Break the Jar
Comments for Study 16
Pick to read this Bible passage in a separate window.
SORRY, THE COMMENTARY FOR THIS STUDY IS NOT FINISHED.
CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF BOOKS THAT ARE COMPLETED.
I. Break the Jar (19:1-15)
>1. What was Jeremiah told to buy? (1)
* Jeremiah 19:1 "This is what the LORD says: "Go and buy a clay jar from a potter. Take along some of the elders of the people and of the priests"
* The time frame is sometime from the start in Jeremiah's ministry (627 B.C.) and Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem (606 B.C.; Daniel 1:1) and its fall the next year (605 B.C.). Egypt defeated Judah and Josiah, King of Judah in 605 B.C. with Josiah dying during the battle. It is possible that Jeremiah delivered this message shortly after Josiah's death.
* Chapters 1 to 20 are for the most part in chronological order, the rest of the book is arranged by subject matter.
* Jeremiah 15:4 "I will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what Manasseh son of Hezekiah king of Judah did in Jerusalem."
* "This is what the LORD says" -A new break in time and message from the previous chapter.
* "Go and buy" -Jeremiah's ministry was costly. On the budget of a Levite this would not be easy.
* "a clay jar from a potter" -Unlike the pliable clay in the previous chapter this clay is hard, ridged, and unchangeable.
* "the elders of the people and of the priests" -As witnesses and representatives for the entire nation of Judah.
>What does it mean when it says their ears tingle? (2-3)
* Jeremiah 19:2-3 "and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you, and say, 'Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle."
* "Valley of Ben Hinnom" -In Hebrew "gay ben Hinnom" meaning "valley of the son of Hinnom". The Valley of Ben Hinnom lies in close proximity to Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:10), just south of the ancient city (Joshua 15:8). The valley had a somewhat unglamorous history during the Old Testament period. The worshipers of the pagan deities, Baal and Molech, practiced child sacrifice in the valley of Hinnom (2 Kings 23:10). The first specific mention of human sacrifice in Israel is in 2 Kings 16:3 and in Judah is in 2 Kings 17:17. The parallel passage in 2 Chronicles 28:3 indicates that the scene of the abomination was the valley of Hinnom.
The phrase valley of Hinnom in Hebrew may be transliterated "ge-hinnom". The reputation of the valley was understood by the writers of the New Testament who transliterated the word into Greek as gehenna. That is the word attributed to Jesus as one of the several designations for hell (Matt. 5:22). Because of its ancient association with fiery sacrifices, the valley came to symbolize the place of torment reserved for those who reject God's offer of salvation. (Holman Bible Dictionary)
* "Potsherd Gate" -In Hebrew "Petah Harsut Shaar". "Petah" means entry, "Shaar" means gate, and "Harsut" is only used here with a root meaning of pottery (potsherd). Potsherd Gate is an entrance in the south side of Jerusalem's wall, sometimes referred to as the Valley Gate since it lead to the Valley of Ben Hinnom. The "Refuse (Dung) Gate" was also in the south wall because the valley was where the city put its trash. The KJV translates this as "East Gate", even though the valley and gate were to the south.
* "the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel" -"Lord" is "YHWH" in Hebrew, the covenant name of God. "Almighty" is "Saba" in Hebrew meaning Lord of hosts (God's army). "God" in "Elohim" in Hebrew the first name for God to appear in the Bible, a singular/plural word ("im" makes a word plural).
* "I am going to bring a disaster on this place" -Through the Babylonian army lead by Nebuchadnezzar.
* "that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle" -The phrase refers to the shock of hearing an announcement of threatened punishment.
>What would the name of the valley change to? (4-6)
* Jeremiah 19:4-6 "For they have forsaken me and made this a place of foreign gods; they have burned sacrifices in it to gods that neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent. They have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as offerings to Baal--something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind. So beware, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when people will no longer call this place Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter."
* "they have forsaken me"
* "made this a place of foreign gods"
* "the blood of the innocent" -Child sacrifices were performed in this valley to idols, especially Molech. Manasseh, King of Judah (695-642 B.C.) and grandfather of Josiah (640-609 B.C.) before Jeremiah's ministry greatly increased the evil practice. (2 Kings 21:16) Josiah destroyed the idols (), but his sons reinstated them.
* Deuteronomy 19:12-13 "the elders of his town shall send for him, bring him back from the city, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die. Show him no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you."
*
*
>2. How great will be the devastation on Judah and Jerusalem? (7-9)
* Jeremiah 19:7-9 "'In this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hands of those who seek their lives, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. I will devastate this city and make it an object of scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds. I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another's flesh during the stress of the siege imposed on them by the enemies who seek their lives.'"
*
*
*
*
>What visual illustration was Jeremiah to give them? (10-13)
* Jeremiah 19:10-13 "Then break the jar while those who go with you are watching, and say to them, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I will smash this nation and this city just as this potter's jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. This is what I will do to this place and to those who live here, declares the LORD. I will make this city like Topheth. The houses in Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled like this place, Topheth--all the houses where they burned incense on the roofs to all the starry hosts and poured out drink offerings to other gods.'"
* "Topheth" -Older translations use the word "Tophet". Topheth is the name for a place in the Hinnom Valley outside Jerusalem derived from Aramaic or Hebrew meaning, fireplace, but altered by Hebrew scribes to mean shameful thing because of the illicit worship carried on there. (7:31-32) Child sacrifice was practiced at Tophet, leading the prophet to declare a slaughter of people there when God would come in vengeance. (Holman Bible Dictionary)
*
*
*
*
>Why would Judah need such vivid illustrations?
*
*
*
*
*
>3. What does it mean to be stiff-necked?
* Jeremiah 19:14-15 "Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the LORD's temple and said to all the people, "This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'Listen! I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.'"
* "Topheth"
* "the court of the LORD's temple"
* "they were stiff-necked" -Unwilling to listen and repent due to a hard heart, just as the clay pot Jeremiah had used was ridged and hard.
* "would not listen to my words"
>What is the result of someone who is this way toward to Lord's words?
* "I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them"
*
*
>What did Jesus say about this? (John 5:24-30, 8:23-30)
* John 5:24-30 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me."
* John 8:23-30 "But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins." "Who are you?" they asked. "Just what I have been claiming all along," Jesus replied. "I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him I tell the world." They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him."
*
*
*
*
II. Jeremiah and Pashhur (20:1-6)
>4. Who heard Jeremiah's word against Jerusalem and Judah?
* Jeremiah 20:1 "When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the chief officer in the temple of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,"
* Jeremiah chapter 20 with chapters 11 thru 19 as a backdrop. Chronologically these are early in Jeremiah's ministry. Chapters 8 thru 20 are in chronological order.
Mostly these chapters continue warnings, judgments, and pleads for Judah to change their ways. They were first preached before Babylon defeated Egypt in 605 BC. The warnings were written and reread in 605 DB.
Chapter 11 records the Lord showing Jeremiah that people were plotting to kill him a second time.
In chapter 12 Jeremiah complains about how good others have it, even evildoers have it good, and he is always tested with troubles.
In chapter 20 the high priest had Jeremiah beaten and locked up for a day because of his prophecies against the temple. Then Jeremiah complains to God for all the persecution, insult and reproach he continually received. He is at a breaking point.
Every once in a while, today is one of them, I am like Jeremiah. I want the troubles and hardship to end. I have a complaining heart.
Jeremiah suddenly changes his tone. Starting in verse 11 he thinks and writes of the Lord, a mighty avenging warrior. He sings to the Lord asking for vengeance.
Then from verse 14 to the end of the chapter Jeremiah laments the day he was born.
Every Christian can say that they have days like this. Even Jesus exclaimed frustration for how long he had to stay with an unbelieving generation.
Jesus said to his disciples, "In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world." When all seems hopeless, there is hope in Jesus. Today is a new day. Troubles may come that I cannot change or avoid. But I can change how I think. I can change my attitude. I ask that the Lord help me to change what I can, and accept that which I can't in His strength and peace.
*
*
*
>What did he do? (2)
* Jeremiah 20:2 "he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the LORD's temple."
*
*
*
*
*
>Will those who preach the gospel experience similar persecution? (Matthew 10:21-25, 24:9-14; John 15:18-21)
* Matthew 10:21-25 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!"
* Matthew 24:9-14 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
* John 15:18-21 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me."
*
*
>5. What did the Lord change the high priest's name to and why? (3-5)
* Jeremiah 20:3-5 "The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, "The LORD's name for you is not Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib. For this is what the LORD says: 'I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. I will hand over to their enemies all the wealth of this city--all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon."
*
*
*
*
>What would happen to him? (6)
* Jeremiah 20:6 "And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.'"
*
*
*
*
*
>How is this a warning to religious people who oppose God's will? (Luke 6:46-49)
* Luke 6:46-49 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
*
*
*
*
III. Jeremiah's Complaint (20:7-18)
>6. What was Jeremiah's complaint after being beaten and locked up? (7)
* Jeremiah 20:7 "O LORD, you deceived me, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me."
*
*
*
*
>What did preaching the word of the Lord bring Jeremiah? (8)
* Jeremiah 20:8 "Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long."
*
*
*
*
*
>When he tried to be silent what happened? (9)
* Jeremiah 20:9 "But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot."
*
*
*
*
*
>7. What does it mean "his word is in my heart like a fire"? (Luke 3:16, 24:32; John 15:3-4; Romans 8:16; Hebrews 10:14-16)
* Luke 3:16 "John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
* Luke 24:32 "They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
* John 15:3-4 "You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."
* Romans 8:16 "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."
* Hebrews 10:14-16 "because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."
*
*
*
*
>8. To what point had Jeremiah been isolated in society? (10)
* Jeremiah 20:10 "I hear many whispering, "Terror on every side! Report him! Let's report him!" All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, "Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him."
*
*
*
*
>Who had not deserted him? (11)
* Jeremiah 20:11 "But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten."
*
*
*
*
*
>What did he ask the Lord to do for him? (12)
* Jeremiah 20:12 "O LORD Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause."
*
*
*
*
*
>9. What did Jeremiah do in the mist of persecution? (13)
* Jeremiah 20:13 "Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked."
*
*
*
*
*
>10. How depressed was Jeremiah? (14-16)
* Jeremiah 20:14-16 "Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed! Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, who made him very glad, saying, "A child is born to you--a son!" May that man be like the towns the LORD overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in the morning, a battle cry at noon."
*
*
*
*
>What did he think of his life? (17-18)
* Jeremiah 20:17-18 "For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever. Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?"
*
*
*
*
*
>Is it wrong to feel as Jeremiah did? (Luke 22:41-44)
* Luke 22:41-44 "He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground."
*
*
*
*
|
