Women and Children in Charge
January 17, 2022 at 3:48 pm | Posted in Isaiah | 3 CommentsTags: Biblical patriarchy, commentary on Isaiah, Eastern mysticism, Ezekiel 30, idolatry, Isaiah 2, Isaiah 3, Sunday School lessons on Isaiah
In Isaiah Chapter 2 the prophet followed up the condemnation of Chapter 1 with the promise of consolation. Speaking about the the future Kingdom when Christ will rule and reign on earth, he said:
And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:2-3
The rest of Chapter 2 and all of Chapter 3 deal with the “Day of the Lord,” referenced in Joel and Ezekiel Chapter 30.
For the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.
Ezekiel 30:3
The people were following the superstitions of the “east.”
Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers.
Isaiah 2:6
We see this today with so much popular focus on chanting and meditation and yoga. These things should never be a part of Christian church services. Individual believers should also beware: these practices claim to relax the mind, but they really alter the consciousness. God wants us to be sober-minded. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 balances joy with temperance.
Isaiah warned their punishment would be tied to what the people were trusting: idols and strongholds.
And the idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
Isaiah 2:18-20
Even their military might and government were not trustworthy.
The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
Isaiah 3:2
And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.
Isaiah 3:4
As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
Isaiah 3:12
Part of their punishment would be women and very immature people holding positions of public leadership. This is a pointed reminder for men today of the need to be spiritual leaders in our homes and churches. God wouldn’t spare judgment against the wicked, whether they be men, women, or children.
Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
Isaiah 3:16
The stretched-forth necks were a sign of pride, wanton eyes were a sign of sinful flirtation, and swinging hips were a sign of sexual temptation. Modern Christians have largely been cowed into silence when it comes to stating that God cares about what we wear. People don’t like being called legalistic or judgmental, but God does care about clothing and jewelry, especially when they are intended as signs of pride or conformity with the world.
In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, The rings, and nose jewels, The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.
Isaiah 3:18-26
My Sight vs. Thy Sight
February 22, 2021 at 2:39 pm | Posted in Biblical Eyesight, I Samuel | 3 CommentsTags: 1 Samuel 15, commentary in 1 Samuel, idolatry, iniquity, Samuel, Saul, stubbornness, Sunday School lessons on 1 Samuel, withcraft
When Saul finally decided to join the battle he was not prepared to fight according to God’s rules of war.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
I Samuel 15:2-3
Saul didn’t mind destroying everything useless, but he allowed the king, Agag, to live, and the best animals. Samuel was not happy about Saul’s disobedience, and, worse, when confronted, Saul lied about it.
And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
I Samuel 15:14-15
Like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, claiming that he was only getting the cookie to give to someone else, Saul made up an excuse. His excuse was the skin of reason stuffed with a lie.
Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
I Samuel 15:16 (emphasis added)
We can see how angry Samuel was, telling Saul to “stay,” which basically meant, “Shut your mouth, enough with the lies.”
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
I Samuel 15:22-23
Rebellion is like witchcraft in that it recognizes a higher power, but contrives to manipulate it or to work against the higher power’s wishes. Stubbornness is like iniquity in that it continually refuses to bend to what what’s right. It is a determination to hurt that which God wants to help. Stubbornness makes me a little god, and denies the True God.
And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
I Samuel 15:17 (emphasis added)
Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
I Samuel 15:19
We don’t see very well using our own sight, so we need to be keenly aware of God’s sight. Stubbornness focuses my sight on me, and says, “I will, I will,” instead of “Thy will, Thy will.”
