Denunciations for Unfaithfulness

Transcript

GR 467
7/1/1984
Denunciations for Unfaithfulness
Jeremiah 17:1-27
Gil Rugh

Even though there is a chapter break in the material, the theme of chapter 17 is the same as it was in the preceding chapter. Jeremiah continues with the denunciations that are directed toward Judah for their unfaithfulness to God. The passage is a consideration of the people’s sinfulness and the resulting judgment God will bring upon the nation. In the first 18 verses of the chapter, Jeremiah will be focusing on the matter of sin and its judgment. In the last part of the chapter, which begins with verse 19, he will select a specific area of disobedience to bring to Judah’s attention. The subject he brings up is their failure to observe the Sabbath Day. He will mention the blessing that could be theirs if they would obey and the judgment if they fail to obey.

Jeremiah says in verse 1, “The sin of Judah is written down with an iron stylus; with a diamond point it is engraved upon the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars.” Jeremiah 17:1. He is driving home the point that the sin of Judah is indelibly engraved on their hearts—on their very nature and being. He is showing them how the sin, which is so much a part of them, has been engraved upon their hearts and upon the horns of their altars. This indicates that even their worship is corrupted by their sinfulness and now is characterized by sin. Both the people and their worship system have been corrupted by their sinful acts and deeds.

The horns of the altars that Jeremiah refers to may be the pagan altars or the altar that God had established. These horns were the place where the blood was applied for the atonement. It pictures the fact that Israel had been so corrupted by their sinfulness that even when they went through their religious activity of offering sacrifices for sin, which was to bring atonement, it was simply an engraving and etching of their sin, because even their religious practices had become corrupted by their activity.

Jeremiah continues in verse 2 to show the seriousness of their corruption: “As they remember their children, so they remember their altars and their Asherim by green trees on the high hills.” He is saying that as often as they remember their children, which is nearly all the time, they have been taken up with their idol worship. It absorbs them and takes all of their attention.

The New International Version translates this verse, “Even their children remember their altars.” The emphasis in this translation would be that they have passed on their corrupted worship to their children. This is a strong warning using the phrase we sometimes hear, “Like parent, like child.” It indicates that we pass on to our children our attitudes in worship. Either translation is a possibility. Both are true and either could be the emphasis intended.

The Asherim referred to in verse 2 were wooden symbols of a female deity. These were referred to as Ishtar in the Akkadian, Astarte in Greek, Diana in Latin, and the Babylonian goddess referred to as mystery Babylon in Revelation 27. This goddess, presented for worship through various religious systems in world history, comes down even to our day. Israel had absorbed the worship of this pagan goddess and mixed it in with their own worship system. The result was that Israel had blended the worship of Jehovah with the worship of a pagan goddess. It is amazing that this could happen in Israel, but it did. Among the green trees on the high hills were where these altars would be established to honor and worship this particular goddess.

Verses 3 and 4 picture Israel being plundered because of their unfaithfulness: “O mountain of Mine in the countryside, I will give over your wealth and all your treasures for booty, your high places for sin throughout your borders. And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance that I gave you; and I will make you serve your enemies in the land which you do not know; for you have kindled a fire in My anger which will burn forever.” The mountain in the countryside pictures Jerusalem, the mountain of God, standing out on the countryside as the city looms above everything. Israel is responsible for kindling the anger of God, and now this unbelieving nation will be consumed by the anger and wrath of God. There will be no deliverance for them. Notice that God puts the responsibility on them, as is always the case for sin in Scripture. They have kindled the fire and by their sinfulness they are responsible. This helps to answer the question, How can a loving God send people to hell? It is because they are responsible for starting the fire that burns them up. It is their own sinfulness that necessitates judgment.

In verses 5 through 8 he draws a contrast using a tree and a bush to characterize the people. This contrast will reveal the difference between one who trusts in man and one who trusts in God. “Thus says the Lord, ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the Lord. For he will be like a bush in the desert and will not see when prosperity comes, but will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, a land of salt without inhabitant. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit’” verses 5-8.

First, he pronounces a curse on the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, the one whose heart turns away from the Lord. To trust in man is equated with turning away from the Lord and, therefore, brings you under the curse. Those who turn away from the Lord are destined to be cursed by God.

God warned the people in Deuteronomy 28:20 of the dangers of turning away from Him: “The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.” When Israel turns to other nations for deliverance and trusts men’s strength and wisdom, they have turned from the Lord. In doing so they bring themselves under the curse that God promised in the covenant He made with them.

When one trusts in man, “He will be like a bush in the desert” (Jeremiah 17:6). The bush referred to here is known as the dwarf juniper, a scruffy little bush. Its leaves do not get refreshed by the rain. It is a stunted plant which does not flourish; it is just there. That is what it is like when one trusts in man.

