"The Road to Captivity", Part 3; A Study in Jeremiah, Chapters 10-15
ZADOK PUBLICATIONS - Dr. C. R. OLIVER
August 1, 2009

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ZADOK PUBLICATIONS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

August 1, 2009

"The Road to Captivity", Part 3
A Study in Jeremiah, Chapters 10-15

(Note: For those of you who use these materials for Bible Study, the study will include enough material for one month if a chapter is reviewed once a week.)

CHAPTER TEN:

Introduction:

In this chapter (Chapter 10), Jeremiah sets up a conversational rhythm between God and himself. The cadence is as follows: first, God spoke a prophetic word and then Jeremiah responded by adding comments. The cadence continued with God approving Jeremiah's comments and adding a rejoinder followed by then another of Jeremiah's observations. This was not dialogue! Every word was directed to the whole house of Israel, and the scene was didactic; both speakers enjoined one theme, a warning: "As A Nation, Don't be stupid!"

Acknowledging the northern tribes of Israel as already scattered among the Gentiles and the southern two tribes about to be captured by the heathen, God's warning was clear:

Jeremiah 10:2: Do not learn the way of the Gentiles.

(While in their territory, don't accept their government; don't follow their religious practices; don't assimilate their society. Don't continue to be stupid!)

The prophet, Jeremiah, simply couldn't believe the amount of stupidity to be found among the populace. Note his use of "dull-hearted" in three separate passages. (The term "dull-hearted" is translated as "brutish" in the King James Version. It means, fleshly, carnal, insensitive, sensual, not caring about real spiritual matters, living like animals.)

1. Jeremiah said idol worshippers were stupid:
Jeremiah 10:8 But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish.
2. The society which supported them was stupid.
Jeremiah 10:14 Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge.
3. The reason for all their stupidity had to be pinned on the shepherds (Pastors), who had become stupid.
Jeremiah 10:21 For the shepherds have become dull-hearted.

"Stupidity" was not a popular message! It was so unpopular, that in ensuing chapters, a plot to kill the prophet was uncovered.

For the moment, Jeremiah postured himself by incorporating a running commentary on God's Words (10:2-5). God's direct word to His people was, "Do not enter into futile idolatrous worship patterns."

Jeremiah 10:5 (Speaking of Idols) Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.

Millions of the earth's heathen need to know this truth! Today!

Millions who bow down in Hindu shrines worshipping the 700 expressions (whose shrines are built now in Western cities) need to know this. Millions who fall before statues of Buddha or practice Yoga (in Temples and complexes throughout the Christian nations), need to know this. Millions who prostrate themselves three times daily in public or in Islamic mosques or other designated places need to know this.

(Note: I am convinced that multitudes of Christians have not awakened to the reality of how much these demonic practices have ravaged their world. In the past thirty years, the intrusion of false beliefs, foreign gods and the establishment of havens for demons have changed the spiritual atmosphere of the free world. Asia is no longer central in idolatry. (My own wife reeled in China when some dear fellow passengers [who shared meals, flights, bus trips] forced their daughter to light a taper and bow before a massive Buddha as an act of serious worship.) Witchcraft and idolatry pervade the known world while most Christians serving on councils and other places of authority shrug and issue construction permits for more and more of these worship sites and educational facilities. Where is the outcry? There is none!

(Groups, through international organizations, are already pushing for laws against evangelizing in pagan cultures through the guise of "maintaining native [or aboriginal] cultural beliefs." Others are carrying doctrinal beliefs that will enhance interaction between pagans and Christians.)

The prophet Jeremiah rose to say, in essence, "If you (the heathen idolaters) could see the living God and know Him as I do, not one of you would worship anything or anyone else---only Him."

Jeremiah 10:6 There is none like You, O LORD.

Jeremiah 10:7 There is none like You.

The Great, and Only God, interrupted Jeremiah's speech and warranted the demise of all gods but Him. The false religions of the world must hear His words. This is the final solution regarding all of them.

