T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
5 1 i
JUNE 3, 1923 • JEREMIAH, THE PROPHET OF COURAGE Golden Text: “W atch ye, stand fast in the faith, qu it ye like men, be strong.” 1 Co. 16:13. DESSON TEXT Jer. 35:5-14, 18, 19. (Read Jer. 9:1-9; 1 3 :1 -9 ;. 16:1-4; 17:19-27; 19:1-10; 22:13-19; 31:15, 31-34; Mt. 2:17, 18; 16:14. Devotional Reading.— Ps. 94:16-23. , Time.—About 607 B. C. Place.— Jerusalem . ¿Mi. ate ate ate Outline:
he obeyed orders. Ju d a h was God’s people, subjegt to His commands. God had chosen them . He had overshad owed them . He had blessed them . He had honored them. He desired to bring them to a conscious knowledge of th e ir sin and to bring them to re pentance (v. 3 ), so He sent His mes senger to give th e message, over and over again. As the people came to th e temple to worship, Jerem iah stood in th e court, ju st as a stree t preacher would stand in th e stree t today, and uttered again and again th e fam iliar words of w arn ing— a prophecy of coming destruction. (Chapter 7). So God commanded P eter to speak in Acts 5:20, 21: “Go, s ta n d a n d sp e a k in th e te m p le to th e p eo p le a ll th e tw o rd s o f th is life .” God demands th a t the whole word of God shall, be given, no trimm ing per m itted (Deut. 4 :2 ): “Ye s h a ll n o t a d d u n to th e w o rd w h ich I com m an d you» n e ith e r s h a ll y e d im in ish o u g h t fro m it, th a t y e m a y k e e p th e com m a n d m e n ts o f th e L o rd y o u r G od w h ic h I- com m an d y o u .” God cannot violate His Word. He will spare them if they will repent. But if they will not, He will not. The promise of a curse from God is ju st as certain of fulfillment as the promise of a blessing (Dan. 9 :1 1 ): “Y ea, a ll I s r a e l h a v e tr a n s g r e s s e d th y la w , ev en b y d e p a rtin g , th a t th e y m ig h t n o t o b ey th y v o ice; th e re fo re , th e c u rse is p o u re d o u t u p o n u s, a n d th e o a th th a t is w r itte n in th e la w o f M oses, th e s e rv a n t o f God, b e c a u se w e h a v e s in n e d a g a in s t h im .” Think what it m eant to be obliged to tell Jud ah th a t Jerusalem would be come like Shiloh! (7 :1 4 ). T h at the city of God would be swept w ith a devastating curse! How could Judah
(1) The P rophet and His Prophecy. (2 ) The P risoner and The P rovi dence. Introduction: Jerem iah was a native of Anathoth, no rtheast of Jerusalem . His fath e r was a priest. Jerem iah, himself, was a man of retirin g natu re, yet of great sp iritu a l courage. UESSCN H is call is found EXPOSITION in Je r. 1:1-2. He was T. O. H orton prepared before b irth (1 :5 ). God foresaw every event of his life. H is work (1 :1 0 ) was to “ root out, to pu ll down, to destroy, to throw down, to build, to p lan t.” ~ In character he was childlike, hum ble, tender, yet strong. He sh rank from public life (9 :2 ). He prophesied against all classes, unmoved by criti cism or persecution in palace or street. He was hated and feared. He had a passionate love for his people as did Moses and Paul. He lived a life of suffering, and he lived it alone. (1 6 :2 ). Notice th e ch aracter of th e times in which he lived and phophesied. The princes, priests and' prophets opposed him and would not listen to his mes sage. The princes were so rrup t and immoral, the priests debased and idol atrou s; th e people blind and opposed to the tru th . The whole nation was demoralized. (1 ) THE PROPHET AND HIS PROPHECY. God had commanded Jerem iah to deliver a message to th e people, and
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker