Brother Adam Drake’s first sermon after receiving his calling.
Jeremiah 8:4-11 “Responding to God’s word.
Overview:
We are at a point of time in this scripture where God is warning the Israelites to amend and change their ways. In the previous chapter, the Lord tells Jeremiah to go and stand in the gate of the Temple, and through the prophet Jeremiah tell the Israelites to repent of their idolatry, adultery, stealing and burning of incense unto the false idol Baal.
God’s people were severely hardened in their hearts, and weren’t listening to God. The Lord even goes on to say that if they didn’t listen and repent, the judgment would be so severe (which was the invasion of the Babylonians) that they would rather be dead than to face this judgment and have to live under the rule of Babylon. The Jews during this time thought that the way they were living was fine because they were God’s chosen people, and that because of this God wouldn’t punish them or harm the Temple. Later in scripture we see that this in fact is not the case. The point of this sermon is to show us how that when God speaks we need to listen and respond accordingly. When the Lord Jesus shows us something from His word to do, we must do it. We should not reject or refuse His calling, or when He speaks to us about matters. We need to obey His every command. This scripture shows what happens when we do not heed His word.
Verse 4 “Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord; Shall they fall, and not arise? Shalt he turn away, and not return?”
The prophet Jeremiah is showing how deceived the Israelites had become. Jeremiah is showing his people that spiritually speaking they have fallen flat on their face, and have become so blinded by sin they couldn’t see how far away they were from God, nor did they have any desire to pick themselves back up from their fall. Usually, when a man falls down he will pick himself back up quickly. A man wouldn’t just let himself lay in the dirt after he fell. No, neither would someone who is traveling down the wrong path, realize it, and then just keep going. He would get himself back on the right path as quickly as he could. No one in their right mind, would travel down the wrong path knowing that it would never bring them to their desired destination.
A scripture in Proverbs 24:16 tells us, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” ‘
The prophet here is saying how odd it is for the Israelites to not pick themselves up. God is plainly telling the people that they need to turn from their ways back to Him, and that the direction they are going is not going to end well. As we looked at the verse in Proverbs, we see that when a man is walking closely with the Lord Jesus, how quickly he realizes when he starts to get off on the wrong path. He quickly picks himself up when he fails and sins. He goes back to walking with the Lord. But those who aren’t walking with the Lord Jesus, because they are so far into sin, they cannot realize how far they have fallen, nor do they pick themselves up.
Verse 5 “Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding?”
The people of Jerusalem have at this point gone so far into sin that God says they were in a state of perpetual backsliding. These are very strong words indeed. The definition of the word perpetual in the Webster’s Dictionary means never ceasing; continuing forever in future time.”
The Lord up to this point has continually warned His people of their sin, and their need to repent and to turn back to Him. God sent His prophets, literally in this case, to their front door at the Temple, and yet they would not listen. We may ask, how did they get to this point? Why weren’t they listening to the Lord? God says that the primary reason is that;
…..”they hold fast deceit, They refuse to return.”
Here in scripture we see that the root cause for the Israelites’ attitude, is that they refuse to let go of their sin, which was deceiving them. They lay hold to deceit, and were led astray, and cheated, being out of Gods will for their lives. Their sin had ensnared them and taken over their hearts which, rightly belonged to God. They loved their sin more, and refused to return to God.
John 3:19 reminds us that “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
It is a sad thing that men love darkness rather than light. When the light brings us so much more peace and joy. We must not adopt this attitude.
1Peter 3;11 says “Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.”
This should be our attitude towards sin, to eschew it, to run from it, and follow Jesus, and to strive to serve Him.
Sadly, we can look at this scripture and the hearts of the Israelites during this time and draw many parallels between them and our culture today. In our country today, there is the saying that has spread like wildfire among our people, particularly the people of my generation, and the generation behind me. The saying is an acronym “YOLO” (you only live once) and is very dangerous and a treacherous mentality that has consumed our youth. People no longer consider eternity, they are brainwashed into believing that we are only products of evolution, and the way in which we believe or live our lives has no eternal implications. Therefore, the attitude is to live as you please, after all, everyone else is living in sin so it must be okay. What foolishness! We have come to a point in our culture, where like Israel we have refused to listen to the Word of God. It has been spoken, proclaimed and yet we shut it out because “after all it’s my life, and I want it my way.” We lay hold to deceit, our people have clung to the sin of this world, instead of the promises of God.
If our people don’t change and turn back, those that aren’t saved will have been cheated out of eternal life, and those that are saved will have been cheated out of reward and the joy of being in God’s will. As a young man working in a secular job, I see other peers around me and what they talk about, and how they live their lives. Sometimes I just have to get up and walk away because of the wickedness they either look at or discuss. It is a heartbreaking reality.
