Judgment or Righteousness

Hey, hey, good morning. Good morning. Welcome to coffee and devotion this morning. We are at Jeremiah chapter 21 verses 11 through 22 10 basically one column on in Nathan's Bible, but it's gonna be talking about you know, King David Judah but yet we're in Jeremiah, which is like a way away from David. So we're going to find out what in the world this is.
Parts like me, white, and George Washington. Yeah. Right. So what do you get to do with George Washington? Not much. Yeah. Well, we'll see. Let's have some coffee. We'll pray and we'll get into God's word. Nope. No coffee for you? Okey dokey. All right.
Well, let's go ahead and pray. By the way, thank you so much for this day. We thank you for the blessing you have given us of being able to spend time together. Lord, we pray that as we spend this time together, as we read your word and your Holy Spirit, please help us. Help us to learn, help us to understand, and help us to apply and live. God, we desire to have lives that bring you glory and hearts that seek after you. So God, let us take these things seriously. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, Jeremiah chapter 21, beginning at verse 11. Why don't I read 11 through 14 and then you could read 22, 1 through 5. We'll just kind of work like that.
And concerning the house of the king of Judah say, hear the word of the Lord, O house of David. Thus says the Lord, execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him who is plundered out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go forth like fire, and burn, so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, says the Lord, who says, Who shall come down against us, or who shall enter our dwellings? But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, says the Lord. I will kindle a fire in its forest, and it shall devour all things around it.
So let's pause. What is God saying in that section? He's saying that he's a house about David must do the right thing or else he's going to punish them. Yeah, right. He's talking to the king of Judah, right? The house of the king of Judah. So the Southern tribe, the nation of Judah, that's all that's left essentially at this point. And they think that, oh, what's God got against us?
And he's going to execute judgment, right? Judgment means even though you might not be doing bad things, you're not doing the good things, which you're supposed to be doing. Well, yeah, so there's the sin of omission, right? They should be doing good things, but they're not. But they're also doing co-omission as well, right? They're making sacrifices, idols, they're worshiping Baal, they've corrupted God's temple. Yeah, so the Lord says he is against them, right? So I will kind of fire in its force and it shall devour all things around it.
All right, you want to read 22, one through five? After you go to sleep, maybe take a nap. Ow. My shoulders are really, really sore. that says the Lord, go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word and say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David, you and your sons and your people who enter these gates, that says the Lord. execute judgment and righteousness in a liver the plunder out of the hand of the oppressor the plundered out of the hand of the oppression oppressor do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger the fatherless of the widow no shed innocent blood in this place for if you indeed do this thing then shall enter the gates of this house riding on horses and chariots accompanied by servants and people, kings who sit on the throne of David. But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself, says the Lord, this house shall become a desolation. All right. So what's God saying there? He's saying that if the king's not just and doesn't judge the people justly, then you're going to get punished for it. Yeah. Yeah. Right. And so, but if they do, right, if they turned and the kings actually did righteousness, what would happen?
Yeah, it's almost like remember that scene in Lord of the Rings with the return of the king when there's like the old king but he's under like the the spell of the of the one guy who's like whispering in his ear like they're trying to take your crown and they're trying to and then all of a sudden Gandalf shows up and he breaks the spell and the guy is shown to be this slithering guy and he gets thrown out of the court and then what happens to the king? The king of Gondor becomes like this. Like, oh, he's back to his right mind and there's prestige brought back to the hall and things are brought in order and now we can actually fight for what's right and what's good.
Don't know well, maybe we'll have to go back and rewatch some I think you're talking about the yeah Don't even be like like oh, what's his name? he was the He was like the king and he had the two sons nope not that one No, but it's all right. Maybe I got the names wrong, too. I probably do.
But the point is, the king should enter back in. There should be one who has the throne. And he says, the kings of David will come back through the gates. This is like, you're going to have this righteousness once again. All right, so I'll read this next section.
For thus says the Lord to the house of the king of Judah, You are Gilead to me, the head of Lebanon. Yet I surely will make you a wilderness, cities which are not inhabited. I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons. They shall cut down your choice cedars and cast them into the fire."
What's he saying there? You're the best of the best. And yet, what's he going to do? If you don't listen, I'm going to just drop you down like any other would. Yeah, right, it's going to be like you're going to be made into a forest fire. Yeah, alright, you want to read that last section?
And many nations will pass by the city, and everyone will say to his neighbor, Why has the Lord done so to this great city? Then they will answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the law of their God, and worshipped other gods, and so them. Weep not for the death, nor bemoan him. Weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.
