Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

by H. J. Vine.

Chapters 13-14: Prophetic signs and their significance

We have now come to the second twelve chapters of “The Moral Section” of Jeremiah. The significant signs which are here recorded illustrate important truths in an interesting manner. These latter twelve chapters naturally subdivide into three parts of four chapters each; the previous twelve, as we have seen, subdivide rather into four parts of three chapters each. The peculiar order which is maintained all through the book becomes more manifest as we proceed. This order is not historical or chronological as we have said, but it is set out according to the bearing of the word or sign upon the central event of the book. The signs are mostly confined to this second division of twelve chapters which we are now to consider.

Chapters 13 to 16 show us the signs of the girdle, the filled bottles, and the drought; also those of the prophet’s abstinence from marriage, and from mourning, and likewise from feasting. The teaching of these signs is made plain for us by the Holy Spirit, who at the same time unfolds precious truths concerning the Lord, showing us His attitude in regard to the state signified, and also that of the true servant of the Lord and of the believing remnant.

THE GIRDLE, or loin cloth of linen (Jeremiah 13:1-11), first of all shows that the Lord had given the nation of Israel a near and intimate place in connection with Himself. Great indeed was their place of honour! They were unto the Lord for “a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory” (verse 11)! This was the glorious girdle—Israel placed thus near to the Lord. He was enough for them. Therefore it is said to the prophet first, “Put it not in water.” Next he is told to hide it in the hole of the rock far away by the waters of the Euphrates. When he returns for it after many days, he finds it spoiled and good for nothing.

Heedless of their high honour, Israel constantly turned to other “waters” (see Jeremiah 2:18) and, consequently, became idolatrous. They forsook the Lord who was in their midst as a man is in the midst of his girdle. He therefore would cause the waters of Babylon to be their destruction, and so mar their “great pride.” If we see in this first of all the Lord’s thought concerning Israel’s national distinction for His own glory, and then their awful folly and pride, how it ought to give us diligence of soul now to be found cleaving to the Lord in humility of mind, seeking to answer to His far higher thoughts concerning the assembly, in spite of the far more awful folly seen in Christendom today. The truth espouses the assembly to Christ as a chaste Virgin. May we have grace to be faithful; for it is revealed in Revelation 18 that the dark waters of judgment shall presently engulf Christendom, there called “Babylon.”

THE BOTTLES, or jars, filled with wine (verses 12-14), signify the stupid senselessness with which drunkenness should drown all clear and right thought among the people and their princes. This, doubtless, refers again to their Babylonish inclinations. This wine is referred to as the wine of fornication again in Revelation. But here, as well as there, it brings down the judgment of God. Rationalists may complain that this is a very simple sort of sign, and question it because it appears to refer the blame of their drunkenness to the Lord; but such criticism only exposes their own ignorance of God’s ways and judgments. When men depart from Him in any way He gives them up to something else, and unless they repent, their lusts get a stronger hold of them (see Romans 1:18-32). In Israel’s case the Lord says, “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backsliding shall reprove thee, know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God” (Jeremiah 2:19). The Scripture in Romans refers to man in creature responsibility; this in Jeremiah to Israel in national responsibility; 2 Thessalonians 2:11 refers to Christendom’s responsibility. There we are told that God Himself sends them a working of error that they should be carried away by what is false. Why?—To turn aside those who believe on His beloved Son? Perish the thought! It is to manifest clearly in judgment those who did the very opposite, those “who believed not the truth, but found pleasure in unrighteousness.”

The petty and puerile criticisms of some, also question the former sign of the girdle and the fact of Jeremiah going twice to the Euphrates. It is not surprising that they fail to understand the sign, but if there is one place more than another which Jeremiah may have had many reasons for visiting, that place is the very one in question. The judgments he constantly foretold were to come from thence, and the people he loved and laboured for were to be captives there.

Affectionate and eloquent is the pleading in verses 15 to 27. “Wilt thou not be made clean?” he enquires of them. Pride and falsehood held them as in a vice (Jeremiah 15:17, 25). If they will not hear his eye should weep sore and run down with tears because of the captivity of the Lord’s flock, that beautiful flock (Jeremiah 17:21). Tell the King and the Queen mother to humble themselves; sorrow and travail are coming; they had not only forsaken and forgotten the Lord, but they had sunken into adultery, lewdness and whoredom. No wonder, therefore, that the call to “Give glory to the Lord your God” was unheard and unheeded by them.

THE DEARTH or drought of Jeremiah 14 only shows up their proud obstinacy the more. They will not bend; Jeremiah, however, pleads with the Lord, the Hope of Israel and the Saviour thereof. He reminds Him that they are still called by His Name; and says, “Thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us” (verse 9)! In that sense they were still His girdle. Why? asks the prophet, Should the Lord be as a mighty man that cannot save? He is told not to pray for them; consuming judgment must be theirs (verses 10-12). Jeremiah tells Him the people’s prophets speak otherwise. Therefore they shall be punished as well as the people (verses 13-16).