Jeremiah 10:11 Thus you shall say to them: 'The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.'*

* In light of this passage, it is necessary to comment on various organizations such as, 'Interfaith,' Interfaith Ministries and Interfaith dialog. These organizations engage many Baptists, Methodists and other Protestant denominations under the guise of community service. They are, however, an attempt to re-define faith, indoctrinate its members and allow false religion to flourish under the banner of universal acceptance. Caution: flee any congregation that participates with these organizations. The Cause is not worth the Connection!

Jeremiah's words mimicked those of the Lord.

Jeremiah 10:15-16 They are futile (Idols and false religions), a work of errors;
In the time of their punishment they shall perish.
The Portion of Jacob is not like them,
For He is the Maker of all things,
And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;*
The LORD of hosts is His name.

(*Note: Israel's promise applies to many of us! Genealogically, I can trace my family to Israel and Judah as can vast numbers of Christians.)

However, when the Lord declared His intention to completely clear the land of Israel of its inhabitants, Jeremiah showed his sorrow and compassion for the people of God. That is the correct response for any ministry. From verses 19-25, he poured out his heart, ending with a call for judgment on all the heathen! Read these passages.

Chapter ten has some wonderful earmarks for any nation about to be captured. Number One: Its religious leadership (shepherds) will have become dull-hearted because they have not sought the LORD. Number Two: There will rise up a populace which refuses to resist idols and will prefer to worship them. Number Three: there will be a pervasive ignorance of the ways of the Lord throughout the land. (Remember: Regardless, whether the idols are tangible or are just internalized expressions of corporate will, the result will be the same--captivity!)

Like Jeremiah 10:9 reiterated, idols are the works of skillful men.

Jeremiah 10:9-10 They are all the work of skillful men.
But the LORD is the true God;

Regardless of the idol, whether a Rock Star or a great figure in some religious empire, all are the result of skillful men. Through modern technology, their skills take on gargantuan proportions. Nonetheless, no matter how deft the craftsman, there is no substitute for the hand and presence of the Lord. As the prophet aptly said in:

Jeremiah 10:23-24 O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
O LORD, correct me, but with justice;

CHAPTER ELEVEN: A Covenant and a Conspiracy

Two conspiracies took place in this chapter. The first was a conspiracy against God and His covenant; the other was a conspiracy to murder Jeremiah. Because conspiracies are planned and purposed, the evil hearts of both the nation and its individuals were exposed.

Jeremiah 11:9-10 And the LORD said to me, 'A conspiracy* has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.'
*(Conspiracy: Heb. gesher: An unlawful alliance, a treasonous network)

The Lord knew the heart of iniquity in Judah and Jerusalem, but He also knew that it pervaded all Israel. Instead of consulting Him, they developed plans of their own.

Is this not the point of failure among the congregations? Traitors! Traitors!

How dare they begin with the blessing of God and with dedicated followers, who, by their connectivity give witness to the world saying, "We follow God!" Yet, over time, they develop unlawful alliances, they do not consult Him, do not seek His will. Instead, they make their own plans, develop their own strategies, work their own designs, participate in allegiances that do not honor God, all the while asking Him to, "look down and bless." Alas, with stubborn self-will comes the curse, not the blessing.

A principle has been established. A curse develops in the nations or individuals who refuse to obey God's commands. God pronounced it upon Israel; that curse is still in effect. The root of a broken covenant is the stubborn decision to go one's own way, regardless of past pledges and oaths. Herein is the curse which lies on ministries and missions by the thousands, "Having begun in the Spirit, they now rely upon Flesh." The Jeremiah curse was a spiritual matter and had nothing to do with the numbers of "partners" garnered or monies amassed. It had to do with God's Presence or Absence, coupled by the following pronouncements:

Jeremiah 11:4-5 Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God, that I may establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.

Jeremiah 11:11 Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them.

Having begun as the Beloved, described as a Green Olive Tree bearing much fruit, Israel denigrated to just a branch, burned and broken. Get honest! When one survey's the quality of spirituality among the masses (those who are churched) and review their many programs, those very programs resemble a burned broken branch--a mess rather than a display of God's Beloved.

