The Plowman

Introduction
“And they lived happily ever after,” isn’t that how stories are supposed to end?  Don’t you like it when, by story’s end, everything is wrapped up in a neat little package and you can put a bow on top?  That’s nice for story books but life is not a fairy-tale.  God’s dealing with His people is not a fairy-tale either.  That is obvious throughout the book of Jeremiah.  Jeremiah ministered during the dark days of Judah.  His 40 year ministry was characterized by his message of judgment.  He repeatedly warned of impending doom.  He consistently called the nation and its leaders to repentance.  His words went unheeded and thus judgment finally came.  The end of the story is not pretty.  Listen to Jeremiah’s own words regarding life after the fall of Jerusalem:

How lonely sits the city
that was full of people…
She weeps bitterly in the night,
with tears on her cheeks;
among all her lovers
she has none to comfort her;
all her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
they have become her enemies.
Judah has gone into exile because of affliction
and hard servitude;
she dwells now among the nations,
but finds no resting place;
her pursuers have all overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.

The enemy has stretched out his hands
over all her precious things;
for she has seen the nations
enter her sanctuary,
those whom you forbade
to enter your congregation.

“For these things I weep;
my eyes flow with tears;
for a comforter is far from me,
one to revive my spirit;
my children are desolate,
for the enemy has prevailed.

The prophet wept over the city he loved and lost.  So much for “happily ever after.”  Chapter 52 is the work of an editor.  The last words of the prophet occur in chapter 51 (51:64).  Chapter 52 is the work of a careful historian.  Even a casual reading of the chapter reveals the historian’s eye for detail.  It is not an impassioned account - it sounds a bit like Joe Friday - “Just the facts mam.”   The historian is not weeping over Jerusalem’s fall he is merely reporting it.  Our text is found in the last chapter of Jeremiah’s prophecy.

Text: Jeremiah 52:1-34
As we move through the passage we will discover that…

Thesis: God’s judgment of Jerusalem and her subsequent fall causes us to consider our ways and yet be assured of His continuing mercy and grace.

1. The fall of Jerusalem serves to remind us that sin will be dealt with.
2. The fall of Jerusalem serves as a call to faithfulness.
3. God’s providential kindness to king Jehoiachin serves to remind us that the promises of God cannot fail thus we have a future and a hope.

Introduction:
It was just so absurd. The message was too ridicules to be taken seriously. “Babylon the Great is going to fall? Not only fall but become uninhabited? A haunt for jackals? You’re saying the most power nation on earth is going to be completely, utterly, and definitively destroyed? It will be no more? Says who?” When the answer came, “Jeremiah the prophet of God” no doubt some responded, “Crazy Jerry is at it again.” Sometimes it is hard for us to understand how absurd Jeremiah sounded. After all we are “this” side of the story. History has vindicated him. But at the time of his ministry he seemed like a nut! Babylon was the super power of its day. Economically, militarily, culturally and religiously they dominated the world. They seemed unstoppable. Yet God’s prophet boldly declared Babylon would fall. God’s instrument in bringing judgment on Judah and the surrounding nations would herself be judged.

Jeremiah’s prophecy against Babylon takes up two full chapters totaling 110 verses. In fact it is longer than his oracles against the other nations combined. If you read chapters 50 and 51 together you find yourself saying, “This is redundant. He keeps saying the same thing over and over. Why doesn’t he just say it and be done with it?” You might even being thinking of Jeremiah what you think of me on occasion - “Is he ever going to find a place to land this turkey? He just keeps circling and every time he comes in for a landing - he takes off again.” But there is a reason to his madness. He is repeating himself for just cause - he is seeking to show that God is going to completely and finally destroy Babylon. Second, he is driving it into the ground because he knows people aren’t going to believe it. By his adamantly stating it again and again he is hoping to convince them that this is really going to happen.

In typical Jeremiah fashion he provides his last object lesson to drive the message home. Do you remember what he did back in 13:1-11? He took his new linen belt and buried it near the Euphrates. He went back a year later and dug it up to drive home the truth that God will save a remnant. Or how about 19:1-15 when he bought that nice clay jar and invited everyone out to the garbage dump to watch his break it? Do you remember? This is what God is going to do to Jerusalem. Then there was 32:1-44 when he bought a field in enemy territory to show that God would bring his people home. Well here in chapter 51 we find another of his object lessons.

The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, and say, O LORD, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever. When you finish reading this book, , tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and say, Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted.

Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
(Jeremiah 51:59-64, ESV)

The message was pretty clear - Babylon is sunk! Which would have been a ridiculous message at the time.

Chapter 51 describes in very dramatic language the fall of Babylon.

