Jeremiah 17:9

 Jeremiah 17:9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  God said that the heart, or the mind, is deceitful above all things and who can know it.  A person may say all the right words and go through all the right motions, but they may not believe in anything they are saying or doing.  We cannot know the heart of a person, and unless the heart, or mind, is devoted to God it will always be deceitful.  Verse ten adds, I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.  God tells us that He searches the heart of people, and He tries their reins, or what guides them.  He then rewards them according to what their thoughts say about the person.  People may be fooled by the words and actions of others, but God never will be.  God will never be fooled.  Verse eleven states, 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.  God said the person who got riches by illegal means were like a partridge that sits on eggs to hatch them, but they do not hatch.  Whatever they think they have gained will really amount to nothing in God's kingdom.  Verse twelve says, A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.  Jeremiah is meditating on the situation with Judah, spending time alone to do so as Matthew Henry says.  We too need to spend time alone meditating on God's word if we are going to be truly successful in obeying Him.  Israel, or Judah in this case, had started as a glorious nation under God's leadership, but now was a nation that had turned totally away from Him.  Verse thirteen declares, O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.  Jeremiah acknowledged the fate of Israel because they had forsaken God, the fountain of living water.  Jesus Christ is the fountain of living water today, and if we do not accept Him as Savior and Lord, we will never know this living water.  Verse fourteen add, Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.  This should be our first call when we realize that we need salvation.  We must cry out to God to heal and save us.  When God heals and saves us, then we are healed and saved forever, and we should give Him the glory.  Verse fifteen states, Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.  Jeremiah said that the people of Judah were basically mocking him, asking him where this judgment of God was.  People today continue to do the same thing, even denying the existence of God.  We can only continue to share the gospel with them even if the mock and ridicule us.  Verse sixteen declares, As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.  Jeremiah declared his faithfulness to God, even if he did not like the message that God had him to preach to the people.  We can only be faithful to present God's word, even if we would like for everyone to be saved no matter what.  We should have compassion on the lost, even if they mistreat us, and we should never hope that they will be destroyed.  Verse seventeen adds, Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil.  Jeremiah asked God to not be  terror to him, because God was his hope in the day of evil.  God should be our hope today, even if the whole world turns evil.  Verse eighteen concludes, Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.  Jeremiah said that even if the world were confounded to not let him be confounded by the world.  He then asked that God allow His destruction to come on the people who refused to believe Him.  Jeremiah's message from God was that God was going to allow Judah to be destroyed, and even though Jeremiah did not want that to happen, he realized that the way that God's word was going to be proven true was when this did happen.  We may not like the truth of God's judgment on the lost, but ultimately it will prove the truth of His word without a doubt.

Jeremiah 17:1

 Jeremiah 17:1 says, 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;  God said that the sins of Judah were written on the tablet of their hearts.  The Ten Commandments were written on a stone tablet, but they were also to be written in the hearts of the people of Israel then and in our hearts now.  The people of Judah could not claim their innocence because their sin was too visible.  Verse two adds, Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.  Their idols had become as important to them as their children were.  Some people today think more of their idols, such as money, fame, power and pleasure than they do of their children.  We as followers of Christ should always put our children and their welfare, both physical and spiritual, ahead of the things of this world.  Verse three declares, O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.  God was in sorrow because His mountain and plains would be given to others.  What we need to realize is that as Christians all that we have belongs to God and should be used in accordance with His will.  Verse four adds, And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.  God said that not only was the land going to be given to another, but so were the people of Judah.  They were to be taken to a strange land that they did not know.  If we are God's people in name only, as were the people of Judah, then one day we are going to find ourselves in a strange land called hell.  Matthew Henry says that sin works a discontinuance of our comforts and deprives us of the enjoyment of that which God has given us.  I don't believe that we will ever lose our salvation if we have truly accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, but we will lose the joy of our salvation if we give in to the power of sin once more.  Verse five declares, Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.  God said that those who trusted in man instead of God would be cursed.  There is no man who is going to make the world right except for Jesus Christ Himself.  If we are putting our faith in any man today, then we are not living according to God's word.  Verse six adds, For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.  God said that those who put their faith in man will never find satisfaction for their needs. We may have everything our heart desires, but without faith in God we are still in a spiritual desert.  Verse seven states, Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.  If we want to be blessed, then we must put our trust in God alone.  It is that simple.  This does not say that those who put their faith in God will be rich and famous, but that they will be blessed.  Verse eight adds, For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.  The people who put their faith in God will always be at peace in life, no matter what happens.  If we are rooted in faith in God, nothing can ever destroy our spiritual relationship with God.

