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"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.
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. I sat not in the assembly of the
mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou
hast filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual, and
my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be
altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail? Therefore
thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee
again, and thou shalt stand before me:
and if thou take forth
the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth:
let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them. And I
will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they
shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against
thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith
the LORD. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked,
and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible."
Jeremiah 15:15-21
LESSON 1, VERSE 15:
"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."
Jeremiah 15:15
A Prophet of God is standing on solid ground
when He lives by this maxim: "O Lord, Thou
knowest!" The Name of God being used here is "Jehovah."
He is the God of Salvation, the covenant keeping Lord of all!
Jehovah means, at its heart, the God Who IS! Eternally
the self existent One! The verb "knowest" is a perfect form of "yada."
It in this context emphasizes God's never learning anything ...
because He already possesses all the facts! "Yada" often can,
and here does, mean complete knowledge, nothing lacking!
If I serve a God Who knows all, therein I
find peace and joy!
"Remember" is an
imperative! God is being asked to do something here, asked so
strongly that it appears to be a demand! Nothing disrespectful
is implied. The Hebrew language often expresses prayer in this
fashion. It's earnestness being apparent! "To call to mind!"
It's "heart" means "to mark" something, so that it might be
recognized! Remembered!
"Visit" means
"to look after or to number or to be concerned with" someone! "Paqad"
can imply either a good visitation, or an evil one! God can come
in blessing or judgment! It can also carry the idea of
intervening on someone's behalf, to help them in a time of need!
"Revenge"
translates "naqam," meaning to punish or execute revenge! Now in
this line of three imperatives we stand amazed! Maybe, I'm not
sure yet, Jeremiah is being a little "pushy" with God! The
object of our verb is "persecutors."
And "radaph" means those who are chasing or following you ... to
do you harm!
Jeremiah was the Prophet of God who was
called "to root out, and to pull down, and
to destroy, and to throw down" ... before he could
"build and plant." Such a ministry
drew enemy fire! Retaliation! See Jeremiah 1:10.
God even told the Prophet that his words, his
preaching, would be like "fire" and
his hearers like "wood" and the
rest of that story you can imagine! Ashes! See Jeremiah 5:14.
It got so bad that Jeremiah's own
townspeople, citizens of Anathoth, sought to kill him!
"But I was like a lamb or an
ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that
they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us
destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off
from the land of the living, that his name may be no more
remembered." Here's what they said to the Preacher:
"Prophesy not in the name of the LORD,
that thou die not by our hand." (Jeremiah 11:19, 21) Then
and there God promised Jeremiah: "Behold,
I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their
sons and their daughters shall die by famine: and there shall be
no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of
Anathoth, even the year of their visitation." Now
we can better understand why Jeremiah was so bold in his
praying!
At times Jeremiah faced the stark possibility
of death! Often in fact! After hearing his preaching the local
ministerial association petitioned the King:
"We beseech thee, let this man be put to
death. Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your
hand: for the king is not he that can do any
thing against you. Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him
into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was
in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with
cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire:
so Jeremiah sunk in the mire." This, taken from Jeremiah
38, is suffering!
Little wonder Jeremiah then prayed further:
"Take me not away in Thy longsuffering."
Lord, don't kill me! To "take away," in Hebrew "laqach," means
"to lay hold of, to seize or to fetch!" To snatch away ... here
in death! The verb is a Qal imperfect. Active voice ... constant
possibility! And "longsuffering" employs two words. "Arek" means
long as opposed to short. Then "aph" is one's nostrils! It
pictures a man breathing hard! Doing so in extreme anger!
However, in the Bible this term occasionally means
"longsuffering" in the sense of forbearance! See Proverbs 25:15
for the example I have in mind. I think Jeremiah may be saying
something like this. God, Thou hast graciously allowed my
enemies so much time and space ... if things so continue they
will kill me for sure! Do not let me die! Do not take me away!
Let not Thy patience to them be the death of me!
Our verse again:
"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."
Jeremiah 15:15
The second "know" in this Text is "yada"
again. Again it's an imperative too! It can mean to know or
perceive in just about any degree ... mere acquaintance to
intimate familiarity.
"For Thy sake"
is "al" in Hebrew. It's a preposition and has the idea of "over
or upon or against." Jeremiah has suffered because of his
testimony for God!
"Suffered" is "nasa"
and means to carry or bear or even lift a heavy load! It's an
infinitive here, suggesting durative or constant action. This
grief is a daily event for Jeremiah!
Then the final noun
"rebuke" must be studied. "Cherpah" means scorn or taunt
or shame or reproach. It's root verb means "to pull off" and
likely has reference to stripping a person, exposing his shame!
What pressure and hatred this Man of God
endured ... apparently for fifty or more years as he faithfully
preached the Word of God!
Little wonder he prayed an imprecation in
this verse, "Revenge me of my
persecutors."
In fact, Jeremiah often did this! He might be
the Bible Leader when it comes to imprecation, even ahead of the
Psalmist! For example, Jeremiah 18:21-23.
"Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out
their blood by the force of the sword; and let their
wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and
let their men be put to death; let their young men be
slain by the sword in battle. Let a cry be heard from their
houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for
they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.
Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay
me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin
from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal
thus with them in the time of thine anger." This is
one Preacher with whom yu would not want to quarrel!
Do you think he's out of line? Let Isaiah set
us straight! "No weapon that is formed
against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall
rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is
the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their
righteousness is of me, saith the LORD."
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2, VERSE 16:
Today we come to the great sixteenth verse!
"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." Jeremiah 15:16
We must remember the context of these
precious truths.
Jeremiah is frustrated!
More than that, he is being persecuted,
relentlessly!
Because of His preaching, God's mandated
Message to backslidden Judah!
Under such heavy pressure, any man of God
might speak unadvisedly with his lips! Moses once did so
according to Psalm 106:33.
Job did too!
Even John the Baptist as well!
Paul once called the High Priest of Israel a
"whited wall," a hypocrite!
And Jonah, he made a career of rash speaking!
But, at least with Jeremiah, he often found
encouragement in the midst of his frustrations.
And, as with so many of God's saints, that
strength lay in the Word of God!
That's why verse 16 is where it is!
"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."
The noun "words" is "dabar" in Hebrew. It
refers specifically to the content of a message, not its
physical delivery. What God was saying uplifted Jeremiah!
That's why we must study each noun or verb carefully! They are
loaded with meaning!
The verb "found" translates "matzsa" which
means something like "came forth" or even "appeared." It does no
necessarily here denote a long and diligent search! God's Word
found Jeremiah really ... in this case anyway. Several times
Jeremiah experienced the written Word! He, under the direct
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, even authored some of it! In
Jeremiah 30:2 we read: "Thus speaketh the
LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have
spoken unto thee in a book." Then again, in Jeremiah
36:2, the Lord instructed the Prophet:
"Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words
that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah,
and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee,
from the days of Josiah, even unto this day." Lastly
book-wise, "So Jeremiah wrote in a book
all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all
these words that are written against Babylon." And later
... "And it shall be, when thou hast made
an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone
to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates: and thou shalt
say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil
that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far
are the words of Jeremiah." These last two verses are
from Jeremiah 51.
Wow!
Jeremiah was a book man!
No wonder he loved God's Word so much!
He even "ate" it! "Akal" means just that, to
consume as food! To devour, to feed upon, to ingest for
nourishment! Here we have a figurative meaning implied. Hunger
for God's thoughts! Jesus used this idea to defeat the devil one
day! "But He answered and said, It is
written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4
The Bible is like milk ... or honey ... or
meat ... or bread to a famished soul!
Have you folks had your spiritual manna yet
today? Or is that what you're doing right now?
But what did the eaten Word do for Jeremiah?
Unlike John's "Patmos" experience ...
"And I went unto the angel, and said unto
him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it,
and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall
be in thy mouth sweet as honey" ... or Ezekiel's ...
"Moreover Lord said unto me, Son of man,
eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the
house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat
that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to
eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then
did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for
sweetness" ... Jeremiah's "words" were joyful to his
heart! Really, God's Words! "Thy word was
unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart," he
proclaimed!
"Joy," the noun, means gladness or
exultation! "Sason" in Hebrew has a root that means "cheerful,"
especially in the sense of "welcome!" This trait, used of
Jesus in the superlative degree, is lovely! Psalm 45:7
prophesies: "God, thy God, hath anointed
thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."
Here "gladness" is "sasoon."
The Psalmist experienced the same sensation
from God's Word! "Thy testimonies have I
taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the
rejoicing of my heart." Psalm 119:111
"Rejoicing," a synonym here, is "simchah" in
Hebrew and means literally "to brighten up!" This quality too is
associated directly with God. Psalm 16:11 states:
"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in
thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand
there are pleasures for evermore." I've underlined
our word.
The verb "called" is "qara" and means "to cry
out loud!" It also carries the idea of nearly accosting a
person, confronting him or her directly! The day each of us was
saved, God's Word so met us!
"Name" here, "shem," means reputation or fame
or glory as well as merely a name! It's the Essence of God! His
Name is What He is, Who He is! I also am wondering if here the
Word of God written is not being equated with the Word of God
living! After all, the Psalmist said to the Lord:
"Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Psalm
138:2
Then comes the specific Name Jeremiah
accented: "O LORD God of Hosts!"
The noun "hosts" is literally "armies!" It's "tzsaba" in Hebrew.
Jehovah Elohim of all the armies! The real Commander! These
could be the armies of heaven ... or earth! Jesus is Lord of
both! And, if you notice carefully, the Name "Lord of Hosts" is
usually associated with people when they have drifted away from
God! It's the Name for a cold hearted population ... one about
to face God's Hand of judgment!
Certainly this was the case in Jeremiah's
day!
Encouragement in the midst of sorrow!
That's 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."