The worship of Baal pales to insignificance when compared to the compromised congregations of today! Interfaith alliances pervade the scene as do the nauseous oblations of their powerless programs which cause the Lord to declare a "curse" and not a "blessing."

Jeremiah 11:17 For the LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced doom against you for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal.

When one recognizes the Baal-like figureheads of various ministries and the blind allegiance paid to them, once again, the God who never changes WON'T.

Conspiracy against Jeremiah:

Rather than obey the message of the prophet, the leadership and some of the citizenry plotted to kill him and silence his message. (Out of the ashes and dead carcasses of thousands of martyrs, the message is repeated and will never be silenced.)

Look at the response of the prophet to the plotters once it was Divinely revealed to him.

Jeremiah appealed to heaven:

Jeremiah 11:20 But, O LORD of hosts, You who judge righteously, Testing the mind and the heart, Let me see Your vengeance on them,
For to You I have revealed my cause.

The Lord answered immediately, concerning the men of Anathoth.

Jeremiah 11:21-23 Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, 'Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, lest you die by our hand'- therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even the year of their punishment.'

Ministry must be ready to say what the Lord says, and say it where He declares it to be said. Their heads are in His hands. Their life depends on His righteous judgment. He will deliver vengeance. Catastrophe will come against the oppressors! The man or woman of God will see it!

CHAPTER TWELVE

This chapter begins with Jeremiah thanking the Lord for having discourse with him. He freely asks the Lord why those who are so spiritually wrong continue to prosper. He acknowledges that the Lord actually had planted them, but he cannot understand how they have progressed to the place where they are in such error and sin. Jeremiah catches hold of the root:

Jeremiah 12:2 You are near in their mouth, But far from their mind.

There it is! The indictment of yesteryear has reappeared and is the NORM, not the exception, once again-whether clergy or so called laity.

(I have a dear correspondent, who phoned recently, and in the course of conversation, this is what he said, "I wish that no other matters about life and living would need my attention so that I might use all my time to think on Him. If I could order my day, just as I please, my mind and my hours would be filled with Him." That is a right spirit.)

Jeremiah had a clean heart, "O Lord, you know me." (He knew his tested heart would pass muster.) What He could not understand was why the Lord didn't separate the sheep from the goats right then and there.

Jeremiah knew the spiritual footprints that occur in the local economy. He knew that drought, famine and peril were results of spiritual ignominy.

Jeremiah 12:4 How long will the land mourn,
And the herbs of every field wither?
The beasts and birds are consumed,
For the wickedness of those who dwell there,
Because they said, 'He will not see our final end.'

(The huge dilemma, so stated by the environmentalists, has roots in sin.)

The voice of God interrupted!

He pointed out that Jeremiah had seen enough to surmise the surface problems, but he had only run with the "footmen." In other words, God told him, "You ain't seen nothing yet." Wait until things speed up. "Wait until you run with the horsemen." He then told Jeremiah, "Even if they speak to you smooth things, don't believe them."

(WOW, that's great advice for today. God's remonstration should be printed on the FRONT of thousands of church bulletins-so congregants could be warned of what is ahead. If ever there was a bevy of "smooth talkers," it is now.)

The Lord continued.

Jeremiah 12:7 'I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage;
I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies.'

Look at the terminology: "The dearly beloved of My soul." God forsook the Temple. He abandoned His people. Still He tenderly refers to them in terms of a husband with an errant wife. "The dearly beloved of My soul" carelessly regarded their estate in Him, their access to Him and their future with Him. They were once the precious ones of His love; now they cry to a deafened ear.

God laid out the cause plainly:

Jeremiah 12:10 'Many rulers (Pastors) have destroyed My vineyard,
They have trodden My portion underfoot; They have made My pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.'

There it is. The root of the matter is exposed and God's axe is about to judge. Time will yet tell the amount of judgment befalling the Pastors.

