Rebellious Isra’el Purged
Ezeki’el 20: 1-32

Rebellious Isra’el purged DIG: When the Israelites were in Egypt, how did God reveal Himself to them? How did they rebel? What was the result? Why didn’t ADONAI destroy them there? Why didn’t Ha’Shem destroy them in the wilderness? How did they treat Him? Why did God relent pouring out His wrath on them? Were the children of that wilderness generation any different than their parents? How did God treat them? Why? What does it mean that those who keep or obey God’s rulings will live (Exodus 19:6; Leviticus 18:2-5)? In practical terms, what does it mean to desecrate Shabbat (Ezeki’el 20:15-16, 23-24)?

REFLECT: Why do you think God is so concerned for His name or reputation? How is God’s name dragged through the mud every time His children rebel? If a later generation of believers only had stories of your experience with ADONAI to go by, would they say your life story enhances or detracts from God’s reputation? How so? Do you think ELOHIM minds as much now, as He did then, if we do not keep the Sabbath? Why?

The tenth of Ab, 591 BC during the seventh year of Zedekia’s reign

1. The setting: In the seventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, in the fifth month on the tenth day, less than a year after the Temple vision (to see link click Eu – Idolatry in the Temple), some of the elders of Isra’el came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down in front of me (Ezeki’el 20:1). It was the exact same day that the Temple would be set on fire only five years later. An ominous coincidence! On the ninth day of Av, toward evening, after sundown, or the beginning of a new day, the Holy Temple was set on fire by Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed. The fire burned for twenty-four hours. That is why Jeremiah 52:12 says the tenth of Av.

This was the third time the elders of Isra’el had come to inquire of YHVH. They had asked for Ezekiel to prophesy in 8:1 and 14:1. But why had they come this time? In 591 BC Pharaoh Psammetichus II just had a great victory in the Sudan. And because of his victory, he was considering marching into Palestine to reclaim Egyptian sovereignty from the Babylonians. Zedekiah began thinking about rebelling against Babylon and becoming an ally with Egypt. More than likely, the questions that the elders of Isra’el came with were these. Will Egypt be victorious over Babylon as she was over the Sudan? What should Zedekiah do?

Then the word of ADONAI came to me. Not to answer those specific questions, but to point out their problem. As the word of God comes to him, Ezeki’el is going to review Isra’el’s past history to show how consistently the Jewish leadership and the people always disobeyed God. And the present situation will be no different. In Chapter 21 Ezeki’el will warn the Jews to prepare for the final judgment of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, bringing more exiles from Zion and in Chapter 24 he will conclude with a parable and two signs to illustrate the things he has been talking about.

Divine judgment: Son of man, speak to the elders of Isra’el and say to them, “This is what Adonai ELOHIM asks: Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live, says Adonai ELOHIM, I will not let you inquire of Me.” Instead, Ha’Shem will pass judgment on the elders and He asks Ezeki’el to voice these charges. Will you judge them? This is repeated again to make it emphatic. Will you judge them, son of man? Then God gave the prophet the theme for the entire section: Confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors (Ezeki’el 20:2-4).²⁸⁷

Divine mercy: And say to them: This is what Adonai ELOHIM says: On the day I chose Isra’el (Deuteronomy 7:6-11), I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed Myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am ADONAI your God” (Exodus 20:5).

God’s provision: On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a Land I had searched out for them, a Land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God who alone is to be worshiped” (Ezeki’el 20:6-7). The implication is that the Israelites followed some of the religious practices of their Egyptian neighbors (Leviticus 17:7; Joshua 24:14; Ezeki’el 23:3; Amos 5:25-27).

2. The people’s rebellion in Egypt: But they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt (Ezeki’el 20:8a). While the Israelites were in Egypt the pure faith inherited from the patriarchs was contaminated by the local pagan ideas and practices. The Israelites added false ideas such as this one recorded in the Midrash Rabba, Exodus IV, 3, the wicked among the Israelites perished and were buried during the plague of darkness, so that the Egyptians should not say that God had inflicted an epidemic on His people.

Divine judgment: So I said I would pour out My wrath on them and spend My anger against them in Egypt (Ezeki’el 20:8b). On the strict principle of justice, the Israelites should have perished in Egypt. Only for the sake of the honor of His name, did God spare and redeem them from bondage.

Divine mercy: But for the sake of My name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep My name from being profaned in the eyes of the [Gentile] nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed Myself to the Israelites (Ezeki’el 20:9). Ha’Shem did not carry through with His rightful judgment, however, for mercy triumphed over judgment. When ADONAI could find no basis in them for extending to them His mercy and grace, He did it solely for His name’s sake, that is, for His own glory.²⁸⁸

God’s provision in the wilderness: Therefore I led them out of Egypt (see the commentary on Exodus Ci – The Waters Were Divided and the Israelites Went Through the Sea on Dry Land) and brought them into the wilderness. I gave them My decrees and made known to them My rulings on Mt Sinai (see my commentary on Exodus Dh – Moses and the Torah), by which the person who obeys them will live (Ezeki’el 20:10-11). Obedience to the divine decrees, both those relating to the duties of mankind towards ADONAI and also those dealing with other people, was supposed to lead to social and national happiness and stability (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah). But today (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace), the Torah continues to provide a blueprint for living a righteous life (Romans 3:20 and 28).

Also I gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us (Exodus 31:17). The purpose was so they would know that I, ADONAI, am the one who makes them holy (Ezeki’el 20:12). Shabbat was more than a day of rest. Its observance by the Israelites was a consistent acknowledgement of YHVH as the Creator of the universe. The plural Sabbaths includes festivals that are given in the Torah (Leviticus 23:24 and 39).

While not all covenants carried with them a physical sign, some did. For example the sign of God’s covenant with Noah is the rainbow (see the commentary on Genesis Da – Never Again Will There Be a Flood to Destroy the Earth). The sign of YHVH’s covenant with Abraham was circumcision (see the commentary on Genesis El – God’s Covenant of Circumcision with Abraham). The sign of ADONAI’s covenant with Moshe was the Sabbath (see the commentary on Exodus Dn – Remember the Sabbath by Keeping It Holy). Of the Ten Commandments, only nine are found in the B’rit Chadashah. The one missing is the Sabbath because the commandments of Moses is no longer in effect, therefore the sign is no longer in effect. That’s why there is no obligation to keep Shabbat today.²⁸⁹

3. The rebellion of the first generation in the wilderness: Yet the people of Isra’el rebelled against Me in the wilderness. During their wilderness wanderings they worshiped the golden calf (see the commentary on Exodus Gq – The Golden Calf Incident), left manna until morning (see the commentary on Exodus Cs – That Evening Quail Came and Covered the Camp), tested God at Rephidim (see the commentary on Exodus Cu – Strike the Rock and Water Will Come Out of It), and committed other acts of disobedience (Number 11-16; Psalm 106:13-27). They did not follow My decrees but rejected My rulings of the Torah – by which the person who obeys them will live – and they utterly desecrated My Sabbaths (Exodus 16:27-30; Numbers 15:32-36).

Divine judgment: The tragic account of rebellion continued, so YHVH said He would pour out His wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness (Ezeki’el 20:13).

Divine mercy: But for the sake of My name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the [Gentile] nations in whose sight I had brought them out (Numbers 14:11-19; Deuteronomy 1:26-33). Yet with divine mercy there was divine discipline. YHVH said: With uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the Land I had given them – a Land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands – because they rejected My rulings, and did not live by My rulings and desecrated My Sabbaths (Numbers 14:20-35; Deuteronomy 1:34-35). The root cause for God’s discipline was that the hearts of the generation that came out of Egypt were devoted to their idols (Ezeki’el 20:15-16).

God’s provision for the first generation in the wilderness: However, I spared them from complete destruction; I did not completely finish them off in the wilderness (Ezeki’el 20:17 CJB). Even though the generation that left Egypt perished in the wilderness, their children entered the Promised Land.²⁹⁰

4. The rebellion of the second generation in the wilderness: I said to their children, the generation that was born in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices that your fathers had adopted while living in Egypt or defile yourselves with their idols. I am ADONAI your God; live by My laws, observe my rulings, and obey them, and keep My sabbaths holy; and they will be a sign between Me and you, so that you will know that I am ADONAI your God. The younger generation was not only exhorted to avoid the sins of their fathers, but to accept the way of God as that alone in which they should walk, if they were to enjoy a secure national experience. But sin for sin their children were photocopies of their fathers, and they too rebelled against Me by worshiping Ba’al at Peor (Numbers 25:1-9; Psalm 106:28-33). They did not live by My statutes or observe My rulings, to obey them, which, if a person does, he or she will have life by them; and they profaned My Shabbats. (Ezeki’el 20:18-21a).

Divine judgment: Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and spend My anger on them in the wilderness (Ezeki’el 20:21b CJB).

Divine mercy: Nevertheless, I withdrew My hand and allowed concern for My reputation to keep Me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the [Gentile] nations who had seen when I brought them out. Yet with divine mercy there was divine discipline. Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the [Gentile] nations and scatter them through the countries, because they had not obeyed My rulings but had rejected My statutes and profaned My Shabbats, and their eyes had turned toward their fathers’ idols (Ezeki’el 20:22-24 CJB). All such threats were conditional, and the meaning is that the wicked spirit that was seen in the wilderness, if continued when the nation was established in the Land, would lead to captivity and dispersion. However, the second generation was clearly warned of the possibility of a worldwide dispersion (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28-30; Ps 106:26-27).

The provision for the second generation in the wilderness: I also gave them statutes that did them no good because of the people’s stubborn hearts that choose to follow their own devices rather than the statues of God. The point here is that YHVH gave Isra’el over to perverse ways and to follow the statutes of the Gentile nations around them. This would ultimately bring on their demise and they would see the wisdom in God’s ways (Psalm 81:12; Isaiah 63:17; Ezeki’el 20:39). And I let them become defiled by going their own way – the sacrifice of every firstborn. Ha’Shem had ordained that the firstborn should be consecrated to Him (see the commentary on Exodus Cd – Consecrate To Me Every Firstborn Male). But they rejected this decree (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 18:10), so God allowed them to turn an act of consecration into an act of pollution when they sacrificed their own children to Molech. The result was that God might fill them with horror so they would know that He is God (Ezk 20:25-26 CJB).²⁹¹

5. Rebellion in the promised land: In addition to their wickedness in Egypt and the wilderness, they continued their sinning when they were in the Promised Land. Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Isra’el and say to them, “This is what Adonai ELOHIM says: Moreover, your ancestors blasphemed Me by breaking faith with Me in still another way. The word blasphemed signifies committing a cardinal sin and is interpreted in the Talmud as idolatry (Kerith. 7b). For after I had brought them into the Land, which I had raised My hand in pledge to give them, they noted all its high hills and leafy trees and offered their sacrifices there. Upon entering the Promised Land, they adopted the forms of worship practiced by the Canaanites. They made offerings that provoked My anger, there they set out sweet aromas, incense burnt upon an altar for the worship of an idol, and there they poured out their drink offerings. When I asked them, “What is this high place you go to?” They gave it the name Bamah (Ezeki’el 20:27-29). This is a play on words in the Hebrew text. Ezeki’el apparently gives the word bamah, meaning high place, a contemptuous origin that comes from the Hebrew root words ba (go) and mah (what). And it was still called Bamah in Ezeki’el’s day.

Divine judgment: ADONAI now deals with the present generation and completes the reasoning that began in Ezekiel 20:1-4 by asking certain accusing questions. Therefore, say to the elders of Isra’el, “This is what Adonai ELOHIM says: Will you defile yourselves the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images? The Hebrew requires a positive response. When you offer your gifts – the sacrifice of your children in the fire – you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Again the answer is yes. Such defilement created a barrier between them and God, which made it impossible for them to understand YHVH and His message through the prophet for their future. Am I to let you inquire of Me, you Israelites? No. As surely as I live, declares Adonai ELOHIM, I will not let you inquire of Me (Ezeki’el 20:30-31).

“You say, ‘We want to be like the Goyim, like the families of the other countries, serving wood and stone.’ But what you have in mind will never happen, you cannot be like the Gentiles” (Ezeki’el 20:32). God may permit other countries to worship wood and stone, but He has a covenant relationship with Isra’el. So when Isra’el does this she will be under divine judgment, the judgment of an adulteress.²⁹²

The LORD’s mercy and provision for Isra’el will come to an end because of their stubborn, unrepentant hearts continuing to sin, and this will result in the fall of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon.

Isra’el’s History of Rebellion
Ezeki’el 20: 1-49

The tenth of Ab, 591 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The scene in 20:1-49 is a reply to some of the elders who came to the prophet to inquire about the ultimate fate of Jerusalem and perhaps also to request that he might invoke God’s mercy to annul His decree regarding the impending destruction of Judah. On divine authority Ezeki’el replies that the tragic fate of Jerusalem was irrevocable, for the same stubbornness and disobedience to the Torah that characterized their ancestors in Egypt, the wilderness and the Land were still prevalent among their fellow citizens.

Idolatry in the Temple
Ezeki’el 8: 1-18

Idolatry in the Temple DIG: Where is Ezeki’el when the vision begins? To what city is he taken? By whom? In each of Ezeki’el’s four visions, or four scenes, he is shown a part of the Temple. What about each scene is “more detestable” than the one before? What evil does he sense, as if for the first time? What is the prior history of the provocative idol (Second Kings 21:7, 23:6; Second Chronicles 33:15)? Given that Tammuz is a Babylonian fertility god, and that smelling branches is a form of nature worship, why do you think God was displeased with the actions as Ezeki’el saw them? What do these actions reveal about what some Israelites really believed?

REFLECT: The idol that made YHVH jealous kept reappearing in the Temple. What idol has the tendency to reappear in your heart? What can you do to keep it out? The actions Ezeki’el saw were typical of Judah’s neighbors. Which actions of the people around you do you tend to imitate if you aren’t careful? If ADONAI were allowed to look through “a hole in the wall” of your heart and mind, what would He see there? What can you do about anything there that displeases the LORD?

The month of Elul, or September 17, 592 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Scene One: In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah in Babylon were sitting before me (Ezeki’el 8:1a). The rabbis teach that this was the beginning of the synagogue. It had been one year and two months since Ezeki’el was first called to prophesy. YHVH had been silent for all that time, so Ezeki’el had been silent for a year and two months. When Ezeki’el spoke, it was because God was speaking, when Ezeki’el was silent, it is because God was silent. That’s the way it would be for the first seven-and-a-half years of his prophetic ministry until he heard the report of Jerusalem’s fall. Ezeki’el had been told to lie on one side or the other for 430 days so as to put the sins of the house of Isra’el and the house of Judah on himself (Ezeki’el 4:4-8). Therefore, this vision of the idolatry in the Temple and the departure of the Sh’khinah glory came to him near the end of the time he was lying on his side in bed. The four symbolic actions in view of the people (Ezeki’el Chapters 4 and 5) created the necessary attention to show the exiles that they would not be returning to Y’hudah any time soon; Jerusalem was destined for destruction. The elders of Judah were then at his bedside listening to what he had to say.

At that time, the hand of Adonai ELOHIM fell on Ezekiel and the Sh’khinah glory suddenly reappeared in the same form he saw at his calling (to see link click Er – Ezeki’el’s First Vision). I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be His waist down He was like fire, and from there up His appearance was as bright as glowing metal, the visible manifestation of God’s presence (Ezeki’el 8:1b-2).

He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The noun for hair is tsitsith used of the fringe in the corner of the garment (Numbers 15:38). The Ruach ha-Kodesh lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God He took me to Jerusalem. He was transported in spirit, not body, to the City of David, to the Temple itself to see the idolatry that was going on there. That he did not actually leave Babylon is clear from Ezekiel 11:24. He was carried back to Babylon in spirit after the visions were completed (Ezeki’el 11:22-25). What followed was not a description of deeds done sometime in Isra’el’s ancient past, but a retrospective survey of Y’hudah’s spiritual depravity. Ezekiel saw conditions as they existed in his day at that very hour (Ezk 8:2-3a).

The prophet was taken to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court wall of the Temple, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. It appears Ezeki’el was set down in the outer court in front of the north gate leading to the inner court. And there before me was the Sh’khinah glory of the God of Isra’el, as in the vision I had seen in the plain. Then the Holy Spirit said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy (Ezeki’el 8:3b-5). It was probably an idol of the goddess Asherah set up by Manasseh (Second Kings 21:7). The idol was destroyed by Josiah (Second Kings 23:6), but evidently set up again after his death. It was called the idol of jealousy because it provoked Ha’Shem to jealousy (Ezeki’el 5:13, 16:38 and 42; 36:6; 38:19; Exodus 20:5).

The reason that idols are not to be worshiped is that ADONAI is a jealous or zealous God (Exodus 20:4-6), and their idolatry is looked upon as spiritual adultery. The Hebrew term qanna’ combines the two concepts of jealousy and zeal (not envy or suspicion).²⁸¹ So zeal, or zealousness, meaning a passionate devotion to, would be a better term to use than jealous, which has negative, even petty connotations. So idolatry would cause God’s zeal to burn like a husband’s zealousness would burn against an unfaithful wife (Hosea 2:2-5). Because God and Isra’el are viewed as married, Isra’el is viewed as the wife of ADONAI (Deuteronomy 5:1-3, 6:10-15, 7:6-11; Isaiah 54:1-8, 62:4-5; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezeki’el 16:8; Hosea 2:14-23). For that very reason, the Israelites should not have worshiped other gods. God has a right to be zealous over what is rightfully His. So this was not a petty jealousy, but a righteous zealousness.²⁸²

A sweeping contrast is seen between the idol that provokes to jealousy and the glory of the God of Isra’el; the God who had chosen her in love, who should have been worshiped instead of the idol in the Temple. The north gate was also called the gate of the altar because animals were brought through that gate to be sacrificed on the bronze altar (Leviticus 1:11). At the gate of the altar, in the place where acceptable sacrifices should have been brought in, Ezeki’el saw the idol that provokes to jealousy. The worshipers were probably prostrating themselves before it. As grievous as their actions were, the prophet was told that they were performing even greater abominations, such as ultimately would drive the visible presence of the LORD from their midst (Ezeki’el 10 and 11). Previous sins had expelled the northern kingdom of Isra’el from their land; now YHVH warned those in the southern kingdom of Judah that He also would no longer tolerate their spiritual adultery.²⁸³

The Sh’khinah came to live with Isra’el when the Tabernacle was finished (see the commentary on Exodus Hh – The Glory of the LORD Filled the Tabernacle), and until this time had dwelt in the Most Holy Place (see the commentary on Exodus Fs – The Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace). Later, the Shekinah was transferred to the Temple after Solomon built it. And said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing – the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from My Sanctuary? It was bad enough that idolatry was being practiced on every high hill and under every green tree throughout the Land, but to bring it into the very Temple compound itself was the last straw. So here the prophet got his first hint at what he was about to see, the departure of the Sh’khinah glory from the Temple. As bad as that might be, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh told Ezeki’el, “You will see things that are even more detestable” (Ezeki’el 8:6).

Scene Two: Then He brought me to the entrance to the court and was shown the worship of Egyptian gods. I looked, and saw a hole in the wall. He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there. And He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” So I went and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls were essentially Egyptian deities, all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Isra’el (Ezeki’el 8:7-10). Most of them considered unclean under Isra’el’s dietary laws. The Hebrew word that Ezekiel uses for idols here is gillul, meaning pellets of dung. He uses it 38 times beginning in 6:4. That’s what he thinks about those gods.