If this God ordained strategy worked for
Jeremiah ... and it did ... it will also do the job for you and
me!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3, VERSE 17:
Jeremiah is so transparent in the Biblical
Book that bears his name! He opens his heart again and again!
Many of Scripture's human writers do not do this. In fact, we
know virtually nothing about some of them.
But, look at this. It's from the pen of
Jeremiah through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
"I sat not in the assembly of the mockers,
nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast
filled me with indignation." Jeremiah 15:17
Let's learn what this verse is telling us
about the great weeping Prophet.
To "sit" is to "remain" or even "dwell" in a
place. To "sit" regularly, habitually, maybe even permanently! "Yashab"
here informs us of Jeremiah's lifestyle to a certain extent.
Jeremiah refused to attend the "assembly" of
the mockers. "Sod" means a council, a noun, which had gathered
to offer "counsel," to give advice! To "counsel" as a verb even
carries the idea of sharing secrets! To "mock" translates "sachaq"
and means "to laugh or to make fun of or to deride" someone or
something! To make sport of it! It's even "scorn" three times in
the King James Text. Here it is also a Piel participle. Ongoing
action ... with great intensity!
Jeremiah here obeys Psalm 1:1 beautifully! He
will not "walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the
way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful."
Really, God had forbidden Jeremiah a number
of activities. He was not allowed to marry!
"Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither
shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place."
Jeremiah 16:2
He was not to participate in funerals either!
"For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning,
neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my
peace from this people, saith the LORD, even
lovingkindness and mercies." Jeremiah 16:5
Neither could he enjoy their social occasions
of gladness! This is separated living!
"Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with
them to eat and to drink. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the
God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place
in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the
voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of
the bride." Jeremiah 16:8-9
In fact, the verb "rejoiced" as used here in
verse 17 is "alaz" and means "to jump" in excitement and
exultation! Twice in Scripture it is translated "triumph!" This
is the way the people of Judah were acting, reveling, even when
their Nation faced imminent doom!
Sound familiar?
The verb "alaz" also has reference to
Jeremiah's prohibition concerning occasions of gladness! It is
no time to party!
Since no funerals or feasts or weddings were
allowed, naturally Jeremiah, unmarried and misunderstood, sat
"alone!" In Hebrew "badad" means "solitary." Its verbal root
means "to divide," hence all alone! Separated from everybody!
Conditions were so ungodly in Judah, and ruin
so near, that such behavior became necessary. Partly perhaps for
Jeremiah's own sake, his spiritual purity, but also to set an
example, to teach the Israelites! They did not however seem to
heed the warning!
It is God's "Hand" that has caused Jeremiah
so much sorrow, or so it seems! That's what he is hinting
anyway! "Because of Thy Hand!" The
noun "hand" is "yad" and means "an open hand" usually. Not at
this time filled with bounty!
Then Jeremiah almost "charges" God with an
offense it appears! "For Thou hast filled
me with indignation." Again, Jeremiah 15:17.
To be "filled" is "male" (maw-lay') as a Piel
perfect verb. To be brought to the point of overflowing!
Vigorously so! God is being blamed here. There's a lack of
respect, temporarily so, in Jeremiah's demeanor.
Filled with what? God has dispensed what?
"Indignation" is the answer! "Zaam" means "rage" actually! Its
basic word picture is "to froth at the mouth!" That's right, "to
foam at the mouth!" To be enraged! Fury!
One of two things could be indicated here.
Least likely is the possibility that God has saturated Jeremiah
with holy anger, pointed at the sin and rebellion of his day!
Righteous indignation! More likely is the fact that Jeremiah,
quite emotional anyway, is as mad as he can be! Upset! Like
Jonah would later be! Or maybe even the prodigal's son's older
brother! One time our Bible translates "zaam" as "defy!"
A bit angry at God!
And this would not be the only godly
individual in Scripture who fell into that scheme of Satan!
So, the weeping Prophet is now the seething
Prophet!
Really, there's only one way to see if our
interpretation, as carefully based as it is on the rules of
hermeneutics and the presumed leadership of the Holy Spirit,
proves accurate. And that is to study the next verse or two, the
context of our Passage.
Tomorrow, we shall see Jeremiah making even
more charges, frightening ones, at God Himself!
But, don't worry, the Lord will soon correct
this dear Prophet, in no uncertain terms! Just like He yet today
chastens and disciplines and child-trains and whips us, if we
are indeed His children!
We had best leave the Preacher alone now!
He's in no mood for fellowship anyway!
This is one of his low points!
Yet he, like most Believers, certainly has
more victories than defeats to his record! More mountain peaks
than valleys!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 4, THE FIRST
HALF OF VERSE 18:
The Prophet Jeremiah gets a little out of
line here!
None of us should judge him too harshly
however. We have not walked in his shoes. The Lord will properly
handle His servant! We will sit and listen and learn!
The first part of verse 18, our Text today,
just "hints" at the coming problem. Jeremiah is just about what
we would call "fed-up!" He is near his limit! All he can take!
Indeed he has suffered for years, been
imprisoned time and time again, endured hatred and scorn and
misrepresentation repeatedly!
