Jeremiah - Chapter 17

I really appreciate that song. Rinks is one of my favorites, I think. Well, it's good to be here. Was it Samuel that once said, hitherto the Lord has helped us, hitherto the Lord has protected us, kept us safe as we came here on treacherous, well, I don't know, the roads maybe weren't that treacherous, but it's sure, sure wintry out there. Are there any prayer requests this morning? Well, let's stand. Oh God in heaven, great is your name, and greatly to be praised. We thank you and praise you for your goodness and mercies. We thank you for the snow and the cold and plenty of clothes and buildings and shelters and food and all the ways you care for us and provide for us and give us sustenance and provisions. We praise you and see that we owe our everything to you, Lord, and pray that you would help us to do that, to live according to your ways. Thank you for salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. We ask for your presence here in our assembly today, that you would bless it. We pray that you would help us and guide our thoughts and hearts and be with Brother Joe as he shares later and give him your spirit to help him and give us all hearts to understand, ears to hear. So help us, Lord, and we pray for your blessing on this day in Jesus' name. Amen. I'm going to read out of Jeremiah 17. I started working on it yesterday and this morning and it kind of grew and grew and grew and finally put it aside for a main message someday. So I'm just going to read some out of Jeremiah 17 here, at least a portion of the chapter. I have a few thoughts to share perhaps and maybe you'll have some. I like this chapter. This is out of the New King James. It starts by saying, The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron. With the point of a diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart and on the horns of your altars. While their children remember their altars and their wooden images by the green trees and on the high hills, O my mountain, in the field I will give as plunder your wealth, all your treasures, and your high places of sin within all your borders. God is utterly disappointed in Judah. In what He wants them to be. He wants them to be His people. He wants them to be something that the other nations would look at and say, Whoa, these are God's people. And now they've fallen in to be like the other people. They're into idolatry. They're into all kinds of wickedness. So much so that He says, Their sin is written with a pen of iron. With diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart and on the horns of their altar. The next verse, we should take heed. It says, Their children remember their altars and their wooden images by the green trees and on the high hills. We can be sure that our children will notice and they will remember what we worship. What we pursue. What we devote ourselves to. What we, um, what we, what our life is about and for. Don't, make no mistake. They'll remember that. They'll know that. Whether it be good or whether it be evil. Doesn't mean they're going to do the same thing, but they will remember it. They will know it. This heritage that the Lord wanted to give Judah. And He wanted them to be the head and not the tail. He wanted them to be the ones that one would put a thousand to flight. He was the one that wanted these people to be the conquerors. To be the ones who bring in the plunder from other people. Now He says, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to give your wealth to be the plunder. And I will cause you to serve your enemies in the land which you do not know. Going on in verse 5, He says, Thus says the Lord, Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited. Cursed is the man who trusts in man. What's that one verse of the song, I'll praise my Maker while I'm breath. It says, Why should I make a man my trust? Princess must die and turn to dust. Vain is the help of flesh and blood. Yeah, it says it right here. Like a heath in the desert, I think the King James says. Like a shrub in the desert. You know how it is if you've been to the desert. There's not much greenery there. Because it's parched. It's dry. I was in Arizona one time. Lord willing, we'll go there next week again. It's amazing to look at. In some ways, it's actually beautiful. But I just imagine trying to carve a living out of that place. I mean, if you could somehow eat rocks, you might survive. But it's so parched. It's so dry. It seems, though there is some life there, the bushes are just, lots of the bushes. And it varies from place to place. You know, there's these dry, gnarly branches with no leaves on them. It's not something you'd be drawn to if you were hungry. It's not something you'd be drawn to if you wanted something to give you sustenance, something that you wanted to live on. And I think that's what God sees when He looks at people who are trusting in man. Just a parched desert of gnarly twigs, almost skeleton-like plants that He does not find appetizing. And then He goes on to say in verse 7, Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. Here's the contrast. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters which spreads out its roots by the river and will not fear when the heat comes, but its leaf will be green and he will not be anxious in the year of drought nor will cease from yielding fruit. Quite a difference. And so it is, I think, when the Lord looks down upon the earth, that's how different it looks to Him versus these people who trust in man and these people who are trusting in God. The ones look like a place where there's life. There's fruit. There's sustenance. And the difference is in that they're rooted and where they're rooted. That they're rooted by the river. That there's water there. When we trust in the Lord, we are drinking from the fountain of life. And therefore, we can flourish. I think maybe I've told this story before here amongst you all. The difference in trees that have root and have roots that are deep, have roots that are wide, have roots