Jeremiah 16:10

 Jeremiah 16:10 says, And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?  God told Jeremiah that the people would question when they had done anything against God.  They would be unable to recognize their own sins.  If people become too far removed from God, then they will fail to see their own sins.  Verse eleven declares, Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;  God then cited several ways that the people had sinned against Him, going back to their fathers.  This was not something new, but something tha had been going on for years.  They had forsaken God and started worshipping idols.  Verse twelve adds, And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me:  God then said the current generation were even worse, doing whatever their heart desired and totally ignoring God.  Verse thirteen declares, Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour.  God had brought them into the promised land, and now He was going to allow them to be cast out.  I don't believe that if we have put our faith in Christ that we will ever be cast out of His promised land, but we may certainly lose the joy of our salvation.  Verse fourteen adds, Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;  God said that the time was coming when His name would no longer be honored as the God Who had brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.  When God's people turn away from Him, the rest of the world is certainly not going to remember Him.  Verse fifteen proclaims, But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.  God said that even though the world might try to forget that He lived that it was not so.  God was still very much alive, and He would once again bring the remnant to the land that He gave their fathers.  Even if the whole world were to deny the existence of God, He will still be God. and He will still bring those who put their faith in Christ home to the promised land.  Verse sixteen adds, Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.  God said that there would be no place for the people of Judah to hide to escape the coming punishment.  There is likewise no place today where we can hide to escape God's punishment if we give in to sin and turn away from Him.  Verse seventeen states, For mine eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.  God said that their sin was not hidden from Him, and neither is sin in the world today.  Verse eighteen adds, And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.  God said that He would punish their sins double, because they had polluted His land with sin.  It is especially bad when those who call themselves Christians defile God's law, since they should know what God requires of them and simply chose not to do it.  Verse nineteen says, O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.  Jeremiah calls out to God, Who he calls his strength and refuge.  We must call out to God for our strength and refuge in the world today.  Jeremiah said that let even the Gentiles acknowledge God, and we know that this happened with the coming of Christ and the good news of the gospel.  Verse twenty asks, Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no gods?  Jeremiah was asked if people would make for themselves gods who were no gods, and anytime we allow something to become more important to us than God, this is exactly what we are doing.  Verse twenty-one declares, Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The LORD.  God does deliver those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and this deliverance is much greater than any that ever occurred with the people of Israel, because it is an everlasting deliverance.

