the earth." So God removes His presence from among them.

God had already pronounced judgment on Zedekiah (Jer. 21). He had declared that the door was always open to repentance, and that blessing always followed a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). Then judgment is pronounced again… Finally, in Jeremiah 23, Jehovah's anger against these evil shepherds leads Him to declare that He will raise up a Shepherd after His own heart — the true Son of David, the Messiah.

In Jeremiah 21 the LORD aims His condemnation at the royal house of David. The sin of Zedekiah was still more serious. The guilt of the people, the priests, and the prophets has already been exposed. Now He condemns the responsible head of the nation. There was no exception; the ruin of Judah is complete.

Royalty was always the last stem of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still have sent blessing to Israel, however wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended upon the king, the descendant of David. God might have punished the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But not only did the people go astray; the king himself led the wickedness. Then it was impossible to hold on to them, and Jeremiah had the sorrowful task of announcing this decision from God.

Such a king must judge with justice in the morning, and rescue the person who is robbed from the hand of the oppressor (Jer. 21:12). Zedekiah failed in this, so the fire of judgment would burn up their homes and overthrow the royal dynasty.

The repeated expressions "House of David" and "Throne of David" (Jer. 21:12; 22:2, 4, 30), and "unto David" (Jer. 23:5) show us plainly what is in the mind of the Spirit. Suppose one of that family were found doing righteous judgment and mercy. Then kings of this house would sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people (Jer. 22:4). But if not, the LORD has sworn by Himself that this house will become a desolation (v. 5). … Josiah is spoken of too, but only to contrast him with the wickedness of his sons. Most striking is Jeremiah 22:16, which tells us: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? declares the LORD."

God had already pronounced judgment on Zedekiah (Jer. 21). He had also declared that the door was always open to repentance, and that blessing always followed a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). Then judgment is pronounced again, and a sentence from God on the different kings.

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the highest importance. If David's line has failed for ever, then there is no Gospel for us today, because the Gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, because the One who rules and reigns to bring it must come from David's line! But these four chapters show that that day will come.

In Jeremiah 23 God's anger against these evil shepherds leads Him to declare that He will raise up a Shepherd after His own heart — the true Son of David, the Messiah.

Royalty was always the last stem of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still have sent blessing to Israel — however wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended on the king, the seed of David. God might have punished the prophets and the priests and the people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But the people went astray and the king himself led the way in wickedness. Then it was impossible to hold on to them.

Then God speaks to the house of the king as "the house of David" (v. 12), because the great question must now be raised: how will God's promise about David's Seed be fulfilled? How can it be kept if consuming judgment falls on this whole family? Who will then be found to sit on David's throne in his place, as God had promised? Where will the king of David's royal line come from — the one who is to order and establish the kingdom and fill the earth with the glory of the Lord?

If even one of that family could be found doing righteous judgment and mercy, then God would give "kings of this house sitting for David on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses — he, his servants and his people" (Jer. 22:4). But if not, "I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become a ruin" (v. 5)… Verse 16 is the most striking of all. It tells us, "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him. Was not this to know Me? says the Lord."

God had already pronounced His judgment on Zedekiah (Jer. 21). Then, as we have seen, He declared that the door was always open to repentance, and that blessing always went with a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). After that, judgment is pronounced again, and God passes sentence on the different kings.

Such a king must "execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed" (Jer. 21:12). Zedekiah failed in this, so the fire of judgment would burn up their homes and overthrow the royal line… If David's seed has failed for ever, then there is no gospel for us today! For the gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, because the One who rules and reigns to bring it about must come from David's line!

How could Zedekiah even imagine that a righteous Lord had a message of peace for him? The Lord Himself will now fight against Jerusalem and its wicked king. The enemy will carry out the appointed work of judgment. The king will be taken captive.

The royal line was always the last channel of blessing in Israel's history. If only the king had been right, God would still send blessing to Israel. It would not matter how wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended on the king, the seed of David. God might have punished the prophets, the priests and the people. But He would have held to them for the sake of His servant David. Not only did the people go astray; the king himself led the wickedness. So it was completely impossible to hold to them. Jeremiah's sad task was to announce this decision from God.

"The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rock." By nature their position could not be taken. But it gave them no protection when God called in the forces to pull them down from their proud heights.

Zedekiah failed in this. So the fire of judgment would consume their dwellings, and the royal line would be overthrown. This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's seed has failed for ever, then there is no Gospel for us today! The Gospel makes known the sure mercies promised to David. And there is no coming age of worldwide blessing for this earth either. The One who rules and reigns to bring that about must come from David's line.

The door was always open to repentance, and blessing always followed a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). Then God pronounces judgment again and passes sentence on the different kings. In Jeremiah 23 His indignation against these evil shepherds leads to the declaration that He will raise up a Shepherd after His own heart — the true Son of David, the Messiah.

The king was always the last remaining ground of blessing in Israel's history. If only the king had been right, then however wrong the people and the prophets were, God would still send blessing to Israel. Everything depended on the king, the seed of David. God might have punished the prophets, the priests and the people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But the people went astray, and the king himself led the way in the wickedness. Then it was completely impossible to hold on to them, and it fell to Jeremiah, sadly, to announce this decision from God.

Such a king must "execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed." Zedekiah failed to do this. So the fire of judgment would burn up their homes and overthrow the royal family.

Sin deserves His condemnation, and He must punish it, both in the single person and in the whole nation. When He deals with a person, "whatever one sows, that will he also reap." When He deals with a nation, the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever He will. God may use men in these governmental judgments, or nature herself may serve His purpose. The Assyrian was "the rod of His anger" (Isaiah 10:5); the king of Babylon His servant (Jeremiah 25:9).

If even one of that family could be found doing righteous judgment and mercy, then God would give this house "kings who sit on the throne of David." But if not, "I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation." And though in the Lord's eyes this royal house was like Gilead and the summit of Lebanon, He would still lay it waste.

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is hugely important. If David's seed has failed for ever, then there is no gospel for us today! For the gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, because the One who rules and reigns to bring it must come from David's line! These four chapters, however, show that that day will come.

God had already declared that the door was always open to repentance, and that blessing always went with a godly walk. Now judgment is pronounced again, and God passes sentence on the different kings. Then the Lord's anger against these evil shepherds leads to the declaration that He will raise up a Shepherd after His own heart — the true Son of David, the Messiah. God expresses His just anger and judgment in the strongest terms.

The king was always the last support of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still have sent blessing to Israel, however wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended on the king, the seed of David. God might have disciplined the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But now not only had they gone astray; the king himself led the way in the wickedness. So it was impossible to hold on to them, and it was Jeremiah's sorrowful task to announce this decision from God.

On another occasion he speaks to King Jehoiakim himself (22:1, 18). He does not hold back. He points out the king's pride and hardness, his selfishness, his empty boasting, and his lack of concern for the good of his people (vv. 13-17).

What a sight Jeremiah was as he stood before the royal palace, obeying God's command, to deliver the message God had given him! The door of mercy is still open. Let them do justice. Let them stop oppressing the foreigner, the widows and orphans. Let them shed innocent blood no longer. Then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will become a ruin. The nations, astonished at the destruction and overthrow of the city, will hear the answer: it is "because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and worshiped other gods and served them."

The kings are named out of their chronological order. The purpose is to bring the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster. The moral aim is to show that there was almost no difference between them. Some might be a little more marked in their violence and open evil, but they were all faithless and godless. So the LORD spoke the solemn sentence: "Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah." What is implied is not that David's line would fail, but that this man's line would.

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's seed has failed for ever, then there is no Gospel for us today! The Gospel makes known the sure mercies of David. And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, for the One who rules and reigns to bring it in must be of David's line! These chapters, however, show that that day will come.

Where, then, is this longed-for King, this One upon Whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? Scripture answers these questions in 2 Timothy 2:8: "Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David."

What a figure Jeremiah was! He stood before the royal palace, obedient to God's command, to deliver the message God gave him. The door of mercy still is open. Let them do justice. Let them stop oppressing the foreigner, the widows and orphans. Let them stop shedding innocent blood. Then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will become a ruin.

Royalty was always the last stem of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, though the people and the prophets were ever so wrong, God would still send blessing to Israel. Everything depended upon the king, the seed of David. God might have chastised the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held to them for His servant David's sake. But they went astray, and the king himself was the leader of the wickedness. Then it was utterly impossible to hold to them, and Jeremiah had the sorrowful task of announcing this decision from God.

The recurring expressions "house of David" and "throne of David" (Jer. 21:12; 22:2, 4, 30), and "to David" (Jer. 23:5) show us emphatically what is in the mind of the Spirit.

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the most momentous importance. If David's seed has failed forever, then there is no gospel for us today, because the gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, because He who rules and reigns to that end must be of David's line!

God had already pronounced judgment on Zedekiah (Jer. 21). Then, as we have seen, He declared that the door was always open to repentance and that blessing always followed a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). After that comes judgment again, and a sentence from God on the different kings.

God holds firmly to the certainty of His purpose of grace. He holds just as firmly to the certainty of His judgments, if the king fails to meet the demands of His holiness. These two streams, grace and responsibility, keep running side by side and never blend into one.

God guarantees David's throne, not to Solomon or to any other unfaithful man, but to Christ. Jeremiah 33:15-17 makes this clear: "In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land… For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel." Enemies tried to destroy the royal line and to put another man's son in David's place, but the purpose of God still stands.

What a figure Jeremiah was! He stood before the royal palace, obedient to God's command, to deliver the message God gave him. The door of mercy is still open. Let them do justice. Let them stop oppressing the stranger, the widows and orphans. Let them shed innocent blood no longer. Then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will be left desolate.

The king was always the last support of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still send blessing to Israel, however wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended on the king, David's descendant. God might have punished the prophets and priests and people, but He would still have held to them for His servant David's sake. But now they had gone astray, and the king himself led the wickedness. So it was impossible to hold to them. It was Jeremiah's sorrowful task to announce this decision from God.

The stranger comes first, and the memory of what they had been in the land of Egypt was to govern how they treated such people. Next, the helpless are commended to their care. Of all the helpless people who appeal to our compassion, the widow and the fatherless have the first claim. So God surrounds them here with the powerful defence of His own arm... All through Scripture these two groups are marked out as the special object of God's care, and so they should be the objects of our compassionate concern. James says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" (James 1:27).

In his early days Josiah was a beautiful picture of the Messiah in this. Jeremiah refers to it with feeling: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him" (Jer. 22:16). The prophet adds a word of deep practical value for those who see how important it is to truly know God: "Was not this to know Me? says the Lord."

If one of that family had been found doing righteous judgment and mercy, then kings of this house would have sat for David on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses — he, his servants and his people (Jer. 22:4). But if not, God swore by Himself that this house would be left waste (v. 5).

God had already pronounced judgment on Zedekiah (Jer. 21). He had shown that the door was always open to repentance, and that blessing always followed a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). Then judgment is pronounced again, a sentence from God on the different kings. At the end (Jer. 23), the LORD's anger against these evil shepherds leads to the promise that He will raise up a Shepherd after His own heart: the true Son of David, the Messiah.

Royalty was always the last remaining channel of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still send blessing to Israel, no matter how wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended upon the king, the seed of David. God might have punished the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But the people went astray, and the king himself led the wickedness. Then it became completely impossible to hold on to them.

What a figure Jeremiah was as he stood before the royal palace, obeying God's command, to deliver the message God gave him! The door of mercy still is open. Let them do justice. Let them stop oppressing the foreigner, the widows and the orphans. Let them shed no more innocent blood. Then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will become a ruin.

If even one of that family could be found doing righteous judgment and mercy, then God would give "kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people" (Jer. 22:4). But if not, "I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become waste" (v. 5). Later, those who saw the ruins would know why: they had abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and served other gods.

Grace had brought them this far… But grace had set them in the land, just as God in His goodness had once set Adam in the Garden. Now they had to hold it on the terms of their own covenant, on condition of obedience. The same was true later with the throne of David. In grace God chose David and lifted him high… He set his throne in peaceful glory in his son Solomon. But then David's family had to keep David's throne on terms of obedience. And we know they lost the throne, just as the tribes of Israel lost the land, and Adam lost the Garden.

The kings are not named in the order they reigned. The separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah are gathered into one cluster, to show that there was no real difference between them. Some were more marked in their violence and open sin, but they were all faithless and godless… What this implies is not that David's line would fail, but that this man's line would.

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's seed has failed forever, then there is no Gospel for us today! For the Gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, because the One who rules and reigns to bring it must be of David's line!

Where, then, is this long-awaited King, this One on Whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? The answer to these questions comes in 2 Timothy 2:8, "Jesus Christ of the seed of David raised from among the dead."

In Israel's history, the throne was always the last support that blessing rested on. If only the king had been right, then however wrong the people and the prophets were, God would still have sent blessing to Israel. Everything depended upon the king, the seed of David. God might have disciplined the prophets and priests and people, but He would have kept His hold on them for the sake of His servant David. But when not only they went astray, but the king himself led the way in the wickedness, it was impossible to keep hold of them. Jeremiah had the sorrowful task of announcing this decision from God.

If even one of that family could be found doing righteous judgment and mercy, then God would give "kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people" (Jer. 22:4); but if not, "I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation" (v. 5). Those who later saw the ruin would know it came because they had forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and served other gods.

Most striking is verse 16, which tells us, "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? declares the LORD." For anyone who values the true knowledge of God, this is a notable verse. Every believer should weigh it well.

God had already pronounced judgment on Zedekiah (Jer. 21). Then, as we have seen, He declared that the door was always open to repentance, and that blessing always went with a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). After that He pronounces judgment again, and passes sentence on the different kings.

God cannot swear by one higher than Himself, so He swears by Himself… No word can add to God's trustworthiness. His word is His bond. It is immutable, unchangeable, divine.

References are found… in Luke 13:35 and Matthew 23:38 to Jeremiah 22:5.

Solomon himself never fulfilled the conditions God set down, and neither did his family or his subjects. So in the end God withdrew from the temple… God did bear long with Israel's disobedience, but in the end, as the Lord Jesus said, "See, your house is left to you desolate" (Matt. 23:38). The rejection and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, the Son over God's house, settled this for good. What could the temple be without its Lord?

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" carries the greatest weight. If David's seed has failed for ever, then there is no gospel for us today! For the gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! Nor is there any coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth, for the One who rules and reigns to that end must be of David's line! These four chapters, however, show that that day will come.

Royalty was always the last stem of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still have sent blessing to Israel, however wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended upon the king, the seed of David. God might have punished the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But the people went astray and the king himself led the wickedness. Then it was completely impossible to hold on to them, and Jeremiah had the sad task of announcing this decision from God.

It is a mountainous district... Pasture is plentiful in Gilead, and that is why Gad and the others chose it for their cattle... The Ishmaelites who bought Joseph were travelling with balm and myrrh from Gilead (Gen. 37:25). The balm of Gilead was famous for its healing power (Jer. 8:22; Jer. 46:11).

The cedar on Lebanon stands for royalty in Israel, held by the house of David — a royalty that was now, because of its sins, in servitude to the head of the Gentile powers.

In Scripture the cedar always stands for power or high position, if not pride... When judgment falls on the great of the earth, Isaiah calls it the day of the LORD upon the cedars of Lebanon (2:13). These examples mark the cedar as the symbol of dignity and power.

The door of mercy is still open. Let them do justice. Let them stop oppressing the foreigner, the widows and the orphans. Let them shed innocent blood no longer. Then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will become a desolation. The nations will be astonished at the destruction and overthrow of the city. They will hear the answer: it is "because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and worshiped other gods and served them."

If even one of that family could be found doing righteous judgment and mercy, then God would give "kings who sit on the throne of David" (v. 4). But if not: "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation" (v. 5). Those who later saw the ruin would know the reason: they had forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and served other gods (vv. 6-9)... And though this royal house was like Gilead and the summit of Lebanon to the Lord, it would still be laid waste.

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the most momentous importance. If David's seed has failed for ever then there is no Gospel for us today! for the Gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, because the One who rules and reigns to bring it in must be of David's line!

Where, then, is this long-desired King, this One upon Whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? 2 Timothy 2:8 gives the answer: "Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David."

What a figure Jeremiah was as he stood in front of the royal palace, obedient to God's command, to deliver the message God had given him! The door of mercy is still open. Let them do justice, let them stop oppressing the foreigner, the widows and orphans, let them shed no more innocent blood — then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will become a ruin.

Those who later saw the ruin were to know it was because they had abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and served other gods (vv. 6-9). The kings Shallum (Jehoahaz), Jehoiakim (v. 18) and Coniah (Jehoiachin, v. 24) all alike come under the judgment of God. And though this royal house was as Gilead and the summit of Lebanon to the Lord, it would still be laid waste.

In Scripture the cedar always stands for power or high position, if not pride. When the king of Israel wanted to pour contempt on the king of Judah, he compared himself to a cedar and Judah's king to a thistle (2 Kings 14:9). When judgment comes on the great of the earth, Isaiah says it is the day of the LORD against the cedars of Lebanon (2:13). These mark the cedar as the symbol of dignity and power.

God put power into the hand of the Gentile nations. He gave their armies success, even against the nation of His choice, and even to the overthrow of Zion, which He loved. Yet He does not overlook the pride of heart, the lust for power, the self-will and the violence of the rod that He uses to correct His erring people. The nations that invaded His land again and again, destroying life and property without restraint, were His instruments for correcting His stubborn and stiff-necked people. But doing the will of God was far from the thought of any one of them.

When He has done with His rod, He can break it or burn it. "Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who uses it?"

"Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages… Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar?"… Who of the kings had lived with less conscience? Who had died with more shame?

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's line has failed forever, then there is no gospel for us today! The gospel makes known the sure mercies promised to David! And there is no coming age of worldwide blessing for this earth either, because the One who rules and reigns to bring it in must come from David's line!

Jeremiah's quotations and references from the Book of the Covenant are too many to mention. ... Notice "Covenant of the Lord," Jeremiah 22:8-9 and Deuteronomy 29:24-26.

