That Shall Come Unto Thee From Ends of the Earth

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JEREMIAH 16
Lesson #17
THEY SHALL COME UNTO THEE FROM THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

• Memory Verse: Jer 16:19
• This chapter occurs approximately 10 years before the final destruction of Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
  • They have already seen the destruction of the Northern Kingdom in 721 BC.
  • They have already seen the first group from the Southern Kingdom taken into captivity in 606 BC which included Daniel.
  • They are on the verge of seeing the second group from the Southern Kingdom go into captivity with Ezekiel in 597 BC.
• Read Jer 16:1-9 Jeremiah’s personal restrictions
  • God’s personal instructions to Jeremiah
    • =1= He is not to marry and have children.
      • As a prophet, Jeremiah’s life is also his message. Because the people would not listen to what he had to say, they were to observe God’s message by what Jeremiah did.
      • God told Jeremiah not to get married and bring children into the world. Why does God deny Jeremiah a wife and children?
        • Read Luk 20:34-35
        • Read Psa 137:1-9

The devastation committed by the Babylonian army against Jerusalem was horrible.

They killed thousands of people including children. When King Nebuchadnezzar took the city of Jerusalem, his soldiers threw babies against the rocks to kill them, thus fulfilling the prophecy in Psa 137.

Those they did not kill were taken captive to Babylon.

• • • • Remember that God knows us individually how much we can bear. He does not give us more than we can handle in the way of testing or temptation. (1Cor 10:13) This is a great comfort.
      • Remember that Jeremiah has a gift of mercy where he feels everything God feels. The death of his family would be devastating to Jeremiah especially with this gift of mercy and with the ability to see prophetically what was coming.
      • What do you think is the significance?
        • In God’s love and mercy for Jeremiah, He knows the terrible devastation that will come in ten years. He knows Jeremiah would not be able to bear the death of his family.
        • Remember that the prophet’s life was to be given totally to the Lord so as to be able to minister without distraction.
        • Paul gives us the same concept in 1Cor 7:32-35 where he tells those unmarried people that if they can stay unmarried, they can serve the Lord better without distraction.
    • =2= Jeremiah is also told not to go into a house where people are mourning for a dead relative or friend.
      • The message of the house of mourning is that when the Babylonians come there will not be time for proper mourning of the dead.
      • The message is also that God will not mourn because He has to punish his people for their sin, and they must suffer the consequences.
    • =3= Jeremiah is also told not to go into a house where there is a festive party.
      • The message of the festive house is that Israel’s time of joy would come to an end with the coming of the Babylonian army.
      • The message is also that God will not rejoice because He has to punish them.
  • There is a Biblical parallel here: (9)
    • Read Mat 24:38
    • In the days of Noah, people were eating, drinking, and marrying as though nothing bad was going to happen.
    • The same condition was true before the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
    • Jeremiah, by his actions, was to demonstrate that those days in which he lived were not to be life as usual.
• Read Jer 16:10-13
  • The greatest joy of the human soul is in serving God. This is the motivation God created in each person.
    • When God called Israel to be His people, He gave them a responsibility to serve God by being a light to the Gentiles.
    • Read Act 13:47-48
      • God called Israel to serve God as a model of light in the world. In doing so, Israel was supposed to know God.
      • When world problems occurred, other nations desiring to know God and God’s blessings were to look at Israel as the model nation. When they saw how God blessed Israel, they would be drawn to God.
        • Because they did not know God, they could not be a light to the Gentiles.
        • Because Israel was not the light, God could not bless them.
        • Because God could not bless them, nations or individuals were not drawn to Israel seeking God.

Read Deu 28:47-48

The Israelites never rejoiced in their call to serve God.

• • The greatest joy for a New Testament believer is to serve God.
    • If you have sadness, frustration, hurt, or a lack of fulfillment in your life, consider serving God more fully by giving yourself over to God’s will and plan for you. (Mat 6:33)
    • In times of great distress either on the national scene or in the lives of people around you, God has placed you there to be that light to their lives.
• Read Jer 16:14-21
  • God’s deliverance (14-15)
    • Whenever the Jews fell away from God and got themselves caught in slavery, they called out to God for deliverance. God in His mercy was always faithful to deliver them. They remember when God delivered them from slavery in Egypt with Moses.
    • Now God promises to deliver them from the Babylonian captivity even before their slavery in Babylon has begun. This is the beauty of God’s mercy and love. It is His promise of hope.
      • The fishers: (16)
        • These are the Medes that were the warriors that later conquered the Babylonian Empire along with the Persians.
        • God used them to round up his people and bring them back to the Promised Land.
      • The hunters: (16)
        • These are the Persians allied with the Medes that God used to bring a powerful unified government that made it possible to restore and finance the Jews’ return to their own land.
        • The restoration came 70 years after the Babylonian captivity started with the capture of Daniel in 606 BC.
      • God promises that the deliverance from the Babylonian captivity will be more miraculous than the deliverance from Egypt!
        • In the deliverance from Egypt, they experienced the miraculous parting of the Red Sea.
        • In the deliverance from Babylon, an unbelieving Persian king personally financed and guarded the Israelite return to the Promised Land.
      • God’s promise of hope goes beyond the time of the Babylonian captivity and the Jews’ return to the Promised Land. There is a prophecy in verse 19 that relates to the millennium reign of Christ for 1000 years when Israel will finally serve God as a refuge for the nations of the world.
  • The double consequence: (18)
    • God reminds the Israelites of the bondage in Egypt from their past history.
    • The bondage in Babylon was to be worse than the bondage in Egypt. Why?
      • The slavery in Egypt occurred gradually over time. The slavery in Babylon occurred rapidly.
      • In Egypt they had their own little piece of blessed territory called Goshen. In Babylon they were scattered throughout the population of Babylon.
    • They should have learned from their own history in Egypt. But unfortunately, human nature does not learn from history. We are no different today.
      • Our schools do not teach the true history of the founding of the United States.
      • Even Christians do not know the Biblical history of Israel.
      • Even Christians do not know the historical details of the founding of the United States.
  • The importance of Jer 16:19 in the founding of America: Why do you think Jer 16:19 was important to the founding fathers of America?
    • In the founding of the United States, religious freedom was an important ingredient.
      • Many people came from Europe where the persecution of Christians was common not only was there persecution from governments but persecution from the dead, established churches and denominations.
      • These people came to America for religious freedom.
    • In the founding of the government of the United States, the founding fathers, who knew the Bible very well, used Biblical principles and key Bible passages to design a government and a nation that embodied religious freedom.
    • One of these key scriptures used by the founding fathers was Jer 16:19.
      • ^“ O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.”
      • The vision of the founding fathers was that the United States would be a refuge from the affliction in Europe and in the rest of the world. This nation was to be a beacon of the light of truth to the world about Jesus Christ. Other nations of the world would look at this nation and marvel how God blessed this country. They would be drawn to God as a result.
      • The idea that this nation was to be the only refuge in a world of trouble is embodied in the statue of liberty.
      • Because of these Biblical concepts in the founding of the United States, God has abundantly blessed this nation through history more than any other nation in the world. However, because this nation has gradually fallen away from the idea of a refuge of God’s truth in the world, God is bringing judgment just as He did to Israel. We can see the same warning signs in our day as Jeremiah saw in his day.
  • Application:
  • What are Christians supposed to do in this world of turmoil as we see judgment coming?
    • We have already learned in Jeremiah that revival begins with the people of God.
    • We have already learned in Jeremiah that the church is God’s final bastion of hope.
    • Now we learn that the people of God in the church are to be the refuge in times of great trouble.
      • When non-believers around us go through deep problems, our light must shine brightly to give them the hope in Jesus Christ that they need in their lives. We need to be prepared to get involved in their lives. Preparation means to study and know the Word of God.
      • When the nation goes through calamities and deep problems, the church must stand firm to offer God’s light to a hurting world. The church must not withdraw from the scene, for to withdraw is to hide the light of Christ.

HOMEWORK
Jeremiah 17

• Application of Jer 16
  • In what ways have you prepared yourself to meet the needs of desperate people around you?
  • In what ways can you better prepare yourself for difficult times coming in this world?
  • In what ways can you get involved in your church to help the church prepare for difficult days of potential persecution ahead?
• Preparation for Jer 17
  • Read Jer 17:1-27
    • In your own words, what do you think verse 9 means?
    • Why do you think verse 9 was important to the founders of America?
• Memory Verse: Jer 17:9