JEREMIAH LESSON 10


     We will begin this lesson in Jeremiah 9:1 "Oh that my head were
waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and
night for the slain of the daughter of my people!"

     We see from this, why Jeremiah was thought of as the weeping or
mourning, prophet. His body did not produce enough tears to be
sufficient to take care of the grief he felt over Jerusalem and God's
family. These were people Jeremiah had prophesied to. He felt close to
their sorrow.

     Jeremiah 9:2 "Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of
wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for
they [be] all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men."

     This is the LORD speaking of His people. He is tired of dealing
with these sinful people. It is as if He is saying, Put them away from
decent people. Put all the sinners together out in the desert away
from those people they might influence. They are adulterers and
treacherous men. They should not be in the main stream of society.

     Jeremiah 9:3 "And they bend their tongues [like] their bow [for]
lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they
proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD."

     God has given up on changing them, and says just let them lie to
each other and cheat each other; put them away. This reminds me of
what society does to criminals today. In a sense, at the end of the
Gentile age, this is just what happens. Jesus locks the devil up for a
thousand years, so he cannot deceive the people anymore.

     Jeremiah 9:4 "Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust
ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and
every neighbour will walk with slanders."

     It was not only a dangerous thing then to put your trust in
relatives and friends, but it is dangerous now, as well. Mankind will
let you down. The only One you can really trust is God. "Supplant", in
the verse above, means to restrain, or keep from accomplishing
something. Neighbors slander each other, and brothers are jealous and
hold their brothers back, afraid they will get ahead. Proverbs 3:5
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding."

     Jeremiah 9:5 "And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and
will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies,
[and] weary themselves to commit iniquity."

     Verses 4 and 5, above, are both speaking of people who are not
following after God. God's people should be trustworthy. This is
speaking of a generation that is not interested in the principles God
has taught, and are living worldly lives. The world deceives to get
ahead. They cheat, and steal, and lie to further their own cause. They
are not interested in the golden rule. This is speaking of a people
far away from God and His teachings.

     Jeremiah 9:6 "Thine habitation [is] in the midst of deceit;
through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD."

     They lived in an area where they were all sinners. It was a way
of life to lie and cheat. These people were far from God. They were
worshipping idols, because they would believe a lie before believing
the Truth. It is a very dangerous thing to companion with those of
unbelief. Whoever you are around on a regular basis, you will be like.
Habitation is a place where you continually dwell.

     Jeremiah 9:7 "Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I
will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of
my people?"

     "Melting" has to do with refining. It is well known, if you melt
silver or gold, the trash comes to the top. The refiner skims the
trash off, and then you have near pure metal. This is what this is
saying here. The heat is applied to them to purge their sins away. All
purging is done to help the one purged. God loved them so much, He
would cause them to suffer a while to purify them.

     Jeremiah 9:8 "Their tongue [is as] an arrow shot out; it speaketh
deceit: [one] speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but
in heart he layeth his wait."

     We see from this, that these people have evil hearts, out of
which comes deceitful words. We are what is in our heart. The tongue
expresses the thoughts of the heart. A wicked tongue, then, means we
have a wicked heart. In the verse above, the neighbor pretends to be a
friend, but in his heart he hates. This is a two-faced person.
Proverbs 26:23 "Burning lips and a wicked heart [are like] a potsherd
covered with silver dross."  He appears from the outside to be pure,
but he is just covering his deceit. The tongue is a piercing weapon,
when used against someone.

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

     The world does not see these sins. The people are covering them
up. God looks on the heart of man. A nation of people like this should
not be called by God's name. They do not do the ways of God, so they
are not representing Him on the earth.

     Jeremiah 9:10 "For the mountains will I take up a weeping and
wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation,
because they are burned up, so that none can pass through [them];
neither can [men] hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the
heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone."

     The punishment brought upon these people hurt God worse than
anyone. He is like a parent who has had to punish a child severly,
because of his sin. The parent grieves more than the child at the
punishment. This punishment was so severe, there was nothing left.

     Jeremiah 9:11 "And I will make Jerusalem heaps, [and] a den of
dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an
inhabitant."

     Jeremiah is speaking this with his mouth, but we remember that
the words in Jeremiah's mouth were put there by God. It is actually
God speaking through the mouth of Jeremiah. This speaks of the
desolation left in Jerusalem and all of Judah.

     Jeremiah 9:12  "Who [is] the wise man, that may understand this?
and [who is he] to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may
declare it, for what the land perisheth [and] is burned up like a
wilderness, that none passeth through?"

     All of this was spoken by Jeremiah in time for the people to
leave, before the trouble began. They had time to repent, and then
leave, so they would not be caught up in the destruction. Those who
loved God believed Jeremiah. They were the wise men that knew Jeremiah
was telling the truth. The mouth of God spoke this to all, but the
great majority did not heed the warning. They stayed for the land to
be totally destroyed. It appears much of the damage came from fire.

     Jeremiah 9:13 "And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my
law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither
walked therein;"  Jeremiah 9:14 "But have walked after the imagination
of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught
them:"

     Over, and over again, God gave them the reason for bringing this
destruction. The worst thing they had done, was to follow after false
gods. Baalim, just happened to be one of the false gods. They had
committed spiritual adultery. They had left their love for God, and
been unfaithful with these false gods.

