Comments for July 12

v.25 - Nabal, whose name means 'Foolish', is here providing a lesson for us all. Not only is he described as 'churlish and evil in his doings' [v.3] but he failed to recognise and respect the Lord's Anointed. The same fate [v.38] awaits all who do the same [v.26].

v.28 - the 'sure house' draws on what God said to Eli [1 Samuel 2:35] which indicates that others knew what had been said about the overthrow of the house of Eli. Further it indicates that not only did Abigail know this but that the information mattered to her as well. She doubtless knew also that David had been anointed king because she makes reference to the time when David would be ruler [1 Samuel 25:30]. So we wonder how widespread knowledge about Eli's house and David's anointing was.

v.1 - Ramah means 'high place'. Samuel lived in a place which was called by the very thing he spent his life fighting - the desire of men to worship in their own high places. This gives a new insight also into Jer.31:15

25:25 Nabal - the fool - provided Jesus with the example (Luke 12:20) in the parable of the man who made the bigger barns. Just as the man in the parable was not rich toward God Nabal was not rich toward God's anointed.

:23 For a woman to light off her ass before making a request seems to have been etiquette - see Judges 1:14

25:5 When David sent his men to 'Carmel' he was not sending them to Mount Carmel by the sea. Rather the Carmel spoken of here was in the territory of Judah (Josh 15:55)

 Abigail was quite an exceptional woman. She had not only great beauty, but also remarkable wisdom and strength of character. We might ask; how ever did she come to marry such an uncouth customer as Nabal? Here folly and wisdom dwelt under the same roof, sat at the same table, and slept in the same bed.

It appears from the message sent by David to Nabal (1Sam 25:5-9), that food was short for David and his men.  This again gives us an insight into the way God was educating David, before he took over the kingship.  A man who knows what hunger is, will make an even more understanding king.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God (Matt 5:9).  Abigail was such a one, destined to become an integral part of the Lord Jesus' lineage.  Abigail means Joy of the Father, and this was certainly indicative of how Yahweh viewed her.  She knew about David's reputation and his destiny (vs.28-30).  If she knew that, it would not be a stretch to think that her husband Nabal also knew. 

But, Nabal (Nabal means Fool), in his surly arrogance, chose to ignore this fact.  His foolishness in rejecting David was tantamount to rejecting Yahweh.  He paid the price for that rejection (vs.37,38).   

And thus, were the incidents at Carmel and Maon played out.  Just to set the geography: Carmel was located seven miles south of Hebron while Maon was eight miles south of Hebron.  (This is not the same Carmel where Elijah challenged the priests of Baal (1Kin 18:19).  That Carmel is located in the north near present-day Haifa).

As we have seen, it is dangerous to reject Yahweh.  But, rejecting the Lord Jesus is also a rejection of Yahweh (Psa 2:12; Luke 10:16).

25:1     David’s spiritual mentor dies! Consider how lonely David would now feel.  He is separated from his family, his wife and his best friend. Now his spiritual guide falls asleep. What a loss. However David had built up relationships with other faithful men of God – Gad the seer 1Sam 22:5, Abiathar the priest 1Sam 22:11 – a lesson for us. We should not place all our confidence in one man.

V.35 It was the hand of God that provided Abigail with the opportunity to intercede in this irresistible fashion and so save David from the shedding of blood. So, even as he gave thanks to heaven for saving him from sin, he thanked her also for her wisdom and kindness. "See I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person"

Abigail came with a very interesting phrase in v29: "the life of my lord shall be bound up in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God".  She recognised that those who bound themselves up with God (by faith) would be protected by Him.  This she said in the context of her current master, Nabal.  She interceded for him by binding herself up in his household, declaring that if David destroyed the household, she would be harmed too.  Her solution to this was to leave it to God, who would separate out those who were His from those who weren't: "your enemies He shall sling out as from the pocket of a sling".  The result of leaving this judgement to God was that Abigail was freed from being bound up with Nabal to be bound up instead with David. One lesson to come out of this is that God saves those who are His no matter what other relationship they are bound up in. There is a heavenly household that we can be part of which is by faith in its master, Jesus (Col 3:3).  David's household was a type of this, since those who were associated with David were saved along with him (1Sam 22:23).

25:39  Whilst it might seem very callous to speak of God judging Nabal this in reality was what had happened. In voicing these views David is praising God for His goodness.

25:3  So Nabal was not of the same calibre as his ancestor Caleb.

