Jeremiah 18:11
The Bible says in Jeremiah 18:11, “Now
therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and
devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and
make your ways and your doings good.”
This verse reminds of the message of God to the Israelites during the
time of Jeremiah. They were sinners, and they needed to repent. Two thousand
six hundred years have passed and spiritually speaking nothing has changed.
Human beings are still sinners, and God’s message to mankind is centered on the
Savior Jesus Christ, and is basically the same message. It says in Romans 3:23,
“For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” And it says
in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Unfortunately, the response of the
Israelites to God’s message is also common today. That response is found in
Jeremiah 18:12, “And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own
devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.”
The Israelites gave three reasons for why they would not repent and turn to the
Lord. The first reason demonstrates their negative attitude to God’s message
and to God’s Word. They said, “There is no
hope.” In other words they had no hope in
listening to the Word of God or responding to God’s message. They wanted a
different message instead of the Word of God. The same thing is happening
today. The Word of God is always under assault by the unbelievers. Of course,
the Word of God always stands sure, immutable, and true no matter how many
assaults come against it. Sadly, those who reject God’s Word will be rejected.
The Word of God will stand forever, but those who reject God’s Word shall
perish.
The second reason that the Israelites
gave for rejecting God’s message is revealed when they said in Jeremiah 18:12,
“we
will walk after our own devices.” Notice the words “we” and “our.” What they
were saying is that they refused to surrender to God’s will. They were
determined to go their own way instead of turning to go God’s way. It seems
very foolish that a human being would think they know better than Almighty God.
Yet, generation after generation of people continue to think that their own way
is somehow better than the way that Jesus would lead them to. The Lord is at
work in people’s lives to convince them that surrendering to God is always
better. How strong the human will can be, but the path to heaven is only found
when that will surrenders to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The third reason given by the
Israelites for rejecting God’s message was what they said at the end of
Jeremiah 18:12, “we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.” To be saved
or not is really a part of the great battle of good against evil. Every person
must decide which side they are on. Are you going to be on the side of good or
on the side of evil? Eventually a person comes face to face with that question.
If you decide to be on the side of goodness, then you will turn to Jesus. If
you decide to continue going after your own sinful ways, then you will turn
away from Jesus. This same truth is stated very well in John 3:18-21, “He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one
that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds
should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds
may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
This concept tells us the psychology of salvation. In the final analysis, why
do some people reject Christ? The real reason is because they have decided to
take evil over good. When they came face to face with the choice of evil or
good, they chose evil.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 18:13-17, “Therefore
thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things:
the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing. Will a man leave the snow
of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing
waters that come from another place be forsaken? Because my people hath
forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to
stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not
cast up; To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that
passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. I will scatter them as
with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the
face, in the day of their calamity.” Once again we are
reminded of the results of sin. What a sad example
The Bible says in Jeremiah 18:18, “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.” This is an interesting verse that shows the attitude of
the people that opposed Jeremiah. It is very similar to what happened to Jesus
when the religious leaders plotted His death. It is also very similar to what
happens today in the political and religious world. There are those who oppose
the truth, and then they get together; and they plot, they plan, and they
pre-mediate exactly what they are going to do to oppose the person who is
bringing the truth.
It is interesting to notice exactly
what these ungodly people said when they decided to oppose Jeremiah. They said,
“for
the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the
word from the prophet.” Unlike our society, this was a very religious society. Being
religious, but also being ungodly, they always had a substitute for that which
was true. The priests were corrupt, but they said, “the law
shall not perish from the priest.” They had no intention of keeping the
law, but they claimed that they loved the law. They claimed that they were
being faithful to the law, but if you really knew what was going on, like
Jeremiah did, then you knew that they were not being faithful to the law. In
this context the law represents the Word of God, because up to that point the
law was the fullest revelation of God’s truth that had yet been given. One of
the ways in which we see this same failure today has to do with the use of
watered down translations. Religious leaders today claim that they are being
faithful to God’s Word, and yet they have these inaccurate and ill-advised
translations that are based upon spurious Greek texts instead of the Textus
Receptus. They use translations that were created by unsaved “theologians,” and
the ultimate effect of these translations will be to tear down people’s
confidence in the Word of God and thusly will tear down their faith.
What these false people claim is very
different from what they actually are. You will have to have spiritual eyes in
order to discern their spiritual lies. They change the meaning of words even.
They call their own “wise” because they hear what they want to hear from them. They
say that their teachers give “the word of the prophet,” but it is
the word of error and falsehood. Jesus faced these kinds of people in His day.
Organized religion is always full of them. Jesus said to the Pharisees in
Matthew 23:23-31, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay
tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of
the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to
leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a
camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the
outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion
and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and
platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed
appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all
uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye
are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the
sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our
fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the
prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children
of them which killed the prophets.”
There is at least one more thing to
say about the unspiritual people who opposed Jeremiah. They said in Jeremiah
18:18, “Come, and let us smite him with the tongue.” The tongue
can do great damage in speaking against people. The word “devil” means
slanderer. Perhaps human beings are most like the devil when they are speaking
against other people. If we were more like Christ, we would have more love.
Everyone has good points, as well as bad points. It is easy to tear down and to
criticize, but much better to build up and to compliment. These people said that
they would “smite” Jeremiah with their words. This word is also translated in
the Old Testament as “beat,” “slay,” “kill,” and “slaughter.” Evil, cruel, and
slanderous words can do this kind of damage against people. Notice what it says
in James 3:2-10 about the tongue. “For in many things we offend all. If
any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle
the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey
us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though
they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about
with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue
is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a
little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the
tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire
the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts,
and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath
been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil,
full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith
curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth
proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”
Have you ever seen a world of iniquity? Go stand in front of a mirror and open
your mouth wide, and there you will see it: a world of iniquity.
The Bible says in Jeremiah 18:19-23, “Give heed to
me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. Shall evil
be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that
I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from
them. 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 righteous anger that Jeremiah expressed. He was
not wrong in doing so. God Himself will have even greater anger against the
wicked. That anger will be manifested at the judgment of lost souls. We all
know that it is a righteous act to punish evil doers, and so it is righteous to
look for their punishment and to expect it. This truth makes it all the more
amazing that Jesus forgives sins in that He is the most righteous at all. This
truth also shows how great of a standard that we have in the New Testament
because we are told to love our enemies. Jesus said in Luke 6:27-36, “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good
to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer
also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat
also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy
goods ask them not again. And as ye
would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love
them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love
them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for
sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to
receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as
much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing
again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the
Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore
merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
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Copyright; 2012 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved