If you like historical fiction, I would recommend reading The Disciple Scroll by Allan Rabbinowitz. Allan has served as a guide for one of the trips I made to Israel; he has an great grasp of this period of Israel’s history and personal love of the prophet Jeremiah. I found his novel to be a great joy and benefit to helping me understand the life of this prophet.
The contents of the book of Jeremiah span quite a great breadth of history. Jeremiah’s ministry begins before Babylon has begun their siege of Jerusalem. While the writing is on the wall, many people of Israel are continuing to assure themselves that God will spare them just as He did the last time with Hezekiah and the Assyrians. However, this time, they will be lacking the righteous leadership and heartfelt repentance. Jeremiah confronts them about this.
Jeremiah continues to proclaim God’s discipline as the Babylonians set up camp outside of Jerusalem and begin the long process of laying siege to God’s city. Jeremiah’s message is simple: You have failed to repent; God’s discipline is here. The best move for all of you would be to lay down your weapons and head into captivity. There will be much less bloodshed that way.
Jeremiah’s message is so “pro-Babylon” that when they finally lay siege to the city, they leave Jeremiah behind, believing that he is actually an asset to their cause.
Jeremiah will continue his prophetic ministry long after the Babylonians have emerged victorious and Judah attempts to put the pieces back together. Some of them believe that turning to Egypt will save them, but Jeremiah warns against this telling them that their efforts to saddle up with Egypt will be futile. Some of the words of Jeremiah ring with profound poetry even to this day. Here are some words from chapter 2:
The word of the Lord came to me: “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:
“This is what the Lord says:
“‘I remember the devotion of your youth,
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the wilderness,
through a land not sown.
Israel was holy to the Lord,
the firstfruits of his harvest;
all who devoured her were held guilty,
and disaster overtook them,’”
declares the Lord.
Jeremiah seems to be a great admirer, especially towards the beginning of the book, of the image of the people of God as a bride. Because of this, Jeremiah is very quick to speak out against Israel’s idolatry. The message against idolatry will be easy to see throughout the book. However, Jeremiah is one of the prophets who appears to seamlessly blend the two narratives we looked at earlier. Jeremiah will move in and out of the conversations about idolatry and injustice as if they were the same conversation. I think there is much to see in Jeremiah’s perspective.Consider chapter 7 as an example (the whole thing really, but here is the beginning):
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand at the gate of the Lord’s house and there proclaim this message:
“‘Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.’”
Somehow, the mistreatment of the alien, the orphan, and the widow is connected to the worship of foreign gods. I think there may be great wisdom in this. When we buy into the false gods that the culture offers us, we will always find ourselves being pulled off course, away from the partnership that God invites us into: this partnership that we have seen time and time again that calls us to trust that we have enough — to trust the story — and look out for the needs of other people. What other gods invite us into such a plan?
Does Baal? Certainly not; he is interested in your own profit and well-being.
Does Asherah? Nope.
How about the god of Consumerism?
Greed? Security? Comfort? Leisure?
Which of these gods invites us to join God’s great redemption project?
Maybe the prophet Jeremiah holds truth that’s still needing to be considered today by many of us. Maybe Jeremiah continues to invite us to cast down our idols and return once again to the path of God:
This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Maybe we’re already in exile and we just haven’t realized it. Read Jeremiah 17, if you dare.
While it’s easy to find words of hope scattered throughout the prophet, Jeremiah does not end with a wonderful poetic piece about restoration. Instead, he foretells the coming destruction of Empire. The way of empire (be it Babylon or anyone else) is not sustainable in the world that God created. Things built on the principles of death and darkness will not stand. God invites His people to walk in the ancient paths and come back to the good way:
“Come out of her, my people!
Run for your lives!
Run from the fierce anger of the Lord.
Do not lose heart or be afraid
when rumors are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
rumors of violence in the land
and of ruler against ruler.
For the time will surely come
when I will punish the idols of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced
and her slain will all lie fallen within her.
Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north
destroyers will attack her,”
declares the Lord.
Words to consider. May we search our own lives to find the dark corners where these messages might still apply. One way or another, our idols of greed and selfishness will come down. Heaven will rejoice over the fall of darkness. Will we rejoice as well?
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