The scene reminds us of the Egyptian burial chambers, the walls of which were covered with brilliantly painted images of deities in animal form, including Anubis, the jackal-headed god who weighed the souls of the dead. Egyptian influence was pervasive in Judah after the death of Josiah, beginning with his successors Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, who ruled as an Egyptian puppet. But even after the crushing defeat of the Egyptians at Carchemish in 605 BC, there was a strong pro-Egyptian party at the court of the Jewish king who looked for Egypt to back Judah against the new Babylonian conquerors. And, in fact, an Egyptian army succeeded in temporarily raising the siege of Jerusalem, thus giving rise to the hope of deliverance that proved to be short-lived (see Fm – Jeremiah in Prison).²⁸⁴

In front of them stood seventy of Judah’s leading citizens, and Jaazaniah, the fourth son of Shaphan (apparently their leader) was standing among them. Shaphan was a faithful scribe who read to the king Josiah the newly discovered book of Deuteronomy (2 Kings 22:3; Yirmeyahu 29:3, 36:10, 39:14). Shaphan had three other sons who were just as faithful as Jeremiah himself. They were among the few who were pro-Jeremiah. But here, Jaazaniah was the one black sheep in the family.

Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising. They were secretly worshiping false idols right within the Temple compound. He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Y’hudah are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? Thus, the spiritual adultery being practiced by those leading laity leaders was probably aimed at enlisting the support of Egyptian deities, which of course also implied the loss of confidence in the God of Isra’el and His power to act on their behalf.

They said: ADONAI does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the Land. They hide their abominable practices from the public eye, but have no scruples about violating the Torah of God, believing that He is not interested in the affairs of mankind. Moreover, the evils that had taken place against Judah proved that He had abandoned His people and the Land. They would not take responsibility for their own sin. Their reasoning that if God had not left the Land, surely He would have saved them from the Babylonian invaders. The prophet stood observing the strange scene taking place within the supposedly sacred Temple compound. As he stood there, the divine voice again said: You will see them doing things that are even more detestable (Ezeki’el 8:11-13). It was as if the Ruach was saying, “Look at what they’re doing . . . and they think they can’t be seen. And if you think this is bad, wait until you see what happens next!”

Scene Three: Again Ezeki’el was transported, and the Holy Spirit brought him to the inner court and the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw Jewish women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz. The worship of Tammuz was nature worship. Among the Sumerians and Babylonians he was known as Dumuzi, who was the faithful son of Ishtar. Among the Greeks he was known as Adonis. He is the god of spring vegetation, who died in the winter and descended into the underworld. During that time his followers would weep, mourning his death, which included cultic prostitution. In the spring, however, Tammuz would emerge victorious from the underworld and bring with him the life-giving rains. He was the god of regeneration. The Israelites worshiped the false god of regeneration and worshiped the One True God of regeneration. The worship of the true Giver of rain had been replaced by the debased worship of a pagan deity. The worship of the Creator was replaced by the worship of the cycles of creation that YHVH had established.²⁸⁵ He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this” (Ezeki’el 8:14-15).

Scene Four: Then the Spirit transported Ezeki’el to the inner court of ADONAI’s house. This was an area that only the priests could go, but since he was a priest (Ezeki’el 1:3), he was able to enter. The way the Temple was constructed, if you looked out of the gate you would be facing east. As you walked into the Holy Place and further into the Most Holy Place you would be facing west. But the pagans, who worshiped the sun, built their temples facing east. The uniqueness of the Temple of the LORD was that it was facing west, in the opposite direction.

And there at the entrance to the Temple, between the portico and the [bronze] altar where the sacrifices were offered, were about twenty-five men. They represented the twenty-four Levitical priestly courses (First Chronicles 24:4-5) with the high priest at their head, which made twenty-five key priests. The apostasy of the laity and of the women had already been noted; now it is revealed in the ranks of the priesthood. Like priest . . . like people. But these priests were facing the east! With their backs toward the Temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east (Ezeki’el 8:16). That meant they had turned their backs on ADONAI and were bowing down in submission and worship to the sun. This directly violated God’s command (Deuteronomy 4:19). Worst of all, these were the priests of the people!

Five years later, and only one year before the destruction of the Temple, YHVH spoke through His prophet Jeremiah, saying: The Israelites have turned their backs on Me and not their faces; though I taught them persistently through My Torah, but they would not listen or respond to discipline. They set up their vile images in the house that bears My Name and defiled it (Jeremiah 32:33-4). The stage was set for judgment.

The announcement of judgment: Then the Ruach Ha’Kodesh said to Ezeki’el, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Because their worship of the LORD had deteriorated, that led to unintended consequences. YHVH would not allow the rebellion to continue. The Land was filled with violence and God was continually angered. Look at them putting the branch to their nose. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the TaNaKh) translates this verse as mocking God. It was recognized as an obscene gesture toward Ha’Shem. Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. It will be judgment without mercy. Although they shout in my ears, by that point, I will not listen to them” (Ezeki’el 8:17-18).²⁸⁶ Their prayers will bring back nothing but the echoes of their own words.

The False Prophet Hańaniah
Jeremiah’s Seventh Symbolic Action
28: 1-17

The false prophet Hańaniah DIG: When does Hańaniah predict that the yoke of Babylon will fall? Do you hear sincerity or sarcasm? Optimism or opportunism? Likewise, what tone in Yirmeyahu’s voice do you hear in 28:6? Why is it easier to be a prophet of doom than a prophet of peace (28:7-9)? What does Hańaniah do to illustrate his prophecy? How long had Yirmeyahu been wearing it? Why do you think he leaves rather than arguing his case? What does the new message to Hańaniah mean? How does Jeremiah show he is a true prophet of God?

REFLECT: As with alleged prophets for ancient Isra’el, today’s political advisors also give opposing advice, often to protect their vested interests. How do you know whom to believe? What political opinion have you recently changed? Why? Is it often easier to say something positive (as Hańaniah did) rather than the truth (as Jeremiah did)? Are you optimistic or pessimistic about future prospects where you live? What shapes your outlook? What role does your faith play in that?

In the fifth month Ab or August in 593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The one main point to the seventh symbolic action (what might be called a parable in action)
is that Yirmeyahu’s prophecy was true. King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians
would indeed conquer Y’hudah, Yerushalayim and the Temple.

In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Y’hudah, the counterfeit prophet Hańaniah (whose name means YHVH has been gracious) son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon (one of the priestly cities further north of Anathoth), said to me in the Temple in the presence of the priests and all the people (28:1). The rabbis teach that Hańaniah’s false prophecy arose from a groundless deduction. Having heard Yirmeyahu prophesy the downfall of Elam (to see link click Eh – A Message Concerning Elam), a satellite of Babylon, he wrongly concluded that the prophecy would also apply with even greater force to Babylon. Nothing is known of him beyond what is recorded here. He seems to have been the prophetic model. He used all the right language, including the messenger formula (Thus says ADONAI), and the use of the divine name ADONAI-Tzva’ot, and also performed symbolic acts (28:10).

Hańaniah’s False Prophecy: This what Hańaniah wrote in the prophetic perfect referring to the future (1) “I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. (2) Within two years I will bring back (shuwb) to this place all the articles of ADONAI’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. (3) I will also bring back (shuwb) to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,” declares the LORD, “for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon” (28:2-4). Blinded by his false pride, Hańaniah was blinded by the real facts.

Jeremiah’s Response: Then the prophet Yirmeyahu replied to the prophet Hańaniah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the Temple. Jeremiah said: Amen! May ADONAI do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Temple and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. It was as if Jeremiah was saying, “I wish that was so, but don’t forget this.” However, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people (28:5-7).

Jeremiah appealed to the test of the prophets. Hananiah’s words could only be tested through the passage of time. It was though Yirmeyahu anticipated Gamaliel, who counselled: If this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them. You will only find yourselves fighting against God (Acts 5:38-39). Jeremiah continued: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. This was exactly Jeremiah’s message. The only proof of a prophet’s truthfulness would be the fulfillment of his words (Deuteronomy 18:14-22). But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true (28:8-9).

Jeremiah was still wearing his yoke of a crossbar and straps (see Eq – Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar: Jeremiah’s Sixth Symbolic Action). But Hańaniah was convinced that he was right. The false prophet went up to Yirmeyahu, took the yoke off of his neck and broke it. Then he said before all the people, “This is what ADONAI says: In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years (28:10-11a). At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way, probably feeling it would be necessary to let future events justify his prophecy (28:11b). Yirmeyahu didn’t need to say anything here, because the next two years would prove who was the true prophet and who was the false prophet. But more than that, God had not told Yirmeyahu anything to say, and the prophet never spoke on his own.

ADONAI’s Response: Unfortunately, it was far easier to break a symbolic yoke than it was to override YHVH’s tough verdict or to break the reality of Babylon’s power. Shortly after the false prophet Hańaniah had broken the yoke off the neck of God’s messenger, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah to verify his message. When Hańaniah broke the wooden yoke, he was only imposing a heavier yoke upon all the people. Go and tell Hańaniah, “This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals” (28:12-14). All this contradicts Hańaniah’s phony, self-serving prophecy.

The close of Yirmeyahu’s words to Hańaniah involves a play on words. Then Ha’Shem raised the ante and speaking through Jeremiah said to the fake prophet, “Listen, Hańaniah! The LORD did not send you to prophesy, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, you are a false prophet. This is what ADONAI says: I am about to send you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD (28:15-16). And rebellion against ADONAI’s anointed is rebellion against ADONAI. The Torah declared: But a prophet who presumes to speak in My name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death (Deut 18:20, also see 13:15).

Two months later, in the seventh month of that same year, Tisri, or October (28:1), Hańaniah the counterfeit prophet died (28:17). He who predicted deliverance in two years, died in two months (Second Kings 1:17, 7:19-20, 8:10-15). There is no record of how he died; remarkably, God is not made the subject of his death.

The phenomenon of false prophecy did not come to an end with Hańaniah. False prophets plagued later prophets (Ezekiel 13; Zechariah 13:2-6). Comparable issues regarding the truth of prophecy were anticipated by Jesus and experienced by the messianic community at the festival of Shavu’ot (Acts 2:1-41). They included the development of various criteria, especially in view of the confession regarding Messiah and matters relating to the end times (Mt 7:15-16, 24:11 and 24; Mark 13:22; Lk 6:26; Acts 13:6; First Thess 5:3; 1 John 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1; Rev 16:13, 19:20, 20:10). So it has been in every age since. There have always been those who have claimed to speak a word from God, like Harold Camping of Family Radio in America who predicted the end of the world three times in 1988, 1994 and finally on October 21, 2011! The faithful believers of every age have had to struggle with issues of discernment since Jeremiah’s confrontation with the false prophet Hańaniah.²⁸⁰

Ezeki’el’s Call to Be a Prophet
Ezeki’el 1:28b to 3:3

Ezeki’el’s call to be a prophet DIG: Why do think God wanted Ezeki’el to stand on his feet rather than be face down before Him? What do you think ADONAI intends by repeatedly (93 times in the entire scroll) calling him “Son of man?” Addressed in his human weakness, where does Ezeki’el get the strength to comply with God’s request (Ezeki’el 2:2, 3:8, 12 and 14)? To whom does Ha’Shem send Ezeki’el to prophesy? What are they like? Why might Ezeki’el be afraid to take on this impossible assignment (Ezeki’el 3:6-7)? How does God console Him (Ezeki’el 2:6-7, 3:1-3, 8 and 12)?

REFLECT: As you review your life’s work, have you ever been aware of any special calling or seemingly overwhelming task ‘from the Lord? What about God stands out to you in the call to Ezeki’el?

July 31, 593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Visionary experiences often accompanied the call to prophecy in Isra’el. Several prophetic books are introduced by visions (Isaiah, Obadiah, Nahum and Habakkuk), while others are presented as the words that Amos, Micah and Habakkuk saw in a vision. Ezeki’el belongs to a particular type, exemplified also in the ninth-century Micaiah ben Imlah (First Kings 22:19-23) and Isaiah of Zion (Isaiah 6), in which the designated one is sent out from the heavenly sphere as a messenger for the performance of a particular task.²⁷⁸

The call of Ezeki’el to be a prophet: When Ezeki’el saw the appearance of the Sh’khinah glory (to see link click Er – Ezeki’el’s First Vision), awestruck, he fell on his face and heard the voice of someone speaking from the throne above the expanse, which was above the cherubim, which was above the wheels (Ezeki’el 1:28b CJB). He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet and I will speak to you” (Ezeki’el 2:1). The Hebrew expression son of man (ben-‘adam) appears 93 times in Ezeki’el. Outside of the scroll of Ezeki’el, this particular expression is only found once in Dani’el 8:17. So every time that expression is used in the TaNaKh, with that one exception, it is used in Ezeki’el.

The expression son of man emphasizes mankind in his weakness; in his frailty, in contrast to YHVH. Messiah used the titles, Son of man and Son of God. They were contrasting titles, one emphasizing His humanity and the other His deity. Yeshua’s own title for Himself in the B’rit Chadashah was the Son of man, which emphasized that He came in mortal form, capable of dying, capable of feeling pain, capable of feeling the effects of the fall (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Co – Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man). So both in the TaNaKh and in the New Covenant the expression son of man emphasizes man in his weakness and frailty.

However, in the TaNaKh the expression son of man, as such, never became a messianic title. In fact, only in the Jewish writings of the four hundred year intertestamental period, do we find son of man used as a messianic title. So once we get into the New Covenant writings, when Jesus uses the expression Son of man in its messianic sense, it was well established in the Judaism of His day.

The voice that spoke from the throne issued a command. As He spoke, the Ruach ha-Kodesh came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard Ha’Shem speaking to me (Ezeki’el 2:2). Here we have an example of the ministry of the Spirit of God in the TaNaKh, where He did indwell some people. There are many things that the Ruach does in both Covenants, such as regeneration. The Ruach ha-Kodesh indwells people in both Covenants, but there is a distinction. In the B’rit Chadashah the Holy Spirit indwells all believers without exception (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith), but in the TaNaKh the Ruach indwelt only some believers, those He was going to call to a specific mission. Another contrast is that New Covenant believers are indwelt forever (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer), while the Holy Spirit would come and go in the righteous of the TaNaKh. So when David prayed to God: Do not cast me from Your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me (Psalm 51:11), it was a valid prayer. Therefore, the indwelling of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh was necessary for Ezeki’el to receive the prophetic office because we know for prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were [inspired] by the Holy Spirit (Second Peter 1:21). Ezeki’el was then ready to receive revelation from ADONAI.

The kind of people Ezeki’el was being sent to: He said: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who formed the southern Kingdom. I am sending you to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against Me; they and their ancestors have rebelled against Me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are shameless and stubborn. Say to them, “This is what Adonai ELOHIM says.” As a prophet, Ezeki’el spoke the words of Adonai ELOHIM (the Sovereign LORD). He used this title of God 217 times. Elsewhere in the TaNaKh it occurs only 103 times. This name stresses both YHVH’s sovereign authority and His covenant-keeping faithfulness.

And whether they listen or fail to listen – for they are a rebellious people – they will know, in the course of time, that a prophet has been among them (Ezeki’el 2:3-5). And how will they know it? By means of fulfilled prophecy. Ezeki’el would pass the standard test of a prophet provided for in Deuteronomy 18:14-22. Now any prophet could give prophecies that were hundreds of years in the future. He won’t be around by then to be held accountable if his prophecies fail. But it is a different matter altogether if a prophecy is to be fulfilled in the next several months or years because more than likely the prophet would be around to answer if those prophecies were not fulfilled. Ezeki’el did not only give far eschatological prophecies, but he also gave near historical prophecies that would be fulfilled sooner rather than later. And once his near historical prophecies came true on a consistent basis, they would know that a prophet was among them. So while Ezeki’el was initially rejected, he was eventually accepted as a true prophet.

This is not a great way to send someone off to a ministry. Give him the word, but don’t forget . . . nobody’s going to listen to you! Don’t expect great numbers to flock to hear you. Far too many times today, people use numerical growth as the test of a successful ministry. That is a fallacy. Because that is not a promise ADONAI gave to prophets of the TaNaKh nor the apostles of the B’rit Chadashah. If we go on the basis of numerical growth as being a sign of divine favor, then we should give credit to many of the cults. We should not be against numerical growth, but we should not assume that numerical growth by itself is a sign of God’s favor. A far greater blessing is seeing those few who believe and grow in the knowledge of the LORD.

After telling Ezeki’el not to count on much success with this rebellious people, God says: And you, son of man, no matter what they say to you, do not be afraid of them or their words. The prospects were not glamorous. There would be discomfort and danger. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Hardly enticing. For the third time Ha’Shem declares: Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people. You must speak My words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are most rebellious (Ezeki’el 2:6-7). The point He was making is that they will not hear since they are most rebellious. But his witness must be borne even if the environment is totally inhospitable, in the conviction that in some way, at some time, its value will bear spiritual fruit. Is this not so for us today?

Eat this scroll: After being told not to be afraid of the rebellious people to whom he was being sent, Ezeki’el is given a warning. Listen to what YHVH has to say and not be rebellious himself. Don’t be rebellious like that rebellious people. Don’t reflect the same kind of attitude toward the word of God that the nation of Isra’el is reflecting. He was not to object to his calling as Moshe did (see the commentary on Exodus Ap – The Call of Moses), or as Jeremiah did (see Aj – The Call of Jeremiah). Instead, Ezeki’el was expected to accept his calling and follow through with it. But you, son of man, listen to what I say to you. Do not rebel like that rebellious people (Ezeki’el 2:8a).

Open your mouth and eat what I give you. Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which He unrolled before me. Basically, this scroll contained within it the prophecies that Ezeki’el was supposed to foretell. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe (Ezeki’el 2:8b-10). Normally scrolls were not written on this way; the inside was written on and the outside was blank. But Ezeki’el was given a scroll that was written on both sides. Every available space on that scroll was completely full. There was no room for Ezeki’el to write his own words. And the point that is being made here, and would be made clear in Ezeki’el 3:16-27, is that Ezeki’el was to speak nothing but the words of YHVH.

One thing to remember is that the words of the prophets were not always necessarily inspired. They were inspired only when they were prophesying the true words of God. An example of this is the story of David when he was thinking about building a Temple for ADONAI. He was discussing this with Nathan the prophet. David asked Nathan what he thought of the idea, and the prophet thought it was a great idea. Go ahead and build the Temple. However, God did not inspire those words. It was his own personal opinion. But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan. Go back to David and tell him not to build the Temple. I’ve got someone else in mind. So Ezeki’el was only to speak the words of God.

As Ezeki’el looked at the scroll, he saw its content was made up of three things: lament, mourning and woe. The prophet’s ministry was going to be about the destruction of the southern kingdom of Judah: the fall of Jerusalem, the burning of the Temple and the exile. And He said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Isra’el.” The word eat is emphatic. The words of God must first be digested . . . then prophesied to the people of Isra’el. Ezeki’el was obedient. So I opened my mouth, and He gave me the scroll to eat. Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it. So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth (also see Jeremiah 15:16 and Revelation 10:9-11) because it contained the words of God.²⁷⁹

Ezeki’el’s First Vision
Ezeki’el 1: 1-28a

Ezeki’el’s first vision DIG: When Ezeki’el sees this vision, where was he? Why was he there? How old was he then? How long had he been there? Why couldn’t he perform the duties of a priest? What new career had “opened up” to him instead? How do you think the previous five years in exile had prepared Ezeki’el, emotionally and spiritually, for his new ministry? What does Ezeki’el see? Hear? What aspects of God’s nature are revealed? How does Ezeki’el react to this multi-sensory experience? What must Ezeki’el have felt?

REFLECT: God obviously has Ezeki’el’s attention: What does God have to do to get your attention? The way ADONAI reveals Himself to you will differ radically from Ezeki’el’s “special effects” version. Why is that? Are feelings the engine or the caboose in your relationship with the Lord? Why was Ezeki’el’s vision unique, unlike yours? What “light” do we have today that Ezeki’el didn’t have then? What aspects of God’s nature revealed here appeal to you the most? Which disturb you? Why? What is your bottom-line response to Ezeki’el’s God?