25:10 It is inconceivable that Nabal had not heard who David was. He had killed Goliath and been married to Saul, the king’s, daughter. Doubtless also he knew that Saul was seeking to capture and kill David. So his comment is not the response of one who was ignorant of David. Rather it was, as David took it, a slight against him.

V.1 It is supposed that Samuel was about 98 years old when he died.

V.2 David had been in this region, for it was in the wilderness of Maon that David hid from Saul (1Sam 23:24). The Hebrew word for wilderness is midbar which can mean an open field or pasture, as well as a desert place.  It is the same word that is used in v.4.  And so, this wilderness near Carmel was pasture land.  However, the wilderness of En-Gedi , where David also hid, was a desert place (1Sam 24:1).

V.3 Nabal was nothing like his ancestor Caleb who was brave and resolute for Yahweh (Num 13:20; 14:6; Josh 14:10,11).

V.7 David had shown kindness to Nabal’s men, and now asked for some help in return.

V.10  Nabal’s reply to David’s request was a surly refusal, even after knowing how David and his men treated his men.  Nabal did not practice mercy according to the Law (Deut 15:7).

V.17 Nabal’s men knew that he was a wicked man.  This realisation was echoed by Abigail (v.25).

V.33 Abigail’s discrete and thoughtful intervention averted David’s anger: A gift in secret pacifieth anger (Prov 21:14). 

25:7-8 Whilst David and his men were fleeing from Saul they did not simply hide away but made themselves useful in protecting the Jewish inhabitants of the land. Thus David, even in his fugitive years, was behaving as the king should have behaved.

1Sam 25:42-44 - The bridegroom "beloved" and the bride(s) perhaps echoes the marriage of Christ to those believers who are in him -  "Abigail" (26) means "my father is joy" or "father of joy"; the number "5" is thought by many to mean "grace" or "mercy" and perhaps echoes the grace and mercy for true believers who are married to Christ; David's (human) "messengers" [ Heb. "malak" (4397) means "angels, messengers"] perhaps echoes that "The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them" (Psa 34:7); "Ahinoam" (293) means "my brother is delight" or "brother of pleasantness" and our fellow brother Lord and master Christ is (and will be) the delight of his brethren; "Jezreel" (3157) means "God will sow" or "God sows" [similar to "God gives the increase" (1Cor 3:6;) and "many are called but few are chosen"  (Matt 22:14)]; "Michal" (4324) means "who is like God"; "Phalti" (6406) means "delivered" or "my deliverance"; "Laish" (3919) means "lion" and perhaps echoes Christ as the lion of Judah; "Gallim" (1554) means "springs" and perhaps echoes that "spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14).

Who or what does Nabal (i.e."fool") represent? Unlike the "beloved", Nabal was the bad shepherd. 1Sam 25:1-2 - the bad foolish shepherd had residence in in the wilderness of Paran (6290 - means "place of caverns") had possessions elsewhere, was very wealthy. 1Sam 25:3 - the bad foolish shepherd had a bride and servants (v.7) but was churlish, evil and was from the house of "Caleb" (3612 - means "dog" which was slang for Gentiles). 1Sam 25:7-11,21 - The bad foolish shepherd was allowed to prosper and treated well by the beloved and his servants but Nabal hoarded everything for himself and returned evil for good. 1Sam 25:23-25 - The bride of the bad foolish shepherd had not been aware of the "beloved's" servant's message/request but once aware bows down to the good shepherd. She is unequally yoked (2Cor 6:14) to darkness, but now, more aware of the light, about to become the bride of the good shepherd. 1Sam 25:5,38 - 10 is thought by some to mean "judgment" [10 plagues on Egypt, 10 commandments in the ministration of condemnation, etc. (from Bible Studies an Anthology by Harry Whittaker, p.219)], 10 is also thought by some to mean "perfection of divine order." 1Sam 25:26,31,33 - "vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Rom 12:17-20;Heb 10:29-31) and Christ the good shepherd and lamb of God awaits the day of judgment as determined by his father. 1Sam 25:28-30 - NIV v.28 "a lasting dynasty for my master", NIV v.29 "though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by your Lord God", NIV v.30 "leader over Israel" all these apply to Christ as well.

25:14-17       Of course Nabal was the head of the house. His servants should have spoken to him, not his wife. The concern that they had and the information that they presented about David shows that they had no respect for Nabal, but had every confidence in his wife.  Does our demeanour prevent brethren and sisters confiding in us or seeking our counsel. Does it prevent them giving us advice?

25:19  “but she told not her husband” shows Abigail’s attitude towards her husband. However he was her “lord” and she disregarded him. Whilst we might think she should not have done that, being a faithful wife she was justified because her loyalty was towards the king of God’s choosing. His anointed one takes precedence over family. It did then and should now in our lives.  

25:11   Nabal’s repeated use of “my” indicates that he was a man who  did not see his blessings as having come from God.  It is all too easy for us to just think of the things we have as ours. The brethren in the first century were not like this – Acts 4:32

1Sam 25:23-31.

25:2    There were two places called “Carmel” in the land of Israel.  The more well known Mount Carmel on the coast and the city “Carmel” in the territory of Judah spoken of in Josh 15:55

25:36-37    The Godless Nabal who had been blessed by God did not benefit from what God had given him. He is like the man spoken of – Ecc 6:2 – who did not render to God His dues.

25:29 The idea of bringing punishment upon his own head will be seen many times in Scripture 1Kin 2:32, 2Chron 6:23, Neh 4:4, Psa 7:6, Eze 17:13, 33:4, Joel 3:4,7, Obad 1:15

25:41   Abigail shows her spirituality in offering to be a servant to David’s men. She had no aspirations to status even though she seems to have known that David would be king after Saul.

25:6    Nabal’s lifestyle contrasted significantly with David’s at this time. Common hospitality in Israel would have produced food from Nabal to David and his men. But no. He was so settled in his complacency that the generosity he had experienced at God’s hand was not extended to others. How do we fare in this respect?

26:22-25      This would appear to be the last conversation between David and Saul before Saul died at the hands of the Philistines.

25:11    Nabal says “my” four times which answers to the “fool” of LLuke 12:20 who says “my” four times also – Luke 12:17-19 Jesus is clearly drawing on the Nabal account in Luke 12.

25:31 without actually saying the Law of Moses forbids taking vengeance Abigail is reminding David of what the law said . For example in Lev 19:18

25:40-41       Abigail’s spiritually minded response to David’s approach via his men shows a strength of character that is not indicated in any other of the wives that David had.

The unusual phrase "pisseth against the wall". The word is used only six times in Scripture, and of only those with whom God is displeased (2x of Ahab, 2x of Nabal, 1x of Jeroboam's house and 1x of Baasha's house). 

25:15-16 There are two aspects spoken of by Nabal’s shepherds here. Firstly David’s men did not rob from the flock and secondly they defended Nabal’s flocks from marauding bands who tried to rob the flock.

25:31 without actually saying the Law of Moses forbids taking vengeance Abigail is reminding David of what the law said . For example in Lev 19:18

26:25  this is the last recorded conversation between Saul and David.

25:2 We learnt -:1 – that David went down to the wilderness of Paran which is a long way Sough from the Carmel in the territory of Judah where Nabal lived. So David had returned to the land of Israel though we are not told how long he was in the wilderness of Paran. Further David must have spent some time in the area around Carmel before the encounter between David’s mean and Nabal occurred for Nabal’s shepherds were aware that for some time David and his men were in the area - :14-16. The details of the narrative are what are important. The exact timeline is not. It is the details of Nabal’ behaviour and David’s repentant response to Abigail’s visit that we should learn from.

25:1-2 We often read of times when people go in different directions. We see that here. Samuel was lamented whilst David, sorrowfully, left the area seeking freedom from Saul’s persecution.

NOT SO SIGNIFICANT

What went wrong? In only the last chapter if 1 Samuel, we read about David being unwilling to avenge himself for the wrongs done against him by Saul. But now Nabal had done him an injustice, and in a flash, David had his sword on his belt, had dragged along the rest of his army, and was marching out to avenge himself on Nabal.

Fortunately he was stopped by Abigail, who said, "Please pay no attention, my lord [David], to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name – his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. … And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands … my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself." (1Sam 24:25,26,31).

Maybe David saw the incidents with Saul as a significant issue that related top the big plan of God. The event concerning Nabal probably didn't seem so significant, maybe even minor. It had nothing, or very little to do with his kingship or with the overall plan of God. It is quite likely that David just let his guard down because it didn't seem like such an important issue and the consequences to such an action seemed minimal.