Verse 6 “I hearkened and heard…”
Jeremiah had spoken and had been declaring thus saith the Lord to the people and now after he had delivered the word to them he was waiting for their response to it. He was listening to see if by God’s grace his people would be convicted and repent. God wants sinners to come to Him for salvation, and wants His children to heed to His chastisement and correction, so that sin can be confessed and fellowship restored. He does not want to send punishment upon us if He doesn’t have to. He is a gracious and longsuffering God. He continually warned His people, sending prophet after prophet to warn them and tell them the truth and the dangers that lie ahead if they don’t listen. I’m sure Jeremiah had meditated on what God had told him to preach, and prayed on behalf of his people during his ministry. The man greatly wanted the Israelites to turn back to God. Now let’s look at their response to the word of God.
But they spake not aright: no man repented of his wickedness…
What a heart-breaking response. Here’s a faithful man of God preaching his heart out to his people telling others the truth from the word of God, and none of them repented. Not a single one, the Bible says. They didn’t even examine their ways.
“…saying, What have I done?”
The Israelites were completely turned over to their sin. They had come to a point where they had rejected time and time again the word of God. Their hearts were hardened. Instead of even listening to the prophet, and even stopping to think about how they were living their lives, they just kept on going full steam ahead. The bible says:
“….every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.”
So not only did they not listen, they pursued their sinful lifestyle as a horse that rusheth into battle. Full steam ahead, right toward the path of destruction. This is a terrible response, and what is sad is that we live among a people in our culture that is much the same. It seems that our society is so accepting and attentive to everything except Christianity. People do not want righteousness, because they don’t want to give up their sin.
Verse 7; Yea, the stork in heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord.”
The stork and the turtle and the crane, they all know then winter is coming, and when spring is coming. They know when they need to change directions for their own good. However, the Israelites at this time couldn’t see it when it was staring them right in their face. The didn’t know the judgement of the Lord, they didn’t listen. What should have been automatic for them, had they been following the Lord, instead they were oblivious to it.
Verse 8 “How do ye say, we are wise,….”
The people were puffed up with pride, thinking that they had great wisdom, when in reality, they were more ignorant than the stork, the turtle and the crane.
“and the law of the Lord is with us?”
The Jews of course were and are God’s chosen people. He had given the law through Moses, and chose them instead of the other nations. They thought that since this was the case, they must have wisdom and that they must be wise.
“Lo, certainly in vain made he it, the pen of the scribe is in vain.”
The law had, at this point was not being followed or respected. The Jews valued it as far as having copies of it, but they did not apply it to their lives. What is the point of having the word of God, hearing the word of God, if it isn’t applied to our lives?
Verse 9 “The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken:”
God’s judgment was going to be coming upon them. The wise men or religious leaders of the time were going to be ashamed once the Babylonians came in to invade. They then would be discouraged and dismayed and overcome with heartache and confusion.”
“lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?
The definition of wisdom in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary is: The right use or exercise of knowledge.” The religious leaders at this point were not wise, because they rejected to respond appropriately to the word of God. Meaning that they did not apply the word of God to their lives. They may have read it, they may have even studied it to great length.
However, it had become just head knowledge, and not heart knowledge. Therefore, they had no wisdom, as true wisdom only comes from God’s word. If we love the word of God, and seek wisdom, then we will apply His word to our lives.
Psalm 119:73 says, “The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”
Psalm 119:144 says, “The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding and shall live.”
Matthew 4:4 says “….. It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by ever word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
Do we as a people love Jesus? Do we love His word? Are we applying His word and living by it?
Verse 10: In this verse the Lord Jesus reveals part of His judgment that is to come upon the Israelites. God sent in the Babylonians to invade the kingdom of Judah, and their wives were taken as possession, as well as their fields. Then God says:
“…. For every one from the least unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.”
All of them were in the world. They were all given over to their own desires, to their own lusts. The teachers and prophets at this time would teach others the law for hire, for money. They lacked genuine faith and love for the truth from the word of God. They were all deep into their sin.
Verse 11: “For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.”
The prophets and priests were calming murmurs, they told the people that it was okay to live in sin. They were telling them nothing would happen to them, they said “Don’t listen to the man of God when he preaches. Continue on with your lives.”
Those prophets and priests had a responsibility to edify God’s people, and yet they didn’t and rather they encouraged sin. They knew better, but thought that that they were untouchable. Friends, look at what happens when the word of God becomes unimportant in our lives. These men had read God’s word, and studied it, but wasn’t in their hearts.
Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”
Pride had blinded the Israelites, and had given them a false sense of wisdom that lead to a great chastisement and punishment. Let this portion of scripture be a lesson to us to heed to the word of God and make it essential in our daily lives, so that we hide it in our hearts, and bring forth fruit of righteousness in us.
Amen. Let us bow for prayer.