Jeremiah 22:20

Jeremiah 22:20 says, Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed.  God said the people of Judah would call out to Him when all their idols had failed them, not because they were really putting their faith in Him, but out of the expectation that He would be obligated to save them.  We cannot just call out to God when all else fails and expect that He will have to save us.  We must go to God in real faith.  Verse twenty-one adds, I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice.  God said that He had spoken to the people in their prosperity and thy would not listen to Him.  Too often, even as followers of Christ, we ignore Him in times of prosperity and only call out to Him in times of trouble.  Verse twenty-two continues, The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.  God said that after the people went away into captivity that then they would be ashamed of their wickedness.  Some people will never accept God's word until it is too late and then when they are forever separated from God they will cry out in despair.  Verse twenty-three states, O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail!  God said that when the destruction came, then the people would cry out to Him, but it would be too late.  Verse twenty-four declares, As I live, saith the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;  The real statement was that Coniah had not been as a signet on God's right hand as he should have been I believe.  Verse twenty-five adds, And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.  God said that He was giving the king up to his enemies.  If we refuse to accept God when He offers us salvation then one day we will be given up to face the penalties of our sins alone.  Verse twenty-six continues, And I will cast thee out, and thy mother that bare thee, into another country, where ye were not born; and there shall ye die.  God said that those who were supposed to be his people would be cast out of the land that he gave them.  Verse twenty-seven concludes, But to the land whereunto they desire to return, thither shall they not return.  God said that even though the people of Judah who had put their faith in false gods would desire to return to their land that they never would.  If we reject Jesus Christ in this life, then we may desire to go into heaven when judgment comes, but we will never be able to do so.  Verse twenty-eight asks, Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?  Though Coniah had been adored by the people, after his fall they would ask if he was really the person that they had looked up to.  Verse twenty-nine proclaims, O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD.  God calls on all the earth to hear His word and not just the people of Judah.  God's plan has always been to save all who will hear and heed His call to salvation, and not just certain people.  Verse thirty concludes, Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.  The word that God had at that point was that Coniah nor his descendants would ever rule in Judah again.  

Jeremiah 22:10

Jeremiah 22:10 says, Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.  God said to not weep for the dead, but for those who would be taken away captive.  God said that they would never return to their native land.  Matthew Henry says this was in reference to the king who had recently died and mourning for him, and his son who now reined who would be taken captive and never return.  Verse eleven adds, For thus saith the LORD touching Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He shall not return thither any more:  This was the two kings referred to in the statement about mourning.  Vere twelve continues, But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.  Though the people may have believed that the king would eventually return, God said otherwise.  The people still were not accepting the prophesies of Jeremiah, but they came true nonetheless.  People may not want to accept God's word today, but it is always the truth.  Verse thirteen declares, Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour’s service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;  God began to warn the people against some of the sins that they were committing, these first to do with mistreating their neighbor.  The people of Judah were already condemned for their idolatry, but their disobedience to God also affected their relationship with their neighbors.  Verse fourteen adds, That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.  God also warned the people against building large houses while they had no concern for those less fortunate.  When we read of multimillion dollar houses being built today while some people are homeless, I do not believe that God is pleased by this, especially if it is done by someone who professes to be a follower of Christ..  Verse fifteen states, Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?  These were questions for the king, and so was the specific warning in the last verse according to Matthew Henry, but I believe that it is a warning to all those who treat others as though they aren't worthy of basic needs being met while someone else lives in luxury.  Verse sixteen declares, He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD.  God said that the last king, Josiah, had acted with concern for the less fortunate and that God knew this.  God knows our actions, even if we don't want Him to.  Verse seventeen adds, But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it.  God said that the present king, Jehoiakim, was not like his father.  He was only concerned with making himself richer, even using violence and oppression to do so.  Verse eighteen continues, Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!  God said that the people were not to lament for Jehoiakim.  Verse nineteen concludes, He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.  God said that Jehoiakim would be buried as an animal would be buried, with no mourning or the usual things that are done at a funeral.  Of course, even if we have the most expansive burial possible, if we do not know Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we will still die outside of the kingdom of God and will remain there forever.

