Lessons From Jeremiah – Part 17 – The Task To Find Just One Righteous Person. Sorrow To Come On Judah Series

LESSONS FROM JEREMIAH – PART 17 – THE TASK TO FIND JUST ONE RIGHTEOUS PERSON. SORROW TO COME ON JUDAH

PART 17 - Jeremiah 4:27 - 5:1-2

CHAPTER 4

[A]. CHAOS WILL OVERTAKE THE LAND IN GOD’S JUDGEMENT

{{Jeremiah 4:27 For thus says the LORD, “THE WHOLE LAND SHALL BE A DESOLATION, yet I will not execute a complete destruction, Jeremiah 4:28 for this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above be dark, because I have SPOKEN, I have PURPOSED, and I will NOT CHANGE MY MIND, NOR WILL I TURN FROM IT.” Jeremiah 4:29 At the sound of the horseman and bowman every city flees. They go into the thickets and climb among the rocks. EVERY CITY IS FORSAKEN, and no man dwells in them.”}}

We have the continuation of the formless and void from the previous study in these verses, for once the destruction starts, it will continue until completion. The Lord says the whole land will be a desolation, and in verse 28, the earth will mourn for it will be ravaged. The sky above will be dark, probably from the incessant fires. In verse 28, we have 4 statements from God of resolution and determination. Here they are –

((a)). “I HAVE SPOKEN.” What God speaks will happen. Only the spoken word was enough to create the universe.

It is of note that the Lord, from the time of creation, seems to have revealed to man all His intentions and will by speaking through His prophets, and in these last days, through His son. {{Hebrews 1:1-2 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”}} A similar thought is in Amos – {{Amos 3:7 “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.”

((b)). The second one is “I HAVE PURPOSED.” God’s will is unfathomable and beyond the finite capacity of human beings to know, but His will and purpose towards us is truly wonderful through our Lord Jesus Christ. He has purposed to give us all good things, not really in this life, but in heaven when we are there.

((c)). Thirdly, “I WILL NOT CHANGE MY MIND.” This is an interesting one for we sometimes read God changes His mind or relents (“repents” in the KJV, is not a good translation these days even though the word means the changing of one’s mind from the Anglo-French from Latin and related to “penitent”, feeling sorry for”). We remember several episodes of beseeching God to change His mind. I suppose the most persistent of these is concerning Israel and Judah. He said that certain judgement was coming and He would destroy the nation, but later we see God pleading yet again for the people to return in repentance and they would be spared. God’s actions are the right course, but that action can be averted by a true repentance and restoration.

In spite of all the dire warnings and promises of destruction and captivity, and all the invitations to repent and avoid all that evil coming, the status quo was maintained by the people for the people did not heed God. I think it is lovely that God often makes a way around the situation. Adam was told that if he ate that fruit, then from that day, he would die, but God had a plan that worked around that for man’s salvation. We have a magnificent and All-powerful God.

[[d]]. The fourth statement is “NOR WILL I TURN FROM IT.” In many ways the previous three encompass this one, but we see our blessed Lord as God the Son setting His face as a flint to go to Jerusalem, and He did not turn from it. Man is untrustworthy and unreliable in all his promises but God is not. Praise Him!

Although complete desolation is promised, the land will not be completely destroyed and this refers to the people. God will leave a remnant. It may be small, very small, but God leaves a remnant. When the world of men was destroyed in Noah’s time, He left a remnant, Noah and 7 more. When Israel was corrupt under Ahab, He had His remnant, Elijah and 7 000 others. Verse 29 describes graphically the people’s reaction. They took no heed of the prophets, but now at the sound of the horsemen and the bowmen from Babylon, there is instant response. People empty out of the cities and go looking for natural areas in which to hide. We saw in this chapter, this verse – {{Jeremiah 4:5 Declare in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem, and say, “Blow the trumpet in the land. Cry aloud and say, ‘Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities.’}} The first reaction was to seek shelter in fortified cities but these were no security at all and as word spread, even the fortified cities were vacated. The cities become deserted, no inhabitants, no life. All the social order is in chaos.