The soil is described in the last phrase of verse 6, “A land of salt without inhabitant.” Not only does it not encourage growth, it is poisonous and inhibits growth.

This is in contrast to the blessed man who trusts in the Lord. He is like a tree planted by the water whose roots go down by the stream to be nourished by it. This is a reminder of Psalm 1, which reads in verse 3, “And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” Psalm 1:3. This pictures a person who has a relationship with God and who draws his strength and nourishment from Him.

Notice in Jeremiah 17 that the drought and heat come for both the bush and the tree. The bush is consumed by the drought because it has no source of nourishment. But the tree, also exposed to the drought and heat, has a constant supply of nourishment from the stream that feeds its roots. God does not promise to deliver the godly from persecution and difficulty, but to sustain and strengthen them through the difficulties.

There is a world of difference between the two. The one who trusts in man has no source of strength. The one who trusts in God has a continual supply of strength to nourish him and make him fruitful. He does not cease yielding fruit because God is the source of constant nourishment. The tragedy in this section is that Judah is characterized by the dry juniper bush. The nation has turned to man and is trusting in man’s own wisdom.

Verses 9 and 20 are very familiar verses, they give an explanation of what he has talked about in verses 5 through 8. Why do people continue to trust men? Why do they continue to trust themselves when it is such a barren, hopeless, fruitless experience? The answer is very simple. “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds” vv 9-10. The explanation very simply is the depravity of the human heart. The heart, referring to the center of the person including his mind, will and emotions, is deceitful and desperately sick. The heart is incurably ill apart from the supernatural intervention of God. Man is deceitful and very base at the center of his being.

My heart is the basis of what I am. What I do flows out of what I am. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Jeremiah 17:9 ends with the question, “Who can understand it?” referring to the heart. Verse 10 gives the answer: “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind.” God scrutinizes the person on the inside and gives to him according to what he does. What man does reflects what he is, and God knows us from the beginning. It is fitting that God should be the judge. He is the only one who really knows us. I do not know how deceitful and wicked I really am within.

This is an important section because it helps put into perspective what is going on in the world today. The whole humanistic movement, all the humanist philosophy, is built on a total misconception of the true condition of the human heart. There is no hope of reforming an individual by bringing out the good in him, nor is there any hope for change in society by bringing out the good. That is why I believe there is no point in the arguments of logic to try to change the humanistic emphasis and direction of our world. We sometimes think that it should be clear to the unbeliever that he is making ruinous, destructive decisions. Those involved in the humanistic movement make decisions which tear apart the whole fabric of the family and society, yet they continue making those same mistakes. It seems that anyone could see that these individuals are tearing our society apart. Why cannot men with numerous degrees who teach in great universities see what they are doing to society? It is because the heart is more deceitful than anything else; it is incurably ill.

Many Christians today are simply beating their heads against the wall as they try to reform our society and change the direction we are going. They are trying to take people whose hearts are deceitful above everything else and incurably ill and help them to see the logic of functioning in a way that is in harmony with the Word of God. What futility! It is impossible for them to see that logic. The only hope is for them to experience a transformation of heart.

That is why I believe that believers ought to throw all of their energies into proclaiming the gospel to unbelievers. I cannot see myself getting involved in reform movements although I find myself politically and socially aligned with them in many ways. Even though I share an agreement and conviction with them on many issues, how can I take an unbeliever who is governed by a heart that is deceitful above all things and explain to him the logic of changing his ways? An unbeliever who is pursuing the murder of babies through abortion, one who is considering euthanasia, one who is involved in the feminist movement, which is dismantling the family with its unbiblical emphasis on the role of women, cannot see the error of that approach. Such individuals are incurably sick with a heart that is so deceitful that they have become twisted in their thinking. They believe there is some logic and rationale to what they are doing. There is no hope at all of making them see differently apart from a transformation of heart.

I believe it is a trap of the Devil to lure believers into such activities and sap the strength out of the singleness of emphasis they ought to have in proclaiming the gospel to the lost. I get all kinds of mail from leading Christians who are taken up with these programs of reform. But God says the problem is men trusting in men. He proclaims in Jeremiah 17:5 that the man who trusts in mankind is cursed. Why does he do it? Because the heart is more deceitful than all else according to verse 9. So what good is it to run out and say, “You should not do that. It is not good for our society.” They cannot see it.

As believers who claim to believe the Bible, we ought to be living it through our lives. We must see mankind as they are—totally controlled by a fallen nature as corrupted beings. We who are believers are privileged to have insight into the perspective of things which the world does not understand.