The faithful prophet mourns over them and again pleads with the Lord, confessing their sins, and touchingly concludes “Do not abhor us, for Thy Name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of Thy glory; remember, break not Thy covenant with us. Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? art not Thou He, O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait upon Thee, for Thou hast made all these things” (Jeremiah 21:22). This shows how the faith of a true servant of the Lord holds Him in connection with that which professes His Name at any time. I have no doubt that answer then came to such a prayer and confession; though in its completeness the foretold judgment followed later on.

Jeremiah 15: Separation to the Lord

Chapter 15:1-9 continues to show that no prayer for this people could finally prevail, not even if Moses and Samuel stood before the Lord. They were servants of God who were faithful to Himself, and they loved the people, but nothing could avail, He would cast them out of His sight. Back to Manasseh the evil is traced, the revival since had no real depth. “Thou hast forsaken Me says the Lord, thou art gone backward, therefore will I stretch out Mine hand against thee, to destroy thee. I am weary with repenting” (verse 6).

There are most important principles concerning the remnant and the servants of the Lord in verses 10-21. Others may be indifferent to the sad state of things, but they feel it all before God. They are to keep themselves separate just as we are also instructed to do now (2 Timothy 2, etc.). In this position of separation, however, they are still a part of the whole. “Thy Words,” found and fed upon, become the secret spring and joy of the heart. These servants are connected with the Lord’s Name, and they own this. He Himself in what He is, fills their thoughts. The finding of His words (verse 16) may refer to the finding of the book of the law, but in any case the true heart makes the Lord’s words its own. And though happy himself before God, it puts him outside of the assembly of mockers (verse 17). This causes him pain.

The last three verses are a sort of confirmation to the encouragement given to the prophet in his call and commission recorded in Jeremiah 1.

In the position of separation to the Lord, standing before Hun and taking the precious from the vile, he should he as the Lord’s mouth. He was not to return to them, but to let them return to Him. As thus separated to the Lord he should be strengthened; and the Lord should be with him; none should prevail against him. These principles are of immense and immediate importance for us today as we seek to follow faithfully the Lord in the midst of the religious corruptions of the present time. We shall always find a remnant, thank God, who rejoice in the Lord and call alone upon Him out of a pure heart whilst pursuing righteousness, faith, love and peace together. This positive position and practice keeps them bright and happy: the purely negative attitude of those who boast in being separate from unrighteousness produces the opposite, and also paralyses all true prosperity, giving pre-eminence to the most unchristlike who find pleasure and prominence in their Diotrephesian words and works (3 John 9-11). The good is before the true believer; he follows that in separation to the Lord.

Jeremiah 16: “Christ Jesus, our Hope”

The prophet himself becomes a sign amongst the people (verses 1-13). So sure is the punishment that is coming upon them, he is to abstain from marriage, from entering into social relationship with them. He is also to abstain from the house of mourning, signifying that the Lord’s peace was taken from this people, that consolation was withdrawn, and also the voice of mirth and gladness, therefore Jeremiah is likewise to abstain from the feast.

Again the secret of all this sorrow is reiterated; “They have forsaken ME says the Lord”; they have followed other gods and walked after the imagination of their own hearts, “that they may not hearken unto ME” (verses 11-13). It is this wretched subjective tendency which always follows the turning away from the Lord Himself that caused the mighty mischief then just as it is doing now. Doubtless the feelings and frames are considered good and pious and wise, but it is self-occupation nevertheless, and contrary to the true knowledge of the blessed God. To Ephesus, where so much apostolic labour was bestowed, it was written before the apostles had all passed away, “Thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4); and here in our chapters (verses 13-16) it is constantly and touchingly repeated, “Thou hast forgotten ME” (Jeremiah 13:25); “THOU HAST FORSAKEN ME” (Jeremiah 15:6); “THEY HAVE FORSAKEN ME” (Jeremiah 16:11); “THAT THEY MAY NOT HEARKEN UNTO ME” (Jeremiah 16:12).

Is there no hope? Certainty not in Israel, nor today in the churches; but we are reminded that Christ Jesus is “our Hope” (1 Timothy 1:1). He is also “the Hope of Israel and the Saviour thereof” (Jeremiah 14:8). Failure on the part of Israel and of the assemblies has become the means, however sad, for the exaltation of the Lord alone. He remains faithful. Our hope is in Him, and we are to make Him our boast and our glory. This should be understood and held firmly. Israel like a girdle was to encompass the Lord “for a people and for a Name, and for a praise and for a glory; but they would not hear” (Jeremiah 13:11). This was God’s original intention (see Deuteronomy 26:19), therefore it must be brought to pass. Israel failed on the ground of responsibility, but the Lord will not fail. Verses 14 to 21 show this. Greater than the deliverance of Israel from the cruel bondage of Egypt shall the future recovery and restoration be. It shall be said then, “The Lord liveth” who has done this great thing. Truly they shall be brought through sorrowful recompense for their iniquity and their sin—“double” indeed in a governmental way, but our Lord Jesus Christ has made atonement for it all; He alone could do so; none other of that nation (or any other) was sinless and spotless and holy. On the ground of His sacrifice they shall be restored and blessed abidingly, and the nations through them. Yea God has said, “Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know, Mine hand, and My might; and they shall know that My Name is the Lord” (verse 21). Then, indeed, His girdle which compasseth Him about shall be glorious. He shall be exalted in the abundance of Israel’s blessing, as we read: “It shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them” (Jeremiah 33:9).