Jeremiah 22:1

 Jeremiah 22:1 says, Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,  God sent Jeremiah to the king of Judah's house.  Jeremiah was to speak to the earthly king of the people of Judah on behalf of the heavenly King, Who was the only one Who mattered.  We must not fear to speak out against the rulers of this land if God tells us to.  Verse two declares, And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:  God gave Jeremiah the message to share with the king.  He was to remind him of who he was, and that was the king of God's people.  He sat on the throne of David, a man after God's own heart.  The king was called on to hear God's word.  We as followers of Christ can never afford to forget who we are and Who we represent in the world today.  Verse three adds, Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.  Jeremiah was to tell the king that it was time to following God's law, which the king should have already known and have been doing.  Verse four concludes, For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.  Jeremiah was to tell the king that if he and the people of Israel continued to follow God that God would continue to bless and protect them.  If we are being obedient to God's word, He will always bless us spiritually, no matter what happens in this life.  Verse five then proclaims, But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.  Jeremiah was to then tell the king what would happen if he did not listen to and follow God's word.  The word but serves as a warning to the king based on His choice.  The same is true today.  If we obey God's law He will bless us, but if we don't, then we will suffer the consequences of our disobedience.  Verse six adds, For thus saith the LORD unto the king’s house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.  Jeremiah was to tell the king that as long as he was obedient to God that he was like Gilead to God, or that God was with him.  Verse seven continues, And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.  The God said that if they king continued in disobedience that he would no longer have the protection of God and that he would find his defenses worthless.  If we attempt to stand under our own power without God's protection, none of our defenses will be worth anything.  Verse eight says, And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city?  God said that other nations would ask why God had done this to the people of Judah.  Other people may not have given God credit for the success of Judah, but they would question why He had caused their destruction.  Verse nine concludes, Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.  God had an answer for those who questioned what had happened to Judah.  It was because they had forsaken their God and had worshipped and served other gods.  No one can serve God effectively if there is any other god in their life.

Jeremiah 21:8

Jeremiah 21:8 says, And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.  God told Jeremiah to tell the people of Judah that they were going to give them a choice.  They could either stay in the city and die, or they could leave the city and live under the rule of the Chaldeans.  If we refuse to acknowledge Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, then whether we die quickly or slowly, we will always be under the power of sin and will certainly die a spiritual death.  Verse nine adds, He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.  Jeremiah's message to the king from God was that they could surrender and live under the power of the Chaldeans or they could resist and die.  We will never defeat the evil of this world by our own ability.  Verse ten continues, For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.  Jeremiah was to tell the king that God had given the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon.  Verse eleven states, And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD;   God told Jeremiah to tell people of Judah to hear the word of God.  If we do not hear and accept the word of God today calling us to salvation, one day we will hear it pronouncing our doom, and then it will be to late for us to finally acknowledge Him.  Verse twelve adds, O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.  God once again calls on the people of Judah to return to Him and to begin to live by His word.  They were to not just profess to be His people and do whatever they wanted to do, but they were to actually start living by His guidance.  Professing to be a follower of Christ without living by His commands is never enough.  We must do what His word tells us to do.  Verse thirteen declares, Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?  God said that He was against those who claimed that nothing was going to happen to them.  The people of Jerusalem were attempting to claim the protection of God while disobeying His teachings.  Verse fourteen concludes, But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.  God said that He was going to punish them because they had earned His punishment.  We either accept the gift of salvation through Christ or we earn the punishment of God for our sins.  The choice is ours.

Jeremiah 21:1

 Jeremiah 21:1 says, The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,  King Zedekiah sent a messenger to Jeremiah.  The messenger was a priest himself, and may have been one of those who was persecuting Jeremiah, but he had no choice but to obey the king, even if he did not obey God.  Verse two adds, Inquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.  Zedekiah asked that Jeremiah go to God for them, because Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon was making war with the people of Judah.  The king may not have been concerned with God before, but he was when defeat seemed inevitable, but even then he did not promise to obey God.  He only wanted God to deliver the nation from defeat.  We need to look to God at all times and not just in times of trouble, and even then we need to look to Him in obedience and not just to get us out of a bad situation.  Verse three states, Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:  Jeremiah gave God's message to Pashur to carry to Zedekiah.  All we can do is give God's word to the people of the world.  Verse four declares, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. God's message was not what the king wanted to hear, but was that the nation of Judah was about to be defeated.  God had protected the people of Judah before, but they were being obedient to Him at those times, and now they had turned totally against Him.  We cannot refuse to accept God's law and guidance and expect Him to bail us out in times of trouble as well.  Verse five continues, And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.  God said not only was He not going to deliver Judah, but that He was going to fight against them.  If we are not following God, He will never be for us, and we better hope that we never reach the point that He fights against us.  Verse six declares, And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.  God said that He would smite Judah.  God doesn't need another army to defeat anyone who stands against Him, any more than He needs an army to protect those who stand for Him.  If we are God's people through faith in Jesus Christ, we are forever victorious over everything, no matter if we lose everything in this world.  Verse seven adds, And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.  God said that He was giving up the people of Judah into the hand of their enemies.  When we stand against God, if not in this life one day we are going to face total defeat.