• It is clear the attack on her will be carefully orchestrated - (12-13)
• The attack will be overwhelming - (14, 33)
• The city would be pounded and then stripped - (3-4, 29-30)
• Babylon will be like an extinct volcano - (22-26)
• She will be like a desert waste - (36-37)

I love the picture given in 51:31-32. This is a little insight into Babylon’s war room:

One runner runs to meet another,
and one messenger to meet another,
to tell the king of Babylon
that his city is taken on every side;
the fords have been seized,
the marshes are burned with fire,
and the soldiers are in panic.

God is moving against Babylon. The hunter becomes the hunted. The oppressor is now the oppressed. God’s judgment is to be swift, thorough, terrifying and final.

Text: Jeremiah 51:1-64

As we reflect on this chapter considering its message for us today I want us to note that…

Thesis: God’s sovereign judgment of Babylon provides some important lessons and a sober warning.

1. God’s judgment reminds us that He is just, and powerful and that He graciously responds to the prayers of His people.
2. God’s judgment of Babylon and her wicked ways serves as a sober warning to those who would stand against Him.

Introduction
They are haunting words from the English poet Shelley as he described the sad remains of a once great empire:

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter’d visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp’d on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock’d them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Shelly mocks the pride of man as he speaks of the fleeting glory of earthly kingdoms.  Ozymandias was another name for Ramesses the Great, Pharoh of Egypt, his statue boasting of the greatness of his kingdom now buried in the desert sands.  So it is with all earthly kingdoms.  They come and go.  They rise and fall.  They are like the mist that appears today and is gone tomorrow.  The closing chapters of Jeremiah’s prophecy speak of God’s judgment on the nations.

Jeremiah thunders God’s judgment on Judah, Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Kedar and Elam.  He warned that Babylon was coming as Yahweh’s chosen instrument.  When reading these pronouncements you get the impression that it would be foolish to resist the coming destruction for Babylon was unstoppable.  But what becomes clear in this evening’s text is that Babylon was not a law unto herself.  Yes she was God’s instrument but she too would answer for her sins.  Our text is found in Jeremiah chapter 50.

Text: Jeremiah 50:1-46
This text is the climax of Jeremiah’s prophecy.?It’s message is clear, comforting and sobering.

Thesis: The destruction of Babylon signals Judah’s redemption.

The fall of one accompanies the rise of the other.  With the destruction of Babylon comes the restoration of Judah.  I want to point out two things from our text.

1. A surprising reversal in which the conqueror becomes the conquered.
2. A glorious transformation as the oppressed becomes the redeemed.
   1. First, note the presence of genuine repentance.  It is there in Jeremiah 50:4.
   2. Also note the means of a new relationship in 50:5.
   3. They were assured the presence of the Great Shepherd (50:6-7, 17-19).
   4. All this is made possible by our kinsmen redeemer (50:8, 44-46).
   5. Then comes the greatest promise of all the promise of full atonement (50:20).

This is what Christ has accomplished for us on the cross.

• He died for your sin.
• Those sins before you were a Christian.
• Those now and those in the future.
• All forgiven.
• All of them gone.
• The small and the great.
• The known and the unknown.

In the words of Philip P. Bliss:

Guilty, vile and helpless, we;
Spotless Lamb of God was he;
Full atonement!  Can it be?
Hallelujah!  What a Savior.

Introduction
There is something very satisfying about it.  That feeling you get watching a movie when the “bad guy” finally gets his.  You’ve watched him throughout the movie act with impunity and finally  he pays for it in the end.  I’ve been in theaters where the crowd actually cheered!  Because in spite of the corruption that surrounds us and regardless of how jaded we’ve become we want to believe in justice.  Justice is satisfying as long as we are focused on those who, unlike us, are guilty.  The problem with justice is that it cuts both ways.  If I’m guilty I don’t want justice I prefer mercy.  God’s truth is a two-edged sword.  The very thing that brings me satisfaction and comfort strikes terror in others.  Perspective is everything.  God is holy, just and righteous.  That comforts me when I am unjustly attacked, criticized or maligned.  It frightens me when I am heartless, cruel or indifferent to those in need.  The thought of the glories of heaven and the hope of the people of God is reassuring and comforting.  The thought of judgment and eternal damnation is horrifying.  Yet both come from the same God.  A God who is holy, just, majestic, sovereign and full of wrath; who is also loving, merciful, kind, gracious and compassionate.  This is the God consistently set forth by Jeremiah the weeping prophet as he ministered to Judah during her final days before exile.  In the text we are going to consider this evening Jeremiah presents yet another moving portrait of this sovereign yet gracious God.  Our text is found in Jeremiah chapter 49.