First comes an earnest appeal to enter into the covenant, including the little ones, the stranger, the woodcutter and the water-carrier. Then the curse appears once more, as the result of turning away from the Lord. Such evil is to come on them and on the land that travellers from a far land will ask about it. They will see the plagues of that land, and the sickness which the LORD has laid on it. And "all nations shall say, Why has the LORD done this to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?" Strangers from far lands, tourists and pilgrims, have visited Palestine, just as this prediction said. Seeing the sad condition of that land, they have often asked these questions and known their answer.

To forsake the worship of the true God is to fall into idolatry, whatever form this may take. In religion there is no middle ground. No doubt Jeroboam thought he had found such a middle ground: he did not adopt the false gods of the surrounding nations; he only wanted to set up a common religion for Israel.

The kings named are out of their chronological order. The purpose is to gather the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster. The moral point is that there was really no difference between them. Some were a little more open in their violence and gross wickedness, but they were all faithless and godless.

Nothing could be more fair than this principle. God could not appear to excuse the failings of the people of His favour. Men of the world often do this, but God's ways are always righteous. If He were to be lenient toward His own people, how could He judge the world?

The meaning is not that the line of David would fail, but that this one king's line would.

The shepherds, who should have cared for the sheep of His pasture, were to be punished too, because they had destroyed and scattered the flock (Jer. 23:1-3). Yet God will gather them again in His grace and supply them with abundance of blessing. But this long-awaited day needs a King of David's royal line to bring it in. We know that from many other Scriptures. Where, then, is this deeply desired King, this One on whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? 2 Timothy 2:8 gives the answer: "Jesus Christ of the seed of David raised from among the dead."

The land never heard a louder wail than when all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. Scripture tells us plainly that Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, and that "all the singing men and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day. They made these a rule in Israel." But here, long after, the same Jeremiah speaks of Josiah's son. A people who lost so godly a king, cut off before his time, had every right to mourn him. But the lot of his son was far sadder: Pharaoh Necho deposed him and carried him away into Egypt.

The time had come when God would take the righteous and the merciful away from among them. It might look as though these people were under His judgment. In fact it was better for them to die than to live and share the judgment that would fall. A striking example came later. God took God-fearing Josiah away so that his eyes would not see the disasters coming. Of him it could then be said: "he enters into peace."

The verse suggests that something worse than mere deportation was in store for Josiah's worthless successor. Another king, a few years later, went into easy captivity, but no such portion awaited Shallum. Perhaps Necho did to him what he would have liked to do to the man who blocked his march to Carchemish. Shallum's short reign was cruel, according to Ezekiel 19:1-4.

Pharaoh Necho takes revenge on him for what Josiah had done. Josiah had foolishly supported the Assyrian, trying to block the march of the Egyptian army. Bound with chains, Jehoahaz is led to Egypt and dies there. Pharaoh takes no account of this kingship set up by the people.

Jeremiah spoke of Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin under changed names. Why was this? Jehoahaz meant "The Lord shall hold." But he calls him Shallum, meaning "Recompensed": judgment was to fall upon him.

Jehoahaz was not the eldest son of the late king… The people made him king: it was the choice of the crowd, not the appointment of God… He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.

It is too late to mourn his predecessors. Good King Josiah was dead (v.10). Jehoahaz had been captured and would never see his native land again (vv.10-12). As for Jehoiakim himself, he will die violently, and no one will mourn him… The king hears this frightening prophecy and still refuses to listen.

Son and successor of Josiah king of Judah: he reigned only three months, B.C. 610. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and was deposed by Pharaoh-Necho, who sent him in chains to Egypt, where he died. 2 Kings 23:30-34; 2 Chronicles 36:1-4. He is called SHALLUM in 1 Chronicles 3:15; Jeremiah 22:11. In the parable of the lion's cubs in Ezekiel 19:1-9, this king is the one carried in chains to Egypt.

Jeremiah spoke of Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin under changed names. Why was this? Jehoahaz meant "The Lord shall hold"; but he calls him Shallum (Jer. 22:11), meaning "Recompensed"; judgment was to fall upon him.

The normal line of succession to Judah's throne ended with Josiah, the king the nation mourned. Jehoahaz was not the eldest son of the late king. Johanan and Jehoiakim were both older than he (1 Chron. 3:15). The people made him king. It was the crowd's choice, not God's appointment… In Jeremiah 22:11 he has a telling name, Shallum, which means "the one who is paid back". The royal family list of Judah records him under that name (1 Chron. 3:15). His name is left out of the list of our Lord's ancestors in Matthew 1.

The land had never heard a louder cry of grief than when all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah… But here, long after, the same Jeremiah says of Josiah's son, "Weep not for the dead, neither mourn for him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more, nor see his native country."… The people had good reason to mourn Josiah, a godly king cut off early. But his son's lot was far worse. Pharaoh-Necho removed him from the throne and carried him away into Egypt.

This suggests that something worse than being sent away was in store for Josiah's worthless successor. A later king of Judah went into an easy captivity a few years afterwards, but Shallum had no such share. Perhaps Necho did to him what he would have liked to do to the man who blocked his march to Carchemish. Shallum's short reign was cruel according to Ezekiel 19:1-4.

The people of the land placed his son Jehoahaz on the throne. But the king of Egypt would not let him rule. He carried him off to Egypt, where he died a prisoner. Long ago the Lord had rescued His people Israel out of that same land and power, with a mighty arm and wonderful signs.

For a time Josiah's godly influence shaped the priests, the Levites and the people. But his own sons do not seem to have been moved by their father's life and deeds… The evil ways of the sons of Aaron, of Eli, of Samuel and of Josiah give a solemn warning to every godly father. He must give special attention to his own house, in case the evils he hates and condemns in others show up in his own family.

Ezekiel 19:1-4 compares him to "a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men." That is the only hint we get about the character of his sin... Jeremiah 22:11 pointedly calls him Shallum, which means "to whom it is requited," and the royal genealogy of Judah records him under that name (1 Chronicles 3:15). Matthew 1 leaves his name out of the list of our Lord's ancestors.

Jehoahaz meant "The Lord shall hold"; but Jeremiah calls him Shallum (Jeremiah 22:11), meaning "Recompensed"; judgment was to fall on him.

The land never heard a louder wail than when all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah... The people mourned Josiah justly, for they had lost so godly a king, cut off early. But the lot of his son was far more to be pitied: Pharaoh-Necho removed him from the throne and carried him away into Egypt.

He never returned from Egypt. Jehoahaz — the name means "Jehovah-seized" — had seized a throne that was not his by right. In turn Necho, God's instrument, seized him and carried him to a land of exile, to find a grave far from the tombs of his fathers.

The call to weep for him suggests that something worse than mere deportation was in store for Josiah's worthless successor. Jehoiachin, a few years later, went into an easy captivity, but no such portion awaited Shallum. Possibly Necho inflicted on him what he would have liked to inflict on the man who opposed his march to Carchemish.

For a time Josiah's godly influence shaped the priests, the Levites and the people. But his own sons do not seem to have taken in the life and deeds of their father... The evil ways of the sons of Aaron, the sons of Eli, the sons of Samuel, and the sons of Josiah give a solemn warning to every godly father. He must give special attention to his own house, in case the evils he hates and condemns in others spring up in his own family.

The word about Jehoahaz, or rather "Shallum" (Jeremiah 22:11-12), came to pass with solemn precision, and so did the word about Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 22:17-19). His son, whom his father called Jehoiachin and the prophet called Coniah, became another witness to the truth of God's holy word.

The kings named here are out of date order. The purpose is to gather the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster, to show, as a moral lesson, that there was almost no difference between them. Some might be more open in their violence and gross wickedness, but they were all faithless and godless.

Where, then, is this deeply desired King, this One on whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? The answer to these questions is given in 2 Timothy 2:8, "Jesus Christ of the seed of David raised from among the dead."

The Spirit of God has gathered the testimonies given about all the members of David's family. They presided, so to speak, over the ruin of Jerusalem — Jehoahaz (Jer. 22:10), Jehoiakim (vv. 13-19), Jeconiah (vv. 20-30).

The king of Egypt set up another son of Josiah and changed his name from Eliakim to Jehoiakim. But Nebuchadnezzar bound the guilty king in chains and carried him to Babylon… Who of the kings had lived with less conscience? Who had died with more shame? No lamentation for him, but a donkey's burial — that is, shameful exposure — beyond the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.

Pharaoh Neco laid a heavy war payment on Judah, and Jehoiakim had to raise it from the people. As if this was not enough for the suffering people to bear, Jehoiakim forced them to build palaces for himself without wages. Evil as the people were, the Lord resented this tyrannical cruelty. "Woe to him," He said in His indignation. The Lord loves to see a shepherd leading the flock, but Jehoiakim was a wolf, ravaging the sheep… The moral greatness of Israel and of David's royal house had gone. Yet Jehoiakim would still put on material splendour. Let God's people today beware. Do not try to keep up outward appearances when spiritual power has gone. God wants reality at all times.

He forbids dishonesty and untruthfulness, above all when His name is profaned. He also condemns oppressing your neighbour — even holding back for one night the pay owed to a poor labourer. The employment of labour is often carried on in a hard spirit, grinding the faces of the poor. Some masters give freely to so-called Christian or charitable causes what is wrung out of tears and curses. That is no compensation. In God's eyes it makes the wrong worse.

Their very wealth tempts the rich to withhold wages from the poor. Only their own affairs matter to them. They put off to a convenient time the claims of those who live from hand to mouth. But the debt cries aloud to Him who always feels for the poor… The cries of the reapers may not have reached the rich. They did reach the ears of the Lord of hosts, and His blow would fall when least expected.

It is foretold of Him in that day: "He shall judge the poor of the people… He shall deliver the needy" (Ps. 72:4, 12). Josiah in his early days was a beautiful picture of Him in this. Jeremiah touchingly refers to it: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him" (Jer. 22:16). The prophet adds a word of great practical importance for those who understand how much the true knowledge of God matters: "Was not this to KNOW ME? says the Lord."

He was a cruel despot, who built his palaces by forced labour; covetousness, shedding of innocent blood, oppression and violence marked his reign. Then his shameful burial, the burial of a donkey, is predicted. It means that a donkey has no burial, and so Jehoiakim would have no burial. He is the only king of Judah whose burial is not recorded… This specially shameful end was most likely announced because he had cut the Word of God to pieces and thrown it into the fire.

Here the enemy is accused of making unrighteous gain, so as to build himself a safe house with nothing to fear… It was in vain. The disaster, the "woe," would fall on him anyway… In contrast, the believer who wants to serve God never thinks of enlarging his own house. His joy and his honour consist in this, that he, like David, gathers the building materials for the house of his God.

Everything depended on the king. God might have chastised the prophets and priests and people, but He would have stood by them for His servant David's sake. But when the people went astray and the king himself led the wickedness, it was utterly impossible to stand by them… The kings named are out of chronological order. The purpose is to bring the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah all into one cluster, to show that in practice there was no difference between them. Some might be a little more pronounced in their violence and gross wickedness, but they were all faithless and godless.

Only once applied to a house: "painted with vermilion," Jeremiah 22:14. Jezebel "painted her eyes," as 2 Kings 9:30 should read. Israel is compared to an immoral woman who painted her eyes, Ezekiel 23:40. They painted the eyelids and eyebrows with antimony or some other pigment, which made the eyes look larger.

It was a wretched government, marked by public wrong, violence, oppression and covetousness. The land grew poor while the king indulged in luxury. He built magnificent palaces, or decorated towns, by forced labour that he never paid for. It cost the lives of a miserable enslaved people.

Who of the kings had lived with less conscience? Who had died with more shame? No mourning for him, only a donkey's burial — that is, shameful exposure — outside the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.

Jeremiah refers with feeling to Josiah in his early days: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him" (Jeremiah 22:16). The prophet adds a word of great practical importance for everyone who values the true knowledge of God: "Was not this to know Me? says the Lord."

In history we see again and again that government leaders invade the land of other nations by force. They conquer it to enlarge their power. They build the greatness of their own house out of what they have taken from others. They build their nest high… In the end all such plans have no other result than the downfall and shame of these ambitious rulers… Ambition and pride founded this fine building on deceit. Every stone and beam of it became a living testimony against the oppressor. In contrast, the believer who wants to serve God never thinks of enlarging his own house.

How many have pulled down their souls to build up their houses.

As if this was not enough for the suffering people to bear, Jehoiakim compelled them to build palaces for himself without wages. Even though the people were evil, the Lord resented this tyrannical cruelty. "Woe to him," He said in His indignation. The Lord loves to see a shepherd leading the flock, but Jehoiakim was a wolf, ravaging the sheep. The contrast between this monster and his father is noted by God Himself in Jer. 22:13-17.

The moral grandeur of Israel and of David's royal house had departed; but Jehoiakim would still put on material splendour. Let God's people today beware of trying to keep up outward appearances when spiritual power has gone. God wants reality at all times.

They build up the greatness of their own house out of what they have extorted from others. They build their nest high… In the end all such plans lead only to the downfall and shame of these ambitious rulers. They found that they had sinned against their own soul. Ambition and pride founded this beautiful building on deceit. Every stone and every beam of it became a living testimony against the oppressor. In contrast, the believer who wants to serve God never thinks of enlarging his house. His joy and his honour consist in this, that he, like David, gathers the building materials for the house of his God.

Under Josiah, there was an outward restraint of evil. The king's godliness affected the nation, and God blessed it. But when his son Jehoiakim was on the throne, God found no moral ground among the people for His favour.

Shallum's father, Josiah, is spoken of also (vv. 11 and 16); but only to contrast him with the wickedness of his sons.

It is foretold of Him in that day: "He shall judge the poor of the people… He shall deliver the needy" (Ps. 72:4, 12). Josiah in his early days was a beautiful picture of Him in this respect. Jeremiah refers to it with feeling: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him." The prophet then adds a word of great practical importance for those who understand how much it matters to truly know God: "Was not this to KNOW ME? says the Lord."

His wicked life was a sad contrast to that of his righteous father. Jeremiah asked, "Did not your father eat and drink" (lived plainly), "and do justice and judgment, and then it was well with him?" He went on: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know Me? says the Lord" (Jer. 22:15-16). Necho changed his name, but could not change his nature.

That was not all the suffering people had to bear. Jehoiakim forced them to build palaces for himself without wages. Evil as the people were, the Lord resented this tyrannical cruelty. "Woe to him," He said in His indignation. The Lord loves to see a shepherd leading the flock, but Jehoiakim was a wolf, ravaging the sheep. … Israel and David's royal house had lost their moral greatness. Jehoiakim still wanted material splendour. God's people today should take care. Do not try to keep up outward appearances when spiritual power has gone. God wants reality at all times.

It is foretold of Him in that day: "He shall judge the poor of the people… He shall deliver the needy" (Ps. 72:4, 12). Josiah in his early days was a beautiful picture of Him in this respect. Jeremiah touchingly refers to it: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him" (Jer. 22:16). The prophet adds a word of great practical weight. It is for those who understand how important the true knowledge of God is: "Was not this to KNOW ME? says the Lord."

They knew God in His wonderful work for them. They also knew Him in the commandments, which showed His character. God called them to imitate Him. If He cared for the fatherless and widows, and for the stranger, they too must care. And had they not known what it was to be strangers in that land? God multiplied them wonderfully through all their suffering, and then delivered them with an outstretched arm.

"But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence… He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem." (vv. 13-19.) Which of the kings had lived with less conscience? Which had died with more shame? There was no mourning for him. He got a donkey's burial — shameful exposure outside the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.

Who of the kings had lived with less conscience? Who had died with more shame? No lamentation for him, but an ass's burial (that is, shameful exposure) beyond the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.

Egypt's Pharaoh Necho laid a heavy war payment on Judah, and Jehoiakim had to raise it. He taxed the land and took silver and gold from the people. As if this was not enough for the suffering people to bear, Jehoiakim forced them to build palaces for himself without wages. Evil as the people were, the Lord resented this tyrannical cruelty. "Woe to him," He said in His indignation. The Lord loves to see a shepherd leading the flock, but Jehoiakim was a wolf, ravaging the sheep… The moral grandeur of Israel and of David's royal house had gone. But Jehoiakim still put on a show of material splendour. Let God's people today beware of trying to keep up outward appearances when spiritual power has gone. God wants reality at all times.

Jeremiah and other prophets pour out the Lord's warnings on him (Jer. 22:13-19), but he pays no attention. He kills Urijah, a prophet who prophesied against Jerusalem and against Judah. Urijah had no faith when he faced the king's murderous plans, so he fled to Egypt (Jer. 26:20-23). Jeremiah also runs the same dangers, but this man of God trusts in the word of the Lord… In his unbelief the king cut up the roll of Jeremiah's prophecy with a penknife and threw it into the fire. Then he tried to seize the prophet and his faithful companion, Baruch. But we are told that "the Lord hid them."

Whatever commands the heart is an idol. Giving your heart to that thing is idolatry, and the person who gives it is an idolater… Take that one great, crying, universal sin of "covetousness." What does the inspired apostle call it? He calls it idolatry. How many hearts are commanded by money! How many worshippers bow down before the idol of gold! What is covetousness? Either a desire to get more, or the love of what we have.

God, who lives in eternity, takes notice of the thoughts and feelings that rise in a poor labourer's heart. He knows what such a man expects from his day's work. The labourer's heart counts on those wages; the family meal depends on them… Nothing can be more painful to a tender heart than the lack of kindly consideration for the poor, so often shown by the rich… Do you want to know what God thinks of such behaviour? Then listen to these words of holy indignation: "Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts" (James 5:4).

Even the covetous King Jehoiakim becomes an individual example. From his ill-gotten goods he was cut off in the middle of his years (at 36), as a partridge might be taken from her many eggs. Like Nabal, at his end he was a fool; and so is every man who follows the promptings of his own heart and forsakes the Lord.

We need only refer to Jeremiah 22:13-19 to find ample reasons why the name of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah and father of Jeconiah, is left out of Matthew 1:11. "Those who honour Me I will honour, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed."

The kings named are out of their chronological order. The purpose is to bring the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah all into one cluster. The moral object is to show that there was almost no difference between them. Some might be a little more pronounced in their violence and gross wickedness, but they were all faithless and godless.