(Recently, I was conversing with a major evangelist who confided about psychological data used in raising money. He said, "Giving falls into various motivational categories. Some people are motivated by the sight of little children or romantic love or success theory. There are many more of these venues, but the folks who are after big money test their constituents by writing or speaking along some of these predetermined lines and then watching to see which brings in the most offerings.")

Jehovah, after declaring the captivity of His people, leveled on their enemies. He virtually told them if they harmed or touched His people during the process of their cleansing, they would answer to Him. God gave them an opportunity as well. If they learned to obey His voice, they would share in His love for His people.

Jeremiah 12:14-17 Thus says the LORD: 'Against all My evil neighbors who touch the inheritance which I have caused My people Israel to inherit - behold, I will pluck them out of their land and pluck out the house of Judah from among them. Then it shall be, after I have plucked them out, that I will return and have compassion on them and bring them back, everyone to his heritage and everyone to his land. And it shall be, if they will learn carefully the ways of My people, to swear by My name, "As the LORD lives," as they taught My people to swear by Baal, then they shall be established in the midst of My people. But if they do not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation,' says the LORD.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Because Jeremiah was to be an example, he is given a specific task to perform. The execution of the task would illustrate how the people should follow meticulously the direction of the Lord.

The Buried Sash:

Jeremiah was instructed to acquire a linen sash (Linen was used in the holy activities of the Temple). The prophet must wear this sash but not wash it. After a time, he was to take this sash and bury it in a hole of the rock near the Euphrates River. (The river was in Babylon, the nation which would capture God's people.) After another period of time, he was instructed to go and retrieve the sash and report its condition. (Note: The moment God instructed him, at that moment, he went into action-there was no time delay. This is characteristic of the people whom God uses today as well.)

Jeremiah 13:8-11 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "In this manner I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who follow the dictates of their hearts, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is profitable for nothing. For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me," says the LORD, 'that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.'

The Sash illustration was rife with truth. First, it showed how close to God His people are-they are about His waist, in His sight and are a useful garment of praise to Him. Second, they were to be self-cleansing, but like the one Jeremiah wore, they were not. Third, God took them to Babylon to show them their worth when they ceased to be worn by Him. Worthless! Fourth, God intended for them to return and once again be worn as a displayed and useful people.

Drunk with Wine:

The prophet was given a silly sounding prophecy. Jeremiah knew however, he was not the judge but the spokesman of the Lord-so he gave it to the people: "Every bottle will be filled with wine." Their response was: "That's a stupid prophecy. We know every bottle will be filled with wine. That's what the bottles are for." (The Prophet is responsible for delivering the prophetic words in exactness and thoroughness. It is not his job to determine the meaning or reason for it.)

God took the silliness out. He told Jeremiah to complete the message with these words:

Jeremiah 13:13-14 'Then you shall say to them, "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land - even the kings who sit on David's throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem - with drunkenness! And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together,' says the LORD. 'I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy, but will destroy them.'"

Notice the extent to which this drunkenness applies: Kings, priests, prophets and the general population of Jerusalem. I believe that is about everyone, is it not? Well, drunken leaders and followers are not able to wage war against enemies. That is why God said, "I will not pity nor spare…" They will be an easy prey. Listen, that same drunken condition permeates most of the Christian world, and it is a pathetic state. No one is capable of battling the enemy! Captivity is always just around the corner when hedonism heats up!

Look, the drunken stupor manifested itself first in government. The King, who sat on David's throne, was rendered incapable of governing. His advisors were drunk. His ambassadors were drunk. His generals and military were drunk. The judges and national leadership were drunk. Reeling, unreliable, untenable in behavior, stultified in manner and unable to navigate home let alone make meaningful decisions, they were drunk! Sound familiar?

The Priests, who were in charge of the holy things and commissioned to be intercessors for the holy people-DRUNK! No Spirit of God in them! No Divine revelation for them. No acceptance of their offerings or oblations. DRUNK! Sound familiar?

