Prosperous and Rebellious.

Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

“They shall not lament for him, saying,
    ‘Ah, my brother!’ or ‘Ah, sister!’
They shall not lament for him, saying,
    ‘Ah, lord!’ or ‘Ah, his majesty!’
With the burial of a donkey he shall be buried,
    dragged and dumped beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”

“Go up to Lebanon, and cry out,
    and lift up your voice in Bashan;
cry out from Abarim,
    for all your lovers are destroyed.
I spoke to you in your prosperity,
    but you said, ‘I will not listen.’
This has been your way from your youth,
    that you have not obeyed my voice.
The wind shall shepherd all your shepherds,
    and your lovers shall go into captivity;
then you will be ashamed and confounded
    because of all your evil.
O inhabitant of Lebanon,
    nested among the cedars,
how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you,
    pain as of a woman in labor!”

“As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return.”

Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot,
    a vessel no one cares for?
Why are he and his children hurled and cast
    into a land that they do not know?
O land, land, land,
    hear the word of the Lord!
Thus says the Lord:
“Write this man down as childless,
    a man who shall not succeed in his days,
for none of his offspring shall succeed
    in sitting on the throne of David
    and ruling again in Judah.” – Jeremiah 22:18-30 ESV

These are harsh words. God is not pulling any punches, but is expressing His divine wrath on the kings of Judah for the role they have played in leading His people astray. Their position as leaders in Judah have made them highly culpable and responsible for all that has happened within the nation. They had the authority, power and God-given responsibility to see to it that the people of God remained faithful to Him. But these various kings had failed in their responsibility and had led the people of God to follow false gods and commit spiritual adultery against Yahweh.

To King Jehoakim, the son of Josiah, God says, “I warned you when you were prosperous, but you replied, ‘Don’t bother me’” (Jeremiah 23:21 NLT). His prosperity had become a distraction for him and a source of pride. He had confused his wealth with the blessing of God and had allowed material possessions to replace his love and devotion for God. And God accuses him of life-long disobedience. It had begun as a child and had continued into adulthood. As a result, God tells him that he will lose all that he has: His friends, wealth, military alliances, and dignity. And as far as God is concerned, it will take this kind of disaster to wake Jehoakim up: “Surely then you will see your wickedness and be ashamed” (Jeremiah 23:22 NLT). But Jehoakim’s awareness of what he has done will be too little, too late.

Next, God has some very harsh words for Jehoiachin, the brother of Jehoakim, who became king of Judah after Jehoakim was taken captive by Pharaoh. The book of 2 Kings tells us, “And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done” (2 Kings 24:9 ESV). Jehoachin took the throne of Judah at the young age of 18 and his reign in Jerusalem would last only three months. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would lay siege to the city and Jehoachin would end up surrendering. As a result, the young king of Judah would find himself a captive in Babylon, along with all the other leading officials, priests and residents of Jerusalem. And the Babylonians would end up plundering the city and the temple. 

Nebuchadnezzar took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items which King Solomon of Israel had made for the Lord’s temple, just as the Lord had warned. He deported all the residents of Jerusalem, including all the officials and all the soldiers (10,000 people in all). This included all the craftsmen and those who worked with metal. No one was left except for the poorest among the people of the land. He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king’s mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land. – 2 Kings 24:13-15 NLT

This would be the beginning of the end for Judah and Jerusalem. And it would all take place just as God warned Jehoachin through the prophet Jeremiah.

Even if you were the signet ring on my right hand, I would pull you off. I will hand you over to those who seek to kill you, those you so desperately fear—to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the mighty Babylonian. – Jeremiah 23:23-25 NLT

A king’s signet ring carried special significance. It was a tool by which he sealed and certified official state documents. It would be pressed into wax to seal letters and other papers to assure that they were from the king. If it got in the wrong hands, it could prove to be a disaster because it gave the bearer power and authority. God informs Jehoachin that even if he had been as valuable as a signet ring, he would be discarded by God as worthless. God would cast him aside as if he was of no value.

And when God is done with Jehoachin, people will ask, “Why is this man Jehoiachin like a discarded, broken jar? Why are he and his children to be exiled to a foreign land?” (Jeremiah 23:28 NLT). The fate of Jehoachin will seem absurd. He had been the king of the people of Judah. He had been powerful, wealthy and influential. How had he fallen so far and his once great nation become a desolate wasteland? It was all because of rebellion against God. The people of Judah, who had once been the apple of God’s eye and His chosen possession, had squandered their unique relationship with Him. They had chosen to rebel against Him and give their love and affection to false gods. Despite all that God had done for them over the centuries, they had proven unfaithful. Their true hearts had been exposed and their sin natures had driven them further and further away from God. And their sin deserved punishment. Their rebellion warranted God’s displeasure and their own destruction. God had been faithful, but they had proven themselves incapable of being faithful in return.

The fate of Judah is a reminder to us of what lies in wait for all who rebel and resist the will of God. He is the sovereign, all-powerful and righteous God of the universe. Mankind, by virtue of the fact that we exist as His creation, are obligated to worship Him. He deserves our allegiance and honor. But generation after generation of human beings have turned their backs on God. The Jews were to be a special picture of what happens when God chooses to shower a people with His grace, mercy and love. He chose them, not because they deserved it, but simply because it was His desire to do so. But even while they enjoyed the undeserved blessing of God, they still could not remain faithful to Him. This reveals to us the real state of the heart of man. That without God’s help, we cannot remain faithful. We do not have the internal capacity to obey Him and to refrain from sinning against Him. The Jews did not have a heart for God. While they had the sacrificial system and a means by which they could be restored to a right relationship with Him, their hearts remained unchanged, hardened by sin and incapable of remaining faithful to Him. Only God could change that sad state of affairs. Only He could give the people of Judah the means by which they could one day worship Him in spirit and in truth, from their hearts. And the prophet Ezekiel tells of a day that is coming when God will do for Israel what they could never have done for themselves.