"They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah my sister!" (as in family mourning): "they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!" (public mourning.)

His bitter hatred of God and His truth vented itself even on the body of His slaughtered servant, denying it the right of burial among the tombs of the prophets. See Jer. 26:20-24. In just retribution God repaid him in kind for his murder and insult.

Which of the kings had lived with less conscience? Which had died with more shame? No mourning for him, but the burial of a donkey — that is, shameful exposure beyond the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.

As if the heavy war tax was not enough for the suffering people to bear, Jehoiakim forced them to build palaces for himself without wages. Evil as the people were, the Lord resented this tyrannical cruelty. "Woe to him," He said in His indignation. The Lord loves to see a shepherd leading the flock, but Jehoiakim was a wolf, ravaging the sheep... The moral grandeur of Israel and of David's royal house had gone. But Jehoiakim still wanted to put on a show of splendour. Let God's people today beware of trying to keep up outward appearances when spiritual power has gone. God wants reality at all times.

Next comes his shameful burial, the burial of a donkey. It means that a donkey has no burial, and so Jehoiakim would have no burial. He is the only king of Judah whose burial is not recorded... Most likely God announced this special shameful end because he had done that wicked work of cutting the Word of God to pieces and throwing it into the fire. Beware, you cutters of the Bible, you mutilators of the Word of God — your end, too, will be a shameful end!

When we remember Josiah's great reverence for the Word of God, the behaviour of his son appears the more terrible. The whole nation mourned when Josiah died; but the Lord decreed that there should be no mourning for Jehoiakim.

Zedekiah would have a funeral suited to his dignity as a king, in the usual Jewish way — a bed of spices prepared to burn the king's body, and mourning over him. The reason for this is that God, even in His judgment, is careful to remember whatever good there may have been... Zedekiah had acted wickedly. Still, his heart was towards the prophet, and he would have been glad to spare him. But others more wicked than himself pushed him on. So when the final moment came, God shows mercy to him. He stands in full contrast with Jehoiakim, who had only the burial of a donkey.

Of individuals: what was said about Jehoahaz, or rather "Shallum" (Jer. 22:11-12), came to pass with solemn precision, as did the word concerning Jehoiakim (Jer. 22:17-19).

Who of the kings had lived with less conscience? Who had died with more shame? No mourning for him, only a donkey's burial (that is, base exposure) beyond the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.

His wicked life was a sad contrast to that of his righteous father. "Did not your father eat and drink" (lived plainly), "and do justice and judgment, and then it was well with him?" asked Jeremiah… Necho changed his name, but could not change his nature.

Why was this king buried without any ceremony, just like a dead donkey? I have never seen the funeral of a donkey, and never expect to see one. No one thinks of mourning over a dead donkey. Why, then, was no one to grieve for this king or give him a royal burial? Because he was so wicked.

His bitter hatred of God and His truth showed itself even on the body of His slaughtered servant. He denied it the right of burial among the graves of the prophets… As just repayment, God paid him back in kind for his murder and insult. "They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah my sister!" (as in family mourning); "they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!" (public mourning).

As Jeremiah prophesied, Jehoiakim died a violent death. His body was dragged and thrown out beyond the walls of Jerusalem. There it lay exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night, "buried with the burial of a donkey." Still, it is said that he "slept with his fathers" — words that seem to imply he was placed at first in the tombs of the kings.

We do not need the history of it, for prophecy in Scripture is only history written ahead of time — its advance pages, we might say. It is enough to know what God had foretold; the fulfilment is certain… "So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers" simply expresses his death. In Scripture that is a distinct expression from "buried with his fathers."

He would have a funeral suited to his dignity as a king… The reason is that God, even in His judgment, carefully remembers whatever good there may have been… Zedekiah had acted wickedly. Still, his heart was towards the prophet, and he would gladly have spared him… He stands in full contrast with Jehoiakim, who had only the burial of a donkey.

We simply need to refer to Jeremiah 22:13-19 as furnishing ample reasons why the name of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah and father of Jeconiah, is left out of Matthew 1:11. "Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed."

He was cast out of God's dwelling place as unclean. Of the new Jerusalem it is written: "nothing unclean will ever enter it" (Revelation 21:27). Far happier to take the donkey's place here and accept redemption by the blood of the Lamb than to be thrust into the donkey's outside place for ever.

The kings named are not in the order they reigned. The purpose is to gather the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster. This shows that in reality there was no difference. Some might be a little more marked in their violence and gross sin, but they were all faithless and godless.

THE ROYAL FAMILY IS CONDEMNED… though this royal house was like Gilead and the summit of Lebanon to the Lord, it would still be laid waste.

The mountain range in the north of Palestine… It is mentioned as the northern boundary of Palestine.

Probably the chain of mountains that lie 'beyond' or to the east of the Dead Sea and the lower Jordan… Mount Nebo was connected with Abarim. It stood opposite Jericho, and it was where Moses viewed the land and died… Abarim is translated 'passages' in Jer. 22:20.

In Scripture the cedar is always used as a picture of power or high standing, if not pride. When the king of Israel wanted to show his contempt for the king of Judah, he compared himself to a cedar and Judah's king to a thistle (2 Kings 14:9)… When judgment comes upon the great of the earth, the prophet Isaiah says it is the day of Jehovah upon the cedars of Lebanon (2:13). These mark the cedar as the symbol of dignity and power.

She trusted false gods when she broke faith with the covenant of Jehovah, and those gods can do nothing to ease her present sorrows. She leaned on foreign powers when she forsook the Word of her God, and they are all indifferent to her present plight. He, the "eternal Lover" whom she has despised, is the only One who loves her still.

Now the folly, and the sin, of forsaking Jehovah for others is plain. But not one of her lovers is there to comfort her. All her friends, the allies she counted on, betray her, and are nothing but enemies.

In the end, what was the use of all the politics and the search for alliances and protection, turning now to Assyria, then to Egypt? Did they delay the judgment already decreed by even one moment? And it is the same in our own day, is it not? The guarantees that nations seek to get from one another will all disappear like chaff carried away by the wind, when "the Lamb that was slain" steps forward to take the book of God's counsels and ways toward the world and carry it out.

Egypt soon failed them, and Assyria only oppressed them. With every human support broken, the remnant had nothing left but God alone, the One they should have counted on from the first.

The kings named are out of their chronological order. The purpose is to bring the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster, to show that in moral terms there was virtually no difference. Some were a little more open in their violence and gross evil, but they were all faithless and godless.

Prosperity often deafens the ear against God. "I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, 'I will not listen'" (Jer. 22:21). Soft pleasures harden the heart. Prosperity has its honey, and also its sting. Anxious care is the evil spirit that haunts the rich man; when his chests are full of money, his heart is full of care. Sunshine is pleasant, but sometimes it scorches. The spreading of a full table may be the spreading of a snare. Many have been sunk to hell with golden weights… The world's golden sands are quicksands.

What a treacherous thing is the human heart! People take the very blessings of God, which should turn the heart toward Him, and use them to shut Him out completely! The more God pours His favours into a man's lap, the less willing he is to acknowledge Him. So the words in Luke 7:22, "the poor have good news preached to them."

What if we have less food? We have less snare. If less dignity, less danger. As we lack the rich provisions of the world, so we lack the temptations. To give us Christ is more than if God had given us all the world. He can make more worlds, but He has no more Christs to bestow.

Nothing hardens the heart, and nothing destroys the conscience, like habitual disobedience to the word of the Lord. Not disobedience in gross sins, but in religious indifference.

When God speaks to His people about their moral and spiritual state, the least they can do is to hear what He has to say, and take it to heart. People who refuse to hear when God speaks are in a hopeless position, whether they are saints or sinners. Refusal to hear brings down the chastening hand of the Lord on His people. Their blessings wither away.

Sudden alarm will call out religious feelings, but they live only while the danger lasts.

But did Jehoiakim not have a son? A wretched man he was — Jehoiachin, who inherited his father's guilt and misery. How could he be said to sit on the throne of David? He reigned in Jerusalem only three months. Then the lion came up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations was on his way. That destroyer was the avenger, under God's providence, of one who did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father had done.

In the Old Testament the word is raah, 'to feed,' and refers to those who should have helped God's people. They, like everyone else, had failed. They had destroyed and scattered the sheep (Jeremiah 2:8; 3:15; 12:10; 17:16; 22:22; 23:1-2). In the New Testament it is poimēn, a word used of Christ Himself as the good Shepherd.

After speaking of the ignorance of the priests, Jeremiah adds, "The pastors also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal" (Jeremiah 2:8). He tells us, "The pastors have become senseless and have not sought the Lord" (Jeremiah 10:11). They trod down the vineyard of the Lord. They made His pleasant portion desolate, so that it mourned to Him (Jeremiah 12:10-11). The Lord says, "My people have been like lost sheep, and their shepherds have caused them to go astray" (Jeremiah 50:6). Woe is pronounced on these scattering, selfish pastors (Jeremiah 23:1-2). The wind will eat them up (Jeremiah 22:22). They will cry and howl when the fierce anger of the Lord falls (Jeremiah 25:34-36).

Now the choice that forsook the Lord for others is proved to be folly as well as sin. But among her lovers she has no comforter. All her friends, the allies she counted on, betray her, and are nothing but enemies.

She broke faith with the covenant of the Lord and trusted false gods. Those gods cannot ease her present sorrows in any way. The powers she tried to lean on when she abandoned the Word of her God are all indifferent to her plight. He, the "eternal Lover" whom she has despised, is the only One who still loves her.

The pastors also, who should have cared for the sheep of His pasture, were to be punished as well, for they had destroyed and scattered the flock (Jeremiah 23:1-3). Still, God will graciously gather them again and richly supply them with abundance of blessing (verses 3-4). But for this long-awaited day to dawn, a King of David's royal line must be found to introduce it; we know this from many other Scriptures. Where, then, is this deeply desired King, this One on Whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His name? The answer to these questions comes in 2 Timothy 2:8: "Jesus Christ of the seed of David raised from among the dead."

Jeremiah 22 sets out the sin of the representatives of the house of David in further detail. Besides Zedekiah, there are Shallum (Jehoahaz), the son of Josiah (verse 11), Jehoiakim, also a son of Josiah (verse 18), and Coniah (Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, verse 24). The chapter charges them all as evil rulers in the critical times when the monarchy was drawing to its close.

The kings Shallum (Jehoahaz), Jehoiakim, and Coniah (Jehoiachin) are all alike to come under the judgment of God. To the Lord this royal house was as Gilead and the summit of Lebanon, yet it would be laid waste.

In Scripture the typical use of the cedar is always to denote power or exaltation, if not pride. When the king of Israel wanted to pour contempt on the king of Judah, he compared himself to a cedar and Judah's king to a thistle (2 Kings 14:9). When judgment comes on the great of the earth, the prophet Isaiah says it is the day of the Lord upon the cedars of Lebanon (Isa. 2:13). These mark the cedar as the symbol of dignity and power.

If one of that family could be found giving right judgments and showing mercy, then God would give this house kings to sit for David on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, with their servants and their people (verse 4). If not, He swore by Himself that this house would become a ruin (verse 5). Those who later saw the desolation would know it happened because they had forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and served other gods.

How often we see this kind of "seeking" among ourselves. Sudden alarm will call out religious feelings; but they live only while the danger lasts.

But did Jehoiakim not have a son? A wretched man he was — Jehoiachin, who inherited his father's guilt and misery. How could anyone say he sat on the throne of David? He reigned in Jerusalem only three months before the lion came up from his thicket and the destroyer of the nations was on his way.

For this long-awaited day to dawn, we know from many other Scriptures that a King of David's royal line must be found to bring it in. Where, then, is this deeply desired King, this One on whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His name? 2 Timothy 2:8 answers them: "Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David."

Jehoiachin means "The Lord will establish." Jeremiah called him Jeconiah, which means "The Lord establishes." This surely shows that it will be done, not in Jehoiachin, but in our Lord Jesus Christ, as Jeremiah explains in Jeremiah 23:5-6. Just before that he had called him Coniah in scorn, "a despised broken idol; a vessel in which is no pleasure." In Christ alone, raised from among the dead, of the seed of David, can the Kingdom be established for ever.

But did Jehoiakim not have a son? Yes, a wretched one — Jehoiachin, who inherited his father's guilt and misery. How could anyone say that he sat on the throne of David? He reigned in Jerusalem only three months. Then the lion came up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations was on his way. Under God's providence that destroyer was the avenger against a man who did evil in the sight of the LORD, just as his father had done.

The signet-ring was among those nations a mark of honour. It was given by monarchs to their prime ministers, conferring all authority upon them.

God will take the true seed of David and make Him a signet. Here that seed is still called "Zerubbabel my servant," a picture of Christ as "the prince of the house of David." Coniah, or Jeconiah, king of Judah, was faithless, a signet plucked from God's right hand (compare Jeremiah 22:24). Christ is the opposite. He is the signet on God's right hand, to seal all His purposes concerning the nations and concerning His chosen people Israel.

Jehoiachin was carried away into captivity. The last chapter of Jeremiah gives his fate. He never returned. He had children, yet no descendant of Solomon's line was ever to occupy the throne of David. But there were descendants of David through another line, that is, Nathan's; no curse rested on that line. The virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, was of David through Nathan (Luke 3:31). Joseph, to whom Mary the virgin was engaged, was a son of David through Solomon's line.

If our blessed Lord had been the son of Joseph, this prophecy would have barred the throne to Him. Only the marriage of Joseph to Mary, which united the legal and the natural lines, gave the Lord the title to the throne of David.

This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's seed has failed forever, then there is no gospel for us today! For the gospel makes known the sure mercies of David. There would also be no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth, because He who rules and reigns to bring it must be of David's line!

How could anyone say he sat on the throne of David? He reigned in Jerusalem only three months. Then the lion came up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations was on his way. Under God's providence he came as the avenger against one who did evil in the sight of Jehovah, just as his father had done.

Haggai 2:20-23 looks to the future, when all nations will be shaken. Then God will take the true seed of David — here still called "Zerubbabel my servant," a picture of Christ as "the prince of the house of David" — and make Him as a signet. Coniah, or Jeconiah, king of Judah, was faithless: a signet plucked from God's right hand. Christ is the opposite. He is the signet on God's right hand, to seal all His purposes concerning the nations and His chosen people Israel.

In Coniah's day, Nebuchadnezzar's servants besieged Jerusalem. This great king himself then came to take part in the siege in person. Jehoiachin went out to him. He was carried captive to Babylon, along with his mother, according to the prophecy of Jeremiah.

The point of this verse is not that he should have no family, for it speaks of his seed; and Matthew 1:11-12 shows his descendants. What we are told is that God had decreed something about the throne of David. As far as that throne went, he was to be written childless, because none of his seed would rule any more in Judah. God had determined the end of this sinful stock.

So a curse fell on the house of David in the line of Solomon. But there was still the line of Nathan the son of David. Messiah, the Son of David, could therefore not spring from the line of Solomon; He must come from the line of Nathan. Joseph, the husband of the virgin Mary of Nazareth, was a son of David through the line of Solomon — the disinherited line. But Mary of Nazareth was a daughter of David through the line of Nathan.

In the last chapter of Jeremiah we find one who was an object of contempt at Jerusalem — Coniah! — raised to high honour by Evil-merodach at Babylon. Like many who are unfaithful to God and His people, he is exalted amid the corruptions of Babylon, which was already beginning to sink. This was the king who showed favour to Jehoiachin and provided his food, and before whom he ate all the days of his life. Of Daniel, at Babylon, we read that he would not defile himself with the king's food; and he represents the faithful remnant, who will be delivered out of Babylon in a future day.

But did Jehoiakim not have a son? He was a wretched one — Jehoiachin, who inherited his father's guilt and misery. How could he be said to sit on the throne of David? He reigned in Jerusalem only three months. Then the lion came up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the nations was on his way. Under God's providence he came to punish a king who did evil in the sight of the Lord, just as his father had done.

Jehoiachin means "The Lord will establish." Jeremiah called him Jeconiah instead, which means "The Lord establishes." This surely shows that it will be done, not in Jehoiachin, but in our Lord Jesus Christ, as Jeremiah explains in Jeremiah 23:5-6. Just before this he had called him Coniah in scorn (Jer. 22:24-28), "a despised broken idol; a vessel no one delights in." In Christ alone, raised from among the dead, of the seed of David, can the Kingdom be established for ever.

His mother was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. It grows clearer and clearer: the mothers of these last kings had forgotten the Lord, just as their sons had.

Nehushta, his mother's name, means copper. It covers anything made of copper: a coin, a mirror, or chains. Both she and her son went into captivity in Babylon, with all his family and household… The king's mother here is the queen mother mentioned in Jeremiah 13:18.

The word about Jehoahaz, or rather "Shallum" (Jer. 22:11-12), came to pass with solemn precision, and so did the word about Jehoiakim (Jer. 22:17-19). His son carried two names — Jehoiachin from his father, Coniah from the prophet — and he became another witness to the truth of God's holy word (Jer. 22:24-30).

Heaven and earth will pass away and perish, but not one word of God.

The Babylonian captivity dates from Jehoiachin's reign. He never returned from his captivity. There he spent thirty-six years in prison until Nebuchadnezzar died. Then Nebuchadnezzar's son Evil-merodach came to the throne. His father had once shut him in prison too, and there he probably met the royal captive from Judah. He remembered his old prison companion.

One king of Judah was proving the truth of the prophets' solemn warnings in his own misery. In Jehoiachin's case God was showing that He holds the hearts of all men under His control. At His will He can turn long years of languishing into a peaceful end of life — though not a prosperous one, according to His word (Jer. 22:30). None of this prevents His pity and tender mercy.

The point of this verse is not that he would have no family. It speaks of his seed, and Matthew 1:11-12 shows his descendants. The point is that God had decreed this: as far as the throne of David went, he was to be written childless, because none of his seed would rule in Judah any more. God had determined the end of this sinful stock.

So Jeremiah 23 brings their general and solemn judgment. But it also brings the vision of sovereign mercy, when the Son of David shall arise. How refreshing to read such words in the middle of the moral horrors we have had before us!

