Among those who had hoped for a permanent spiritual
revival as the result of the reformation under Josiah
was Jeremiah, called of God to the prophetic office while
still a youth, in the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign. A
member of the Levitical priesthood, Jeremiah had been
trained from childhood for holy service. In those happy years
of preparation he little realized that he had been ordained
from birth to be "a prophet unto the nations;" and when
the divine call came, he was overwhelmed with a sense of
his unworthiness. "Ah, Lord God!" he exclaimed, "behold,
I cannot speak: for I am a child." Jeremiah 1:5, 6.
In the youthful Jeremiah, God saw one who would be
true to his trust and who would stand for the right against
great opposition. In childhood he had proved faithful; and
now he was to endure hardness, as a good soldier of the
cross. "Say not, I am a child," the Lord bade His chosen
messenger; "for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee,
and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not
afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee."
"Gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that
I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I
confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee
this day a defensed city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls
against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against
the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against
the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee;
but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee,
saith the Lord, to deliver thee." Verses 7, 8, 17-19.
For forty years Jeremiah was to stand before the nation
as a witness for truth and righteousness. In a time of unparalleled
apostasy he was to exemplify in life and character the
worship of the only true God. During the terrible sieges
of Jerusalem he was to be the mouthpiece of Jehovah. He
was to predict the downfall of the house of David and the
destruction of the beautiful temple built by Solomon. And
when imprisoned because of his fearless utterances, he was
still to speak plainly against sin in high places. Despised,
hated, rejected of men, he was finally to witness the literal
fulfillment of his own prophecies of impending doom, and
share in the sorrow and woe that should follow the destruction
of the fated city.
Yet amid the general ruin into which the nation was
rapidly passing, Jeremiah was often permitted to look beyond
the distressing scenes of the present to the glorious prospects
of the future, when God's people should be ransomed from
the land of the enemy and planted again in Zion. He foresaw
the time when the Lord would renew His covenant
relationship with them. "Their soul shall be as a watered
garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all." Jeremiah
31:12.
Of his call to the prophetic mission, Jeremiah himself
wrote: "The Lord put forth His hand, and touched my
mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put
My words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over
the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull
down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and
to plant." Jeremiah 1:9, 10.
Thank God for the words, "to build, and to plant." By
these words Jeremiah was assured of the Lord's purpose
to restore and to heal. Stern were the messages to be borne
in the years that were to follow. Prophecies of swift-coming
judgments were to be fearlessly delivered. From the plains
of Shinar "an evil" was to "break forth upon all the inhabitants
of the land." "I will utter My judgments against
them," the Lord declared, "touching all their wickedness,
who have forsaken Me." Verses 14, 16. Yet the prophet was
to accompany these messages with assurances of forgiveness
to all who should turn from their evil-doing.
As a wise master builder, Jeremiah at the very beginning
of his lifework sought to encourage the men of Judah to
lay the foundations of their spiritual life broad and deep,
by making thorough work of repentance. Long had they
been building with material likened by the apostle Paul
to wood, hay, and stubble, and by Jeremiah himself to dross.
"Refuse silver shall men call them," he declared of the
impenitent nation, "because the Lord hath rejected them."
Jeremiah 6:30, margin. Now they were urged to begin
building wisely and for eternity, casting aside the rubbish
of apostasy and unbelief, and using as foundation material
the pure gold, the refined silver, the precious stones--faith
and obedience and good works--which alone are acceptable
in the sight of a holy God.
Through Jeremiah the word of the Lord to His people
was: "Return, thou backsliding Israel, . . . and I will not
cause Mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith
the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever. Only acknowledge
thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the
Lord thy God. . . . Turn, O backsliding children, saith
the Lord; for I am married unto you." "Thou shalt call
Me, My Father; and shalt not turn away from Me." "Return,
ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings."
Jeremiah 3:12-14, 19, 22.
And in addition to these wonderful pleadings, the Lord
gave His erring people the very words with which they
might turn to Him. They were to say: "Behold, we come
unto Thee; for Thou art the Lord our God. Truly in vain
is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude
of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation
of Israel. . . . We lie down in our shame, and our confusion
covereth us: for we have sinned against the Lord our God,
we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and
have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God." Verses 22-25.