Jeremiah’s heart exalts in the Lord, and exalts Him anticipatively, in the presence of such precious and priceless promises. He is lifted in spirit above and beyond the sorrowful surroundings of the moment. He pronounces the falsehood and vanity and profitlessness of that which had led people away from the true God, as they themselves shall do in the bright and blessed day that is coming. “O Lord!” he exclaims, “My Strength and my Fortress! and my Refuge in the day of affliction! the nations shall come unto Thee from the ends of the earth” (verse 19)! Blessed it is to the heart to know Him now before that day arrives; then the assembly, glorified in heavenly splendour with Christ, shall be in administrative relation with restored Israel in her earthly glory, and the nations shall be blessed abundantly, Christ being owned by all as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. The kingdom and dominion also shall be His throughout all the rejoicing earth! For all this Christ Jesus is our Hope! and He is also the Hope of Israel.

“Hope of our hearts, O Lord, art Thou;

The glorious Star of day;

Thou wilt shine forth, and chase the night

With every fear away.”

Jeremiah 17: The cursed man and the blessed man

Chapters 17-20 contain most interesting instruction: they give us the signs of the Potter and the clay (Jeremiah 18:4), also the broken bottle (Jeremiah 19:10), and Pashur’s new name (20:3). These will become plain to us as we proceed.

The sin of Judah, deeply engraved in their hearts, and publicly proclaimed on their hills of idolatry, had kindled a fire which should consume them utterly, for the anger of God was roused against them (Jeremiah 17:1-4). What then was any believing individual to do when God had pronounced this dire destruction of the nation? What is the individual to do now who foresees the doom of the churches as foretold in the Scripture of Truth? Let him not confide in man; let him not make flesh his arm, whether claiming scholarship or otherwise; for to so do is to depart in heart from the Lord. Cursed is the man that does this (verse 5). Faith worketh by love; and where the heart, which is the seat of affection and faith, confides in the Lord, that soul will be preserved from transferring his confidence to man and the arm of flesh, and therefore from the consequences which must inevitably follow such a course. May God speak to us as to this, that none may take the path of the cursed man. It leads to places that are parched and sapless. The soul that is there shall see no good coming, even though it be coming for others, for he is moved away from the hope of the Gospel, and dwells experimentally amid destitution and desolation as in a desert (verse 6).

Let us ask again, What is the believing individual to do at such a time? There is no uncertainty in the answer here given: “Blessed is the man that confideth in the Lord, and whose confidence the Lord is” (verse 7). God never leaves us in a negative attitude, simply saying what we are not to do. Too many dwell continually upon that side only. The blessed man is the one who is marked by positive confidence in the Lord Himself. Here is the secret, then, of soul prosperity at all times. If Israel fails, if the assemblies fail, then the more distinctly is the blessed Lord to be exalted before the faith of the true believer. He becomes His confidence entirely. To whom did we turn for relief as poor repentant sinners? To whom did we go for deliverance when we learned there was no good in us—that is, in the flesh? To whom is our heart to turn amid the failure of the assemblies now? The answer to all these questions is the same, Not to man, but to the Lord Himself. Here again is seen the true work of Jeremiah, according to the meaning of His name, “THE EXALTATION OF THE LORD.”

But what will be the result for the individual who thus has the Lord as His confidence? Instead of being in parched places, he shall find himself where the living waters never cease to flow. Like a tree planted by never-failing moisture, he shall be always fresh and fragrant. He retains his greenness and fruitfulness at all times, for his wide-spreading roots appropriate the plentiful supplies of God. Strengthened today by the Holy Spirit in “the inner man,” he has Christ dwelling in his heart through faith, and being rooted in God’s unchanging and unfailing love he finds Divine abundance there notwithstanding all the outward failure. How like this is to the blessed or happy man described in the first Psalm! There again we are not simply told what such an one does not do, but the perennial prosperity and seasonable fruitfulness so vividly described are the rich results of positive delight in the law of the Lord and constant meditation therein. There was One of whom all this was true in perfection, and it is that One we are to consider well, our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. He could say, “Thy law have I hid within My heart,” He lived by the Father, His love was the joy and rejoicing of His heart, as He daily confided in Him alone. And, oh! what rich fruit in immeasurable bountifulness results from this for eternal ages.

Just another word before we leave these two men. Of each of them it is said, He “shall not see.” Both are blind to something! How great is the contrast though! The cursed man is blind to the coming good; the blessed man is blind to the coming evil. The cursed man whose heart is away from the Lord, trusting in man and in the arm of flesh, has no power to lift up his eyes to see the bounteous blessedness that is to be brought by Christ’s coming; the blessed man, on the other hand, whose confidence the Lord Himself is, dwells in faith and in the Spirit’s power amidst scenes of plenty, and sees not the parching heat which comes with withering force, for his living fountains fail not. This precious portion of the blessed man is open to each one of us today in Christ Jesus.