Idolatry and Sarcasm
August 3, 2020 at 9:38 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 3 CommentsTags: Biblical sarcasm, commentary on Jeremiah, idol worship, idolatry, Jeremiah 10, sarcasm, sarcasm in the Bible, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah
Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
Jeremiah 10:2
In Christian apologetics, or in proclaiming Bible truth, is it ever acceptable to use sarcasm? For the most part we are commanded to be respectful, humble, considerate, even meek, but, although it must be used very sparingly, and though it certainly should not be our default position, sarcasm is a tool in the Christian’s apologetic and even evangelical toolbox. Elijah used it when confronting the prophets of Baal, suggesting that their god was not answering their ecstatic pleas because he was having a nap or perhaps off to the restroom. John the Baptist used it, accusing the Pharisees of coming out to the River Jordan not to observe his baptism methods, but as vipers who came to escape the fire of God’s judgment in the water. Paul used sarcasm when he intimated that if the Judaizers were so passionate about circumcision being necessary for salvation, then they shouldn’t just stop with a partial cutting, but they should keep cutting until they were in no condition to bother him any more. Even Jesus occasionally – very occasionally – used a form of satire when He accused judgmental people of having a plank in their eye, and rich people of having a harder time humbling themselves to receive salvation than a camel would have fitting through the eye of a needle.
Here in Jeremiah 10 – and elsewhere in the prophets and the Psalms – God Himself pointedly mocked the practice of graven idol worship.
For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
Jeremiah 10:3-5
So how do we know when to use sarcasm? The main determining factor seems to be when the opposing position is not worthy of serious debate. Claims such as molecules-to-man evolution, whether Jesus even existed, and whether a man should be encouraged to identify as a woman are so irrational – so logically bankrupt and downright silly to anyone with a modicum of common sense – that they really don’t deserve a hearing in the forum of public debate. We should expose them as ridiculous nonsense and hoot them off the stage, and this was what the Lord was doing with the practice of graven idol worship.
Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee.
Jeremiah 10:6-7
It is not only right to fear the Lord; it also makes perfect sense. He is not some minor tribal deity. He is not in competition with other national gods.
But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder: blue and purple is their clothing: they are all the work of cunning men.
Jeremiah 10:8-9
The essence of idolatry is worshiping the created instead of the CreatOR. It’s when, because people find it impossible not to worship something, they prefer to worship a substitute, and it’s really a charade, because deep down they know that the substitute is man-made. It is dependent on man for its deity, thereby making man the real false deity. It is the ultimate deception, delusion, and diabolical activity: self-worship.
Turning, Not Burning
May 13, 2020 at 10:18 am | Posted in Jeremiah | 4 CommentsTags: Biblical repentance, commentary on Jeremiah, idolatry, Jeremiah 3, King James Version, repentance, Shakespeare, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah, true repentance
They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:1
God never condoned divorce, but in Deuteronomy 24:1-4 He allowed Moses to regulate its practice among the people, and one of rules was that if a divorce did happen, the husband was not allowed to take back the wife again. He was not allowed to remarry the same woman. In Jeremiah 3:1 God used the word “return,” which is one of the key words in Chapter 3, along with the words “turn” and “backsliding,” to describe the how God viewed the people’s attitude.
It was as if God’s wife had run off – and not just for another man – but to pursue vain physical relations with MANY lovers. But He is God, after all; He delights in forgiveness. Why would He balk at welcoming back His repentant bride? All Jeremiah had to do to answer this question was to wave his arm up at the surrounding groves on the hills.
Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
Jeremiah 3:2
Jeremiah was demonstrating the difference between outward repentance (which is really not repentance at all) and true repentance, which starts in the heart and results – invariably – in outward evidence of changed ways and hatred of the idolatry that led the sinner astray in the first place.
This is a good test of repentance and true faith toward God: Do we now hate what we – in our sin and idolatry – used to love? Or are we still trying make some sort of compromise or trying to negotiate with God (or our own hearts)? False repentance is more offensive to God than no repentance.
Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
Jeremiah 3:3
Because of the historical period in which it was translated and because of the poetic and dramatic brilliance of some of its language, various scholars have from time to time argued that Shakespeare was secretly in charge of the English translation of the Bible that we know as the King James Version. I believe that this theory, while certainly intriguing, has been pretty well debunked. However, for those familiar with Shakespeare’s ability to turn a phrase, I will admit that there are times when certain terms do jump out with a certain Shakespearean flavor. Jeremiah 3:3 is one such example. When Jeremiah accused the nation of Judah of brazenly calling upon God without showing any shame over their ongoing idolatry, he said that they had a “whore’s forehead.” Shakespeare, who had a penchant for having his characters use insults like “a toad’s liver” or “an eel’s skin,” would have most likely approved.
People in Jeremiah’s day called upon Yahweh when it wouldn’t rain – as a last resort – but they didn’t really “turn” back to Him. True repentance is always a 180 degree turn. The Deuteronomic Covenant warned against turning to the left or the right when it came to strictly obeying God’s commands.
The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
Jeremiah 3:6-7
Israel’s sin and idolatry was certainly wicked, there was no disputing that, but the difference was that Judah had the well-known and obvious example of what happened to Israel, and what happened when she refused to repent – to “turn.”
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Jeremiah 3:8-9
This reminds us of the reference to the people calling sticks and stones their father in Chapter 2. God made sticks and stones: they could be used to glorify him or they could be used to defile the land. I wonder how many of our luxurious possessions today were given to us to be used for God’s glory, but are instead being used by us to defile the land. Sticks and stones could be used for building, for warfare, for altars for family worship, for all manner of Godly endeavours, but the people were using them for places to sacrifice their livestock and their children to false gods, and to commit fornication and idolatry. The Book of Jeremiah shouldn’t be taught as one long spiritual beatdown, but we do need to make application, and remember to use things and to love people, not vice versa. We wouldn’t intentionally worship our sectional sofa or our family pet, but if we’re not using those possessions to love and serve God and others, we will love and worship the possessions themselves by default.
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 3:10 (emphasis added)
Feignedly means fake – things done with “dissimulation” like in Romans 12. Jeremiah 3:10 is the first time that the word “heart” appears in the Book of Jeremiah. I believe that the theme of the “heart” is a a key – possibly THE key – to really understanding the whole book, and when Jeremiah attacked the hearts of the people here, he specifically addressed two problems:
1. A divided heart
2. A fake heart
“Turning” without really turning is not turning, and spiritually turning with half a heart is not really turning either. I don’t think feelings should be our guide for progressing or regressing in the Christian life, but we do need to frequently – maybe constantly – be guarding our hearts, examining our hearts, asking God to unify our hearts, and preaching the Gospel to our hearts. This would be a much more Biblical approach than asking God to “set our hearts on fire.”
And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
Jeremiah 3:11
Backsliding seems to imply “moving away from,” without “turning away from,” and this is another description of what angers and grieves God: paying homage to Him in appearance only – and even with our words and our posture – while slyly “walking away” from Him and walking after vanity.
Idolaters in Heat
April 15, 2020 at 2:01 pm | Posted in Jeremiah | 2 CommentsTags: broken cisterns, cisterns, commentary on Jeremiah, idolatry, Jeremiah 2, spiritual adultery, spiritual harlotry, spiritual prostitution, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah
Jeremiah went from a general reading of the complaint by God against His people to a more specific zeroing-in on the details of their crimes.
For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Jeremiah 2:13
In those days, in that area, it was a great blessing to have a spring of fresh water on your personal property, or even nearby. Not everyone did. But, because it was a mountainous region, rainwater could be captured on the sides of mountains or near the bottom by finding, or carving out, a bowl-shaped space, so that when water ran down the mountain after a heavy rain, it would collect in “cisterns.” People would coat these cisterns with lime to try to prevent them from cracking and leaking, but it was a pretty futile task because of the erosive nature of water and the weather extremes in that area. These cisterns were poor substitutes for fountains or springs of fresh water.
And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river? Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.
