JEREMIAH LESSON 6

     We will begin this lesson in Jeremiah 5:1 "Run ye to and fro
through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in
the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be [any] that
executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it."

     This is showing the total degradation in Jerusalem at the time of
Jeremiah. There is not even one man in all the city, who is just in
judgement. We know that God would have spared Sodom and Gommorah, if
there had been 10 righteous people. Here He has reduced the number to
one, and there is not even one.

     Jeremiah 5:2 "And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they
swear falsely."

     The difference in these people and the ones in Sodom, is that
here they proclaimed to believe, but did not truly believe in their
hearts.

     Jeremiah 5:3 "O LORD, [are] not thine eyes upon the truth? thou
hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed
them, [but] they have refused to receive correction: they have made
their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return."

     These people are so self-righteous, they are not even aware of
how far away from God they really are. Because they go through the
formality of worship, they believe God will spare them. They are so
hardened to sin, they do not even realize anymore they are sinning.
They do not repent, because they do not feel guilty of sin.

     Jeremiah 5:4 "Therefore I said, Surely these [are] poor; they are
foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, [nor] the judgment of
their God."

     The foolish do not seek instruction in the ways of God. This
reminds me so much of the situation in our land today. Many people
attend church occasionally, some every Sunday, and yet do not truly
have a relationship with the Lord Jesus. They are like these people.
They go, because it is expected of them, and do not understand why
they are there. You could say the people in the verse above, and the
people of our day, are religious. The problem is their relationship
with God.  The truth we all need to know, is in God's Word {Bible}.

     Jeremiah 5:5 "I will get me unto the great men, and will speak
unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, [and] the judgment
of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, [and] burst
the bonds."

     The great men, in the verse above, must have been {at one time}
leaders in their worship services. They {at one time} were acquainted
with God's teachings. This is even worse than those who never knew.
They have walked away from the teachings of God. They {of their own
free will} have decided they will not be controlled by the LORD and
His teachings anymore. They are free from following God.

     Jeremiah 5:6 "Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them,
[and] a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch
over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in
pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and] their
backslidings are increased."

     We see the reason for their troubles, is the fact they have
sinned against God. Their destruction is violent. The lion, as we
studied in a previous lesson, is symbolic of a people who Satan
himself is controlling. In this case, it could very well be Babylon.
The description to these people was because of their familiarity with
the destruction of a lion. "Wolves" seek their prey at night. This
then, could be speaking of the sneaky way they come into Judah. The
leopard is a swift animal, and this could be speaking of the swiftness
of the destruction. Not only was Babylon ferocious as a lion, but they
were sneaky as the wolf, and swift as the leopard.

     Jeremiah 5:7  "How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children
have forsaken me, and sworn by [them that are] no gods: when I had fed
them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled
themselves by troops in the harlots' houses."

     A very common saying for this today would be, they were living in
the lap of luxury. In other words, they had time on their hands. Sin,
many times, comes from idleness and having too much of the world's
goods. It is harder to be a Christian, when you are rich, than it is
when you are poor. Since they did not need day to day help from God,
they forgot Him, and went on to other false gods. They were doing
things pleasing to their flesh. It seemed, at this time, that adultery
was rampant. This adultery was spiritual, as well as physical.

     Jeremiah 5:8 They were [as] fed horses in the morning: every one
neighed after his neighbour's wife.

     Horses hang around their own barn, until they are fed. This is
speaking of the man as if he were a wild stallion, that would jump the
fence and go to another's place. Until a person has taken care for
their need to eat, they have very little time and energy to go to the
neighbor's wife and commit sin with her.

     Jeremiah 5:9 "Shall I not visit for these [things]? saith the
LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

     Just the sin mentioned above, is a sin severe enough to bring the
wrath of God, without any other sin being added. Notice, above, this
is not a sin of an individual, but was a way of life in their nation.
Again, this is not only speaking of physical adultery, but of idol
worship which was spiritual adultery, as well.

     Jeremiah 5:10  "Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make
not a full end: take away her battlements; for they [are] not the
LORD'S."

     We see that God will not allow total destruction of Jerusalem, or
Judah. This whole attack is coming on them to cause them to repent and
return to God. Notice, the destroyer can go just as far as God allows
him to go. "Battlement", in this particular instance means off-shoot.
It can, also, mean branch, or plant. This is as if the LORD is pruning
them back to the root they started from. It is the recent growth that
does not belong to the LORD. The root is His. The pruning will bring
new healthy growth from the root. Their captivity in Babylon is
similar to pruning.