The heart of man is incurable, however, and so deceitful is it that no one of Adam’s sinful stock can fathom its depravity (verse 9). It is set to do evil and to depart from God, however greatly privileged it may be. The Lord was testing man in the Old Testament, testing favoured Israel under law, but only to prove his utter ruin (verse 10). Judgment must therefore fall. For believers now it has already taken place at the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; governmentally it fell upon the nation as the prophet foretold, and even the covetous King Jehoiakim becomes an individual example. From his ill-gotten goods he was cut off in the midst of his years (at 36), like a partridge might be taken from her many eggs. As Nabal, at his end, he was a fool (verse 11); so is every man who follows the subjective promptings of his own heart and forsakes the Lord.

It is true that the believer on our Lord Jesus Christ today has a purified heart, but that does not alter what is said here. Indeed Scripture is careful to tell us that those who have heard and believed the Gospel now have their hearts purified by faith, and also that they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit from “the heart-knowing God” (Acts 15:8-9). It is no matter of works or process on our side, although it results in our loving one another “out of a pure heart fervently” (1 Peter 1:22). It is good to find such choice company in these days of strife and contention—contention, sad to say, not for “the faith once delivered to the saints,” so as to walk together in it in peace, but contention for self and man’s opinions. Where the former are found, they will be marked by following righteousness, faith, love and peace when they CALL ON THE LORD HIMSELF OUT OP A PURE HEART (2 Timothy 2:22). It should be noticed, it is not “the Name” of the Lord in this verse which is called upon as it is usually quoted. This is important, for there are many subtle reasonings based upon this misquotation. The deceitful heart of man has “found out many abstruse reasonings” (not “inventions”); and He would even say like some of old, “The Lord has left the earth”; and add, “We only have His Name now.” Sad and solemn statement; we hope it may have been said in ignorance, and not as an excuse for light behaviour; or, as in Jeremiah’s day, because the Lord is “near in their mouth and far from their reins” (Jeremiah 12:2).

To abide with the Lord, and call upon Himself, is our present privilege. Surely we may know Him also today as “The Fountain of Living Waters.” This preserves the believing heart from turning to other streams. It was Israel’s great sin that they thus turned away from the Lord, but Jeremiah cleaves to Him. “A glorious high throne from the beginning,” he says, “is the place of our Sanctuary.” He rises in faith above the failure, and glories in what was “from the beginning.” This is the way of the blessed man whose confidence the Lord is. He gets to the place where living waters never fail, where the streams thereof gladden his rejoicing heart. For him this “Sanctuary is the Lord Himself” (Ezek. 11:16), as is also the “Glorious High Throne” (Isaiah 22:23). It is from the Sanctuary the healing and life-giving waters flow, whilst the Lord is Himself the Fountain of those living waters. What folly then it was for Israel to turn away from Him, and to endeavour to maintain the national position by their own boasted efforts! What folly it is to turn away from Him today! Yea, what unutterable vanity, with the advantage of these writings given for our warning and learning, to turn from Him who is the living Lord and the living Head of the assembly now, and become engrossed in proud efforts of no avail, seeking to rebuild that which is to be judged, as we see in Revelation 2 and 3! True wisdom confides in the Lord; He is our Hope in every way. May all our expectation be from Him.

The prophet continues, “O Lord, Thou Hope of Israel, all that forsake Thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken THE LORD THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS” (verse 13).

Four times only in the Bible is the Fountain of Life spoken of, although a fountain of life is often mentioned. In Psalm 36:9 we read, “With Thee Is the Fountain of Life.” Twice in Jeremiah we have the above beautiful designation (Jeremiah 2:13 and Jeremiah 17:13). The fourth is found in Revelation 21:6, “I will give unto him that is athirst of the Fountain of the Water of Life freely.” Jeremiah realizes how entirely he is shut up to the Lord, and with confidence and assurance he prays, “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for Thou art my Praise” (verse 15). In verse 17, after speaking of the reproach which came upon him for following the Lord, he says, “Be not a terror unto me, for Thou art my Refuge in the day of evil.” Unlike the Lord Jesus or the believer now, he prays for the overthrow of his persecutors (verse 18). This was righteous for a Jew, but the blessed Lord asked for forgiveness for His enemies.

It is of the last importance today to see to it that nothing be allowed to rob us of the perfection of the salvation which is in Christ Jesus. It is a serious matter to be negligent of that. Departure from the truth had begun when the Holy Spirit inspired the Lord’s servant to give us this echo of Jeremiah: “See, brethren, lest there be in any one of you a wicked heart of unbelief, in turning away from the living God, but encourage yourselves each day, as long as it is called Today, that none of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we are become companions of the Christ if indeed we hold the beginning of the assurance firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:12-14). To put the assembly or anything else in the place of Christ is a sure sign of departure from the living God, and evil consequences will follow.

One might have thought that Israel would have gladly welcomed from the Lord the prophet’s words to cease from burden bearing on the Sabbath day, to be at rest, and so secure national prosperity and permanence (Jeremiah 17:19-27), but activity is preferred to hallowing a day “to the Lord.” When will men see that the way of abiding blessing is to honour Him first, to give Him that which is due to His Name?

