Jeremiah 36:11

Jeremiah 36:11 says, When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD,  Michaiah heard the word of the LORD that Baruch had read.  Verse twelve adds, Then he went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.  Michaiah then went to the king's house to the scribe's chamber.  Matthew Henry points out that even though a fast had been declared, that the princes and scribes, or at least some of them, did not participate in it, which would indicate that it was more for show than from real conviction.  Religious ceremonies that are just for show have very little significance, and if we are at a worship service just for show, then it is of little spiritual significance.  Verse thirteen states, Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.  Michaiah must have at least been listening to Baruch, because we are told that he declared all the words that Baruch had spoken to these princes and scribes.  In order to share God's word. we must first receive His word, and the Bible is the best source.  We may share what a preacher says, but we must make sure that it is consistent with the Bible. Verse fourteen declares, Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.  The princes and scribes gathered there sent for Baruch and told him to bring the scroll with him.  Michaiah may have told them what Baruch had read, but they were going to the source.  We today must go to the source, God's written word, if we want to be certain about what God has to say.  These princes and scribes could have already heard what God had to say through what Jeremiah had written and Baruch had read, but they did not go to hear it, but had Baruch brought to them instead.  Some people will always feel that it is beneath them to go to where God's word is being proclaimed.  Verse fifteen adds, And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.  After Baruch got there, they told him to read the scroll to them so that they might hear it with their own ears.  Baruch did not argue or say that he had already read it if they had only shown up to hear, but he read it again.  No matter how many times we share the gospel, we must always be ready to share it again, without any complaint.  Verse sixteen states, Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.  When the princes and scribes heard what God had to say, they were afraid, but they said that they would surely share it all with the king.  I believe they were more afraid of what the king's reaction would be than they were of what God had to say,  We cannot let fear of what the people in power may say prevent us from proclaiming the truth of God.  Verse seventeen asks, And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?  They then asked Baruch how he had come to know these words to write.  People will always question the source of the scripture, especially if it does not agree with what they want to believe or even if it may go against what those in power would claim to be the truth.  Verse eighteen states, Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.  Baruch said that Jeremiah pronounced all the words with his mouth, and that Baruch simply wrote them down.  Still, God was the source of these words, just as He is the source of the Bible.  Verse nineteen declares, Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.  They told Baruch that Jeremiah and he should go and hide.  This was not a message that the king would want to hear.  They at least did not keep Baruch there for the king, but told him to go to Jeremiah and then go hide.  Verse twenty states, And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.  They went to the king and told him what the scroll had to say.  They did not take Baruch to read it, though he or even Jeremiah himself would have been the best one to do so.

Jeremiah 36:1

 Jeremiah 36:1 says, And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,  Verse two adds, Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.  God's word came to Jeremiah telling him to write a scroll of everything that God had spoken to him against Israel, Judah and all the nations.  We today have God's word that He has spoken through the centuries preserved for us, and it is the Bible.  Verse three states, It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.  God said that when Jeremiah wrote it all down that maybe the people of Judah would read it and learn what God proposed to do to them because of their sin and would return to Him.  We as followers of Christ should hope that people would read the Bible today, or even hear someone share it with them, and would learn what fate awaits them if they do not accept Christ as their Savior and Lord and turn to Him for forgiveness.  Verse four says, Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.  Jeremiah had Baruch do the actual writing of the scroll, but it was the word of God that Jeremiah had received that he gave to Baruch to write.  Verse five declares, And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD:  Jeremiah told Baruch that he was shut up, or imprisoned, and could not go to God's house.  Even though he was God's faithful prophet, Jeremiah was still imprisoned.  We must continue to do what God calls on us to do, no matter our situation in this world.  Verse six adds, Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD’s house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.  Jeremiah sent Baruch to read the scroll to the people of Judah who came out of their houses on the fasting day.  Jeremiah may not have been able to be there, but God's word still could.  We need to spread God's word however we can today, even if we cannot do so in person.  Verse seven continues, It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people.  Jeremiah said that after hearing the anger of God that was pronounced against them that maybe the people of God would return to God.  If people today do not respond to God's words of love, we would hope that they would respond and come to salvation through Christ simply to avoid His wrath, but we know that is too often not the case.  Still we should present God's word in the hope that people will listen.  Verse eight states, And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD’s house.  Baruch did as Jeremiah instructed him to do.  Verse nine adds, And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.  The next year a fast was declared before the Lord and the people of Judah and Jerusalem came to the house of the LORD.  The reading of the scroll was not immediate, but it was done at the time God had designated.  Verse ten concludes, Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD’s house, in the ears of all the people.  Baruch read the scroll where all the people would hear.  We must likewise proclaim God's word for all the people to hear, especially those who are still in need of salvation.  God will provide us with the opportunity to do so if we only listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Jeremiah 35:12