Listen: "Why is my pain
perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be
healed?" Jeremiah 15:18a
The noun "pain" translates "keeb" which means
grief or sorrow as well as pain. Its root verb is "kaab" and
means "to feel pain." Here is Job using "keeb," which is
rendered "grief" on this occasion. "Though
I speak, my GRIEF is not asswaged: and though I forbear,
what am I eased?"
Job 16:6
Obviously we are here confronting emotional
pain as well as physical discomfort and suffering.
The verb "perpetual" means permanent and
prominent too! At least here it does! "Netzsach" is derived from
a root verb that means "to glitter from afar!" Always in view
... with no end in sight!
Jeremiah is at times tormented by his
situation!
The noun "wound" is "makkah" and implies a
blow or a strike or stripes. This graphic word is also used 11
times in the King James Bible for "plague." Jeremiah was
actually physically assaulted on occasion!
"Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the
stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which
was by the house of the LORD." Jeremiah 20:2
But here it's likely that Jeremiah is
thinking that God has smitten him!
His wound is "incurable" as well! "Anash"
means desperately sick or frail and weak ... to the point of
being irreversible! When "pointed" differently, the vowels being
altered, we get "enosh," one noun for "man" ... weak and frail
as he is!
Once Jeremiah gets his depression under
control ... he will use this word in his preaching! "Anash" will
be capitalized in the following sermon quotes:
"The heart is
deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked:
who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9
Listen to this personal, and beautiful,
illustration: "Heal me, O LORD, and I
shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art
my praise. Behold, they say unto me, Where is the
word of the LORD? let it come now. As for me, I have not
hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have
I desired the woeful
day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right
before thee. Be not a terror unto me: thou art my
hope in the day of evil." Jeremiah 17:14-17
Now again directly preaching to Judah:
"For thus saith the LORD, Thy bruise is
incurable, and
thy wound is grievous. There is none to plead
thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up: thou hast no healing
medicines. All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee
not; for I have wounded thee with the wound of an enemy, with
the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine
iniquity; because thy sins were increased." This
is Jeremiah 30:12-14. The Prophet here nearly uses his own words
of grief, expressed in our verse today, to rebuke Israel for her
sins!
Finally Jeremiah 30:15 thunders:
"Why criest thou for thine affliction? thy
sorrow is
incurable for the multitude of thine iniquity: because
thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto
thee." He's really preaching now!
And all these sermon themes grew from
Jeremiah's own suffering ... and complaining! He learned and
profited from his mistakes!
The verb "refuseth," ... in
"why is my pain perpetual, and my wound
incurable, which REFUSETH to be healed" ... every
one of the 41 times it is utilized in Scripture means "to refuse
utterly!" Here we additionally have a Piel stem verb, the action
being intense and sharp!
"Healed" is "rapha," a picturesque verb
meaning "to mend by stitching!" Hence, "to cure as a physician!"
A downcast Prophet!
So human today, concentrating on himself!
We have all done so!
Only Jesus lived totally to please His
Father!
And did so constantly! Listen to our Lord:
"The Father hath not left me alone; for
I do always those things
that please him." John 8:28
Always!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 5, THE SECOND
HALF OF VERSE 18:
The Bible is such a brutally honest Book!
Jeremiah's caustic words here could have been
omitted without damaging the overall narrative. But the Holy
Spirit chose to include them, even at the risk of acknowledging
such doubt!
Talking to God, Jeremiah asks:
"Wilt Thou be altogether unto me as a
liar, and as waters that fail?" Jeremiah 15:18b
To say the least, Jeremiah is disappointed!
To say more, he has fallen into sin, although momentarily.
We know this whole verse is a question
because of the little word "mah." It opens the verse in Hebrew.
The emphasis must be placed here! Jeremiah is questioning God.
His depression has yielded to doubt!
"What, how, why," all are common and
legitimate meanings for this particle.
"Why is my pain
perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be
healed? Wilt Thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters
that fail?"
Therefore the second clause of the verse,
"wilt Thou be altogether ...,"
continues the interrogation!
"Wilt be," the initial verb, translates a
form of "hayah." It means "to exist, to come to pass, to be" in
that sense. It's an "imperfect" in Hebrew, telling us that the
action here is incomplete. Jeremiah is accusing God of being
consistently unfaithful! He does NOT mean what he is saying,
folks! This is a temporary low point, for which the Lord rebukes
him sharply!
I once read a Preacher who said something
like this. This is not a quote, but it's the essence of his
meaning. "No man is as bad as his worse day! And no man is as
good as his best day!" In other words, we live somewhere between
those two extremes. Well, for Jeremiah's sake, I mention that
saying! He is not as bad as this looks! He's a godly Prophet,
one who is having a temporary siege of weakness!
"Altogether" is derived from "hayah," the
verb. Here are our King James translators clarifying the "tense"
of our verb, I believe. "Altogether" completes the meaning of "hayah"
in its durative sense, as an imperfect.