When we are being watched by others and the issues seem significant, we find it easier to be on our best behaviour. But when the events don't seem so significant or when we don't think people are watching, we tend to let our guard down.

Let's be sure we are acting in a godly way in every area of our lives.

v.13 - Water, as an essential for life, is often used by God to show his care for us. Let us make sure that the containers we accept for the storage of this water for use, might be made of that which lasts for ever, that we might enjoy the provision of God for our thirst evermore. Psa.36:9, John 4:14, 7:37, Rev.21:6, 22:1,17.

v.30 - The warning that Jerusalem would not receive correction is seen in the two contemporary prophets. [Jeremiah 2:30 5:3 7:28 Zephaniah 3:2] Thus the Babylonian invasion came.

v.7,8 - The age old problem exists here and can so easily do so for us. Most of us live in greater comfort and blessing than has ever been known - in a material sense, that is. How easy it is to forget the source of all this good in our enjoyment of it.

:13 The two errors are equally bad. The rejection of the saving hand of God is one. Men doing this are left without hope. The second - 'hewing out cisterns' is equated with developing their own religion. So they not only had no hope but through their own imagination had devised a system which, they thought, brought hope. In such a position they would not see any need to return to God. Likewise we, if we replace the gospel with our own ideas will see no need for God.

THE DEVOTION OF YOUR YOUTH
Think back to the time you first gave your life to the Lord. Joy filled your life, you were devoted to Him with all your heart. You loved him. You were determined that you would live your life without sinning, pure and righteous before him. You knew you would serve him for the rest of your life - no matter what happened. You were full of enthusiasm and the desire to offer to the world all that God had given to you.
God's message to Israel asked them what had happened to their devotion. He said, "I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me..." and so on. Then he asks why they had left him, forsaken him, strayed from him and turned to idols. It seems that the people of Israel and Judah didn't even miss God when they turned away from him.
We may not have missed God from our lives either. So let us also take stock. How do we compare with the devotion of our youth?

:3 The comment that Israel 'was holiness unto the Lord' quotes the inscription upon the mitre of the high priest (Exodus 28:36) Israel should have looked at the mitre and seen a call to holiness. Rather they just ignored the call of God.

V.2 "kindness of thy youth" not so much Israel's kindness towards God, as the kindness which Israel experienced from God in their early history. For Israel from the first showed perversity rather than kindness towards God. Exo 14:11-12,  Exo 15:24,  Exo 32:1-7

Yahweh presents a challenge and poses a pertinent question in vs.10,11.  No nation surrounding Israel ever abandoned its gods.  History and archaeology bear that out.  But, Israel had forgotten Yahweh and His manifestations of power and love (v.6).  Now, the priests were asking: Where is the LORD? (v.8). 

Ezekiel encountered the same attitude (Eze 9:9).  While Israel was the recipient of Yahweh's obvious outpouring grace (usually in times of need), it was full of awe, gratitude, and faith.  Otherwise, its unseen God slipped from cognisance.  Israel walked by sight and not by faith.  It was easy to rationalise that Yahweh had abandoned the nation, and, therefore, it was o.k. to turn to other gods.  It was a case of: out of faith, out of mind.  

Do we feel abandoned by Yahweh, sometimes, because we feel that He is not active in our lives?  Do we do questionable things and say to ourselves (even subconsciously) He does not see!  If we do, let us re-focus and remember that Yahweh does see (Job 34:21); that He truly cares for us (Psa 103:13,14); and is waiting for our prayers (Psa 65:2; Rom 12:12; 1Pet 4:7).  Thus, let us continue in faith (2Cor 5:7; Heb 11:1) to receive the reward of the faithful (Eph 2:7,8).

God is completely fair. Never does He say anything to trick, deceive or injure anyone. So when in Jer 2:5 the Lord asks what sin Israel have found in God which has made them leave His ways – what answer can they possibly give but “None”?  But how wonderful of God to say such a thing!  The Israelites will be forced to realise that they have sinned – not God.

2:21 That Israel had been planted as a vine in the land develops Exo 15:17 and Psa 80:8,15

When we read that God's people preferred to worship the gods of the other nations roundabout, we needn't be surprised. Neither need we laugh at the stupidity of those people, or point the finger. Yes, bowing down to a rock or a tree trunk sounds ridiculous (v26-28) but it really wasn't as ridiculous as we might imagine.

