1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,800 I'm excited for what God has in store for us this Bible study, 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:06,320 and I hope that you have a copy of God's Word with you. 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:10,960 There's something about physical Bibles that that is much more 4 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,560 helpful than any other medium, Not against any other medium. 5 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:16,840 I use them, but I hope you have a physical copy of the Bible 6 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:18,840 with you. Let's turn out together the 7 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:23,560 Second Kings chapter 25. Second Kings chapter 25. 8 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:31,000 What we have before us is a historical record of the final 9 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:37,360 deportation of the people of Judah and the ultimate 10 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:45,080 destruction of their Kingdom. To say that this is an important 11 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:50,000 section of Scripture would be a massive understatement, because 12 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:55,120 in actuality, this is a watershed moment for the history 13 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:59,920 of God's people and the overarching narrative of 14 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,120 redemption. And before we read any verse, 15 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:08,520 I'd like for us to briefly think back to some of the greatest 16 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,400 highlights of our study in the Old Testament so far. 17 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:17,080 The miraculous exodus from Egypt. 18 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,680 The incredible patience of God in the wilderness journey. 19 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:28,600 The conquest of the Promised Land in the book of Joshua, the 20 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:35,120 variety of challenges in the days of the Judges, the amazing 21 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:39,600 covenant that Almighty God makes with David and his descendants. 22 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,840 And who can forget the establishment and the 23 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,720 construction of the temple, which would be the earthly 24 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,160 dwelling place of the glory of God in a more permanent way than 25 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:56,200 the Tabernacle? What great investment God made 26 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:00,560 for this people. What tremendous long-suffering 27 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:04,640 and steadfast love throughout their failures. 28 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:11,840 What amazing hope is attached to this nation. 29 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:17,000 And throughout our study of the Hebrew Scriptures, we have 30 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:24,720 consistently recognized the Lord's pardon and protection and 31 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:28,840 preservation, preservation of his people, namely, and 32 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:31,360 especially towards Judah and Jerusalem. 33 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,760 It's almost left us now to be expected, expecting that God's 34 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:39,720 going to continue to do that. But what we're about to discover 35 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:44,200 is that this time is different. This time is different. 36 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,960 The northern Kingdom of Israel has already been exiled by this 37 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:53,640 Syrian empire, and now we're about to discover that Judah is 38 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:57,800 going to share in their faith, but it's going to be more 39 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:01,000 devastating. Devastating because of their 40 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:02,880 connection to the Davidic dynasty. 41 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:09,000 And so I want us to look at Second Kings 25, verse 8 down to 42 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,760 verse 10. And we'll continue at that pace 43 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:19,680 for the rest of the evening. In the 5th month, on the 7th day 44 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:24,120 of the month, that was the 19th year of King Nebuchadnezzar, 45 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:28,880 king of Babylon, Nebu Zeridan, the captain of the bodyguard, a 46 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:31,680 servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 47 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:37,840 And he burned the House of the Lord and the King's house, and 48 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:43,000 all the houses of Jerusalem. Every great house he burned 49 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,600 down, and all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the 50 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:52,800 captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 51 00:03:54,040 --> 00:04:02,040 Father, you are the teacher, and we are your desperate, hungry 52 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:05,120 students. We are your disciples, and we 53 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:07,160 ask that you would illumine our minds. 54 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:12,720 We ask, Lord, that you would fortify our faith and that Lord, 55 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:16,800 you would cause us to fall deeper in love with You as you 56 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:21,399 showcase the sophistication, the majesty, the brilliance, the 57 00:04:21,399 --> 00:04:26,280 wisdom, the glory of Your word. So, Lord, we pray that there 58 00:04:26,280 --> 00:04:28,680 would be nothing that would interfere with the transmission 59 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:32,720 of truth and that we would only hear your voice. 60 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:36,120 This is our longing. That is why we have gathered and 61 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,920 we trust that You, O God, see us here as we've come to receive 62 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,400 from You. In Jesus name we pray. 63 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:49,480 Amen. If we consider the date that is 64 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:54,800 given back in verse 3 of this chapter, then we we realize here 65 00:04:54,800 --> 00:05:00,520 that it's been about a month since Zedekiah attempted to 66 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:05,640 escape the Babylonians who were surrounding Jerusalem only to be 67 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:09,920 captured, blinded and then taken to Babylon to be killed. 68 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:17,040 And what's highlighted here is that the death of the king was 69 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:19,080 clearly not enough for Nebuchadnezzar. 70 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:25,600 He was determined now to bring total destruction to the holy 71 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:32,200 city and to take away anybody that is remaining in the city. 72 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:38,800 And what's so significant is that the destruction was so 73 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:46,440 severe that every edifice, every meaningful structure has been 74 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:50,960 burned down to ash. This was a massive blow. 75 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:54,320 This was unthinkable, inconceivable. 76 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:58,560 And yet it's true. It finally happened. 77 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:05,680 Everything that was known, that was held together by God's grace 78 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:07,880 has now been brought down to rubble. 79 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,080 And there's so many things we can comment about that. 80 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:15,640 But what caught my eye is what we find in verse 10. 81 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:21,520 We see here that the Babylonians are identified as the Chaldeans. 82 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:23,960 Now, why would that be important? 83 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:29,360 It may not seem like anything worth underlying, but Chaldeans 84 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,560 here don't just appear in this verse, but a total of seven 85 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:39,000 times in the single chapter. And it seems as though this 86 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,720 repeated identification of the Babylonians as the Chaldeans is 87 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:47,520 a strong reminder of how far the people of God have fallen from 88 00:06:47,520 --> 00:06:52,280 their original calling. What do I mean by that? 89 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:59,960 Well, do you recall what God said to Abram, Abraham before he 90 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:02,640 was ready to make a covenant with him in Genesis 15? 91 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:07,720 Here's an important verse, Genesis 15, verse 7. 92 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:11,520 It says here the Lord spoke to him. 93 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:17,120 I am the Lord who brought you out from ur of the Chaldeans to 94 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:22,720 give you this land to possess. And so the Lord is reminding 95 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:27,400 Abraham in this text that I revealed myself to you. 96 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:29,960 I called you from a specific location. 97 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:35,160 And for us reading this, we are reminded where Israel's story 98 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,720 began. It began in this place, God 99 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:41,760 calling the Father of this nation from the UR of the 100 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,000 Chaldeans to this new promised land. 101 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:49,320 And here's what's so striking. Centuries go by, and now we find 102 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:56,480 the same God who is calling the Chaldeans to come to this 103 00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:00,720 promised land and to remove Abraham's descendants and to 104 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:03,000 bring them back to where it all began. 105 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:09,560 It's as though in an indirect way, it's as though the Spirit 106 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:15,880 of God is giving us hints to recognize how massive this exile 107 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:23,440 is, how significant. And I began to meditate when 108 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:28,480 looking at this, thinking, what was it that brought Abraham out 109 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:30,720 of Ur of the Chaldeans to begin with? 110 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:35,520 Why would he leave his home, his idols, his family to follow God 111 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:39,120 into the unknown? And the Bible actually gives us 112 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:41,679 an answer. It's actually found in the New 113 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:44,360 Testament. So turn with me to Acts 7 114 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:46,600 because this is worth seeing with our own eyes. 115 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:52,240 And looking at Stephen's speech, his sermon really, he gives us 116 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,640 an insight as he recalls the history of the people of Israel. 117 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:06,800 Look here in Acts 7 verse 2, and Stephen said, Brothers and 118 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:11,360 fathers, hear me, the God of glory appeared to our father 119 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:15,080 Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he lived in 120 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,200 Haran, and said to him, Go out from your land and from your 121 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,720 kindred and go into the land that I will show you. 122 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:24,720 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in 123 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:28,080 Haran, and after his father died, God removed them from 124 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,680 there into this land in which you are now living. 125 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,240 Stephen was so specific. He was clearly led by the 126 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:38,480 Spirit. Out of all the ways that he 127 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:43,800 could have referenced God, he chose the God of glory. 128 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:49,000 The God of glory appeared to Abraham and Mesopotamia and the 129 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,680 land of the Chaldeans. So what happened, though not 130 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,960 explicitly explained to us, is that at some point in Abraham's 131 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:01,680 older age, God manifested his glory to him. 132 00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:05,240 Was it 1 encounter? Was it repeated encounters? 133 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:09,600 We're not told, but it served as a catalyst for this man to pick 134 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:13,520 up everything and to head into the horizon of the unknown, to 135 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:16,360 follow the true God and to worship him alone. 136 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:22,760 And here's what I want to argue that Abraham's descendants, 137 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:28,520 after so many failures, so many offenses, have clearly proven 138 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:31,840 that they have lost sight of the glory of God. 139 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:36,240 And This is why they are where they are now. 140 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:41,080 This is why they are collapsing. This is why they are paying a 141 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,480 very high price for their disobedience. 142 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:49,000 As Romans one tells us, they exchanged the glory of the 143 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:54,200 immortal God for idols, for created things. 144 00:10:56,680 --> 00:11:00,560 Here's the lesson for you and I. If you and I want to avoid 145 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:04,880 regressing spiritually, you must be determined to be fixated on 146 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:11,720 the glory of God always. His Holiness, His love, His 147 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:17,840 goodness, His justice, His purity, His faithfulness. 148 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:23,680 Keep that ever before you. Keep discovering it, keep 149 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:26,560 tasting it. Keep asking the Lord to make it 150 00:11:26,560 --> 00:11:30,520 real to you, because the moment your vision of His glory 151 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:35,120 diminishes, the more temptation will become alluring and will 152 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,760 convince you that there is something greater then savouring 153 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,160 His glory. Abraham came out of the land of 154 00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:46,520 the Chaldeans because he got a glimpse of God's glory, and now 155 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:50,200 his descendants are going back to that land because they have 156 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:52,640 lost sight of that very same glory. 157 00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:58,560 This is remarkable. But then we come back here to 158 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:06,040 our main texts, and we read in verse 11 Babylon not only 159 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,240 destroyed the temple, the homes, and the city walls, we read how 160 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:11,320 they dealt with the people who survived the previous 161 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:14,320 deportations. He reads here in verse 11. 162 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,440 And the rest of the people who are left in the city and the 163 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:20,680 deserters who are deserted to the king of Babylon, together 164 00:12:20,680 --> 00:12:24,120 with the rest of the multitude. Nebu Zerodan, the captain of the 165 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:28,000 guard, carried into exile, but the captain of the guard left 166 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,760 some of the poorest of the land to be vine dressers and plowmen. 167 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:35,640 So the king of Babylon says enough is enough. 168 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:39,680 We're going to take every single person out and bring him to our 169 00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:41,680 land. Now, what's interesting is that 170 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:45,400 he chooses to leave behind a certain demographic, the poorest 171 00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:48,880 of the land, those who had nothing to offer, those who had 172 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:52,840 no noble standing in society. And we're left to wonder, why 173 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:55,520 would he do this? And I don't think there's some 174 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,320 deep, mysterious truth to it. I think it's political. 175 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:01,640 It's economic. Babylon, who was already in 176 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:05,480 control of Jerusalem, might have wanted this place to remain as a 177 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:09,040 agricultural asset. And so he chooses the 178 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:13,280 unfortunate to remain in the land and to tend the land and to 179 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:15,920 maintain it so that there would be produce and things that they 180 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:19,720 can benefit from. So that's what it's been reduced 181 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:20,120 to. Now. 182 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,720 Most of the people are taken out, a small population stays 183 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:25,880 back. They're just managing the 184 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:29,400 property really, to the benefit of the Babylonians. 185 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:34,760 And yet there's one person I'm thinking about wondering what 186 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:38,480 happened to him, a person that we have referenced many times, 187 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:44,040 at least his writings. Jeremiah, remember him? 188 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:49,480 If we read here that everybody was taken, you might be 189 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:53,240 wondering, did Jeremiah follow in the same direction of Daniel 190 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:57,320 in the first deportation, Ezekiel in the second 191 00:13:57,320 --> 00:13:59,480 deportation? Is it Jeremiah's turn now? 192 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,240 Is he now going to Babylon to join the other prophets with a 193 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:07,080 new chapter in his ministry? Well, the Scriptures again give 194 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:09,080 us an answer, and the answer actually might surprise you. 195 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:12,120 But the only way you'll discover it is if you go to Jeremiah 40. 196 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:15,280 Look what happens here in Jeremiah 40, beginning in verse 197 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:27,920 one. Jeremiah 40 verse one, the word 198 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:33,760 that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebu Zaradan the 199 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:37,400 captain of the guard, had let him go from Rama when he took 200 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,560 him bound in chains along with all the captives of Jerusalem 201 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:43,120 and Judah who are being exiled to Babylon. 202 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:44,720 Pause. So what happens here? 203 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,080 Well, Jeremiah was mixed in the crowd. 204 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:50,920 He was included among the captives and after some distance 205 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:55,480 the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 206 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,600 And this is something significant because God is 207 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,600 obviously superintending this. He's obviously working 208 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:07,360 providentially, but the captain of the guard now singles out 209 00:15:07,360 --> 00:15:09,920 Jeremiah and he says something quite remarkable. 210 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:12,880 Look at verse 2. The captain of the guard took 211 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:17,040 Jeremiah and said to him, The Lord your God pronounce this 212 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:20,880 disaster against this place. The Lord has brought it about 213 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,800 and has done as he said, because you sinned against the Lord and 214 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,880 did not obey his voice. This thing has come upon you. 215 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:31,960 Now we can keep reading on because he's about to give 216 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:35,680 Jeremiah an offer, but it's worth pausing here and examining 217 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:41,640 some of these comments. Notice that this leader, a Pagan 218 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:48,960 leader, looks at Jeremiah and he admits that he acknowledges 219 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,440 God's hand behind Judah's defeat. 220 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,240 How did he arrive to this conclusion? 221 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:01,440 I think the most logical answer is that both he and the other 222 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:06,200 leaders in Babylon were very well acquainted with Jeremiah's 223 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:10,600 prophecies, and you can make that case from chapter 39, which 224 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,000 we won't turn to because Nebuchadnezzar himself heard 225 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:17,520 about Jeremiah. He in fact gave instruction that 226 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:23,120 he would be left alone. So Nebuchadnezzar himself knew 227 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:27,360 about this prophet, and surely he and the others understood 228 00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:30,120 what he proclaimed against his own city. 229 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:38,040 Here's why this is so striking, because the people of God here 230 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:39,560 are humbled by this. They should be. 231 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:44,240 At least these Babylonians demonstrated more faith in the 232 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,920 word of the Lord than those who claim to be in covenant with 233 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:52,600 God. Hey, Jeremiah, you know what you 234 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:54,440 said? You know what God said 235 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:56,560 ultimately about this place? It happened. 236 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:00,680 It happened. God kept his word. 237 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:04,520 This this is humbling. Why? 238 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,880 Because the crowd in Jerusalem were mocking Jeremiah. 239 00:17:09,319 --> 00:17:11,599 They were lining up to the prophets who were saying, 240 00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:13,880 there's no way Babylon is going to take over this place. 241 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:20,520 And yet in contrast, you have these unbelievers who say, yeah, 242 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:22,760 God's word said it, and he did it. 243 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:27,880 What a strange sight to see the word of God making a deeper 244 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:34,360 impression on those outside of covenant with God than those who 245 00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:36,600 claim to be in relationship with him. 246 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:41,720 This is startling. But moreover, what's even more 247 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:45,920 shocking is how this unbeliever who worship false God, false 248 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:48,960 gods, and maybe he recognized that every land has their own 249 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:55,960 deity or deities, sure, but he looks at Jeremiah and he speaks 250 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:59,800 him as a representative of this people, and he calls them 251 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:05,720 sinners. Looking into verse 3, the Lord 252 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:08,320 has brought it about and has done as he said, because you 253 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:11,040 sinned against the Lord and did not obey His voice, this thing 254 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:16,440 has come upon you. If the destruction of the holy 255 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:20,160 city weren't humbling enough, how much more humiliating is it 256 00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:23,080 for a Pagan to call out the disobedience of those who claim 257 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:27,000 to follow the true God? You sinned. 258 00:18:27,880 --> 00:18:29,680 We recognize that this is the consequence of your 259 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:31,760 disobedience. Who's speaking? 260 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:35,880 You're a prophet? No, an unbelieving ruler of a 261 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:40,440 different nation. And this is yet another example 262 00:18:40,560 --> 00:18:44,720 of how the Scriptures in various places cause believers to live 263 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:47,640 in such a way that the world cannot accuse us of 264 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:53,480 contradiction or hypocrisy. If the world is going to 265 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:55,880 confront us about anything, let it be because of our 266 00:18:56,280 --> 00:19:00,240 consecration to Christ, not our clear inconsistencies. 267 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:05,560 Let it be because we take holiness seriously, not because 268 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:07,040 we say one thing and live another. 269 00:19:10,040 --> 00:19:15,600 I wonder what the faces of these captives look like when this man 270 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:20,880 said in their presence, You're here because you sinned. 271 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:24,520 This is coming from the mouth of a person who does not worship 272 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:28,280 the true God, who does not fear him, who does not submit to his 273 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:36,360 decrees, and he says, you send, oh, May God protect us from ever 274 00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:39,000 receiving a comment from an unbeliever that says, wait, 275 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:42,720 wait, aren't you a Christian? Oh wait, wait, didn't you? 276 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:44,720 Didn't you just invite me to church like a couple of months 277 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:46,560 ago? Is this what you guys do at your 278 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:51,160 church? The embarrassing contrast 279 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:53,840 between the Babylonians and the people of God only grows more 280 00:19:54,160 --> 00:19:56,520 striking as we continue to read. Are you still there in Jeremiah 281 00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:58,880 40? Look at verse 4. 282 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:02,080 He continued to speaks to the prophet. 283 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:06,760 Now behold, I release you today from the chains on your hands. 284 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:11,920 If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I 285 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:15,440 will look after you well. But if it seems wrong to you to 286 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:17,240 come with me to Babylon, do not come. 287 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:19,680 See, the whole land is before you. 288 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:24,200 Go wherever you think it good and right to go. 289 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:29,480 If you remain, then return to Gadalia, the son of Ahikam, son 290 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:32,920 of Shafan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of 291 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:35,680 the cities of Judah and dwelt with him among the people. 292 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:37,880 Or go wherever you think it right to go. 293 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:41,800 So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a 294 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:48,000 present, and let him go. What's the captain of the guard 295 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,920 essentially saying? We recognize that you're a 296 00:20:51,920 --> 00:20:55,080 prophet. We recognize that you speak on 297 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:59,240 behalf of Yahweh. So we want to make you an offer. 298 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:02,240 If you'd like to come with us to Babylon, you'll be taken care 299 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,960 of, you'll be honored, you'll be provided for. 300 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:08,880 But if we're out of whatever reason you want to stay back 301 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:10,680 here with your people, you're free to do that as well. 302 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:18,360 It's your choice. You know what shook me when I 303 00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:23,320 read this? How the Babylonians treated 304 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:25,600 Jeremiah better than his own kinsmen. 305 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:29,360 How are we to make sense of this? 306 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:32,560 From a divine standpoint, it's clearly an act of God's mercy 307 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:37,960 granted to one of his servants who suffered throughout his 308 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:40,760 ministry. But from a human standpoint, 309 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:43,640 this shows how the Babylonians held more respect for this 310 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:48,840 prophet than the people of God. Read Jeremiah if you haven't 311 00:21:49,360 --> 00:21:53,520 read that book, and you'll find one despicable act of 312 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:56,720 mistreatment after another towards this precious servant of 313 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:58,560 the Lord. Coming from who? 314 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:02,520 His own, Even from those from his own hometown. 315 00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:11,800 And yet once the Babylonians meet him, they show such honor 316 00:22:12,120 --> 00:22:14,200 and respect. Hey, you come with us. 317 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:16,120 We'll take care of you. You want to stay back here? 318 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:18,160 Here's an allowance and here's a gift. 319 00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:31,440 Far be it from us that the world could out give, out serve, out 320 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:38,600 respect, out love out honour. Those who've been forgiven by 321 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:44,720 God and sealed with His Holy Spirit may never be that one 322 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:50,680 Christian from this place or any other place of faith would 323 00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:56,840 wrestle with his experience, because he receives kindness and 324 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:01,200 respect and pardon and grace from those who are not connected 325 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:10,880 to the truth than those who are. The Babylonians here are 326 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:14,440 respecting this man of God. What a refreshing thing it must 327 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:18,120 have been for this prophet who had received so many bruises and 328 00:23:18,120 --> 00:23:24,520 scars from his own. So he's given a choice. 329 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:25,920 You want to stay or do you want to go? 330 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:29,160 What choice is he going to make? Look at verse 6. 331 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:34,120 Then Jeremiah went to Gaddalia, the son of Aikam at Mizpah, and 332 00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:37,920 lived with him among the people who were left in the land. 333 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:42,680 What? You chose to stay? 334 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,360 I mean, what did that look like? As they're having this 335 00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:51,680 conversation and behind Jeremiah as he's facing Babylon, smoke is 336 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:57,880 rising up to the atmosphere. Flames and embers are still 337 00:23:57,880 --> 00:24:01,520 burning. Everything has been reduced to 338 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:07,320 nothing. And the other option is a new 339 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:15,840 life, a promise, inheritance, wonderful favor, comfort, maybe 340 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:19,040 even luxury. And Jeremiah determines I'm 341 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:21,880 going to stay. I'm going to stay. 342 00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:29,880 What choice would you make? I wonder whether you think 343 00:24:29,880 --> 00:24:32,360 Jeremiah did the right thing or not. 344 00:24:32,360 --> 00:24:36,440 I can't help but compare him to Zedekiah in this moment. 345 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:39,040 Remember 2 weeks ago we looked at King Zedekiah? 346 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:43,560 When Jerusalem was surrounded and finally the Babylonians made 347 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:48,080 a breach, what did he do? He packed his bags, he got the 348 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,920 army to surround him, and he evades the scene, leaving behind 349 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,280 his people, the very same people he was called to shepherd, to 350 00:24:55,280 --> 00:25:00,560 watch over and to protect. A clear example of a coward, a 351 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:04,920 failure of a leader. And yet, when Jeremiah was given 352 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:09,160 an opportunity to move on ahead, imagine how tempting that is. 353 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:13,880 You guys didn't listen to me. After years of preaching, this 354 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,200 is what you get. I'm moving on. 355 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:20,560 Instead, he chooses to remain with the remnant. 356 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:25,880 He chooses to stay back. Why? 357 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,640 Because he's a true shepherd. He's a true leader. 358 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:32,840 Here's what I want to remind us about. 359 00:25:33,120 --> 00:25:38,640 A mature and genuine servant of Christ does not walk away from 360 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:43,520 their ministry when it becomes difficult or unattractive. 361 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:51,720 He or she will remain at their post until they receive marching 362 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:59,640 orders from heaven. Too many people give up easily. 363 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:03,040 I've seen it. And if you know that you have 364 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:08,720 the tendency to just abort the call, Move on from the mission. 365 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:12,720 Hop from church to church to church to church. 366 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:17,320 Let me encourage you with this truth. 367 00:26:17,400 --> 00:26:22,800 God honors and rewards loyalty. He does. 368 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:29,200 And as I was thinking about this text and this truth, my mind 369 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:32,760 went to what Jesus said about his own disciples before he was 370 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:37,480 arrested after instituting the Lord's Supper. 371 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:41,680 Let me read to you this one verse in Luke 2228. 372 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:47,200 Jesus says You are those who have stayed with me in my 373 00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:53,480 trials. You are those in Luke 2228 who 374 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:55,560 have stayed with me in my trials. 375 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:59,200 When I read that, I said, Lord, I want you to be able to say the 376 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:04,920 same about me. I don't want to be faithful to 377 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:08,000 Your word, faithful to the calling you have given me, 378 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:11,360 faithful to the gifts that you have deposited in my life when 379 00:27:11,360 --> 00:27:13,600 things are easy or when they are celebrated. 380 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:19,520 I want to stay close to you when it's hard, when it doesn't make 381 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:21,640 sense, when it doesn't really benefit me. 382 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:25,760 I want to stay close to you. Even in trials. 383 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:32,840 Jeremiah made that decision. He didn't take the easy Rd. out. 384 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:38,880 He said, you know, thank you, but I'm going to stay back and 385 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:41,360 we're going to hear maybe another reason why he did that. 386 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,720 But let's come back to our main text and see what happens next. 387 00:27:54,120 --> 00:27:59,280 Look here at verse 13 and the pillars of bronze that were in 388 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:02,360 the House of the Lord, and the stands in the bronze sea that 389 00:28:02,360 --> 00:28:05,320 were in the House of the Lord. The Chaldeans broke in pieces 390 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:07,280 and carried the bronze to Babylon. 391 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:10,960 And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers, 392 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:15,040 and the dishes for incense, and all the vessels of bronze used 393 00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:19,080 in the temple service, the fire pans also, and the bowls. 394 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:22,360 What was of gold, the captain of the guard took away as gold, and 395 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:26,840 what was of silver as silver. As for the two pillars, the 1C 396 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:29,680 and the stands that Solomon had made for the House of the Lord, 397 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:32,560 the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. 398 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:38,120 The height of the one pillar was 18 cubits, and on it was a 399 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:40,920 capital of bronze. The height of the capital was 3 400 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,920 cubits. A latticework and pomegranates 401 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:47,800 all of bronze were all around the capital, and the second 402 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:51,240 pillar had the same with the lattice work. 403 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:55,720 So now the writer goes into greater detail about the 404 00:28:55,720 --> 00:29:00,480 desecration of the temple. It's almost like he wants the 405 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:05,200 reader to feel not just speaking in general, but looking at 406 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:09,320 significant things in the House of God being stripped down, 407 00:29:09,640 --> 00:29:14,840 being confiscated. But what's in focus here more 408 00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,200 than anything else, are the pillars. 409 00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:21,720 The two pillars that Solomon built and planted at the 410 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:23,440 entrance of the House of worship. 