 Jeremiah 35:12 says, Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying, Verse thirteen adds, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the LORD.  This time, the word of the LORD was a question for Jeremiah to ask the people of Judah and Jerusalem.  God once again identified Himself, stating that He was the LORD of hosts and the God of Israel.  God is the God of all creation, but the people of Israel of which Judah and Jerusalem were a part whether they were acknowledging it or not, were those who were supposedly in a covenant relationship with God.  God asked if they would not receive His instruction and hear His word.  We need to live in obedience to God as followers of Christ so that He never has to ask us the same question.  Verse fourteen states, The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.  God then held the Rechabites up as an example.  He said that Jonadab, the son of Rechab commanded his sons to not drink wine, and they still continued to obey his command, but that God had spoken to those who were called His people from early in the morning to late at night and they did not obey His command.  We need to never be more faithful to some man or man made tradition than we are to the word of God and His commandments.  Verse fifteen adds, I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.  God then says that He had sent prophets calling on His people to turn from their idolatry and wicked ways and to return to Him and He would keep them safe in the land that He had given them, but that they would not listen to the prophets.  We need to listen to God's word today as Christians if we are to be successful in our spiritual life.  Verse sixteen declares, Because the sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have performed the commandment of their father, which he commanded them; but this people hath not hearkened unto me:  God once again cited the obedience of the sons of Jonadab and the lack of obedience of the people of Judah and Jerusalem.  Verse seventeen adds, Therefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them: because I have spoken unto them, but they have not heard; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.  God said that He was going to bring punishment to the people of Judah and Jerusalem because they would not listen to His word and live in obedience to Him.  Being a part of a Christian family or even what is called a Christian nation will never save anyone.  We must individually listen to God's call to salvation and personally respond to it to be saved and become a part of His family.  Verse eighteen states, And Jeremiah said unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:  Then verse nineteen adds, Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.  God said that the obedience of the people of Rechab would be rewarded by always having someone to stand before Him.  I believe that this had to do with more than just following Jonadab's rules, but obeying God Who Jonadab represented.  We cannot be saved simply by obeying man made rules, but must live under the leadership of the Holy Spirit if we are truly God's people, and if we do we will be rewarded with everlasting life with God.

Jeremiah 35:1

Jeremiah 35:1  says,  The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, Jeremiah prophesied during the reign of different kings we will note.  Verse two adds, Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.  God instructed Jeremiah to go to the Rechabites and invite them into the house of the LORD and to give them wine to drink.  Matthew Henry said that the Rechabites separated themselves from the rest of Israel, lived in tents and did not drink wine.  They were already living in houses instead of tents because of necessity, so this would be a test to see if they would break their other vow when it was not of necessity.  It is one thing to do something out of necessity and another to do it simply because we may have found it necessary to give in to a certain religious practice just because we have failed in another.  Verse three states, Then I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habaziniah, and his brethren, and all his sons, and the whole house of the Rechabites;  Verse four adds, And I brought them into the house of the LORD, into the chamber of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, a man of God, which was by the chamber of the princes, which was above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door:  Jeremiah brought the Rechabites into the temple as God had commanded him to do.  Verse five declares, And I set before the sons of the house of the Rechabites pots full of wine, and cups, and I said unto them, Drink ye wine.  Jeremiah said he set pots full of wine and cups before them.  This was in the house of God and would have been at no cost to them.  Yet, it would have broken their vow to God to drink it.  Not everything that happens in the church building today may agree with our own personal vow to God, and if it doesn't, even if other believers do it, we must refrain from dong so.  Verse six adds, But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever:  The Rechabites declined to drink the wine because of the vow to their father.  Verse seven continues, Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any: but all your days ye shall dwell in tents; that ye may live many days in the land where ye be strangers.  They also brought up the fact that they were not to build houses or plant vineyards according to the command of Rechab.  Verse eight states, Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters;  They said that they had obeyed the commands of Rechab.  Verse nine adds, Nor to build houses for us to dwell in: neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed:  They repeated the vow to not build houses or plant vineyards.  They may have been living in houses at this time, but they had not built them and did not consider them a permanent home.  Verse ten continues, But we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. Then verse eleven concludes, But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians: so we dwell at Jerusalem.  The Rechabites said that they came to Jerusalem out of fear of the army of the Chaldeans.  Again, they weren't there to establish permanent homes.  We should never allow anything to come between God and us, but if we have made a vow to God we should do our best to keep it, even if everything seems to be going wrong around us.