Jeremiah 2:18-20
Here, some of the language gets very graphic when God accuses the people of spiritual harlotry (prostitution) or adultery. This will be a very common motif in Jeremiah. So much of their idolatry was tied to sexual sin that the descriptions were very pointed. It was very easy to draw a parallel between the way a promiscuous person would act, and the way that idolators who had forsaken the true God acted.
How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways; A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.
Jeremiah 2:23-24
Idolatrous Wife, Unhappy Life
November 4, 2019 at 3:51 pm | Posted in Jeremiah | 2 CommentsTags: Biblical marriage, commentary on Jeremiah, Egypt in the Bible, idolatry, Jeremiah 43, Jeremiah 44, patriarchy, Queen of Heaven, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah
Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
Jeremiah 43:2
So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.
Jeremiah 43:7
Jeremiah went to Egypt with the disobedient people who had rejected his true prophecies, and there the Lord had him act out his final “action sermon,” demonstrating that Egypt would not be a safe haven. It too would be conquered by the Babylonians, and the Lord would not spare the Jews, the way He would have if they had stayed in Judah.
Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah; And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them. And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.
Jeremiah 43:8-11
Jeremiah must have been frustrated to see the people keep turning to idols and practicing idolatry after all that had already happened to them becuase of it.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein, Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.
Jeremiah 44:2-3
Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain; In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Jeremiah 44:7-8
We might look at this from a purely pragmatic standpoint and question their sanity. Why would they keep turning to false gods time and time again and expecting different results? Why were they so enamored with any god except the real One? It is in the nature of human beings to worship, but the carnal, unregenerate heart is at enmity with the True God, and despises Him. It will accept nearly anything OTHER than Him, no matter how foolish, how useless, how degrading.
It is often sad, and sometimes shameful, when husbands and wives are not on the same page, spiritually speaking. When the Jewish people who were left behind in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile sought refuge in Egypt, many of the wives resumed the same type of idol-worship that had brought the judgment of God down upon them in the first place. This placed their husbands in the precarious position of having to choose between loyalty to their wives and loyalty to the Word of God. We see similar situations today in Christian households where one spouse seeks to grow spiritually, but the other spouse is not on board, or where one spouse actually discourages the other from active participation and ministry in Sunday School and church. If you are married, you must strive to be a help, not a hindrance – a blessing, not a burden – to the spiritual welfare of your family.
Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
Jeremiah 44:15
The men knew what their wives were getting involved in, but they looked the other way, or perhaps indulged them. Now they were having to give an account for what was going on in the households over which the Lord had appointed them masters. Husbands, do not be afraid to correct your wife when it comes to the Word of God. Having a happy wife might make a happy life, but having an idolatrous, unrepentantly sinful wife will make a VERY UNHAPPY life. In fact, it may very well make a wreck of your life.
Wives, be careful of the influence you wield in your household. Your husband should be taking the spiritual leadership, but if he is not, do not tempt him to go astray, and do not put him in a compromising position – having to stand up for you against what is actually right.
As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
Jeremiah 44:16-17
Perhaps the female deity Astarte, the “Queen of Heaven,” appealed especially to the women, but, whatever the case, both the men and the women had gotten to the point where they outright rejected the Word of God. Beware: a subtle compromise against God’s Word is not as far away from outright rebellion and rejection as you might think.
Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day. Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt: Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth. Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
Jeremiah 44:23-27
The Heart of the Problem Is the Problem of the Heart
February 20, 2019 at 12:20 pm | Posted in Jeremiah | 15 CommentsTags: commentary on Jeremiah, greed, idolatry, Jeremiah 16, Jeremiah 17, Jeremiah 17:9, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah, the human heart, total depravity, unbelief
Jeremiah was commanded not to participate in one of the most important things in the life of a Jewish man: getting married and having a family.
Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.
Jeremiah 16:2
He was also forbidden from participating in two of the key social events of his day: weddings and funerals.
For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.
Jermeiah 16:5
Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.