411 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,240 Here's a question for you. Does anybody remember the name 412 00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,160 of those two pillars? If you do, you can lift your 413 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,360 hand. Who remembers the names of the 414 00:29:32,360 --> 00:29:41,950 two pillars that Solomon built? Anybody know? 415 00:29:44,030 --> 00:29:45,750 Boaz is one of them. What's the other one? 416 00:29:50,150 --> 00:29:55,080 Say that again, close. I'm not going to give you the 417 00:29:55,080 --> 00:29:56,960 answer right away. I want you to turn to see with 418 00:29:56,960 --> 00:29:59,000 your own eyes in First Kings Chapter 7. 419 00:30:02,280 --> 00:30:04,400 Obviously, these pillars are important for them to be 420 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:08,960 mentioned even at the final part here of Second Kings. 421 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:13,440 Look at verse 21 of First Kings 7. 422 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,360 He set up the pillars at the Festival of the Temple. 423 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,720 He set up the pillar on the South and called its name Jakin. 424 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:26,440 And he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. 425 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:31,240 So those are the two names. Now I understand that these are 426 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:35,440 important pieces to the structure, but why name them? 427 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:39,880 Why were they named? Well, the first one, Jakin, 428 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:44,040 means he will establish, Boaz means in him is strength. 429 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:46,200 That's widely accepted as the interpretation. 430 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:49,560 He will establish in him his strength. 431 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:54,360 And clearly the Lord wanted to convey that this truth was as 432 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:58,320 reliable and stable as the pillar themselves. 433 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:02,440 And so anytime someone entered into the courtyards of the 434 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:06,200 temple, they would stand in the shadow of those wonderful 435 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:09,800 realities God has established the people of Judah and the 436 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:15,640 temple and God alone can sustain the people of God and this 437 00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:22,040 sacred place of worship. And the irony, right? 438 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:25,600 You come to 2nd Kings of what? Do you realize that the 439 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:31,560 Babylonians come and pull it apart, They throw it in a cart 440 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:34,600 and they transport it to a new land? 441 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:40,480 Did God betray his people? No, the people betrayed their 442 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:42,920 God. Big difference. 443 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:51,200 And the next question is this has God forsaken his people by 444 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:54,200 allowing this? And the answer is yes or no. 445 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:58,520 Clearly He has. He has removed himself, His 446 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:02,040 protective mercy, His guiding grace. 447 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:05,520 He didn't allow for any miraculous intervention to take 448 00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:08,520 place to shoo away the enemies of Israel and Judah. 449 00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:15,520 But is this permanent? Is this a permanent defeat? 450 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:18,960 And we should know our Bibles well enough to say absolutely 451 00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,520 not. You know, as much as Jeremiah 452 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:26,840 proclaimed judgement and exile, interwoven in those warnings 453 00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:29,520 were promises of return and restoration. 454 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:36,880 And God's desire to communicate that hopeful future was so 455 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:40,880 important to him that he no longer had Jeremiah just say it. 456 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:45,400 As important as his word was, he actually had Jeremiah 457 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:49,800 demonstrated in one of the most unique passages in the book of 458 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:53,800 Jeremiah. He actually has Jeremiah act out 459 00:32:53,800 --> 00:33:00,560 a sermon to actually display with an act, an act of faith, 460 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:05,560 ultimately to show just how dependable this word is of 461 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:07,560 return. It's going to happen. 462 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:11,360 This is disciplinary. This is not total annihilation. 463 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:16,120 And so here's the scene, Jeremiah in the 10th year of the 464 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:19,640 the king at the time, Zedekiah, there's a siege. 465 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:21,400 They're surrounded and he's imprisoned. 466 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:23,840 Like they're so sick and tired of this guy that they just put 467 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:28,600 him behind bars. And while he is in prison, God 468 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:32,200 speaks to him. A very strange word. 469 00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:37,560 It's in Jeremiah 32. Look at this with me in verse 6. 470 00:33:49,290 --> 00:33:53,490 So remember the setting, remember where Jeremiah is, and 471 00:33:53,490 --> 00:33:56,770 it says here in Jeremiah 32, verse 6, Jeremiah said the word 472 00:33:56,770 --> 00:34:00,850 of the Lord came to me. Behold, Hannamel, the son of 473 00:34:00,850 --> 00:34:05,850 Shalom, your uncle will come to you and say by my field that is 474 00:34:05,850 --> 00:34:10,130 at Anathong, for the right of the redemption by purchase is 475 00:34:10,130 --> 00:34:13,480 yours. Then Hannah Mel, my cousin, came 476 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,239 to me in the court of the guard in accordance with the word of 477 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:20,040 the Lord, and said to me by my field that is in Anathoth in the 478 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:22,600 land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is 479 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:24,639 yours. Buy it for yourself. 480 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:27,199 Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. 481 00:34:29,040 --> 00:34:34,239 Why is this a strange offer? Any idea? 482 00:34:37,199 --> 00:34:38,320 He's in prison, that's one thing. 483 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:40,400 But think of the, the wider reality. 484 00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:46,679 Well, you can sell it if it's in your family. 485 00:34:46,679 --> 00:34:50,639 If there is the necessity of transferring it within your 486 00:34:50,639 --> 00:34:53,360 tribe, that is permitted. But think about the wider 487 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:55,800 context. What's going on in Jerusalem and 488 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:58,720 around Jerusalem? A siege. 489 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,360 They're at war. They're surrounded by an enemy. 490 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:04,960 This is not the time to to do real estate. 491 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:13,520 More than that, Anna thought, geographically speaking, was a 492 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:17,760 few miles outside of Jerusalem, so it's likely that Babylon had 493 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:22,760 already taken it over. So you're offering me a piece of 494 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:26,640 land that has been already conquered? 