Jeremiah 34:12

 Jeremiah 34:12 says, Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,  Verse thirteen adds, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,  God told Jeremiah that He had made a covenant with the people of Israel when he brought hem out of the land of Egypt.  The covenant went both ways.  He was to be their God and they were to be his people, and they had failed to keep the covenant.  Verse fourteen states, At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.  God said that the covenant required that any Hebrew who was a servant or slave of another Hebrew would be released from servitude after seven years, but the people of Israel or Judah had failed to follow God's command in the past and the present.  When we enter a covenant relationship with God through our faith in Jesus Christ, then all His laws apply to us and we are to live guided by them.  Verse fifteen declares, And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:  God said that the people of Judah turned to Him again and declared the servants free while they thought they were in danger.  Verse sixteen adds, But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.  God said that as soon as they thought they were safe that they once again enslaved those who had been set free.  God said that this polluted His name.  We cannot call on God in times of trouble and turn away from Him if He brings us out of the trouble without polluting His name.  Verse seventeen declares, Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.  God said that he was proclaiming liberty to the people of Judah to find the sword, pestilence and famine and to be removed from the face of the earth.  This is what being free from obeying God will bring us today.  We may be the richest person in the world, but if we have not entered into a covenant relationship with God through the salvation of Christ, this is our ultimate fate.  Verse eighteen adds, And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut  the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,  God then had a warning to those who had professed to obey His word and had not.  Simply claiming to be a follower of Christ today without following God's law through a persnal relationship with Jesus Christ is not enough to save anyone.  Verse nineteen continues, The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;  God said that all the people professed to follow God by participating in worshipping Him.  Again, this was an empty ritual that had no spiritual meaning to them.  Verse twenty says, I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.  God said because of their sins, He was going to give them over to their enemies and they would be  killed.  If we do not accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will ultimately be given over to a everlasting spiritual death, which will be to be forever separated from God and His loving kindness.  Verse twenty-one adds, And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which are gone up from you.  God said that he was going to give the rulers of Judah over to their enemies.  When we do not follow God's word in faith, we are spiritually under the power of sin.  Verse twenty-two concludes, Behold, I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.  God said that the people of Judah were going to be defeated and Jerusalem was going to be burned.  This was a result of their continued rebellion against God.  If God is against us, it does not matter who is for us.

Jeremiah 34:1

 Jeremiah 34:1 says, The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,  God's word came to Jeremiah as Nebuchadnezzar was fighting against the city with all his army.  Verse two states, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:  God had a message for Jeremiah to carry to Zedekiah, king of Judah, and it wasn't one that he would want to hear.  God said that he was going to give Zedekiah over to Nebuchadnezzar and that Jerusalem would be burned.  The message we have for people today may not always be what they want to hear, but if it is God's message, we must proclaim it.  Verse three adds, And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.  God said that Zedekiah was not going to escape because of his turning away from God, in spite of what the other prophets had been saying.  Our message today is that people are not going to escape punishment for their sins if they do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse four declares, Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:  God also said that Zedekiah would not die by the sword.  Verse five adds, But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the LORD.  God said that Zedekiah would die in peace.  Verse six declares, Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,  Jeremiah proclaimed the word of God to Zedekiah, just as we must proclaim His word to the world today, even if they do not want to hear it.  Verse seven says, When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.  The army's of Nebuchadnezzar then came against Jerusalem, as God had said thy would.  Verse eight states, This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;  God's word once again came to Jeremiah, after Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people of Judah.  God said that liberty would come again.  Verse nine adds, That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.  God said that all the Hebrews should set their servants free, and that no Hebrew should serve his or her brother.  God's law had said that they should be set free after seven years, but the people of Judah were not obeying His law.  We as followers of Christ should never attempt to have any other Christian in servitude to us.  Verse ten declares, Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.  Jeremiah said that when the princes and all the people heard God's command, they let their servants go.  When we hear God's word, we need to obey it no matter what it may cost us in material terms.  Verse eleven adds, But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.  The obedience of the people did not last, as they once again brought the servants that they had freed back into servitude.  Temporarily doing what God commands but then rebelling against Him again is never enough.  We must obey God's word at all times.

Jeremiah 33:19

 Jeremiah 33:19 says, And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying,  Verse twenty adds, Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;  God said that the covenant of the day and night would not be broken.  God established the daytime and the nighttime, and man cannot change it, and neither can they change any of God's covenants.  We may light up the night with artificial ight, but it is still night.  Verse twenty-one declares, Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.  God said that just as certain as the day and night continuing as He ordained them, so was the fact that His laws and His Redeemer, the everlasting descendant of David, Jesus Christ the Messiah, would never change.  Just as God is in charge of the coming of the day and night, He is in charge of the redemption on mankind, and there is only one way to redemption, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-two adds,  As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.  Even though at that time the seed of David, God's chosen people, seemed to be defeated and destroyed, God said that His promise to make them as numerous as the stars or the sands of the sea, was still in effect.  No matter what our situation may be in the world, if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, then our salvation can never be taken from us.  We are a part of the seed of David, because it isn't being a physical descendent, but a spiritual one that one that counts.  Verse twenty-three states, Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,  Verse twenty-four adds, Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them.  God basically told Jeremiah to not worry about what people were saying about the nation of Judah or Israel.  The world may have seen them as two families and have claimed that God had cast them off, but to God they were always one family and He definitely had not cast them off.  The world may say that the church is defeated today, but as long as we remain true to God, He tells us we never will be.  Verse twenty-five declares, Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth;  Verse twenty-six adds, Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.  God's promise was that as sure is there is day and night, the descendants of those who He had made the promise of an everlasting covenant with, would not pass away.  The promise had been made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob based on their faith in God, and the promise applies to everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.