Journey Through Jeremiah
The prophet we meet today in our journey is Jeremiah, whose name means “Jehovah appoints.” His book was written about 100 years after the prophet Isaiah. He is known as the “weeping prophet.” Some refer to him as the prophet of the broken heart. He was a lonely man. As a matter of fact, he is the only man in the Bible who was specifically told not to marry. He saw no lasting reform, and few responded to his message of repentance. Yet, this man had a very special call of God in his life, and he did exactly what God told him to do.
Have you ever been given a job that seemed absolutely impossible? Jeremiah was given such a mission, and it is one of the hardest, most challenging missions ever given. Jeremiah ministered in what was known as Judah’s midnight hour. It was the dark moment when Judah was caught between Egypt on one hand and Assyria on the other. But Judah’s problem was not military or political. Her great problem was spiritual.
This sounds a lot like most nations today. The great need of our land is not political, economic, or military. Our greatest need, and the deepest need, is always the spiritual need. The darkest hour for any nation is when it turns away from the truth that God has given.
Listen: Journeying through Jeremiah
Overview of Jeremiah
The book of Jeremiah is a book of warning. It was written to warn God’s people. Jeremiah is given a message not only for God’s chosen people, but also for the Gentile nations. Jeremiah 7:28 addresses God’s people: “But thou shalt say unto them, this is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction. Truth is perished and is cut off from their mouth.”
What a powerful verse! It is a description of any nation that turns away from the truth. The nation of Judah did not want to hear the truth. The Bible says they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and then they ceased speaking truth. Truth had perished. The verse says it was cut off from their mouth. If we close our ears to God’s Word, we risk silencing truth in our lives, no longer speaking the truth, and turning to lies and hypocrisy.
That is exactly what Judah did. There is a powerful key in Jeremiah 7:28, where the Bible says not only would they not obey the Lord, they would not even receive His correction. One of the marks that there is still hope for a nation is if they are still open to God correcting them.
The Illustration of the Potter’s House
A Willing Vessel
In Jeremiah chapters 18 and 19, God uses an object lesson. In chapter 18, God gives an illustration through the potter’s house. The potter creates an earthen vessel, shaping the clay to a desired form. If you have ever seen a potter at work, it is a fascinating process. However, in the midst of the process, the vessel becomes marred in the hands of the potter. Rather than discarding it, he reworks the clay into another vessel.
This is a beautiful picture of what God does with us. We are marred by sin and by our own choices. But God does not give up on us. Praise the Lord! He does not throw the clay away. He makes it again into another vessel. Jeremiah 18:6 says, “Cannot I do with you as this potter?”
I want to stand up and shout, “Yes!” Praise God, He can. Whoever you are today, you may feel like your vessel is marred. You have made a mess of things. Sin always makes a mess. Yet, God in His mercy can make you new.
A Broken Vessel
As you journey into Jeremiah 19, God commands Jeremiah to take a potter’s earthen vessel into the middle of the street and throw it down on the ground, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Jeremiah then declares to Judah these words from Jeremiah 19:11: “…Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again:…”,
Consider this question: What is the difference between the vessel in chapter 18 and the vessel in chapter 19? Both are potter’s earthen vessels, but one is remade and the other is destroyed. The difference is pliability. The vessel of chapter 18 remained in the hands of the potter. The vessel in chapter 19 was hard and unyielding, and is taken from the wheel to the shelf, beyond remaking. It was no longer moldable. My friend, as long as you remain pliable, open to God and His correction, there is hope. Can you hear the voice of God? Does the Holy Spirit prick your heart about your sin? If so, you are still in the potter’s hands. He is still shaping and molding. Let Him have his way with you.
When people get to the place where their heart is hardened like the vessel in chapter 19, where they have refused, rebelled and rejected, then they get hardened to God. There is no hope there. That is exactly what happened to Judah, and so God sends a message of warning that judgment is coming.
The Message to the Gentile Nations
Jeremiah not only spoke to Judah, but he also spoke to nine Gentile nations, the most famous of which was Babylon. In Jeremiah 46:1, we read: “The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles.” Unlike other prophets, Jeremiah’s message was for everyone.
My friend, God has a message for every nation on earth. If you have watched the news lately, you know that there is great movement and turmoil among the nations. One day, every nation will acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. Every nation that refuses to hear His word now will hear His word in eternity. Why? Because our God is the God of all the earth. He’s the God of every nation.
151 times in the Book of Jeremiah, we find the phrase: “The word of the Lord came.” The word of the Lord came to Judah, to Babylon, to the Gentiles, and it comes to us today. Will we heed it? God is speaking to us. He is dealing with us. Our responsibility is to keep ourselves open to His Word and be willing to let Him do His work in our hearts and lives.
The Joy of the Weeping Prophet
Jeremiah was the prophet of the broken heart. He was the weeping prophet, a man who was broken over Judah’s sin and Israel’s waywardness, much like Christ wept over Jerusalem, because he knew what God wanted to do, and yet they were unwilling. He was a broken man.
Most people, when they consider Jeremiah, mentally picture him as a very sad man. There is no doubt that there were many sad occasions, such as his imprisonment. Further, God tasked Jeremiah with many hard and unpleasant responsibilities. Yet, in Jeremiah 15:5 we read something amazing: “O Lord, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.”
When you feel despair coming on, pray. Go to the God who knows all. You cannot change the nation, but you can trust Him for yourself. Now consider Jeremiah 15:16: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.”
This is what the Holy Spirit spoke to me about. The prophet of the broken heart also had a joyful heart. How did he do that? Because Jeremiah heard the voice of God speaking to him. When you get close to the heart of God, you capture both His brokenness and His joy. You will be burdened today over sin and heartache all around you, but listen to the Word of God and find your joy in Him. Though you may be broken, you can also rejoice. May God help you as you journey through Jeremiah.
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