JEREMIAH LESSON 3


     We will begin this lesson in Jeremiah 2:19 "Thine own wickedness
shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know
therefore and see that [it is] an evil [thing] and bitter, that thou
hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear [is] not in thee,
saith the Lord GOD of hosts."

     We see, from this, they will reap what they have sown. Their
bondage will be bitter, because they have shown bitterness toward God
in forsaking Him. God is very angry with them, because they did not
fear Him and worship Him. This is like rebellion from a spoiled child.
Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. He leaves no doubt at all
who speaks this. It is the Lord GOD of hosts.

     Jeremiah 2:20  "For of old time I have broken thy yoke, [and]
burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon
every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the
harlot."

     Those of you, who have studied Exodus, know this is a very true
statement. They would make promises to be faithful to God, if He would
only help them. He would feel sorry for them, and forgive them. The
minute God helped them out of their problems, they would go right back
into disobedience to God again. God broke the yoke of the Egyptians,
and brought them to the promised land. They were unfaithful over and
over, and every time God would forgive them and give them a fresh
start. This was spiritual harlotry here. The high places were a common
place to go and worship the false gods. Under the green trees had to
do with grove worship which was also of false gods.

     Jeremiah 2:21 "Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a
right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a
strange vine unto me?"

     The vine mentioned, here, implies the Vine which is the Lord
Jesus Christ. He is the Vine, we Christians are the branches. The Jews
were blessed with God in their fruitful vineyard. God had originally
started them out right, but they had turned away from God. The church
is, many times, spoken of as God's vineyard.  God had forbidden
cross breeding of vines in Leviticus.  We can see from this, that to
be a degenerate plant, would be to be like a wild plant with no
direction.

     Jeremiah 2:22 "For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take
thee much soap, [yet] thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the
Lord GOD."

     God is not interested in the outward cleanliness of man. The
clean heart is what is pleasing to God. We know that Jesus called the
scribes and Pharisees "whited sepulchres" in the following verse.
Matthew 23:27 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful
outward, but are within full of dead [men's] bones, and of all
uncleanness."  You can wash all you want to on the outside, but it
will not make you acceptable unto God. The cleanliness that God
appreciates, is the inward cleanliness which comes from being washed
in the blood of the Lamb.

     Jeremiah 2:23 "How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not
gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast
done: [thou art] a swift dromedary traversing her ways;"

     Just to say you have not sinned is not enough. God knows the
heart of man. These people had gone through the motion of worshipping
God, but their hearts were far from Him. They went to the temple on
the holy days, but did not even understand why they were going. Their
hearts were not in worshipping God. It had just become a routine
happening. This is much the case in churches today. We must not become
religious in our worship. Christianity is a personal relationship with
the Lord, not a set of rules to keep.

     Jeremiah 2:24 "A wild ass used to the wilderness, [that] snuffeth
up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away?
all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they
shall find her."

     This is speaking of the month of the year that we would call the
mating season. This would mean no matter how far in the wilderness she
was, the mate would find her. They do not care what happens to her,
unless it benefits them. This is the way with false religion as well.
They are not interested in her welfare. A false god does not help the
people who worship him.

     Jeremiah 2:25 "Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy
throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have
loved strangers, and after them will I go."

     This could, perhaps, have something to do with dancing barefoot
in the worship of Baal. They drink of the cup of sin. There is no hope
in a false god. Sin carries guilt. These strangers imply false gods.
To go after a false god, brings no hope. The only hope is in the Lord.

     Jeremiah 2:26 "As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is
the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and
their priests, and their prophets,"

     The shame comes from the guilt they have. They thought they had
not been noticed of God for their evil doings. Now that Jeremiah has
spoken, they realize they have wandered far away from God. This sinis
not just one class of the people, but has spread from the poorest to
the richest. Even the king and the priests and prophets had strayed
from the Truth. The whole nation needs to repent and return to God.

     Jeremiah 2:27 "Saying to a stock, Thou [art] my father; and to a
stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned [their] back
unto me, and not [their] face: but in the time of their trouble they
will say, Arise, and save us."

     This is almost like evolution. The word the stone was taken from
is a feminine word indicating this stone was thought of as their
mother. "Stock", in the verse above, means tree, or part of a tree.
It, also, means wood. This, again, has to do with worshipping under
the tree. Perhaps, even worshipping idols made from the tree, instead
of God the Father.

     Jeremiah 2:28 "But where [are] thy gods that thou hast made thee?
let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for
[according to] the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah."

     It seems they had begun to worship many gods. Some of them made
from wood into idols. A piece of wood, no matter how beautifully
carved, has no power to help anyone. God tells them to call on these
idols to help them, and see how far they get.