Jeremiah 16:1

 Jeremiah 16:1 says, The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying, Verse two adds, Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.  Matthew Henry says that since the people would not listen to Jeremiah's words, that he was to speak to them with his actions.  Men were generally expected to marry and have a family, but God told Jeremiah to not take a wife in that place.  We need to live so that if people won't listen to our words of witness about Christ that our lives will be a witness to them.  Verse three declares, For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;  God gave Jeremiah a warning about the children and their mothers and fathers who were born there.  Verse four adds, They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.  The people of Judah were about to die very horrible deaths.  Those born into this world who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will suffer a fate much worse than death when God's ultimate judgment comes.  Verse five states, 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.  God told Jeremiah to not lament and mourn for the people.  God had allowed them to be destroyed because of their rebellion against Him and no longer protected them with His lovingkindness and mercy.  Their condition was of their own making, just as those who will be sent away to everlasting punishment will bear the responsibility for their own punishment.  God reaches out to everyone in lovingkindness and mercy, but He will allow every person to go away to everlasting punishment if they refuse to accept His gift of salvation.  Verse six adds, Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:  Their earthly status was not going to affect the outcome.  Those who were considered great were going to meet the same fate as those who were considered small.  Being rich and powerful will not save a person, and neither will being poor and powerless.  Verse seven continues,  Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.  God said that there would be none to mourn, and when God's final judgment comes, there will be none to mourn those who are sent away to everlasting punishment.  Verse eight says, Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.  Jeremiah was not to go into the house of feasting.  The people of Judah were still enjoying life and denying that God's judgment was to come on them.  They would not heed Jeremiah's warning, but he was not to participate in their disobedience.  We cannot live by the standards of the world and still be successful in our relationship to God.  Verse nine adds, 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.  God said that He would cause the voice of mirth and gladness and the voice of the bridegroom and bride to cease in the land.  As I stated before, I believe that this was more God removing His protective hand from them than God directly bringing about their fall.  Of course, if we reach the point where we will never listen to God and accept His gift of salvation, there is coming a day when He will send us away to everlasting punishment.

Jeremiah 15:10

 Jeremiah 15:10 says, Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.  Jeremiah now laments his situation, saying it would have been better if he had not been born.  People hated him, even if he had never done anything against them.  Even if we are hated by the people of the world for proclaiming God's truth, we should never be filled with self pity because of it.  Verse eleven proclaims, The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.  God told Jeremiah not to despair because one day even his enemies would treat him well.  Verse twelve asks, Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?  This question was for the people of Judah.  Would they be able to stand up to the Chaldeans or more importantly to the judgment of God.  Verse thirteen states, Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.  God told them in effect that they were going to lose everything, even though their priests were telling them that everything was fine.  When God's judgment comes, we will lose everything that is not built on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse fourteen adds, And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.  God said that the people of Judah were going to be taken away into a strange land that they did not know.  Verse fifteen declares, O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.  Jeremiah asked God to spare him because God knew that he was faithful to Him.  We should remain faithful whether we are spared from suffering in this world or not.  Verse sixteen adds, Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.  Jeremiah basically said that he feed on the word of God, and so should we today as followers of Christ.  Verse seventeen continues, I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.  Jeremiah said that he separated himself from those who mocked God, and this caused him to be by himself.  Even if we stand alone, we must stand for God's word.  Verse eighteen says, Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?  Jeremiah asked why he was suffering when he was doing what God called him to do.  Verse nineteen declares, Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.  God told Jeremiah that He was still with him, and that he simply needed to remain faithful no matter what.  So must we today.  God is never going to treat us unfairly, but He may allow the people of the world to do so.  Verse twenty adds, And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD.  God said that He would be like a fence around Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was under God's protection and the forces of evil in the world would never defeat him as long as he remained faithful to God.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.  This is the promise that we have today as followers of Christ.  There is no reason to despair.  God will deliver us to the everlasting life that he has promised, no matter what.