     Jeremiah 5:11 "For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD." Jeremiah
5:12 "They have belied the LORD, and said, [It is] not he; neither
shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:"

     They both thought, because they were seeds of Abraham, they would
not be punished by God. Belied means untrue. It, also, means deceive
or lie. They have not been true with God, or themselves. They have
believed a lie. Their deception has been of themselves. They are
Abraham's seeds, but they have not remained with Abraham's teachings.
Their safety remained as long as they lived Godly lives. They forgot
the second part of the promise, which said curses would come, if they
turned from God.

     Jeremiah 5:13 "And the prophets shall become wind, and the word
[is] not in them: thus shall it be done unto them."

     The speaking of the prophets is like wind, because they do not
receive his message. These people from the bottom to the top, do not
receive the Truth. There is nothing left for God to do, but let the
punishment begin. They will not listen, so He must get their attention
with action instead of words.

     Jeremiah 5:14 "Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts,
Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth
fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them."

     The LORD God of hosts is speaking here. The words in Jeremiah's
mouth will be like a fire that sets the wood on fire. We remember from
chapter 1, that the words that came from Jeremiah's mouth were the
Words of God. This Fire is the Fire of the Spirit of God.

     Jeremiah 5:15 "Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O
house of Israel, saith the LORD: it [is] a mighty nation, it [is] an
ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither
understandest what they say."

     The nation God will bring against them, is not a Hebrew nation.
They do not speak the same language as Israel. We recall, from our
studies in Genesis, that God had confused the languages at Babel, so
they would not be able to understand each other. Genesis 11:9
"Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there
confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD
scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth." The nation about
to attack them was an ancient and powerful nation.

     Jeremiah 5:16 Their quiver [is] as an open sepulchre, they [are]
all mighty men.

     A "sepulchre" is a burying place, or a grave. This is saying
then, their arrows have death in them. They are mighty warriors, who
bring death and destruction.

     Jeremiah 5:17 "And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy
bread, [which] thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat
up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig
trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou
trustedst, with the sword."

     People plant fields, so that they might harvest their fields to
feed their family. This will not be what happens here. The invaders
will get the food they have prepared for their family and the family
will do without. The invaders will take their crops their animals and
everything else they can lay hands upon. They will even take the
people captive. What they do not take, they will destroy with the
sword.

     Jeremiah 5:18 "Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I will
not make a full end with you."

     Just as in the past, there will be a remnant saved to begin again
with. God will not totally destroy. He will leave that remnant.

     Jeremiah 5:19  "And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say,
Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these [things] unto us? then
shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served
strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land [that
is] not yours."

     The ridiculous thing, here, is they still do not realize why all
of this is happening to them. They still claim the LORD as their God,
even though they have been unfaithful to Him. As we said, they had
gotten so deep into their idolatry, they had lost their guilty
conscience. They will have plenty of time to think it over, while they
are in captivity. God will allow them to serve strangers, as they have
served strange gods. Judgement has come.

     Jeremiah 5:20 "Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it
in Judah, saying,"

     This is God telling Jeremiah to go and tell Israel and Judah. At
this time, it is really hard to separate the two. Judah is now spoken
of as Israel, also.

     Jeremiah 5:21 "Hear now this, O foolish people, and without
understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear
not:"
     These people do have physical eyes and ears, but they have no
spiritual sight, or hearing. They believe only in things they can see
with their physical eye. They are a foolish people. God is Spirit, and
must be understood through the spirit. My prayer to God is, open my
spiritual eyes Lord, and let me see. Open my spiritual ears, that I
might understand you more fully.

     Jeremiah 5:22 "Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not
tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand [for] the bound of
the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the
waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they
roar, yet can they not pass over it?"

     In verse 22 above, God is explaining His power and greatness. He
even tells the sea to stop at the shore, and it does. How could they
choose a god they had made with their own hands? The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom. God is correct in calling them foolish.
God's laws are for all of eternity. He tells the sea to roar, and it
roars. He tells the sun to shine, and it shines. How can anyone choose
some material thing to worship, instead of God who made it all?

     Jeremiah 5:23 "But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious
heart; they are revolted and gone."

     The heart determines what a person is. We are either desperately
wicked in our hearts, or we are in love with God in our hearts. We are
what our hearts are.  Rebellion is akin to witchcraft. To revolt, or
rebel against God would be the worst thing you could do. They deserve
death.