In Jeremiah 22 the sin of the representatives of the house of David is set out in further detail. Besides Zedekiah, others are charged as evil rulers: Shallum (Jehoahaz), the son of Josiah (verse 11), Jehoiakim, also son of Josiah (verse 18), and Coniah (Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, verse 24). These were the critical times when the monarchy was drawing to its close.

Hananiah the prophet spoke to me in the house of the Lord, in front of the priests and all the people. He said, "This is what the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon… and I will bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, with all the exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, says the Lord."

The fall of the Jews was no accidental slip by Jeconiah and the people. No power of the king of Babylon accounted for it. It was the Lord of hosts who had them carried away to the city of the conqueror… It was worse than useless to hope for a return to Palestine at once. No conspiracies, no resolutions would work.

Jehoiachin means "The Lord will establish." Jeremiah called him Jeconiah, which means "The Lord establishes." This no doubt shows that it will be done, not in Jehoiachin, but in our Lord Jesus Christ, as he explains in Jeremiah 23:5-6. Just before this he had called him Coniah in scorn (Jer. 22:24-28) — a despised, broken pot, a vessel no one cares for. Only in Christ, raised from among the dead, of the seed of David, can the Kingdom be established for ever.

Though, like his father, "he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord," Jehoiachin appears to have been a favourite with the people. "Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot?" the prophet asked with irony. But he adds at once, "a vessel no one cares for" — which is really what he was in God's eyes.

It is implied, not that the line of David should fail, but that this man's line should.

"Childless" here does not mean without descendants, for the prophecy itself mentions "his seed." It means he had no direct heir of his own sitting on the throne of David. Matthew 1:12 shows that he did have children: "Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel."

He no longer wore prison clothes. Instead he was given food "before the king" all the days of his life. So he received both mercy and grace. Mercy is compassion shown to someone in need, while grace freely gives generous provision to satisfy every need and much more… He was not restored to his place as king of Judah, and no descendant of Coniah will ever reign as king. But they will rejoice in recognising the Lord Jesus as the true King of all Israel.

Jehoiachin means "The Lord will establish." Jeremiah called him Jeconiah, which means "The Lord establishes." This surely shows that it will be done, not in Jehoiachin, but in our Lord Jesus Christ, as he explains in Jeremiah 23:5-6. Just before this, Jeremiah had called him Coniah in scorn: "A despised broken idol; a vessel wherein is no pleasure." In Christ alone, raised from among the dead, of the seed of David, can the Kingdom be established for ever.

Like his father, "he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord." Yet Jehoiachin appears to have been a favourite with the people. "Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol?" (or, "vase") the prophet asked ironically. But he at once adds, "Is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure?" — which is really what he was in God's eyes.

The kings named are out of their chronological order. The purpose is to bring the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster, to show that in effect there was no difference between them. Some might be a little more pronounced in their violence and gross wickedness, but they were all faithless and godless. So the Lord spoke the solemn sentence... The implication is not that the line of David would fail, but that this man's line would.

Haggai 2:20-23 is still another message from God. It points to the time when God will take the true seed of David and make Him as a signet. In that passage He is still called "Zerubbabel my servant," a picture of Christ as "the prince of the house of David." Coniah, or Jeconiah, king of Judah, was faithless, and was plucked off God's right hand like a signet (compare Jeremiah 22:24). Christ is the opposite: He is the signet on God's right hand, to seal all His purposes for the nations and for His chosen people Israel.

An interesting point is that Matthew brings in Jechonias (1:11), the Jehoiachin of the Old Testament, called Coniah in Jeremiah 22:28-30. As those verses show, no man of Coniah's seed was to prosper, sitting on the throne of David. So Joseph could not be the father of our blessed Lord. The virgin birth was necessary, so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

At this time, when Evil-merodach became king, Daniel does not appear to have been prominent. But Jehoiachin, the Coniah of Jeremiah 22:28, a despised broken idol, an outcast of the Lord, is raised up. Evil-merodach, the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar, brought him out of prison, gave him a place above the other royal captives at the palace, and provided him a daily allowance until the day of his death.

In Jehoiachin's case God was showing that He holds the hearts of all men under His control. Long years of wasting away may be changed at His will to a peaceful end of life, though not a prosperous one, in keeping with His word (Jeremiah 22:30). But this does not hinder His pity and tender mercy.

The chapter deals with each of these kings of David's line in turn. It ends by stressing the ruin of this royal family — the family the world's peace and prosperity depended on. God calls the whole earth to listen to what He says to Coniah (Jehoiachin).

When speaking of these evil men on Israel's throne, the Holy Spirit said, "O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD." He wants the rulers of every nation and every age to understand one thing. They rule over people as God's responsible stewards, and their unrighteous ways are hateful to Him.

The kings are named out of the order in which they reigned. The purpose is to gather the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster. The moral aim is to show that in reality there was no difference between them. Some were more openly violent and wicked than others, but they were all faithless and godless.

This verse does not mean he would have no family, since it speaks of his offspring, and Matthew 1:11-12 shows his descendants. What we are told is that God had decreed him childless as far as the throne of David was concerned. None of his offspring would rule in Judah any more. God had determined the end of this sinful line.

The meaning is not that David's line would fail, but that this man's line would.

One interesting point is that Matthew brings in Jechonias (1:11). He is the Jehoiachin of the Old Testament, called Coniah in Jeremiah 22:28-30. As those verses show, no descendant of Coniah was to prosper sitting on the throne of David. So Joseph could not be the father of our blessed Lord. The virgin birth was therefore necessary for Scripture to be fulfilled.

Writers have pressed this point as far back as Irenaeus. Here the direct line of descent is struck with a curse, yet it did not lose the legal title. So it could hand on to another what could be of no use to itself. In the wisdom of God, the marriage of Joseph and Mary was the means of doing this. The Lord's birth from Mary made Him the real Son of David (Luke 1:32), while His mother's marriage made Him David's legal heir.

However, He would raise up a capable Ruler and Shepherd-King for His sheep. "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will raise up for David a righteous Branch. A King shall reign and prosper, and shall do what is just and right in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall live in safety. And this is the name He shall be called by: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:5-6).

The point of this verse is not that he would have no family. It speaks of his offspring, and Matthew 1:11-12 shows his descendants. What we are told is this: as far as the throne of David was concerned, God had decreed that he was to be written childless. None of his offspring would rule in Judah again. God had determined the end of this sinful stock.

The prophecy probably refers to his uncle taking the throne instead of his son Assir, who seems to have been his firstborn. Or it may have been a prophecy of Assir's early death. Anyway, God made no mistake. He speaks, and it is done; He commands, and it stands fast.

The kings named are out of chronological order. The purpose is to gather the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster. It shows that there was no real difference between them. Some were more open in their violence and gross sin, but they were all faithless and godless. ... The meaning is not that David's line would fail, but that this man's line would.

Another word from God looks ahead to the future, when all nations will be shaken. Then God will take the true seed of David and make Him as a signet. Coniah, or Jeconiah, king of Judah, was faithless, a signet plucked from God's right hand. Christ is the opposite. He is the signet on God's right hand, to seal all His purposes for the nations and for His chosen people Israel.

As far back as Irenaeus, writers pressed the consequence. Here the direct line of descent is struck with a curse, yet it was not stripped of the legal title. So it could hand on to another what could be of no use to itself. The marriage of Joseph and Mary was, in the wisdom of God, the means of accomplishing this. The Lord's birth from Mary made Him the real Son of David, while the marriage of His mother made Him David's legal heir.

So God pronounced a curse on the house of David in the line of Solomon. But there was still the line of Nathan, the son of David. The Messiah, the Son of David, could not come from the line of Solomon. He had to come from the line of Nathan. Joseph came from David through the line of Solomon, the disinherited line; but Mary was a daughter of David through the line of Nathan.

The last event in the story is the compassion that the king of Babylon showed to Jehoiachin in the thirty-seventh year of his captivity. He brought the captive king of Judah out of prison with kind words and gave him bread at his own table for the rest of his life. The prophets had given solemn warnings, and one king of Judah was now proving them true in his own misery. Yet in Jehoiachin's case God was showing that He holds the hearts of all men under His control. At His will, long years of suffering may turn into a peaceful end of life — though not a prosperous one, in keeping with His word. But this does not hinder His pity and tender mercy.

In the Old Testament the word is raah, "to feed," and it refers to those who should have cared for God's people. They, like everyone else, had failed. They had destroyed and scattered the sheep. In the New Testament the word is poimen, which is used of Christ Himself as the good Shepherd. The pastor is one of the gifts in the church (Ephesians 4:11). He is gifted to help the saints one by one, to enter into their trials and difficulties, and to bring the word to instruct and comfort them, or to correct and counsel them if needed.

Our chapter opens with a woe on those guilty kings of Judah. They should have been faithful shepherds to the Lord's flock, watching over them and caring for them as the sheep of His pasture. Instead their wickedness helped to destroy and scatter them (Jer. 23:1-2). But if man is unfaithful, God is faithful. Here He makes known His love and care and purpose for His beloved though guilty people (Jer. 23:3-4).

It was and still is of the greatest importance to regard "the flock" as God's. This matters all the more because even excellent souls fall into the habit of forgetting this truth. They assume that the sheep they feed and tend are their own flocks. Such a thought is an unwitting denial of God's rights. It misstates how His sheep stand related to Him. And it produces wrong readings of His word, which harm His servants themselves as well as the saints.

The work of the enemy is to scatter and destroy. The work of grace is to save and gather.

The scatterers have His frown and not His favour… The gatherers of the true sheep are with Him in their work, for He adds, "I will gather the remnant of My flock." There is one Shepherd and one flock now, as we read in John 10. His sheep follow Him. They know Him; and they know His voice… True servants encourage the sheep to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and not to follow themselves.

So in Jeremiah 23 we have their general and solemn judgment, but not without the vision of sovereign mercy when the Son of David shall arise. How refreshing to read such words after the moral horrors we have had before us!

Ezekiel, the prophet of the exile, brought the same message to the shepherds of Israel. They did not strengthen the weak sheep. They did not heal the sick. They did not bind up what was broken. They did not bring back those who had been driven away. They ruled with harshness, and the sheep were scattered. Times and places differ, but has the same thing not happened again and again all through the Church's history, even at times within the assemblies? Harshness and severity have caused scattering. Sheep end up sick, wounded, and wandering when shepherds fail to give proper care and think only of "the fat and the strong."

Jeremiah 23 pronounces a woe upon the pastors in general. By the pastors, the prophet means the kings who ought to have provided protection and food for the people. But they scattered and destroyed the sheep of Jehovah's flock. However, He would raise up a competent Ruler and Shepherd-King for His sheep.

The shepherds of Israel were the kings and princes and all who had authority over them. These shepherds of Israel were responsible for the terrible condition of the flock. They were utterly selfish. They did not care for the sheep of His pasture. They did not fear God, and they had no heart for God's people. The flock was scattered and ruined.

It was and is of the greatest importance to regard "the flock" as God's. This matters all the more, because even excellent souls usually forget this truth. They assume that the sheep they feed and tend are their own flocks. Such a thought reveals an unintended denial of God's rights. It falsifies the relation of His sheep. And it produces wrong interpretation of His word, which hurts His servants themselves as well as the saints.

In the Old Testament the word is raah, "to feed," and refers to those who should have helped God's people. They, as all others, had failed; they had destroyed and scattered the sheep. In the New Testament the word is poimēn, which is applied to Christ Himself as the good Shepherd. The pastor is one of the gifts in the church (Eph. 4:11). He is gifted to help the saints one by one, share in their trials and difficulties, and bring the word to instruct and comfort them.

Jeremiah next rebukes the shepherds (23:1). They destroyed and scattered the flock instead of visiting them and caring for them. Ezekiel, the prophet of the captivity, had the same message for the shepherds of Israel (Ezek. 34). They did not strengthen the weak sheep. They did not heal the sick... They ruled over them with harshness and with rigour (Ezek. 34:4), and the sheep were "scattered." Times and places differ. Even so, has not the Church's history seen the same things repeated?

And what a judgment will fall on the false shepherds, who feed themselves and not the flock of God. The Lord will feed them WITH JUDGMENT. How true this is today. Division comes. The power of gathering is gone. The Spirit is grieved. It is no rare sight to see those who have been prominent in scattering reap what they have sown. They are left almost, if not quite, alone in their closing days.

Do we seek after the lost sheep today? Do we bring back those who have been driven away? Do we bind up the broken and strengthen the sick? How much scattering there has been, and how little gathering. The flesh scatters. It is the Spirit who gathers. Anyone can scatter, but it takes divine power to do the gathering.

Our chapter opens with a pronouncement of woe on those guilty kings of Judah. They should have been faithful pastors to Jehovah's flock, heeding and caring for them as the sheep of His pasture. Instead their wickedness helped to destroy and scatter them (Jer. 23:1-2). But if man is unfaithful, God is faithful. Here He makes known His love and care and purpose for His beloved though guilty people (Jer. 23:3-4).

The word "pastors" means "shepherds." Ezekiel received a larger message about these false shepherds, the hired men who did not feed the flock. God will yet gather the scattered remnant of the Lord's flock (not the Church, but the remnant of Israel) out of all countries. They will be fruitful and increase, no longer fearful, dismayed or in want. This prophecy is about the time when the Shepherd of Israel, who is also their King, appears.

Kingship failed completely in the hands of the first man, and so did priesthood. The best of the kings of Israel — David, Solomon and all the rest — broke down. The wicked kings, as we see here, only helped to destroy and scatter the flock of God. The work of the enemy is to scatter and destroy. The work of grace is to save and gather.

In Jeremiah 23 we have their general and solemn judgment. But it comes with the vision of sovereign mercy, when the Son of David shall arise. How refreshing to read such words among the moral horrors we have had before us!

This prophecy has never been fulfilled. When He came, who is to fulfil its every letter as well as its spirit to the full, He did not reign nor prosper, but was cast out from the earth, and exalted in heaven... For the very rejection of the Messiah by the Jews gave occasion to the mighty work of redemption by the blood of the cross... But those times will end. In the meantime God calls the Church of the heavenly places and completes it in glory. Then the Lord will turn the heart of His ancient people, at least of a remnant, to Himself, and will return and reign in glory.

It is refreshing and cheering to hear Jeremiah speak of the time when the Lord will give pastors according to His own heart, "who will feed you with knowledge and understanding" (Jer. 3:15)... he foretells the day when the Lord Himself shall recover His scattered people, and "gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock" (Jer. 31:10)... the believer knows this Shepherd now, and receives eternal life from Him before He returns to gather Israel.

To the Jews — had they received Him, He would have been a Shepherd on earth; and even in the millennium He will be the Shepherd of His earthly people... But He is our Shepherd as the One who has died, risen again, and is seated at the right hand of God... So He now shepherds His people from His place on high. That is why He is called the Chief Shepherd. He is away from the sheep, yet He cares for them tenderly, and He provides others to "feed the flock" under His guidance and direction.

Jehoiachin means "The Lord will establish." Jeremiah called him Jeconiah, which means "The Lord establishes." This is surely meant to show that it will be done, not in Jehoiachin, but in our Lord Jesus Christ, as he explains in Jeremiah 23:5-6. The reason: just before, Jeremiah had called him Coniah in scorn — "a despised broken idol; a vessel in which there is no pleasure." Only in Christ, raised from among the dead, of the seed of David, can the Kingdom stand for ever.

The stem has been cut down. It is better described as Jesse's than David's, because royalty no longer belongs to it. So the Son of David comes into no outward state or glory, but the opposite. And yet Jesse's name also bears witness that "Jehovah exists"; and He is the God of resurrection. The Sprout, though lowly, still has the energy of life in it. In Him the cut-down tree is to revive, and to outshine all its former glories. He is the "righteous branch" of Jeremiah.

A title of the Lord Jesus, which He will bear in connection with Israel in the future. Isaiah 4:2; Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah 33:15; Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 6:12-13. In two of the passages the words "unto David" are added, which fits the Lord Jesus being the "offspring" (a word similar to "branch") as well as the "root" of David. He will be a righteous Branch and a King. He will build the temple of the LORD, bear the glory, sit and rule on His throne, and be a priest on His throne.

Jeremiah 23 pronounces a woe on the shepherds in general. By the shepherds, the prophet means the kings who ought to have provided protection and food for the people. But they scattered and destroyed the sheep of Jehovah's flock. However, He would raise up a competent Ruler and Shepherd-King for His sheep.

This prophecy has never been fulfilled. He is the One who will fulfil every letter of it, and its full spirit too. Yet when He came He did not reign or prosper. Instead He was cast out from the earth and exalted in heaven. So greater things came about than a Davidic kingdom or a restoration of the scattered tribes of Israel. For the very rejection of the Messiah by the Jews gave occasion for the mighty work of redemption by the blood of the cross… But when those times end… the Lord will turn the heart of His ancient people, at least of a remnant, to Himself. He will return and reign in glory, executing judgment and justice in the earth.

Grace is now reigning through righteousness. Righteousness itself will then reign over the earth, as it never has. That reign comes before the eternal state. Then, once judgment has removed all evil, righteousness will dwell in holiness, peace and love — unbreakable in the heavens and on the earth throughout the day that has no end.

Our distinctive Christian hope is that Christ will not only reign over us; we shall reign along with Him. So if you take such prophetic words as these… and apply them to the church, you lower the status of the church from heaven to earth.

Jeremiah 23 pronounces a woe upon the shepherds in general. By the shepherds, the prophet means the kings who should have protected and fed the people. But they scattered and destroyed the sheep of the Lord's flock. However, He would raise up a competent Ruler and Shepherd-King for His sheep.

Kingship, no less than priesthood, failed completely in human hands. The best of the kings of Israel — David, Solomon and all the rest — broke down. And the wicked kings, as we see here, only helped to destroy and scatter the flock of God. The work of the enemy is to scatter and destroy. The work of grace is to save and gather.

