Explore the Bible Lesson Preview July 17, 2011 "Keep Your Behavior in Line" Background: Jeremiah 22:1-25:38 Lesson: Jeremiah 22:13-21 Motivation: False Prophets such as Hananiah (28:1) advised Judah's kings that Babylon would be defeated and overthrown. As a result of this bad counsel, Zedekiah rebelled and forfeited his kingdom (2 Kings 24:20-25:7) Godly teachers have a profound responsibility to declare God's counsel and to point others to the Lord. Examination: I. Privilege Brings Responsibility (22:1-30) A. David (21:12) The terms were delivered in retrospect: " Execute judgment and righteousness' (22:3)... For if indeed you do this thing, then shall enter the gates of this house...kings who sit on the throne of David' (22:4) But if you will not hear these words, I will swear by Myself,' says the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation'" (22:5) Obviously the house of David had not kept the covenant and was therefore subject to judgment. (Heb. 6:13) B. Shallum "For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum, the son of Josiah..." (22:11) Also known as Jehoahaz, (I Chron. 3:15; 2 Kings 23:34) Shallum 1 / 11
was taken captive to Egypt where he died. C. Jehoiakim "Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim..." (22: 18) "...for all your lovers are destroyed" (22:20) Believer's Study Bible, 1044: 22:20 "The lovers' are the political allies of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed these after the Egyptian forces fell at Carchemish in 605 B.C. The picture here is of Jerusalem being left alone." D. Coniah "As I live, says the Lord, though Coniah the Son of Jehoiakim...'" (22:24) Also known by his full name: Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:6) or Jeconiah (24:1). "Thu s says the Lord Write this man down as childless...'" (22:30) Believer's Study Bible, 1044: 22:30 "This prophecy is against Coniah (Jeconiah or Jehoiachin). Coniah' was probably the original form of his name, which would account for its use in the genealogy. All forms of his name have the same meaning, i.e., YAHWEH will firmly establish' - a name dishonored by its bearer, who was ruled by his own desires. The prophecy concerning his childlessness is not to be understood in the sense that he would have no offspring (cf. 1 Chr. 3:16, 17), but that none of his heirs would sit on the throne of David. Coniah had five sons, but none reigned. Joseph, the legal father of Jesus was descended from Jeconiah and was therefore in the kingly line (cf. Matt. 1:11-16), but he could not reign because of the curse. The children of Joseph would also carry this curse. 2 / 11
But Jesus was not affected by this divine prophecy, because His physical descent came from David only through His mother Mary, who conceived Him by an overshadowing of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18; Luke 3:21-38). Thus, both Mary and Joseph were numbered among the royal descendants to the throne of David. Jesus sat upon the throne of David by dynastic or legal right through Joseph, by physical decent through Mary, and by divine appointment of the living God. Since Jesus had no children, the line to the throne climaxes and ends in Him. This passage demonstrates again the precision with which God makes and fulfills His prophecies." Heb. 7:3 II. False Teaching Brings Judgment (23:1-40) A. Promises for the Future (23:1-8) 1. Wicked Shepherds " Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!' says the Lord" (23:1) Believer's Study Bible, p. 1045: 23:2 "God condemns the shepherds for their neglect of the people. The term attended' is the translation of paqad (Heb.) which can be rendered pay attention to,' look after,' provide,' see to someone's well-being,' or call into account.' This latter meaning seems to be the idea in the second usage of paqad in v.2. God is aware of the shepherds' lack of attention to His people, but He is giving attention to them and their evil doings." (Isa. 56:10-12) 3 / 11
2. Chief Shepherd "Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, that I will raise to David a Branch of Righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth" (5) Believer's Study Bible, 1045: 23: 4-6 "Since the wicked shepherds, i.e., the leaders of the people, had deceived the nation (cf. v. 15, Deut. 28:15), at a coming day the Chief Shepherd Himself will gather the remnant (cf. Is. 10:20-22; 11:11) and bring them back to the covenant relationship (v. 3). He will provide worthy shepherds to lead them (v. 4) and will raise up Jesus Christ, the Righteous Branch, the Messiah King (v. 5). Then Israel will be saved' and will dwell safely,' showing the complete picture of their salvation, i.e., deliverance from destruction and protection from fear and danger (v. 6). This is not a reference to the return from captivity under Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel (29:10), nor is it a reference to the Messiah during His incarnation when He came to die. Rather these verses point toward unfulfilled prophecy - His return in glory to execute justice and judgment and His reign over all (Luke 1:31-33)." Isa. 11:1-12; Heb. 9:28 B. Judgment Against False Prophets (23:9-40) Nine symptoms of false messengers: 1. Lack of Integrity "For the land is full of adulterers...their course of life is evil, and their might is not right" (10). When a spokesman for God, whether a preacher or a teacher, has a walk that doesn't match his talk the message is questionable. 2. Fail to Respect the Things of God "For both prophet and priest are profane; yes, in My house I have found their wickedness..." (11) The false teacher handles the things of God in a casual or even wicked and profane manner. 3. Refuse to Condemn Sin "They commit adultery and walk in lies; they also strengthen the hand of evildoers" (14) Since they practice wickedness 4 / 11