Jeremiah 14:12

Jeremiah 14:12 says, When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.  God told Jeremiah that He would not accept the sacrifices of the people of Judah because they were not obeying His laws and were also worshipping false gods.  Just because we offer a sacrifice to God doesn't mean that He has to accept it if it is offered for the wrong reason.  Verse thirteen states, Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.  Jeremiah said that the other prophets who were supposedly speaking for God told the people that they would not see the sword or famine, but that God would give them peace.  There are many people today who profess to speak for God, but their message is not consistent with His word.  Verse fourteen declares, Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.  God very clearly and emphatically told Jeremiah that these so called prophets lied.  I believe that God will let followers of Christ recognize when lies are spoken in His name today, if we are relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us.  Verse fifteen adds, Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.  God said that those prophets who said that there would be no sword and famine would be consumed by the sword and famine.  Verse sixteen continues, And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.  God said that those who believed the false prophets would likewise die by famine and the sword, and that there would not even be anyone left to bury them.  Those who follow after false prophets will one day know the truth of the fact that there is salvation in Christ alone, but it will be too late for them.  Verse seventeen declares, Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.  Jeremiah said to let his eyes run down with tears day and night because of the condition of Judah.  Do we have that same concern for the country today?  Verse eighteen adds, If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.  Jeremiah asked if he would have to see all this devastation.  Verse nineteen asks, Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? hath thy soul lothed Zion? why hast thou smitten us, and there is no healing for us? we looked for peace, and there is no good; and for the time of healing, and behold trouble!  Jeremiah asked God if He had rejected Judah, but the problem was that Judah had rejected God.  If we find ourselves spiritually suffering today, it will not be because God has rejected us but because we have rejected His word.  Verse twenty declares, We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.  Jeremiah said that they acknowledged their sin and wickedness, but he could only speak for himself.  We cannot confess for the sins of others and make them right with God.  Verse twenty-one adds, Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us.  Jeremiah attempted to put the blame on God, telling Him not to break His covenant, but it was the people who had broken theirs.  Verse twenty-two concludes, Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.  Jeremiah acknowledged that God alone was God and that He alone could bring the rain.  We must acknowledge that God alone is God if we are to find salvation.

Jeremiah 14:1

 Jeremiah 14:1 says, The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.  God's word came to Jeremiah, and it was about the coming suffering of the people of Judah because of their failure to keep their covenant with Him.  Verse two adds, Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.  God said that the people of Judah were going to be mourning because Jerusalem was going to be left desolate.  They would be mourning not for their sin though, but for the loss of material blessings.  If we find ourselves suffering today we need to make sure that we have examined our live and have no unconfessed sin in it, and we should mourn more for the loss of a close spiritual relationship with God more than we do for the loss of any material blessing.  Verse three states,  And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.  The nobles sent their little ones, most likely referring to their own children instead of the servants they would have once sent, to get water but they found none.  The nobles themselves still did not go.  If we find our self spiritually thirsty, we must go our self to the source of the Living Water.  We cannot send someone else for us.  Verse four adds,  Because the ground is chapt, for there was no rain in the earth, the plowmen were ashamed, they covered their heads.  God said the earth would be chapped, or extremely dry, because of the sins of the people.  Sin corrupts everything, even if people do not want to admit it.  Verse five declares, Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass.  Cows would desert their new born claves, because there was no grass to eat.  Verse six adds, And the wild asses did stand in the high places, they snuffed up the wind like dragons; their eyes did fail, because there was no grass.  Even the wild donkeys, who usually could find enough to eat, would be left without enough grass for a meal.  The people of Judah were still denying that they were going to have hard times come to them, but God told Jeremiah to tell them that the hard times were indeed coming.  We as Christians need to make sure that we do not allow material blessings to become the standard for proving that we are following God's will.  Verse seven declares, O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name’s sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee.  Jeremiah prayed for the people as they should have prayed for themselves.  He acknowledged their sins and asked for God's mercy.  We cannot attain forgiveness for the sins of others, but we can pray for them and that they will ultimately ask for forgiveness themselves.  Verse eight adds, O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?  Jeremiah acknowledged the fact that God was the only One Who could save them, just as we must today.  Verse nine continues, Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.  Jeremiah said that God was in the midst of them, who were called by His name.  It is not enough to be called by God's name and to realize that He is in our midst if we do not obey His word.  Verse ten states, Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.  God answered Jeremiah by stating that those who were called His people no longer followed Him.  It is not enough to be God's people in name alone and not follow His commandments.  Follow the commandments does not save us, but following God's commandments is a requirement to show our love and obedience to Him.  Verse eleven adds, Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.  God told Jeremiah to no longer pray for the people of Judah.  We need to pray that we as a nation or even individually never reach the point of having God say that prayers for us will do no good because it is too late.