Jeremiah 16:8-9
In Jewish society in those days, these prohibitions would have caused people to say, “Something ain’t right about that fella.” Mourning with others was a great source of comfort, and weddings were generally considered the chief occasions of celebration and joy, but the land of Judah was about to become one giant graveyard. There would be no time for burials, mourning, or comfort, and a wedding would not be a reason to celebrate if families were about to be killed and torn apart.
The remainder Jeremiah Chapter 16 deals with the people’s almost unbelievable questioning about what sin they could possibly have committed to cause the Lord to do this to them, and Jeremiah’s patiently explaining it to them once again, which continues in Chapter 17, broken down into large categories which emphasize the root of the problems that had led them into more specific sins and had brought God’s judgment on themselves.
The first was idolatry.
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.
Jeremiah 17:1-2
Jeremiah attacked their hearts, which had become pagan altars, just like the ones in the groves. They might deny it, but their children knew where Dad and Mom really gave their loyalty and worship.
The second was unbelief.
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
Jeremiah 17:5
Political alliances with other countries on a national level, and faith in their own strength instead of God on a personal level, were symptoms of the fact that they simply did not believe in their hearts that God was who He said He was (and had proven to be) or that He could or would do what He said He would do.
“Proof-texting” is the practice of isolating a Bible verse out of context and using it to prove a point or a principle. Generally, this practice is frowned upon as a means of Bible study or teaching. You might have heard a preacher say, “A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text,” and, even in secular rhetoric, this is known as the logical fallacy of “quoting out of context.” One example is when someone quotes Matthew 7:1 and uses it as “proof” that no one should ever judge anything. I once heard someone say that their church was like the Winter Olympics: Very cold and lots of judging. I replied: “That might be because you are a groundhog Christian. You show up once a year and expect everyone to take you seriously.”
However, there ARE some verses in the Bible which serve as valuable proof texts. In other words, these verses, standing alone, pronounce a truth that can be universally applied. Jeremiah 17 contains one such verse. Jeremiah 17:9 is a key verse to the whole chapter – and to the whole Bible.
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9
This is a more accurate statement about the human race than you will find in any anthropology textbook. It is unflattering and brutally honest. It is a valid proof text on the state of mankind apart from God. This is a verse that would be good for all of us to memorize or at least with which to be very familiar.
It speaks of “the” heart – a total (yet accurate) generalization meaning that this describes the heart of every single person. The “heart” is the essence of a person’s nature – including his desires, his intellect, and his will. It is “deceitful,” meaning that it has the ability and the strong tendency to fool others and to fool its possessor. It is deceitful above “ALL” things, including Satan himself. It is also “desperately wicked.” Wicked alone would be more than bad enough, but it is not only wicked. It is in a state of great urgency and desperation to devise and commit evil deeds, to concoct and carry out evil plans, to jump eagerly to evil reactions and responses. The description of “desperately wicked” also expresses the idea of terminal, incurable wickedness – that which is sick beyond cure, broken beyond repair. “Who can know it?” is a rhetorical question meaning that no one but God can truly fathom it. We often believe that we know our own hearts, but not even we ourselves are able to comprehend the depths of the wickedness of our own hearts. We can never contemplate some horrible atrocity and honestly say, “I would never…” We truly have no concept of how low we would sink to accomplish the desires of our hearts if God’s restraining grace were removed from this world and from each of us individually.
So, Jeremiah the prophetic heart attacker – as God’s spokesman – attacked the hearts of the people for their idolatry, their unbelief, and (third) their greed.
As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
Jeremiah 17:11
A bird that hatches another bird’s eggs finds herself without any chicks. In the same way, God’s people – thinking they were the true owners of God’s wealth – would wake up to find it gone. Don’t think you can trust in your checking account, your 401(k) plan, your cash money, or even a treasure chest full of gold buried in the woods. These things are assigned value only by God, ultimately, and He could make them worthless in a heartbeat.