Then Jeremiah uses the word we all wish he
had not spoken! He compares God to a "liar!" I would not even
write this if it were not in the Word of God!
"Wilt Thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that
fail?"
The noun "liar" translates "akzab" and means
one who is "deceitful." Perhaps one who is "disappointing" is a
better rendering here. Yet neither is true of Almighty God!
Once in the King James text, the root verb
for "liar" is translated "to fail." However, as a noun, this
specific word only occurs twice in the whole Bible, here and in
Micah 1:14. Yet its derivatives occur numerous times. In English
the noun "liar," both singular and plural, occurs nearly two
dozen times in Scripture, but using a number of different Hebrew
or Greek words. "Akzab" is often associated with vanity and
emptiness also.
Do remember here that God cannot lie! That's
what Titus 1:2 says! It's impossible for God to lie in Hebrews
6:18. And Jesus is "The Truth" according to John 14:6.
Jeremiah next uses a word picture, a
backslidden one! God is like "waters that fail." The noun
"waters" is "mayim" and indicates a flowing stream or maybe even
a vibrant river ... but suddenly, it "fails!" This verb is one
that utilizes two Hebrew terms, "lo aman." This means "not
true!" Or "not faithful!" Or "not firm!" Or "not steadfast!" Or
"not trustworthy!"
Talk about a preacher being in trouble!
Tomorrow, Lord willing, we shall see God's
response to this outrage!
The humanity and weakness, even of God's
choice servants, is allowed to bleed through their writings in
Scripture!
Again, it is an honest Book!
Written by a forgiving God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Postscript ... After I had finished with
today's Lesson the Lord reminded me of something. This is not
the first time Jeremiah has spoken rashly, "unadvisedly" the
Psalmist would have said! "Bata" = rash and angry speech,
babbling! See Psalm 106:33, referring to Moses' outburst.
In Jeremiah 20:7 the Prophet, understandably
shaken, cries: "O LORD, thou hast deceived
me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast
prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me."
Of course the Man of God had just been assaulted by an apostate
priest. "Now Pashur the son of Immer the
priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the
LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. Then Pashur
smote Jeremiah
the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the
high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the
LORD." Jeremiah 20:1-2
The verb Jeremiah uses of God,
"Thou hast DECEIVED me," is spelled
"pathah." It literally means "to open wide." When a definition
is that unrelated to its usage, one can only search the
Scriptures and see how the Holy Spirit of God employs it
elsewhere. With "pathah" we have 28 possible examples to enjoy.
In its first appearance, Genesis 9:27 God has "enlarged"
Japheth! That's in perfect keeping with "wide open." But in its
second occurrence, Exodus 22:16, a man is "enticing" a young
woman, a maid! Jeremiah has just accused God of enticing him,
misleading him! Then by its third Bible usage, Deuteronomy
11:16, "pathah" becomes "deceived!" Here is the whole verse:
"Take heed to yourselves, that your heart
be not deceived,
and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them."
So, the Bible is an excellent commentary on itself!
In fact, Jeremiah is so discouraged here that
he resigns his ministry! "Then I said, I
will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His Name."
Jeremiah 20:9
But thank God, he could not stay "quit!"
Listen! "But His Word was in mine
heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary
with forbearing, and I could not stay."
To Jeremiah's credit let me add this. All
these harsh reactions may not have been as much due to his
personal suffering and inconvenience as to the way God was being
treated in Judah! Jeremiah was battling for God's honor! Here's
why I say so. "For since I spake, I cried
out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD
was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily."
Jeremiah 20:8 records the Prophet's own words, mind you.
God's Word was being shamed, "cherepah," a
graphic word in Hebrew.
A "derision" is a laughing-stock! It is from
the verb "to ridicule."
So even in discouragement, Jeremiah exhibits
some admirable traits! And be sure of this. If we can see them,
God certainly could!
lesson 6, verse 19,
first clause:
Three different phases of this nineteenth
verse need to be examined. God here is correcting Jeremiah, who
got a little discouraged and said some things he really did not
mean! Things about God primarily!
Jeremiah may not have known so immediately,
but he quite near disqualified himself from the Ministry! He
just about became a "castaway," as Paul would have termed it.
Not the loss of his salvation, the loss of
his usefulness and his power and his service to the Lord!
"Therefore thus saith
the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and
thou shalt stand before me." Jeremiah 15:19a
Jeremiah may have been in "the gall of
bitterness" at that time. Accusing God of lying is serious
business!
He was nearly troubled by a root of
bitterness, which says Hebrews 15:15, will defile its victims!
Whatever the exact spiritual malady the
Prophet possessed, he needed to repent! And that's exactly what
God is telling him here!
By the way, God did not have to say this but
one time! "Saith" is "amar" as a perfect verb, action completed!
And the Name of God used is Jehovah, not Elohiym! Jeremiah is
dangerously near God's "wood-shed!" A whipping is on the way!
Jehovah is God's relational Name, the covenant making One!
Prophet of God, "return," says the Lord!
