What have we done?
As we continue looking into the heart of the matter, let us look at Jeremiah 16.
This was a word given to the prophet during a time where Babylonian captivity was immanent. However, as with many prophecies and events in the Tanakh (Old Testament/Scriptures), there are parallels for today and future events.
Let’s start in vs. 10:
“When you tell this people all that I have said, and they ask you, ‘Why has Yehovah decreed all this terrible disaster against us? What is our iniquity, what is our sin, that we have committed against Yehovah our God?’
vs. 10
I first want to point out that when you find yourself in a situation where nothing seems right, this is the appropriate response. This even displays, properly, the point of this series – the heart of the matter.
“Why is this happening?”
“Am I in sin? What is my sin?”
They even acknowledge here that they must have done something against the Almighty. As always, prophecy serves to point out the result of their sin and to act as a mechanism to change course.
His Response
As a response to these questions, Yah has Jeremiah reply with this:
“Then you are to say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors abandoned me, says Yehovah, and went after other gods, serving and worshipping them, but abandoned me and did not keep my Torah (Instructions/Law). And you have done worse than your ancestors, for — look! — each of you lives according to the stubbornness of his own evil heart, so that you don’t listen to me. Therefore I am thrusting you out of this land into a land you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors; and there you will serve other gods day and night; for I will show you no favor.”
vs. 11-13
The Almighty warns numerous times not to inquire, serve, or worship “other gods” (Ex. 20:3-6, Deut. 12, Jer. 10:2-3, etc.). This also displays Yah’s ability to see into the future and know how each of us will respond to circumstances and situations. He is allowing, and causing, the people to be cast out of the Land and into another place and is saying that they will ask these question and seek teshuva (repentance). And that is the entire point! He is even giving the answer ahead of time to Jeremiah who will tell them the answer which is that their ancestors committed specific sins and they also commit their own specific sins.
Looking back at Exodus 20:5, you will see that this is the exact punishment Yah warned about for serving other gods. “…punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.” Yah remembers His Word and will carry out punishment where punishment is due and in the manner He has already established.
Another sin, however, that the people were committing is that they live according to “the stubbornness of his own evil heart, so that you don’t listen to me.” We have to learn to live against our carnal nature. Sha’ul (Paul) wrote:
“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
Romans 8
We see this over and over again – worded in different ways – that our flesh, our carnal minds, are AGAINST the Almighty. We must overcome our selfishness and focus on Yah, His Word, and His Kingdom. The alternative only leads to death, but living a life for Yah in our thoughts, hearts, and actions/deeds leads to life everlasting and shalom. HalleluYAH!
Nothing Hidden
Let’s continue:
“‘Look,’ says Yehovah, ‘I will send for many fishermen, and they will fish for them. Afterwards, I will send for many hunters; and they will hunt them from every mountain and hill and out of caves in the in the rocks.For I see all their ways; they are not hidden from me; their crimes are not concealed from my eyes.”
vs. 16-17
Needless to say, though He’s merciful to remind us, we cannot hide from Him. He sees everything. He even knows our own hearts. Looking further, in Jeremiah 17, Yah says, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else and mortally sick. Who can fathom it? I, Yehovah, search the heart; I test inner motivations; in order to give to everyone what his actions and conduct deserve.” The Psalmist even describes the thoughts of the wicked in Psalm 73:11, “Then they ask, ‘How does God know? Does the Most High really have knowledge?”
Yes – the answer is yes, He does. Likewise, there is no escape. If you commit a crime, even in secret, you will be found out (Luke 8:7, 12:3).
“But I thought Yeshua died on the cross for the punishment of our sins!?” Absolutely true, but we must not confuse the eternal punishment for the current. We will all face death one day. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Regardless of Yeshua’s sacrifice, we will all still die some day. But, there is a difference between the here and now and the there and then. If you sin now, while there is forgiveness, continued sin cannot be overlooked. If you belong to Yah, you are to live like it. Both Yeshua and Sha’ul warn that if someone continues in their sin, they are to be cast out (Matt. 18, 1 Cor. 5, etc.).
Consider the following:
“For Yehovah corrects those he loves like a father who delights in his son.”
Proverbs 3:12
“For Yehovah disciplines those he loves
Hebrews 12:6
and whips everyone he accepts as a son.”
To His Glory
One final part and I will bring this part to a conclusion:
“Yehovah, my strength, my fortress, my refuge in time of trouble, the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘Our ancestors inherited nothing but lies, futile idols, completely useless.’ Can a person make himself gods? (In fact they aren’t gods at all.)
‘Therefore, I will make them know, once and for all, I will make them know my power and my might. Then they will know that my name is Yehovah.’”
vs. 19-21
Vs. 19-20 is Jeremiah speaking. Then vs. 21 is Yah speaking.
Jeremiah declares that the nations WILL come to the Almighty admitting their horrible ways and inheritance of wickedness. Yah then declares that He will make them all know definitively of His power and might. They will even know His name!
Today and the future
There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn here. In Revelation, people are foretold to be hiding in caves and under rocks (Rev. 6). Likewise, during the Holocaust, many Jews hid in various places such as attics, walls, basements, etc. People will always try to hide themselves whether in bunkers, bomb shelters; you name it! And similarly to the passage that speaks of being fished out (vs. 16), the enemy can and will be used to hunt down and draw them out. As Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1) so as to say “what has been will be again.”
Do not let me confuse you; I am not saying that Jeremiah is a prophecy of the Holocaust. What I am saying is that what has happened before will happen again and again. If you remember, whether you agree with the circumstances surrounding them or not, people and terrorists such as Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, and others were in hiding when caught or killed.
But we can look at Jeremiah 16 along with various other passages and draw these parallels knowing that what has happened can and will happen again. That way, as children of Yah, we can look at a situation and see that if A is happening, then B will happen. Likewise, if A and B are happening, then we can look to passages like these to see what the answer of resolution is – TO REPENT!
We are not only to change our actions, but our hearts and thoughts towards the Almighty, His Word, and the people and circumstances around us. This is the very essence of the Hebraic Perspective – looking at things through Godly, Scriptural eyes. We are told not to look to our own understanding.
“Trust in Yehovah with all your heart; do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him; then he will level your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
As we see in the news and all around us how things are turning more dark and wicked, we remain as a remnant, a people of light in the darkness, and we carry the message of repentance and eternal life. We should not keep this message to ourselves, rather, we should (YOU should) actively be spreading the good news of Yah’s Kingdom that if you look to Him, obey Him, and live for Him, then eternal life and shalom will be your (and their) reward.