495 00:35:27,440 --> 00:35:31,920 It's not very helpful. So you can imagine how troubling 496 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:35,600 this was for Jeremiah. In fact, he even says it here at 497 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:38,440 the at the end of verse 8. Then I knew that it was the word 498 00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:40,760 of the Lord. It's like this word was so 499 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:42,440 unbelievable. I don't know if it was me or God 500 00:35:42,440 --> 00:35:45,080 until my cousin showed up to my jail cell. 501 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:50,320 Can now I know this is God and his cousin obviously probably 502 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:53,040 wanted to make some kind of money in the dire situation that 503 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:55,840 the city was in. So he chooses to honor God's 504 00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:58,800 word as much as possible and give that right of redemption to 505 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:01,440 a family member. So he offers it to the prophet, 506 00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:06,880 and the Lord says buy it. That's foolish. 507 00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:10,760 Humanly speaking, it makes zero sense. 508 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:16,280 The thing that makes most sense is to keep as much money to 509 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:19,160 yourself as possible, not to give it for something that you 510 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:22,240 can't even enjoy, that might not ever be yours. 511 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:24,120 Especially for Jeremiah. He knows that the people are 512 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:25,920 going to go to exile for decades. 513 00:36:26,960 --> 00:36:29,440 There is no sense in this whole thing. 514 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:34,200 But he's trusting God. So Scroll down to verse 12 and 515 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:38,800 notice what happens. And I gave the deed of purchase 516 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:44,840 to Baruch the son of Nariah, son of Massia, in the presence of 517 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,960 Hanamel, my cousin, in the presence of the witnesses who 518 00:36:47,960 --> 00:36:51,080 signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the 519 00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:53,400 Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. 520 00:36:53,840 --> 00:36:57,720 I charge Baruch in their presence, saying, Thus says the 521 00:36:57,720 --> 00:37:01,400 Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, take these deeds, both 522 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:05,320 the sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in 523 00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:08,640 an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time. 524 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:13,040 For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, houses and 525 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:17,120 fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land. 526 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:23,640 Do you see what he's saying here, Jeremiah? 527 00:37:23,640 --> 00:37:27,520 I want there to be witnesses of this truth. 528 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:30,840 You're buying a piece of property because you believe 529 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:34,080 what I have told you to say to everyone, that although they are 530 00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:36,920 going to be removed from this land, they will one day return. 531 00:37:41,400 --> 00:37:44,720 That's how much God wanted to drill into the hearts of these 532 00:37:44,720 --> 00:37:48,320 people, even in their discipline, that He still has a 533 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:49,760 hope for them, a future for them. 534 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:52,480 It's not going to remain this way. 535 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:59,400 There are too many covenants made, promises made over and 536 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:03,200 over again for God to to break them. 537 00:38:05,520 --> 00:38:08,360 God is trying to say here in another sense, I have not 538 00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:13,720 forgotten, and I want to put a down payment on my promise now. 539 00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:16,360 Even in a text like this, there are wonderful practical, 540 00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:19,480 personal lessons. Here's the first thing that we 541 00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:26,840 can take from this in order for our message to the skeptic, to 542 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:29,800 the compromising, to the unbeliever to be more 543 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:33,120 persuasive, we must be willing to practice what we preach. 544 00:38:34,240 --> 00:38:37,640 Up to this point, Jeremiah has been saying God is going to 545 00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:39,560 bring you back. God is going to take you away, 546 00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:43,160 but he will in his grace bring you back. 547 00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:46,880 And that's, it's as though the Lord says, I, I want you now, 548 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:49,360 Jeremiah, to actually live out that message. 549 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:53,840 You've been preaching it. Now I want you to prove it. 550 00:38:54,240 --> 00:38:56,640 I want you to show your audience that you believe what you're 551 00:38:56,640 --> 00:39:00,160 saying from the pulpit. So buy the land. 552 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,200 Buy it. And he did. 553 00:39:08,470 --> 00:39:12,670 If you were not allowed to say a word for a few weeks, maybe 554 00:39:12,670 --> 00:39:18,150 months, your family, your friends, people who know you, 555 00:39:19,710 --> 00:39:24,390 watching you, will they be able to conclude this person serves 556 00:39:24,390 --> 00:39:27,840 God? Would they be able to even say 557 00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:34,400 this person lives for eternity? The proclaimed word is vital. 558 00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:39,320 God uses it to win souls. God uses it to transmit His 559 00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:43,480 truth. But what is necessary is that 560 00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:49,520 whatever is proclaimed is backed up with practice, is performed. 561 00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:57,440 And so Jeremiah, prove it. Let people see where your money 562 00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:00,000 goes. Let people see that you actually 563 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:02,640 trust in the word that I give to you to give to them. 564 00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:07,680 And there were witnesses there. This was a public act. 565 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:12,640 But the second thing here to be reminded of is that the 566 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:16,320 Christian life is very much about making events invest 567 00:40:16,320 --> 00:40:19,360 investments that don't make sense to the world around us. 568 00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:23,880 You got to remember the context this looks. 569 00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:28,440 Foolish. Why are you purchasing land? 570 00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:32,800 You're never going to know it. In fact, whenever an exile like 571 00:40:32,800 --> 00:40:36,040 this would take place, the revival of a nation was 572 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:41,480 miraculous if it ever happened. Unlikely. 573 00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:47,480 And yet Jeremiah is showing something here by way of 574 00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:53,720 principle, though it may not look like this is the best way 575 00:40:53,720 --> 00:40:56,080 to utilize your time, your energy, and your resources. 576 00:40:56,080 --> 00:40:58,520 God said it. So I'm going to show that it's 577 00:40:58,520 --> 00:41:01,920 worth it. And that's what you and I do as 578 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:07,080 believers, day in and day out. The people that know you may 579 00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:08,680 look at you and say, what are you doing? 