The Insidiousness of Idolatry
November 28, 2018 at 2:56 pm | Posted in Jeremiah | 6 CommentsTags: commentary on Jeremiah, deuteronomic covenant, idol worship, idolatry, idols, Jeremiah 11, Mosaic law, religious reform, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah
An idol is dependent on man for its supposed deity, thereby making the man who worships it the actual false deity. Idolatry is the ultimate deception, delusion, and diabolical activity: self-worship.
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
Jeremiah 11:1-2 (emphasis added)
By “this covenant” he meant the Mosaic or “deuteronomic” Covenant, which, if it had to be described in a few short words, could be summarized as: DO NOT COMMIT IDOLATRY.
And say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
Jeremiah 11:3
Jeremiah preached this message over and over, even during the days of King Josiah’s reform, because the reform was only outward. It did not reach the hearts of the people.
Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:
Jeremiah 11:4
The iron furnace of suffering was compared to the land of milk and honey. How much would you have to love sin in order to decide to jump back into the furnace and reject beauty, peace, and joy?
That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O Lord.
Jeremiah 11:5
Jeremiah was the only one with the right response: “So be it; amen.”
Now God revealed to Jeremiah a secret plot that was going on in Judah. It was a conspiracy against Josiah’s reforms. Corrupt priests and leaders who had a vested interest in the worship of Baal in the groves did not want these legal declarations about turning back to Yahweh’s law to catch on.
And the Lord said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
Jeremiah 11:9-10
Idolatry is a sin that will entice men, seduce them, entangle them, and cause them to foolishly fight on behalf of their idols against reform and even revival.
The Deep End 
Hypocritical Worship
May 11, 2023 at 1:50 pm | Posted in Isaiah | 4 CommentsTags: commentary on Isaiah, idolatry, Isaiah 56, Isaiah 57, Isaiah 58, Isaiah 59, religious hypocrisy, Sabbath, Sunday School lessons on Isaiah, syncretism
Isaiah 56:2
Under the Old Testament law the Sabbath was a day of rest and worship. After six days of working and keeping the law, God’s people were supposed to rest and keep the law. Both the working and the resting were forms of worship, but the people had trouble setting aside a day just for God. Under the New Testament the Christian’s primary day for corporate worship is Sunday, the first day of the week, because Jesus’s Resurrection occurred on the first day of the week, and we are to show that He is more important than anything else we will be focusing on in the upcoming week. However, are we that different from the Old Testament Israelites who failed to keep the Sabbath? Do we covet Sunday as “our” day of rest?
The attitude of the heart is important. Under the Old Testament law, work came first, and then rest. Under the New Covenant, grace comes first, then work. Worship is matter of the heart, but it also has an “outwardness” to it – at least it should. Church attendance, singing, public prayer, listening to preaching, group Bible study, and holy living are all forms of worship, and they CAN all be done superficially, and thus be hypocritical and sinful, but they do not have to be done in this way. They can also be sincere.
Isaiah 57:5
Trying to combine the worship of God with the worship of idols is called syncretism, and it is also idolatry. Worshiping God AND anything or anyone else is sin. Modern Christians aren’t usually tempted to worship God and Baal, or God and Ashtoreth, but we we are often tempted to worship our own instincts, our own experiences, or jobs or careers, our money, our friends, or our social positions. A good test is to think about what we do when faced with a problem. Do we turn first to one of those things, or to God?
Isaiah 57:17
God hates it when I think that I can get what I want in my own power, ability, or strength. Outwardly, ambition looks commendable to the world, but God sees inward greed and pride and considers it sinful.
Isaiah 58:3
Hypocrisy is performing religious duties for the praise of men. Even doing what is considered to be a “good work,” if it is done with wrong motives, could be a type of “sinful morality.”
Isaiah 59:4
In a fallen, sinful world successful people get attention, but the people they may hurt or oppress in order to achieve that success are often unnoticed and neglected.
Isaiah 59:5