Thank you to all the people who suggested names, and I wish I could send everyone a free copy of the book, but alas, that was not the deal, now was it? However, feel free to head over to the new Bookshelf and order one for yourself and one for a friend! 50% of the proceeds goes to benefit Carpenter Place.

Thanks again, and make sure to update your RSS feeds (again! last time, I promise… for now).

Gone with the pretense of pleading with His people for repentance, God is headed all-out for destruction of Jerusalem. The faithful–ones who hear Jeremiah’s message–are asked to flee from the city and sound the alarm (v. 1). (“Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem!” Beth Hakkerem, according to the Archeological Study Bible, is identified as Ramat Rahel, “a fire-signal point 2 miles south of Jerusalem” (p. 1195). This calls up the image of the signal fires near the end of the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King where a sequence of fires is used for communication across great distances.)

Jeremiah laments over the fact that his warning will fall on deaf ears. “The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it,” (v. 10). Oh, that times would have changed. Today, the words of the Lord are just as offensive to most people in America. Public prayer and Bible education are all but eradicated today, and the very people who accuse Christians of being “intolerant” refuse to tolerate a prayer or a lesson from the Bible. Paul encountered this very atmosphere when establishing the church in Corinth. He writes to them, “Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” (1 Corinthians 1:22-23). The “gentiles” of the modern era equally see the power of a crucified savior as foolishness, and are setting the stage for the fall of a modern-day Jerusalem.

God compares his people to silver ore and calls Jeremiah to be a “tester of metals,” (v. 27). The silver ore, He says, has been corrupted with bronze and iron, which do not slough off when put through the fire. Because you cannot get rid of the imperfections in the ore, the silver is then rejected; for no matter how many times you try to refine it, the corruption can not be “purged” (v. 30). The people of this time were most likely very familiar with the process of refining silver, as the Chaldeans are attributed with developing the first sophisticated refining process of extracting silver from silver-lead ores (The Silver Institute). The area between the Tigris and Euphrates is apparently very rich in silver ores; these Chaldeans (also known as the Neo-Babylonian empire) are the very people that God is describing as descending from the North to destroy Jerusalem.

Key Verse: Jeremiah 6:27 – “I have made you a tester of metals and my people the ore, that you may observe and test their ways.” (NIV)

Application for Men: Our job is far easier than that of Jeremiah. While he was charged with testing the metal of all of God’s people in Jerusalem, we have but one metal to test–our own. Our faith, refined by the fire of our trials and temptations, must be presented to God without blemish. But how do we do that, when we just learned that these imperfections remain in the ore even through subsequent refining? We must add a purifying compound. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can remove the imperfections from our faith, so that we may be wholly blameless in God’s eyes. All Christians, therefore, must be put through the fires of life to test that metal. These trials, according to the author of 1 Peter, “have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed,” (1 Peter 1:7).

Discussion Questions:

1. Describe the difference between “testing the metal” of others and testing your own. Which is easier and why?
2. What discourse do we have today with those whose “ears are closed so they cannot hear”? How is that different from the Jerusalem of Jeremiah’s time?
3. What are the imperfections in your faith? How can you address those imperfections to ensure they are covered by the grace of Christ?

Image from: www.hardwaresource.com

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:

1. Discuss a point in your life when you were brought to your knees spiritually/emotionally. What was the end result?
2. What is one major difference between the people of Judah during Jeremiah’s time and the people of Sodom & Gomorrah?
3. What is one area in your life that you need help eliminating sin? Have you prayed with your brothers for help in this area?

Because of the beauty of arbitrary chapter/verse numbers, chapter 4 begins by concluding the thought from Chapter 3 about Israel and Judah repenting and returning to God. That said, there’s a lot packed in to only those four verses. In essence, God again warns them that if they don’t repent (they being both Israel and Judah in this case), then His anger will rage against them both. God’s condition for handing Jerusalem over to the Israelites is that they put away their idols and false gods (v. 1-2). He commands them to “circumcise [their] hearts” (v. 4) to prevent His rage from coming upon them. Circumcision, being near and dear to many a man’s heart, was a sign of a covenant between man and God that man will be faithful to God. The practice, established with Abraham (Genesis 17:10), was a symbol of faith and obedience. All Hebrew men from that point on were circumcised on the 8th day after birth. Unfortunately, the practice became so routine (especially since it was performed mostly on babies) that it lost its meaning, so God had to tell His people to “circumcise their hearts”; or, renew your vow with me in your heart to be obedient and faithful, for fear of being “cut off” by the sword of the Lord (Gen. 17:14).

Jeremiah continues his prophecy of the impending doom to be brought on by Babylon from the East (who would be approaching through the Northern Kingdoms where the Israelites were). Ever the merciful God, He relentlessly offers His people a way out (always has, always will)–”O Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved” (v. 14). This “way out” is the same today, although we have an official practice and even commands for it–baptism. “And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16).

The most powerful section in this chapter begins in verse 19 when Jeremiah stops relaying God’s explicit message for a brief time and interjects his own feelings on the vision that God has given him. He grieves for the people of Jerusalem and the land of Judah. Following the invasion, the once fruitful land is to become desolate and arid (v. 25-26). Historical and geological evidence has revealed to modern scientists that this area (current day Iran, Iraq, and Turkey) was once lush with vegetation of all kinds. After the flood, the earth’s cyclical climate changes, and warfare tactics that included the use of “salting” the enemy’s crops to kill and prevent the growth of crops, today this land is indeed desolate and arid, just as was prophesied (and it happened just as it was predicted).

Key Verse: Jeremiah 4:7 – “A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant.” (NIV)

Application for Men: In our own society, the “destroyer of nations” is already loosed. Only, in our case, the destroyer is the very own people of the land, having been tempted by Satan, the great deceiver. America was established by God-fearing Christian men. When they demanded religious freedom, they were demanding freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. The strangle-hold that the Church of England had on the British empire ironically prevented from allowing its members from worshiping in “spirit and in truth.” So when our forefathers said they wanted their freedom, they were demanding to be allowed to worship the way Jesus asked us. When we sit idly by and allow the atheists of the world to remove God from the classroom, the courthouse, the pledge of allegiance, and the workplace, we ourselves are destroying what our founding fathers sacrificed their lives for. Satan is slowly “laying waste” to our land.

Discussion Questions:

1. How are circumcision and baptism similar? How are they different?
2. Why does God give the very people he’s intent on destroying a way out? How is this different under the Old Law than under our New Covenant?
3. In what ways can we work today to “circumcise” our hearts for God? How would this help fight off the “destroyer of nations”?

Go back and read the discussion questions for Jeremiah 1, Jeremiah 2, and Jeremiah 3.

Jeremiah, using God’s words, continues his discourse against the people of Judah using his analogy of an unfaithful wife. He then draws the comparison between Israel and Judah (North vs. South) calling one faithless (Israel) and one unfaithful (Judah). God uses this comparison almost as a scare tactic to say, Hey Judah, if you don’t straighten up, I’m gonna let Israel have your precious Jerusalem (v. 14)–they’ll destroy your precious ark (v. 16), and live in the land that you were supposed to get (v. 18). (On a study of God’s fatherly attributes, this one should be on that list.)

The people of Judah are mildly disconcerted about the promise of God’s wrath, but show no sign of repentance (v. 5). The Israelites, on the other hand, realize their sins and admit their guilt – “We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our fathers; from our youth till this day we have not obeyed the LORD our God” (v. 25).