580 00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:12,440 You only have one life, Use it well, live it up. 581 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:14,560 Why are you spending your Friday nights like that? 582 00:41:14,560 --> 00:41:16,480 Why are you spending your money like that? 583 00:41:17,440 --> 00:41:19,600 Why do you even waste your mornings like that? 584 00:41:19,600 --> 00:41:22,280 There's much more that you can do with that hour or 20 minutes 585 00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:26,320 or 30 minutes that you spend in your room talking to God and 586 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:31,400 knowing His Word. And this is a miniature 587 00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:36,160 illustration found. Whatever we are called to invest 588 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:40,040 in, it's in alignment with God's Word is never in vain. 589 00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:46,680 God always vindicates us. Those who watch us may mock us, 590 00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:52,560 they may never understand, but Jeremiah shows here that it's 591 00:41:52,560 --> 00:41:56,480 always worth it. And this also may give us 592 00:41:56,480 --> 00:42:00,360 insight to why he decided to stay back instead of going into 593 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:03,960 Babylon. I believe Jeremiah's heart was 594 00:42:03,960 --> 00:42:12,640 so much for the people that he chose to remain as a physical 595 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:15,760 demonstration and message of hope. 596 00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:18,720 I'm, I'm going to choose to plant my feet here, even though 597 00:42:18,720 --> 00:42:22,520 there's nothing left for me really, so that the Exiles and 598 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:25,840 even the remnant here would be constantly reminded that there 599 00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:29,040 is a future. I'm not going to, I'm not going 600 00:42:29,040 --> 00:42:33,920 to go on and indirectly communicate that this place is 601 00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:36,320 over with. I'm going to stay here. 602 00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:41,080 Now, what I love about this too, is that Jeremiah had the choice 603 00:42:41,080 --> 00:42:45,240 to say Daniel didn't, right? Did Ezekiel have a choice? 604 00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:49,120 No, they didn't. You know, how God works in each 605 00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:54,040 of His servants is so amazing. And God didn't love Daniel or 606 00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:56,640 Ezekiel less than Jeremiah because He gave Jeremiah the 607 00:42:56,640 --> 00:43:00,360 ability to remain and the others no choice. 608 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:08,440 Be careful of comparing God's dealings in your life, what He 609 00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:10,240 gives to others and what He doesn't give to you, what He 610 00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:13,160 gives to you and what He doesn't give to others as a sign of the 611 00:43:13,160 --> 00:43:15,000 measure of His love or affection. 612 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:25,680 God is incredibly wise and He knows what is beneficial for you 613 00:43:25,680 --> 00:43:27,560 in terms of openings and Closings. 614 00:43:29,240 --> 00:43:32,640 As much as you might want that gift that you see somebody else 615 00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:37,320 operating in, God may know you way better than you know 616 00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:40,640 yourself. He does know you way better than 617 00:43:40,640 --> 00:43:43,280 you know yourself, and He knows how that gift can actually crush 618 00:43:43,280 --> 00:43:47,560 you instead of bless you. He just knows. 619 00:43:48,520 --> 00:43:51,320 And I was thinking about that, you know, what would it have 620 00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:55,080 been like for Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah to be all in one 621 00:43:55,080 --> 00:44:00,520 place? But the Lord knows how to 622 00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:04,680 distribute His resources. He knows how to position His 623 00:44:04,680 --> 00:44:08,520 servants well, and He doesn't owe us an explanation. 624 00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:12,520 Let's read the last verses of our study here. 625 00:44:14,040 --> 00:44:16,720 Second Kings 25. Let's look at verse 18. 626 00:44:22,720 --> 00:44:26,080 And the captain of the guard took Soraya, the chief priest, 627 00:44:26,080 --> 00:44:29,000 and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the 628 00:44:29,000 --> 00:44:32,360 threshold. And from the city he took an 629 00:44:32,360 --> 00:44:35,680 officer who had been in command of the men of war, and five men 630 00:44:35,680 --> 00:44:38,320 of the King's council who were found in the city, and the 631 00:44:38,320 --> 00:44:40,920 secretary of the commander of the army who mustered the people 632 00:44:40,920 --> 00:44:44,880 of the land, and 60 men of the people of the land who were 633 00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:48,880 found in the city. So here are the notable leaders 634 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:51,640 that remain. They're collected. 635 00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:53,240 And notice what happens in verse 20. 636 00:44:54,440 --> 00:44:57,160 And Nebu Zeradan, the captain of the guard, took them and brought 637 00:44:57,160 --> 00:44:59,000 them to the king of Babylon at Ribla. 638 00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:02,800 And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death 639 00:45:03,320 --> 00:45:07,720 at Ribla in the land of Hamas. And here's the most sobering 640 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:09,960 part of this section of Scripture. 641 00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:16,280 So Judah was taken into exile out of its land. 642 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:23,160 You would think that this is where Second Kings would end, 643 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:26,520 but you are well aware that there are still a few verses 644 00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:30,360 that remain. We will touch on these verses in 645 00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:37,240 next week's final study of this book, But for now, I want us to 646 00:45:37,240 --> 00:45:40,800 just step back and to really take in some of these truths 647 00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:44,120 that were explained to ask God to make them real in our lives. 648 00:45:44,120 --> 00:45:47,680 Can we do that? Lord, we thank you for this 649 00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:59,220 study. And we ask, oh God, that these 650 00:45:59,220 --> 00:46:07,140 truths would come alive in each of us in a way that actually 651 00:46:07,140 --> 00:46:16,960 changes things. Lord, for every person here who 652 00:46:16,960 --> 00:46:23,320 desires to serve you wholeheartedly in these very 653 00:46:23,520 --> 00:46:28,440 turbulent moments in our culture, even for the church, 654 00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:34,360 may we always remember you're watching. 655 00:46:34,360 --> 00:46:38,480 I and Lord, what you said of the disciples, we wish you would say 656 00:46:38,480 --> 00:46:42,280 to us, You are those who have stayed with me in my trials. 657 00:46:44,360 --> 00:46:47,680 And Lord, give each of us the wisdom to know when to remain 658 00:46:47,680 --> 00:46:49,800 and stay and when to pick up and go. 659 00:46:50,160 --> 00:46:54,400 But Lord, would you please inspire loyalty in each of us 660 00:46:56,560 --> 00:47:00,240 tonight? Give up so quickly to not be 661 00:47:00,240 --> 00:47:02,120 frustrated to the point of quitting. 662 00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:10,600 Oh, Lord, we even see here a great contrast between the 663 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:14,720 Babylonians and their treatment of Jeremiah and the truth and 664 00:47:14,720 --> 00:47:16,760 the people of God who should have known better. 665 00:47:17,400 --> 00:47:20,840 Thank you for the reminder that it's possible even for those who 666 00:47:20,840 --> 00:47:25,200 are walking with Christ to have a dimmed light. 667 00:47:26,440 --> 00:47:29,320 Lord, we pray that you would add more fuel to the flame in our 668 00:47:29,320 --> 00:47:35,240 hearts and that what we do and how we act and respond would 669 00:47:35,240 --> 00:47:39,640 burn brighter and would back up what we say. 670 00:47:40,840 --> 00:47:42,960 Thank you for these practical realities. 671 00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:45,920 Thank you for the wisdom of this text. 672 00:47:46,240 --> 00:47:48,840 Thank you, O God, for the glory of your word. 673 00:47:49,880 --> 00:47:54,520 Captivate us again lest we reverse and go back to a place 674 00:47:54,960 --> 00:47:59,400 that you brought us out of. Keep your glory before our face 675 00:48:00,080 --> 00:48:03,360 every day and every night in Jesus name, Amen. 676 00:48:03,920 --> 00:48:06,560 Amen. If you want to stay seated and 677 00:48:06,560 --> 00:48:12,120 pray and speak to the Lord, confess, rejoice, you can do 678 00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:13,480 that. If you want to stand and you 679 00:48:13,480 --> 00:48:15,680 want to sing, you're free to do that as well. 680 00:48:20,680 --> 00:48:22,600 But let's just take our time in worshipping Him.