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. – Ezekiel 36:25-27 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

The Mercy of God.

1 Samuel 17-18, Romans 11

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! – Romans 11:33 ESV

Too often, we read the Bible as a collection of independent books contained in two separate sections – one that chronicles the ancient history of Israel while the other records more recent events. We fail to see the Scriptures as a cohesive story written by the Spirit of God through the pens of men. We overlook the central theme that pervades the book and the unmistakable reality that the entire Bible is the revelation of God, from beginning to end. We turn the Bible into a collection of Sunday School stories, told in isolation from the rest of the content of the book. Then we assign to these stories man-centered, morality-based lessons that we hope will help us live better lives. The story of David and Goliath is a perfect example. There are very few people who attended church as children who don't know that story. And if asked, they could probably provide what some of the life lesson's from David's defeat of Goliath. They might talk about facing the giants in our own life through the power of faith. Their recollection of the story might have Goliath as a representation of all the trials and troubles of life. David might represent the underdog, or the individual who finds himself facing seemingly insurmountable odds. And while there is nothing inherently wrong with some of these ideas, the problem is that we tend to miss out on the real story behind the story. We can also fail to see that the story of David and Goliath is really not about either one of these characters. It is about God.

What does this passage reveal about God?

God had chosen David. The prophet Samuel had already anointed David as the God-chosen replacement for king Saul. And David was already working part-time for Saul as a court musician, playing his harp any time Saul had one of his fits of anger. God's hand was on David. He was orchestrating the entire situation, preparing for the time at which David would succeed Saul as the king of Israel. In the story of David's defeat of Goliath, it seems that David is the only Israelite who had faith in God. He alone, as a young shepherd boy, had the gumption to ask, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26 ESV). He could believe that the entire army of Israel was shaking in its sandals as a result of the taunts of this one Philistine. David told King Saul, “Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:36 ESV). It would be easy to make this statement all about the faith of David. But the real point is the ONE in whom David's faith was placed. This is about God. David even told Goliath, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand” (1 Samuel 17:45-46 ESV). David's faith is not the issue. It is the God in whom his faith was placed. The entire story of the Bible up to this point has been about the faithfulness, power, mercy, love and goodness of God toward His people. David knew the history of Israel, so he knew the character of God. It wasn't David's faith that was great. It was his God.

What does this passage reveal about man?

One young man was willing to stand on the character and trustworthiness of God and face the enemies of God. While the rest of Israel stood by, quaking in their sandals and doubting the ability of their God to do what He had done hundreds of times before, David was going to step out on nothing more than God's reputation and past track record. This story is just one of many stories found in the Bible that reveal man's inability and unwillingness to trust God. The fear and faithlessness exhibited by Saul and his army is not an anomaly. It is the norm. From Old Testament to New Testament we see the continuing struggle of men to recognize God for who He is. When Jesus came, the people of Israel had been waiting and searching for their Messiah for generations. But when He showed up on the scene, they refused to acknowledge Him for who He was. They rejected the very one they had waited for for so long. But Paul tells us that even their rejection was part of God's plan. The story is NOT about their rejection or their lack of faith, but God's divine plan for the redemption of mankind. Paul writes, “So I ask, did they [the Jews] stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusionmean!” (Romans 11:11-12 ESV). The rejection of Jesus by the Jewish people was part of God's plan to open up the gospel to the Gentiles or non-Jews. But God was not rejecting the Jews. He was simply using their refusal to recognize His Son as an opportunity to share His grace outside the household of Abraham. In so doing, God would make Israel jealous. All along they had thought they were the exclusive recipients of God's mercy and grace. Now they were learning that God's love was available to all. The story is not about the faithless of Jews and the faithfulness of Gentiles. It is about the love, mercy, grace, and sovereignty of God. “Their rejection [of Jesus] means the reconciliation of the world” (Romans 11:15 ESV).

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

The Bible is about the mercy of God. All men have sinned against His holy commands. All men stand condemned before a righteous, just and holy God. There's not a one of us who can claim to have lived in perfect obedience to God's will and yet, only perfect obedience is acceptable to a holy God. From cover to cover, the Bible reveals the sinfulness of men. And it doesn't matter if they are pagan Philistines or the chosen people of Israel. Saul was just as faithless as Goliath. He put his trust in his armor and sword just like Goliath did. But the story here is not about the battle, slings, stones, David, Saul or even Goliath. It is about God and His unwavering mercy shown to men who don't deserve it. Again, Paul writes, “For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they [the Jews] too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may nowreceive mercy.For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all” (Romans 11:30-32 ESV). God showed mercy to David that day. David didn't deserve to defeat Goliath because of his faith. David's faith isn't the issue. David's God is. He showed mercy to Israel by overlooking their faithlessness and giving them victory over their enemies. He showed mercy to Saul by not forcing him to face his own death at the hands of Goliath. God is still showing mercy on mankind. And there is a day coming when He will shower His mercy on Israel once again, fully fulfilling His promises made generations ago to Abraham.

God is a merciful God. He is a compassionate, faithful, loving God. He is a sovereign God. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33 ESV). To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

Father, it is all about You. We are not the stars of the story, You are. It is not about our faith. It is not about our obedience. It is not about our victories in battle. It is always about You. Your love. Your mercy. Your power. Your plan. Your Son. Your salvation. Your Kingdom. Your glory. Your righteousness. Help me learn to stop making the story about me. May I learn to see You on every page of Scripture and recognize You in every moment of my life. Amen