The Prophets were DRUNK. No visions, no words from God, no view of the future and no ability to make sense of the social, economic or national dilemma, they were drunk! Babbling incoherence, along with many worded outbursts drowned in the haze of a drunken stupor, was all the utterance a population could hear or expect to hear from them.

Besides, those who constituted the audience were DRUNK. Playfully they responded to situations of grave danger; foolishly they stumbled about laughing like those of Belshazzer's* court when the enemy burst through. Their fellowship was around the table of immorality and moral loss. Their fondest remembrances were seen through the morass of bodies bumping into one another, each searching for more drink!

*One of the filthiest scenes in biblical history was the court in Babylon just before God took vengeance on them with the Persian invasion. A feast was given for the 1,000th province to bow before the rule of the king. There was an orgy that took place as the entourages of each of the 1000 kingdoms were introduced to the crowd. Wine was poured over the women brought with each group, and they disrobed to the cheers of the revelers. Every lord, every high-ranking person within their districts, every military person of importance was drunk in that room. THEN, the handwriting appeared from heaven and THEN, the conquering Persians slaughtered all the attendees, save Daniel, who had been summoned from prison to interpret the message on the plaster. They served as the perfect parenthesis to Judah's captivity. At the beginning, the drunkenness of Judah was exposed to show the righteousness of God in their captivity. At the end of their captivity, the orgiastic society's drunkenness led to the captor's fall. (Daniel 5.)

Jeremiah's Personal Appeal to the People of God:

(Remember this treatise was given to the supposed "holy people." Remember that these words were not addressed to the gnostics, atheists or the heathen-pagan nations; it was directed to the "temple goers." Jeremiah could not believe the lethargy of the multitudes. He admonished them to repent immediately and give God praise and glory).

Jeremiah 13:15-16 Hear and give ear: Do not be proud,
For the LORD has spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God

He urged his listeners to turn before the darkness took over. Soon they would stumble about and have no light (revelation, insight or leadership from the Spirit) when God's judgment fell.

Jeremiah 13:17 My eyes will weep bitterly, and run down with tears.

The prophet wept because of their condition, but he continued to address the governmental leaders: the King and the Queen mother. (Speaking like he did would eventually cause him to endure prison. Ask yourself: Would you be willing and faithful to deliver such a prophetic word if requested?)

Jeremiah 13:18 Say to the king and to the queen mother,*
'Humble yourselves. Sit down, for your rule shall collapse, the crown of your glory.'

Jeremiah 13:19 'Judah shall be carried away captive, all of it;
It shall be wholly carried away captive.'

*This was the mother of the king, not his wife, representing the end of a dynasty.

(Please remember there were other prophets who were assuring the King that Jeremiah was a fool and none of his words would come to pass.)

Jeremiah carried on an imaginative dialogue with those of authority. He raised their pretentious question for them. "Why are we to be made captive?" He answered:

Jeremiah 13:22-23 For the greatness of your iniquity your skirts have been uncovered, your heels made bare. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.

The prophet judged them to be so permeated with iniquity they could do no good. His analogy of the Ethiopian and the Leopard became a much quoted scripture passage. If a color change could have been possible or a spot able to have been removed, THEN it would be possible for Judah to cease sinning and do good. What are those possibilities? (Currently, the societies of the world must come under the same postulation. It is well nigh impossible for them to turn and do good.)

After listing what will happen to His people, God spoke forthrightly:

Jeremiah 13:24-25 (Because you have forgotten Me) 'Therefore I will scatter them like stubble that passes away by the wind of the wilderness. This is your lot, the portion of your measures from Me,' says the LORD.

Then God commiserates:

Jeremiah 13:27 'Woe to you, O Jerusalem! Will you still not be made clean?'

(This was an invitation to repent now and perhaps avoid disaster.)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:

Sword, Famine and Pestilence summed up the early signs of judgment facing the land. The Almighty pictured the scene before Him. Each of the three elements was singled out as the fruit of unrighteousness. They stood as the exact opposite of the blessings of God which were characterized in Corn, Wine and Oil.