July 31, 593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

There are scenes in our lives, a sunset, children asleep, a sporting event, or a battlefield that seem indescribable. Yet we somehow find ourselves trying to describe them nonetheless. The same dilemma is true in much of religious life and experience. There are things that ultimately defy the capacity of human speech for description, yet somehow they must be described and written. The vision of Ezeki’el was like this. The vision was above all an experience, initially not based upon speech, but upon sight and sound. We cannot share the vision; we can only read the description, fully aware that the limiting words cannot do justice to the awesome power of the experience itself.²⁷³

In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, I was among the exiles by the Kebar River (Ezeki’el 1:1a). Ezeki’el was thirty years old when he began his priestly ministry (Numbers 4:3). Denied the ministry of priesthood because he was in exile and there was no Temple in which to minister, Ezeki’el received another commission – that of a prophet. And the heavens were opened. He received this revelation from God in four distinct ways. First, the heavens were opened. With the possible exception of Isaiah 6:1, this is the only time in the whole TaNaKh were the heavens were opened for someone to see what was going on. Isaiah 6:1 also records the fact that the prophet also saw YHVH sitting upon a throne. In the B’rit Chadashah we see it four times (Matthew 3:16; John 1:51; Revelation 4:1 and 19:11). And I saw visions of God (Ezeki’el 1:1b). This is the second way Ezeki’el received revelation from ADONAI.

The rabbis call this the merkavah, or the vision of the divine chariots. The main feature of the merkavah drawn from the four-faced living cherubim was their mobility. This explains the wheels of Ezeki’el’s vision. Isaiah saw no wheels in his vision of the divine throne (Isaiah 6:1-7) or in any vision by any other prophet. Today the ma’aseh merkavah, or the work of the chariot, has become the central theme for all Jewish mysticism.

On the fifth of the month – it was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin – Ezeki’el received revelation from the LORD in a third way: the word of God came expressly (the Hebrew here is emphatic) to Ezeki’el the priest (or a member of the tribe of Levi), the son of Buzi, by the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians. There were several reasons that the rabbis had problems with this book. The rabbinic concept was that any prophet would have to receive his call in the land of Isra’el. He could prophecy outside that Land, but needed to receive his call in the Land. Yet it is clear that Ezeki’el received his call outside Judah, in the land of the Babylonians (Ezeki’el 1:2-3a).

This vision occurred in a most appropriate time, because in that year patriots in Jerusalem and some exiles in Babylon were planning a plot against the Babylonian invader. Ezeki’el, like Jeremiah, saw in this movement a rebellion against YVHV’s judgment and therefore a threat to the national existence of Isra’el. During the critical years that preceded the fall of Tziyon, Ezeki’el’s messages were in the nature of exhortations against this dangerous policy and a prediction of the final fall of Zion.

The fourth way the revelation came to him was that the hand of the LORD was upon him (Ezeki’el 1:3b). This phrase always signifies a miraculous working of God’s power. It emphasizes a gripping. Ezeki’el was gripped by the power and the influence of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. The spirit of prophecy overwhelmed the prophet like the grasp of a mighty hand. And because of that gripping he became a conduit of divine revelation and was about to write Scripture that is without error.

Ezeki’el declares that his thirtieth year, in other words, he was thirty years old on the fifth year of the exile. We know this because he mentions his profession as being a priest. When a Levite reached his thirtieth year he would begin functioning in his priestly office (Numbers 4:23, 30, 39 and 43). Ezeki’el was taken into captivity in the second deportation at the age of twenty-five (to see link click Du – Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC). As a result of this, there was no Jewish Temple in Babylon so he could not function as a priest; consequently, on the very day he would have started his priestly ministry, he was given a prophetic ministry. Now we have the vision of the Sh’khinah glory (see the commentary on Isaiah Ju – The Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You).

The four living creatures: The vision begins in physical reality and quickly transcends into spiritual reality. I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north – an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light (Ezeki’el 1:4a). It came out of the north because that’s where judgment comes for Judah as seen in Jeremiah 1:14. Although Babylon was east of Isra’el, the attacks always came from the north. Ezeki’el also saw an immense cloud that when used symbolically, pictures God’s glory. In fact, all these symbols used here were seen earlier on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19 and 20) to describe the visible manifestation of the LORD’s presence in the form of the Sh’khinah glory .

The center of the fire looked like glowing metal (Ezeki’el 1:4b). This word is only used three times in the book (Ezeki’el 1:4, 27 and 8:2). In Modern Hebrew it is a very common word used for electricity. But here it is likely a combination of two Hebrew words meaning the glowing of God. Consequently, Ezeki’el saw the glowing of YHVH Himself. The rabbis were hesitant to identify what this glowing metal was. So there was much speculation. The most common theory was that it was an angel. But because there was so much foolish speculation among rabbinic talmidim, the rabbis tried to discourage it. So they came up with this story. “A talmid was speculating on the identification of the glowing metal, and suddenly a fire came out of the glowing metal and consumed him.” The prophet identified this vision of the Shekinah glory seven different times in his scroll (Ezeki’el 1:28; 3:12 and 23; 8:4; 9:3; 10:4 and 18-19; 11:23-23; 43:4-5) so we don’t have to speculate and come up with stories about spaceships. We know exactly what it was.

And in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human. This is their most prominent feature; they tend to look human to some degree. Only later are these four living creatures identified as cherubim (Ezeki’el 10:15 and 20). In early Israelite poetry, cherubs are associated with YHVH, who drives His chariot across the sky (Psalm 18:10 and 68:4, 17-18). More to the point, they are associated with the ark, represented as a mobile throne, bearer of ADONAI-Tzva’ot, who is present above the cherubim (First Samuel 4:4). In the present context the basic idea is mobility, and it is intended to explain how the LORD, at home in the Jerusalem Temple, can now appear in the Babylonian exile.²⁷⁴

But each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze, which is a symbol of judgment in the TaNaKh. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. So there are four living creatures, each one is facing outward forming a square; no matter which way they went one of the cherubim was always facing forward and their wings gave them easy mobility (Ezeki’el 1:5-9).

Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had human faces [the most prominent in front], each of the four had a lion’s face on the right, each of the four had an ox’s face on the left, and each of the four had an eagle’s face [toward the rear]. Such were their faces on one head. They each had two wings spreading out and upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side, forming a united front with a hollow square in the middle; and each had two other wings covering its body, emphasizing their humility in the presence of God (Ezeki’el 1:10-11).

The rabbis teach that humans are exalted among creatures; the eagle is exalted among birds; the ox is exalted among domestic animals; the lion is exalted among wild beasts; and all of the have received dominion, and greatness has been given to them, yet they are below the chariot of the Holy One (Midrash R Shemoth).

Each one went straight ahead since each creature had a face in the appropriate direction. Wherever the spirit of life would go, they would go. They followed the spirit of life, coming from God, as one unit wherever it went. As God commands, then they move without turning. They didn’t need to turn because they have four human faces facing in each direction. As they move, the appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches (Genesis 15:17). This fire in the hollow square in the middle of the cherubim moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. Burning coals of fire are used two ways in the TaNaKh: judgment and purification (Isaiah 6), but Ezeki’el uses it in the sense of judgment here. Then the prophet emphasizes their speed. The creatures constantly sped back and forth like flashes of lightning (Ezeki’el 1:12-14). The wind, cloud and fire are all symbols of the Shekinah glory (Psalms 18:8-13; Habakkuk 3; Jeremiah 4:11-13).

The wheels of Ezeki’el: The wheels made contact between the cherubim and the earth. As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. So Ezeki’el saw four wheels, one beside each cherub. This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel at a right angle. That’s why they can move in any direction without turning. There are two wheels at right angles. As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not change direction as the creatures went. Their rims were high and terrifying, and all four rims were full of eyes all around (Ezk 1:15-18). When the Bible speaks of something or someone having eyes all around, it stresses both the omnipresence of God, He sees everything, and the omniscience of God, He knows everything.

When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose. Therefore, the spirit that moves the four living creatures also moves the four wheels. Whenever the spirit would go, they would go, and the wheels would rise along with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When the creatures moved, they also moved; when the creatures stood still, they also stood still; and when the creatures rose from the ground, because the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels (Ezeki’el 1:19-21). The spirit controlled the movement of both the cherubim and the wheels.

The expanse that looked like shining crystal: Now Ezeki’el moves his eyes upwards and begins to describe something over the cherubs. Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads (Ezeki’el 1:22 ESV). The verb underlying expanse (Hebrew: raqia) means something that is spread out, either by stretching it out like a tent (Psalm 104:2) or hammering it out like metal (Exodus 39:3), specifically, the stretching out of the earth at creation (Genesis 1:6-8, 14-15, 17 and 20; Psalm 136:6; Isaiah 42:5 and 44:24), or the spreading out of the sky (Job 37:18).²⁷⁵

This is the same crystal expanse that Yochanan saw in heaven: From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had the face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures . . . never stopped saying, “Holy, holy, holy is ADONAI Eloheinu, God of heaven’s angelic armies, the One who was, who is and who is coming” (Rev 4:5-8).

The expanse served as a platform, which was spread above the four cherubim. Under the expanse each cherub had a pair of wings spread out straight toward those of others, and each had a pair that covered his body. I heard the sound of their wings when they moved; it was like the sound of rushing water, like the voice of Shaddai, like the noise of a tumultuous crowd or army. When they stopped, they lowered their wings. Whenever there was a sound from above the expanse over their heads, they stopped and lowered their wings. Then there came a voice from above the expanse over the heads of the cherubs as they stood and lowered their wings (Ezeki’el 1:23-25). What that voice said will be told us in Chapter 2 (see Es – Ezeki’el’s Call to Be a Prophet).

The glory of ADONAI on His throne: Looking even further up above the expanse that was over their heads was something like a throne that looked like a sapphire. On it, above it, was what appeared to be a Man. This is God appearing in the form of a man. I saw what looked like gleaming, amber-colored fire radiating from what appeared to be His waist upward. Downward from what appeared to be His waist, I saw what looked like fire, giving a brilliant light all around Him. When Ezeki’el looked upward the fire appeared to be radiating upward; and when he looked downward the fire seemed to be radiating downward. Yet there was an obvious distinction between above and below. This brilliance around Him looked like a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day (Revelation 4:3). This was how the appearance of the glory of ADONAI looked. What Ezeki’el had seen was God and the Shekinah glory itself (Ezeki’el 1:16-28a).

This vision will be repeated to Ezeki’el three more times. The first time it will be given is in 3:22-23 to predict the coming siege of Jerusalem; the second time is in 8:4 to foretell a four-staged departure of the Shekinah glory; and the third time it will be repeated is in 43:1-3 to prophesy the return of the Shekinah glory in the messianic Kingdom.

But because Ezeki’el described YHVH in the form of a man, it gave the rabbis a lot of headaches. Rashi, the most famous commentator, simply wrote this, “It is not allowed to reflect on this passage.” Moses ben Maimon [known to English speakers as Maimonides and to Hebrew speakers as Rambam] (1138–1204) who was the greatest Jewish philosopher of the medieval period, was a little bit braver. In his famous book the Guide of the Perplexed, he tries to say that Ezeki’el was not really seeing God in any form when he wrote, “It is noteworthy that the likeness of the man above the throne is divided. The upper part being multicolored and the lower part being the appearance of fire. Now consider how the sages clearly stated the divided likeness of man does not represent God who is above the whole chariot, but represents a part of creation. The prophet likewise says this was the appearance of Sh’khinah glory. But Sh’khinah glory is different from ADONAI Himself. All the figures in the vision refer to the glory of the LORD to the chariot, and not to Him who rides upon the chariot. For God cannot be compared with anything” (Guide, III.7).²⁷⁶

Finally, we must not fail to learn from the geography of Ezeki’el’s vision. No less then the prophet, we tend to confine the experience of God to particular places and locations. It was one thing for Ezeki’el to know of ADONAI’s omnipresence; it was quite another thing to separate that knowledge from the deep-seated belief that God’s presence could only be experienced in the Temple in Yerushalayim. And we too cam confine YHVH’s presence to a particular place, whether it be in a messianic synagogue, a church, a city or a country.

For Ezeki’el, the experience of Ha’Shem’s presence came in a foreign land . . . Babylon. But more than that, it was a place in which neither he nor his fellow Jews expected the divine presence. Being in Babylon somehow symbolized being cut off from God. The vision that came in the whirlwind blowing down from the north forcibly reminds us that there is no place and no circumstances in which the experience of the Eternal One may be denied. Perhaps it is even true that the LORD’s presence is known at the place and in the circumstances in which it is least expected. Many centuries later, Rabbi Sha’ul expressed the experience of Ezeki’el most powerfully when (under the inspiration of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh) he wrote: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, not anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).²⁷⁷

Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar
Jeremiah’s Sixth Symbolic Action
27: 1-22

Judah to serve Nebuchadnezzar DIG: What does Jeremiah’s hand-made yoke mean (Leviticus 26:13)? How might he feel wearing this throughout Jerusalem? Whose neck was the yoke meant for? Babylon controlled Palestine and had just deported King Jehoiachin. Why, then, do the small nations meet in Yerushalayim and consult mediums? What does God think of their consultation (Deuteronomy 18:10-11)? What does Jeremiah advise? Why does he give the same message to Zedekiah? Are court prophets different than pagan mediums? Why or why not? What does that tell you about the false hope of those prophets and the people who listen to them? What hope did Yirmeyahu hold out for them instead? What sacrilegious use would Nebuchadnezzar and his heirs have for the Temple gold (Second Kings 24:12-13; Dani’el 5:1-4)? Why does Jeremiah recommend surrender to a pagan king? Why shouldn’t Zedekiah and the other king’s band together against him?

REFLECT: Ancient cultures thought of the world as run by many gods, each exercising power over a certain territory. In your world, how is ADONAI’s sphere of influence limited? Do you look to the LORD to reign over certain areas of yours but not others? When have you experienced the flight-or-fight dilemma faced by Judah in this chapter? When do you know when to fight and surrender? Do you think nations today can avoid war by obeying YHVH? Why or why not? What kind of national behavior leads God to blessing? When has Ha’Shem had to take your stuff to get your attention?

594 BC early in the reign of Zedekiah

The one main point to the sixth symbolic action (what might be called a parable in action)
is Jeremiah’s yoke and straps would be symbolic of Judah’s bondage to Babylon.

We now turn to the cluster of events in Jeremiah’s ministry that took place in 594 BC. The prelude to these events took place in Babylon in December 595 or January 594 BC. At the time there was an attempted uprising against Nebuchadnezzar by some the Babylonian military units. Nebuchadnezzar got word of it and put it down brutally. He boasted that he executed the ringleader with his own hands. But in the next few months a report of the attempt must have gotten back to Jerusalem, raising the hope that if the little states there in the west could combine forces, they might be able to throw off the domination of Nebuchadnezzar. They may also have hope for help from Egypt because a new pharaoh, Psammetichus II, had just come to the throne.²⁷¹ Therefore, there was a brazen attempt by Zedekiah to conspire with the countries around him and refuse to pay tribute to Babylon.

The message to submit to Babylon: Early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this is a technical term meaning from the beginning of the actual reign. This, then, took place sometime between the king’s accession to the throne and his regnal year. In Judah regnal years were counted from the month of Nisan of the first full year of a king’s reign. After Zedekiah began to sit on Jerusalem’s throne . . . then the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD (27:1).

This is what ADONAI said to me: Make a yoke out of a crossbar and straps and put it on your neck as a symbolic action for himself and other kings surrounding Judah (27:2). King Zedekiah had called envoys from Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon to a “summit conference” in Yerushalayim. The purpose was to plan a revolt against Babylon. Therefore, this message was sent to those kings who were in the same subservient position to Babylon as was Y’hudah.

To Jeremiah, their plan was all foolishness. He was convinced that from the moment YHVH had given Nebuchadnezzar dominion over the whole world, human beings and the animals as well, that Judah was doomed. To resist was futile. In acting his sixth symbolic action, God’s prophet followed a divine command to make a yoke of a crossbar and straps. Palestinian yokes of the time consisted of a crossbar that lay across the shoulders of the oxen, with pairs of pegs jutting down from the beam that fitted on either side of the neck of each ox and were tied by straps under the neck.²⁷²

Yirmeyahu made a yoke of pegs and straps to demonstrate that he, at least, was ready for the Babylonian king’s yoke. Then God’s prophet walked right into the summit meeting to give identical yokes to each of the envoys telling them, “This what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el says: Tell this to your masters, “With My great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I gave it to anyone I please. This language is reminiscent of the exodus, speaking of God’s sovereign, unquestioned, incomparable power. All are from YHVH. All belong to YHVH. All are accountable to YHVH. In His sovereignty, God declared: Now I will hand all your countries over to My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (5:15); I will make even the wild animals subject to him (27:3-6). This is one of the most astonishing claims in Jeremiah!

For how long will Babylon have God’s sovereign authority? Three generations. All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes. This prophecy is not permanent. It has a limit. Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson will be the last king of Babylon as we read in Dani’el 5:1-31. Then, in 536 BC, several nations and great kings (Cyrus the Persian and Darius the Mede) will subjugate him (27:7).

Even with this dire warning, however, those five kings would conspire to revolt against King Nebuchadnezzar and mighty Babylon in 594 BC (to see link click Eq – Isra’el Will Never Cease Being a Nation Before Me, declares the LORD). If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I destroy it by his hand (27:8). The choice was simple, submit or die.

So do not listen to your false prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you that you will not serve the king of Babylon. This was the exact opposite of what would prove to be true. They prophesy lies to you, and if you believe them that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. But if any nation obeys and will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that Gentile nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares ADONAI’ (27:9-11). Therefore, the nation that does not submit to Babylon would be devastated by invasion and occupation.

The message to Zedekiah: Jeremiah had a similar message for the host, King Zedekiah. Any prophets who tell you that you do not have to submit are lying. Submit! Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live. Why will you and your people die by the sword, famine and plague? What God threatened the Gentile nations with, He now threatens Judah with, if she fails to serve the king of Babylon. Zedekiah was also not to listen to the words of the prophets who say to him that he would not serve the king of Babylon, for they were prophesying lies. “I have not sent them,” declares the LORD. Judah should not resist Babylon, because God does not will such resistance. Such a fantasy will lead inevitably to disaster. “They are prophesying lies in My name. If you listen to them Zedekiah, I will banish you and you will perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you” (27:12-15).

The message to the priests and the people: In order for them to understand the seriousness of their actions, to warn them, Jeremiah twice prophesies about the complete removal of all the Temple furnishings to Babylon. Then I said to the priests and all these people, “This is what ADONAI says: Do not listen to the false prophets who say, ‘Very soon now the articles from the LORD’s house will be brought back from Babylon.’ In fact, just the opposite would happen. They are prophesying lies to you. Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this City become a ruin? If they are true prophets, which they are not, and have the word of the LORD, let them plead with ADONAI-Tzva’ot that the furnishings remaining in the Temple and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem will not be taken to Babylon” (27:16-18).

However, that was not to be the case. When Nebuchadnezzar sacked Yerushalayim a few years later, he broke up the furnishings for their metal; transporting them as trophies, an enormous task (Jeremiah 52:17; Second Kings 25:13).

While the people were commanded to listen, this word seems particularly addressed to the priests, for it concerns Temple furnishings. Jeremiah would give his own near historical prophecy: For this is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot says about the two [bronze] pillars called Jachin and Boaz (First Kings 7:15-22), the [bronze] Sea, used as a priestly wash basin which was also located at the Tempe entrance (First Kings 7:23-26; Second Chronicles 4:6), the moveable bronze stands on which the ten wash basins were mounted (First Kings 7:27-39) and the other furnishings that are left in this City, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon in the second deportation (see Du – Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC), along with all the nobles of Judah and Yerushalayim. Yes, this is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el says about the things that are left in the Temple and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Zion.

These furnishings would remain until the fall of the City of David and the third deportation when Nebuchadnezzar would destroy the Temple (see Gc – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC). Then they will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them, declares the LORD (27:19-22a). The fulfillment of this prophecy can be seen in Ezra Chapters 1-8.

Then I will bring them back (shuwb) and restore them to this place (27:22b). Cyrus the Great would eventually allow the Jews to return to Tziyon after he defeated Babylon (see the commentary on Isaiah Ia – The Deliverance by Cyrus the Great, and the commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah Ah – Cyrus Decrees: Rebuild the Temple). But it would only be after ADONAI’s judgment was completed that He would bring a remnant back to the Land.

Isra’el Will Never Cease Being a Nation Before Me,
declares the LORD
31: 35-40

Isra’el will never cease being a nation before Me, declares the LORD DIG: In what way will it be a New Covenant? What seals or secures this Covenant from God’s side? The exiles rebuilt Jerusalem after seventy years. But the City did not prove to be invincible, but was leveled again by the Romans. What then does ADONAI’s promise of eternal security for Yerushalayim really mean?

REFLECT: What does this tell us about YHVH’s character? What does this have to do with you today? If God would destroy Isra’el because of her sins, what will happen to you without a personal relationship with Yeshua Messiah? Is Isra’el insecure about her relationship with ADONAI? Are you insecure about your relationship with Him? What do you think the LORD is trying to do by inspiring Jeremiah to write these exact words? Warn Isra’el? Put their minds at ease?

595/594 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

In his fourth year, in 594 BC, Zedekiah evidently made a trip to Babylon (51:59). It may have been to disguise his loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar because that same year plans for revolt were discussed among Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon and Judah. False prophets both in Y’hudah and in these small countries were encouraging revolt.

We now turn to the cluster of events in Jeremiah’s ministry that took place in 594 BC. The prelude to these events took place in Babylon in December 595 or January 594 BC. At the time there was an attempted uprising against Nebuchadnezzar by some of the Babylonian military units. Nebuchadnezzar got word of it and put it down brutally. He boasted that he executed the ringleader with his own hands. But in the next few months a report of the attempt must have gotten back to Jerusalem, raising the hope that if the little states there in the west could combine forces, they might be able to throw off the domination of Nebuchadnezzar. They may also have hope for help from Egypt because a new pharaoh, Psammetichus II, had just come to the throne.²⁶⁹

Jeremiah continued his dream (31:26). God’s faithfulness to Isra’el is as secure as the sun rising and falling. For six thousand years He has sent the sun, moon, and stars on their daily course. For the same time there has not been one day on which the waves of the sea have ceased their constant ebb and flow. And until the end of time the same LORD will fulfill His gracious promise that Isra’el will be His covenant people.²⁷⁰

The indestructibility of Isra’el: This is what ADONAI says: He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea until its waves roar . . . ADONAI-Tzva’ot is His name. Only if these decrees vanish from My sight: declares the LORD, will the descendants of Isra’el ever cease to be a nation before Me. In other words, only if the sun stops shinning, only if the moon and the stars vanish, only if the waves of the sea disappear will Isra’el cease to exist (31:35-36). God’s love for Isra’el is indestructible. This is one of the most devastating verses for Replacement Theology in the Bible. There are those false teachers today that say that the Gentile Church has replaced Isra’el in God’s plan (see the commentary on Galatians Ak – The Hebrew Roots Movement: A Different Gospel). But nothing could be further from the truth. The context here is the descendants of Isra’el, not the Church.

The basis for the indestructibility of Isra’el is that YHVH is a covenant keeper. The New Covenant is with Yisra’el and not the Church (to see link click Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Yisra’el). The “partners” of this B’rit Chadashah are, in biblical terms, ADONAI and Isra’el. Although not a formal partner, Gentiles “participate” in the New Covenant when they make the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua, the Lord of their lives. They also “participate” as a recipient of the promised Abrahamic Covenant blessings that come through the seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:11-16). So “participation” is a better term to describe this relationship. Even though the New Covenant is made with Isra’el, it doesn’t mean that it is only for Isra’el: For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us (Ephesians 2:14 NLT). Hence, the New Covenant is one Covenant, with two participants, with Isra’el and the Church.

This is what ADONAI says: Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Isra’el because of all they have done (31:37). Then we are given more statements of impossibility. Can the heavens above be measured? No. Can the foundation of the earth be searched out? No! Only if these things can be done would God consider rejecting them. The final line of the oracle is not indifferent to Isra’el’s sins because of all they have done. It’s not that her wickedness did not give Ha’Shem cause to destroy her because her sin certainly warrants destruction. But God has made a commitment that He intends to keep for the sake of His own name. Isra’el is incapable of terminating the relationship. Only God had made the covenant, only He can nullify it . . . and He will not.

The New Jerusalem: Scripture deals with two New Jerusalem’s. First, there is the New Jerusalem, the Millennial Jerusalem of the Messianic Kingdom (see Gs – God Shows a Vision of the Millennial Temple and the commentary on Revelation Fj – My Chosen People Will Inherit My Mountains); and secondly, there is the New Jerusalem of the Eternal State (see the commentary on Revelation Fs – The Eternal Jerusalem).

The days are coming, declares the LORD. When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the nineteenth of twenty-five times that Yirmeyahu uses one of these phrases.

The days are coming, in the far eschatological future, when this City will be rebuilt for Me, declares the LORD (31:38a). This describes the geography of the New Jerusalem. The Book of Comfort (see Ek – The Book of Comfort) ends on a tremendously positive note. The rebuilt Yerushalayim of the millennium will continue on into the Eternal State (see the commentary on Revelation Fq – The Eternal State). The measuring line will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah (31:39). The measuring line is a term used in the TaNaKh as a figure of symbolizing the rebuilding of Jerusalem in the messianic Kingdom (Zechariah 2:1-13). Gareb (the Hebrew root word for leprosy) and Goah were probably both cities. They are unknown to us today, but were probably to the west of the City.

From the Tower of Hananel in the northeast near a gate called the sheep gate (Nehemiah 3:1, 12:39; Zechariah 14:10), to the Corner Gate in the northwest (Second Kings 14:13; Second Chronicles 25:23, 26:9; Zechariah 14:10). Both are mentioned in Zechariah and describe the ends of the north wall from east to west (31:38b).

The whole valley of Hinnom in the southwest where dead bodies and ashes are thrown (31:40a). The Hebrew word for ashes is greasy ashes, the fat of human sacrifice. Even the Valley of Slaughter will be made holy to the LORD (Joel 3:17; Zechariah 14:20-21). Even this unclean place will be purified by God and included in the Millennial Jerusalem.

And all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley on the southeast as far as the corner of the Horse Gate near the Temple (Second Kings 11:16; 2 Chronicles 23:15; Nehemiah 3:28), will be holy to ADONAI. The City will never again be uprooted or demolished (31:40b). The permanence of the nation requires the permanence of her capital. It is from Yerushalayim that YHVH will rule over the regathered Isra’el (Micah 4:6-8). Through His prophet, God described two characteristics of this New City.

First, it will be holy to ADONAI. When that day comes, this will be written on the bells worn by the horses, “Consecrated to ADONAI,” and the cooking pots in the house of ADONAI will be [as holy] as the sprinkling bowls before the altar. Yes, every cooking pot in Yerushalayim and Y’hudah will be consecrated to ADONAI-Tzva’ot. Everyone who offers sacrifices will come, take them and use them to stew the meat. When that Day comes, there will no longer be merchants in the house of ADONAI-Tzva’ot (Zechariah 14:20-21 CJB). The holy city of Yerushalayim and her inhabitants will set apart to the LORD who will dwell in her midst (see the commentary on Isaiah Db – The Nine Missing Articles in the Messiah’s Coming Temple).

Secondly, The City will never again be uprooted or demolished (31:40c). The ravages of war all throughout history and also during the Great Tribulation will never be experienced by Tziyon again. These verses were not fulfilled after the Babylonian Captivity ended. It is clear that holiness is not the primary characteristic of the people in Yerushalayim and Y’hudah (Malachi 1:6-14) because Zion would be destroyed again by the Romans (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD). Consequently, these promises await their fulfillment in the far eschatological future. Then the prophet finished the second part of his dream that started in Jeremiah 31:27 (see Em – The LORD Bless You, O Righteous Dwelling, O Sacred Mountain). What a blessing it is to know that the New Jerusalem will never again be demolished, but will be the permanent place for God and His People. Forever.

The Days are Coming, declares the LORD,
When I Will Make a New Covenant
with the People of Isra’el
31: 31-34

The days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Isra’el DIG: What was the Covenant God made with Abram (Genesis 15:1-21)? How does it relate to the B’rit Chadashah? Who is this Covenant made with? What was “obsolete” about this “first” covenant (Hebrews 8:6-13, 9:13-15, 10:11-18, where Jeremiah is quoted)? How is the B’rit Chadashah described by Yirmeyahu? How will the New Covenant supersede or fulfill the previous one? How did God illustrate the certainty of His preservation of the descendants of Isra’el in these verses?

REFLECT: How and when is the promise of the New Covenant put into effect (Matthew 26:28; Hebrews 9:16-18)? How would you explain the difference between the TaNaKh and the B’rit Chadashah to a friend? Which one are you living under? How do you know for sure? What is God’s part? What is yours? ADONAI’s New Covenant promises: (a) Forgiveness of sins (31:34)? (b) Freedom from the sins of the parents (30:29)? (c) Internal working of the Ruach ha-Kodesh (31:31-34)? (d) All of these? (e) Something else? What aspect means the most to you? Why?

595 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Jeremiah continued his dream (see 31:26). The prophecy reaches its greatest height in this brief passage that was given when every visible evidence of the original covenant had been destroyed. The Temple was a pathetic ruin and the Ark was no more; possibly Nebuchadnezzar carried it off to the royal museum for the entertainment of Babylon. This passage presupposes the physical return of the exiles to their home; but that was merely a pale symbol of the spiritual return that is the pulsating heartbeat of the prophecy.

ADONAI made a covenant at Sinai (Deuteronomy Chapters 28-30). Isra’el broke the covenant, as Yirmeyahu has said at considerable length. But YHVH will not be defeated. He will subject Isra’el to the cleansing fire of His discipline. In the near historical future and the far eschatological future, Yisra’el will be cleansed. The prophet expresses the idea of the LORD’s ultimate victory with the phrase New Covenant.²⁶⁶

The B’rit Chadashah comes at God’s initiative: The days are coming when I will make a New Covenant. Or could be rendered, “I have put,” the prophetic perfect; so sure of its coming, it is viewed as if it has already happened. In Hebrew it is, B’rit (Covenant) Chadashah (New). There are other places in the TaNaKh where the B’rit Chadashah is mentioned (Isaiah 55:3, 59:21, 61:8; Jeremiah 32:40, 50:5; Ezeki’el 16:60-63 and 37:26). It is also mentioned in Hebrews 8:8. The days are coming. When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the eighteenth of twenty-five times that Yirmeyahu uses one of these phrases. Here there is both near historical application and a far eschatological application.

The New Covenant is made with Isra’el: What was it that was to be new? Surely not a change of partners! No, it was made with the whole house of Yisra’el and with the house of Judah (31:31). The “partners” of the B’rit Chadashah are, in biblical terms, YHVH and Isra’el. Although not a formal partner of the New Covenant, the Gentiles in the Church “participate” when they make the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua, Lord of their lives (Ephesians 1:13-14). They also “participate” as a recipient of the promised Covenant (see below) blessings for Gentiles who have come through the Seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ. Therefore, participation would be a better term to use.

The New Covenant does not say that only Isra’el will participate in it. It says that the B’rit Chadashah is made with Yisra’el. That is different, however, from saying that the New Covenant is only for Isra’el. The Church is a mystery in the TaNaKh (Ephesians 3:2-6) and is revealed in the B’rit Chadashah. A mystery in the Bible means something that was once hidden – unknown by mankind (although known by God) – but now is revealed. Consequently, the New Covenant does not violate any statements when it includes more than was revealed in the TaNaKh.

It will not be like the Covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke My Covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares ADONAI. It was as if God was saying, “Although they violated the covenant I am faithful to it.” By Jeremiah’s day the Mosaic Covenant had long been broken. The problem was not with God’s promises, but with Isra’el’s unfaithfulness. This New Covenant, however, will not be like the Covenant with Moses, which was conditional and temporary. God said: This is the unconditional and eternal Covenant I will make with the whole house of Isra’el (In the context of Jeremiah’s writing, both the northern kingdom of Isra’el and the southern kingdom of Judah), declares the LORD (31:32-33a). The New Covenant is expressed in the summary way that was frequently used in the TaNaKh.

The B’rit Chadashah is internal: God will make a New Covenant with the house of Isra’el and with the house of Judah, which, unlike the old, will be permanent because it will be inscribed on their hearts. “I will put my Torah within them and write it on their hearts; I will be their God, and they will be My people” (31:33b CJB). It will no longer be something external to them, but so deeply ingrained in their consciousness as to be part of them. While the Covenant with Moshe spelled out the standard of God’s righteousness, it never gave any Jew the power or ability to maintain that righteousness. But Romans 6 tells us that now we have a choice not to sin. Therefore, the result will be salvation for all Isra’el (Romans 11:25-26).

That New Covenant is seen with the internal circumcision of the heart. ADONAI mentions it with little explanation in the Torah (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Fp – Restoration After Repentance), but makes it more clear in Colossians. ADONAI performed an amazing transformation in our relationship to sin. Not only did He put our old sin nature to death, but He performed a spiritual surgery called circumcision of the heart. Paul teaches us that in Yeshua you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the old sin nature, not with circumcision done by the hands of men, but the circumcision done by Messiah, having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead (Colossians 2:1-3).

This is called progressive revelation: from Genesis (se the commentary on Genesis En – For Generations to Come Every Male Who is Eight Days Old Must be Circumcised), to Deuteronomy (see my commentary on Deuteronomy Fp – Restoration After Repentance), to here in Jeremiah 30:33b, and then to Colossians 2:1-3. In each step along the way God gives us more clarity about what it means to circumcise our hearts.

When God circumcises those who trust in Him for salvation, the B’rit Chadashah teaches that something dies, something is born, and something is served. Romans tells us that our old sin nature dies (see the commentary on Romans Bs – The Application of the Messianic Mikveh). It did not merely survive the crucifixion of Messiah, it is gone forever. In addition Romans teaches us that just as Yeshua was raised to newness of life, so also are all to trust in Him – we are born again, receiving new life which we never had before. We become new creations to serve Him!

The New Covenant is applied individually: “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know ADONAI,’ for all will know Me (31:34a). It will no longer be necessary for one Jew to tell another Jew, “Know YHVH.” Why? Because every single believing Jew will know Him. At the end of the Great Tribulation, as the armies of the antichrist are closing in on Petra, and as the Jews in Jerusalem await execution for refusing the mark of the beast, the spiritual scales will fall from their eyes and they finally realize that Yeshua is the Messiah. At that time they will confess their national sin and plead for Him to return. At that time all Isra’el will be saved (Rom 11:26). Two-thirds of the Jews who entered the Tribulation will be struck down and perish; yet the one-third will be left. This third I will bring into the fire of the Tribulation; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name and I will answer them. I will say, “They are My people,” and they will say, “ADONAI is our God” (Zechariah 13:8-9).

The B’rit Chadashah will be all inclusive: from the least of them to the greatest, the young and the old, and the humble and the famous (31:34b). There will be no class distinction. All God’s children will be on His knee, as it were, and close to His heart.

The New Covenant will be based on the forgiveness of Isra’el’s sin: because I will forgive their wickedness (singular) and remember their sin (singular) no more” (31:34c). This assumes that Isra’el will recognize her sin of the rejection of Messiah and ask for forgiveness (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ). To love conditionally is against YHVH’s nature. Just as it’s against your nature to eat trees and to grow wings, it’s against God’s nature to remember forgiven sins. He tells us: I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions as far as the east is from the west, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more (Isaiah 43:25 and Psalm 103:12). You see, ADONAI is either the Eternal One of perfect grace . . . or He is not God. Grace forgets. Period. He who is perfect love cannot hold grudges. If He does, then He isn’t perfect love. And if He isn’t perfect love, you might as well stop reading this right now and go fishing because both of us are chasing fairy tales. However, I believe in His loving forgetfulness. And I believe He has a graciously terrible memory.²⁶⁷

The Church’s Relationship to the B’rit Chadashah

The Church participates in some aspects of the New Covenant, which secures the perpetuity, future conversion, and blessing of Isra’el. It secures the eternal blessedness, under the Abrahamic Covenant (see the commentary on Genesis Eg – I am the LORD, Who Brought You Out of Ur of the Chaldeans to Give You This Land), of all who believe.

Messiah’s death on the cross for sin provided the basis for the B’rit Chadashah’s implementation, and the coming of the Ruach ha-Kodesh at the feast of Shavu’ot was actually the inauguration of the New Covenant. So Yisra’el and the Church share theologically rich and important common elements, while at the same time maintaining distinct identities (see the commentary on Revelation Fi – The Government of the Messianic Kingdom). The Church experiences a preliminary and partial fulfillment of some aspects of the New Covenant. These include forgiveness of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The partial nature of this fulfillment can be seen in our sin nature.

Therefore (1) Yeshua’s identification of the cup (Matthew 26:27-28; Mark 14:23-24 Luke 22:20; First Corinthians 11:25) as a representation of the New Covenant shows us that the Covenant would take effect through His sacrificial death; (2) the writer to the Hebrews refers to Yeshua as the mediator of the B’rit Chadashah (Hebrews 8:6, 9:15, 12:24); (3) the change in the priesthood (First Peter 2:9) points to the fact that the New Covenant is now in force; and (4) Rabbi Sha’ul’s identification of himself as the minister of the B’rit Chadashah (Romans 11:13) suggests the reality of its presence. Consequently, the New Covenant clearly teaches that it is available to all who will receive it.

The inclusion of the Gentiles in the New Covenant is a bottom line blessing from the Abrahamic Covenant: And all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:3). This is substantiated by Yeshua’s statement in Matthew 26:28, when He said . . . which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. However, the Gentiles are not “partners” in the New Covenant, nor are they “the new Isra’el.” The extension of the New Covenant to the Gentiles is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise that all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through Abraham and his descendants; never that the promises to the nation of Isra’el would be transferred to the Gentiles or to the Church.

Although the New Covenant has been inaugurated, that inauguration is a partial and gradual one. Its ultimate fulfillment will not be completed until the very end of the Great Tribulation. At that time every individual Jew will be saved (Romans 11:29), and thus, the nation will be saved. As a result, some of the portions of the B’rit Chadashah await far eschatological fulfillment. This is the “already – but not yet” aspect of the New Covenant.

Even though the New Covenant is made with Isra’el, it doesn’t mean that it is only for Isra’el: For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us (Ephesians 2:14 NLT). Hence, the New Covenant is not two Covenants, one with Isra’el and one with the Church. It is only one Covenant, but with two “participants” (Isra’el and the Church).

The Church’s relationship to the New Covenant is the same as the Church’s relationship to the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12:1-7, 13:14-17, 15:1-21); the Land Covenant (Deuteronomy 29:1 to 30:20) that elaborates on the land aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant; and the Davidic Covenant (Second Samuel 7:15-16) that elaborates on the seed aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant. ADONAI made four unconditional covenants with Yisra’el (see Af – The Covenants of the TaNaKh). All of God’s spiritual blessings are mediated by the means of these four covenants that contain both physical and spiritual aspects.

In addition to these four unconditional, eternal covenants with Isra’el, there was a temporary conditional covenant . . . the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19-24). The Temple was a house of prayer for all the nations. The Royal Stoa was a part of the Court of the Gentiles, which was merely the area of the Temple Mount that was accessible to the Goyim and it had been expanded to provide as many non-Jews as possible the opportunity to worship the One true God (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Iv – Jesus Entered the Temple Area and Drove Out All Who Were Buying and Selling). Yet before the death and resurrection of Messiah, there was a distinction, a middle wall of separation (Acts 21:28; Luke 18:9-14 Jubilee Bible 2000), or m’chitzah (CJB), between the Court of the Gentiles and the inner courts. After His resurrection, however, the two groups were made one as this dividing wall of hostility had been destroyed because the power of God brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile (Eph 2:14; Rom 1:16).