     Jeremiah 9:15 "Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel; Behold, I will feed them, [even] this people, with wormwood,
and give them water of gall to drink."

     "Wormwood" just means bad water. With all of the killing and
burning going on, you can see the water had to be bad. Not only in the
land where the destruction occurred would the water be bad, but when
you are captured and carried to a foreign land, the food and water
seem a bitter dose to take.

     Jeremiah 9:16 "I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom
neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword
after them, till I have consumed them."

     At the time this was written, all the world, except the Hebrews,
were heathen. The family of Israel were the only ones who had the law
of God. He had not revealed Himself to the rest of the world at this
time. They were sent into a strange land. They, nor their fathers, had
been acquainted with these people. Those who do not believe in God
will be destroyed.

     Jeremiah 9:17  "Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and
call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning
[women], that they may come:"

     There were people in this day {mostly women} who were paid
mourners. This is speaking of having these professional mourners to
mourn for the whole nation. It appears there will be so much mourning
needed, that there will not be enough of this group to do the job.
They will call all of the cunning women to come and help them mourn.

     Jeremiah 9:18 "And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for
us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out
with waters."

     The main purpose of the mourning women was to stir up the
emotions of the people. They would wail and cry, until all the people
took up the sorrow and began to cry, as well.

     Jeremiah 9:19 "For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How
are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken
the land, because our dwellings have cast [us] out."

     Zion, here, could be speaking of Jerusalem. The people who are
left standing, after the battle, have no homes to return to. This
would be true mourning for their loss.

     Jeremiah 9:20 "Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let
your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters
wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation."

     It appears this is a warning of how great the destruction will
be. It is saying, grief will reach every family, so teach them all to
mourn.

     Jeremiah 9:21 "For death is come up into our windows, [and] is
entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, [and]
the young men from the streets."

     The death toll from this destruction is not just the men as it is
in most battles. This death reaches the children as well as the
adults. It is not just at the battlefront, either. Many of the deaths
occur in their homes. The mention of the palace means that even the
children of the ruler are not safe.

     Jeremiah 9:22 "Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of
men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after
the harvestman, and none shall gather [them]."

     This is speaking of the vast number, who die and are not buried.
They will be just left in the field where they die, to decay and
return to the earth.

     Jeremiah 9:23  "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise [man] glory
in his wisdom, neither let the mighty [man] glory in his might, let
not the rich [man] glory in his riches:"

     This just says that worldly wisdom, strength, or wealth will not
save them from destruction. They will all die together.

     Jeremiah 9:24 "But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he
understandeth and knoweth me, that I [am] the LORD which exercise
lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in
these [things] I delight, saith the LORD."

     There is only one help, and He is the LORD. If they heed the
message sent to them by Jeremiah and do the things God has told them
to do, they will be spared. God's nature is not to punish. His nature
is lovingkindness, judgement, righteousness. Because He is just, He
must bring this correction on this people. There will be a remnant
saved even in this terrible time.

     Jeremiah 9:25  "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I
will punish all [them which are] circumcised with the uncircumcised;"

     Just because they were descended from Abraham and have been
circumcised to prove it, will not save them. They have been living
like the uncircumcised world, and they will be punished the same as
them. This says, to me, just because you claim to be a Christian is
not enough. You must live the Christian life. Christ must indwell you
to the extent that your whole being, inside and out, is Christlike. To
be Christlike, saves you.

     Jeremiah 9:26 "Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of
Ammon, and Moab, and all [that are] in the utmost corners, that dwell
in the wilderness: for all [these] nations [are] uncircumcised, and
all the house of Israel [are] uncircumcised in the heart."

     To belong to God is not a flesh experience, it is a heart
experience. All the heathen lands, mentioned above, were not even
circumcised in the flesh. These Hebrews were circumcised in flesh
only. They had not had a change of heart, which is necessary to be
saved. I call it a {heart transplant}. Salvation occurs in the heart,
regardless of who you call yourself.  My favorite Scriptures on this
are the following. Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."  Romans 10:10 "For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation."  Jew or Gentile, this is the way
to heaven.




                         Jeremiah 10 Questions


1.  What is Jeremiah saying in verse 1?
2.  Why was the Lord so disappointed in His people?
3.  Their tongues are like what?
4.  What happens to the devil at the end of the Gentile age?
5.  Who could they trust?
6.  What does "supplant" mean, in verse 4?
7.  Quote Proverbs chapter 3 verse 5.
8.  What kind of people are verse 4 and 5 speaking of?
9.  Their habitation is in the midst of _________.
10. What does habitation mean?
11. Describe a two-faced person.
12. Quote Proverbs chapter 26 verse 23.
13. What is different about the way the world looks at you, and the
    way God looks at you?
14. Who does the punishment, that God sends upon them, hurt the worst?
15. Jeremiah speaks this with his mouth, but the message is from
    _____.
16. Who were the wise men of verse 12?
17. What explanation does God give for punishing them?
18. What does "wormwood" mean?
19. Who were the heathen?
20. Who were the mourners they called?
21. Why did they call the cunning women?
22. What was the main reason for the mourning women?
23. Why were they wailing from Zion?
24. What is meant by death is come upon our windows?
25. The carcases of men shall fall as _______.
26. What was the only thing to glory in?
27. What is the nature of God?
28. What must all do to be saved?