that are fast and secure in something solid. I can't remember what year it was. Years ago when I was still living in Ohio, I think maybe it must have been a year or two after we got married. We had this really, really bad ice storm. Worst ice storm I've ever seen and hopefully maybe ever see. And lots and lots of trees came down. Not just branches. I think it had rained and rained and rained and then got cold and so the ground was real wet and soft. And then the trees build up this ice like nothing I've ever seen before. And because the ground was soft, lots of trees got uprooted, got broken. And we had this woods on the side of a hill and it had a lot of cherry trees, it had a lot of locust trees, it had a few oak trees. And a cherry tree doesn't have much of a root. Its root system never goes deep. They pretty easily uproot. Well, these cherry trees just lost it. And I went out there afterwards to try to clean up the woods and what I saw looked like looked like some trees started falling and fell against other trees and those trees fell on other trees and just kind of like a domino effect. These trees just were uprooted one after the other. It was a mess. But right in the midst of that great big mess there was this handful of oak trees that were not great big tall oak trees. They were young trees. But these trees, when they went, got ahold of the tops of those branches of the oak trees and bent them all the way down to the ground and pinned them fast. But the roots were still in contact and the trunks of those trees stood like this big arch. They were pinned down but the roots were still there. And when I went in some weeks later started to cut and clear up the woods I freed up those oak trees. And they stood partly, they stood part ways up. Maybe it was a month. I don't know. It was enough that the trees didn't just immediately sprung up. They sprung up part ways. And I'd check on them from time to time and they were further up and further up. They still had life. They were still rooted. All these other trees who had no root worth anything, their life was over. I cut them up. They got burned in the stove. But those oak trees probably still stand to this day. And they probably still produce acorns. And they probably still produce shade. And the deer and the wildlife still come there and they still enjoy the fruit of those trees because they were rooted. Let's learn from that. Let's get rooted. Let's let our roots spread. And remember, it's spreading and growing in the Lord. It has to be. There's lots of people who are very firmly rooted in the world. Let's not be that way. Verse 9 The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. See? Who can know it? Before the flood, God had said something like, man is evil, continually evil, something like that. And after the flood, He said, I won't destroy man again. I see that his heart is evil from his youth. The heart is deceitful above all things. And remember what we talked about last Sunday about the heart. It's not just this emotion thing, right? Like is often portrayed in our modern day thing. In fact, right here in this verse, in verse 10, he says, I, the Lord, search the heart. I test the mind. Look at that. He uses that synonymously. The heart and the mind. The heart, this heart that is talked about hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of times in the Scripture, it is our thought life. It doesn't exclude our emotions, but it's not just this emotional thing where our mind tells us one thing, but our heart says something else. It's our thought life. It's our will. It's the very thing which through thought, through reason, through emotion, through logic, through every capability that we have to reason and think and choose something. That's our heart. And God wants to give us a new one of those. Right? Because it's just desperately wicked. Who can know it? It's deceitful above all things. Desperately wicked. And as he says here, the Lord searches the heart. I test the minds even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. Again, you can search the Scriptures out, especially the New Testament, again and again and again. This is what the Lord will judge us by, by our fruits, by our works. It's how we would know false prophets from true prophets, by their fruits, by their fruits, by their works, according to their deeds again and again and again. Verse 11, As the partridge, a partridge, I'm sure you children all know what a partridge is, like a hen, maybe a grouse. I don't know if we have rough grouse around here. We did in the East. Pheasants, those kind of chicken-like birds. As the partridge that broods but does not hatch, so is he who gets riches, but not by right. It will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end, he will be a fool. Leaves this picture of a partridge that's brooding over eggs, and she sits and sits and sits on them, and they don't hatch. You know chickens will do that. Chickens, especially some breeds that are really good for setting and hatching out eggs, we actually sometimes have that breed, like cochins, or those kind of breeds of chickens, just for that purpose. We'll let them hatch out a nest of eggs, and as soon as they hatch, we'll take the chicks out, and put new eggs there, and they'll sit there for another 21 days, and you can do it again. Once those hatch, you can take those out, stick another set of eggs in there, and they'll just keep sitting there. Well, guess what? They also just keep sitting when the eggs get rotten, and sometimes you'll have a clutch full of rotten eggs under there, and they'll just keep sitting and sitting for weeks and weeks on end. Finally, you think you foolish chicken. Go ahead, Leroy. I'm not sure that's what it's saying. What's it saying? I think it's saying a partridge that hatches out eggs that it did not lay, so hatching out something other than its own kind. In the end... So is he who gets rich but does not... Well, either way, it sounds like something that's not hatching, though, whether it's its own eggs or not, as a partridge that broods but does not hatch. Maybe not hatch its own kind? I don't know. The RISD says, like, the partridge hatching what it did not lay. Okay. Like the Holman says, basically, he who makes a fortune consciously is like a partridge that hatches eggs it didn't lay. Yeah, well, I did not check those other translations. King James actually says that it does not hatch. Yeah, so does this new King James. It hatches them not. Right. Well, there's probably more than one lesson we can learn from here, but I think the whole point is so is he that gets riches but not by right, it will leave him in the midst of his days, and at his end, he will be a fool. So it'll be if we gather together wealth, if we guard it, if we brood over it, if we try to store up and guard and protect and brood earthly things. Someday it'll all go up in smoke and it'll be thou fool. What have you done? Yeah, I appreciate you bringing out those different translations, how they do that different because I think both both fit into the point that he makes here. Eventually the chicken will have to get off the nest and say, I don't have anything to show for it, or whatever they hatched out leaves them because they're not of its kind. Verse 12 and 13, A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You shall be ashamed. Those who depart from Me shall be written in the earth because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters. Jeremiah, as he starts his letter, one of the first few chapters, he says, My people have committed two evils in that they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and what's the second one? And hewn out cisterns, broken cisterns that hold no water. And so not only did, and this is common, that people, especially religious people, don't only commit the first evil of forsaking the Lord, forsaking the living waters, forsaking the truth about God, but they go and they hew out their own idea of it. They establish their own ideas of what righteousness are, their own ideas of what holiness are. They unite them. Whole religions, whole races, whole cultures unite themselves around something else, around their own ideas of what holiness are, and not the Lord's ideas of what holiness are. And thereby, they create themselves something, and they're desperately trying to hold water, but the whole thing's broken. It can never be consistent. And so they deny this continual fountain, this fountain that just continually wants to pour forth fresh water and keep us alive so that out of our own belly flow forth rivers of living water. But they want some water, and so they try to hold something and preserve it and protect it and keep it and pass it down to the next generation like that so that they can hold this and pass it down. And the whole thing is broken. And they just hewn out cisterns that can't hold water. Verse 14, Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed. Save me, and I shall be saved. For You are my praise. Indeed, they say to me, where is the Word of the Lord? Let it come now. And as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You, nor have I desired the woeful day. You know what came out of my lips. It was right. It was right there before You. Do not be a terror to me. You are my hope in the day of doom. Let them be ashamed who persecute me, but do not let me be put to shame. Let them be dismayed, but do not let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of doom and destroy them with double destruction. I think there's coming a day when all His people can look back. You know how we are instructed of the Lord to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us, to do good to those who hate us, to pray for those who despitefully use us, to not return evil for evil, but to return good for evil. And we want to do that. And for that reason, if we learn that, we have a heart of compassion that goes out to even those who are totally wicked against us, and who work against us, and who persecute us. We don't necessarily relish in the idea of their destruction. We would so much, as the Lord wants us to have, like to see them come and taste of the good words of life too. And so sometimes this kind of language that Jeremiah would use here, which he is an old covenant prophet, he says, don't let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of doom and destroy them with a double destruction. But one thing I think is that the Lord will be just. In the end, the Lord will give everybody their due penalty, their due pay, and I think we will completely understand it. If it doesn't make... Maybe we don't know quite how hell is, or maybe we can't quite understand well, was this person... Sure, they weren't quite right, but they weren't that bad. Surely, they wouldn't deserve hell quite. But I think the day will come when we will completely understand it. See, now we know in part. But the day will come when we'll have perfect knowledge and we'll completely understand. I think when God says, depart from me and be cast into outer darkness where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, it will make perfect sense to us too. I see that thread through the Scriptures sometimes. When God finally settles it, when the enemy is defeated, and we look back on our ancient enemy, we will understand why God's judgment is what it is. When Babylon goes up in smoke in the book of Revelation, everybody says hallelujah. This was the one who persecuted the saints. Now we know in part, but then we shall know just like he. I'll stop there. We'll just open it up for anybody that wants to share anything, add anything, correct more things. There will probably be a whole lot more we can talk out of that chapter. Feel free to do so. God bless you. Yeah, I wanted to share. I'm thankful for what was shared. And also encouragement of being rooted. That is so important. If I personally kind of feel like that rootedness is a heart that has been turned to God, even though outward things may or may not be as perfect, but there's a course in our life that can make it through if we're rooted in the Lord somehow. Like blessed are those who trust in the Lord. This is where our strength comes from. And if we forget that, or if we never had it, we will be like those trees that get tipped over. They were nice trees. It was a sad thing, but their roots were not strong enough. Let us pray for strong roots. Or maybe we should pray for repentance that we can have strong roots. However the case, God knows. He knows how to, if we allow Him to. If we surrender to Him and give our all to Him, somehow or another He can get us through. So it's been encouraging. I'll just say amen. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for sharing, brother. That... Pardon Jeremiah. I just wanted to comment on the trees. When I was a lot younger, before I was married, I worked in the forestry industry. I logged a lot and also laid out blocks of wood to be logged. And we would have to lay out or leave out of the block certain percentages of the stand to be wildlife tree patches. And after a while, it just started to make no sense because, especially if you were like in a uniform stand, like just pine. So you would lay out these little areas that were for the moose or whatever to have shelter, I guess. And because it was, you basically cut down a huge swath of the forest but left this tiny little thin stand of pine. As soon as there was a wind event, it would just all fall down. So there would be no... anything left for the moose to stand in at all. We ended up remedying that by laying out the wildlife tree patches along the edges of the block so that it was up against whatever was left of the forest along the edges. But I think that also can be used as an analogy like that we have to have strong roots but also that we stand shoulder to shoulder. At least that's kind of how I would view it. I don't know if I'm correcting that or not. The Lord, the Lord is perfect Unworthy of the soul But the glory of the Lord is sure Making wise the simple Wandering inside And woven in much fine gold Sweeter also than honey And the honeydome The sightings of the Lord are nigh Rejoice in the Lord The commandment of the Lord is sure And life in the eyes Wandering inside And woven in much fine gold Sweeter also than honey And the honeydome The fear of the Lord is clean And enduring forever The judgments of the Lord are true And righteous all together More to be designed are Made in gold Made in much fine gold Sweeter also than honey And the honeydome More overrided is the servant born Is the servant born And in keeping of that There is great reward Come children of Zion And help us to sing Loud anthems of praise To our Savior and King Whose blood was first given Our souls to redeem And bring us to heaven To reign there with Him In regions of darkness And sorrow and pain We all lay in prayer In praise and in chains But Jesus has bought us With His precious blood The ransom provided To bring us to God O come to the Savior And take up the cross Sing treasures in heaven Count them all as my loss His mercy invites us And let us comply O why should we linger When He is so kind With fear of the dangers That lie in our way His arm will protect us By night and by day And this we must suffer And patiently bear Till Jesus shall take us Where sufferings are o'er There's a flaming body of nations Where the guilt of men's hearts Hath obeyed But there's one who lives And loves us so dear There in precious gifts He gave my name Passing the world for Weeping and scaring Some are fond of Some are turning on heaven Where the Word like a song Is borne at all By the praises Given the way Not a little way off From the pathway But a progress Of mercy and song When the showers of blessings Descending They will quickly bring Our piled-up debts home But from the kingdom Of humility And offended by Surging hot sunshine Tender glance and thereby Tired shadow As we strike against Our tortoise stone And nearby is the field Of the spotful In the matters Of care and leeward Many seasons spent Building and planting There in giving hearts The treasures of earth But the rich field Of heaven and earth Shall wear Brighter color In meadows and tarns Yet for the grace Of riches and pleasures We're assured That it never brings Bored But the sower Still works undiscouraged Precious fruit Is yet worth all the toil For the seed never grows Less than perfect What it grows Will depend on the soil Through the ages And the end of our share He will water his fields With his tears Truth and righteousness Bring from hearts broken Through the way of his love Through the years In the leaves I show my will It's with a strong In heart he's filled In my fears And doubt he's sealed Hush my spirit Into peace Thou hast found me With thy love Open wide The gate to come Peace I ask What peace must be More than being One with thee May thy will On mine be done May thy will On mine be done Chase the cloudings From my heart Thou thy perfect Peace impart Savior at thy feet I fall Thou my life My God, my all Let my help Be certain One with thee One forevermore With thee Once to every Nation Comes the moment To decide In the strife of truth Where falls the Ward of good Or evil side Some great cause God's new Messiah Offering each A blue or black And the choice Goes by forever Twixt that darkness And that light Then to decide Where truth is no more When we share Her wretched cross Everlasting Faith and brother And it's brought for us To be just Then it is The brave man chooses While the coward Stands aside Till the multitude Make virtue Of the faith They have denied By the vial Of burning martyrs Christ thy King Be detract For in the new Gallery he's ever When the cross That turns not black New occasions Teach new duties Time makes ancient Good and good They must suffer Still and hunger Who would keep The breast of truth Though the cause Of evil prosper Yet the truth Alone is strong Though her portion Be the scaffold And upon the throne Be bound Yet that scaffold Sways the future And behind the given throne Stand the darkness In the shadow Keeping watch Of his own