There may be some unbelievers who are against abortion, euthanasia and other unbiblical practices. Some unbelievers are taking stands on issues in line with the Word of God. But they do not understand the true perspective because they have no real foundation to build on. In the broad perspective, they are just as irrational as anyone because they are pursuing their cause without any firm foundation. At least the humanist says he is trusting in man, as foolish as that may be.

This ought to be a strong reminder to believers that we should never fall back to trusting ourselves. The old nature of the believer, sometimes referred to as the old man, is just as sick as the heart of the unbeliever. That is why a believer who gets into sin finds his life suddenly twisted and distorted. When a believer opens the door of his heart to the influence of the flesh and a corrupted deceitful heart, you never know what the end will be.

It is fitting that the Lord is the one to know us. “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds” Jeremiah 7:10. God knows us thoroughly. That is why we come to the Word to find out what we are really like. As believers we are privileged to deal with the real problem. We can channel our energy into the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Any person who is a believer in Christ becomes a new creature. The New Testament tells us, “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” 2 Corinthians 5:17. Only changed people can change the world.

I do not believe the world as a whole will be changed, because Scripture indicates that men will get worse and worse. But for anyone who is going to be changed, the change will come about only by the power of the gospel through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. I want to invest my life in doing that, not running around trying to change people who are controlled by deceitful hearts and who are incurably ill. It is futile to try to put such men on a rope and make them follow a path that has no rationale to them at all.

Jeremiah continues to talk about the wickedness of the people in verse 11: “As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid, so is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly; in the midst of his days it will forsake him, and in the end he will be a fool.” These people are controlled by a desire to have more. When you live in a humanistic society and adopt the humanistic philosophy of trusting in man, then the things of the world become priorities in your life. They become controlling factors so that you begin to do whatever is necessary to have more of this world’s possessions. The point he is making here is that just as a bird hatches another bird’s eggs and soon parts from the strange creatures in the nest, even so the fool will part with his fortune.

Jeremiah’s statement of the wickedness of man continues in verses 12 and 13: “A glorious throne on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake Thee will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord.” The fountain of living water provides the sustenance for the tree whose roots go down deep. But notice that God again puts the responsibility on man who has turned away from God. They have turned aside as Romans 3 quotes from the psalms. As God sees it, the responsibility again is on the sinner. The charges against men are written down because they have forsaken the fountain of living water.

In verses 14 and 15, Jeremiah again cries out to the Lord for His assistance: “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for Thou art my praise. Look, they keep saying to me, ‘Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now!’” The people were challenging Jeremiah that he was not a true prophet because what he had said had not yet happened. One of the tests of a true prophet was that when the prophet spoke, what he said should happen. But the people keep asking Jeremiah, “Where is the word of the Lord? Let it come now!” v. 15. They reminded Jeremiah that he had been boasting that he was the only one with the truth of God, and Jeremiah had said they were going to come under judgment. But it had not happened yet.

Jeremiah’s response to the Lord about the charges of the people is seen in verses 16 through 18: “But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd after Thee, nor have I longed for the woeful day; Thou Thyself knowest the utterance of my lips was in Thy presence. Do not be a terror to me; Thou art my refuge in the day of disaster. Let those who persecute me be put to shame, but as for me, let me not be put to shame; let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed. Bring on them a day of disaster, and crush them with two-fold destruction!” Jeremiah indicates that he is willing to wait for what the Lord wants to do. He knows that judgment will come because God honors His word, yet he is willing to wait for the Lord to do it in His own time.

In the next section of this chapter, the Lord gives Jeremiah a special message about a particular concern. God had given Israel special commandments about the observance of the Sabbath Day. The obedience to these commands was a special mark for Israel as a nation with a covenant relationship to God. Thus God’s commands to Jeremiah in verses 19 through 23: “Thus the Lord said to me, ‘Go and stand in the public gate, through which the kings of Judah come in and go out, as well as in all the gates of Jerusalem; and say to them, “Listen to the word of the Lord, kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all inhabitants of Jerusalem, who come in through these gates: Thus says the Lord, ‘Take heed for yourselves, and do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem. And you shall not bring a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day nor do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers. Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction.’”’”

The Sabbath is shown as Israel’s mark of their relationship with God in Exodus 31:12 through 17: “And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, “You shall surely observe My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. Therefore you are to observe the Sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Lord; whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death. So the sons of Israel shall observe the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”’”

Occasionally questions are raised today about whether we should observe the Sabbath. The command for observing the Sabbath was given particularly to the nation Israel: “It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever” Ezekiel 31:17. That is a clear indication of the covenant relationship that God established with His people regarding the Sabbath. We are not the sons of Israel. The Sabbath Day was both an acknowledgment that God was creator and a recognition that God had established a sovereign covenant with the nation Israel. To ignore the observance of the Sabbath was to ignore the covenant God had made with the nation. The Sabbath is more than just a day. It is a day that God set apart for special significance for special people—His covenant people, Israel.