The reformation under Josiah had cleansed the land of
the idolatrous shrines, but the hearts of the multitude had
not been transformed. The seeds of truth that had sprung
up and given promise of an abundant harvest had been
choked by thorns. Another such backsliding would be
fatal; and the Lord sought to arouse the nation to a realization
of their danger. Only as they should prove loyal to
Jehovah could they hope for the divine favor and for
prosperity.
Jeremiah called their attention repeatedly to the counsels
given in Deuteronomy. More than any other of the prophets,
he emphasized the teachings of the Mosaic law and
showed how these might bring the highest spiritual blessing
to the nation and to every individual heart. "Ask for the
old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein," he
pleaded, "and ye shall find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16.
On one occasion, by command of the Lord, the prophet
took his position at one of the principal entrances to the city
and there urged the importance of keeping holy the
Sabbath day. The inhabitants of Jerusalem were in danger
of losing sight of the sanctity of the Sabbath, and they were
solemnly warned against following their secular pursuits
on that day. A blessing was promised on condition of
obedience. "If ye diligently hearken unto Me," the Lord
declared, and "hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work
therein; then shall there enter into the gates of this city
kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding
in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men
of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city
shall remain forever." Jeremiah 17:24, 25.
This promise of prosperity as the reward of allegiance
was accompanied by a prophecy of the terrible judgments
that would befall the city should its inhabitants prove
disloyal to God and His law. If the admonitions to obey the
Lord God of their fathers and to hallow His Sabbath day
were not heeded, the city and its palaces would be utterly
destroyed by fire.
Thus the prophet stood firmly for the sound principles
of right living so clearly outlined in the book of the law.
But the conditions prevailing in the land of Judah were
such that only by the most decided measures could a change
for the better be brought about; therefore he labored most
earnestly in behalf of the impenitent. "Break up your fallow
ground," he pleaded, "and sow not among thorns." "O
Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou
mayest be saved." Jeremiah 4:3, 14.
But by the great mass of the people the call to repentance
and reformation was unheeded. Since the death of good
King Josiah, those who ruled the nation had been proving
untrue to their trust and had been leading many astray.
Jehoahaz, deposed by the interference of the king of Egypt,
had been followed by Jehoiakim, an older son of Josiah.
From the beginning of Jehoiakim's reign, Jeremiah had
little hope of saving his beloved land from destruction and
the people from captivity. Yet he was not permitted to
remain silent while utter ruin threatened the kingdom.
Those who had remained loyal to God must be encouraged
to persevere in rightdoing, and sinners must, if possible, be
induced to turn from iniquity.
The crisis demanded a public and far-reaching effort.
Jeremiah was commanded by the Lord to stand in the court
of the temple and speak to all the people of Judah who might
pass in and out. From the messages given him he must
diminish not a word, that sinners in Zion might have the
fullest possible opportunity to hearken and to turn from
their evil ways.
The prophet obeyed; he stood in the gate of the Lord's
house and there lifted his voice in warning and entreaty.
Under the inspiration of the Almighty he declared:
"Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter
in at these gates to worship the Lord. Thus saith the Lord
of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your
doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust
ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The
temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these. For
if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye
thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his
neighbor; if ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and
the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither
walk after other gods to your hurt: then will I cause you
to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers,
forever and ever." Jeremiah 7:2-7.
The unwillingness of the Lord to chastise is here vividly
shown. He stays His judgments that He may plead with
the impenitent. He who exercises "loving-kindness,
judgment, and righteousness, in the earth" yearns over His erring
children; in every way possible He seeks to teach them the
way of life everlasting. Jeremiah 9:24. He had brought
the Israelites out of bondage that they might serve Him,
the only true and living God. Though they had wandered
long in idolatry and had slighted His warnings, yet He now
declares His willingness to defer chastisement and grant yet
another opportunity for repentance. He makes plain the
fact that only by the most thorough heart reformation could
the impending doom be averted. In vain would be the
trust they might place in the temple and its services. Rites
and ceremonies could not atone for sin. Notwithstanding
their claim to be the chosen people of God, reformation
of heart and of the life practice alone could save them from
the inevitable result of continued transgression.