Jeremiah 18: The Sign of the Potter

The striking sign of chapter 18 when rightly understood is sufficient to cause us to cleave to the Lord alone. The circle of civilization is to Him just what the workshop is to the potter. As the latter holds the clay and moulds it into variously formed vessels, so the Lord holds in His hands the nations, fashioning and forming as He thinks good. Who shall question the work of God? Who indeed is capable, even if he dared so to do? The potter rejects faulty material rightly. Cannot the Lord speak concerning a sinful nation, or concerning an unrighteous kingdom. Let it be plucked up, broken, and destroyed? Who shall say Him nay? Where is haughty Assyria, and corrupt Babylonia? How low has He brought Persia and Greece and Rome for their sins! What desolations He has wrought among the nations which were around His well-loved Israel! How debased and desolate the once oppressive and independent nation of the Nile! Broken and rejected kingdoms, like the potter’s useless earthenware, strew the face of the ground. “O Lord, what desolation Thou hast made in the earth! Yet Thou art righteous in all Thy ways. And Thou art long-suffering and merciful also. For unlike art Thou to the potter in this that Thou hast said; If that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, then will I repent of the evil that I had thought to do unto them” (verse 8).

In the case of the privileged nation of Israel, we have a special example of the long-suffering of our God. So solicitous was He for their good, that, “rising up early,” as He so often expresses it, He called to them again and again to return to Himself and find the establishment and blessing which His gracious heart desires for them; but they would not, for they said, “There is no hope” (verse 12). They did not, however, forget to seek self-gratification; but they forgot the Lord, only to bring evil upon themselves (verses 11-17). They also devised devices against Jeremiah and sought his life. The prophet prays against them, for they recompensed his good with evil, and though this prayer was not unrighteous in a servant of the Lord connected with earthly promises and hopes, yet it would not be suitable for those who know the surpassing grace of God now, for such are connected with the heavenly purpose and hope, and this rises far above what was then made known. They were then against Jeremiah unrighteously, and he prayed to the Lord to righteously reward them. Those who know the true grace of God today have received favour for which they had no merit or claim; they are saved, justified and blessed eternally in Christ Jesus; and for such to pray against others when they themselves have been thus treated by our blessed God and Father would be inconsistent indeed. For us now, no lower standard than our Lord Jesus Christ is placed before us, and we become like Him in this as in other things if His glory is the delight and study of our hearts. The Holy Spirit is here to enable us to do this without legal effort, and it becomes the joy of the one who knows the love of Christ to behold the glory of the Lord; and as he does so, without thinking of himself, he becomes “transformed according to the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

“Like Him in faith, in meekness love,

In every beauteous grace;

From glory into glory changed,

Till we behold His face.”

Jeremiah 19: The Sign of the Earthen Bottle

The earthen bottle of chapter 19 is figurative of Jerusalem and the people. In the previous sign the significance was the right of God to handle any nation or kingdom as He saw fit, and also His ability to do so: here it is the solemn sign that the city and its surroundings and people shall be publicly punished for their sin and idolatry in a way that when others hear of it their ears should tingle. It thus becomes an eloquent witness of the awfulness of sin, so that the vile names of Tophet and Hinnom could not be expressive enough to describe the place of their punishment; it should be called “The valley of slaughter” (verse 6). To the prophet the Lord said, “Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, and shalt say unto them, Thus says the Lord of hosts: even so will I break this people and this city” (verses 10-11).

Jeremiah 20: The Sign of Magor-Missabib

Pashur, the son of Immer the priest, hearing that Jeremiah prophesied these things smote him and put him in the stocks (Jeremiah 20:2); but he himself is made a sign; for, though his name Pashur meant “Prosperity round about,” it is changed to Magor-Missabib, meaning, “Fear round about.” There is something startling and pointedly expressive about this sort of naming in the Scriptures of Truth—the naming of the omniscient God we might say. He becomes a terror to himself and to his friends; and because he had prophesied lies he and his should be taken captive to Babylon and die and be buried there (verse 6). Moreover, all the wealth of the guilty city should be given to their enemies. The strength thereof, its riches, its gains, its precious things and all the treasures of the kings of Judah should be carried away by them to Babylon.

To pronounce this was no perfunctory duty to the prophet. Deeply he felt it all; and the more so because he knew the importance of this people and city to the Lord and to the whole world also. He loved them, and he knew how the Lord loved them; he knew however also that the judgment must come. It is a wrong translation in verse 7 which makes Jeremiah accuse the Lord of deceiving him. It should read, “Lord, Thou hast enticed me,” being the same word as in verse 10. The word of the Lord became a reproach unto him and a derision daily. He said he would speak no more in His name; but he could not keep quiet, for it was like a burning fire within him. His persecutors defamed and watched for him to stumble: the Lord was with him, however, as a mighty and terrible One: they should stumble and be ashamed; confusion everlasting and never to be forgotten should be theirs (verses 8-11).

In the consciousness of being personally right before God, who tries the righteous and sees the very reins and the heart, Jeremiah casts his cause into the Lord’s hands. He asks to see His vengeance on his enemies (verse 12), and then, as if prayer had freed his soul from an oppressive burden, he breaks out: SING UNTO THE LORD!

This is always the way with the one who has experimental and conscious dealings with the blessed God. Mere theology never produces this. The prophet continues his gladsome strain: HALLELUJAH! he cries; and he gives a very good reason for such gladsome praise. “He has delivered the soul of the needy from the hand of evildoers”!