So while the Mosaic Covenant was in effect (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah), Gentiles could only receive the spiritual blessings of the Mosaic Covenant. They would have to totally submit to all the obligations of the 365 prohibitions and 248 commandments of the Torah, and for all practical purposes live as a child of Abraham, which the Hebrew Roots Movement ironically refuses to do (see the commentary on Galatians Ak – The Hebrew Roots Movement: A Different Gospel). These proselytes to Judaism (or God-fearers, as they were known) would then be like a tree planted by streams of water (Psalm 1:1-3). However, after Messiah rose from the dead, the temporary Mosaic Covenant, and that middle wall of separation was broken down and came to an end. After the birth of the Messianic Community in Acts 2, the Goyim could then enjoy the spiritual blessings of all four unconditional covenants on the basis of faith/trust/belief in Yeshua Messiah, as we see starting in Acts 10 when Kefa (Peter) went to the house of Cornelius. At that point, the Gentiles had been grafted in (Romans 11:17-18 and 24; John 4:22).

In summary, when the human authors of the B’rit Chadashah deal with its relationship with the Church, they are not saying that the New Covenant is made with the Church; rather, that the Church can “participate” in New Covenant blessings, just like the four other unconditional covenants, but is not a “partner” with Isra’el in them.²⁶⁸

The LORD Bless You, O Righteous Dwelling,
O Sacred Mountain
Jeremiah 31:15-30 and Ezeki’el 18:1-20

The LORD bless you, o righteous dwelling, o sacred mountain DIG: Who are Rachel and her children (Genesis 29:18, 30; 46:19-20)? How and why does Jeremiah use the image of Rachel weeping? How did the early messianic community interpret this image (Matthew 2:18)? What relationship does God want to restore between Himself and Isra’el (Hosea 2:18-20)? How can adulterous Judah become a virgin again? What is the meaning of the proverb quoted in Jeremiah 30:29 and Ezeki’el 18:2-4)? Is ADONAI changing the rules (Exodus 20:5; Numbers 14:18) by which many thought of themselves as guilty (Deuteronomy 24:16)?

REFLECT: What use of this image of grieving and consolation give hope to you? What other images of grieving and consolation give you hope (Jeremiah 31:16-20, 23-25, 27-28)? Are you living in a stream of blessing, or a stream of cursing right now? Whose responsibility is that? If you are living in a stream of cursing is He just mean? How do you get from one to the other? What is the difference between living in a stream of cursing and being under attack from the enemy?

595 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The nation’s future hope will contrast sharply with her present misery. The context here is the believing remnant at the end of the Great Tribulation, which was seen in a dream by God’s prophet starting in Jeremiah 31:26 (to see link click El – The Restoration of Isra’el).

Looking back: This is what ADONAI says: A voice is heard in the town of Ramah (five miles north of Jerusalem), mourning and great weeping, Rachael weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children were no more (Jeremiah 31:15). Rachael, Jacob’s favorite wife, was buried on the road to Bethlehem (see the commentary on Genesis Ij – The Birth of Benjamin and the Death of Rachel). The road that goes by the town of Ramah (north of Jerusalem) continues down to Bethlehem (south of Jerusalem). Ramah was near the border of Benjamin (First Samuel 10:2). It was the point at which the exile march to Babylon would begin. There the Jews were screened to see who would go into exile or who would stay in Zion. Because the Babylonians would normally take the younger and stronger Israelites, the older parents were usually left behind. So those mothers, identifying with Rachel, would be seen weeping for their children they would never see again.

Looking forward: This is what the LORD says: Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded. They will return (shuwb) from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants, declares the LORD. Your children will return to their own land (Jeremiah 31:16-17). The context here is the far eschatological future of 31:1-14. Therefore, this hope is not in the return from the Babylonian exile, but for the final regathering.

Before a national restoration there must be a national confession (see my commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ). These are the words of the confession itself: I have surely heard Ephraim’s (His people) moaning, “You disciplined me like an unruly calf, and I have been disciplined. Restore (shuwb) me, and I will return (shuwb), because you are ADONAI my God. After I strayed, I repented; after I came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth” (Yirmeyahu 31:18-19). The judgment of the Great Tribulation was a direct result of the sins of her youth.

God’s response: Is not Ephraim my dear son (yes), the child in whom I delight (yes)? Though I speak against him (discipline), I still remember him (love). Therefore, my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him, declares ADONAI” (Jeremiah 31:20). YHVH has a deep longing for the northern kingdom of Isra’el to return (shuwb) to Him.

The call to repentance: Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Mark well the road you have traveled into captivity, because by that road you will return – a figure of speech emphasizing the certainty of restoration. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return (shuwb), O Virgin Isra’el, return (shuwb) to your towns. How long will you wander (from shuwb), O unfaithful daughter? ADONAI will create a new thing on earth – a woman (Isra’el) in her weakness, will return (shuwb) to a man (YHVH) in His strength. In other words, Isra’el will embrace her God (Yirmeyahu 31:20-22).

The future prosperity of Isra’el: This is what the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies, the God of Isra’el, says: When I bring them back from captivity, the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words, “The LORD bless you, O righteous dwelling, O sacred mountain’ (Jer 31:23). The sacred mountain has to do with mount Moriah, or mount Zion upon which the Temple was built. The phrase will once again means they had used this in the past but not in recent days. It was probably used in the glorious days of the monarchy (the reign of David and Solomon). But it fell into disuse when the Kingdom split apart and fell into idolatry. But when Isra’el returns (shuwb) to ADONAI at the end of the Great Tribulation, when the woman in her weakness embraces the Man in His strength, when once again she is a pure virgin, only then will this saying be used again.

The reason the saying will return is this: People will live together in Judah and all its towns – farmers and those who move about with their flocks. I will refresh (in the Hebrew prophetic perfect, guaranteeing the intended action as if it had already happened) the weary and satisfy the faint (Jeremiah 31:24-25).

At this Yirmeyahu awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me (Yirmeyahu 31:26). This interrupts the flow of Chapters 30 and 31 and is a puzzling interlude. What it means is that Jeremiah 30:1 to 31:25 was revealed to the prophet in a dream. It was pleasant to him because it had been the opposite of what he had been proclaiming earlier in his ministry. He woke up momentarily, realized that he had been dreaming, and then went back to sleep and dreamt (Jeremiah 31:27-40).

The days are coming, declares ADONAI. When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the seventeenth of twenty-five times that Yirmeyahu uses one of these phrases. The days are coming in the far eschatological future (Hosea 2:21-23) when I will plant the kingdoms of the house of Isra’el and the house of Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster (cursing), so I will watch over them to build and to plant (blessing), declares the LORD (Jeremiah 31:27-28).

In those days, during the Messianic Kingdom, people will no longer say, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge” (Jeremiah 31:29). This was a complaint of those taken into captivity (Ezeki’el 18:1-4). In essence, the exiles in Babylon believed in the false doctrine that they were being punished for the sins of their fathers. They were misinterpreting the principle found in the Torah (Exodus 20:5, 34:7, Numbers 14:18). While it was true that the sins of the fathers was involved in their exile, it was also true that they were also guilty! They had merely continued the same sins as their ancestors. And thus, would receive the same punishment. The ones who took no responsibility for their sin would die a physical death in Babylon as set forth by Moshe’s offer of life or death. YHVH has always had a stream of blessing and a stream of cursing set up as a principle in life from the Garden of Eden until today (see my commentary on Genesis Ba – The Woman Saw the Fruit of the Tree and Ate It).

At the foot of Mount Sinai (see my commentary on Exodus Db – The Revelation at Mount Sinai) Moses had declared: See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love ADONAI your God, to walk in obedience to Him, and to keep His mitzvot, regulations and rulings; for if you do, you will live and increase in your numbers; and ADONAI your God will bless you in the Land you are entering in order to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you are drawn away to prostrate yourselves before other gods and serve them, then I am announcing to you today that you will certainly perish. You will not live long in the Land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess (Deuteronomy 30:15-18; also see Leviticus 26:14-39 and Deuteronomy 28:58-68).

This has nothing to do with salvation. If anyone, even an unbeliever, does what is right and just, does not defile his neighbor’s wife, does not oppress anyone, does not commit robbery, gives food to the hungry, provides clothes for the naked, withholds his hand from doing wrong and judges fairly between two parties (either knowingly or unknowingly, follows the stream of blessing), then such a one will choose a life blessed by God. In other words, your life will go smoother. There will be fewer bumps in the road (Ezeki’el 18:5-9).

However, if anyone, even a believer, does what is evil and defiles his neighbor’s wife (punishable by death in Leviticus 20:10), sheds blood (punishable by death in Leviticus 25:16), worships idols (punishable by death in Deuteronomy 17:1-5), oppresses the poor and needy, commits robbery, steals and generally follows the stream of cursing, does not repent and takes no responsibility for his sin, then such a one chooses death. Ezeki’el teaches us that the righteousness of the father does not protect the son, just as Hezekiah’s righteousness did not protect Manasseh from the consequences of his wicked life. People are responsible for their own sin. Will such a man live? He will not! Because he has done all these detestable things, he is to be put to death, his blood will be on his own head (Ezeki’el 18:10-13).

This person’s life will go hard. God Himself will punish such a one, as a loving father would discipline his children. But there is a point at which the Lord will not tolerate His good name being dragged through the mud any longer. Rabbi Sha’ul would later write to the church at Corinth: Hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord (First Corinthians 5:5).

Ezeki’el continues to teach the individual responsibility for our sin. But suppose this wicked son has a son who sees all the sins his father commits, and though he sees them, he does not do such things. He is like his grandfather, not like his father. He will not die for his father’s sin; he will surely live in the stream of blessing, just as Josiah did not suffer death because of the sins of his father Manasseh (see Ai – Josiah Ruled For 31 Years from 640 to 609 BC). The son who avoids his father’s sin will live, but his father will die for his own sin, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was evil among his people. Then to repeat the principle of individual responsibility, Ezeki’el continued to emphasize: The one who sins is the one who will die (Ezeki’el 18:14-20).

Moshe continued from Mount Sinai: This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, a stream of blessing and a stream of cursing. Therefore, choose life, so that you will live, you and your descendants, loving ADONAI your God, paying attention to what He says and clinging to Him . . . for that is the purpose of your life! On this depends the length of time you will live in the Land ADONAI swore He would give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

Without a doubt, the TaNaKh teaches individual responsibility for sin. That is why during the Messianic Kingdom all the Jews left at the end of the Great Tribulation will confess their sin of rejecting Messiah and be saved (see above). They will not be able to blame their persecution during the Great Tribulation on anyone else. Consequently, those believing Jews will no longer say, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” Instead, everyone will be punished for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes – their own teeth will be set on edge (Yirmeyahu 31:29-30). The righteous of the TaNaKh will live forever in a stream of blessing in the presence of ADONAI.

O LORD, Save Your People, the Remnant of Isra’el
31: 1-14

O LORD, Save tour people, the remnant of Isra’el DIG: What political vision does Jeremiah have of the restored nation? What causes for rejoicing would the people of Isra’el have when YHVH fulfills His promise? Why would Isra’el be considered the foremost of nations (Deuteronomy 7:6-8)? Why will they come weeping? Who else is included in this vision and why?

REFLECT: If you are Jewish, how does this apply to you today? If you are a Gentile, how does this apply to you today? For believers who love the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is His love for us temporary or eternal?

595 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The context here is the believing remnant at the end of the Great Tribulation (to see link click El – The Restoration of Isra’el), which was seen in a dream by God’s prophet starting in Jer 31:26. The days are coming when I will bring back My people Isra’el and Judah back (shuwb) from captivity and restore them (shuwb) as a united people to the Land I gave their forefathers to possess, says ADONAI (30:2-3). At that time, declares ADONAI, I will be the God of all twelve tribes (families) of Isra’el, and they will be My people (31:1). In the Masoretic Hebrew text this verse is a part of the previous chapter (30:25).

God’s love and promises to Isra’el: This is what the LORD says: The people who survive the sword will find favor in the desert (31:2a). The Jews who survive the Great Tribulation will be saved in the last three days (Hosea 6:1-3). The Lord’s healing and restoration was not only certain, but when it happens, will be a very special day of victory for God’s people. This three-day motif is one of the more significant spiritual themes in the Bible. YHVH appeared to Isra’el on Mount Sinai on the third day (Exodus 19:10-16). The third day was also a day of crucial decision (First Kings 12:12; Esther 4:16 and 5:1), and of healing and sacrifice (Leviticus 7:17-18, 19:6-7; Numbers 19:12, 19-20). It is interesting to note that the third day was also was the day for Hezekiah’s recovery (Second Kings 20:8). One third of the total number of Jews who were alive at the beginning of the time of Jacob’s trouble will find favor in the desert, but two thirds will die (Zechariah 13:8-9). The survivors will be held up at Bozrah (Hebrew), or Petra (Greek) in the desert (Ezeki’el 20:35; Micah 2:12-13; Revelation 12:6, 13-14) where all Isra’el (who are alive at that time) will be saved (Romans 11:26).

God will come to give rest to Isra’el (31:2b). Isra’el is highlighted here. ADONAI emphasizes exactly who He is talking about here . . . not the Church or anyone else but Isra’el. The term rest has to do with salvation rest (Zechariah 12:10-14; Romans 11:26). In the Masoretic Hebrew text this is verse 1.

Then ADONAI explains the reason for Isra’el’s survival in the previous verse. This truth is something that had been revealed to Jeremiah and the prophets for a long time. The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: I have loved you with an everlasting love (31:3a). The context here is Isra’el. Therefore, what God is clearly expressing is an everlasting love for the people of Isra’el, which is one of the themes of Hosea. This unconditional love is eternal. We can see how God treats us, deals with us, when we see how He deals with Isra’el. Love never means lack of discipline. When we fail to discipline our children we actually demonstrate that we do not love them. God disciplined Isra’el and the Bible says that He has an everlasting love for her. When we do discipline our children, we do so appropriately and then restore fellowship with them. God promises final restoration for Isra’el after appropriate punishment. Consequently He says: I have drawn you with loving-kindness (Jeremiah 31:3b; Song of Solomon 1:4; Hosea 11:4). God will continually draw Isra’el to Himself until she is restored.

Now God presents some promises to Isra’el, saying: I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Isra’el (31:4a). Although others have had dominion over you, yet you are as beloved to Me as a pure virgin. When Isra’el is cleansed of her sins she will no longer be viewed as an adulterous wife (14:17, 18:13, and 31:21). This is only possible because God will have a new relationship with Isra’el (see Eo  – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el). Then, and only then, she will be able to stand before Him as a virgin. There is both a near historical and a far eschatological application to this verse. In one sense this new relationship started at the festival of Shavu’ot with the beginning of the Messianic Community (Acts 2:1-47); but in its ultimate sense it can only be fully realized when the Messiah returns and inaugurates His Messianic Kingdom.

Isra’el will rejoice: Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful (31:4b). Isra’el will once again be pictured as having a pure white bridal gown to go out and dance with others. She will no longer mourn over her desolate state, but will rejoice over her new purity.

Isra’el will plant: Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit (31:5). Not only will Judah plant in the south, but also in Samaria to the north. Isra’el had so often planted but their enemies would invade and steal the fruits of her labor. But no more! In the Messianic Kingdom Isra’el will enjoy the fruit of her own planting.

Isra’el will be the center of the Messianic Kingdom: There will be a day in the Messianic Kingdom when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, saying: Come, let us go up to Tziyon, to ADONAI our God (31:6). The phrase “go up to Jerusalem” means to go to God’s presence. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, will be physically reigning from the City (see the commentary on Isaiah Db – The Nine Missing Articles in Messiah’s Coming Temple). Therefore, Yerushalayim will become the center of Jewish attention, no longer will the children of Abraham be drawn to centers of idol worship like Dan or Bethel.

The regathering of the remnant: This is what ADONAI says: Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost (or first) of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, “O LORD, save your people the remnant of Isra’el. Then God describes a worldwide gathering: See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers, and women in labor; a great throng will return (shuwb). They will come with weeping over their sins; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them and sustain them with streams of water. There will be no obstacles because God will lead them on a level path where they will not stumble. What is pictured is a close family relationship. ADONAI declares: I am Isra’el’s father, and Ephraim is My firstborn son (31:7-9).

The rejoicing of the remnant: The Gentile nations are to proclaim what God has declared. Hear the word of the LORD, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands, “He who scattered Isra’el will gather them and will watch over His flock like a shepherd” (31:10). This verse clearly shows the view of Amillennialism, Covenant Theology, Replacement Theology, or the so-called “Hebrew roots movement” is in error (see the commentary on Galatians Ak – The Hebrew Roots Movement). These false theologies see no future for Isra’el, but instead see the promises to Isra’el being fulfilled spiritually by the Church. They do take scattering above literally, but then they try to allegorize Isra’el’s return. But the two statements in 31:10 are brought together in a way that they cannot be separated.

For ADONAI will ransom Jacob and redeem Isra’el from the hand of those stronger than they. In the context of the Great Tribulation those stronger than they would be the antichrist, the last Gentile ruler of the time of the Gentiles (see the commentary on Revelation An – The Times of the Gentiles), and the last king of Babylon. The Jews will come and shout for joy on the heights of Tziyon; they will rejoice in the bounty of Adonai, my Lord and my God – the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then in their rejoicing the maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and My people will be filled with bounty, declares ADONAI (31:11-14). Isra’el will be fully satisfied.

The Restoration of Yisra’el
30: 1-24

The restoration of Isra’el DIG: What happened to Yisra’el a century before Jeremiah (30:8; Second Kings 17:5-6, 24-44), a situation that will be rectified when they returned (30:16-18)? Who will be their king? What will he be like (30:21, also see 23:5)? What had King Josiah of Judah done for the northerners early in Yirmeyahu’s ministry (Second Kings 23:15-20) to serve as a prototype for this righteous King to come? What were the days of old like for Yisra’el under the reign of David? What fortunes, songs of praise and covenant promises would be restored? What accomplished this turnabout?

REFLECT: Is it easy or hard to detach yourself emotionally from people who were once important to you? Why? After a falling out, does “out of sight, out of mind” come naturally? Would you like a “restoration” with someone from your past? If Y’hudah had sinned and was restored, what does that say about your sin and God’s redemption?

595 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The primary work of the scroll of Jeremiah was to speak to the exiles in Babylon. While the prophet was given a twofold task to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant (1:10), the negative theme is emphasized more than the positive. The primary thrust of the book is that YHVH will dismantle Judah and Jerusalem according to His divine sovereign purpose. The counter theme of build and plant, however, is indeed present in Jeremiah. The Exile was not the end of the Jewish community or the Jewishness. On the one hand, Jerusalem was not “emptied” by the Babylonians, but many Jews continued to live in the City. On the other hand, the Jewish community in Babylon developed an intentional and intense identity as a faithful community in exile. This community understood and presented itself as the real Isra’el that would shape the post-exile experience.²⁶⁵

This is the word that came to Yirmeyahu from ADONAI while he was asleep (31:26) for sometimes God spoke to His servants through dreams (Dani’el 10:9; Zechariah 4:1). “This is what the LORD, the God of Yisra’el says: Write in a scroll all the words I have spoken to you (1:1). This is an example of verbal inspiration. Jeremiah is specifically commanded to write in Hebrew, write for yourself, or for your own benefit, the prophet’s heartache had been his ministry to proclaim and prophecy is a very unpopular message. It was really getting to him because he wanted to present something more positive. YHVH was therefore, answering that desire on the part of Yirmeyahu. He was given four chapters (30-33) of a very positive message.

The days are coming, declares the LORD. When Yirmeyahu (under the direction of the Ruach ha-Kodesh) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the fifteenth of twenty-five times that one of these phrases above will be used in Jeremiah. The days are coming when I will bring back My people Isra’el and Judah back (shuwb) from captivity and restore them (shuwb) as a united people to the Land I gave their forefathers to possess, says ADONAI (30:2-3). This is a far eschatological prophecy. In these three verses, God spelled out, for Jeremiah’s sake, the details of the restoration of Isra’el. This Book of Comfort would not only encourage Jeremiah as he proceeds with his grim ministry, but it will later encourage the Jews in exile.