"Jehovah-jireh" (the Lord will provide). "Jehovah-nissi" (the Lord my banner). "Jehovah-shalom" (the Lord send peace). "Jehovah-tsidkenu" (the Lord our righteousness). God unfolds all these gracious titles of His to meet the needs of His people. When He calls Himself "I AM," it includes them all. In taking this title, the Lord was giving His people a blank cheque, to be filled in for any amount... If we want righteousness, He is THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

A great Messianic prophecy follows. "The Righteous Branch," the Son of David, is the Lord Jesus Christ. His name is "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jehovah Tsidkenu). He is the King who will reign and prosper, executing judgment and justice in the earth. The prophecy is unfulfilled. He came as the Son of David, the promised King. He offered that kingdom to Israel; they rejected Him. But He is coming again, and in that day of glory this great prediction will be accomplished.

Our distinctive Christian hope is this: Christ will not only reign over us, we will reign along with Him. Therefore to take up such prophetic words as these... and to apply them to the church is to lower the status of the church from heaven to earth.

Clearly, then, the restoration foretold here is bound up with the conversion of the nation. Israel will yet acknowledge what they have so far always refused to own — that in the Lord they have righteousness and strength. Up to now they have always stumbled at this. "Being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness." But they will do so in days to come.

Compare Jeremiah 23:6 and 33:16. In the first passage the Lord is called "our righteousness"... In the second passage, "this is the name by which she [Jerusalem] will be called, The Lord our Righteousness." So Jerusalem receives by grace a standing in association with Him. He is the source of her justification.

When God demands righteousness, I point to the Lord Jesus. He is the "Lord my righteousness." To say His righteousness is given to me belittles grace. Jesus is the "Lord my righteousness."... Not some of His righteousness — He Himself is my righteousness — His whole self. As a believer, I am complete in Him. Jesus the Lord my righteousness. Oh, why not receive Him as your righteousness, poor sinner? God asks you for nothing more; He will have nothing less.

This prophecy has never been fulfilled. When He came — the One who is to fulfil every letter of it, and its spirit to the full — He did not reign or prosper. He was cast out from the earth and exalted in heaven... This future deliverance will be so great that it will completely overshadow the day when they first left Egypt and soon saw their enemies lying dead on the seashore. It is absurd to claim that any such gathering of the tribes has happened yet. So it is still future.

If Israel asked how God had stepped in for them most visibly, the answer was surely the power that brought them out of the land of Egypt. This was always their comfort in the middle of disasters and troubles. The God who divided the Red Sea, and brought them across the Jordan, was equal to any difficulty that could ever come against them again. In the prophets this also stays the standard, until God uses His power in another way. Then people will no longer speak of Him as the Lord who brought them out of the land of Egypt, but as the One who brought them out of the north country into their land, where He will settle them for ever.

So the same chapter that brings such a solemn sentence of judgment also gives the pledge of their final deliverance. This will happen after the captivity in Babylon, since Babylon is "the land of the north" spoken of here.

The raising up of their long-awaited King, the righteous Branch, also rules out any idea that this means the return from Babylon, or the Spirit's work under the gospel.

Clearly the passage speaks about the deliverance of the whole earthly people, both the ten tribes and the two tribes, and about nothing else. We may use the principle of Israel's promised restoration to show how good the Lord is towards us, but no more than that. The truth is that we have never been driven out of our inheritance, as Israel was. We may have failed to take hold of God's gifts, we may have given up the blessings that are properly ours, but God has never driven Christians out of their own place in Christ Jesus.

So the restoration foretold here is clearly tied to the conversion of the nation. Israel will one day admit what they have refused to admit until now — that "in the Lord they have righteousness and strength." So far they have always stumbled at this... But they will admit it in days to come. They will yet say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." And then He will return.

The Lord valued the opportunity of keeping the Passover — "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." These words show us how the Lord Jesus, as one of Israel, viewed the Passover. They also teach us how we should view the privilege and the opportunity of remembering His death now. And when Israel enjoys the fruits of that death, it will push God's memorable intervention in the past into second place.

The prophets in Jeremiah's time included some of the very best, though there were also some of the worst. These worse ones moved among God's people, yet they "prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit" (Jer. 2:8). "The prophets prophesy falsely" (Jer. 5:31), and yet they used the Lord's name, though He "did not send them" (Jer. 14:15). Therefore "by sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed." Jeremiah's heart was broken within him because of these prophets (Jer. 23:9). Adultery, lying, profanity, false dreaming, recklessness, and lewdness marked them. They had sunk so low that they were "like Sodom" (Jer. 23:14).

In his service Jeremiah kept meeting false prophets. They contradicted his message and denied that the Lord had sent him. This was his constant difficulty, and he felt it most of all, because of the state of heart it showed in them. So he says, "My heart is broken within me," and this is because of the prophets. He also says, "All my bones shake." And let the reader carefully note that it was because he was thinking of the coming judgment… He mourned over their condition, and he saw no escape for them, because of the LORD and the words of His holiness. In other words, under a ministry of law, he had only one message for these sinners: unrelieved judgment.

Jeremiah next reproached the prophets (23:9, 16). Instead of passing the Word of the Lord on to their hearers, "they speak visions of their own minds." They should have stood in the council of God and made His people hear His Word (v. 22). Instead, they go out with their own thoughts. How dangerous is the unfaithfulness that twists, or even falsifies, God's message by mixing in one's own opinions. "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied" (v. 21).

It is painful but useful to trace how religious corruption grows. It does not come from outside, but from within. Outward temptation, it seems, could never have brought the people of Judah to rebel so boldly. Corrupt prophets and a corrupt priesthood did that. They held on to certain ordinances of God, but not in the power of God. They held them in the form that human wisdom had put in their place, and that is what blinded them.

Judgment has already been pronounced. It is ready to fall on Christendom, which hates, despises, and often persecutes Christ's true witnesses. Do we mourn rather than rejoice? Are we distressed rather than condemning? … Tears over the ruin, and grace and pity toward those who have gone astray, reach the hearts of the Lord's sheep caught up in it. The most righteous criticism does not.

Turning now to the apostle Paul, we see that the holiness of God rests on his soul too. He thinks of people who, through unbelief, do not know what the blood of Christ has done. He remembers, as Jeremiah did, that they could never stand such a test. But instead of announcing judgment, as the prophet did under the order of his own day, he writes as a man in the day of grace: "knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others."

Jeremiah had a woe for the shepherds, along with the assurance of a true Shepherd who was coming, even Jehovah-Tsidkenu as He shall be called. Meanwhile he had to denounce the prophets and priests (vv. 9-40), when hypocrisy had gone out into all the land.

Verses 9-14. The prophet is overwhelmed because of the wicked prophets, because wickedness was found in the LORD's house. The false prophets of Samaria had led the people into idolatry, and the prophets of Judah were guilty of all kinds of immoralities. Like priests, like people; they all became to the Lord as Sodom, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem like Gomorrah.

The sad truth is that Israel was married to Jehovah, as the prophets remind the people (Isa. 54; Jer. 3). So their unfaithfulness is branded, not like the Babylon of the New Testament as prostitution, but as adultery (so in Hosea 3 and elsewhere). Yet His grace may one day deal with Israel, not as a guilty widow, but as a woman forsaken and a wife of youth.

The earth at large, as we well know, suffers everywhere because of the sin of man. It suffers both by the desolation that sin itself produces and by the judgments that come upon it from God. So the places of highest privilege may necessarily become the places of most marked desolation.

"And then" — mark the sure and solemn consequences — "the LORD's wrath is kindled against you, and He shuts up the heaven, so that there is no rain, and the land does not yield its fruit, and you perish quickly from the good land that the LORD gives you." What barrenness and desolation there must be when heaven is shut up! No refreshing showers coming down, no dewdrops falling, no communication between heaven and earth.

Jeremiah next reproached the prophets (23:9,16). Instead of passing on the Word of the Lord to their hearers, "They speak a vision of their own heart." They should stand in the council of God and cause His people to hear His Word (v.22), but they go out according to their own thoughts. How dangerous is that unfaithfulness, which twists or even falsifies the message of God's Word by bringing in one's own opinions. "I did not send these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied" (v.21).

He says, "My heart within me is broken because of the prophets." He also says, "All my bones shake." Note that it was because he thought of the coming judgment. He goes on, "I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine has overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of His holiness." He mourned over their condition, and he saw no escape for them, because of Jehovah and the words of His holiness. Under a ministry of law, the message he had to proclaim to these sinners could only be one of unrelieved judgment.

Shiloh was the place where the tent of worship was first set up in the land. What was Shiloh now? God had profaned it. And God would do the very same thing where the ark now stood, in the sanctuary at Jerusalem. It is impossible for God to bind Himself to keep up an empty form. He would no longer support a beautiful picture of His truth while the people and the priests were, in His eyes, the most offensive evil under the sun. God had granted the Jewish people and their priests great truth, great blessing, or at the very least great privileges. The greater the gift, the greater the wickedness of their insults to His holiness in His own temple.

As to the priests, we see a picture which, sadly, is only too common all through the Bible. "Both prophet and priest are profane; yes, in My house I have found their wickedness, says the Lord. Therefore their way shall be to them as slippery ways in the darkness" (Jer. 23:11-12). "The priests did not say, Where is the Lord? and those who handle the law did not know Me" (Jer. 2:8). Pashhur, like Jeremiah, was of the priestly family. His sin brought judgment upon him, as is recorded in Jeremiah 20. He is a striking example.

Verses 9-14. The prophet is overwhelmed because of the wicked prophets, and because there was wickedness in the LORD's house. The false prophets of Samaria had led the people into idolatry. The prophets of Judah were guilty of all kinds of immorality. Like priests, like people. To the Lord they all became like Sodom, and the people of Jerusalem like Gomorrah.

So he says, "My heart within me is broken because of the prophets." He also says, "All my bones shake." Note that it was because he thought of the coming judgment. He goes on, "I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine has overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of His holiness. For the land is full of adulterers … both prophet and priest are profane," and so on. He mourned over their condition, and he saw no escape for them, because of Jehovah and the words of His holiness.

What can stain "the way of the truth" more deeply than the loose living, in whatever form, of these approved teachers? Jeremiah's writings show us most fully the prophets prophesying lies and the priests turning a blind eye to the evil so that they could rule.

"Judgment must begin at the house of God" (1 Peter 4:17). We see it in the symbolic history of the churches in Revelation 2 and 3. God will judge corrupt Christendom no less than He judged corrupt Judaism… When the truth is twisted and real godliness is gone, what can come but judgment from God? That is even more true if the false thing carries His holy Name.

As to the priests, we are shown a picture which, sadly, is only too common all through the Bible. "Both prophet and priest are profane; yes, in My house I have found their wickedness, says the Lord. Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery paths in the darkness" (Jer. 23:11-12). "The priests did not say, Where is the Lord? and those who handle the law did not know Me" (Jer. 2:8). Pashur, like Jeremiah, was of the priestly family. His sin brought judgment upon him, as recorded in Jeremiah 20. He is a striking example.

The prophet is overwhelmed because of the wicked prophets, because wickedness was found in the Lord's house. The false prophets of Samaria had led the people into idolatry, and the prophets of Judah were guilty of all kinds of immoralities. Like priests, like people; they all became to the Lord as Sodom, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem like Gomorrah.

So it is always. In righteous government our sin soon becomes our chastening and the world's sorrow. What our blindness built on as rock turns out to be quicksand — the plaything of waves and winds in the swift-coming day of visitation. The path of unbelief is a rapid descent when the heart hardens itself against a direct warning of the Lord. And the greater the profession of godliness before, the deeper the fall.

The wicked have their "path." This figure of speech is a familiar one: life is like a way. Living our lives is therefore like walking a path. The path of the wicked is the order of life the wicked live. It is to be avoided at all cost. It leads into the darkness of night, where stumbling is certain sooner or later.

The path through the desert must be rough, and it is well that it is so. Any right-minded person would rather be set in a rough way than in a "slippery" one. The Lord sees that we need to be put through roughness and hardness. It is not only so that we may find the rest at the end sweeter. It is also so that we may be better trained and fitted for the place we are yet to occupy.

He mourned over their condition, and he saw no escape for them, because of Jehovah and the words of His holiness. In other words, under a ministry of law, the message he had to preach to these sinners could only be one of judgment without relief. (See vv. 12-40.) Turning now to the apostle Paul, we shall see that he also had the holiness of God working on his soul... But instead of announcing judgment, as the prophet did in keeping with the age he served in, he writes as one in the day of grace.

There was absurdity in the prophets of Samaria, who served idols. There was filthiness in the prophets of Jerusalem, when hypocrisy had gone out into all the land. So the LORD of hosts commanded His people not to listen to those prophets. They made the people empty, speaking a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD... The LORD, who fills heaven and earth, was not unheeding but marked those who prophesied lies in His name.

Verses 9-14. The prophet is overwhelmed by the wicked prophets, because there was wickedness in the LORD's house. The false prophets of Samaria had led the people into idolatry. The prophets of Judah were guilty of every kind of immorality. Like priests, like people; they all became to the Lord as Sodom, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem like Gomorrah.

The prophets in Jeremiah's time included some of the very best, though there were also some of the worst. These last ones, though moving among God's people, "prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit" (Jer. 2:8); "The prophets prophesied falsely" (Jer. 5:31), and yet used the Lord's name, though He "sent them not" (Jer. 14:15). So "by sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed." These prophets broke Jeremiah's heart.

Jeremiah next reproached the prophets (23:9,16). They do not give their hearers the Word of the Lord. "They speak a vision of their own heart." They do not stand in the council of God and make His people hear His Word (v.22). They go out according to their own thoughts. That unfaithfulness is dangerous. It warps, or even falsifies, the message of God's Word by bringing in one's own opinions.

It is painful but profitable to trace the progress of religious corruption; it arises not from outside, but from within. It seems no outside temptation could have made the people of Judah rebel so boldly. Their own corrupt prophets and priests did that.

Responsibility is increased by position and privilege... Instead of guiding the people rightly, they caused many to stumble. Whenever leaders go astray, the results are more serious, because they have more influence, for good and for evil... A private Christian who falls into error or immorality has influence only on his own circle. But if a well-known teacher in the Church leaves the way of truth, he often draws thousands after him into his own evil path.

There was absurdity in the idolatrous prophets of Samaria. There was filthiness in the prophets of Jerusalem, when hypocrisy had spread through all the land. So the Lord of hosts commanded His people not to listen to these prophets. They made the people empty. They spoke a vision of their own heart, not a word from the mouth of the Lord… They had no authority at all. If they had made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way.

Verses 9-14. The prophet is overwhelmed because of the wicked prophets, because wickedness was found in the Lord's house. The false prophets of Samaria had led the people into idolatry, and the prophets of Judah were guilty of all kinds of immoralities. Like priests, like people; they all became to the Lord as Sodom, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem like Gomorrah.

Adultery, lying, profanity, false dreaming, lightness, and lewdness marked these men. They had become so debased that they were "as Sodom" (Jer. 23:14). "Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD" (Jer. 23:30).

"Both prophet and priest are profane; yes, in My house I have found their wickedness, says the Lord. Therefore their way shall be to them like slippery ways in the darkness" (Jer. 23:11-12).

When the people of God go wrong, there is always the spirit of false prophecy which would make them believe that all goes well. Men in authority do not like to be discouraged: see the opposition to Jeremiah in Jerusalem. The false prophet helps this along. He keeps the conscience from turning back to God, who would use discipline to bring the conscience into direct contact with Him.

"An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; My people love to have it so" (Jer. 5:30-31).

However grievous the sins of Sodom were, and the sins of the ten tribes, they were nothing next to the excesses of the city of Jerusalem. Grieving over the sins of Jerusalem, the Lord said, "Your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done… Samaria has not committed half your sins. You have committed more abominations than they" (Ezek. 16:48, 51).

Yet there was a remnant true to God in the middle of the evil. The Lord called to His servants, whom He had appointed to carry out His judgments on the guilty city: "Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it" (Ezek. 9:4). Lot and his daughters were spared from the doom of Sodom: God had His remnant in Jerusalem, marked by Him to escape His consuming judgment.

Preach with a good conscience. Keep a clear conscience. A man who does not live carefully cannot rebuke others boldly. He must speak softly, for fear of waking his own guilty conscience. An unholy life in the preacher will either stop his mouth from rebuking, or stop the people's ears from listening.

There was absurdity in the idolatrous prophets of Samaria. There was filthiness in the prophets of Jerusalem, when hypocrisy had gone out into all the land. So the LORD of hosts commanded His people not to listen to these prophets. They made the people empty, speaking a vision of their own heart, and not from the mouth of the Lord.

This occurs in Scripture only in a figurative sense. Scripture compares turning to idolatry to a root that bears gall and wormwood, Deuteronomy 29:18. Because of the wickedness of His people, God said He would feed them with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink, Jeremiah 9:15; Jeremiah 23:15. Jeremiah, mourning over the condition of Israel, compared it to being drunk with wormwood, Lamentations 3:15, 19. At the sounding of the third trumpet in Revelation, a star named Wormwood fell from heaven. A third of the waters turned to wormwood, and many men died from them. The moral sources of life will become destructive.

Verses 15-32. They will be fed with wormwood and will have to drink gall. Because of their false message of peace (verses 17, 18), the whirlwind of divine judgment will fall on them and on the head of the wicked. They prophesied lies in the name of Jehovah; they were prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They tried to make the people forget the Name of Jehovah.

Their sins were glaring, and committed where sin is most hateful and offensive. So God would have had to deny Himself if He had not brought His people down to the dust and scattered them to the ends of the earth. It was "because of the sins of her prophets, the iniquities of her priests, who have shed the blood of the just in her midst." The greater the privilege in having such servants of Jehovah, the more distressing that they should pollute His name and people.

Some very bitter or poisonous plant, not certainly identified. The word stands for "bitterness." God gave His judgements to them as water of gall to drink, Jeremiah 8:14; Jeremiah 9:15; Jeremiah 23:15. Gall was mixed with the sour wine, or vinegar, that the Roman soldiers drank, and given to men about to be crucified. The purpose, it is now thought, was to make them less sensitive to the torture. It was offered to the Lord, but refused, Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:34.

In Jeremiah's writings we find the fullest picture: prophets prophesying lies, and priests going along with the evil so as to rule. "And my people love to have it so; and what will you do in the end?" says the true prophet in his anguish. But throughout Jewish history we see the same principle, from the beginning to the crisis in our Lord's day. God's vengeance is still more terrible on the false teachers. For their greed and well-turned words, they have all along drawn the mass of people away from the truth.