Jeremiah, at this point, took up an intercession for the people that brought an instant response from the Lord. "Don't pray for them." (Here is the text of his prayer :)

Jeremiah 14:7-9 O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us,
Do it for Your name's sake, for our backslidings are many,
We have sinned against You.
O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble,
Why should You be like a stranger in the land,
And like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?
Why should You be like a man astonished,
Like a mighty one who cannot save?

Yet You, O LORD, are in our midst, And we are called by Your name; Do not leave us!

(Note "confession" was an aspect of this prayer: "our iniquities testify," "our backslidings are many" and "we have sinned against You." He asked God to turn away from judgment for, "Your name's sake." He reiterated that God is the "Hope of Israel," that He dwelled in their midst. He ended by saying, "We are called by Your name; Do not leave us!" Here is a righteous man speaking in behalf of a nation whose population should have been saying these words before the altar. It availed nothing. The populace finally broke into prayer, but their prayer was too little too late.)

God bluntly portrayed a synopsis of their heart and revealed the resoluteness of His:

Jeremiah 14:10 Thus they have loved to wander;
They have not restrained their feet.
Therefore the LORD does not accept them;
He will remember their iniquity now,
And punish their sins.

(Jonathan Edwards preached, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." Is it any wonder people were urged to pray for days and weeks and "maybe God would hear"? Today, pastors proclaim an instant audience with God.)

Jehovah instructed Jeremiah not to pray for them.

Jeremiah 14:11-12 Then the LORD said to me, 'Do not pray for this people, for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.'

Jeremiah pled with Him, revealing the people had been misled by false prophets.

God retorted:

Jeremiah 14:14-16 And the LORD said to me, 'The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.' Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who prophesy in My name, whom I did not send, and who say, 'Sword and famine shall not be in this land' - 'By sword and famine those prophets shall be consumed! And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; they will have no one to bury them - them nor their wives, their sons nor their daughters - for I will pour their wickedness on them.'

(Note: Today, this very hour, false prophecy prevails at every turn. Spiritual discernment is needed more now than at anytime in the history of believers. There is a punishment attached to false words though. Note how God said He would "pour their wickedness on them." Remember these are citizens of Judah, they reside in Jerusalem and they are recognized and approved by the established "church." Is there any carry over learning here?)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

The Lord rebutted the people's prayers and the false prophets by entering into a long monologue beginning with an unusual harshness.

Jeremiah 15:1 Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth.

There comes a time, with God, when the cord is broken. God cited Moses and Samuel, the two most revered men in history for their power and position in Him. He said that even their pleading would not prevail. (Who will stand for the nations today? Who will prevail? Are we not on the road to captivity, is there no remedy?)

Jeremiah stated that He and God were alone against the world.

Jeremiah 15:10 Woe is me, my mother,
That you have borne me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!
I have neither lent for interest,
Nor have men lent to me for interest.
Every one of them curses me.

(Note: the plight of the true prophet often comes to this-one person against the world. Ministry is not for wimps.)

O' How the Lord loved His faithful servant. He assured Jeremiah that both of them share this portent. Pulling Jeremiah close to Him, He said:

Jeremiah15:19-21 'If you return, Then I will bring you back;
You shall stand before Me; if you take out the precious from the vile,
You shall be as My mouth. Let them return to you,
But you must not return to them.
And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall;
And they will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you,' says the LORD.
'I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.'

(The underlined portion is a key factor in the matters of today. The Sons of Zadok did this. Jeremiah did this. It must be done again and truthfully. It will take those who are precious, coming out of their vile surroundings of church and community. It is time to enter the collapsing edifices of spiritual depravity and rescue the holy things and the people of God.)

Yes, the prophet will incur the wrath of the "church" and its constituents. Yes, anger is a moving force against the people of God in many settings, but we are to remember the words of the Lord to Jeremiah and take courage.

Jeremiah 15:20-21 'I will deliver you, I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked and I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.'

As citizen of one of the nations being prepared for captivity-those are comforting words!

Until Next month,

Dr. Cosby R. Oliver, PhD.

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