At quick glance, the words faithless and unfaithful could be synonyms. However, one implies that no intention of faithfulness has been given or that those intentions have been willingly rescinded. The other implies that a promise of fidelity has been made, but that promise has been broken while keeping up the intention of faithfulness. As a former teacher, the following analogy came to mind:

On the first day of class, two students walk into the classroom. The first student–let’s call him “Israel”–pronounces to the class, “I hate your stupid rules, I hate school, and I hate you… I’m not doing anything you say,” and he proceeds to do exactly that. Conversely, the other student–let’s call him “Judah”–says, “You are my favorite teacher, I will obey all that you ask of us, turn my homework in on time, and even clean your chalkboards if you like,” and he also proceeds to do exactly that. After the first month, however, while Israel is still as unruly as ever, Judah has started to disobey the teacher, turning his homework in several days late–if at all–and hanging around his football coach like he’s his best friend; they go out to eat together, the coach has him over to his house for pizza and video games. But every day, he tells his teacher that he’s his favorite and that he’ll obey every rule. The teacher, being a jealous human, announces to the class one day, “Hey Israel, why don’t you come take Judah’s seat? In fact, you can have his excellent G.P.A., his nice clothes, and–tell you what–I’ll even throw in Judah’s car and an awesome job when you get out of school.” Of course, this makes Israel feel horrible for the way he’s acted since the first day of school, so he apologizes profusely and promises to never act that way again. Judah, on the other hand, just shrugs and says, “Whatever.”

Hopefully this analogy–bad though it is–illustrates the difference between faithless and unfaithful. By this time in history, the Israelites had had a long line of kings who did not know God and therefore the nation did not even pretend to follow God, but rather worshiped whatever god the native peoples worshiped. Judah, however, kept up their rituals and feasts and just generally pretended to follow God but still chose to do things that He considers evil, especially participating in the worship of false gods. One thing that Jesus makes clear during his ministry on earth is that God hates “idle worship” (not a typo). Just “going through the motions” and pretending to love God while continuing to sin is almost worse in our Father’s eyes than simply not knowing Him at all. When the Samaritan woman at the well asked Jesus if she had to go to Jerusalem to worship, he replied, “a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks” (John 4:23, emphasis added).

Key Verse: Jeremiah 3:5 – “‘Will you always be angry? Will your wrath continue forever?’ This is how you talk, but you do all the evil you can.” (NIV)

Application for Men: I am going to be optimistic and assume that the majority of men reading this are faithful to their wives, particularly in the physical sense, but also in the mental sense as well. That said, the main area of fidelity that we need to focus on is our faithfulness to holiness. When you are baptized, the blood of Jesus “washes away” all of your sins past, present, and future. But as Paul asks, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2). We must be diligent, therefore, about what activities we allow ourselves to participate in, and what thoughts we allow to linger in our minds. If we go out and allow ourselves to be caught up in the world’s desires but still go to church every Sunday and keep up the appearance of loving God, we are no longer worshiping in spirit and in truth, and we deserve punishment equal to those who are willfully disobey.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is God showing more forgiveness to the faithless Israelites than to the unfaithful people of Judah?
2. How would you treat 1) a co-worker that was unfaithful to the company? 2) your son who was unfaithful to your expectations? 3) your wife who was unfaithful to your marriage? Which one would hurt the worst? Why?
3. What area of your life do you need the most help in maintaining faithfulness? Have you asked your brothers for help in that area yet?

Jeremiah begins his duties as a prophet for the Lord with the heavy responsibility of chastising the people of Israel for forsaking God. The words that God chooses describes Israel as a prostitute or cheating wife. At first, the “wife” loves and respects her “husband” – “I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me” (v. 2), but quickly turns her back on Him – “Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute” (v. 20). God is dismayed in that He provided for their every need before arriving in the promised land, but no sooner did they arrive did they begin to forget what He did for them. “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves” (v. 5).

Not much else happens in this particular chapter other than Jeremiah sharing God’s feelings about being forsaken. God warns that just because they are His “chosen people” that doesn’t mean that they will be spared His wrath.

On your clothes men find the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite of all this you say, ‘I am innocent; he is not angry with me.’ But I will pass judgment on you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ (v. 34-35).

The most important lesson for Christian men to take away from this chastising is that just because we may have been saved by the blood of Christ, God won’t completely overlook our sins, especially if they deal in turning away from Him. The author of Hebrews puts it this way: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God” (Hebrews 10:26-27).

Taking our cue from Jeremiah 2:35, it is crucial that we, as men, admit to ourselves and to God that we are sinners, and that we need both forgiveness and justification. Before the Messiah, people tried to be found righteous through the justification of the law. If you were perfect according to the law, you were good in God’s eyes. The problem was, no one was perfect. No, Not One! Under the “new law”, or New Testament, we’re under a system of grace instead of system of laws. We have been justified because someone has taken our place for our punishment. Paul writes,

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:22-24).

You’ll probably see lots of “Christians” in the world who put up a front of being sinless and blameless, but let me say, they’re a sinner just like the rest of us. As John argues, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

Key Verse: Jeremiah 2:31b – “Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam;
we will come to you no more’?” (NIV)

Application for Men: It’s so easy for us men to clothe ourselves in our own strength and our own abilities. “I can do it,” “I am able,” “I don’t need help.” So many “tough guys” don’t turn to God for help, save perhaps in time of dire need. As long as things are going great and hardships are few, God is often merely an afterthought. This is precisely the situation that the Israelites found themselves in time after time. When they were slaves in Egypt, you can bet they were crying to God daily and nightly. When they were wandering in the desert, they mostly stuck with God though the young ones often forgot where they came from. By the time they reached the promised land, the men devoted to God were few and far between.

It’s easiest to see here in America–the easier our lives are, the less men seek out a relationship with God. Of course, their need for justification and redemption doesn’t change, but their sense of urgency of developing that relationship is gone. God promises that He will draw close to us if (a necessary condition) we draw close to Him (James 4:8). We can NOT do it alone, we ARE NOT able, and we DO need help.

Discussion Questions:

1. Verse 22 states, “‘Although you wash yourself with soda and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me.’” How is this similar to our own lives? How is it different?
2. Describe/think of a time in your life when you have turned away from God. Did your situation improve or get worse? What led you back to God (if you have come back)?
3. Ponder the statement,”Being a missionary in a developed nation is much more difficult than in an impoverished nation.” Do you think this is true? If so, why would this be true?

The first chapter of Jeremiah introduces us to this boy God calls to be a prophet. God calls him, Jeremiah resists, God insists, Jeremiah reluctantly accepts, God “tests” that the communication between He and the boy is working properly. (“Is this thing on??”) Jeremiah receives his first “real” vision in the form of a boiling pot, pouring down from the North. God interprets this vision for him, indicating that forces from the North are about to come down to Jerusalem and attack and pillage. He also states the reason he is permitting this deluge: “because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made” (v. 16). Reading that reasoning instantly reminded me of Genesis 11–”let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth” (Gen. 11:4). If there’s one consistent message in the Bible, it is that God doesn’t like it when we start feeling too self-righteous.

Key Verse: Jeremiah 1:12 – “The LORD said to me, ‘You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.’” (NIV)

Application for Men: I know that for me, as a still fairly young Christian, I have often used the excuse, “But I am only a child!” to tell God that I can’t do something that I’m called to do. Not in the chronological sense, of course, but in the spiritual. Whether it is teaching a Bible class at church, going on extended mission projects, or even being the spiritual leader in my own home that God calls me to be (Eph. 5:23), I have used my “newness” in Christ as a crutch. But God “is watching to see that [His] word is fulfilled”; God will use us if we’re willing to be used for His purpose. He will ensure that His word is fulfilled–if we don’t do all He asks of us, He’ll ask someone else, but typically not without letting us know that we let Him down. (“‘Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.’” – Jeremiah 1:17)

God’s kingdom is here, Christ is ruling from on high. He needs able men to step up and join the spiritual battle for other men’s (and their own) souls. God has given us what we need for this battle, and will be there every step of the way. “‘Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:8). “‘They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:19).

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. – Ephesians 6:10-13

Discussion Questions:

1. Why does Jeremiah directly resist God at first? Have you ever resisted doing something that you are fairly certain God wanted you to do? Did you finally do it–as did Jeremiah–or did God have to find someone else to accomplish His work?
2. Which do you think is a more dangerous task–Jeremiah’s task of admonishing/warning the people of Judah of their impending doom, or our task of spreading the Gospel to the lost? Why?
3. What is God’s promise to Jeremiah? What is God’s similar promise to us?