Jeremiah 11-12 Broken Covenant, Broken Prophet

Broken Covenant, Broken Prophet

Jeremiah 11-12

Introduction: When we read most of the literary prophets, we learn virtually nothing about the prophet himself. But in Jeremiah, we live with the prophet throughout his mission. It is clear that God wants us to feel Jeremiah’s emotions and disappointments so we can see the heart of God through him. God and Jeremiah suffer together as they battle with Judah over their unfaithfulness and the coming Babylonian invasion.

In these two chapters we see God revealing a sermon Jeremiah is to preach to the people concerning the consequences of breaking God’s covenant. After the sermon, the Lord shows Jeremiah that the people are plotting to destroy him. This sets up the beginning of a “broken prophet” that culminates in chapter 20 when  Jeremiah decides to quit. Jeremiah is now realizing the depth of Judah’s sin and the seeming uselessness of preaching to these stubborn people.

Most importantly, we learn about ourselves—the seriousness of living in a covenantal relationship with God, and the challenges we face as we suffer in the midst of a broken world. 

1. Broken Covenant: “Hear the Words of This Covenant”, 11:1-17
   1. 1-8: “Covenant” is a common word used in scripture that we are all familiar with. However, most Christians are a bit fuzzy on the type of covenant God instituted with his people. God’s covenant with Israel was called a “suzerain” covenant. It is defined as, “a sovereign or a state exercising political control over a dependent state.” 
      1. You might be familiar with this when you consider Babylon conquering Judah in 605 BC. Babylon now controlled Judah, and as long as Judah paid tribute and did not rebel or make deals with other nations, they could live in peace. But if Judah did not keep those terms, Babylon would destroy them, which is exactly what happened.
      2. Israel’s covenant with God was also suzerain. Though Israel had done nothing to deserve it, God had graciously delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt. The covenant came after deliverance, and if they do not accept the covenant, they are returned to bondage or destroyed. But if they kept the covenant, God promised to care, protect, and provide for them, and even make them great if they gave their total allegiance to him. 
      3. Whether Christian or not, we have the same covenant with God. Through Christ deliverance is offered.  If we accept and keep the covenant he will give “exceedingly great and precious promises.” (2 Pet. 1:4)
   2. In Jeremiah’s sermon, God makes the terms of the covenant quite clear. If you are accustomed to lawyer–like language as when you sign a mortgage or rent a house, you will be surprised at the simplicity of God’s covenant.
      1. The foundational premise of God’s covenant with his people is obedience. We see God’s repeated statements in this section: “Hear the words of this covenant” (2), “do all that I command you” (4), “Hear the words of the covenant and do them” (6), “…warning them persistently, even to this day, saying ‘Obey my voice.’”
      2. How difficult is it to understand these repeated commands of hearing and obeying? How do so many not understand, “Obey my voice,” and “be careful to obey my covenant” (18x in Deuteronomy). What it really exposes is a person’s half-hearted desire to be saved. A person who tests God’s commands against their own desires and believes it won’t matter if they intentionally compromise God’s instructions, simply does not want to “make your election and calling sure” (2 Peter 1:10).
   3. 9-13 “Conspiracy!” This is another word that was common in those days. When the people of a suzerain rebelled, which Israel did many times with foreign conquerors, it was called “conspiracy.” This typically happened when the subject nation made treaties or alliances with other nations. Israel had done this by their multiplicity of gods and their trust in the nations instead of God. In other words, God’s demand of us is loyalty, total allegiance to him. Anything less and we are in violation of the covenant. “Seek first…”
   4. 14-17 Consequences of violating the covenant.
      1. Note that even the prayer of a prophet will not save them. Note verse 15: “even sacrificial flesh” will not avert their doom. When we continue in violation of God’s covenant, no amount of prayer, going to church, and taking the Lord’s Supper is going to save us. Again, God desires “steadfast love, not sacrifice”. It is foolish to think that outward acts of worship would somehow make up for idolatry (vs. 17). We cannot have other “gods” in our lives and think that God is not provoked to anger.
      2. Please note God’s response to our lack of complete allegiance to him: he “has decreed disaster against you,” and we are “provoking God to anger.” 
2. Broken Prophet: “Like a Gentile Lamb Led to the Slaughter”
   1. 11:18-23 Surprise Jeremiah! Their conspiracy is not just against God, it is against you. Anathoth was Jeremiah’s home town. He was a priest in that town. Even his own family (12:6) and people have turned against him and warned him that he would be killed if he continued to preach in the name of the Lord.
   2. 12:1-4 Jeremiah pleads his case before God. Notice the similarity of Jeremiah’s complaint to our world today. We might think, “Amen, Jeremiah,  something has to be done about this wickedness. It’s destroying everything!” — How long? (Vs. 4). 
   3.  12:5-6 God’s Reply: 
      1. What a surprising answer God gives that is so important for us: If you get weary running with men, how will you handle running with horses? In other words, this is only the beginning of your trials. 
      2. At this point, Jeremiah is so much like us. This isn’t right! This is so unfair! This is not the way it is supposed to be! But God’s time for judging the wicked is not our time. In the letters to the seven churches, how many times did Jesus warn the Christians to “overcome” and not give in to the persecution? Instead of saying, “I will protect you,” he said, “more of you will die…be faithful unto death.” 
      3. The Hebrew writer repeatedly said the same thing: “Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36)
   4. 7-13 God’s Complaint. After warning Jeremiah that the next danger he will face is his own brothers, God launches into a description of what his people have done to him. We see God placing Jeremiah in a similar position has had been done to Hosea. Jeremiah suffers in a similar way as God so he can feel the pain and disappointment and so preach to the people.
      1. 7: God has had to forsake the “beloved of my soul.” 
      2. 8: They have become like a lion in the forest, roaring against him and wanting to devour him. Therefore, “I hate her.” We should learn to never say, “No matter what we do, God still loves us.” God desires for us to be saved, but when we turn against him, we are his enemy. This isn’t just us living sinfully—“a victimless crime.” We are destroying the kingdom of God, God’s eternal purpose. We have joined the enemy.
      3. Can you imagine hating one of your children that way? Yes! Especially when we love God and God’s kingdom more than anything or anyone else in this world.
      4. 12-13 “The sword of the Lord devours.” Destruction is decreed, “but no man lays it to heart” (vs. 11). 

Conclusion: There are two choices before us, and only two.

1. When God gave his own Son on the cross, he offered us freedom from our bondage to Satan. That freedom is dependent on us entering into his covenant. The covenant is simple to understand: Hear my voice…Obey my words. If you refuse follow the covenant, you are still in bondage and will die in your sins.
2. The other choice is to stand with Jeremiah. As Jesus said, “Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25
   As God said in Deuteronomy 30:15, 19, “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil…I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.” 

Berry Kercheville

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