Jeremiah 17:5 says, "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind."

Jeremiah 17:7 says, "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD."

 

These two verses offer a simple comparison in our minds.  The one who trusts in mankind, in flesh, will be like a bush in the desert, according to verse 6.  No prosperity will be found in this trust.  I believe this is talking about true, lasting prosperity.  Some of those who heard Jeremiah's words were prosperous to a certain degree.  That's one reason why they didn't listen to him, because they felt fine where they were in life.  But if we trust in fleshly things we will find no lasting prosperity.

 

The one who trusts in the Lord, however, will ...

In Jeremiah 16:2 God told the author not to take a wife.  He gave Jeremiah good reasons; it was for his own good.  In 16:3-4 God said:

 

At the beginning of Jeremiah 13, there is a great visual aid God gave Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was to purchase a waistband (but not to wash it) and wear it for a while.  God then told him to go hide it by the Euphrates (which, by the way, was quite a distance from Judah!).  After a long period of time, God told Jeremiah to go reclaim the waistband, which was, by that time, ruined.  What's the point?  God said Judah was His waistband, but they had become corrupt.  They had self-destructed.  They were now worthless to God!  What a poignant and powerful picture.  And how distressing to be called worthless by God, who can see the human heart.

 

I was also struck by the THIRD time God told Jeremiah not to pray for the people (Jeremiah 14:11).  It seems two things were happening.  ...

Jeremiah had a rough time.  The people who heard his message actually sought to take his life!  We see him pouring out his feelings in Jeremiah 11:18-20:

 

 - like a lamb led to slaughter, they had devised plots against him

 - "cut him off from the land of the living" (sounds familiar...)

 

But in verse 20, see how Jeremiah reaches out to God, "who judges righteously, who tries the feelings and the heart."  He recognized God can see right to the core of a person - He can see my intents, my feelings, my desires, my heart.  Jesus could see those same things in the people among whom He walked.  Again in Jeremiah 12:3

Jeremiah 10 is satirical.  God mocks the idols of the people in plain and vivid language.

 

10:3 - they are nothing but wood cut from the forest

10:4 - people fasten them with nails so they won't fall over

10:5 - an idol is like a scarecrow in a cucumber field: it just sits there where you put it; cannot speak; must be carried because it can't walk; it can't do any harm or any good - good for absolutely NOTHING!

10:14 - no breath in them

10:15 - they will perish

 

In Jeremiah 7:5-7, God plainly tells the people what He's expecting from them: "if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin."

 

In Jeremiah 7:8-11 He plainly tells the people what they are actually doing: "you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail.  Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known."

God speaks to us even today in plain language we can understand.  I was studying the subject of marriage, divorce, and remarriage with a brother yesterday.&am ...

Wickedness abounded in Jerusalem.  People "from the least of them even to the greatest of them" (Jeremiah 6:13) walked the same path of greed.  Even the prophet and the priest dealt falsely.  They went around saying, "Peace, peace," but there was no peace in the land.  They were hypocrites.  Their speech was good, but their actions showed who they really were.  How often do we cry "Peace" when we are not pursuing peace?  We say, we must work together in unity, but then we don't work towards that end.  Maybe we even contribute to the disunity and chaos while calling our brethren to be at peace with one another.  That won't work!

 

God called these folks back to "the ancient paths, where the good way is" (Jerem ...

What makes Judah different from all the other nations?  Are there ANY differences?  They worship idols.  They fornicate.  They do all manner of wickedness.  They do not help widows and orphans and those in need.  What is the difference?

 

Why did God twice tell them He was ordering a mighty punishment, but (Jeremiah 5:10), "do not execute complete destruction" and (Jeremiah 5:18), "even in those days I will not make you a complete destruction"?  Why is God not going to completely destroy this rebellious people?  He did completely destroy other nations who turned against Him and His ways, so why spare Judah?

 

The ONLY difference between Judah and the people 'round about them was a s ...

This chapter is all about destruction of Judah because of her unfaithfulness to God.  God's command is, "Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved.  How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you?" (Jer. 4:14).  This is the message we take to the world today.  It's a message of repentance, a message of salvation.  Can we give a picture to our neighbors as vivid as Jeremiah 4:23-26?

 

 23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light.
 24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, And all the hills moved to and fro.
 25 I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the ...

Isaiah prophesied around 740-680 B.C.  He prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.  Isaiah was a contemporary of Hosea and Micah.  He prophesied during the last days of the Northern Kingdom, but his message was largely to Judah (Southern Kingdom) telling them they would likewise perish if they didn't straighten up.

 

Jeremiah prophesied about 100 years later (around 627-580 B.C.).  He prophesied during the last days of the Southern Kingdom (because they hadn't straightened up).  Jeremiah was a contemporary of Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Daniel, and Ezekiel.  His ministry can be divided into three stages:

 

Jeremiah 1-33 - Before the Fall of Judah

Jeremiah 34-45 - The Fall of J ...