The time of Jacob’s trouble: These are the words the LORD spoke concerning the northern kingdom of Isra’el and the southern kingdom of Judah (30:4). Then Jeremiah begins to describe the Great Tribulation itself. First, he announces the voice of judgment, certainly not words of peace as one would expect from a book of consolation! This is what the LORD says: Cries of fear are heard – terror, not peace. He uses a figure commonly used by the prophets in the TaNaKh, a woman in childbirth. First he asked a rhetorical question then demands a negative answer. Ask and see: Can a man bear children? Then the prophet asked another question. Then why do I see every strong man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor, every face turned deathly pale (30:5-6)?

Then he tells us why this has happened. How awful that day will be! It will be a unique day, a specific day. None will be like it (Joel 2:2). It will be a time of trouble for Jacob (30:7a). The time of trouble for Jacob is a term used for the Great Tribulation (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Eu – The Rapture and the Great Tribulation). The last days of the Dispensation of Grace (before the Great Tribulation) are always viewed as a series of birth pains (see the commentary on Revelation Bg – The Sequence of Pre-tribulation Events).

The Day of the LORD is a general term and the most common one for the Great Tribulation. The day of trouble for Jacob, however, is specifically for Jews. While it is true that the Great Tribulation falls upon all men and women; however, there will be a particular effect upon the Jewish people. One of the purposes of it is to judge the world for sin, to make an end of wickedness and wicked ones, the other primary purpose is to bring Isra’el to repentance. This time will be far more severe for the Jewish people (Zechariah 13:8-9; Isaiah 40:1-2; Matthew 24:15-28; Revelation 12:1-17).

They will no longer serve human conquerors, they will serve ADONAI. In that day, declares ADONAI-Tzva’ot, “I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the LORD their God” (30:8-9a). He now elaborates on the Jewish deliverance during the time of trouble for Jacob. The promise in this far eschatological prophecy is that the Jews who survive the Tribulation will no longer be enslaved by foreigners.

The people will also submit to the authority of David their King (see the commentary on Revelation Fi – The Government of the Messianic Kingdom), whom God will raise up for them (30:9b). There is no compelling reason not to take Jeremiah’s words here in a literal sense. David is referred to by name elsewhere in passages that look to the future restoration of Isra’el (Ezeki’el 34:23-24, 37:24-25; Hosea 3:5). The term raised up is often used for the resurrected dead. Therefore, David, being one of the righteous of the TaNaKh, will be raised up from the dead during the 75-day period between the end of the Great Tribulation and the start of the Messianic Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation Ey – The Seventy Five Day Interval).

So do not fear, O Jacob My servant; do not be dismayed, O Isra’el, declares the LORD. Here for the first time Jacob is referred to as My servant and identified with Isra’el. For I will bring you home again from distant lands, and your children will return (shuwb) from their exile. She will return to a life of peace and quiet, and no one will terrorize her. I am with you and will save you,” declares ADONAI. I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only in due measure; I will not let you go entirely unpunished (30:10 NLT and 11).

The healing of Yerushalayim’s wounds: This is what ADONAI says: Your wound is incurable from a human perspective, your injury beyond healing. There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sore, no healing for you. It is so bad that new skin cannot grow over the wound. All your allies have forgotten you. ADONAI did the wounding: I have struck you as an enemy would and punished you as would the cruel, because your guilt (singular: the rejection of Messiah) is so great and your sins (plural: they did not have the means of having their sins atoned for since God ceased accepting animal sacrifice after the death of Yeshua) so many. Why do you cry out over your wound, your pain that has no cure? Because of your great guilt and many sins I have done these things to you” (30:12-15).

All the Gentile nations who persecuted Yisra’el during the Great Tribulation will go into exile. But all who devour you will be devoured; all your enemies will go into exile. Those who plunder you will be plundered; all who make spoil of you I will despoil. But I will restore (Hebrew: a’alah) you to health and heal your wounds, declares the LORD, because you are called an outcast, Tziyon for whom no one cares (30:16-17).

The restoration of Jacob: This is what ADONAI says, “I will return (shuwb) the fortunes of Jacob’s temporary tents (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah) and have compassion on his permanent dwellings of the Promised Land. So God will rescue Jacob the place where he dwells temporally. The City (the Hebrew text does not have the definite article, so the word city should be taken as a collective singular of all the cities of the Promised Land) will be rebuilt on her ruins (Second Kings 19:12; Ezra 2:59; Ezeki’el 3:15), and the palace will stand in its proper place. The effect on the Jews will be clearly seen. From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing. I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained. Their children will be as in days of old during the exodus and the Golden Age of David and Solomon. And their community will be established before Me; I will punish all who oppress them. Their leader (Hebrew: addirov, the rabbis teach that this is the Messiah) will be one of their own; their Ruler will arise from among them. I will bring Him near and He will come close to Me, for who is He who will devote Himself to be close to Me, declares the LORD? So you will be My people, and I will be your God (30:18-22). This will be true because Jacob will be regenerated. All Isra’el, all the Jews still alive at the end of the Great Tribulation will be saved (Romans 11:26) and living under a righteous Ruler.

The wrath of God: Jeremiah then concluded: See, the storm of ADONAI, or the wrath of God, will burst out in wrath, a driving wind swirling down on the heads of the wicked. The fierce anger (Hebrew: searah, violent whirlwind) of the LORD will not turn back (shuwb) until He finally accomplishes the purposes of His heart. In days to come, in the far eschatological future, you will understand this (30:23-24). This is the sixteenth of twenty-five times that one of these phrases above will be used in Jeremiah. Hosea 6:1-3 teaches us that in the last three days of the end of the Great Tribulation the Jewish remnant will indeed understand why judgment had fallen on them (see the commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ). The people of Y’hudah and Yerushalayim would experience terrible trials at the hands of the Babylonians. They would end up wearing the Gentile yoke, bearing the wounds caused by their sin, and having endured the storm of God’s wrath. But God would eventually deliver them, breaking the yoke, healing the wounds, and bringing peace after the storm. All of this will be a foreshadowing of what will happen to the Jews in the days to come as they go through the Great Tribulation, meet their Kosher King, and enter into their Kingdom.

The Book of Comfort
30:1 to 31:40

595 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The messages leading up to this section are extremely negative. But the Book of Comfort is totally different from everything before it and after it. Jeremiah responded to the call of YHVH with a fresh scroll that records words of good news. Now comes a very positive message. These verses are a light in the midst of darkness.

As we read through these chapters we find evidence of a layer of earlier poems that the prophet had addressed to the now long-dead northern kingdom of Yisra’el. Notice, for example, in 31:5, the reference to Samaria, the capital of the northern Kingdom, and the repeated reference to Ephraim, the chief northern tribe, in 31:6, 9, 18 and 20. At the time the poems were delivered, King Josiah hoped to bring about a reunion with the people in the northern territory, whom the Assyrian were loosening their grip on. The priest from Anathoth proclaimed words that both appealed for repentance and promised return from exile as previously seen in 3:12-14.

Now YHVH’s prophet sees that the old words addressed to the north have a new meaning: the people of Y’hudah must submit to Nebuchadnezzar, but someday, they, too, can be called upon to return (shuwb) to the Land. Consequently, God’s messenger takes the old words directed to the northern Kingdom and interweaves them with fresh words to give them relevance to the southern Kingdom.²⁶⁴ Words that would sustain her even during her time in exile.

A Letter to the Exiles
29: 1-32

A letter to the exiles DIG: What question does this letter answer for the exiles? Why did Jeremiah debunk those prophesying an early return to Judah? What is God’s reason for the length of the exile and the reason for ending it? What message did ADONAI send to the exiles about those left behind in Jerusalem, as well as the false prophets Ahab and Zedekiah? How do Jeremiah’s superiors learn of his letter to the exiles? Why was Yirmeyahu regarded as a crazy maniac if some of his prophecies had finally come true (like with Hańaniah)? Should Sh’ma’yah’s letter come as any surprise to Zephaniah the high priest? What do the two prophecies – Hańaniah in Jerusalem and Sh’ma’yah in Babylon – have in common? What clues do you see to spot false prophets?

REFLECT: Do you think God uses Satan to accomplish His purposes? What are some examples of that in the Bible? In your life? What happened? Could there have been an easier way to learn that lesson? Do you often rub people the wrong way, or do you blend in pretty well? Is criticism harder for you to take in person or in writing? Why? When’s the last time you gave criticism successfully?

596 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) attacked Christian beliefs and morality. He was a German fatalist who believed that our existence is pointless and that God is dead. He did, however, believe in the fullest development of which people are capable of in this life. Then again, Christ is certainly no less concerned than Nietzsche that we should receive the fullest development of which we are capable. The difference between Nietzsche and Christ lies in the moral method by which the personality is put into possession of itself and its resources – in the one case by asserting itself, in the other by losing it . . . We complete our personality only as we participate and serve in the important movement of the society in which we live. Isolation means obstructed development. The aggressive egotist is working his own moral destruction by stunting and shrinking his true personality. Helping others and sympathy are the only conditions under which a true personality can be shaped. And if we asked how a society so crude, imperfect, amoral, and even immoral, as that in which we live is to mold a truly moral personality, it is here that Jesus comes to the rescue with the gift of faith both of an active Spirit and of a society complete in Himself.
Peter T. Forsyth, Positive Preaching and the Modern Mind ²⁵⁹

It took four deportations to complete the exile of the Israelites (to see link click Gt – In the Thirty-Seventh Year of the Exile Jehoiachin was Released from Prison). In 606 BC General Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took the first deportation of exiles (and some of the Temple vessels) back to Babylon (Dani’el 1:1-2). The Babylonian king took “hostages” to assure continued loyalty. One of the most important “hostages” taken was a godly young man named Dani’el.

After a three-month reign, Jehoiachin was taken into captivity with the second deportation of exiles to Babylon in 597 BC. Along with Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar also deported the queen mother, all the court officials and seven thousand fighting men, and a thousand craftsmen and artisans – a total of eighteen thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left (Second Kings 24:14-16; Second Chronicles 36:9-10). Another one of those taken was Ezeki’el the prophet. Five years later Ezeki’el began his prophetic ministry in Babylon. Most of the population was left behind under the puppet King Zedekiah. This letter was written three years after Nebuchadnezzar had placed Zedekiah as vassal king (see Dz – Zedekiah Ruled For 11 Years from 598/597 to 586 BC).

Exile is traumatic and terrifying. Our sense of who we are is very much determined by the place we are in and the people we are with. When that changes, violently and abruptly, who are we? The accustomed ways we have of finding our worth and sensing our significance vanishes. The first wave of emotion recedes and leaves us feeling worthless, meaningless. We don’t fit anywhere. No one expects us to do anything. No one needs us. We are extra baggage. We aren’t necessary.

How did these Jews in exile feel? How did they respond? If we imagine ourselves in a similar situation, remembering how we respond when we are forced to spend extended time with people we don’t like in a place we don’t like, we will not be far from the truth. It’s as if they were saying, “A terrible thing has happened to us. And it’s not fair! I know we weren’t perfect, but we were no worse than the rest of them. And here we end up in this Babylonian desert while our friends are carrying on life as usual in Jerusalem. Why us? We can’t understand the language; we don’t like the food; the manners of the Babylonians are boorish; the schools are substandard; there are no decent places to worship; the temples are polluted with immorality and everyone speaks with an accent. They complained bitterly about the terrible circumstances in which they were forced to live. They longed, achingly, for Zion. In other words, they wallowed in self-pity.

They had false prophets with them who nurtured their feelings of unhappiness. We know the names of three of them: Ahab son of Kolaiah, Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, and Sh’ma’yah the Nehelamite. These prophets called attention to the supposed unfairness of their plight and stirred the pots of discontent. “Yes, the old religion of Jerusalem is what we must get back to. Yes, it’s worse luck that we are here when so many are enjoying the good life back in Yerushalayim. But hang on a little longer and we’ll get back. It can’t last much longer. How can it? Not one of us deserves such a life. Justice will prevail.” These “prophets” described their supposed “dreams” that revealed that the exile would soon end.

Those three false prophets made a good living inciting envy and promoting nostalgia. But their messages and dreams, besides being false, were destructive. False dreams interfere with honest living. As long as the people thought they might be going home at any time, it made no sense to engage in committed, faithful work in Babylon. If there was a good chance that they would soon get back all they had lost, there was no need to develop a life of any significance where they were. Since their real relationships were back in Yerushalayim, they could be casual and irresponsible in their relationships in exile . . . they weren’t going to see these people much longer anyway. Why bother planting gardens? Why learn the business practices of the culture? The false prophets manipulated the self-pity of the people into neurotic fantasies. The people, glad for a religious reason to be lazy, lived hand to mouth, parasites on society and indifferent to the reality of their actual lives.²⁶⁰

A letter from Yirmeyahu in Yerushalayim to the exiles in Babylon: This is the text of the letter the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from the City of David to Babylon in the second deportation of exiles (see Du – Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC). This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Tziyon, the craftsmen and the artisans had gone into exile from the City. He sent his message by diplomatic mail and entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan (26:24) and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah (who was the high priest under good King Josiah), whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon (29:1-3). One day these two trustworthy men from Jerusalem appeared unannounced among the exiles. They had come on official business, carrying a message to the king of Babylon.

On their way to the palace they visited the community in exile. The air was charged with excitement. Everyone had questions: What was this one doing? What was that one doing? Elasah and Gemariah waved them silent. Before giving them the local news from Tziyon the two had a message from Yirmeyahu, a letter to the exiles:

This is what the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies, the God of Isra’el says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. “You are not camping. Build houses and settle down (29:4-5a). Make yourself at home. If all you do is sit around a pine for the time you get back to Jerusalem, your present lives will be neglected and empty. Your life right now is every bit as valuable as it will be when you get back to Yerushalayim. Babylon is not your choice, but it’s your judgment. Dwell there. Plant gardens and eat what they produce (29:5b). Become a productive member of society. Don’t expect others to do it for you. Get your hands into the Babylonian soil. Become knowledgeable about the Babylonian irrigation system. Acquire skill in cultivating fruits and vegetables in this soil and climate. Get some Babylonian recipes and cook them. Grow where you’re planted.

Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease (29:6). Just as the Jews did not assimilate with the Egyptians in Egypt; they did not assimilate with the Babylonians in Babylon. To assimilate would be no more than to repeat the sins of Jerusalem in Babylon. No . . . this was not a command to intermarry with the Babylonians; on the contrary, it was to increase the Jewish population (Exodus 1:9-10).

All letters of the period began with a salutation that had some expression of shalom. “Shalom to you,” or “shalom to you and your family.” But this letter had no such salutation. Verse 5 merely plunges into the body of the letter, giving the reader the sense that the writer is at best abrupt, and at worst rude. Where is the polite salutation, the greeting of shalom? First comes the instructions to the exiles to build houses, plant gardens, marry, have children, give your sons and daughters in marriage, and settle down in Babylon. Then, in verse 7, comes the deferred word about shalom.

Seek the shalom of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to ADONAI for [Babylon] because if it prospers, you too will prosper (29:7 CJB). Jeremiah’s letter was both a rebuke and a challenge. Don’t sit around feeling sorry for yourselves. Don’t have the attitude of a prisoner of war. Prisoners “do time.” They count the days until their release, days that are essentially empty. Don’t listen to the lying prophets feed you false hopes. You are not there accidently, victims of bad luck. I have sent you there deliberately and you will be in Babylon for a long time. Do not live your days moping around for Tziyon. Live your lives there, in Babylon, and live them fully. Do not put aside the prayer of Psalm 122:6: Pray for shalom in Yerushalayim! Learn a new prayer: Pray for shalom in Babylon! For in Babylon’s shalom you will find your shalom.²⁶¹

Living in exile forces a decision: Will I focus my attention on what is wrong with the world and feel sorry for myself? Or will I focus my energies on how I can live at my best in this place I find myself? It’s always easier to complain about problems than to live a life of dignity. Daily we face decisions on how we will respond to these exile conditions. We can say, “I don’t like it. I want to be where I was ten years ago. How can you expect me to throw myself into what I don’t like . . . that would be sheer hypocrisy. What sense is there in taking risks and tiring myself out among people I don’t even like in a place where I have no future?

Or we can say, “I will do my best with what is here. Far more important than the climate of this place, the economics of this place, the neighbors of this place, is the God of this place. God is here with me. What I am experiencing right now is on ground that was created by Him and with people whom He loves. It is just as possible to live out the will of God here as any place else. I am full of fear. I don’t know my way around. I have much to learn. I’m not sure I can make it. Change is hard. Developing intimacy among strangers is always a risk. Building relationships in unfamiliar and hostile surroundings is difficult. But I can do it with God’s help.²⁶²

Jeremiah had warned Judah against false prophets, now he will warn the exiles. Yes, this is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el says: Do not let the false prophets and diviners among you deceive you (Deuteronomy 13:1-5). Their dreams are made up from their own imagination. They are prophesying lies to you in My name. I have not sent them, declares the LORD (29:8-9).

The divine plan for Isra’el is now stated. This is what ADONAI says: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill My gracious promise to bring you back (shuwb) to this place (29:10). It was probably from this letter that Dani’el learned of the seventy-year near historical prophecy. In Dani’el 9:1-2, the prophet refers to the seventy years in that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. But he does not state that the captivity was supposed to last seventy years. That is an important distinction (see Gu – Seventy Years of Babylonian Rule).

But there was also a promise in Jeremiah’s letter, which finally came to the center and shaped the exile experience: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (29:11). YHVH’s plans for Isra’el are fixed. His plans were for her welfare, not for her destruction, for the future she had hoped for. This will be discussed in more detail in Chapters 30-33 (see Ek – The Book of Comfort). This is one of the most misused scriptures in the Bible. There are three important things to remember when interpreting Scripture . . . context . . . context . . . context! This verse is constantly taken out of context, and the context is the nation of Isra’el.

Then, under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit (Second Timothy 3:16), Jeremiah gives a far eschatological prophecy, describing the national regeneration of Isra’el at the end of the Great Tribulation (see Gk – The Valley of Dry Bones). You will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you (see my commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ). You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you (Deuteronomy 4:29), declares the LORD, and will bring you back (shuwb) from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, and will bring you back (shuwb) to the place from which I carried you into exile (29:12-14). This is in keeping with the unconditional divine Jewish Covenants (see Af – The Covenants of the TaNaKh)

Dani’el did correctly understand that Isra’el’s national confession needed to precede her final restoration, but he could not anticipate the Church Age (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace) because it was a mystery to him (Ephesians 5:32). A mystery in the Bible is something that was once hidden – unknown by mankind (although known by God) – but now is revealed. In Dani’el 9, the prophet did not make this differentiation; as a result, he thought after seventy years the Messianic Kingdom would begin. That is why an angel came to Dani’el and explained his error in thinking.

The people left in Jerusalem were saying that God had raised up prophets in Babylon. This was partially true because the LORD raised up Dani’el and Ezeki’el in Babylon. But they were not referring to those two godly men, they were referring to false prophets. You may say, “The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon who prophesy a return in the immediate future,” but this is what ADONAI says about King Zedekiah who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city of Jerusalem, your fellow citizens who did not go into exile – yes, this is what the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies says: I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I will drive them. For they have not listened to My words, declares ADONAI, words that I persistently sent to them by My servant the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,” declares the LORD. Therefore, hear the word of the LORD, all you exiles whom I have sent away from Yerushalayim to Babylon (29:15-20). Without realizing it, the exiles were better off than those left in the Land because those living in Jerusalem would face certain death with Zion’s destruction. Nevertheless, the exiles shouldn’t make the same mistake those in the City were making by listening to false prophets who were feeding them lies.