Text: Jeremiah 49:1-39
God had promised that Jeremiah’s ministry would be an “international” ministry. He was appointed over nations and kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant” (1:10) In the closing chapters of his book we find a collection of prophecies related to the nations.  God speaks His judgment on the nations surrounding Judah.

Thesis: As we explore chapter 49 we find ourselves standing in awe of both God’s sovereign justice and His tender mercies.

There are three things I want to call to your attention.

1. God in sovereignly promises to bring an end to all His enemies.
   He speaks His judgment on the Ammonites - 49:1-6
   He speaks His judgment on the Edomites - 49:7-22
   He speaks His judgment on Damascus - 49:23-27
   He speaks His judgment on Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor - 49:28-33
   He speaks His judgment on the Elamites - 49:34-39
2. God in holy justice comes in solemn judgment.
3. God in tender mercy assures His sovereign grace.

When considering the mystery of God’s grace, Derek Kidner pointed to Luke 23 and the story of the two thieves.  Both hurled insults at Jesus.  One acknowledged guilt and sought mercy the other did not.  One was saved, the other was left in his sin.  Here 5 nations are under judgment God sovereignly extends mercy to only 2.

Kidner remarks, “One was saved, that none might despair; yet only one, that none might presume.” (The Message of Jeremiah: Against the Wind and the Tide Inter-Varsity press p. 143)

That none might despair - God’s grace reaches even to his enemies.
That non might presume - God owes salvation to none.

Introduction:
Balance is a tricky thing.  Ever since I had my tumor removed in ’95 I’ve had problems with balance.  When I’m on any incline - I’m in trouble.  I got on the roof of my house once - I very quickly took a seat and started clinging to the roof.  Now this problem with balance is not a new thing with me I’ve never been “steady” on my feet.  In elementary school in gym class I remember the balance beam.  Of course the balance beam they used was maybe and inch or two off the ground but it might as well have been twenty feet I wasn’t staying on it anyway.  You would think that with my naturally “low center of gravity” it would not be a problem but it is.  Listen to the dictionary definition of balance: an even distribution of weight enabling a person to stay upright and steady; stability of one’s mind or feelings; in sailing the ability of a boat to stay on course without adjustment of the rudder; a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.  Balance is critical in so many ways but perhaps one of the most important areas of balance is in theology.  Theology is our “speaking about God.”  I recognize that we are frail children of dust and thus we are in constant struggle with theological balance but when we are unbalanced we present a warped, perverted view of God.  That is why it matters.  As we explore the 48th chapter of Jeremiah this evening I want us to see the balance in this passage.   We are in that section that deals with God’s judgment of the nations that runs from chapter 46 through chapter 51.  It is an international roll call of God’s enemies.  This evening we explore his judgment of Israel’s wayward cousin Moab.

Text: Jeremiah 48:1-47

Moab was the son of Lot by incestuous union with his eldest daughter the whole sordid story is found in Gn. 19:30-38.  The eldest daughter gave birth to Moab the father of the Moabites and his younger daughter gave birth to Ben-ammin who was the father of the Ammonites.  If you are familiar with the biblical narrative you know that both of these peoples were a long standing problem with Israel and Judah.

As God speaks through Jeremiah what becomes clear is…
Thesis: God’s sovereign judgment of and yet His gracious response to sinners.

These are two sides of the same coin.  God is holy, just and righteous.  He cannot allow the guilty to go unpunished.  His holiness demands judgment on sin.  This is why God says, “I will by no means allow the guilty to go unpunished.”  To wink at sin or to merely overlook it would be a denial of his person.  He is just.  He is righteous.  He is holy.  Therefore sin must be dealt with.  Yet He is also gracious, loving, merciful and forgiving.  So this holy God provides a way by which His righteous demands are met and yet salvation is granted.  This is what the gospel is all about.  Righteousness and mercy meet at the cross.  Holiness is satisfied and mercy is granted through the work of Christ.  That’s not just a New Testament truth and is a Bible truth.  Let’s look at our text and consider three things.

1. We must note the absolute terror of God’s sovereign judgment.
2. God’s judgment is His righteous response to wicked behavior.
3. Even in judgment God loves the sinner and offers hope.

This is the balanced portrait of our God - fierce and terrifying in His judgment of our wicked ways and yet loving and merciful to sinners.