"Shub" translates the basic Hebrew word that
means "to turn back" or "to restore" or even "to recover!" It's
a "repentance" term in the Old Testament! If Jeremiah continues
on his doubting loud-mouthed way, God can no longer fellowship
with Him! He has recently been walking away from the Almighty!
And this "turning" is to be an on-going
durative thing! Repentance is not a one-time event for the
Believer. It is nearly a way of life! A good spiritual habit to
develop, confessing one's sins daily!
Jeremiah, if you will repent, turn, come home
... then I will do the same, says the Lord!
"If thou return, then will I bring thee
again." The verb "bring again" is "shub," but this time
as a Hiphil imperfect. It is causative in nature! There is a
cause motivating God to accept Jeremiah back! That is God's Love
and Grace I am sure, but specifically here it's Jeremiah's
expected humble repentance!
If Jeremiah changes his ways ... God will
change His Mind and take the Prophet back and put him right back
in the pulpit!
Here it is in the New Testament:
"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh
to you." James 4:8
Jeremiah had lost his "standing" before God!
Not with his eyes or his hands or his feet ... such sinning is
still bad mind you ... but with his mouth! He talked his way out
of sweet communion with the Lord!
He, in New Testament terms again, grieved and
quenched the Holy Spirit!
The verb "stand" is "amad" and means stand in
this sense: to abide, to remain, to endure!" Using King James
Bible translations of our word, Jeremiah is "appointed" again!
Or "established" again!
The Lord did the same thing with Peter, you
will remember! He denied three times ... the Lord reinstated him
three times, "Lovest thou Me? Feed My sheep!"
God also tried to do the same thing with
Jonah, that most stubborn of Prophets! Perhaps with less
success!
What a lesson today on getting right with
God!
Let's keep it in mind.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7, VERSE 19,
SECOND CLAUSE:
The Lord, while chastening Jeremiah, still
says: "And if thou take forth the precious
from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth." Jeremiah
15:19b
This clause is the "heart" of our Text. It is
the catalyst that drove me to study this great Paragraph.
What does it mean to take the precious from
the vile?
"Vile," in Hebrew "zalal," means that which
is worthless or insignificant! Its root verb suggest something
shaking, as in a strong wind! One source says it means "to
quake," physically perhaps but spiritually too! Figuratively, it
has come to mean that which is unstable. In our King James Text
"zalal" is used for "gluttons, riotous eaters, riotous men, and
flowed down!" Jeremiah, quit going "downhill" in your spiritual
life! In Lamentations 1:11, Jeremiah has the whole Nation
described as "vile" in her sins and rebellion. Do not be like
the world, like this backslidden people of your city, Jeremiah!
Then "precious" means valuable or prized or
rare, even weighty! "Yaqar" only appears three dozen times in
Scripture. Here are some King James Version renderings of the
word: excellent, costly, brightness, reputation, clear, fat and
honorable! The root verb apparently means "to be heavy!" Here's
the first time "yaqar" is used in the Bible:
"And the child Samuel ministered unto the
Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was
precious in those
days; there was no open vision." 1st Samuel 3:1
To "take forth" is a translation of "yatzsa"
and means "to go out, to carry out, to come out!" Ten times in
our Bible it is rendered as "depart!" Here our verb just means
for Jeremiah to leave his grumbling behind and glean or mine
from his trials a few precious things that will last forever!
The verb action being depicted is constant or durative. Keep on
bringing the precious out of that vile situation, Jeremiah!
Then IF you do this, a big "if" here, God
says to His Prophet, "thou shalt be as My
mouth." Really, be as God's mouth again! Jeremiah had
been God's spokesman for many years ... until he went on his
tirade! He nearly was displaced too! But if he can extract the
precious from the current mess ... and repent of his sins ...
God will still use him! This is the great God of the second
chance speaking! "And the word of the LORD
came unto Jonah the second time." Jonah 3:1
The noun "mouth" translates "peh," actually a
letter of the Hebrew alphabet! Its background is thought to flow
from "paah," to puff, to blow, to scatter!" Preaching here is
nearly spreading the very breath of God! To be God's mouth is an
honor indeed!
"Shalt be" is "hayah," to become or to exist
or to be established. It is framed here as an imperfect, telling
us that the "being" is a constant thing. Jeremiah will speak for
God the rest of his days! And the Prophet had a long ministry!
This is nearly like a second call to preach!
"Thou shalt be as My
mouth!"
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8, VERSE 19,
THIRD CLAUSE:
God gave Jeremiah a valuable piece of advice
one day, just as the Prophet was repenting from a rare lapse in
judgment. These instructions still apply today!
The pressures and trials of life, Jeremiah
being a special target of persecution, had so impacted Jeremiah
that he was depressed. He even began saying things that were
very uncharacteristic for him, stalwart of faith that he was!
Things he really didn't mean, not down in his heart!
Hear the Lord now, speaking of the apostate
rebellious people to whom Jeremiah had been preaching for years,
"Let them return unto thee; but return not
thou unto them." Jeremiah 15:19c
"Let return,"
the verb, translates "shub" again! Four times in this single
verse we've had this little word! It opens and closes the Text!
