Jeremiah reminds the Lord that he has been the intercessor, the one bringing the Lords word to the people as one that in Jeremiah 23:22 “stood in my council … (and we know this because he) proclaimed my words to my people”. And, we also find that the prophet pleaded the cause of the nation before the Lord in Jeremiah 14:7–8 “Although our iniquities testify against us, O Yahweh, act for the sake of your name. Yes, our apostasies are many; we have sinned against you. 8 You are the hope of Israel, its savior in time of distress”. But the Lord now responds, “You must not pray for this people”, just as they have rejected doing good, so the Lord is rejecting the good he had planned for the nation. Finally, Jeremiah prays for his own life as they have plotted against him.
You Must Not Pray for This People
Jeremiah 14:11–16
The Lord has come to the end with these people and instructs that Jeremiah should no longer pray “for their happiness” in
Jeremiah 14:11–12 So Yahweh said to me, “You must not pray for this people, for their happiness. 12 Although they fast, I am not listening to their cry of entreaty. And although they present burnt offering and grain offering, I am not favorable to them. But by the sword, and by the famine, and by the plague, I am about to destroy them.”
But Jeremiah responds to the Lord that there are others in the land saying there will be “reliable peace” in
Jeremiah 14:13 Then I said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh, look, the prophets are saying to them, ‘You will not see the sword, and famine will not be yours, but reliable peace I will give to you in this place.’ ”
There are times when we must wait to see who is speaking for the Lord. The Lord says in Jeremiah 14:15 “the prophets who prophecy in my name though I have not sent them … will perish”. So, it is important for us to observe the words of people to discern the true prophet from those that speak to please people.
Both Prophet and Priest Wander Around
Jeremiah 14:17–22
Who Will Have Compassion on You, O Jerusalem
The Clay Was Spoiled in the Hand of the Potter
Jeremiah 18:1–10
There were those in Jerusalem, the inhabitants of Judah, that said, this is the Lords nation, He will protect it for His name. But that is not what the Lord had said to them. There was a promise of good for the nation of Israel, and even for the divided nations remnant, Judah, except that in
Jeremiah 18:10 “But if it does evil in my sight, to not listen to my voice, then I will relent concerning the good that I said I would do to it”.
The condition “concerning the good that I said I would do” was that the nation does not do evil, that the nation listens to his voice. Good for the nation depended on the good and righteous lives of the people.
It Is Hopeless, We Will Go After Our Own Plans
Remember My Standing Before You
Jeremiah 18:18–23
Jeremiah stands as a prophet before the Lord, and says he is there “to speak good for them”, or as it says in
1 Corinthians 14:3 “But the one who prophesies speaks to people edification and encouragement and consolation”.
and also “to avert your wrath from them”, or as it says of Jesus Christ in
Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore also he is able to save completely those who draw near to God through him, because he always lives in order to intercede on their behalf”.
and here Jeremiah asks for protection from those that have plotted against him and reminds the Lord of his faithfulness in fulfilling his role between the Lord and these people in
Jeremiah 18:20 “Should good be repaid in place of evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember my standing before you to speak good for them, to avert your wrath from them”.
As the Lord had instructed Jeremiah, he had done his best to warn the people in Jeremiah 36:6 by having Baruch read the scroll publicly (see “You Shall Read Aloud the Words of Yahweh” 1 November, 2018 You Shall Read Aloud the Words of Yahweh). And, Jeremiah has done his utmost as he warned the leaders, but in Jeremiah 36:22-23 the king burned the scroll as it was read to him.
This sounds very much like what we also read in Isaiah 59:12-21 “he who turns aside from evil is plundered” (see “A Redeemer Will Come to Zion” 9 October 2018 A Redeemer Will Come to Zion).
Study Verses
- Jeremiah 14:11–16 You Must Not Pray for This People
- Jeremiah 18:1–10 The Clay Was Spoiled in the Hand of the Potter
- Jeremiah 18:18–23 Remember My Standing Before You
Today’s Reading
- Jeremiah 14:11-22
- Jeremiah 15:1-9
- Jeremiah 18:1-23