Today it should not be an outburst simply, for the sacrifice of praise should be “continually” upon the lips of the believer now (Hebrews 13:15). The knowledge of deliverance and eternal redemption should produce this. Truly the note may be more sweet at one time than at another, and the song may be louder; but praise and thanksgiving to God by our Lord Jesus Christ should ascend with characteristic continuity from the believer, as he makes melody in his heart, to the One who loves him with an unchanging love.

Jeremiah’s praise had scarcely left his lips when, like Job, he curses the day wherein he was born (verse 14), and the man also who brought the tidings of his nativity to his father, because he slew him not. He asks, “Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame” (verse 18). This deep depression is often seen with the godly souls of the Old Testament. It stands in complete contrast to what is characteristic of the New, where we have the blessed God fully revealed in the Son and the believer eternally blessed in Hun. Many pious people, however, go back to the experiences of the Psalms, and live there; only to rob themselves of the fullness of joy that is properly ours now in the elevating knowledge of the Father and the Son. This exalted privilege is ours continuously; no failure in the assemblies need be allowed to interrupt it, for there is no failure on the part of our living Lord in His present service of love for us; and it is pre-eminently in the last of the inspired writings, after failure had come in, that this fullness of joy and eternal life are made known for our faith to appropriate.

“It more than satisfies, as here we glean

The foretaste of His love, till all be light.”

Chapters 21-24: The Son of David

The next four chapters will complete the first main section—the “moral section” of the book. In the first twelve chapters the prophetical pleadings with the people are prominent; in the second twelve the signs and their significance strikingly stand out. Another noticeable feature of this whole section is the almost entire absence of dates, which frequently occur in other parts of Jeremiah.

In our present four chapters all the kings of Jeremiah’s time are spoken of. In a very significant style they are grouped together in a small space; then follows the triumphant foretelling of the coming King, Jehovah Tzidkenu; and lastly, completing the section, in chapter 24 we are given the sign of the two baskets of figs along with the explanation.

We see clearly in chapters 21 and 22 that the order given by the Holy Spirit in Jeremiah is not chronological, for in the twenty-first we have king Zedekiah, and in the next chapter the kings who reigned before him. The contents of these chapters illustrate, however, what we said before, that the ordered arrangement is according to the bearing of the word upon the central event of the book, i.e., the overthrow of the metropolis. This involved such tremendous issues, not only for Israel, but for all the nations of the earth, that we can quite understand why it should be so signalized. Indeed, chapter 25, which commences the next section, gives the formal statement of this, setting out explicitly the sad consequences in a concise manner, as we shall see.

The first king brought before us in chapter 24 is the last. It is Zedekiah. He is disturbed by the approach of Nebuchadnezzar, who was to overthrow Jerusalem. The king sends to Jeremiah to enquire of the Lord for them, but the answer gives them no hope, and only shows that the Lord Himself will fight against them (verses 1-7). To the people it is said, “Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.” To live, they must fall away to the Chaldean army, which God was bringing; to die, they need only stay in the sinful city (verses 8-10). Then the house of the king is addressed as “the house of David” (verse 12), for the great question is now to be raised concerning the fulfilment of God’s promise as to David’s Seed. How can this possibly be carried out if consuming judgment falls upon this whole family? Where shall anyone then be found to sit for David upon his throne as God had promised? Where shall the king come from of David’s royal line, who is to order and establish the kingdom and fill the earth with the glory of the Lord?

Such a king must “judge with justice in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor” (Jeremiah 21:12). Zedekiah failed in this, therefore the fire of judgment should consume their dwellings and the royal dynasty be overthrown. This whole question of “the house of David” and “the throne of David” is of the most momentous importance. If David’s seed has failed for ever then there is no Gospel for us today! for the Gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! Neither is there any coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth, for He that rules and reigns to that end must be of David’s line! Our present four chapters, however, show that that day will come, and with the help of the Holy Spirit we shall be enabled to see the explanation.

THE ROYAL FAMILY IS CONDEMNED. Beginning with king Zedekiah in chapter 21 we end with him in chapter 24. He and his princes and the residue, like bad figs, are to be cast away from the land of their fathers. The recurrent expressions “House of David” and “Throne of David” (Jeremiah 21:12; 22:2, 4, 30), and “unto David” (Jeremiah 23:5) emphatically show us what is in the mind of the Spirit. If there was one of that family to be found executing righteous judgment and mercy, then there should be given “kings of this house sitting for David upon his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people” (Jeremiah 22:4); but if not, “I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become waste” (verse 5). Those who afterwards beheld the desolation should know that it was because they had forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and served other gods (verses 6-9). Following upon this statement, it is shown that the kings Shallum (Jehoahaz), Jehoiakim (verse 18), and Coniah (Jehoiachin, verse 24) are to be all alike the subjects of the judgment of God; and though this royal house was as Gilead and the summit of Lebanon to the Lord yet it should be devastated. Shallum’s father, Josiah, is spoken of also (verses 11 and 16); but only to contrast him with the wickedness of his sons. Most striking is verse 16, which tells us “He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? says the Lord.” For those who rightly value the importance of the true knowledge of God this is a notable verse. It should be well weighed by every believer.