"Inclusio," they call it! The Holy Spirit no doubt has placed it
here for emphasis. God is a God Who can "turn" the hearts of
people! God in fact is the only One Who can "give" repentance!
See 2nd Timothy 2:25. Of course that repentance must be obeyed,
put into practice! Man must positively respond to it!
"Let them return unto
thee." To "turn again" or simply to "return" or even to
"turn back" are often used meanings for "shub." The Lord says
something like this: Jeremiah, these unbelieving people, these
sinful stubborn souls have influenced you too much! Forget about
them! Don't even pray for them any more! They have contributed
to your discouragement and nearly cost you your ministry! Stand
strong in these last days of your Nation's pre-captivity! If any
changing is done, let them do it! Let them return to obey God!"
Then we come to the last section of the
verse, "But return not thou unto them."
Here again is "shub." Having repented, do not change your
direction, Jeremiah! The verb "return" in both instances here at
the end of the verse is framed as a Qal stem imperfect. That's
just a simple active voice verb which depicts completed
movement. God is serious about these instructions.
One way of putting these maxims is: "Do not
let these hoodlums influence you, Jeremiah! You influence them!"
Otherwise, their days are just about done!
And ... these hard-hearted Israelites did not
repent, and God did send them into slavery, captivity, for
seventy years! Most of them never returned home!
Ah, the wages of sin!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
A few verses I need to add, explaining some
things I've said in the Lesson. God did tell Jeremiah to pray no
longer for those people! Three times "pray not" is recorded.
Jeremiah 7:16 says: "Therefore
pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor
prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not
hear thee." Add Jeremiah 11:14,
"Therefore pray not
thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them:
for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto
me for their trouble." And Jeremiah 14:11,
"Then said the LORD unto me,
Pray not for this people for their good." A
Nation can go so far from God that their condition becomes
hopeless! Yet God, in His Grace and Mercy, still has future
plans for Israel!
Then let the Proverbs give us a classic
statement about God being able to "turn" hearts to His Glory.
"The king's heart is in the hand of
the LORD, as the rivers of water:
he turneth it
whithersoever he will." Proverbs 21:1
The best commentary on Scripture very often
is the Bible itself!
LESSON 9, VERSE 20:
After Jeremiah made his distinct "turn" back
to the Lord, carefully responding to the instructions God gave
him, the blessings began to flow!
Here are the Lord's words to Jeremiah now.
"And I will make thee unto this people a
fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they
shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to
save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD." Jeremiah
15:20
The verb "will make" translates "nathan," a
key Hebrew verb basically meaning "to give!" God's great boon
upon His Prophet is "protection!" And protection is a gift!
Listen to Isaiah. "No weapon that is
formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that
shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This
is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their
righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." Now that,
Isaiah 54:17, is protection!
The noun "wall" is "chomah" and comes from a
root verb meaning "to join." This is not just a piece of a wall,
but one that encircles the whole man! Joined apparently at four
corners! Complete protection!
No harm can dome his way!
Also notice it's a "fenced" wall! "Batzsar"
originally means "to clip off" or to "cut" away! It was a grape
gatherer's term! It suggests separation from the enemy!
Isolation if necessary!
And "brass" adds to the image of strength! "Nechosheth"
rules out a rock wall or a brick wall! Also mud, dirt, wood, or
thorns are insufficient! Solid metal! Impenetrable!
Oh, the battle will rage! The Jews who hate
the Preacher and lean toward help from anywhere but Babylon will
"fight" still! "Lacham" means "to make war!" That's not just one
battle, mind you! A state of hostility! You might notice that "lacham"
here has closeness to the Hebrew word for bread, "lechem!" An
alternate meaning is "to feed upon" something! The enemies want
to "eat Jeremiah alive!"
But they will not "prevail!" Now "yakol"
implies "enduring or overcoming." The root idea is "ability" or
"power!"
Why will they be so powerless?
Because God promises,
"I am with thee!" Literally the verb is supplied,
the King James Version's italics prove that. God says verbatim,
"I WITH THEE!" The personal pronoun is not simply expressed here
either, it is present, "aniy." And "with thee" translates "eth,"
meaning "nearby or together." It's a relationship word!
And God's presence will do two things,
promised! He will "save" the Prophet! "Yasha" means "to be open,
to be wide or to be free." It became the Hebrew verb for
salvation! It surely does not sound "exclusive," does it? This
word is actually the "root" for such words as Joshua and Jesus,
both of which mean "deliverer or saviour!"
Jeremiah will not be fatally harmed!
He will furthermore be "delivered." This
verb, "natzsal," means "rescued, snatched away, recovered or
even escaped!" Both "save" and "deliver" are Hiphil infinitives,
depicting action that is constant and causative. God habitually
made Jeremiah safe! God constantly rescued him!
And what is the authority behind these
promises?
"Saith the Lord."