Introduction:
In our politically correct world to be certain or dogmatic in belief is considered dangerous. If in matters of faith you hold to a belief in an inspired book and a personal God who actually exists you are a fanatic and the kind of person who is not to be trusted. Further you are to blame for most of the evil in this world. “Why can’t you just leave people alone? Why can’t you let people believe as they wish? Why must you shove your brand of faith down everyone’s throat?” That is the response of the “tolerant” open-minded crowd. The problem is I really do believe what this book says. I believe there is a God who created everything! I believe that humanity, through the rebellion of Adam fell into corruption. That God would have been just to destroy the world and everything in it and be done with it but He chose instead to redeem His fallen world. In fact He gave His one and only Son to pay for our rebellion. I believe He now offers life and hope to all who believe in His Son and that one day He is coming again in power and great glory. When He comes - there will be a day of reckoning. I also believe that He is now in control of all things. That is I believe in a Sovereign God who is not waiting to rule someday but rules now as Sovereign over all the earth. That is the focus of our text this evening found in Jeremiah chapters 46 and 47.

Text: Jeremiah 46:1-47:7

This section is often referred to as “The Oracles Against the Nations.” It runs from chapter 46 - 51. It contains an international roll call of God’s enemies. Each oracle contains a summons to battle, a pronouncement of defeat and often includes a taunt against the enemy.

We find in this section a fulfillment of God’s call on Jeremiah back in 1:9-10:

Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,
Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.

Jeremiah’s ministry is going international!

Three things are revealed about the God of Judah in our text.

1. God is powerfully revealed as the Sovereign Ruler of all the earth.
2. God is graphically portrayed as the righteous judge of kings and nations.
3. God is wonderfully proclaimed as the gracious Savior of His people.

Introduction:
Compassion is not my strong suit. Mercy is not my gift. I can be impatient. I know what you are thinking. “Note to self if I’m ever in trouble don’t bother with talking to this guy!” I’m not that bad but it is a good thing that I’m not God. He is merciful, kind, long-suffering and patient. Yet there are times when He is very direct in dealing with His people. Take for instance our text this evening. We are going to look at Jeremiah chapter 45. It is only five verses long and to be honest with you I planned on skipping it. It seems out of place. You wonder what is the point in putting it here. There’s not a lot of information. I think I’ll just move on to something with a little more substance. But that would be a mistake. I’ve become convinced that this small chapter has a lot to say to believers during tough times.

Text: Jeremiah 45:1-5
Chapter 45 is prophecy given to Jeremiah to deliver to his secretary Baruch. It is also clear that this prophecy belongs with the events of chapter 36. So why isn’t it there? Why is it here? More about that later.

Let me point out three things from our text and then wrap it up with what I think God was saying to Baruch and in turn to all His saints in times are heartache and distress.

1. First I want you to note the plight of a discouraged, disheartened and disillusioned servant. (45:3)
2. Note the surprising response of the gracious, righteous and sovereign Lord. (45:4-5a)
3. But note the reassuring comfort given by a gracious Savior. (45:5)

Thesis: In times of great heartache and struggle the disillusioned saint must look beyond his current trouble and cling to God’s sovereign promise.

• Ignored
• Rejected
• Scorned
• Humiliated
• Beaten

• Imprisoned
• Put in stocks
• Falsely accused
• Condemned as a traitor
• Twice cast into a dungeon and left to die

No wonder he is known as “The weeping prophet” and yet always faithful.  Rabbinic tradition says he was stoned to death in Egypt.  Perhaps the writer of Hebrews had Jeremiah in mind as he wrote: They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— Hebrews 11:37.As we explore this chapter I want us to learn some…

Sobering lessons from a tired, weary, battle-worn and yet faithful prophet.

It is easy to deal with the Old Testament as a detached historical observation.  Here we find stories of ancient peoples that really have nothing to do with us or our context.  A different time a different place, interesting to consider but having no practical application to my life in the modern world.  That is a great mistake.  From the Old Testament we learn a great deal about the character of God and how he deals with His people.  He doesn’t change.  What was expected then is still expected today.  We haven’t changed.  Times change.  Circumstances change but human nature does not.  There is much to learn from the Old Testament saints.  In fact Paul tells the Corinthians that the Old Testament is for our benefit.  We are to learn from their success and their failure (1 Corinthians 10:6).

1. In the opening verses of Jeremiah 44 we learn that sin clouds the vision and dulls the senses so that the sinner fails to understand the obvious.  (44:1-10)
2. That brings us to a second lesson - God sovereignly judges all rebellion.  (44:11-14)
3. Sin blatantly denies God’s sovereignty and arrogantly clings to its own false sense of autonomy.  (44:15-19)
4. God’s most terrifying judgment is seen in His granting the sinful heart its desire.  (44:20-27)
   And it all comes down to this…
5. Rest assured at the end of the day the truth will be known and God will be God.  (44:28-30)

Oh, there is one other thing I think is worth noting.  Take a look back at 44:14.
so that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return to dwell there. For they shall not return, except some fugitives.

That is the grace of our God!