themselves, the false teachers are reluctant to preach against sin. 4. Equate Their Message with God's "...they speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the Lord" (16b) The clear line between God's Word and man's opinion becomes blurred. Temporal matters take on the importance of eternal truths. Ps. 118:8 5. Share Only What People Want to Hear "They continually say to those who despise Me, The Lord has said "You shall have peace"; and to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, No evil shall come upon you'." (17) False prophets were the original "positive thinkers." They wanted everyone to leave church on Sunday with good feelings. 2 Tim 4:1-4; Prov. 16:25 6. Lack God's Calling and Inspiration "I have not seen these prophets, yet they ran. I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied." (21) The test of the God-called messenger lies in the validation of his lifestyle "but if they had stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear My words, then they would have turned from their evil way and from the evil of their doings." (22) Deut. 8:18-19 7. View God as Limited "Am I a God near at hand..." (23) Believer's Study Bible, 1046: 23:23, 24 "These verses underscore the transcendence and the imminence of God. YAHWEH is not a God at hand' or near, a local man-made deity whose domain and wisdom are limited. He is not unaware of the actions of His creatures and they are not able to hide from Him. He is not confined to a shrine or temple as are the pagan deities. 5 / 11
He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omnipresent (present everywhere), and omniscient (all-knowing). YAHWEH has the power to see even that which is hidden (v. 24). These false prophets were not operating unknown to God." Isa. 55:6-10 8. Speak with Lies "...what is the chaff to the wheat?" (28) " Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams' says the Lord" (32) Believer's Study Bible, P. 1046: 23:28 "God calls for honesty and faithfulness from every prophet. How needed is this admonition for preachers! God knows the heart of every man, and He does not say a man cannot share his dream. However, God does call for a man to have enough integrity to distinguish between divine revelation and the dreams of man. God is repulsed by the man who mixes the chaff of his own dreams with the pure wheat of His word. Woe to the preacher who equates his own views and opinions to God's word! Man's dreams are not equal to God's word, which burns like a fire' and crushes like a hammer' (v. 29)." Deut. 29:29; Isa. 46:9-10; 2 Pet. 2 9. Fail to Teach God's Unchanging Truth "And the oracle of the Lord you shall mention no more. For every man's word is his oracle, for you have perverted the 6 / 11
words of the living God, the Lord of Hosts, our God." (36) The false prophets were claiming everything they said was an "oracle of the Lord." In vv. 33-40 God rebuked them and said that they had reduced His unchanging Word to "every man's word." Post-modern thought rejects the absolute truth of God and claims that every person's truth has relative merit. 2 Thess. 2:7-12 III. The Lord's Ways Defy Human Logic (24:1-10) A. Good Figs "the craftsman and smiths" (1) - Skilled artisans had already been taken captive to Babylon. G od promised to use them and their descendants to one day restore the land (6). B. Bad Figs "...the residue of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt" (8b). This "homeless" population would be delivered to trouble (9-10). C. Unfulfilled Prophecy "Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart" (7) Believer's Study Bible, 1048: 24:7 "This prophecy is largely unfulfilled. When Israel returns to God He will give them a new heart. "Whole heart" refers to their entire lives being dedicated to God with an absolute commitment to the divine covenant. They will experience spiritual regeneration and not merely national restoration. Only God can create this source of new life within the nation Israel and within every individual who turns in faith and trust to the God of the covenant." Jer. 31:31-34 7 / 11
IV. The Lord's Judgment is Comprehensive (25:1-38) A. Prophet "this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the Lord has come to me" (3) Jeremiah had been faithful through threats (11:19), persecution (18:18), imprisonment (20:2-3), mocking (20:10), and depression (20:14-18). He persevered though the people "have not listened" (4). B. Prophecy "Repent now everyone of his evil way" (5) Believer's Study Bible, p. 1048: 25:3-5 "God has been consistent in His reaching out to Judah, sending prophet after prophet to speak to the people. Their message to Judah is "repent" (v. 5). This is the rendering of the Hebrew word shuv. This word has as its basic meaning the concept of turning' or returning.' Yet the people would not obey." C. Punishment "Because you have not listened to Me" (7) 1. Invasion by Nebuchadnezzar "My servant" (7) 2. Inconsolable "I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of 8 / 11
gladness" (10) 3. Incomprehensible "this whole land shall be desolate and an astonishment" (11, 18) 4. Interned "shall serve the King of Babylon seventy years" (11b) D. Predictions (15-38) God's comprehensive judgment on Babylon, Egypt and the nation is outlined. Application: 1. False teachers are revealed by their actions (2 Pet. 2:10, 12-17) 2. God's judgment is accurate and final. 3. God's prophecy is also accurate and final. Leader Pack: Item 11: Poster: Lesson Outline Biblical Illustrator: p. 39: "Jeremiah and the Last Kings of Judah" Notes: **You may access David's Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: www.hfbcbiblestudy.org; 9 / 11
Dates: 2011: 6/2-8/4 - MetroLIVE - Thursdays; 7/10-14 - Houston Project; 7/18-22 - Summer Week of Choir; 7/22-30 - RUSH Week for 7 th - 12 th ; 8/15 - FBA Orientation; 8/16 - FBA First Day of School; 8/17 - HUB Summer Reflections; 8/20 - SPF Back to School Bash; 8/21 - SBS Promotion; 8/24-11/16 - Midlink & Meal; 8/25-11/17 - College Kardia; 8/26 - Parent's Night Out; 8/27 - Unbroken with Luis Zamperini Men's Event; 9/1 - UBA Quarterly Assoc. Meeting; 9/4 - Labor Day Weekend; 9/9-10 - Charles Lowrey Relationship Conference; 9/9-11 - SPF Family Camp Away; 9/16 - Summit Celebrates; 9/18 - Make it Your Church Orientation; 9/18 - Parent Commitment; 9/24 - Summit Amazing Race; 9/25 - SBS Leadership Lunch; 9/30-10/1 - Men's Retreat at Camp Cho Yeh; 10 / 11
10/2 - Lord's Supper all services. 11 / 11