Such are described as speaking "a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord." Jer. 23:16. There were three that opposed Jeremiah to his face — Hananiah, Ahab, and Zedekiah... In the New Testament the Lord, early in His ministry, warned His hearers to beware of false prophets, Matt. 7:15; and in the church, the spirits are to be tested, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1. They were and are Satan's counterfeits of the prophets of God, and their purpose is, on the principle of imitation, to neutralise the word of God.

Instead of passing on the Word of the Lord to their hearers, "They speak a vision of their own heart." They do not stand in the council of God and make His people hear His Word (v.22). They go out with their own thoughts instead. How dangerous is that unfaithfulness! It twists or even falsifies the message of God's Word by mixing in one's own opinions. "I did not send these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied" (v.21).

So the LORD of hosts commanded His people not to listen to these prophets, who were making them empty. They spoke a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. Peace, and no evil, they cried — while a whirlwind of the LORD had gone out in fury, to fall heavily on the head of the wicked. They had no authority at all. If they had made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way.

The LORD, who fills heaven and earth, was not ignoring this. He took note of those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully.

It was more popular to prophesy smooth things and deceits. Nothing is so dear to the human heart as having God's approval on its own desires. And so came the popularity of the prophets who would say, "Thus says the Lord," when the Lord had not spoken. We should not think that these prophets were always inventing lies. What they did was corrupt the word of God and make it suit man's taste (2 Cor. 2:17). They had to copy the wording of the real prophets, and yet in the end they only produced their own empty speculations.

If ministry is real, it brings God directly to the conscience through the Word. What is false stands between God and the conscience.

So the Lord of hosts commanded His people not to listen to these prophets. They were making the people empty, speaking a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. Peace, and no evil, they cried, when a whirlwind from the Lord had gone out in fury, to fall heavily on the head of the wicked. They had no authority at all. If they had caused His people to hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way.

False prophets appeared in large numbers at various times in Israel's history: Ahab had "about four hundred" of them. Such are described as speaking "a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord." Jer. 23:16. Three of them opposed Jeremiah to his face — Hananiah, Ahab, and Zedekiah. They were, and still are, Satan's counterfeits of the prophets of God, and their aim is, by imitation, to cancel out the word of God.

It is always a mark of false prophecies that in a day of evil they promised prosperity. When the people of God have departed from Him, false prophets prophesy smooth things. They have their glowing dreams of progress and of the spread of the Lord's work and blessing. The coming of great things and pleasant things is their unchanging message. A true prophet, by contrast, in the day of evil warns of the coming of the Lord to judge the ungodly.

When the people of God go wrong, there is always the spirit of false prophecy that would make them believe all is well. Men in authority do not want to be discouraged. The false prophet helps with this. He keeps the conscience from turning back to God, who would use chastening to bring the conscience into direct contact with Him. The spirit of falsehood would persuade them that they are very happy. Those who call them blessed are the misleaders. Those who are so called, and believe them, are swallowed up.

He asks, "Who has stood in the counsel of the Lord?" Failure has always been a matter of standing in the truth.

There is no shortage of those who prophesy smooth things. In Jeremiah's day some said "Peace, peace" while the Lord's sword hung over the land. We have similar false prophets among us today. If we believe them, the upheavals going on in every area are the birth pangs of a new and better day. All who speak like this are deceivers of men's souls. More to the point are Isaiah's words: "The wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked."

Never cover a cracked wall with whitewash, saying, Peace! peace! when there is no peace. Never hurry a soul into confession. Never treat sin lightly. Preach truth as well as grace. Emphasise repentance.

Jeremiah next rebuked the prophets (23:9,16). Instead of bringing their hearers the Word of the Lord, "they speak visions of their own minds." Instead of standing in the council of God and making His people hear His Word (v.22), they go out with their own thoughts. How dangerous is the unfaithfulness that twists God's Word, or even makes it false, by mixing in one's own opinions. "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied" (v.21).

So the LORD of hosts commanded His people not to listen to the prophets who filled them with empty hopes, speaking a vision of their own heart and not from the mouth of the Lord. "Peace, and no harm," they cried — while a storm from the LORD had already gone out in fury, to fall hard on the head of the wicked. They had no authority at all. If they had made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way. The LORD, who fills heaven and earth, was not ignoring it. He took note of those who prophesied lies in His name.

From verse 9 we have a solemn charge against the prophets who did not stand in the truth. Fleshly living, unreal activity, frivolity and lying marked them, though they spoke in the name of the Lord. He asks, "Who has stood in the counsel of the Lord?"… Standing in the truth is where failure has always come. Ephesians 6 says, "having done all, to stand firm" — and that in the face of unseen powers of darkness.

His secret is with those who fear the Lord. God does not make His mind and the secret of His ways known to all His children, and He does not bring them all into the closeness of friendship — the world far less. Every child of God has the same standing in grace, and enjoys the same life, relationship and favour. But not all enjoy the same closeness with Him. To know the mind of God, one thing is needed. It is not outward standing, or correct position, or deep learning in Scripture, but a spirit and a life soaked in the fear of God.

The false prophets, the godless priests, and all the other dreamers put forward their words to deceive; but the Lord stands by His own words. How? Why should people pay attention to His word? On what ground? On its own power. "What has straw in common with wheat?" (verse 28). Food value decides.

It is one thing to say a certain amount of true things. It is quite another to be the living channel between the very heart of God and the souls of God's people. This second thing, and this alone, is true ministry… Nothing is sadder or more shameful than listening to a man who is plainly drawing on his own poor and thin resources, or dealing in second-hand truth and borrowed thoughts. Far better for such a man to be silent — better for his hearers, better for himself.

They cried, "Peace, and no evil!" But look: a whirlwind of Jehovah has gone out in fury, to fall heavily on the head of the wicked. They had no authority from Him. If they had made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way.

The whirlwind is often referred to in the Old Testament as one of the means used by God in His judgements on the earth.

From verse 9 we have a serious charge against the prophets who did not stand in the truth. They were marked by fleshly living, empty activity, carelessness and lying, though they spoke in the name of the Lord. He asks, "Who has stood in the counsel of the Lord?"

Jehovah, who filled heaven and earth, was not ignoring them. He took note of those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully.

Because of their false message of peace, the whirlwind of divine judgment will fall upon them and upon the head of the wicked. They prophesied lies in the name of Jehovah; they were prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They tried to make the people forget the Name of Jehovah. This is still the work of apostate teachers today. They speak out of the deceit of their hearts, they prophesy lies, and they aim at the Name which is above every Name.

It is always a mark of false prophecies that in a day of evil they promised prosperity. When the people of God have departed from Him, false prophets prophesy smooth things. They have their glowing dreams of progress, and of the spread of the Lord's work and blessing... A true prophet, on the contrary, in the day of evil warns of the coming of the Lord to judge the ungodly.

Many places in the Old Testament speak of the same thing (see Jeremiah 23:16-21). The expression "the latter days" takes us right on to the end. No doubt such things existed in the prophet's days, but the passage looks forward to a yet future day.

The history of God's earthly people shows His ways of discipline, with nations and with people alike. God always has our profit in view. We see this again in the prophecy of Jeremiah: "The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has executed and accomplished the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will understand it clearly."

Jehovah of hosts commanded His people not to listen to these prophets, who made them empty. They spoke a vision from their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. Peace, and no evil, they cried — while a whirlwind from Jehovah has gone out in fury, to fall hard on the head of the wicked. They had no authority at all. Had they made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way.

They gave a false message of peace (verses 17, 18). So the whirlwind of divine judgment will fall on them and on the head of the wicked. They prophesied lies in the name of Jehovah; they were prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They tried to make the people forget the Name of Jehovah. This is still the work of apostate teachers today. They speak out of the deceit of their hearts. They prophesy lies. They take aim at the Name which is above every name.

It may be surprising to read of the heart when the Lord carries out His anger. But have we not often heard that there is a heart behind the hand? The verse above teaches this. It also tells us more. In the latter days Israel will look back and understand God's ways with them, above all His love for them.

It is at the completion of the predicted judgments on the wicked, both in Israel and among the nations, which prophecy treats so fully. … "At the same time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people." Can anything be more explicit and decisive than this?

"The last," or "latter days," is an expression with a very distinct prophetic connection. It occurs just 14 times (Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 4:30; Isaiah 2:2; Jeremiah 23:20; Jeremiah 30:24; Daniel 2:28; Hosea 3:5; Micah 4:1, and others). In all of them the reference is to the closing scenes of Jacob's time of trouble and the setting up of the Millennial kingdom. A study of the context of these passages will show it.

Many places in the Old Testament speak of the same thing (see Jeremiah 23:16-21). The expression "the latter days" takes us right on to the end. No doubt such things existed in the prophet's days, but the passage looks forward to a day still future.

This verse reminds us of the 12th chapter of Hebrews. There we Christians stand under the Father's disciplining hand. How often the apostle's words have been an encouragement: "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves" (Hebrews 12:6). They seem to line up with the "heart" in the verse quoted above. "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11). In the latter days Israel will consider their years of suffering perfectly. In the same way, may our trials train us, so that we find they have truly been for our good.

The Lord had to say of those who professed to serve Him, "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran." Plenty of activity — yet the Lord had not sent them there. His will should have been enough for them. They claimed to be His servants. Yet they did their own will, dreamed their own dreams, chose their own messages, and in truth "forsook God who made" them. God made them for what? Surely to be the instrument of His will, the vessel of His pleasure, the witness to His Name.

They do not pass on the Word of the Lord to their hearers. "They speak a vision of their own heart." They should stand in the council of God and cause His people to hear His Word (v. 22). Instead, they go out according to their own thoughts. How dangerous is that unfaithfulness! It warps or even falsifies the message of God's Word by bringing in one's own opinions.

They cried peace and no evil, while a whirlwind from the Lord had gone out in fury, to fall heavily on the head of the wicked. They had no authority at all. If they had caused His people to hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way. The Lord fills heaven and earth. He was not ignoring them. He marked those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully.

From verse 9 we have a solemn charge against the prophets who did not stand in the truth. Carnality, unreal activity, lightness and lying marked them, though they spoke in the name of the Lord. He asks, "Who has stood in the counsel of the Lord?" Failure has always come at this one point: standing in the truth.

God alone could make, and fit, and send a prophet. Sadly, the Lord had to say of some, "I did not send them, yet they ran." They were unholy intruders into the field of prophecy, just as others intruded into the priesthood. All such brought down on themselves the judgment of God.

We must be able, through grace, to prove in our ministry that we are sent. I do not believe in anyone being self-sent. I do not believe in self-appointed servants. That kind of thing is just as bad as people-made ministers, if not worse. One of the most miserable beings in this world is a man-made minister. But it is far worse for a man to hold no commission except from himself. That is the worst of all — it is consecrated self-will.

We need to have our eye on God alone. If He sends us, all is well; then we may gladly go without a fear or a question. But woe to the one who runs unsent. The Lord had to say of other prophets, "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran." Let us beware of such work done in the name of the Lord! We all need to take the warning home to ourselves.

It is for the believer to know the truth which sanctifies him, and to stand in it. From verse 9 we have a solemn indictment against the prophets who did not stand in the truth. They were worldly, their activity was unreal, they took holy things lightly, and they lied — yet they spoke in the name of the Lord. He asks who among them has stood in the council of the Lord. If they had stood there, and had made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way. Failure has always come at just this point: standing in the truth.

They had no authority at all. If they had made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way. The Lord, who fills heaven and earth, was not indifferent; He took note of those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully.

Instead of standing in the council of God and causing His people to hear His Word (v. 22), they go forth according to their own thoughts. Unfaithfulness like this is dangerous. It twists the message of God's Word, or even falsifies it, by bringing in one's own opinions.

When the word of God really enters our souls, it produces a moral effect, and it does so by its own force, because it is the word of God. It commands, and more than that, it causes repentance. It passes the sentence of death on man in his natural state. It makes the sinner bow to that sentence... So repentance comes, and the sinner turns to God.

The king of Nineveh led the way in the humbling he called for, and he added that everyone was to turn from his evil way and from the violence in his hands. Then we read that God saw their works, and that they turned from their evil way. How very sad it is to see God's people Israel, who were just as evil as the Ninevites but with less excuse, since they had more light, reject God's offers of mercy and refuse to turn from their evil ways.

Nowadays we hear people talk about having a call to the ministry, tied to this or that group, and the call is supposed to be from the Lord. But it is more often from a congregation of unconverted men, and the man called is anything but a child of God. Yet since they take this place, the Lord holds them responsible for the position.

Never cover a cracked wall with whitewash, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. Never hurry a soul into confession. Never treat sin lightly. Preach truth as well as grace. Emphasize repentance.

Instead of passing on the Word of the Lord to their hearers, "They speak visions of their own minds." They should have stood in the council of God and made His people hear His Word (v.22). Instead they go out according to their own thoughts. How dangerous is that unfaithfulness! It twists or even falsifies the message of God's Word by bringing in one's own opinions.

Jehovah filled heaven and earth. He was not indifferent: He took note of those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully.

God, who bounds everything else, is Himself without bounds. He sets bounds to the sea: "Thus far shall you come, and no farther." He sets bounds to the angels; they, like the cherubim, move and stand at His appointment (Ezek. 10:16). But He is infinite, without bounds. He who can span the heavens and weigh the earth in scales must be infinite (Isa. 40:22). "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" (Jer. 23:24). The humble heart is His throne, as regards His gracious presence (Isa. 57:15); and heaven is His throne, as regards His glorious presence (Isa. 66:1); and yet neither of these thrones will hold Him, for the highest heaven cannot contain Him.

As to omnipresence, God has no more to do with space than with time. He has created all things in a way we can grasp. In this creation nothing escapes Him. He is, morally speaking, omnipresent. He is not of it, or in it, but pervades it. He is "through all"! He upholds everything, as He creates everything.

Jeremiah might well say, "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD." The thief and the perjurer might flatter themselves that their wrongdoing was unknown. They had managed to cover it from every human eye. They might even be mixing with their neighbours without a known stain on their character. They might have gone further and said, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive."

From the moment God redeemed Israel out of Egypt to be His people, He had made known His desire to dwell among them. Yet under the conditions that then existed He had to veil Himself in fire and cloud and awesome majesty. Man had to keep his distance. This was so with Moses, and with Aaron and his sons. It was so with Solomon too. He finished the Temple, and yet the priests could not enter, for the glory of the Lord filled the House. It was nearness in one sense, but distance in another.

We open the New Testament, and all is changed. At once we meet JESUS, who is EMMANUEL, which means, "God with us." Here we have something entirely new. He who once dwelt in the devouring fire on Sinai was now among men in perfect manhood and in lowly grace. The One who is light, and who dwells in unapproachable light, had now appeared. He softened the piercing rays of His glory so that human eyes could take them in.

All these things give sad proof of how little we live, move and have our being in the presence of God. If we could only keep in mind that God hears us and sees us! He hears our every word. He sees our every thought and every way. How differently we would carry ourselves! What holy watchfulness we would keep over our thoughts, our tempers and our tongues!

Jeremiah next reproached the prophets (23:9,16). Instead of passing on the Word of the Lord to their hearers, "they speak visions of their own minds." They should have stood in the council of God and made His people hear His Word (v.22). Instead they go out according to their own thoughts. How dangerous is that unfaithfulness! It twists or even falsifies the message of God's Word by bringing in one's own opinions. "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied" (v.21).

The thief and the man who swears falsely might flatter themselves that their sin was unknown. They think they have covered it from every human eye. They might even mix with their neighbours without a known stain on their character. They might have gone further and said, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive." But "He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?" (Psalm 94:7, 9.) Sooner or later this verse warns all such people that their false security will be shaken.

The very thing God is dealing with us ALL about is the thought, "no eye will see me." A man can care about his character before people while not caring what God thinks. A man who would not cheat other people is cheating God all the time. We cannot, in reality; He knows it all.

God, who sets bounds to everything else, is Himself without bounds. He sets bounds to the sea: "Thus far shall you come, and no farther." He sets bounds to the angels; they, like the cherubim, move and stand at His appointment (Ezek. 10:16). But He is infinite, without bounds. He who can span the heavens, and weigh the earth in scales, must be infinite (Isa. 40:22). "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" (Jer. 23:24). The humble heart is His throne, as regards His gracious presence (Isa. 57:15). Heaven is His throne, as regards His glorious presence (Isa. 66:1). Yet neither of these thrones will hold Him, for the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him.

In omnipresence there is the presence of God in every place. If it be heaven, He is there; it is His home. And earth: "Do not I fill heaven and earth? says the Lord" (Jer. 23:24). "Hell is naked before Him" (Job 26:6; Psalm 139:8). God is everywhere: He fills all places at all times. He fills space, earth, sea, and land. He fills our homes; with Him there can be no in and out, nor above and beneath.

After all, dear friends, is it not a blessed thing to know that nothing can escape either the hand or eye of God? What a comfort that He discerns every thought of our hearts that would hinder blessing, or dim communion with Himself! Some secret evil may be working in my heart while I stay unaware of it. It may be one of the ten thousand things that, if indulged, would hinder the enjoyment of God. Well, God sends some circumstance that shows me the evil, so that it can be put away.

Failure at all times has been about standing in the truth. Ephesians 6 says, "having done all, TO STAND FIRM," and that is in the face of unseen powers of darkness. Let us remember the word of the prophet, and we shall be strong to stand in the truth: "Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD" (v. 24). We are to be strong in Him, not in ourselves; not in self-confidence, but in the Lord.

They had no authority at all. If they had made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way. The Lord, who fills heaven and earth, was not inattentive, but noted those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully.

It was more popular to prophesy smooth things and lies. Nothing is so dear to the human heart as having God's approval on its own desires. That is why the prophets who would say, "Thus says the Lord," when the Lord had not spoken, were so popular. These prophets were not always inventing lies. They corrupted the word of God and made it suit man's taste.