Thus it was that "in the cities of Judah, and in the streets
of Jerusalem" the message of Jeremiah to Judah was, "Hear
ye the words of this covenant,"--the plain precepts of Jehovah
as recorded in the Sacred Scriptures,--"and do them."
Jeremiah 11:6. And this is the message he proclaimed as
he stood in the temple courts in the beginning of the reign
of Jehoiakim.
Israel's experience from the days of the Exodus was
briefly reviewed. God's covenant with them had been, "Obey
My voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be My
people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded
you, that it may be well unto you." Shamelessly and repeatedly
had this covenant been broken. The chosen nation
had "walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their
evil heart, and went backward, and not forward." Jeremiah
7:23, 24.
"Why," the Lord inquired, "is this people of Jerusalem
slidden back by a perpetual backsliding?" Jeremiah 8:5.
In the language of the prophet it was because they had
obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God and had refused
to be corrected. See Jeremiah 5:3. "Truth is perished," he
mourned, "and is cut off from their mouth." "The stork
in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle
and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their
coming; but My people know not the judgment of the Lord."
"Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the Lord: shall
not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Jeremiah
7:28; 8:7; 9:9.
The time had come for deep heart searching. While
Josiah had been their ruler, the people had had some ground
for hope. But no longer could he intercede in their behalf,
for he had fallen in battle. The sins of the nation were
such that the time for intercession had all but passed by.
"Though Moses and Samuel stood before Me," the Lord
declared, "yet My mind could not be toward this people:
cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth. And it
shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we
go forth? then thou shalt tell them. Thus saith the Lord;
Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the
sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the
famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity."
Jeremiah 15:1, 2.
A refusal to heed the invitation of mercy that God was
now offering would bring upon the impenitent nation the
judgments that had befallen the northern kingdom of
Israel over a century before. The message to them now was:
"If ye will not hearken to Me, to walk in My law, which
I have set before you, to hearken to the words of My servants
the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early,
and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; then will
I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a
curse to all the nations of the earth." Jeremiah 26:4-6.
Those who stood in the temple court listening to
Jeremiah's discourse understood clearly this reference to Shiloh,
and to the time in the days of Eli when the Philistines had
overcome Israel and carried away the ark of the testament.
The sin of Eli had consisted in passing lightly over the
iniquity of his sons in sacred office, and over the evils prevailing
throughout the land. His neglect to correct these
evils had brought upon Israel a fearful calamity. His sons
had fallen in battle, Eli himself had lost his life, the ark of
God had been taken from the land of Israel, thirty thousand
of the people had been slain--and all because sin had been
allowed to flourish unrebuked and unchecked. Israel had
vainly thought that, notwithstanding their sinful practices,
the presence of the ark would ensure them victory over the
Philistines. In like manner, during the days of Jeremiah,
the inhabitants of Judah were prone to believe that a strict
observance of the divinely appointed services of the temple
would preserve them from a just punishment for their
wicked course.
What a lesson is this to men holding positions of
responsibility today in the church of God! What a solemn warning
to deal faithfully with wrongs that bring dishonor to the
cause of truth! Let none who claim to be the depositaries
of God's law flatter themselves that the regard they may
outwardly show toward the commandments will preserve
them from the exercise of divine justice. Let none refuse
to be reproved for evil, nor charge the servants of God with
being too zealous in endeavoring to cleanse the camp from
evil-doing. A sin-hating God calls upon those who claim
to keep His law to depart from all iniquity. A neglect to
repent and to render willing obedience will bring upon
men and women today as serious consequences as came
upon ancient Israel. There is a limit beyond which the
judgments of Jehovah can no longer be delayed. The desolation
of Jerusalem in the days of Jeremiah is a solemn
warning to modern Israel, that the counsels and admonitions
given them through chosen instrumentalities cannot be
disregarded with impunity.