Jeremiah 20:11

 Jeremiah 20:11 says, But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten.  Jeremiah may have felt persecuted, but he also knew that those who persecuted him would fail, because God was with him.  No matter how persecuted we may feel in the world today, if God is with us, then we have no reason to fear.  If you are a follower of Christ, putting your faith in Him as your Savior and Lord, then God will always be with you and you are secured by His love.  Verse twelve adds, But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause.  Jeremiah then asked to see God's vengeance on those who persecuted him.  I don't believe that this should be our prayer today though, since Jesus taught us a better and higher way.  I feel like many people look forward to the second coming so that those that they don't like will get what is coming to them, but we should instead be looking for more time so that they might instead claim the gift of salvation so they like we will not get what they deserved.  Verse thirteen continues, Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.  Jeremiah said that we should sing praises to God because He will deliver us from all the evil of this world in His own time.  We need to spend more time praising God than we do complaining about the world.  Verse fourteen declares, Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.  Then, after saying that we should sing praises to God, Jeremiah said that he regretted the day that he was born.  I believe that he was looking at all the problems in his life without looking to God in faith.  We should never despair the day that we were born or hate life so much that we wish we had never existed.  With our faith in God we should always delight in life as long as we live.  Verse fifteen adds, Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad. Jeremiah even asked that the man who brought the news of his birth, which made his father glad, be cursed.  Jeremiah's self pity made him wish that a man who had done nothing wrong be cursed.  We as followers of Christ can never afford to lash out at the world in self pity.  Verse sixteen continues, And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide;  Jeremiah continued to call for the man who brought the news of his birth to be punished severely.  Jeremiah was one of the great prophets of God, and yet he was asking something of God that was totally outside of God's teachings and nature.  We need to be careful that we do not allow our personal feelings to lead us to an attitude that is contrary to the will of God.  Verse seventeen declares, Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb to be always great with me.  Jeremiah wished that he had never been born or that he had died in the womb.  That is a lot of self pity.  Verse eighteen asks, Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?  Jeremiah asked why was he born if he was only going to see labor and sorrow and have his days consumed by shame.  No matter how bad life may get, as followers of Christ we can never be ruled by self pity.  We instead need to continue to sing praises to God.

Jeremiah 20:1

 Jeremiah 20:1 says, Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.  A priest. Pashur, of one of the order of priests, heard about Jeremiah's prophecy.  He should have been protecting Jeremiah, but instead he was persecuting him.  Verse two adds, Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.  Pashur struck Jeremiah and put him in stocks.  He was trying to both disgrace Jeremiah and to silence him.  It is bad enough when the rest of the world attempts to silence God's messengers, but it is even worse when those who profess to be God's people do.  Verse three states,  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib.  The next day, when Pashur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks, Jeremiah said that God had renamed him.  Matthew Henry said the name Magormissabib means terror all about, meaning that he would see terror all about him even if there was none.  Verse four adds, For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.  God said that He was going to give Pashur and all of his friends into the hands of the king of Babylon.  The priests were still proclaiming that Israel was going to continue to prosper, whereas Jeremiah was prophesying the coming doom.  No matter how many people may proclaim that everything is going to be good in life if we follow God, God tells us that we are to take up our cross daily.  Verse five continues, Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.  God said that He was going to give all the riches of the people of Judah to the enemy, and that the people were going to be taken away captive.  If we do not put our faith in God, then one day everything that we have put our faith in will disappear and we will be taken away from the presence of God because of our captivity to sin.  Verse six declares, And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.  God then had a personal message to Pashur, concerning him and all those that he had prophesied lies to.  If we are speaking lies concerning God today, it is going to affect not only us individually but also all of those who put their faith in what we say.  Verse seven proclaims, O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.  Jeremiah began to tell God that He had deceived him, and that he was in derision every day.  Even if the whole world laughs at us when we proclaim the gospel.  We must never reach the point of feeling that God has somehow deceived us.  Verse eight adds, For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.  Jeremiah said that since he proclaimed violence and spoil to the people of God, who were yet living in prosperity that he was held in derision.  The world today may not believe us when we proclaim the coming judgment of God, but even if they hold us in contempt and we do not live to see it in this lifetime, it is still coming.  Verse nine continues, Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.  Jeremiah said that he had decided to no longer prophesy in God's name, but that the word of God was like a fire making it impossible for him to not do so.  God's word should be just as much of a fire in us today as followers of Christ, making it impossible for us to not proclaim His word to the world.  Verse ten concludes, For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him.   Jeremiah said that everyone was talking about him behind his back, if not to his face.  We should not be worried about what other people may say about us because of our witnessing for God, but only with what God Himself says.