Be productive and reproductive

 “For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘The exile will be long; build houses and live in them and plant gardens and eat their produce.’ ” ’ ”  (Jeremiah 29:28, NASB95)

The time of exile would last for 70 years. God wanted the people to be productive and reproductive. They were to make the best of their situation and submit to the leaders of Babylon in order that they would be in a state of welfare. They eventually would return to Jerusalem and would need to repopulate the city and the land. 70 years would allow time for many children to be born. God always has the best plans for our lives. He wants to bless his people in order for them to be a blessing. His promise to the captives was fulfilled in the time he declared it would happen.

False prophecy

 Jeremiah 28:15–17 (NRSV)

15And the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the LORD has not sent you, and you made this people trust in a lie.
16Therefore thus says the LORD: I am going to send you off the face of the earth. Within this year you will be dead, because you have spoken rebellion against the LORD.”
17In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.

Hananiah was guilty of speaking a false prophecy. He told the people what they wanted to hear rather than what God had previously spoken through other prophets regarding the captivity by the Babylonians. The proof of prophecy is whether it comes true and false prophets were to be stoned because they claimed they were speaking for God. It was a serious violation because it discredited God and falsely claimed that God had spoken when he did not speak to the prophet. Jeremiah let God be the judge of the prophetic words of Hananiah. If they were true there would be peace as was predicted. However, God confirmed to Jeremiah that the prophecy was false and as punishment Hananiah would die because he led the people into more rebellion against God by rejecting the words of Jeremiah and others who prophesied the captivity of the Babylonians. The people were unwilling to accept the fact that their rebellion had caused God to place them in captivity. They were looking for an easy way out of the circumstances rather than obey what God had told them to do. Sinning against God has severe consequences, and unless there is true repentance the consequences will be experienced.

Nebuchadnezzar, God’s servant

 Jeremiah 27:5–7 (ESV)

5“It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.
6Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him.
7All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.

Jeremiah declared the sovereignty of God over all the nations and everything he created. He is the one who put Nebuchadnezzar as king of Babylon and used him to execute his will over the nation of Judah as well as the surrounding nations. God is in control and the king of Judah, Zedekiah was to submit to the king of Babylon to avert even greater disaster upon the people and land. The people of Judah could have been spared greater punishment through obeying God and obeying king Nebuchadnezzar. The length of their captivity was measured by God and in his timing he would make a way for the people to return to Jerusalem. They needed to learn submission to the foreign king to teach them they needed to be in submission to God and follow his ways. God in his timing would remove Nebuchadnezzar from his position of power and hubris. God’s love for his people even in their times of rebellion and disobedience is demonstrated by his acts of mercy and  and opportunities for the people to change their ways and not receive what was prophesied.

Mend your ways

 Jeremiah 26:12–13 (ESV)

12Then Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard.
13Now therefore mend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of the LORD your God, and the LORD will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you.

Jeremiah continues to deliver the word of the God to the leaders regarding the impending destruction of the city and nation. God is giving them the opportunity to repent and be released from the destruction. The immediate reaction of some is to kill Jeremiah because they believe he is a false prophet and they want to silence his voice. However there were some of the leaders that believed he was speaking God's words and they stood up for Jeremiah to prevent his death. Even though they believed he was God's prophet declaring the word of God they did not act on the advice of Jeremiah to mend their ways and obey the voice of the Lord. It is difficult to understand why they continued in their ways when disaster was predicted several times. It is also difficult to understand why they would not return to obey the Lord who had done marvelous miracles to preserve the nation and supply for their needs. What advantage was there in worshipping the gods of Baal compared to the Living God? What benefits were they receiving that could compare to what God had provided for them? The power of sin to keep people in deception and lies was at work among the people just as it is today among people who have rejected the provision God has given all of mankind through his Son, Jesus.

The council of God

 Jeremiah 23:21–22 (ESV)

21“I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.
22But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.

The difference between the false prophet and the true prophet of God is that one spent time in the presence of God to hear what he had to say and the other only spoke what he wanted the people to hear. The false prophet led people away from the Lord but the true prophet always leads people into the presence of the Lord through their repentance and forgiveness. Jeremiah truly spoke the word of the Lord but the people refused to listen. They did not want to give up their false gods and their sinful behavior. They preferred to listen to the false prophet who denied what Jeremiah proclaimed. It is a temptation today for some ministers and prophets to declare things that did not come from spending time in God's presence and listening to his counsel. They do not declare the hard things that require repentance from evil but only speak words that they think will bring comfort to the people. God's word is powerful and it is like a hammer that breaks the power of sin. When it is not proclaimed there will be no change in the behavior of the people.

Is this not to know me?

 Jeremiah 22:15–17 (ESV)

15Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.
16He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? declares the LORD.
17But you have eyes and heart only for your dishonest gain, for shedding innocent blood, and for practicing oppression and violence.”

Josiah was the last righteous king of Judah. He brought revival of the covenant practices God required. He was a king who was concerned for the poor and needy. He was just in his dealings with the people and God rewarded him for his obedience. But shortly after his death, his children became the kings of Judah and they did not follow the ways of their father but practiced everything against God's ways. They were men of violence, shedding of innocent blood and oppression.

The contrast of kings is very evident. Josiah knew God and knew the ways of God teaching them to the people. But the succeeding kings were materialistic and did not follow the laws of God leading the people back into idolatry. It only takes one generation to bring evil or good. When the laws and ways of God are passed on to the next generation, the blessings of God will follow. This is why it is so important for parents and leaders to teach the next generation how to live in a manner that is pleasing to God and will bring prosperity and peace to the nation.

Emotional roller coaster

 But the Lord is with me like a dread champion;

Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.

They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed,

With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.  (Jeremiah 20:11, NASB95)

Jeremiah experienced a range of emotions from elation to desperation. His own people wanted him dead because of the prophetic words he pronounced against them. In spite of all the opposition he faced, he knew that God was with him and would be a warrior or champion for him. We, too, have the same assurance that God is always with us and will fight for us. He has declared war against his enemies, and if he is for us, who can stand against us? The despair that Jeremiah felt was turned to praise when he remembered that God had called him and would take care of him.