The worship of deities in the nations seems largely to have started with the elevation of men and women of fame to mythical status. These men and women were fighters or athletes who grew to fame through there physical prowess, or beauty in the case of women, and through time their adoration grew to worship. These gods had characteristics the people could aspire to.

The conquering nations always knew what power these readily accessible deities had over the people, and used them to great effect in their conquests. In Dan 1:4 we see how a conquered nation was assimilated into the culture of the empire by taking its leading class and re-educating it. This of course meant education in the worship of ancient gods and ancient rituals, and the young princes of the people were chosen since they were most susceptible to taking this on. They were also sure to pass it on to the rest of their nation. Again, in Num 25:1-3 we see how Moab used the highly pleasant rituals of their idol worship to befriend and subdue Israel without needing to raise arms. These nations readily understood that celebrity deities were a powerful force in uniting people from vastly different cultures. Some empires took this further and declared their rulers as living incarnations of the gods.

It is no wonder, then, that the people of Israel were attracted to this form of worship. These gods were far more visible and easily accessible than their invisible God. These gods allowed, nay encouraged, behaviour which appealed to all the basic pleasures, as well as providing them with a more human focal point for their respect and adoration. Even more than this, these deities promoted personal pleasure above self sacrifice. And so we come to our day and age. Is it all that different? Take a look at this link. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greek_olympics_gallery_02.shtml.
It shows the history of the Olympic games as a festival where the worship of human prowess combined with the worship of these deities. Whether all the people in those stadiums believed in the gods and goddesses of the Greeks is doubtful, but is that really the issue? What really matters is that they were gathering together with likeminded individuals into a glorious assembly where the God of Israel had no place whatsoever. You will recognise the name of the god shown in the picture being worshipped at the games. It is Nike.

2:18 Judah was seeking support from Assyria even though, in the recent past, Assyria had taken the northern kingdom captive and even more recently Judah had seen the army of Assyria destroyed on the mountains of Israel in the days of Hezekiah. Thus we see that the people did not learn from the way that God had worked in the past. So God’s chastening was ‘in vain’ – Jer 2:30. How do we fare in the matter of God’s chastening hand? Are we learning from the way that God is working in our lives?

2:13 Cisterns or water containers (tanks) can not give forth an ever-flowing fresh water supply, as fountains can. The cisterns here spoken of by the prophet are even broken, they can not hold water that is poured into them. They did not want to retain that which is necessary to maintain life. (Isa 55:1-2)

2:3 Israel being ‘holiness to the Lord’ meant that their lives were dedicated to God just as the Nazarite had committed himself or herself to the vow that they made –Num 6:8

V.34 - "Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the 'souls' of the poor innocents" (KJV) while the NIV renders it as "the 'lifeblood' of the innocent poor".  The word "souls" is from the Hebrew word "nephesh" (5315) and its primary meaning stands for creature, a breathing creature man or animal. It is rendered variously: self, person, life, lives, creature, souls, etc. No where in the Bible do we find the words "immortal soul" together so this passage isn't about innocent "immortal" souls bleeding for an eternity. "Lives" is likely what is referred to here.

2:5 Notice the way that God challenges Israel. Rather than simply saying that they had sinned He asks them what fault they found in Him that they would turn away from Him. We might ask ourselves the same question when we seek to please ourselves rather than God.

OLD THINGS, NEW SHINE

When something is new we tend to take special care of it, protect it and cherish it. But as it grows older we grow more accustomed to it, familiarity breeds contempt, and we don't look after it with the same care as we did when things were new.

The same can happen in a marriage. As time goes on and the in-love, excited, newly married couple begins to settle into routine, they can begin to take each other for granted and the special things they once saw in each other can lose their shine. It doesn't have to be that way. With effective communications and imagination many couples continue a vibrant and exciting relationship their whole life through.

God likened his relationship with Jerusalem as a marriage. He said to them, "I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown." (Jer 2:2) He then goes on to ask what went wrong and why the people of Jerusalem forsook him and were drawn to other gods like an adulterous wife to other men.

We need to ask the same questions of ourselves. Has the devotion of our youth grown, stayed the same or grown less over time? Does God mean more or less to us than he did before? Have other things come between us, and if so, what and why?

Let's renew the devotion we had when we first gave our lives to our Lord.

V.8 Yahweh upbraids Israel’s leadership for its irresponsibility.  Leaders of ecclesias will face harsh judgment if they do not do a responsible job (James 3:1).

V.10 Chittim is Cyprus; and Kedar occupies the northwest portion of Arabia.

