To understand this: Think contemporary and think from a spiritual angle.
Jer: 12:1-2: Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
2: Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. (Why did Jeremiah call these God worshippers wicked and treacherous? Because they confessed to worship God, but they lived like the world.)
3: But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. (This is what happens to Christians that go on living like the world, they get slaughtered. Why? Because Christians are supposed to follow Jesus not the world. Jesus is the good Shepherd.)
4: How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.
(This describes the churches’ condition. We have not brought about salvationónot anyway near to the degree that we were ordained to produce.)
5-9: If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?
6: For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.
7: I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.
8: Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.
9: Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.
(God talks to Jeremiah here. He says His prophets must be tough and stand fast. He agrees that these so called God worshippers are treacherous and He says he is going to them alone. He intends to let them reap what they are sowing. What else could He do? If a person promises to trust and obey Him, but then goes right on trusting and obeying the world, what can He do, but let them learn the hard way. I know it says in Isaiah 54:7: For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8: In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. But He also said in Isaiah
54:13: And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy chil- dren. That is the key to all of this. Christians must be taught of the Lord.)
10: Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
11: They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.
(Many pastors have been wrongly taught anfd are wrongly teaching. It's as in Isaiah
28:7: But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.
8: For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean. When you sow
God’s seed, be careful not to trample it.)
12-13: The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.
13: They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put them- selves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
(This is the inevitable result of following the world and not following Jesus.)
14-17: Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.
15: And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compas- sion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.
16: And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be
built in the midst of my people. 17: But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.
(The church can apply this. I know that the land in that passage is Israel and that it is warning to any who try to possess the Jews inheritance, but the church is not enjoying her spiritual inheritance on the level that it was given to them and the answer is the same. If they will diligently learn God’s ways and swear by His name, the church can become the glorious church that God intended. Otherwise, in these lad days, God will only have a remnant and most of the church will join the great whore.)
Jer: 13:1-7: Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. 2: So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.
3: And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
4: Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
5: So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.
6: And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
7: Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.
8-11: Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
9: Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.
10: This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing.
11: For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear. (That’s where the church belongs cleaving to the Lord as a girdle cleaves to a manís loins. God says here that that’s how He had in mind for Christians to be His people. They would cleave unto Him and He would teach them His ways and lead them in a straight path.
2 Cor: 6:17-18: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18: And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.)
12-14: Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
13: Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon Davidís throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.
14: And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.
(The same drunkenness as in Isaiah 28. God is talking about an adulterated gospel.)
15-17: Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.
16: Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness.
17: But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’s flock is carried away captive.
18-21: Say unto the king and to the queen, Humble yourselves, sit down: for your principalities shall come down, even the crown of your glory.
19: The cities of the south shall be shut up, and none shall open them: Judah shall be carried away captive all of it, it shall be wholly carried away captive. 20: Lift up your eyes, and behold them that come from the north: where is the flock that was given thee, thy beautiful flock?
21: What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be captains, and as chief over thee: shall not sorrows take thee, as a woman in travail?
22-23: And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare. 23: Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.
24-27: Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
25: This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood.
26: Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.
27: I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?
(God calls for the church to humble themselves. He has in mind the solemn assembly in Joel 2:15-18: Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
16: Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those
that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
17: Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that
the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
18: Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. God asks if a leopard can change his spots He is saying that a Christian cannot be a Christian unless they have Jesus operating in their heart, otherwise they are only human.
The sowing lesson in this article is; Don’t trample your crops, keep the pollution out, and if you are not truly in Christ, God will not bless your crops.)