Jeremiah's message to priests and people aroused the
antagonism of many. With boisterous denunciation they
cried out, "Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the
Lord, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city
shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people
were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord."
Jeremiah 26:9. Priests, false prophets, and people turned
in wrath upon him who would not speak to them smooth
things or prophesy deceit. Thus was the message of God
despised, and His servant threatened with death.
Tidings of the words of Jeremiah were carried to the
princes of Judah, and they hastened from the palace of
the king to the temple, to learn for themselves the truth of the
matter. "Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the
princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy
to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have
heard with your ears." Verse 11. But Jeremiah stood boldly
before the princes and the people, declaring: "The Lord
sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city
all the words that ye have heard. Therefore now amend
your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord
your God; and the Lord will repent Him of the evil that
He hath pronounced against you. As for me, behold, I am
in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto
you. But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death,
ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and
upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a
truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these
words in your ears." Verses 12-15.
Had the prophet been intimidated by the threatening
attitude of those high in authority, his message would
have been without effect, and he would have lost his life;
but the courage with which he delivered the solemn warning
commanded the respect of the people and turned the
princes of Israel in his favor. They reasoned with the priests
and false prophets, showing them how unwise would be
the extreme measures they advocated, and their words
produced a reaction in the minds of the people. Thus God
raised up defenders for His servant.
The elders also united in protesting against the decision
of the priests regarding the fate of Jeremiah. They cited
the case of Micah, who had prophesied judgments upon
Jerusalem, saying, "Zion shall be plowed like a field, and
Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the
house as the high places of a forest." And they asked:
"Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at
all to death? did he not fear the Lord, and besought the
Lord, and the Lord repented Him of the evil which He
had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure
great evil against our souls." Verses 18, 19.
Through the pleading of these men of influence the
prophet's life was spared, although many of the priests and
false prophets, unable to endure the condemning truths he
uttered, would gladly have seen him put to death on the
plea of sedition.
From the day of his call to the close of his ministry,
Jeremiah stood before Judah as "a tower and a fortress"
against which the wrath of man could not prevail. "They
shall fight against thee," the Lord had forewarned His
servant, "but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am
with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the Lord.
And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and
I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible." Jeremiah
6:27; 15:20, 21.
Naturally of a timid and shrinking disposition, Jeremiah
longed for the peace and quiet of a life of retirement, where
he need not witness the continued impenitence of his beloved
nation. His heart was wrung with anguish over the ruin
wrought by sin. "O that my head were waters, and mine
eyes a fountain of tears," he mourned, "that I might weep
day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
O that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring
men; that I might leave my people, and go from them."
Jeremiah 9:1, 2.
Cruel were the mockings he was called upon to endure.
His sensitive soul was pierced through and through by the
arrows of derision hurled at him by those who despised
his messages and made light of his burden for their conversion.
"I was a derision to all my people," he declared, "and
their song all the day." "I am in derision daily, everyone
mocketh me." "All my familiars watched for my halting,
saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall
prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him."
Lamentations 3:14; Jeremiah 20:7, 10.
But the faithful prophet was daily strengthened to endure.
"The Lord is with me as a mighty terrible One," he declared
in faith; "therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they
shall not prevail: they shall be really ashamed; for they
shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never
be forgotten." "Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord:
for He hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand
of evildoers." Jeremiah 20:11, 13.
The experiences through which Jeremiah passed in the
days of his youth and also in the later years of his ministry,
taught him the lesson that "the way of man is not in
self: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." He
learned to pray, "O Lord, correct me, but with judgment;
not in Thine anger, lest Thou bring me nothing." Jeremiah
10:23, 24.
When called to drink of the cup of tribulation and
sorrow, and when tempted in his misery to say, "My strength
and my hope is perished from the Lord," he recalled the
providences of God in his behalf and triumphantly exclaimed,
"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because
His compassions fail not. They are new every morning:
great is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith
my soul; therefore will I hope in Him. The Lord is good
unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait
for the salvation of the Lord." Lamentations 3:18, 22-26.