The Book of Jeremiah
Lesson 3
Jeremiah 4:5 – 6
Introduction
Israel and Judah broke the 1st and 2nd commandments by worshipping idol/false gods. God’s relationship with Israel and Judah is analogized as husband to wife. As husband, God requires faithfulness but instead, the people worshipped other gods. For their unfaithfulness, God issued a divorce from the people; but out of God’s love, mercy and compassion, God called the people to repentance. God called Israel and Judah to repent by acknowledging and turning from their sin; by reestablishing justice in the land, and to circumcise their hearts and return to God. Tonight, we’ll look at how Israel and Judah responded to God’s call to repentance.
I. What does God have against the prophets?
a) We saw in 2 Kings 22:16 that Huldah the prophet declared that the Lord would bring disaster on the nation, and in Jer. 1:14 God said that disaster would come out of the north. Here in 4:5 the people are told to blow the trumpet – sound the alarm – because the invasion of Jerusalem by the northern army has begun. Seeing the devastation, both the priests and the prophets are astounded; and Jeremiah complains to God that God has deceived the people (vs. 9-10). The people were told all would be well while disaster was being planned.
b) The prophets spoke falsely: “They have spoken falsely of the LORD, and have said, ‘He will do nothing. No evil will come upon us, and we shall not see sword or famine’ (5:12).” The prophets had prophesied that there would be peace (6:14). They prophesied what the people (and themselves) wanted to hear and not what God said. This was the state of the nation: “For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain; and from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely (6:13).” The prophets acted shamefully, so shamefully that they didn’t know to blush (V.15).
c) God’s word was not in the prophets; but we saw that Jeremiah complained in 4:10 that God would allow the prophets to prophesy. God did not allow; God’s words were never in the prophets, but the prophets will be judged along with the people. “Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts: Because they have spoken this word, I am now making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire shall devour them (5:14).”
II. What is justice and who is responsible for instituting it?
a) Last week we saw that in order for the nation to repent, it needed to establish justice. “‘As the LORD lives!’ in truth, in justice, and in uprightness, then nations shall be blessed by him, and by him they shall boast (4:2).” Truth and justice are the beginning of justice in the nation; but this leaves us with the question, what is justice?
b) In 5:28, Jeremiah says, “They know no limits in deeds of wickedness; they do not judge with justice the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy.” An orphan – a child without parents or family – did not receive justice in the courts; neither did those who were poor/needy. The orphan and the needy represent the most vulnerable in society. These persons are to be defended by the courts when they plead their case, but instead they are oppressed. Jeremiah speaks of “fowlers” (v. 27), those who hunt and catch birds. When the orphan and the needy come to court, the fowlers set a trap and (v. 26) and they are treacherous; instead of defending the rights of the poor the scoundrels grow rich and fat by defrauding them in court and taking their goods and rights from them (remember, everyone is greedy – 6:13). There is no limit to their wickedness (vs. 26-28).
c) Justice begins by speaking the truth, but in Jerusalem the powerful told lies. They lied in court which allowed them to defraud the poor and to grow rich from their fraud. Jeremiah condemns them because God expects the poor to be defended; for the poor to be uplifted and caused to prosper (v. 28). For God, justice is defending and uplifting the most vulnerable and it was the nation who was responsible for doing this.
III. Why is Israel rejected silver?
a) As we have seen, the people are utterly corrupt, “…from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain… (6:13).” Therefore, God makes Jeremiah a Fuller (I use the term specifically). A Fuller is one who works with metals like gold and silver. He refines or purifies the metals to remove any dirt or other impurities so that you would have “fine” (pure) silver or gold. In. 6:27, God calls Jeremiah a tester and a refiner of the people.
b) In 5:1, Jeremiah was told to search through Jerusalem to find one who acts justly and seeks truth? He looked among the people, but they did not have understanding (5:4), so he seeks among the rich/leaders of the city but could find none just among them (5:5). The people were utterly corrupt; they are stubbornly rebellious (6:28).
c) In the furnace of the Fuller (tester) the fire bellows fiercely (6:29). Lead is added to the melting silver to purify it, but the lead is being consumed by the fire, and the impurities are not being removed. If the impurities cannot be removed, then the silver is rejected. Judah is so stubbornly rebellious and acts so corruptly that the impurities cannot be removed and therefore, God rejects Judah.
Next Week: Jeremiah 7 – 8
Questions for the week:
1. Why can’t Judah find security in the temple?
2. How has the temple become a “den of robbers”?
3. Why does the prophet mourn?