After dealing with each of these kings of David’s line, the chapter ends by emphasizing the ruin of this royal dynasty upon which the world’s peace and prosperity depended. The whole earth is called to listen to what is said to Coniah (Jehoiachin): “O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord, write this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah” (verses 29-30). The significance of this verse is not that he should have no family, for it speaks of his seed; and Matthew 1:11-12 shows his descendants. What we are told is, God had decreed that as far as the throne of David was concerned he was to be written childless, for none of his seed should rule any more in Judah. God had determined the end of this sinful stock.

The pastors also, who should have cared for the sheep of his pasture, were to be punished likewise, for they had destroyed and scattered the flock (Jeremiah 23:1-3); nevertheless God will graciously gather them again and richly supply them with abundance of blessing (verses 3-4); but for this long-looked-for day to dawn, we know from many other Scriptures, a King of David’s royal line must be found to introduce it. Where, then, is this deeply desired King, this One upon Whom so much depends? Is he living today? What is His Name? The answer to these questions is given in 2 Timothy 2:8, “Jesus Christ of the seed of David raised from among the dead.”

THE SEED ROYAL IS PRESERVED. The New Testament opens with the genealogical proof that Jesus Christ is of David’s royal line; yet the Old Testament foretold that He should suffer and be put to death before He took the throne; and thus it came to pass: He was cut off out of the land of the living; God, however, raised Him from among the dead and exalted Him to His right hand. The heavens now conceal him from the sight of Israel. The time of their repentance will come and He will return for their salvation and blessing. Indeed, a few weeks after they had rejected Him it was said to them, “Repent, therefore, and be converted, for the blotting out of your sins, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and He may send Jesus Christ, who was fore-ordained for you, whom heaven indeed must receive till the times of the restoring of all things” (Acts 3:19-21). They did not repent, as we know, and the nation is still without Him. The apostle Paul in Acts 13, speaking of David in verse 22, continues, “Of this man’s seed according to promise has God brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus”; they, however, compassed His death; but being raised from among the dead, “He said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David” (verse 34). Those who believe on Him now truly come into a far higher order of blessing as members of His body, the assembly, but, when will these sure mercies be brought to Israel? Not till after our Lord Jesus Christ has taken the assembly away to her heavenly home to be with Himself. Afterwards He will revive, recover, and restore Israel. He will come out of heaven for that purpose. Like Thomas, who is a type of the repentant remnant of Israel in the future day, they will exclaim when they see Him, “Our Lord and our God”! Indeed, as our chapter in Jeremiah tells us, “This is the Name whereby He shall be called JEHOVAH TSIDKENU” (Jeremiah 23:6).

Notice the definite way the prophet first foretells His connection as Man with the house of David: “I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch” (verse 5). That has been fulfilled as we know, but being cut off, as was plainly prophesied, He has been taken by God to heaven. Jesus Christ was raised from among the dead of the seed of David. The great Gospel treatise, written to the believers at Rome, begins by showing that this is the foundation of all the rich blessings which are afterward unfolded for faith; and upon this firm basic truth, coupled with the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ is also the Son of God, they rest securely. Thus we read, “Come of David’s seed according to the flesh, marked out Son of God in power, according to the spirit of holiness, by resurrection of the dead.” Here, then, lies open before us the revealed secret of the believer’s blessings now, and of Israel’s blessings by-and-by. This also explains many apparently obscure passages, some speaking of Him as Man, and others of Him as God, and sometimes both being involved in one verse even. Oh, how it cheers the heart to think of the great and glorious Son of God, the One who was rich in Godhead glory, coming down to us in our lost estate; becoming poor—a poor man asking for a penny—owing to the darkness and distance of the cross, that we, and Israel too, through His poverty may be rich; a Man who has come close to us: God over all, Who is ever above us! Blessed Lord and Saviour, we may well worship and adore Thee.

“We love Thee for the glorious worth

Which in Thyself we see;

We love Thee for that shameful cross,

Endured so patiently.”

How bright and beautiful does this splendid promise, given in verses 5 to 8, shine out after the stormy blackness which forebodes the destruction of the house of David after the flesh. Clearly and calmly its rich radiance beams before the eyes of the believer now blessed through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, for there is no longer anything unexplained: all is intelligible in the light of the Person and work of our blessed Saviour. How rejoicing to the heart are these priceless promises, these precious words, whereby, we are told, we become partakers of the Divine nature:

“Behold the days come, says the Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch Who shall reign as King and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell in safety: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, Jehovah Tzidkenu (The Lord our righteousness). Therefore, behold, the days come, says the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord lives, Who brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt; But the Lord lives, who brought up and who led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I have driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.”

These words describe a greater deliverance than that whereby God made His Name to be known among the nations when He brought Israel out from under the tyrannous oppression of Pharaoh, for it tells of the salvation and national settlement of Israel in righteousness through our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Seed of David in resurrection power; a power which has already triumphed over Satan, in that Christ is now in the place of supreme authority; and under Him Israel will become again the national head of the world, while the assembly will be united to Christ in His exalted universal supremacy. To God be the glory for ever and ever.

