Jeremiah 6 Siege of Jerusalem
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My heart is broken for the Jewish people. I am crying that they would know their Messiah, Yeshua HaNatzari. How long, O Lord? In some sense I have felt Jeremiah’s cry, his longing for them to return to Adonai. Let us begin in Jer. 6
Flee for refuge, children of Benjamin, from the midst of Jerusalem! Blow the shofar in Tekoa and raise a signal in Beth-cherem! For disaster looms from the north, even terrible destruction. “The lovely, delicate Daughter of Zion I will cut off.” Shepherds with their flocks are coming against her. All around her they pitch their tents, each pasturing in his own place. “Prepare for war against her. Rise up! Let’s attack at noon.” “Oy for us! For day is fading— evening shadows are lengthening.” “Rise up! Let’s attack at night and destroy her palaces.” For thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot: “Chop down her trees! Raise a siege ramp at Jerusalem. This city must be punished— in her midst is only oppression. As a well gushes out its waters, so she pours out her wickedness. Violence and havoc are heard in her, sickness and wounds ever before Me. Be warned, O Jerusalem, lest I abandon you, lest I make you desolate— an uninhabited land.” Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot: “Glean the remnant of Israel thoroughly as a vine. Pass your hand over the branches once more, like a grape-gatherer.” “To whom can I speak and warn so they would hear? See, their ears are uncircumcised, unable to hear! The word of Adonai has become scorn to them. They have no delight in it. So I am full of the wrath of Adonai. I am weary of holding it in! Pour it out on a child in the street, on young men gathered together. For husband will be taken with wife, the aged with the very old. Their homes will be turned over to others—together with their fields and their wives. For I will stretch out My hand on the inhabitants of the land.” It is a declaration of Adonai. “For from the least to the greatest, all of them are greedy for gain, and from prophet even to kohen, everyone practices deceit. They healed the wound of My people superficially, saying ‘Shalom, shalom!’ when there is no shalom.” “Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,” says Adonai. Thus says Adonai: “Stand in the roads and look. Ask for the ancient paths— where the good way is— and walk in it. Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We won’t walk in it.’ So I set watchmen over you, saying ‘Listen to the sound of the shofar!’ But they said, ‘We won’t listen.’ Therefore hear, O nations and observe, O congregation, what is against them. Hear, O earth! See, I will bring disaster on this people —fruit of their schemes— for they did not listen to My words and rejected My Torah. Of what use to Me is frankincense coming from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor are your sacrifices pleasing to Me.” Therefore thus says Adonai: “Look, I am laying before this people stumbling blocks— and against them they will stumble— fathers and the sons together, a neighbor and his friend, and they will perish.” Thus says Adonai: “Look, a people coming from a northern land, a great nation roused from the ends of the earth! They are armed with bow and spear, cruel and with no compassion. They sound like the roaring sea— as they ride on horses as men in battle formation, against you, Daughter of Zion!” “We have heard of their fame. Our hands hang limp; anguish has gripped us, pain like a woman in labor. Don’t go out into the field or walk on the road. Since the enemy has a sword, there’s terror on every side!” “Daughter of My people, put on sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn as for an only son with bitter lamentation.” “For suddenly the destroyer will come on us!” “I have made you a metal-tester among My people—so you may observe and test their way. They are all stubborn rebels spreading slander. They are bronze and iron, all of them are corrupt. The bellows blow fiercely, blasting away the lead with fire. The refining is completely in vain, for the wicked are not drawn off. They are called ‘cast off silver’— for Adonai has cast them off.”
A People Under Siege
A People Under Siege
This passage, like many other in Jeremiah, has multiple changes in speakers as well as audience. The first passage reminds us from Adonai that Jerusalem will be destroyed by siege. Jeremiah issues a warning to the children of Benjamin, the city of Tekoa and Beth-cherem, that Judgement is coming from the north. Tekoa (the modern city of Khirbit Tequa) is about 16 Km south of Jerusalem, the city of Beth-cherem is between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and the Tribe of Benjamin was in the region directly north of Jerusalem.
Adonai is warning all of the surrounding area that judgement is coming to Jerusalem, whom He calls the lovely, delicate Daughter of Zion. Even in this declaration of judgement we see that Adonai mercifully warns the people, and seeks to save any who will listen.
Divine Orders to the Attackers
Divine Orders to the Attackers
Adonai has declared from the beginning, that He is ultimately responsible for this destruction of Jerusalem. Here again in vs. 6, we see that Adonai directs the armies to build siege weapons and punish Jerusalem for Her wickedness, violence and havoc. The judgement will be complete, just as a gleaner of grapes goes over the vines a second time, so no one will escape.
Jeremiah’s Cry to God
Jeremiah’s Cry to God
Will anyone listen? Is there anyone who can hear of this coming judgement and mourn and repent? To Jeremiah, no one is even able to hear, because the Word of Adonai has become scornful to them. And so, the anger of Adonai that Jeremiah has been trying to hold back now comes pouring out.