     Jeremiah 5:24 "Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear
the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in
his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest."

     It is God that brings the rain to make our crops grow. Without
rain, there is no crop. Rain, as is spoken of above, can also
symbolize the Spirit which is poured out on mankind as a blessing from
God. To get the full impact of the latter rain of the Spirit, read
Joel chapter 2, beginning with verse 23. It is God who sets the time
to plant and the time to reap. The end of the Gentile age is spoken of
as the time of harvest. There will come a time when God will separate
His wheat from the stubble. There is a harvest time. There were seven
weeks between passover and feast of harvest {feast of weeks}, which is
pentecost.

     Jeremiah 5:25  "Your iniquities have turned away these [things],
and your sins have withholden good [things] from you."

     One of God's ways to punish the sins of the people, was to
withhold their rain. Their sin brought the judgements.

     Jeremiah 5:26 "For among my people are found wicked [men]: they
lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men."

     God has not stopped calling them His people. He is like a father
who is greatly disappointed in the moral character of His children. He
is saying to them, you are living like the world, not like my
children.  They have forgotten to do unto others as they would have
them do unto them. They are evil. They sin against their fellowman.

     Jeremiah 5:27 "As a cage is full of birds, so [are] their houses
full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich."

     We see from this, their wealth did not come as a blessing from
God. They have cheated and stolen to take what belonged to others.
They are so full of sin and deceit, they are like a cage of
overcrowded birds. They must be thinned out.

     Jeremiah 5:28 "They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass
the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the
fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not
judge."

     They have used their wealth, they have attained, for their own
personal wants. They are dressed up and groomed, because they use
their money on themselves. They have no compassion for the needy.
Everything they do is for self.

     Jeremiah 5:29 "Shall I not visit for these [things]? saith the
LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

     God is explaining that He is justified in the punishment they
receive, because they are so sinful. Their sin is both physical and
spiritual. Sin has become a way of life for them. The wrath of God
will come upon them to cause them to repent and seek Him.

     Jeremiah 5:30  "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in
the land;"

     It is wonderful, because it is not to be explained away by man.
The judgement is so unexpected and so controlled, there will be no
doubt at all it is from God. It will be horrible, from the standpoint
of those who are being punished. This will be a terrible time for
these back-slidden of God.

     Jeremiah 5:31 "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests
bear rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so: and what
will ye do in the end thereof?"

     There were false prophets in the land. The priests had changed
God's law to fit their own needs. Now, the law was not God's, but the
law of the priest. Jesus spoke harshly about the way God's law had
been handled. He called it, your law. The prophet, the priests, and
the people were all guilty. This is true in our churches today. There
are many false prophets. We have ministers who twist the Word to fit
their own needs. It is the obligation of the people to try the
spirits, and see whether they be of God, or not. All have sinned. We
all need a Saviour.
                         Jeremiah 6 Questions


1.  What is verse 1 showing?
2.  What was the difference in these people and the people of Sodom?
3.  What had God done, and they refused correction?
4.  Why do they not repent?
5.  Why could you classify them as foolish?
6.  How does the author relate this to our church attendance today?
7.  They are religious, but do not have a __________ with God.
8.  Where can the Truth be found?
9.  Who are the great men speaking of in verse 5?
10. What is the lion, in verse 6, symbolic of?
11. What is meant by the "wolf"?
12. What does the "leopard" mean?
13. What is a common saying of today, that would cover verse 7?
14. What does idleness sometimes cause?
15. What is the adultery of verse 7?
16. Is the sin of adultery, here, of an individual? Explain.
17. Why is the attack coming on Jerusalem?
18. What does "battlement" in verse 10 mean?
19. Why did they believe God would not punish them?
20. Why does the speaking of the prophet seem like wind?
21. Whose Words will be fire?
22. How do we know the nation coming against them is not a Hebrew
    nation?
23. Quote Genesis chapter 11 verse 9.
24. What is a "sepulchre"?
25. Besides destroying the city, what will the enemy do?
26. God will leave of them, a ____________.
27. They had gotten so deep into their idolatry, they had lost their
    ______________.
28. What are the people called in verse 21?
29. What is the author's prayer to God?
30. What is God explaining in verse 22?
31. What kind of heart does this sinful people have?
32. Where can we read to get a fuller impact of the latter rain?
33. God is greatly disappointed in the ________ ___________ of His
    children.
34. How does God describe what has happened to them in verse 28?
35. What had the priests done that was wrong?