They prophesied lies in the name of the Lord; they were prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They tried to make the people forget the Name of the Lord. This is still the work of teachers who have abandoned the truth. They speak out of the deceit of their hearts, they prophesy lies, and they aim at the Name which is above every Name. How different the word of the Lord is from the idle dreams of these false prophets! Three times the Lord declares that He is against these prophets.

This testimony of the Lord against the prophets increased as the falling away set in. The nearer the ruin came — and this is how His grace works — the more testimony He raised about it. But as God multiplied His witnesses, the prophets of the people multiplied too.

The false prophets, the godless priests, and all the other dreamers put forward their words to deceive. But the Lord stands by His own words. Why should anyone pay attention to His word? On one ground: its own power. "What is the chaff to the wheat?" Food value decides.

Preach the truth. Take care not to give your own dreams and fancies in God's name. All is chaff except the pure word of God. Oh, do not stamp God's image on your own coin!

Such dreamers are grouped with false prophets. Possibly it was a hypnotic state that evil spirits could use, with the aim of turning the people from the Lord to idolatry. Even if what they prophesied came true, the people must not listen to them: God allowed it as a test, to prove whether Israel loved the Lord. Deuteronomy 13:1-5. We have the same caution in the New Testament about the gospel and the confession of Jesus Christ come in flesh. Galatians 1:8-9; 1 John 4:1.

But the weight of that influence was quickly turned against God. It was more popular to prophesy smooth things and lies. Nothing is so dear to the human heart as having God's approval for its own desires. That is why the prophets who would say, "Thus says the Lord," when the Lord had not spoken, were so popular. We should not suppose these prophets were always inventing lies. They corrupted the word of God and made it suit man's taste (2 Cor. 2:17). They had to copy the real prophets in many of their phrases. Yet in the end they produced only their own empty ideas.

They prophesied lies in the name of the Lord; they were prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They tried to make the people forget the Name of the Lord. That is still the work today of teachers who have abandoned the faith. They speak out of the deceit of their hearts, they prophesy lies, and they aim at the Name which is above every name. How different the word of the Lord is from the idle dreams of these false prophets.

Such dreamers are classed with false prophets. It may have been a hypnotic state that evil spirits could use, with the aim of turning the people from the Lord to idolatry. Even if what they prophesied came true, no one was to listen to them on that account. God allowed the test to prove whether Israel loved the Lord (Deut. 13:1-5). The New Testament gives us the same caution about the gospel and about confessing that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh (Gal. 1:8-9; 1 John 4:1). In Jer. 27:9 the dreamers are grouped with diviners.

Instead of passing on the Word of the Lord to their hearers, "They speak a vision of their own heart." They should have stood in the council of God and made His people hear His Word (v.22). Instead they go out with their own thoughts. How dangerous is that unfaithfulness! It twists, or even falsifies, the message of God's Word by bringing in a person's own opinions.

The false prophets, the ungodly priests, and all the other dreamers put forward their words to deceive. But the Lord stands by His own words. How? Why should they pay attention to it? On what ground? On the power it has in itself. "What is the chaff to the wheat?" (verse 28). Food value decides.

I have never read a tradition that was not obviously chaff. I have never read a thought that came from man that was not worthless in the things of God. Give me something of God, and the moment my faith lays hold of the mind of God I have the wheat. In other words, the truth of God is not a matter of historical research. It is something that suits a plain man much better, and right away. What would become of the poor and the simple if they had to make long investigations to find out what the word of God was?

Jehovah of hosts therefore commanded His people not to listen to the prophets who made them empty. These men spoke a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. Peace, and no evil, they cried; when a whirlwind of Jehovah has gone out in fury, to fall heavily on the head of the wicked. They had no authority at all. If they had caused His people to hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way. Jehovah, who fills heaven and earth, marked those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully.

The false prophets, the profane priests, and all the other dreamers brought forward their words to deceive. But the Lord stands by His own utterances. And how? Why should they take heed to it? On what ground? On its own intrinsic power. "What is the chaff to the wheat?" (verse 28). Nutritive value decides.

There is one excellent way of meeting a man when he is hungry. Give him a piece of bread, and he knows it is bread. He may never have seen that kind of bread before, and may never have tasted it, but he is convinced it is bread. Give him a piece of board, and he knows this is not bread. By human learning a man may be very ignorant. Yet God guards even the simplest of His people with a practical test. "What is chaff to the wheat?" The truth of God always commends itself to the consciences of those who hear it.

Preach the truth. Take care not to give your own dreams and fancies in God's name. All is chaff except the pure word of God. Oh, do not stamp God's image on your own coin! We live in high-flown times. Many people are not content with truths that lie plainly in the Scriptures. To please their restless tastes, some have refined their notions so high that they have flown out of sight of the Scripture. Without realising it, they have run themselves and others into dangerous errors. Do not make experiments on the souls of people by delivering what is doubtful. Better to feed people with sound doctrine, even if it is a plain meal. The exotic dish may hit on a wild gourd that brings death into their pot.

When teaching stops being definite, it stops being powerful; for it stops being truth that is taught. All truth is definite, or it stops being truth. Teaching that swerves from this may not stop being exciting or attractive, but it stops building people up. The man who deals out truth that is uncertain and undefined first takes the chaff for the wheat himself. Then he works the same deception on others. Every teacher who is in earnest has a plain duty: to present truth in the plainest, most unadorned dress, and to unfold it in words that ordinary minds can follow.

They talk to us about a human element in inspiration. They speak of the divine truth and of the human instrument that carried it, as though truth and error were mixed together. Then, to use the illustration of a popular preacher, you would have to take your winnowing fan and fan the chaff out of the wheat. No, God's precious word is pure grain; there is no chaff there. It is the fan that separates the precious from the vile in our lives, ways and hearts, but man cannot judge it.

Sometimes those who should speak and give out what they have of real profit are silent. To such the word is: "let him who has my word speak my word faithfully" (Jer. 23:28).

They prophesied lies in the name of Jehovah; they were prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They tried to make the people forget the Name of Jehovah. Teachers who have abandoned the truth still do this work today. They speak out of the deceit of their hearts. They prophesy lies. They attack the Name that is above every name. How different is the word of the Lord from the idle dreams of these false prophets. "Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" (verse 29). Three times the Lord declares He is against these prophets (verses 30-32).

The false prophets, the godless priests, and all the other dreamers brought forward their words to deceive. But the Lord stands by His own words. And how? Why should they take heed to it? On what ground? On its own intrinsic power. "What is the chaff to the wheat?" (verse 28). Nutritive value decides.

There is one very good way of meeting a man when he is hungry. Give him a piece of bread, and he knows perfectly well it is bread. He may never have seen that kind of bread before, and may never have tasted it, but he is convinced it is bread. Give him a piece of board, and he knows this is not bread. So, by the standards of human learning, a man may know almost nothing. Yet God guards even the simplest of His people with a practical test. "What is chaff to the wheat?" The truth of God always commends itself to the consciences of those who hear it.

The heart of man is hard towards God by nature... Jeremiah 23:29 likens God's Word to a hammer. The jailer at Philippi needed the hammer when Paul and Silas first dealt with him. King Josiah did not. His heart was already tender.

As I read, I said to myself: No one on earth knows me as I know myself. But the Author of this Book knows me far better than I know myself. I felt that God was speaking. I found myself under His all-seeing eye, and I fell at His feet. The hammer of His Word had broken the hard rock to pieces.

Jeremiah 23:28-29 compares the word to wheat. Strangely, it also compares it to fire and to a hammer breaking the rock in pieces. God can use His word to feed or to break hard hearts!

He was the target of constant mockery. They watched for him to stumble, so he would gladly have kept silent. But the word of Jehovah was like fire in his bones... We understand how at such times the word in us is too strong to be shut up in our heart.

It would be unfaithfulness and dishonesty, as well as a real breach of love, not to say what the Lord says. To modify or alter it would be dishonest. "Let him who has My word speak My word faithfully," He Himself says.

So the Lord of hosts commanded His people not to listen to the prophets who made them empty. Those prophets spoke a vision of their own heart, not words from the mouth of the Lord. Peace, and no evil, they cried, when a whirlwind of the Lord has gone out in fury, to fall heavily on the head of the wicked. They had no authority at all. If they had made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way. The Lord, who filled heaven and earth, was not indifferent; He marked those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully.

It was more popular to prophesy smooth and deceitful things. Nothing is so dear to the human heart as having God's approval for its own desires. That is why people loved the prophets who said, "Thus says the Lord," when the Lord had not spoken. These prophets were not always inventing lies. They corrupted the word of God and made it suit man's taste (2 Corinthians 2:17). They had to imitate the real prophets in many of their expressions. Yet in the end they only produced their own empty speculations.

They prophesied lies in the name of the Lord; they were prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They tried to make the people forget the name of the Lord. The same is true today of teachers who have abandoned the faith. They speak out of the deceit of their hearts, they prophesy lies, and they take aim at the Name that is above every name. How different is the word of the Lord from the idle dreams of these false prophets. Three times the Lord declares He is against these prophets (verses 30-32).

And this book, like every work of God, shows itself for what it is. It is its own witness. "Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?" All other words stand in contrast — all words or writings that are not His. Of them the Lord says, "What is the chaff to the wheat?" (Jeremiah 23).

They should have stood in the council of God and made His people hear His word (v. 22). Instead, they go out according to their own thoughts. How dangerous is that unfaithfulness! It twists, or even falsifies, the message of God's word by bringing in one's own opinions. "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied" (v. 21).

To talk about Him from what others say is to misrepresent Him, and to damage the soul of the speaker. To trade with what others write is dishonesty. To take the place of an "ambassador" without being long in His company is to be false to the One you claim to represent.

It was more popular to prophesy smooth things and lies. Nothing is so dear to the human heart as having God's approval for its own desires. That is why people loved the prophets who would say, "Thus says the Lord," when the Lord had not spoken. We should not think these prophets were always inventing lies. Instead, they corrupted the word of God and made it suit man's taste (2 Cor. 2:17). They had to copy many of the real prophets' expressions. Yet in the end they only produced their own empty speculations.

God had to say of men who claimed to serve Him, "I did not send the prophets, yet they ran" (Jer. 23:21). Plenty of activity — yet the Lord had not sent them there. His will should have satisfied them. So they claimed to be His servants, but they did their own will. They dreamed their own dreams and chose their own messages. In truth they "forsook God who made" them.

The Lord of hosts commanded His people not to listen to the prophets who made them empty — men speaking a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord. No one authorised these men. If they had made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way. The Lord, who fills heaven and earth, was not unaware but took note of those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully.

The false prophets, the profane priests, and all the other dreamers brought forward their words to deceive. But the Lord stands by His own words. How? Why should they pay attention to it? On what ground? On its own inherent power. "What is the chaff to the wheat?" (verse 28). Nutritional value decides.

I have never read a tradition that was not obviously chaff. I have never read a thought that came from man that was not worthless in the things of God. Give me something of God, and the moment my faith takes hold of the mind of God I have the wheat. In other words, the truth of God is not merely a question of historical investigation. What would become of the poor and the simple if they had to run long investigations to find out what the word of God was?

Every man who prophesies out of his own heart is a false prophet, a blind leader of the blind. He speaks his own mind, and his preaching and teaching does not follow the word of God. What the Lord said through Ezekiel is true of all of them: "They have seen false visions and lying divinations. They say, 'Declares the LORD,' when the LORD has not sent them." They are self-called and self-sent.

Suppose someone comes with a fresh revelation, some new truth that is not in the Bible. We must judge him and his message by the standard of Scripture and reject them completely. False prophets come with great pretensions, high-sounding words and a pious manner. But they cannot stand the searching power of the word of God.

They had no authority at all. If they had made His people hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way. The Lord, who fills heaven and earth, was not ignoring it; He took note of those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully. … The Lord would forsake them. He would cast prophet, priest, and people out of His presence. He would bring on them a lasting reproach and a shame that would never be forgotten.

"I did not send the prophets, yet they ran" had to be said of those who claimed to serve Him. Plenty of activity, yet they were not sent there by the Lord, whose will should have satisfied them. So they claimed to be His servants. Yet they did their own will, dreamed their own dreams, chose their own messages, and in truth forsook the God who made them.

It was more popular to prophesy smooth things and deceptions. Nothing is so dear to the human heart as having God's approval on its own desires. That is why prophets who would say, "Thus says the Lord," when the Lord had not spoken, were so popular. We should not suppose that these prophets were always inventing lies. They corrupted the word of God and made it fit man's taste. They had to copy the real prophets in many of their expressions, and yet in the end produced only their own empty speculations.

If people gave these things proper attention, we would not have so many running unsent. So many rush into areas of ministry they were never designed for. Let everyone who stands up to preach, teach, encourage, or serve in any way ask a serious question. Is he truly fitted, taught and sent by God? If not, God will not own his work, and it will not be a blessing to people. The sooner he stops, the better — for himself, and for those on whom he has been laying the heavy burden of listening to him.

Preach the truth. Take care about giving your own dreams and fancies in God's name. Everything is chaff except the pure word of God. Do not stamp God's image on your own coin! … Do not make experiments on people's souls by delivering what is doubtful. It is better to feed people with sound doctrine, even if it is a plain meal. That is better than serving some exotic dish and hitting on a wild gourd that brings death into their pot.

There was no protection from these teachers in turning to another approved and recognised class of teachers. The teachers who mark the falling away would themselves be approved and recognised in the eyes of men. The only way to meet the difficulty and escape the trap would be personal faithfulness. In Israel, only the person who followed the Lord fully had the moral ability to tell the difference. He alone could tell the wheat from the chaff — the prophet of the Lord from the prophet of his own heart.

Besides the common use of this word, it occurs at the start of several prophecies, such as "The burden of Babylon," "the burden of Moab" (Isaiah 13:1; 15:1, and so on). Scholars do not agree on the force of the Hebrew word massa here. Its natural meaning would be "a judgment that lies heavy on the people," but some take it to mean "an oracle or sentence pronounced against them." The word also occurs in Jeremiah 23:33-38, where it is "the burden of the LORD." The false prophets were not to use this expression, as if they had a message from God. If they did, it would bring judgment on them.

The word burden carries the thought of a weight that is hard to bear, for God is bringing His displeasure to bear on mankind, and He intends people to feel it.

Verses 33-40. If they ask the question, "What is the burden of the LORD?" the answer is to be, "I will cast you off." The burden, or word of the Lord, is not to be mentioned again to them. They will be utterly forgotten and forsaken, with everlasting reproach and perpetual shame on them.

From verse 33 to the end of the chapter we see that the people, the prophet and the priest are all alike walking in vanity and not in the truth. They use the Name of the Lord in vain. So the Lord says, "I will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you." He would cast them out of His sight and make them a lasting shame (vv. 39-40).

The weight of that influence was quickly turned against God. It was more popular to prophesy smooth things and deceits, and nothing is so dear to the human heart as to have God's approval for its own desires. That is why the prophets were popular who would say, "Thus says the LORD," when the LORD had not spoken. We should not suppose that these prophets were always inventing lies, but they corrupted the word of God and made it suit man's taste (2 Corinthians 2:17). They had to imitate many of the expressions of the real prophets, and yet in the end they only produced their own empty speculations.

The fitting burden now was that the LORD would forsake them. No one was to mention the burden of the LORD any more, for every man's word would be his own burden. He would cast out prophet, priest and people from His presence, and bring on them a lasting reproach and a perpetual shame that would not be forgotten.

To someone with a "burden of the LORD" resting on his soul, no time would be unsuitable. Like Jeremiah, he would find that the Word was in his heart like a burning fire, and he would grow weary with holding back, and would not be able to stop (Jeremiah 23:38; 20:9).

Apart from its ordinary use, this word stands at the start of several prophecies, such as "The burden of Babylon" and "the burden of Moab" (Isaiah 13:1; Isaiah 15:1, and others). Scholars do not agree on the force of massa in these places. Its natural meaning would be "a judgement that lies heavy on the people." But some take it to mean "an oracle or sentence pronounced against them." The word also occurs in Jeremiah 23:33-38, where it is "the burden of the Lord." The false prophets were not to use this expression, as if they had a message from God. If they did, it would bring judgement on them.

So we find God's special witnesses speaking against the prophets in the middle of the apostasy just as much as against the priests. The two go together. But the prophets seem to have taken a bigger part in pushing the apostasy forward, and so the real prophets of the Lord speak to them more often. This testimony of the Lord against the prophets grew as the apostasy set in. The nearer the ruin came (such is the way of His grace), the more testimony He raised about it. But as God multiplied His witnesses, the prophets of the people multiplied too.

It was very sad that God should have to speak to His people like this. "The prophet, and the priest, and the people" were all marked by departure from Him. So the Lord has to say to them, "For you have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God" (Jeremiah 23:34-36).

But the weight of the prophets' influence soon turned against God. It was more popular to prophesy smooth things and lies. Nothing is so dear to the human heart as having God's approval on its own desires. So the popular prophets were the ones who would say, "Thus says the Lord," when the Lord had not spoken. We should not suppose that these prophets were always inventing lies. But they corrupted the word of God and made it fit man's taste (2 Corinthians 2:17). They had to copy many of the real prophets' expressions. Yet in the end they only produced their own empty speculations.

The burden now due to them was this: Jehovah would forsake them. They were not to mention the burden of Jehovah any more, for every man's word should be his burden. He would cast out prophet, priest and people from His presence. He would bring on them an everlasting reproach and a lasting shame that no one would forget.

They prophesied lies in the name of Jehovah; they were prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They tried to make the people forget the Name of Jehovah. This is still the work of teachers today who have turned away from the truth. They speak out of the deceit of their hearts. They prophesy lies, and they take aim at the Name which is above every Name.

So in Jeremiah 23 we have their general and solemn judgment, but not without the vision of sovereign mercy when the Son of David shall arise. How refreshing to read such words in the middle of the moral horrors we have had before us!

The real burden now was that the LORD would forsake them. They were not to speak of "the burden of the LORD" any more, because every man's own word would be his burden. He would cast prophet, priest, and people out of His presence. He would bring on them everlasting disgrace, and a lasting shame that would never be forgotten.

If they ask, "What is the burden of the LORD?" the answer is to be, "I will cast you off." The burden, or word of the Lord, will not be mentioned to them again.

