Read Jeremiah 9
9 1 Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night
for the slain of my people.
2 Oh, that I had in the desert
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,
a crowd of unfaithful people.
3 “They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;
it is not by truth
that they triumph in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your friends;
do not trust anyone in your clan.
For every one of them is a deceiver,
and every friend a slanderer.
5 Friend deceives friend,
and no one speaks the truth.
They have taught their tongues to lie;
they weary themselves with sinning.
6 You live in the midst of deception;
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will refine and test them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,
but in their hearts they set traps for them.
9 Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?”
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds have all fled
and the animals are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah
so no one can live there.”
12 Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. 14 Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” 15 Therefore this is what the LordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter foodand drink poisoned water. 16 I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sworduntil I have made an end of them.”
17 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Consider now! Call for the wailing women to come;
send for the most skillful of them.
18 Let them come quickly
and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
and water streams from our eyelids.
19 The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How ruined we are!
How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
because our houses are in ruins.’”
20 Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
open your ears to the words of his mouth.
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.
21 Death has climbed in through our windows
and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
and the young men from the public squares.
22 Say, “This is what the Lord declares:
“‘Dead bodies will lie
like dung on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.’”
23 This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
24 but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.
25 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places. For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”
Go Deeper
It has often been said that if you don’t learn from history you are destined to repeat it. Jeremiah 9 gives us a lot to learn from. While it may appear that the chapter is only about sin and the coming judgment, we can learn so much more from the passage.
On the surface the first part of the chapter may seem like a typical scenario of doing wrong equals punishment. However, as we dig deeper we can see that God only disciplines those he loves (Proverbs 3:11-12). And that the storms that arise through the consequences of sin are storms that we often start. The people of Judah had gotten so deep into sin that verse 3 says “They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me”. But God again says that He will refine the people just like in Jeremiah 6:27. That shows that God is not out to destroy us, but to lead us back to a path that leads us to Himself. The refining process is often difficult and sometimes painful, but be encouraged that no matter what we have done in life, God will see us through. He went to the cross knowing everything about us and still died for us.
The second lesson we can learn from the people of Judah is that God wants our heart to turn to Him. So often as humans we judge others by their outward appearance, but God judges our motives and desires (Proverbs 16:2). The chapter ends with God telling the people that they will be judged just like the uncircumcised because they have uncircumcised hearts. God clearly shows us that the outward physical covenant means nothing if the heart doesn’t also follow the path to Christ.
God so desperately longs for the people to turn their hearts towards Him. Paul addresses the same issue in Romans 2:29. As followers of Christ we learn that we can never perfectly follow the law, because we will fail. God is asking us to surrender our heart and experience the freedom that can only be found in His grace.
Questions
- What can we learn from the mistakes of the people of Judah?
- Will we allow God to refine and mold us into a vessel that can be used by HIm?
- What area can we surrender to Christ today?
Pray This
Lord,
Please refine and mold me into a vessel that can be used for your honor and glory. Thank you for the gift of discipline and that just as a human parent hurts when needing to discipline their child, you also sorrow when you need to discipline me. Help me to turn my heart towards you and accept the grace and mercy that you so lovingly give. Amen.
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3 thoughts on “Jeremiah 9”
The book of Jeremiah in particular records God’s sorrow over the desolation of His chosen people. From beginning to end the theme of lament has emerged. Lament is defined as “ expressing deep regret, grief, or sorrow.” V20 implies it is something we must learn, “teach one another how to lament.” GotQuestions.org says it this way—When we see our sin the way God does, we lament over it. We grieve at the evil arising in our own hearts and cry out to God to change us. Those who never lament over their own sin have not understood its power to destroy them, nor can they fully appreciate a Savior. Lamenting should be a daily practice that leads us to understand the Lord alone is just and righteous whose love is unfailing (v24). May we live lives that reflect his justice and righteousness.
The fact that God is reminding His people that He punishes them because He loves them should shift our perspective of punishment for us. Instead of feeling like God is done with us, we embrace the love He shows by making us accountable for our sin. Just as our parents punished us as kids for misbehaving or disobeying, God does so to direct us in the right direction. The people of Judah & Jerusalem seemed so unwilling to see this and pivot like God asked.
God is refining His people daily (if we let Him). Just like we read in Psalm 66:10, ”For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.“ What we did was fail the test at some point by disobeying and following our own selfish pursuits. But each day we should seek to follow what God calls us to, without wondering what we will miss out on.
Hardhearted. Oh, God I am so sorry for being a person with a hard heart. Please forgive me. God calls us out and gives us tools to resist the evil one. He is constantly and consistently trying to woo us back with His love. We can deny that we are sinning (white lies) but until we become teachable we are hitting our heads against that preverbally brick wall. His redemptive Love is waiting always!!
Verse 23-24 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”
He always gives us the answer to the test!! WOOHOO!!!
God, oh how I love You!!! Thank You for the answers to the questions. Thank You that I can learn to be not so hardhearted or hard headed. God continue to guide me in lining myself up to Your Word, so that I can be Holy as You are Holy!!! Thank You God for furthering Your Kingdom and doing what You have called me to do. God thank You for me being teachable and help me not to be selfish when given words that make me a better apprentice for You. Give me things to put into my life and the instructions to take out. What do I want to grow? God I want more of You!!! Thank You that I say no to the things that do not build You up and edify You. God thank You for the minutes of this day and how I can use them for You, to not hurry, but to listen, hear, see all that You are wanting for these minutes of this day to glorify You in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!