All right, so what's that last part about? I think you need to take a nap. This is about the This is about like, what was it? I forget what this is called. It's basically like a... I forget what it's called. It's called like a... It's some type of like prophecy where the prophecy can be dependent on the person. Like, I forget what the prophecy is, but the prophecy is dependent on the person.
But the prophecy also states that this person will do this. And even though the person is like, well, no, I'm going to do this. It's just how it's this preordained where it just happens. Yeah. And we don't need to go too deep into the theological reflection of this, but God gives this contingency, right? If you do this, then this, but if you do this, then this, but he knows what are they going to do? And so if they do the wrong thing, this is what's going to happen. They become a byword. Yeah, a byword. That's exactly right. So that's actually what I have underlined. It's what I think is the best verse in my Bible is verses 8 and 9.
And many nations will pass by this city and everyone will say to his neighbor, why has Jehovah done so to this great city? And they will answer, because they have forsaken the covenant. of Jehovah, their God, and worshipped other gods and served them. And that's at the heart of it, right? Both their going and doing idolatry, as well as their oppressing the poor and twisting of justice and stuff like that, right? Those two are tied together. They've steered away from the covenant of God, and because of that, he's going to bring the curses of the covenant on them.
What do you think, if you have to summarize this whole section, what's this whole section about? Good thing. Like the thing is this isn't just like a proper like this is a prophecy and You're the good thing and God has that has 100% promise it will go well with you Good things will happen to the city if you do bad 100% it will go Not well with you. It will go poorly with you.
Okay, so I'm always looking at like what the historical thing is that this is talking about, right? Like, what is it saying in its substance to the people at that time? And I think to the people at that time, who are the people at that time, I think he's talking to the kings of Judah. He's talking to a real king, Zedekiah, and he's giving them a real prophecy, right?
Repent, but I know you're not going to repent, so the city's going to be destroyed. Why? Because you've broken God's covenant. So that's how I would summarize this. Let's talk about Babylon. Yeah, Babylon would come and conquer Jerusalem. so Let's go ahead and go to seek calling or call to action or what are you?
How does this apply to your life or how does this? Point us to Jesus Christ So you said this is not a proverb. This is a prophecy if you do this is going to go well So as long as you do the law perfectly your life is going to go great That what this is saying. Oh because God hasn't sent me a prophecy that says that okay, like I don't think I bet Jeremiah any time soon saying, let's say it's the Lord, if you do your table chores, you will make a million dollars. All right, so if you clear the table and you wipe it down, you sweep the floor, then your life is going to, now, generally, is that true? Yes. Oh yeah. Mom and dad will be a lot less frustrated with you.
The thing is, the difference between a proverb and a prophecy is a prophecy is this is something that will happen, whereas a proverb is, Principle of life normally This is this is how stuff happens Now because we live in a fallen world world it doesn't always happen like that But yeah, all right, but I'm I think for Like I was kind of picking on you there by asking you that right because we have all sorts of other stories like the book of Job That show us that life isn't great or we could talk about Jeremiah himself.
He's listening to God and yet Is it all going super hot and wonderful for Jeremiah? No, we actually just talked about one of the priests putting him in stocks and making him a laughing stock for people. Like they're coming by and laughing at him. One of the kings is going to throw him in a pit and hope he dies and it's some Egyptian who has to save him.
I don't think this is health and prosperity if you just do the good thing. But I think it does show us that if we deviate from His covenant, there are consequences for it. And so, my question is, How do you ever get to the place of that beauty of verses 22, or sorry, chapter 22, verses 1 through 5? How do you get to the place where the kings of David will walk in and sit on their thrones?
Christ. Yeah. Christ has done this. The point is, Jesus kept the covenant of works. Jesus perfectly kept the mosaic law. Jesus is the one who did all these things perfectly. And Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And so we have a perfect king. We have one who reigns and judges in righteousness. And so what we're called to do is to be imitators of Christ now. Knowing that we're the type of people who are just like this, but we needed a better king. that we could be with God forever, so I think we get to actually look to Christ. So, anything you want to add? Nope. You're good to be done? Yep. Can you pray for us to close? Or do you want me to? You can. Okay.
God, we thank you that you sent us the King who rode into Jerusalem on the colt. And the crowds cried out before him, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest. Lord, the King has entered in through the gates. The King of righteousness has entered in and is the King of glory, Jesus Christ himself. And we thank you for him.
We pray that you would teach us to live like him, to walk in his ways, to imitate him. Lord, you know how fickle and foolish our hearts are. And so, God, we pray that you would please let us not lead a life that's going after the idols of our hearts and of this world. Father, we pray that you would please help us to follow you. In Jesus' name, amen. May God bless you. May you imitate Christ because his spirit is within you. We'll see you next time. Bye. Bye.