From verse 33 to the end of the chapter, the people, the prophet and the priest are all walking in vanity and not in the truth. They use the Name of the Lord in vain. So the Lord says, "I will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you."

It was very sad that God had to speak to His people this way. "The prophet, and the priest, and the people" were all marked by departure from Him. So the Lord has to say to them, "You have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God" (Jer. 23:34-36). Israel had been the special objects of God's care, and He had done His wonderful works among them. Even so, they turned from the living and true God to serve the idols of the nations.

Give a hungry man a piece of bread, and he knows well that it is bread. He may never have seen that sort of bread before, and may never have tasted it, but he is sure it is bread. Give him a piece of board, and he knows this is not bread. By human learning a man may know very little. Yet God guards even the simplest of His people with a practical test. "What is chaff to the wheat?" The truth of God always commends itself to the consciences of those who hear it.

Take that enormous claim of the Bible, "Thus says the LORD," repeated over and over again. Now, did the Lord say it, or did He not? If He did say it, then to treat anything He said as merely human writing is sheer blasphemy. If He did not say it, then to talk of anyone drawing comfort or inspiration from such deceitful words is to recommend a very silly, sentimental — not to say immoral — religion.

"If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God." According to this, no one should ever speak unless he is fully sure that he is giving out God's mind and message, suited to that time and those souls. If people felt this as they should, would it not stop a great many from speaking? And there is no reason to fear that silence in such a case would be a real loss to the church of God.

Apart from its ordinary use, this word appears at the start of several prophecies, such as "the burden of Babylon" and "the burden of Moab." Scholars do not agree on the force of massa in such places. Its natural meaning would be "a judgement that lies heavy on the people." Some take it to mean "an oracle or sentence pronounced against them." The word also occurs in Jeremiah 23:33-38, where it is "the burden of the Lord." The false prophets were not to use this expression, as if they had a message from God. If they did, it would bring judgement on them. The same word is translated "prophecy" in Proverbs 30:1 and 31:1.

It was more popular to prophesy smooth things and deceits. Nothing is so dear to the human heart as having God's approval for its own sinful desires. So prophets who would say, "Thus says the Lord," when the Lord had not spoken, became popular. We should not suppose that these prophets were always inventing lies. But they corrupted the word of God and made it suit man's taste (2 Cor. 2:17). They had to copy many of the real prophets' expressions, yet in the end they only produced their own empty ideas.

Instead of passing the Word of the Lord to their hearers, "They speak a vision of their own heart." They do not stand in the council of God and cause His people to hear His Word (v. 22). They go out according to their own thoughts instead. How dangerous is that unfaithfulness! It brings in one's own opinions, and so warps or even falsifies the message of God's Word. "I did not send these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied" (v. 21).

How very sad it was that God should have to speak to His people in this way. "The prophet, and the priest, and the people" were all marked by turning away from Him. So the Lord has to say to them, "You pervert the words of the living God, the LORD of hosts, our God" (Jer. 23:34-36). They had been the special objects of God's care, and He had done His wonderful works among them. Yet Israel had turned from the living and true God to serve the idols of the nations. Is it any wonder that God, in His righteous rule, allowed the nations to take them captive?

The due burden now was that the LORD would forsake them. They were not to mention the burden of the LORD any more, for every man's word should be his burden. He would cast out prophet, priest, and people from His presence. He would bring on them an everlasting reproach, and a lasting shame that would not be forgotten.

To one who had a "burden of the LORD" resting on his soul, no time would be the wrong time. Like Jeremiah, he would find that the Word was in his heart as a burning fire. He would be weary with holding it in, and he would not be able to stay (Jer. 23:38; 20:9).

Besides the common use of this word, it occurs at the start of several prophecies. Examples are "The burden of Babylon" and "the burden of Moab" (Isaiah 13:1; Isaiah 15:1). Scholars do not agree about the force of massa in such places. Its natural meaning would be "a judgment that lies heavy on the people." But some take its meaning to be "an oracle or sentence pronounced against them." The word also occurs in Jeremiah 23:33-38, where it is "the burden of the Lord." The false prophets were not to use this expression, as if they had a message from God. If they did, it should bring judgment upon them.

The burden they now deserved was this: Jehovah would forsake them. They were to speak of "the burden of Jehovah" no more, for every man's word should be his own burden. He would cast out prophet, priest and people from His presence. He would bring on them an everlasting reproach, and a lasting shame that would not be forgotten.

How very sad it was that God should have to speak like this to His people. "The prophet, and the priest, and the people" were all marked by departure from Him. So the Lord has to say to them, "For you have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God" (Jeremiah 23:34-36). Israel had been the special object of God's care, and He had done His wonderful works among them. Despite that, Israel had turned from the living and true God to serve the idols of the nations.

The later part of this chapter again presses the value of the word of Jehovah very strongly, and in an interesting way. The false prophets, the profane priests, and all the other dreamers brought forward their words to deceive, but the Lord stands by His own utterances. And how? Why should they take heed to it? On what ground? On its own intrinsic power. "What is the chaff to the wheat?" Nutritive value decides.

God had to say of men who professed to serve Him, "I have not sent these prophets ... yet they ran" (Jeremiah 23:21). Much activity, yet the Lord had not sent them there, and His will should have satisfied them. So while they claimed to be His servants, they did their own will. They dreamed their own dreams and chose their own messages.

If they ask the question, "What is the burden of the LORD?" the answer is to be, "I will cast you off." The burden, or word of the Lord, is not to be mentioned again to them. They will be utterly forgotten and forsaken, with everlasting reproach and perpetual shame upon them.

That Jehovah would forsake them was the due burden now, and the burden of Jehovah was not to be mentioned any more; for every man's word should be his burden.

How very sad it was that God should have to speak this way to His people. "The prophet, and the priest, and the people" were all marked by departure from Him. So the Lord has to say to them, "For you have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God." Israel had been the special object of God's care, and He had done His wonderful works among them. Yet they had turned from the living and true God to serve the idols of the nations.

If He sends us, all is well; then we may gladly go without a fear or a question; but woe to the one who runs unsent. The Lord had to say of other prophets: "I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied" (Jer. 23:21). Let us beware of such work done in the name of the Lord! We all need to take the warning home to ourselves.

Much activity, yet not sent there by the Lord, whose will should have contented them. So while professing to be His servants, they did their own will, dreamed their own dreams, chose their own messages, and in truth "forsook God who made" them.

Man had taken God's ordinance into his own keeping — he had an institution of his own for supplying what God alone could supply effectively. So we find the prophets testified against by God's special witnesses in the middle of the apostasy just as much as the priests were... The Lord's testimony against the prophets grew as the apostasy set in. The nearer the ruin came, the more testimony He raised about it — such is the way of His grace.

All times were to be alike to Timothy; he must never break off his work; he must always watch for a chance to fulfil his calling. To anyone with a "burden of the LORD" resting on his soul, no time would be unsuitable. Like Jeremiah, he would find the Word in his heart as a burning fire. He would be weary with holding it in, and could not stop (Jer. 23:38; 20:9).

Besides the common use of this word, it occurs at the beginning of several prophecies, as "the burden of Babylon," "the burden of Moab" (Isaiah 13:1; 15:1, etc.). Scholars do not agree on the force of massa in such places. Its natural meaning would be "a judgment that lies heavy on the people," but some take it to mean "an oracle or sentence pronounced against them." The word also occurs in Jeremiah 23:33-38, where it is "the burden of the LORD." The false prophets were not to use this expression, as if they had a message from God. If they did, it would bring judgment on them.

The fitting burden now was that the LORD would forsake them. They were not to mention the burden of the LORD any more, for every man's word would be his burden. He would cast out prophet, priest, and people from His presence. He would bring on them an everlasting reproach, and a perpetual shame which would not be forgotten.

From verse 33 to the end of the chapter we see that the people, the prophet and the priest are all alike walking in vanity and not in the truth. They use the Name of the Lord in vain; therefore the Lord says, "I will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you." They should be cast out of His sight, and be a perpetual shame (vv. 39-40).

"I have not sent these prophets," had to be said of those who professed to serve Him, "yet they ran." Much activity, yet not sent there by the Lord, whose will should have contented them. So while professing to be His servants, they did their own will, dreamed their own dreams, chose their own messages, and in truth "forsook God who made" them.

They prophesied lies in the name of the LORD; they were prophets of the deceit of their own heart. They tried to make the people forget the Name of the LORD. Such is still today the work of apostate teachers, who speak out of the deceit of their hearts, who prophesy lies and who aim at the Name which is above every name.

They had no authority at all. If they had caused His people to hear His words, they would have turned them from their evil way. The LORD, who fills heaven and earth, was watching, and He marked those who prophesied lies in His name. If they had His word, let them speak it faithfully.

Jeremiah 24, the last of our section, shows by the sign of the two baskets of figs that a remnant shall be preserved, though the rest as bad figs are utterly rejected... Even in the land of the Chaldeans the eyes of the Lord are on them for good. They should be restored again, too, and established in the land of Israel; but better than the best of the land, they should know the Lord; and better than returning to the place, they should return to Him.

In chapter 24, Jeremiah is shown two baskets of figs. This happened after the second deportation. The first one had occurred under Jehoiakim. Now, around ten years later… Zedekiah was king.

Jeconiah, with the choicest of the nation, had been carried away into captivity. A large portion remained, and were not taken away, and these attributed their escape from exile to some goodness in them.

Jeremiah in a vision sees two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord, the one place where the people's true state could be rightly judged. One of these baskets was full of very good figs in God's eyes, like figs that are first ripe; the other of very bad figs. What men saw was the exact opposite of what God reveals to Jeremiah. To the world, the good figs were the people left at Jerusalem under Zedekiah. To God's heart, they were those carried away from Judah. Their goodness rested on one thing: they had submitted to the judgment God brought for their sin.

Jeremiah 24 seems to close this set of prophecies. They were given at different times, but they stand together here because they all circle round the last kings of Judah and the fall of Jerusalem. The purpose was to show, under the picture of two baskets of figs, two completely opposite futures. One group of Jews went with Jeconiah to Babylon. The other stayed in the land with Zedekiah or lived in Egypt.

The bad figs, too bad to eat (v. 8)… were those who had not gone through the first judgment under Jehoiachin. They must go through a second one, and this time it would be final. God declared that everything was lost. They, trusting in themselves, boasted that they were the representatives of the people of God.

The Lord meant their exile to be for their eventual good. This is a very important point. In a day of ruin faith always recognises the chastening of God and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and treats its opposition as patriotism, or maybe religion. That is why the men of Judah thought Jeremiah a very false Jew. He always told them to submit to the king of Babylon. They counted themselves much better Jews, because they were willing to fight him.

Even in the land of the Chaldeans the eyes of the Lord are upon them for good. He would restore them too, and settle them again in the land of Israel. But better than the best of the land, they would know the Lord. And better than returning to the place, they would return to Him.

I do not accept that this prophecy was fulfilled in the past return from the captivity in Babylon. There was a partial fulfilment then, as with other predictions… Whatever has not happened must still happen. The promised restoration and regeneration of Israel has never yet taken place. So it must come in the future.

This same principle holds true for us. Only, thanks be to God, we have suffered our judgment in the person of Christ, condemned in our place on the cross. Once the sentence had been carried out, God could look down with favour on those who had been its objects… It is the same for us: because of Christ's judgment God sees us perfect in Him, however wretched we may be in ourselves.

In chapter 24, Jeremiah is shown two baskets of figs. This happened after the second deportation. The first one had occurred under Jehoiakim. Now, around ten years later, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah. He also took the princes of Judah, with the craftsmen and the metalworkers, from Jerusalem to Babylon (v. 1). Zedekiah was king.

Jeconiah had been carried away into captivity, and with him the best of the nation. A large part of the people remained and were not taken away. They put their escape from exile down to some goodness in themselves.

Jeremiah in a vision sees two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord (Jer. 24), the only place where the people's true state could be rightly judged. One of these baskets was full of very good figs in God's eyes, like figs that are first ripe; the other of very bad figs. What men saw was exactly the opposite of what God reveals to Jeremiah. To the world the good figs were the people remaining at Jerusalem under Zedekiah; to God's heart they were those carried away from Judah.

There were no intermediate figs. They were either "very good" or "very bad". This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position.

They kept up an outward pretence and profession. There was a great appearance of good, a little real good under the surface, and a great deal of outward show… In Jeremiah's day the state of the nation was very much what he said himself (Jer. 24). There were some good figs, and the good figs were very good; but there were very many bad figs, and the bad figs were very bad. We will find this moral character, then, all through this book.

Why does God say the opposite? Because those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could evade it, either by staying in Jerusalem to fight or by fleeing to Egypt.

Their goodness rested on one thing: they had submitted to the judgment God brought on them for their sin. The same principle holds true for us. Only, thanks be to God, we have suffered our judgment in the person of Christ, condemned in our place on the cross. Once the sentence had been carried out, God could look with favour on those who had borne it… Because Christ bore the judgment, God sees us perfect in Him, however wretched we may be in ourselves.

Even in the land of the Chaldeans the eyes of the Lord are on them for good. They should be restored again, too, and settled in the land of Israel. But better than the best of the land, they should know the Lord. And better than returning to the place, they should return to Him.

I do not admit that this prophecy was fulfilled in the past return from the Babylonian captivity. There was a partial fulfilment then, as with other predictions… On the other hand, there is Israel's permanent settlement in their own land, their knowledge of God, and their return to Him with their whole heart. These stand firmly against the teaching of those who suppose the prophecy was used up at that time as far as Israel is concerned.

Jeconiah, with the choicest of the nation, had been carried away into captivity. A large part of the nation stayed behind, and they credited their escape from exile to some goodness in themselves. At that time the prophet had a vision. He saw two baskets of figs set in front of the temple. The one basket was filled with good figs, the second basket with bad figs.

Jeremiah in a vision sees two baskets of figs placed before the temple of the Lord (Jer. 24), the only place where the true state of the people might be appreciated. One of these baskets was full of very good figs in God's eyes, like figs that are first ripe; the other of very bad figs. What men saw was the opposite of what God reveals to Jeremiah. To the world the good figs were the people remaining at Jerusalem under Zedekiah; to God's heart they were those carried away from Judah. Their goodness rested on this: they had submitted to God's judgment on their sin. The same principle holds true for us. Thanks be to God, we have suffered our judgment in the person of Christ, condemned in our place on the cross. Because Christ bore that judgment, God sees us perfect in Him, however wretched we may be in ourselves.

How could this be? Surely, one might have thought, those who remain in Jerusalem are the better Jews and those in Babylon are the bad ones. Why does God say the opposite? Because those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could escape it, either by staying in Jerusalem to fight or by fleeing to Egypt. Keep in mind that since the first deportation, God had handed government in the world to Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 28:14; Dan. 2:37-38; 5:18-19). The only right course was to accept this and to confess the sins that had led to it.

There were no in-between figs. They were either 'very good' or 'very bad'. This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position. The good figs were the ones that accepted the discipline and bowed under it. God would bless them and completely change their hearts: "I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart" (Jer. 24:7).

The bad figs, "so bad that they cannot be eaten," were figs God Himself could do nothing with. They were the people who had not gone through the first judgment under Jehoiachin, so they had to face a second judgment — this time the final one. God declared that everything was lost, but they trusted in themselves and boasted that they represented the people of God. The land of Egypt, a picture of the world under the rule of Satan, suited them very well.

I do not accept that the past return from Babylon fulfilled this prophecy. Part of it came true then, as part of other predictions did. That is the most that verses 5 and 6 will support. On the other hand, the prophecy promises Israel a permanent home in their own land, and a knowledge of God as they return to Him with their whole heart. That flatly contradicts those who teach that the prophecy was finished then. Whatever has not been fulfilled must be fulfilled. The promised restoration and renewal of Israel has never yet taken place, so it must come in the future.

In chapter 24, Jeremiah sees two baskets of figs. This happened after the second deportation. The first one had occurred under Jehoiakim. Now, around ten years later, "Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah ... and the officials of Judah, the craftsmen, and the metal workers from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon" (v. 1), and Zedekiah was king. This is when Jeremiah sees them. What did this mean? Again, God provides the explanation.

A large portion remained, and were not taken away, and these attributed their escape from exile to some goodness in them.

How could this be? Surely, one might have thought, those who remain in Jerusalem are the better Jews and those in Babylon are the bad ones. Why does God say the opposite? Because those who wanted to stay in Jerusalem were refusing to accept God's discipline. They thought they could evade it, either by staying in Jerusalem to fight or by fleeing to Egypt.

In a time of ruin, faith always recognises God's discipline and bows to it. Unbelief always resists, and calls its opposition patriotism or perhaps religion. For this reason the men of Judah saw Jeremiah as a very false Jew. He always urged them to submit to the king of Babylon. They considered themselves much better Jews, because they were willing to fight against the king of Babylon.

Now faith always bows to God's will. If faith tells me to resist, I resist. If faith tells me to yield, I am bound to do it. Jeremiah did not resist, but yielded. The bad figs resisted. Rather than yield, they fell back on Egypt. They tried to balance the strength of the king of Babylon with political power and military aid.

There were no intermediate figs. They were either "very good" or "very bad". This shows that God would not accept a middle ground or a neutral position. The good figs were the ones that accepted the discipline and bowed under it.

God looked favourably upon those who had already been taken into captivity by the Chaldeans and had not rebelled against it. It is very worthwhile noting the words, "for their good." Whatever God does in the way of discipline is for our profit. The lessons from the Book of Jeremiah are there for our learning today.

Even in the land of the Chaldeans the eyes of the Lord are upon them for good. He would also restore them and establish them in the land of Israel. But better than the best of the land, they should know the Lord. And better than returning to the place, they should return to Him, as He says: "I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart" (v. 7).

I do not admit that this prophecy was fulfilled in the past return from the Babylonian captivity. There was a partial accomplishment of this at that time, as with other predictions. That is the most that verses 5 and 6 fairly allow. On the other hand, some suppose the prophecy was then exhausted as far as Israel is concerned. Israel's permanent establishment in their own land, and their knowledge of God, returning to Him with their whole heart, stand clearly against that teaching.