It is for the believer to know the truth which sanctifies him, and to stand in it; for “the eyes of the Lord are upon the truth.” From verse 9 we have a solemn indictment against the prophets who did not stand in the truth. Carnality, unreal activity, lightness and lying marked them, though they spoke in the name of the Lord. He asks, “Who has stood in the counsel of the Lord?” (verse 15), and, again, He says, “if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they should have turned them from the evil of their way, and from the evil of their doings” (verse 22). It is in regard to standing in the truth that failure has been at all times. “Having done all TO STAND,” is said in Ephesians 6, and that in the face of unseen powers of darkness. Let the word of the prophet be remembered and we shall be strong to stand in the truth: “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? says the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? says the Lord” (verse 24). We are to be strong in Him, not in ourselves; not in self-confidence, but in the Lord. From verse 33 to the end of the chapter we see that the people, the prophet and the priest are all alike walking in vanity and not in the truth. They use the Name of the Lord in vain; therefore says the Lord, “I will utterly forget you, and I will forsake you.” They should be cast out of His sight, and be a perpetual shame (verses 39-40).

Jeremiah 24, the last of our section, shows by the sign of the two baskets of figs that a remnant shall be preserved, though the rest as bad figs are utterly rejected. Sad and solemn as it is to think of these latter, it is nevertheless cheering and comforting to think of these who are represented by the very good figs. Even in the land of the Chaldeans the eyes of the Lord are upon them for good. They should be restored again, too, and established in the land of Israel; but, better than the best of the land, they should know the Lord; and, better than returning to the place, they should return to Him, as He says: “I will give them an HEART TO KNOW ME, that I am the Lord: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: for they shall RETURN UNTO ME WITH THEIR WHOLE HEART” (verse 7).

When the new covenant is established with Israel, the Lord says, “They shall all know Me” (verses 31-34). That will, indeed, be a glad and glorious day. Then they will plenteously prove that the One who was forsaken and forgotten by wayward Israel is truly “the Fountain of Living Waters.” So rich is this blessing that it will be like life from the dead, and truly it will be eternal life, though not in the same measure and relationship which belongs to the believer now. They will know Jehovah: we are brought to know the Father and the Son: “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee [the Father] the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3). May we esteem this exalted privilege with worshipping hearts more and more.

Since in Christ we have redemption,

And with Him the church is one,

Now we taste our endless portion,

Know the Father and the Son.

Section 2—The Yoke and Covenant Section (Jeremiah 25-39)

The second section of the book which we are now to consider, contains teaching and principles of immense importance. Beginning with a formal declaration of the destruction of Jerusalem and the effect upon all the nations of the earth, it ends by showing us the accomplishment of God’s word concerning Jerusalem, the city of His Name and the proper metropolis of the earth.

This second section embraces fifteen chapters (25 to 39). We have called it “The Covenant Section” because that expresses the prominent thought in it. The word itself occurs fifteen times in this second section, whereas it is used but eight tunes in all the rest of the book. Another fact is also very prominent in these chapters, namely, The yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. God had given him the dominion, Israel and all the nations therefore must submit to his yoke—his government. Israel had broken the covenant of the Lord and had not repented, therefore he removed from Jerusalem the central authority and gave power to Babylon, so the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar must be accepted. God, however, gave the great promise of a “New Covenant” in Jeremiah 31; a “New Thing” is to transpire in the earth, and this involves Jerusalem’s supremacy once more. It will be for the good of all the world, for Babylon could never be the proper metropolis, not having the name of the Lord attached to it. A more complete title for this second division is therefore “The Yoke and Covenant Section.”

Although the signs are significantly confined almost exclusively to the second twelve chapters of the first section of Jeremiah, yet we have an exception here in the case of the yokes (see Jeremiah 27 and 28); and also in the purchase of a field (Jeremiah 32); but this emphasizes what we have said and helps us to understand the remarkable arrangement of this book. Another feature of this section is the abounding of dates, so sparely used previously, as we have seen; also the illustrative incidents so interestingly grouped together at the close (Jeremiah 34 to 39).

In our chapters we have the rise of the Gentile power and the overthrow of Jerusalem; the covenant of the Lord broken and a new covenant promised; Jerusalem desolated but to become the exalted habitation of justice with the Name of the Divine Son of David (Jeremiah 23:5-6) named upon her (Jeremiah 33:16), so that both “He” and “she” are to be called “Jehovah Tzidkenu”! The interesting details which abound with instruction may be considered as we proceed.

Like the first section this also falls into two main divisions, namely, chapters 25 to 33 and 34 to 39. These again subdivide as follows: (1) Jeremiah 25 stands alone, and is followed by three chapters together, 26 to 28; Jeremiah 29 is also alone, but the four following stand together, 30 to 33. (2) The six chapters 34 to 39 fall into two equal subdivisions of three chapters each. The Divine numbers 1 and 3 characterize this second section all through. The exceptional group of four chapters (Jeremiah 30 to 33) contain the new covenant promise and prophecies which involve world-wide blessing, though centring especially in Judah and Israel, cleansed, pardoned and restored under the Son of David their king, with Jerusalem for their metropolis. It shall be to the Lord for “a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth” (Jeremiah 33:9)!

This ends our reading for this session. Until next time, have a great day, and God bless.