With that background, it is easier to understand the importance of what Jeremiah is saying in chapter 17. The people have gone about their business concerned with making more money. That is what Jeremiah is referring to in verse 11 when he speaks of those who make fortunes unjustly. They are using the Sabbath Day to add to their material wealth. The people have concluded that the acquisition of material wealth is more important to them than the covenant God has established for them. Therefore, they come under the condemnation and judgment of God. “Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction” Jeremiah 17:23.

The Scripture repeats the fact that we are responsible for our sin. We can come up with all kinds of excuses, but God keeps driving home to the nation Israel that He holds them responsible for their actions.

God makes a promise to the people in verses 24 and 25: “‘But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but to keep the Sabbath day holy by doing no work on it, then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will be inhabited forever.’” If the people will obey the Lord, the Davidic throne will be established. This is the key element in the national and religious life of the people.

The promise continues in verse 26: “They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offering and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the Lord.” Jerusalem will be established as the focal point, and people will come in from all the environs of Jerusalem. It will become a bustling, thriving city.

The key element in the health of the nation will be the existence of the temple in Jerusalem as the focal point of worship. According to verse 26, the people will bring sacrifices of thanksgiving into the house of the Lord. The throne of David will be firmly established with the temple of God in the city of Jerusalem if the nation will but submit itself to the covenant God has established with them. Their submission will be marked by the observance of the Sabbath Day.

God offers the people everything they want. Unfortunately, the people want to do it their way. God promises prosperity and blessing—just what the people are pursuing. They want to be prosperous, and they want Jerusalem to thrive. They want the king to rule and reign from Jerusalem. They want it all their own way. They thought they would make it the thriving place of worship by mixing in the worship of the Canaanites and the other pagans. They thought they would make the city more prosperous by disregarding the covenant and failing to observe the Sabbath Day. Yet, as a result of their disobedience, they forfeited all the blessings God had promised them for obedience.

This proves again that the heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately sick. Is that not what happens to people? They want happiness, joy and personal peace. God offers that in Jesus Christ. Their sin, guilt and despair can be forgiven and removed. That is available through Christ. He is our hope for eternity and they fail to accept it.

This means that our present life is not futile. We have the assurance of life after death. All that men want and are driven to achieve, God offers. Men do not want what God offers on His terms.

In this passage, God offers the very things Israel desires, but they reject them because they decide they are going to trust man instead of God. People in our day have not changed one bit. They still have the same desperately sinful heart. They still trust man and man’s ideas for peace, satisfaction and purpose in life. They would rather spend thousands of dollars on secular counseling trying to find peace and happiness in something else than to submit to the Word of God and find the peace He offers. It is amazing how deceitful the human heart is and how desperately wicked we are! Man will eventually be consumed by his own sinfulness.

The chapter concludes with verse 27: “But if you do not listen to Me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I shall kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched.” God is telling the people that if they disobey Him, they will lose the very thing they wanted to gain. God commands them to observe the Sabbath Day in obedience to His Word and the covenant He had established with them. The tragedy was that Israel was unwilling to obey. Why? Because the heart is more deceitful than anything else. Right down to the very last days when Babylon was knocking on their door these people were sure that they could work it out and pull it off without God.

The heart is more deceitful than anything else. An understanding of this passage will help us appreciate those we will come in contact within the coming weeks. The people you share the gospel with have a sinful condition and they do not understand their need. They are incurably ill, yet they are going around thinking they are in the bloom of health. We come as the physician, God’s spokesmen, to tell them that they are desperately ill. We should not be intimidated or embarrassed when we think that they will not like what we are going to tell them. Of course, they will not like it, because their hearts are more deceitful than anything else. Unless the Spirit of God intervenes and turns around their twisted thinking, they will not understand their sinfulness. They will not understand that God is offering them salvation and the forgiveness of sins for all eternity by faith in Jesus Christ. Our responsibility is to share this truth with them and make them aware of the opportunity God gives them to experience salvation in Jesus Christ.

May God give us the boldness we need to proclaim this message as Jeremiah did. We know the condition of the people around us—they are hopeless and helpless. If we do not carry this message to them, who will? If they do not hear the gospel of Jesus Christ from us, how will they ever know they are lost in their sinfulness with hearts that are desperately wicked and incurably ill? What a tragedy that we who have the healing message of forgiveness should sit satisfied knowing that we have it, waiting comfortably until Jesus Christ comes. We should be aggressively reaching out to everyone with the truth that they need so desperately.