     Jeremiah 2:29 "Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have
transgressed against me, saith the LORD."

     It seems the only time they call on the LORD is when they are in
trouble. He says, here, if these false gods are so powerful, why are
you calling on Me?

     Jeremiah 2:30 "In vain have I smitten your children; they
received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets,
like a destroying lion."

     The smiting of the children by God was to cause them to repent.
He says, here, He smote them, but it did not change them as it should
have. They did not learn from His correcting them. They had killed the
prophets who God sent to teach them His ways. God had always purged
His people to make them better. It was like cutting the vine back to
make the new growth better. God loved Judah. He just wanted them to
live the way He had intended them to live. He was deeply hurt by their
idolatry. The only way He could get them to repent and call on Him,
was when they were in dire need of His help.

     Jeremiah 2:31  "O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I
been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my
people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?"

     God had brought light, and happiness, and joy to His people. They
had been supernaturally protected from their enemies. He had brought
rain when the crops needed it, and gave abundant crops for their
effort.  He had been a blessing to them in every way. This rebellion
was like the rebellion of Lucifer. They wanted to be their own god.
They thought too highly of themselves. Instead of looking to God for
their answers, they looked to themselves. They believed a lie, and
began to worship false gods.

     Jeremiah 2:32 "Can a maid forget her ornaments, [or] a bride her
attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number."
     The bride's attire is her wedding dress. Her ornaments are the
beautiful things the groom had given her. These are things a woman
never forgets. God is better to His bride than any earthly groom. His
gifts are for eternity, and the attire of the bride is white linen
washed in the blood of the Lamb. This is the robe of righteousness,
which puts us in right standing with God. To forget that, would be
unthinkable.

     Jeremiah 2:33 "Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore
hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways."

     There is even a bit of discipline required in the worship of
false gods. They have conformed to that way, and now are leading
others.

     Jeremiah 2:34 "Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls
of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon
all these."

     The poor innocents are the true prophets who have been killed by
these who have followed false gods. These innocents are martyrs. They
have been slain by the sword, and their blood is evident on the skirts
of their slayers. God did not have to look in secret places to find
this. They had done this right out in the open, all the time
proclaiming they were doing this for God.

     Jeremiah 2:35 "Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his
anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou
sayest, I have not sinned."

     Much wrong is done claiming to be doing God's will, when it is
not God's will. They proclaimed innocence. They thought if they said
they were innocent, it would fool God into believing they were
innocent. This will not fool God at all. He knows their hearts.

     Jeremiah 2:36 "Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way?
thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria."

     They had run to the world leaders for help, when they should have
been going to God. All the running about to this country and that for
help, will not stop this judgement of God on them.

     Jeremiah 2:37 "Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands
upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou
shalt not prosper in them."

     To have confidence in the world, or in themselves, would bring
nothing but headaches. God does not count their confidence in the
world, or in themselves, as faith. We need to learn from this. The
world has no power. We have no power within ourselves. The only power
available to us is the power of God. When we put our trust and faith
in God, then we will prosper, because He blesses us.


                         Jeremiah 3 Questions


1.  In verse 19, what shall correct them?
2.  What is verse 19 really saying?
3.  _______ __ ____ _______ is the beginning of wisdom.
4.  God broke the yoke of the _________, when He carried them to the
    promised land.
5.  What was their unfaithfulness to God?
6.  What is the noble Vine in verse 21?
7.  Who is, many times, spoken of as God's vineyard?
8.  Where do we read that God had forbidden cross breeding?
9.  What would the degenerate plant be like?
10. God is not interested in the _________ cleanliness of man.
11. The clean ________ is what is pleasing to God.
12. Who did Jesus call "whited sepulchres"?
13. What should we be washed in?
14. What were they saying, in verse 23, that was just not enough?
15. We must not become ___________ in our worship.
16. What is Christianity?
17. What is verse 24 speaking of?
18. What false religion was the "foot being unshod" speaking of?
19. What is the shame mentioned in verse 26?
20. Who has sinned?
21. What had they said to the stock?
22. What does "stock", in verse 27, mean?
23. What does God tell them to do with the idols of wood?
24. What good had it done to smite them?
25. What had God brought to these Israelites, that should have caused
    them to worship Him?
26. What is the bride's attire?
27. How does God's gift differ from the earthly groom's?
28. What is verse 33 speaking of?
29. Who are the poor innocents of verse 34?
30. What did they say they were in verse 35?
31. Who had they run to for help in verse 36?
32. To have confidence in the world, or in themselves, would bring
    nothing but a ______________.