Then Jeremiah sent a message to two of the false prophets. This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el says about Ahab and Zedekiah. They are prophesying lies to you in My name. Their sin was that of Hańaniah, prophesying lies in God’s name of an early return from Babylon. They gave the exiles false hope . . . they were not settling down to stay. Therefore, their judgment would be death, like Hańaniah, before the eyes of the exiles. This was looked on as an act of rebellion against Babylon, so Nebuchadnezzar had them burned in the fire. We know that the king liked to kill people by fire because he tried to kill Dani’el and his three friends in the same way.

As a result, it became a proverb or colloquial saying that was created about them and became a common curse among the people. Because of them, all the exiles from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse, “May the LORD treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned in the fire.” For they have done outrageous things in Isra’el; they have committed adultery with their neighbors wives (they were not only false prophets, but they were immoral also), and in My name they have uttered lies – which I did not authorize. I know it (God is all-knowing) and am a witness to it, declares ADONAI (29:21-23). Saying, I am a witness was the standard term of the day meaning I am cosigner. God authorized, or cosigned this curse.

The false prophets were furious. After Jeremiah sent the letter to the exiles found in 29:4-14, Sh’ma’yah (another false prophet) didn’t like what Jeremiah had to say. So in 29:25-29, Sh’ma’yah wrote his own letter and sent a scathing, angry letter back to Zephaniah, the high priest, in Zion (Second Kings 25:18-21; Jeremiah 21:1, 37:3, 52:24-27).

Tell Sh’ma’yah the [dreamer], This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people in the City of David, but more specifically, to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah, and to all the other priests. The content of Sh’ma’yah’s letter read like this: The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada (and in place of Pash’chur) to be in charge of the Temple (just as Pash’chur had been in charge of the Temple). Part of Zephaniah’s duty was to keep the peace in the Temple (just a Pash’chur had wrongly tried to do with Jeremiah (see Da – Jeremiah and Pash’chur). You should put any maniac who acts like a prophet into the stocks and neck-irons (29:24-26). So why have you not reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you (29:27)? But Jeremiah did not pose as a prophet, he was appointed by ADONAI to be a prophet (see Aj – The Call of Jeremiah). Sh’ma’yah, however, was merely posing as a prophet. Jeremiah, the true prophet of God, had sent a message to the exiles in Babylon: You will be there a long time. Therefore, build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce (29:28).

Zephaniah the priest, however fearing Ha’Shem, read the letter to Jeremiah the prophet. Then the inspired word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, “Send this message to all the exiles, ‘This is Sh’ma’yah’s sin: Because Sh’ma’yah has prophesied to you, even though I did not send him, and has persuaded you to trust in lies (that the exiles would soon return to Jerusalem), Sh’ma’yah was then under judgment. YHVH said: I will surely punish Sh’ma’yah the dreamer and his descendants. They will all die in captivity. He will have no one left among this people, nor will he see the good things I will do for My people because he has preached rebellion against Me’ (29:29-32).” False prophecy always ferments rebellion against ADONAI because it says things that the LORD doesn’t say.

But others, maybe most, accepted the message from Yirmeyahu. Shaken out of their routine by exile, they settled down to find out what it meant to be God’s people in the place they didn’t want to be – in Babylon. The result was that it became the most creative period in Jewish history. They didn’t lose their identity . . . they discovered it. They learned how to pray in deeper and more life-changing ways than ever. They wrote and copied and pondered the TaNaKh that had come down from Moshe and the prophets. They found that ADONAI wasn’t dependent on a place . . . that He was not tied to familiar surroundings. The violent dislocation of the exile shook them out of their false assumptions and allowed them to see depths and heights that they had never imagined before. They lost everything that they thought was important and found what was the most important: they found YHVH.

It keeps on happening. Exile is the worst that reveals the best. Normal life is full of distractions and things that are unnecessary. Then catastrophe: Dislocation. Exile. Illness. Accident. Job loss. Divorce. Death. The reality of our lives is rearranged without anyone consulting us or waiting for our permission. We are no longer at home.

All of us are given moments, days, months, years or exile. What will we do with them? Wish we were somewhere else? Complain? Blame others? Escape to fantasies? Drug ourselves into oblivion? Or build and plant and marry and seek the shalom of the place we live and the people we are with? Exile reveals what really matters and frees us to pursue what really matters, which is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39).²⁶³

Two Baskets of Figs
24: 1-10

Two baskets of figs DIG: The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah in 597 BC and deported many in the reign of Jehoiachin. Who was left in Judah for Zedekiah to rule (Second Kings 24:14-20)? What would their world look like? What does each basket of figs symbolize? How would the vision have encouraged Jeremiah at that time? What is God going to do with the exiles, why and when? What is God going to do with those left behind? Why would ADONAI favor one group over another (Second Chronicles 36:11-16)?

REFLECT: Knowing yourself, if you lived in Jeremiah’s day, do you think you would have preferred exile in Babylon or life in your homeland? Why? Are you at ease with things as they are in your native country under its present leaders, or do you feel “in exile,” while waiting for a return to things as they should be? How “at home” should you be in the world? What looks like harsh punishment can turn out for our good (James 1:2-3). When has that happened to you?

596 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This message is contrary to what might have been expected. The Judeans who had been exiled, and not those who remained in the Holy Land, would meet with God’s favor. The physical and spiritual shock of being extracted from the Holy Land had changed the hearts of the exiles and they were now ready to really know ADONAI. Not so for those who remained. They continued to be stubborn; spiritually deaf and blind.

The historical background of this vision was the second deportation of exiles to Babylon in 597 BC (Second Kings 24:10-17). After the exile of Jehoiachin and the leading citizens like Ezekiel, those who remained seemed to have been full of optimism for the future. The new king, Zedekiah, even became involved in a conspiracy with the surrounding Gentile nations for further rebellion against Babylon (to see link click Eq – Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar). The false prophets spoke of a quick return of the king and his supporters in Judah were wrong. True, there would be a new day for Judah and the people of God, but the future lay with the exiles and not with Zedekiah and his supporters. The current optimism led Jeremiah into a more determined and even more relentless ministry. Judah, Jerusalem and the Temple were still to face a judgment that would be far more devastating than any that they had previously experienced.

Knowing that His servant needed encouragement, the LORD gave him a vision before the Temple of two baskets of figs. One was good, the kind that ripened early in the season, and one was bad, probably rotten figs that could not be eaten. After Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the officials, the craftsmen and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the LORD showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the Temple of the LORD. One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early. These are the choice figs that come out in June (Isaiah 28:4; Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1). The other basket had very bad figs, so bad they could not be eaten (24:1-2 CJB).

Then God asked me, “Yirmeyahu, what do you see?” This was to clarify in Jeremiah’s mind what he saw and the meaning of the two baskets. “Figs,” I answered, “The good ones are very good, but the poor ones are so bad they cannot be eaten” (24:3 CJB). Then Jeremiah repeated what he saw. Then the word of the LORD came to me.

The very good figs: This is what ADONAI the God of Isra’el, says: Like these good figs, I will regard the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians in the first and second deportations, as good, just as I do these figs (24:4-6a). Just like people who looked favorably on the newly ripened figs, God will look favorably on the Jews in captivity. They were the real continuity between the past and the future. The folk whom YHVH had sent out into the unknown faraway land of Babylon would return for a new start with a new heart, the covenant secure. My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back (shuwb) to this Land. These would not suffer the destruction and slaughter of the destruction of Jerusalem (see Gb – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC).

I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them (24:6b CJB). Here we see the same powerful verbs of 1:10. Now the positive verbs plant and build are used. Indeed uprooting and tearing down, destroying and overthrowing are just around the corner. In His mind, YHVH was already anticipating the restoration of the good figs. These, for the most part (but not totally) were cured of idolatry. While in Babylon they would be treated well and prosper. In fact, Babylonian records point out that eventually two Jewish families became leading bankers for the Babylonian government. Yirmeyahu would write them a letter (see Ej – A Letter to the Exiles) instructing them to settle down and prosper. Consequently, the exiles in Babylon were better off than the ones that were left behind.

Then Jeremiah switches from a near historical prophesy to a far eschatological prophesy. I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD. When the final restoration comes it will be permanent. It will be the final restoration. They will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return (shuwb) to Me. This could not refer to the return from Babylon in 536 BC because this did not happen with those Jews. ADONAI did uproot them again in 70 AD. Nor can this be talking about the present Jewish state because it will collapse in the middle of the Great Tribulation (see the commentary on Revelation Ds – The Woman and the Dragon). This final restoration, therefore, must be the final one after the Righteous Branch (see Eb – The Righteous Branch) returns at the end of the Great Tribulation. But there would not only be a restoration, but a regeneration. The Israelites will return (shuwb) with all their heart (Jeremiah 24:7 CJB, 31:31-34; Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26). This was certainly not true of those returning from Babylon in 536 BC. This is clear when we read Ezra and Nehemiah (the historical books concerning the return); and Zechariah, Haggai and Malachi (the prophetic books concerning the return).

The very bad figs: But like the bad figs represent the Jews still living in Jerusalem after the first two deportations. Those who stayed in Tziyon, who carried on the normal activities of life in the City, represent a dead end. They could only expect more catastrophe in the future. Those figs were so bad they could not be eaten, says ADONAI, so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Yerushalayim, whether they remain in the Land or live in Egypt (see Gi – Nebuchadnezzar Will Burn Down the Temples of the gods of Egypt). The ones in Jerusalem were not the real Isra’el of the future, and King Zedekiah was not the real king of YHVH’s people. Those who did not submit to the reality of the Babylonian exile were in fact in rebellion against the LORD’s purpose (24:8 CJB).

What do you do with rotten figs? You reject them and throw them out! What do you do with good, tasty figs? You preserve them and enjoy them! God promised to care for the exiles, work in their hearts, and one day bring them back to their Land. Jeremiah even wrote a letter to the exiles, telling them that there was no future for King Zedekiah, who had succeeded Jehoiachin, or for the nobles that gave him such foolish counsel, but there was a future for the righteous of the TaNaKh that would seek YHVH with all their hearts.

They would experience the bloodbath of 586 BC. Everywhere I drive them I will make them an object of horror, repulsive to all the kingdoms of the earth, a disgrace, a byword, a laughingstock and a curse; and I will send sword, famine and plague among them until they have disappeared from the Land I gave them. And their ancestors would suffer a similar fate in 70 AD (24:9-10 CJB). Jewish history certainly bears the truth of this prophecy.

A Message Concerning Elam
49: 34-39

A message concerning Elam DIG: Where would you find Elam today? Who was their biblical patriarch (Genesis 10:22)? What was Elam’s claim to fame? What was her destiny (Ezekiel 32:25-25)? Why do you think ADONAI promises to restore them, but not the people of Edom, Damascus, Kedar and Hazor? Is that fair? Did they have a choice?

REFLECT: What’s your “claim to fame?” How would life look if God took it away from you? What causes God’s discipline? If we ask for forgiveness (First John 1:8-10) does that mean we can avoid the consequences of our actions? Did these nations ever hear Jeremiah’s prophecies? For whose benefit were they intended? Do you learn from the hardships of others? What lesson did you pick up recently?

597 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

In ancient times Elam was a significant nation in the politics of lower Mesopotamia. After many years of conflict in Assyria, Elam was finally conquered by Ashurbanipal about 640 BC, when the Assyrian King destroyed their capital of Susa. In 612 BC Cyaxares, the Median ruler, helped Nabopolassar of Babylon destroy Nineveh the Assyrian capital, and presumably this meant freedom for Elam once again. Though there is some evidence that Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Elamites about 596 BC, his subjugation at that time did not fulfill this prophecy. Elam became a central part of the Persian Empire that later conquered Babylon. No reason and no historical occasion is given for the harsh pronouncement of judgment against Elam. The language is thoroughly military.

This is the word of ADONAI that came to Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, shortly after Jehoiachin’s deportation (49:34). Elam was the first son of Shem (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Dj – The Line of Shem). The capital was in the ancient city of Susa (Esther 1:2 and 5; Nehemiah 1:1), located east of Babylon from which it was separated by the Tigris River.

Near historical prophecy of the destruction of Elam: This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot says: See, I will break the bow (for which Elam was known in Isaiah 22:6) of Elam, the mainstay of their might (as in Hosea 1:5). YHVH, the God of tiny Judah, the real world Ruler, would set up His judgment throne in this mighty nation, hundreds of miles distant from Jerusalem; will remove its king and princes, appoint a ruler of His own selection, and scatter the nation around the world.²⁵⁸ I will bring against Elam the four winds from the quarters of the heavens and scatter them to the four winds (a vivid way of speaking of a judgment that is far-reaching as in Jeremiah 32-33; Ezekiel 37:9; Dani’el 8:8; Zechariah 2:6 and 6:5), and there will not be a nation where Elam’s exiles do not go (49:35-36). Elam would be utterly destroyed, never returning (shuwb) to her former status.

I will scatter Elam before their foes, before those who seek their lives; I will bring disaster upon them, even my fierce anger, declares the LORD (see Ae – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them (death). I will set My throne in Elam (subjugation or the setting up of another king’s throne as seen in 1:15 and 43:8-13) and destroy her king and officials, declares ADONAI (49:37-38).

Far eschatological prophecy of the restoration of Elam in the Messianic Kingdom: Yet I will restore (shuwb) the fortunes of Elam in days to come, declares the LORD (49:39). When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the fourteenth of twenty-five times that Yirmeyahu uses one of these phrases.

Some kingdoms will be restored during the Messianic Kingdom: Moab (48:47); Ammon (49:6); Elam and Assyria or Damascus (see the commentary on Isaiah Eg – Blessed Be Egypt, Assyria and Isra’el) and Egypt after forty years (46:26). However, other kingdoms will be totally destroyed, never to be inhabited again: Philistia (Di – A Message Concerning the Philistines); Edom (see the commentary on Isaiah Gi – Edom’s Streams Will Be Turned into Pitch); Kedar and Hazor or Saudi Arabia (49:33) and Babylon (see the commentary on Revelation Er – Babylon Will Never Be Found Again). As a result of God’s sovereign rule, Elam is one of those fortunate countries.

The Burden of the LORD
23: 33-40

The burden of the LORD DIG: What catchphrases did the “religious people” use in Jeremiah’s day? Why were the people of Judah forbidden to use it? What would be a modern equivalent of this phrase, often heard in shul or church today? What would become of those who insisted on claiming to speak the LORD’s Word even after they were warned of His judgment on their lies (23:37-40)? Who has become a burden to YHVH? What does this reveal to us about the emotions of God? Why is He weary of all this? What will God do to unburden His people (20:11)?

REFLECT: What is involved, where, when, with whom? For what do you have a burden today? Do you have a message to give? An action to take? A situation to remedy? In what way is that burdensome?

597 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This section of Scripture is built around the word massa’ and can mean two things. First, it can mean a heavy burden, a heavy message or something heavy; or, secondly, it can mean a prophecy (oracle). In general, the main thrust here is that the prophetic office is to be undertaken with great seriousness. Only those to whom ADONAI entrusts His word are entitled to proclaim it. Imposters would incur divine judgment.

Prophets usually began their message with the phrase: The burden (massa’) of the LORD concerning . . . this or that. God spoke of burdens indeed, the burdens of guilt piled up by the people and the burdens of penalties to follow in the wake of this massive guilt. So YHVH tells Jeremiah: When [someone from] this people, a prophet or a cohen (a priest) sneeringly asks you, “What is the burden (massa’) of the LORD today? Have you thought up a new burden for us? Have you heard Jeremiah’s latest burden? Jeremiah was to answer them with a pun, saying to them, “Burden (massa’)! What burden (massa’)?” You are the burden (massa’). ADONAI says He will abandon you (23:33 CJB).

The judgment will come upon all classes of people. YHVH will punish anyone, supposed prophet, priest, or anyone else who claims to have the burden (massa’) of the LORD. If a prophet or a cohen or anyone else speaks about “The burden (massa’) of ADONAI.” I will punish them and their household. So, when you speak with your friends or other Israelites, ask, “What answer has ADONAI given?” or “What has ADONAI said?” They should not be flippant with that expression any more. God now forbids the use of that expression because of its misuse. Don’t use the expression, “burden (massa’) of the LORD” any more. If anyone does use it (note the pun here) for every person’s own word will be their burden (massa’) because they had perverted, or twisted the true words of the living God, the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies, our God (23:34-36 CJB). The massa’ of the LORD was that the people were a massa’ to Him.

There will be a special judgment upon the false prophets. In the near historical future there will be some embarrassing questions to be asked of the false prophets. When all their prophecies fall flat and are unfulfilled, in fact when things come to pass in direct opposition to what they had prophesied, the question will be asked: What answer has ADONAI given you? They will have nothing to say. Or, What did ADONAI say? Once again, nothing but silence. And they better say nothing, they had better admit that they received no revelation from God. But if the false prophets continue to talk about “the burden (massa’) of ADONAI,” after God had already sent them the order not to use that phrase, showing them to be defiant, God would lift that false prophet up, burden (massa’) that he was, abandon him (judge him), throwing him away from ADONAI’s presence – both him and the City ADONAI gave to him and his ancestors. Then YHVH will subject that false prophet to everlasting disgrace – eternal, unforgettable shame (23:37-40 CJB).

What Does Straw
Have in Common With Wheat?
23: 23-32

What does straw have in common with wheat? DIG: How will the false and true prophet be exposed for what they are? What is the difference between straw and wheat? How can you question a prophet’s dream? Where did they come from? When someone says, “I have ‘a word’ for you from the Lord,” how can you be certain that what they are saying is true? How does God’s Word contrast with the contrived dreams of the faithless? How are people led astray today?

REFLECT: Do you pray, “Your will be done?” or “My will be done?” Who has control of the steering wheel of your life? When you take the wheel, how often have you ended up in the ditch? What does it take for you to submit? When was the last time you tried to hide from God? How did that work out? What are you supposed to do if a dream that you have conflicts with the Word of God? Is YHVH sovereign in your life?

597 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

“Am I only God when near,” asks ADONAI, “and not when far away” (23:23 CJB)? That YHVH was near was the false promise of the Temple cult. The false prophets always sought to draw ADONAI too near to their own secret desires and therefore tended to minimize His sovereign freedom. In effect, they were playing God. “Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them” declares the LORD (23:24a). The false prophets cannot hide from God to escape their punishment. What He is about to say is based on His omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-10; Amos 9:1-4). There is no place to hide.

“Do I not fill heaven and earth” (23:24b)? Since God is everywhere (omnipresence), He knows what goes on everywhere. The false prophets were saying, “I just received a revelation from God by virtue of a dream.” Therefore, here, the LORD deals with these false dreams of these false prophets. I have heard what the false prophets say who prophesy lies in My name. They say: I had a dream! I had a dream (doubling for emphasis)! The origin of their false revelation was themselves! Because they had a dream, they assumed it was from God. Ever have a nightmare? Is that from God also? They became the final authority . . . not Scripture, not YHVH’. Now Ha’Shem asks some specific questions: How long will this continue in the hearts of those lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds. How long will they continue to impose upon the people? Can the true Word of God reside in the hearts of people who prophesy lies of their own imagination? They think the dreams they tell one another will make My people forget My name through Ba’al worship (23:25-27). Just as their fathers forgot God’s name because of Ba’al worship, now their children forget God’s name because of these lying dreams. Due to their dishonesty, the people did not know the true nature of ADONAI.