And just like before, halfway through the thought, it is no longer Jeremiah speaking, but Adonai tells Jeremiah to pour out the anger on all people. The judgement that is coming will affect everyone, young and old, men and women, rich and poor.
Why will no one listen?
Why will no one listen?
Why will no one listen? Last week we touched on how the Prophets prophesied falsely, and the Priests ministered based upon that false word. Now Adonai shows why these Prophets and Priests were corrupt.
From the least of them to the greatest of them they are filled with financial greed, and all of them do so deceitfully. So, the sake of wealth the prophets are telling people, ‘Shalom, shalom!’ when there is no shalom.”
The people had forgotten how to blush, and when asked by Adonai to follow the ancient paths, the people said “We won’t walk in it.” We don’t want to follow those old traditions. We don’t want to hear your warnings anymore.
Later in his life Jeremiah would write:
Your prophets have seen for you false and worthless visions. They did not expose your iniquity, so as to restore your captivity. Rather, they have seen for you false and worthless oracles.
Therefore...
Because the people refuse to listen, and return to Adonai, the earth, the nations, the entire congregation will see their disaster from the north.
Jeremiah’s Cry to the People
Jeremiah’s Cry to the People
The time for repentance is now! Verse 26 we see Jeremiah calling out for the people to repent now, before judgement comes. The only reason that he would say this, is if there was a chance that Adonai would relent, and pour out forgiveness instead of wrath.
But instead, Adonai tells Jeremiah that he is a metal inspector and will see just how stubborn, rebellious, slanderous and corrupt the people actually are.
Application
Application
So how do we apply this passage to our lives today?
Trust Adonai
Trust Adonai
In all of these judgements, whether it be war, famine or pestilence, we must remember that Adonai is in control. Yeshua, when speaking with his Talmidim, said Lk. 21:10-13
Then He continued telling them, “Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes along with famines and epidemics in various places, and there will be terrors along with great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will grab you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons, and leading you away to kings and governors on account of My name. This will lead you to be a witness.
Yeshua then continued and shares what we should do. Lk. 21:14-19
So make up your minds not to prepare ahead of time to defend yourselves— for I Myself will give you speech and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. But you will be handed over even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends—and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all because of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will be lost. By your endurance, you will gain your souls.
Now I have a bad habit of talking to myself, and even arguing with myself about what I would say. The good news is that I win most of the arguments, the bad news, is that it distracts me, angers me and ultimately puts worry in my mind.
Yeshua tells us not to defend ourselves, but rather to rely on the speech and wisdom that He will give us. In my case, this means focusing more on reading His word, and less on worrying what the world is doing. Yeshua calls us to patiently endure. He warns us that we will be hated because of Him. But in all of this, we can remain confident in Him because He has overcome the world.
Blush over sin
Blush over sin
One of the verses that stood out to me in the passage was, Jer.6:15 ““Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? No, they were not at all ashamed; they did not know how to blush.”
We live in a culture is that has forgotten that there are things we ought not do, there are things we ought not say, and there are places we ought not go. Embarrassment of sin is a very good thing. It used to be that most sins were culturally embarrassing, however today our culture wants many sins to be accepted so that people will not feel embarrassed doing them. We live in a culture that is forgetting how to blush.
The question that we can ask ourselves is, “Do we still blush? Or have we desensitised ourselves to the dark, twisted nature of sin?”
If we find ourselves no longer being embarrassed, then maybe we need to get back into God’s Word, and be reminded of how He sees sin.
Repentance is a Gift
Repentance is a Gift
A good friend of mine, Rella Shipman, once said, “Repentance is a Gift!” The ability to repent and Adonai’s willingness to forgive, is what sets the God of the Bible apart from all other gods. When the Lord reveals sin in our lives, it is to bring us to repentance so that He can forgive us. Rav. Sha’ul wrote to the congregation in Corinth, 2 Cor. 7:8-10
For even if I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that my letter grieved you, but just for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to the point of repentance. For you were grieved according to God’s will, so that you might in no way suffer loss from us. For the grief that God wills brings a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret. But the world’s grief brings death.
Paul’s previous letter had pointed out many sins going on in the congregation, and here he is pointing out that the grieving of the people had led them to repentance, and that repentance leads us to salvation, leaving no regret. Paul does point out that there is a right kind of sorrow, that leads us to repentance, and there is a wrong kind of sorrow that leads us to a rejection of God.
I have seen the difference between being sorry for myself, verses being sorry over my sin. The self-centred sorrow has led me toward depression, whereas the godly sorrow has led me to repentance. And repentance always leads to healing and freedom in Messiah.
We are all called to live a humble life. This means that like King David we need to be quick to repent. This does not mean that we should deliberately sin just so that we can get forgiven. This is what Paul was talking of to the congregation in Rome. Rom. 6:1-4
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may abound? May it never be! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who were immersed into Messiah Yeshua were immersed into His death? Therefore we were buried together with Him through immersion into death—in order that just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Yeshua said this. Lk. 17:3-4
“Keep yourselves alert! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Even if he sins against you seven times a day, and seven times returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
If this is how Yeshua commands us to be with each other, how much more will Adonai be this way with us?