This is Jehovah! And the verb "saith" is "neum,"
to whisper! See the intimacy here! "Neum" is associated with the
oracles of God! This interesting word is born from the Latin "orare,"
to pray or plead! An oracle is a message straight from God!
Do remember that Jehovah is God's covenant
keeping Name! It's a promise, Jeremiah!
You're safe!
By the way, this is not the first time God
has so reassured His Prophet! As far back as Jeremiah chapter
one we can read the Lord's words to Jeremiah in this regard:
"For, behold, I have made thee this day a
defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the
whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes
thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of
the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not
prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD,
to deliver thee."
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
God nearly had to to this for
Jeremiah, protect him in such a powerful manner! He was at risk
again and again! Here are a couple of many examples:
Verbally he was attacked:
"Then said they, Come, and let us devise
devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the
priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the
prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us
not give heed to any of his words." Jeremiah 18:18
Then physically: "Now
it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all
that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the
people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people
took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die. Then spake the priests
and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying,
This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against
this city, as ye have heard with your ears." But Jeremiah
still did not relent! He boldly continued preaching God's Word!
"Therefore now amend your ways and your
doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD
will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.
As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as
seemeth good and meet unto you. But know ye for certain, that if
ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon
yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants
thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak
all these words in your ears." Now, watch the "brass
wall" promise take effect as these men's hearts are "turned" by
the Lord! "Then said the princes and all
the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is
not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of
the LORD our God. Then rose up certain of the elders of the
land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying, Micah
the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah,
and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the
LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and
Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as
the high places of a forest. Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all
Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and
besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which
he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil
against our souls." God certainly keeps His Word!
LESSON 10, VERSE 21:
When God promises protection, He means it!
Two classes of people are particularly mentioned. The Lord says
to Jeremiah: "And I will deliver thee out
of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the
hand of the terrible." Jeremiah 15:21
The wicked are represented by the Hebrew word
"ra," pronounced "rah." This is evil in its most malignant form,
spreading and killing as it infects! It is derived from "raa,"
to spoil or to make good for nothing! To break to pieces
literally!
And the "terrible" are "ariytzs," a new word
to me. It means violent and oppressive! Its root idea is
"dread," or simply "harassing" someone! However, the word can be
used in a good sense too, meaning "to prevail!" Bad:
"And I will punish the world for their evil, and the
wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the
proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the
terrible."
This is a vain and proud crowd according to Isaiah 13:11. Then
in a good sense, even of the Lord: "But
the LORD is with me as a mighty
terrible one:
therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not
prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not
prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be
forgotten." Jehovah is Victor says Jeremiah 20:11.
To "deliver" is "natzsal" and indicates a
rescue, a "snatching away!" An escape! It's a "causative" verb!
God does this for a reason! He is keeping His promises to
Jeremiah, about protection!
Then to "redeem," using the Hebrew "padah,"
means "to sever," hinting at one being "set free" from something
like prison! Twice in the Bible it's "ransom."
The enemy will not be able to "touch"
Jeremiah, not fatally! And here the enemy surprisingly is NOT
Babylon, but the leaders of Judah, his own Nation!
Yes, Jeremiah suffered a great dead! Perhaps
one must face great danger to realize God's protecting Presence!
The Prophet was also very lonely. But that
only made him treasure God's company more than ever!
No one wanted to fellowship with this
Preacher either, except maybe Baruch his "secretary." But God
loved to commune with His man, and did so regularly, nearly
constantly!
What I'm saying is this, with every valley
there was a mountain, at least one! Come to think of it ... a
valley really requires two mountains! With every burden there
came a host of blessings!
With every new batch of "vile" circumstances
... Jeremiah, if he looked and tried, could extract much
"precious" ore with which to praise the Lord!
So, we leave him today, a protected Prophet
of God!
One whose ministry perhaps spanned more years
than any other man of God in the Bible! Some say fifty or sixty
years! That's based on the Kings under whom he served and
preached, Jeremiah 1:2-3. From Josiah to Zedekiah is quite a
while!
God protected His Preacher!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
THIS IS A CLASSIC TEXT
FROM SCRIPTURE ... AT LEAST WHEN IT COMES TO HANDLING THE HARD
TIMES OF LIFE! WE PRAY YOU HAVE ENJOYED STUDYING THESE SIX
VERSES.
Additional Note: God often had to
"correct" Jeremiah! For example, Jeremiah 12. Listen to the
Prophet first: "Righteous art thou,
O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of
thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper?
wherefore are all they happy that deal very
treacherously? Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken
root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art
near in their mouth, and far from their reins. But thou, O LORD,
knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee:
pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for
the day of slaughter. How long shall the land mourn, and the
herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that
dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because
they said, He shall not see our last end." Then God,
preparing Jeremiah for even more hard times, says:
"If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee,
then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the
land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied
thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?"
Jeremiah, if you can't handle these "light" problems,
what will you do when the "heavy" things arrive? Jeremiah 12:1-5
provide for us a pattern of divine "child training" as God
"toughens" Jeremiah for the battle!
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