Today there are people who portray YHVH as angry, vengeful, and eager to punish people for every minor offense. The LORD, however, describes Himself as merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth (Exodus 34:6). Others show the world a picture of a loving God who is too kind to punish wrongdoing. But God describes Himself as One who exercises judgment and righteousness (9:24b). He is both Ha’Shem, a just Judge, and ADONAI, a loving Father. If we emphasize one over the other . . . we paint a false picture of God. Everyone must face Yeshua as Savior or Judge. The most important thing we can know about YHVH and proclaim to the world is that He does not want to punish anyone. The LORD is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (Second Peter 3:9). But to be truly loving, He must also be absolutely just.²⁵⁷

The difference between true prophecy and false prophecy is shown as the difference between straw and wheat: The false prophet who has a dream may relate his dream as merely a dream, but not as a prophecy from God. However, let him who has My word speak My word in truth. The true Word of God is symbolized in three figures of speech: wheat, fire and a hammer: What does straw or chaff (the dreams of the false prophets) have in common with wheat (the word of the true prophet)? declares ADONAI. Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock (23:28-29 NASB)? One will destroy the other because the Word of God is not only like wheat, it’s like fire. Fire burns straw. The Word of God is also like a hammer. In the near historical future (see Ga – The Fall of Jerusalem) it will break these false prophets like a hammer shatters a rock. It accomplishes its task, smashing any obstacle in its way.

God speaks to us in many different ways – through His Word, through the prompting of the Ruach HaKodesh, through His still small voice (First Kings 19:12). In Jeremiah’s time, the southern kingdom of Judah was under attack from the Babylonians. Already, some of the people had been taken captive to Babylon, along with most of the gold and silver. There were many false prophets going around saying that they had a dream that the people and the Temple items taken during the first deportation (see Ca – Jehoiakim Ruled For 11 Years from 609/608 to 598 BC) would soon be returned. This is what Jeremiah is speaking out against. They may have dreamed a dream, but the dream was not from God.

But we need to realize that if we do have a dream or vision, these are straw compared with the wheat – the Word of God, the Bible. If there is a conflict between the Word of God and our feelings we must trust in what the Bible says. The canon of Scripture is closed and today ADONAI speaks to us through His Word (see Ed – Both Prophet and Priest are Godless). It is a lamp unto our feet (Psalm 119:105). The Holy Spirit still convicts us of our sins, but He will not contradict His word with a message given in a dream or vision. If they are contradictory, then that dream or vision is not from God. Thus, declares the LORD, I am against the false prophets in three ways.

First, God is against those who steal from one another words supposedly from Me (29:30). The lying prophets were so devoid of personal inspiration, not having personally received a word from God, which they could only repeat what they heard others say. They kept on stealing empty words from each other in a vain attempt to impress everyone how godly they were. No doubt they also borrowed liberally from the true prophets when it suited their treacherous purposes.

Second, Yes, I am against the false prophets who wag their own tongues and yet say, “ADONAI declares” (23:31). The origin of their false prophecies was their own tongues (James 3:1-12). They used the formula of a true prophet, but then they invented the prophecy out of their own mouth. They wag (Hebrew verb: laqach, literally they use) their tongues. The rabbis interpret it to mean to teach. “They teach their tongue to speak a lie.” Then they speak an oracle. There is a play on words: They speak (Hebrew: na’am) and oracle (Hebrew: n’um), or they oracle an oracle. They thirsted for an opportunity to try and palm off anything they could as an oracle, but, in reality, it was merely their own words with something of a flourish as though it was really from the LORD.

Third, the effect of such dreams, fantasies, and distortions is that Judah is led astray, away from God’s will into deathly disobedience. I am against those who concoct prophecies out of fake dreams. They tell them, and by their lies and arrogance they lead my people astray. They fake revelation by means of dreams, which are actually lying dreams. The words and lead my people astray refer to all three of their ways of acting: inventing, stealing and lying. So in summary ADONAI proclaims: I didn’t send them, I didn’t commission them, and they don’t do this people any good at all (23:32 CJB).

Behind the dispute concerning true and false prophets is a dispute about the character of God. The false prophets taught that YHVH was ever near and ever committed to Jerusalem and the Temple no matter what (see Cc – False Religion is Worthless). In sharp contrast, Jeremiah bore witness to a God who is “afar off,” free, sovereign, and not held hostage by the religious establishment of Jerusalem. The issue in dispute was not necessarily the content of a certain prophecy, but about God’s relationship with Judah. Up until now the dispute centered on what the false prophets did and said. But now it is clear that the foundational question is the reality and character of God. This is the central concern of Jeremiah from which everything else flows.

False Prophets Condemned
Jeremiah 23:13-22 and Ezeki’el 13:1-23

False prophets condemned DIG: What is the basic message of the false prophets? What does God mean that the false prophets are like Sodom and Gomorrah? What distinguishes the false prophet (see Deuteronomy 31:1-5)? How are Judah’s prophets measuring up to these criteria? What false image of ADONAI do the false prophets project? Compared to the source of the false prophet’s word, where does the true prophet get God’s word (Jeremiah 23:18 and 22)? What will God do to intervene and put a stop to their lies? How will this prove that the LORD is Adonai ELOHIM?

REFLECT: What does it mean for you to stand at the council of ADONAI? What is involved? Where? When? With whom? How do we “hear” God’s Word today? What can we do to make sure we aren’t fooled today? How did Jesus distinguish between true and false prophets (see Matthew 7:15-23; 23:13-28; 24:23-26)? How do His warnings compare with Ezeki’el’s? Are you more concerned with “what the future holds” or “who controls the future?” What are you doing to reduce your stress level?

597 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Ezeki’el, who was among the Jews taken into the Babylonian captivity in the second deportation (to see link click Du – Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC). He was the first prophet to live and prophesy in exile. His prophecies were addressed to both the people who were left in Judah as well to his fellow-captives in Babylon.

The works of the false prophets: Ezeki’el, a contemporary of Jeremiah, now turns to the false prophets of Jerusalem. The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of [Judah] who are now prophesying. They were sinning in seven ways. First, prophesied out of their own imagination, in other words, they made up prophecies, saying, “Hear the word of ADONAI.” This is what Adonai ELOHIM says, secondly, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and thirdly, have seen nothing and they know it! Fourthly, your prophets, [Judah], are like jackals among ruins. Fifthly, You have not gone up to the breaches in the wall to repair it for the people of [Judah] so that it will stand firm in the battle on the day of the LORD, or the Great Tribulation in the far eschatological future. The false prophets had set a pattern that will eventually cause Judah to enter the Great Tribulation. True prophets were primarily responsible for the leadership of the nation. The way they lead the nation tends to follow. Because of this tendency, the pattern that was set in the past will continue in the future. Sixthly, Their visions are false and their divinations a lie. And seventh, even though YHVH has not sent them, they say, “ADONAI declares,” and expect Him to fulfill their words. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, “The LORD declares,” though I have not spoken (Ezeki’el 13:1-7). As a result, they gave the Jewish people a sense of false hope and false security.²⁵²

Jeremiah brought the example of the northern kingdom of Isra’el, who had already fallen to Assyria, because what happened to her will now happen to the southern kingdom of Judah. The prophets of Isra’el had been guilty of openly practicing idolatry. Among the prophets of Samaria I saw this repulsive thing: They prophesied by Ba’al and led My people Isra’el astray (Jeremiah 23:13). But at least they were honest about it. They didn’t claim to prophesy in the name of ADONAI. They were prophets of Ba’al and they prophesied in his name! By doing so they caused the people of Samaria to turn away from the real God.

But among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible (5:30, 18:13, 23:14, 29:17). More horrible because the prophets of Zion claimed to prophecy in the name of ADONAI when they were doing no such thing. In this way the prophets of the northern Kingdom were superior because they admitted that they prophesied in the name of another God. Not only did they prophesy in the name of YHVH, they were committing spiritual adultery and living a lie. By means of their false prophecies they were encouraging the wicked, not the righteous. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns (shuwb) them from their wickedness (Jeremiah 23:14a).

So from the LORD’s point of view the people of Jerusalem had become like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah who were destroyed and never rebuilt (Jeremiah 23:14b). Now Jerusalem deserved the same type of judgment; however, they would not receive the same type of judgment because God does not violate His covenants. But Zion would receive judgment of another kind – seventy years of it (see Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule).

God’s judgment on the false prophets: Therefore because they prophesied lies, this is what ADONAI Tzva’ot says concerning these prophets, “I am against you.” My hand will be against the false prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the counsel of My people (they will lose their influence upon the people) or be listed in the records of Isra’el (they will be excommunicated from the priesthood as in Ezra 2:62), nor will they enter the land of Isra’el (they will not participate in the return after the exile). Then you will know that I am Adonai ELOHIM (Ezekiel 13:8-9).

Because they gave the people a sense of false security, ADONAI said: They lead My people astray, saying, “Peace,” when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built (the Hebrew word chayitz, simply refers stones piled on top of each other, but not cemented together), they cover it with whitewash. The best way to strengthen the wall would be to put cement in between the stones. But instead of really strengthening that flimsy wall, they merely put a coat of whitewash over it. The wall looked better, but it didn’t really strengthen it at all. And that represented the vain hopes of the people. Therefore, tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. A flooding rain will come and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent wind will burst forth. Whenever a flood is used symbolically in the Bible it pictures a military invasion. So this will be the military invasion of Babylon. Then the false hopes of the people will be knocked down when Nebuchadnezzar invaded the Land. When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, “Where is the whitewash you covered it with” (Ezeki’el 13:10-12)?

Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: In My wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in My anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am ADONAI. So I will pour out My wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, “The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, those false prophets of Isra’el who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares Adonai ELOHIM” (Ezeki’el 13:13-16).²⁵³

For those false prophets, God said: I will feed them bitter wormwood and make them drink poisonous water, for ungodliness has spread through all the Land from the prophets of Yerushalayim” (Jeremiah 23:15 CJB). YHVH’s sentence on the false prophets was bitterness and tragedy. Why? Because the prophets of Jerusalem had spread wickedness and ungodliness throughout Y’hudah. They had failed to recognize the pervasive and stubborn wickedness of the people and had prescribed an over-the-counter medication when only radical surgery could resolve the matter.

The words of false prophetesses: ADONAI Tzva’ot says: Don’t listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are making you act foolishly (they were full of hot air), telling you visions from their own minds (does that sound familiar?) and not from the mouth of ADONAI. What was their claim? They keep reassuring those who despise Me, “ADONAI says you will be safe and secure,” and saying to all living by their own stubborn hearts, “Nothing bad will happen to you” (Jeremiah 23:16-17 CJB).

Just as false prophets were found in Judah, so were there false prophetesses. Ezeki’el now condemns the women who, like their male counterparts, were misleading the people. Now, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who prophesy out of their own imagination. They also make up prophecies. This is the only place in the TaNaKh were false prophetesses are mentioned. Prophesy against them and say, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms, like bands around their wrists, on the one inquiring of the false prophetess to symbolize the binding power of her magic spells. Those occultic bands symbolized her possession of that person, not unlike some practices in voodoo today. And make veils of various lengths for their heads in order to ensnare people to whom they were about to prophesy. By means of spells, the occult and incantations they were hunting their victims. Will you ensnare the lives of my people but preserve your own? They were claiming to be able to keep their victims alive, but it would require a fee. You have profaned Me among My people for a few handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. These were used both as payment and for divination purposes to see if the victim would live or die. By lying to My people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died and have spared those who should not live (Ezeki’el 13:17-19). They used magic to temporarily cure people who would die when the Babylonians came.

The words of false prophets: God repudiated the false prophets with some questions. But which of you has been present in the council of ADONAI (those who paid close attention to God’s word, listened to it and proclaimed it) to see and hear His word? Who has paid attention to His word enough to hear it (Jeremiah 23:18 CJB)? The prophets stood in the counsel of the LORD (Isaiah 6:1-9; Amos 3:8). Neither method had been followed by the false prophets.

The visitation of God upon those who prophesied falsely: The wrath of God would come against those false prophetesses and their occult practices. Therefore, this is what Adonai ELOHIM says: I am against your magic charms with which you ensnare people like birds to be trapped, and I will tear them from your arms; I will set free the people that you ensnare like birds. I will tear off your veils and save My people from your hands, and they will no longer fall prey to your power. They will be freed from their blindness imposed by witchcraft. Then you will know that I am the LORD. Because you dishearten the righteous with your lies, when I had brought them no grief, and because you encouraged the wicked not to turn from their evil ways and so save their lives. They made the righteous sad and the wicked even more wicked. Therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will save My people from your hands. And then you will know that I am YHVH (Ezeki’el 13:20-23).²⁵⁴

“I did not send these prophets; yet they have run in eagerness with their counterfeit message which they have invented; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in My council they would have proclaimed My words to My people and would have turned (shuwb) them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds (Jeremiah 23:21-22). Perhaps they were believed in the inviolability of the Temple and Jerusalem (see Cc – False Religion is Worthless). But the fact is they had not been called by God to proclaim His word and as a result, they had no word to proclaim. The task of a true prophet was to convict the people of their sinfulness. To do that he himself would need to have a clear understanding of the nature of the covenant and its demands upon the people of God.²⁵⁵ Nevertheless, they encouraged the people to go their own way was proof that they had not stood in the council of the LORD.

I will Look! The storm of ADONAI, bursting out in fury, a whirlwind down upon the heads of the wicked! ADONAI’s anger will not turn back (shuwb) until He fully accomplishes the purpose in His heart. In the acharit-hayamim, or in the days to come, you will understand everything. When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the thirteenth of twenty-five times that Yirmeyahu uses one of these phrases.

Is was as if Jeremiah was saying, “At present you refuse to recognize this, but in the end you will know it from examining yourselves and from your experience.” This near historical prophecy would be fulfilled in 586 BC when the Temple, Jerusalem and Judah would be destroyed and the people taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Then they would understand everything (Jeremiah 23:19-20 CJB). God’s purposes may be delayed in fulfillment, but never stopped by human action.

All God’s promises are sure. When He says He will deliver His people, He means just that. When He promised repeatedly to send deliverance in Messiah, He kept His promise to the letter. But what benefit is it if Jew or Gentile has not been told of this Good News?²⁵⁶

Both Prophet and Priest are Godless
23: 9-12

Both prophet and priest are godless DIG: Why would Jeremiah feel like a drunken man upon finding out that the court prophets were charlatans? What does God mean by calling the prophets adulterers? What did God promise to do with people who claimed to be His prophets or priests but were in fact godless and wicked (23:11-12)?

REFLECT: Why did ADONAI need prophets during the days of Jeremiah and Ezeki’el? Is the canon of Scripture closed today? Why or why not? If there were prophets today, what standard would they have to meet? Who are the false prophets today? How can you identify a false prophet? What is their message?

597 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Concerning the prophets, Jeremiah is distraught and says: My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble. I am like a drunken man, like a man overcome with wine, because of the LORD and His holy words (23:9). He was not overcome with wine, but overcome with God’s word concerning the false prophets. He must have been deeply moved over the vices that prevailed in the Land. The false prophets must bear responsibility because they condoned, if not encouraged, the rebellion against ADONAI.

In violation of the Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Dq – You Shall Not Commit Adultery), the Land is full of adulterers. The worship of Ba’al, the Canaanite god of fertility, far from producing a bountiful harvest, had the opposite effect because of the curse the Land lies parched and the pastures in the desert are withered (12:4). To worship other gods is to deny the prosperity to the Land that only ADONAI can bring (Hosea 2:5-8 and 21-22; Amos 4:4-9). The [false] prophets follow an evil course and use their power unjustly (23:10).

Again he deals with the basic problem – the sins of the people. Both the prophet and the priest are godless; even in My Temple I find their wickedness, declares the LORD (23:11). Despite the reform of Josiah in 622 BC (to see link click Ai – Josiah Ruled For 31 Years from 640 to 609 BC) where he rooted out pagan cults from the Temple compound, after his death in 609 BC, there was a recurrence of these practices in the days of Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. Ezeki’el gives us a good idea of what went on in the Temple (see Eu – Idolatry in the Temple). It was this that troubled Yirmeyahu so much.

Concerning the priests: Therefore, their path will become slippery; they will be banished to darkness and then they will fall. No light of God’s Word would illuminate their path. I will bring disaster on them in the year they are punished, declares Ha’Shem (24:12). The judgment would especially come against the prophets and the priests. God would put them in total darkness, ultimately falling into exile in 586 BC. The exact opposite of what they had prophesied would happen. Unmercifully they would be driven by the Adversary to their ruin, for YHVH had rejected them.

Concerning the prophets: The canon of Scripture is closed today. Anyone who claims to be a prophet, then, should be subjected to God’s standard for prophets: I Myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My name (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kz – Your Word Is Truth). But a godless prophet who presumes to speak in My name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death (Deuteronomy 18:19-20). The ultimate Prophet like Moshe (Deuteronomy 18: 15 and 18) is Yeshua Messiah – the One who spoke words of ADONAI. They are the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Romans 1:16).

You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” In the Dispensation of the Torah (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah) this was the standard: If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not come true, that is a message ADONAI has not spoken, that prophet has spoken presumptuously and must be put to death (Deuteronomy 18: 20b-22). But since the canon of Scripture is closed today, there is no new revelation for the universal Church. Yes, the Lord still reveals His will to us individually. But anyone professing to speak for God today, must line up with His Word.

It is of great significance that the Bible closes with an affirmation of its truthfulness. Because the words of Scripture are trustworthy and true (22:6), they must not be sealed up, but proclaimed (22:10). Sinners are to be called to respond to the warnings in the Word of God or suffer the consequences. All the prophecies of Revelation regarding the doom of unbelievers will come true. That terrifying certainty should drive people to accept Yeshua, who rescues us from the coming wrath (First Thessalonians 1:10).²⁴⁹

John warns everyone who hears the word of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book (Revelation 22:18), ultimately the lake of fire.

John’s warning refers to the book of Revelation, not the whole Bible. However, since this is the final revelation of God’s Word, the principle behind the warning can be extended to the whole Bible because the Scriptures are complete only with this final book. Once John died, no further inspired books would be written (Ephesians 2:11 to 3:12). If this were not true, revelation would be open-ended, and churches and messianic synagogues would have no way of distinguishing between false and true doctrine.

Examples of those who add to God’s Word, are the numerous cults that accept other writing as inspired and authoritative and place them on equal (or higher) grounds with the Bible. The Mormons have their Book of Mormon, Christian Science have their Key to the Scriptures, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have their New World Translation (NWT), and the Muslims have their Koran. In view of the proliferation of all kinds of cults and winds of doctrine sweeping across the world today, most of them rooted in some charismatic personality with claims of divine wisdom and authority, John’s warning is needed more today than ever before.

And if anyone takes words away, literally to cut off, from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll (Revelation 22:19).

Now if it is a deadly crime to add to the words of Scripture, then it is even more wicked and dangerous to take them away. Adding false scripture to true Scripture at least leaves the truth, with the saving Gospel in tact. Trying to cut off certain unwanted words of God from the Bible, on the other hand, will dilute or destroy its saving message and living truth. That is why the influences of the cults, as bad as they are, still are not as deadly as those, like the Jesus Seminar, who specialize in cutting out or explaining away all those portions of the Bible that offend their humanistic prejudices and evolutionary presumptions. All of the Scriptures have been attacked by such people, but none so much as the books of Genesis and Revelation.²⁵⁰ The penalty for removing anything from the Bible is nothing less than the removal of that person’s name from the Lamb’s book of life, that person’s share in the tree of life and their entrance into the New Jerusalem.

The cults add to the words of the Bible and the liberals take them away. The form of the warning comes from Deuteronomy 4:2, where God admonishes Isra’el: Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of ADONAI your God that I give you. In Deuteronomy 12:32 he added: See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it. Proverbs 30:5-6 warns: Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, or He will rebuke you and prove you a liar. Therefore, the prohibition against altering the words of Revelation by implication extends to the entire Bible. As John had said: The Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35).

No true believer would ever deliberately tamper with Scripture. Those who know and love ADONAI will treat His Word with the utmost respect. They will agree with the psalter: How I love your Torah (Psalm 119:97, 119:113, 163, 167; John 14:23); and, I delight in Your Torah (Psalm 119:70, Psalm 1:2, 119:77, 92, 174). That does not, of course, mean that believers will never make errors in judgment or mistakenly interpret the Bible. The Lord’s warning here is addressed to those who purposefully distort or falsify Scripture. Rabbi Sha’ul says that these peddle the Word of God for profit (Second Corinthians 2:17).²⁵¹