“But what will you do in the end?”
At the end of God’s tirade about how His people have committed adultery against Him and how they need to repent, He staves off the question He knows is on Jeremiah’s lips. Surely there’s at least one holy person to be found amongst Judah? He challenges Jeremiah (really, anyone) to walk the streets of Jerusalem and find that person (v. 1). This hearkens back to both the time of the flood (Genesis 6:7 – “So the LORD said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.’”) and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:24 – “What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?”) when man pleaded with God to spare even one or two who are found to be righteous in His eyes. In both cases, only one family was spared (Noah and his family, Lot and his family, respectively) while God followed through on His promise to destroy what he intended to destroy. Unfortunately, it does not appear that that one family is to be found in Jerusalem this day (v. 5).
God continues the admonishment of His people, telling Jeremiah, “Go through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not destroy them completely. Strip off her branches, for these people do not belong to the LORD,” (v. 10). The metaphor of the vineyard or vine was common when describing the nation of Israel. God was not saying that Jeremiah needed to go ruin a bunch of farmland (though that does eventually happen anyways), but rather destroy all of the “branches” of the vine (the people) that are not producing fruit (faith in God). This is a very strong parallel to the analogy that Jesus gives his disciples in the fifth chapter of John:
I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:5-6)
The rest of God’s message in this chapter centers on the destruction of Judah and Israel, and the justification for that destruction. However, one important point to note about this destruction is that it will not be complete, as in the flood or Sodom and Gomorrah. He says, “Yet even in those days…I will not destroy you completely,” (v. 18). In other words, He is going to make their lives miserable. Why would a loving God do this? So the people can learn that there are consequences for their actions. Like a horse trainer breaks the will of a wild untamed horse, God brings us to our knees so that we can see how much better life is when He is in charge. There is no room in our lives for the love of God when our hearts are filled with human arrogance.
Key Verse: Jeremiah 5:25 – “Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.” (NIV)
Application for Men: Like the people of Judah, we all start off wanting to serve the Lord. More often than not, however, we fail because of sin. Whether it is a willful sin (a choice), a sin of ignorance (didn’t know better), or sin of “omission” (didn’t prevent sin), that sin keeps us from drawing closer to God. In terms of salvation, of course, Jesus Christ has claimed all my sin as his own, taking my place on the cross. However, that does not mean that those sins simply do not exist any longer. Our sins still separate us from God on a daily, more practical basis. Isaiah 59:2 says, “your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” I believe the more we sin, the harder it is for our prayers to reach the ears of God. If you believe your prayers are not being heard, take a good hard look at yourself and find the areas in your life where you are continuing in sin. Pray that God will help you on your own journey to cut out this sin like cutting branches from the vine.
Discussion Questions:
- Discuss a point in your life when you were brought to your knees spiritually/emotionally. What was the end result?
- What is one major difference between the people of Judah during Jeremiah’s time and the people of Sodom & Gomorrah?
- What is one area in your life that you need help eliminating sin? Have you prayed with your brothers for help in this area?
Tags: Sin