V.13 The two evils: 1) Forsaking Yahweh, the source of all life; 2) Attaching themselves to idols that have no power.

V.15 Lions is a reference to Assyria whose emblem was a lion.  Israel was taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 721 BC, via the hand of Sargon.

V.16 Noph (Memphis) and Tahapanes (Tahpanhes) were two important cities in Egypt. They are a reference to Pharaoh-necho who killed Josiah, the crown of thy (Judah’s) head (2Kin 23:29).

V.17 Josiah did not consult Yahweh before he set out to confront Pharaoh-necho.

V.18 Judah has accepted idolatry from the territory that spans from the Nile to the Euphrates.

V.21 Yahweh’s people were once worth singing about (Isa 5:1).

V.23 The valley is a reference to The Valley of Hinnom on the side of Jerusalem.  It is here that Judah’s children were sacrificed to Moloch (Jer 19:2,6,13,14; 32:35).

V.25 Being unshod implies engagement in (idolatrous) worship; the throat would incur thirst when it became hoarse from constant vigorous chanting, which was part of idolatrous worship.

V.34 This is reference to Manasseh (2Kin 21:16).

Judah's day in court

We see the reforms of Josiah in a positive light. Yet here Jeremiah shows what God thinks, and it is not positive. In v9-13 He brings His charges against the people: 1) they had swapped their God. 2) Changed His glory for other glory. And 3) replaced it with something that couldn't even save them. These refer to 2Chron 33:2-8 where Manasseh replaced the LORD with idols, and even borrowed God's glory, the temple, to display them in. But this idolatry wasn't just their king's. All the people took part willingly (2Chron 33:9-10). And when Manasseh repented and commanded them to serve the LORD God, they just changed in name alone, using the pagan high places to worship what they called God.

So now God tells them "you can't just change your nature now that your King's making changes" (v20-23). God knew that their repentance was only skin deep. They would call on Him only when in great trouble, or when their king demanded it (v27-28). And so God felt they were still evil, whilst they thought they were clean (v35).

This is the trial, as it were, of the people of Judah. God is the plaintiff, bringing charges, He says "you still have to be punished for what your fathers did under Manasseh, and you continue to do" (v5, 9). Their defence is "look how much we've changed! we're washed clean!" (v22-23)

2:36 Israel were slow learners. Assyria had been found to be a ‘broken reed’ and now they seek support from Egypt against the Chaldeans. They seem to have forgotten the way in which Hezekiah had been delivered after he had stopped trying to buy the Assyrians off and started –2Kin 18:16 - to place full reliance in God.

2:6 The challenge from God continues from the previous verse by asking Israel to reflect on who it was that had delivered them from Egypt.

2:21    Isaiah – Isa 5:1-7– has already spoken of Israel being a vine. Jeremiah reinforces what Isaiah had said. Though what they both said seems to have had little effect upon Israel.

2:3     The idea that Israel were a “firstfruits” is echoed in James 1:18 when speaking of God’s faithful servants. Do we imitate the Israel to whom Jeremiah spoke or do we imitate our example, Jesus?

2:31   In saying “in vain …” God is telling Israel that they did not heed His chastening hand which brought events upon them to “prove” them – Deut 8:2. 

2:11    Notice how Israel’s idolatry debased them. We might not think that our waywardness impacts on us. However clearly it does.

OUTLINE OF JEREMIAH

PART TWO -- THE PROPHECIES TO JUDAH (Jeremiah 2:1 to 45:5)

I. The Condemnation of Judah (Jeremiah 2:1 to 25:38)

   A. First Sermon - Judah Sinned Willfully (Jeremiah 2:1 to 3:5):

      1. Jer 2:2-3 - V2 "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: 'I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert'"; V2 God remembered leading the Israelites out of Egypt and all the Gods of Egypt were judged; V3 a mitre of the high priest "holiness unto the Lord" (Exo 28:36;Rev 14:1 vs Rev 17:3-6,9,14,15,18); God has revealed His word to true Israel (Psa 147:19-20); V3 "Israel" is an offering to Yahweh, His firstfruits of increase, the first fruits were God's consecrated property, His portion of the whole harvest.

      2. Jer 2:4-7 - VS 4-6 God appeals to historical fact, the exodus is the great national memory and the Passover is the everlasting memorial to this present day (Exo 12:24-27) and reminds us of the greater deliverance to come, will we follow the path of 2Tim 3:1-5 or will we be welcomed as a bride at the Jubilee wedding (Jer 2:32)? VS 5-7 God uses history to prove it was Israel and not He who had broken faith and defiled God's land with worthless idols, etc. and become worthless themselves.

      3. Jer 2:8 - Baal, the popular Canaanite diety, was officially recognized in Israel through the Phoenician alliances of Ahab (1Kin 16:31); will we follow the path of Gideon (Judg 6:11-23) or the path of the sons of Eli (1Sam 2:12,27-30; Matt 7:21-29)?

   A. First Sermon - Judah Sinned Willfully (Jeremiah 2:1 to 3:5):

      4. Jer 2:9-13 - V10 "Chittim<3794>", "Kedar"<6938>"; V10 Chittim/Cyprus represents the west and Kedar in Northern Arabia represents the east, so combined we have from one end of the pagan world to the other; VS 10-11 (KJV) "consider diligently" the phenomenon of a nation changing its gods is unique (Isa 40:18-31;Jer 10:1-8 and Christendom is no less guilty than Israel Dan 11:36-37;2Thess 2:3-11;Rev 13:8,16-18;Rev 17:1-6,9,14,18); VS11-12 apostate Israel wasn't true to its God, unlike the pagan nations who remained true to their gods; V13 the broken cisterns contrast with God the "fountain<4726>" of living water (does this have a connection with Eze 47:1-12;Rev 22:1-2 ?).

      5. Jer 2:14-19 - VS 14-15 freeborn Israel has become a slave (redeemed Israel Exo 20:2 had become enslaved again); Israel didn't start out as a slave for Israel was God's 1st born national "Son"; Moses knew they would not obey (Deut 31:29;2Chron 28:23); V15 "young lions" might refer to Assyria and Babylon where these symbols have been unearthed; V16 "Noph<5297>" is Memphis the capital of lower Egypt while Tahpanhes is in the eastern Nile delta; V17 apostate Israel brought this slavery on themselves by forsaking God; VS 17-18 apostate Israel, the architect of its own misfortune, vainly continued to turn to Egypt and Assyria for help via alliances instead of God; V18 there was no "water of life" in the "Sihor<7883>" of Egypt or the Euphrates of Assyria; Israel had forsaken the Lord, "the fountain of living waters" (Jer 2:13); V19 Israel doesn't fear God and will be punished due to wickedness.

   A. First Sermon - Judah Sinned Willfully (Jeremiah 2:1 to 3:5):

      6. Jer 2:20-28 - VS 2,20 Israel started out as a faithful bride but turned into a spiritual harlot unfaithful to God her metaphoric husband turning instead to relationships with others (i.e. idols); V21 Israel was a choice vine that turned bad (Isa 5:1-7); VS 22-25 their desire for idols is strong much like a desert animal in heat; V22 "nitre<5427>...soap<1287>", we are cleansed with the blood of Christ and the water of the Word; V23 "the valley" refers to the valley of Hinnom (see Michael Parry's 2009 comments); V26 "...the house of Israel is disgraced - they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets"; VS 26-28 Judah looked tothe idols they made as if they were their Father, but the idols won't save them when there is trouble; V28 God gave Judah over to the gods of their choice (similar to Rev 9:20-21).

      7. Jer 2:29-37 - V30 Judah doesn't respond to correction; murder was often the fate of the true prophet (2Kin 21:16;Neh 9:26;Matt 23:37); VS 31-32 God's tone changes to pleading (similar to Luke 13:33-35;Jer 2:5;Isa 5:4); V32 God's people have long forgotten Him; V34 innocent people being killed; V35 feigned self-righteousness - believed God's anger would turn from them as they professed innocence.

2:2   The way in which God, through Jeremiah, speaks of Israel’s love for God – when they came out of Egypt – contrasts with the way that they had now turned away from God. They appreciated being saved but as time progressed the value of what God had done for them diminished in their eyes. Are we the same?

2:20  Through Jeremiah God reminds Israel of what they had said a number of times – Exo 19:8, 24:3, Deut 5:27, Josh 1:16 –that they would obey God, doing all that he asked of them. But now they have forsaken Him.

2:35   The sad thing was that Judah did not even realise that they were violating God’s commandments.  So they simply thought that the problems that they were experiencing would be short lived. They did not see God’s chastening hand because they did not see that they needed to be chastened.

2:2 We might think it strange to read of Jeremiah speaking to the ears of a city. However the phrase is directing us to think of those who had charge of the city.

FAST FORWARD

Do you remember the day when you first decided that you were going to be a child of God, no matter what? It was probably a lot like your wedding day. You were in love or in awe of God and you wanted to give him your whole life for ever more. So you made promises to give him your life - and you meant every word of it.

Fast forward through the years and take a look at yourself now. How devoted are you now? Has your devotion and love grown, stagnated, or drifted?

This was Jeremiah's message from God for the people of Judah: "I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how your followed me in the wilderness in a land not sown." (Jer 2:2). Yes, there were times when they were totally devoted to God. "All that the LORD says, we will do!" they cried. But fast forward to the days of Jeremiah, and their devotion was hard to find, sometimes even non-existent.

Let us renew our devotion to serve and love the LORD with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Let us become the person we promised God we would be.
 

2:32,35 God assumes that the nation would at least think about what they thought. He dies this by asking questions and making statements about their behaviour.

2:16 when Judah was under threat from the Chaldeans Egypt was seen as a safe ally. Somewhere to flee to. The same happened when the Assyrians were a threat. But notice that Jeremiah  was moved to tell them that Egypt was no help but actually oppressed them!

2:32-377 Israel were “married” to Yahweh. He had bought them to Himself from Egypt. The marriage was by mutual consent. But the prophet now reproves the nation for seeking other lovers – Egypt and Assyria. Even when the prophets reproved the nations for their forsaking of Yahweh they were not ashamed. Rather than having confidence in Yahweh – as King Josiah had – the nation was looking elsewhere for support.  The nation would soon learn that their confidence in other nations was pointless.

We should not look on Israel and simply lament their repeated ignoring of God’s care. We should learn the lesson ourselves. There is no other God that we can truly trust in. The things that this life offers are all transient and will vanish. Our God is permanent and His promises stand sure.

2:2 It all started so well. Israel, when brought out of Egypt, showed a willingness to believe God and do His work. However as time passed they soon rebelled and complained  and started worshipping false Gods. Whilst there were a number of reformations during their history – for example in the time of the Judges – they often fell short of what was required of them. They replaced true worship with error.

Paul marvelled over the various Christian communities in Galatia – Gal 1:6 – because of their departure from true teaching.

Human nature is fickle often choosing that which is appealing to the flesh over the clear Divine revelation of Hs truth.

The examples given to us in scripture should serve as warning to us in our lives.

v.9 - This phrase is repeated so many times in scripture that we really must bear in mind its importance for us in our lives. We must not just listen, but we must hear. It is obvious from the usage of this phrase here and elsewhere, that there are going to be some that hear and some that don't, and those open-minded enough to hear what is being said will find the truth. This observation may appear oversimplified, but it is a profound and important scriptural principle. Rev.2:7,11,17, 3:6,13,22, 13:8-9.

v.10-17 - What Jesus has to say here is crucial because it provides the reason for all the parables that Jesus speaks. The parables are not presented as 'earthly stories with a heavenly meaning' as one sometimes hears. Nor are they presented so that the message can be easily understood. They are presented so that if anyone wants to understand the message he has to enquire carefully about what is being said. The parables sort out the diligent seeker from the one who is dull of hearing. Therefore we must appreciate that the parables are given, not so as we can easily understand the message but rather that those who seek can enquire further.

13:44 The 'treasure hid' (quoting Proverbs 2:4) shows that Jesus, in the parable, is not speaking of material wealth. Rather he is speaking of the treasures found in the Scripture - and how those treasures can change one's way of thinking.

THORNS

"Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants." (verse 7)
"The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." (verse 22).

For any of us who have been a Christian for some time, the most likely challenge to our faith that we will face from the parable of the sower, is the challenge of the thorns. When a plant is small, the weeds do not affect it so much, because they are a shelter for it. But as the small plant grows and needs more of the space, nutrients, and water, the weeds and thorns begin to take their toll. It is this way so often with us. Gradually the influence of the world around us can distract us from the real purpose in life. It might not seem like it, but all our nutrients, water and space to grow, are being withheld from us as we spend more time away from the light of the Lord, worrying about things that he would normally take care of if we sought his kingdom and righteousness first. The philosophy that Riches equals Security, takes over from God equals Security. It happens so gradually that we don't notice it - just the way a weed grows.

So let us take a few minutes to evaluate ourselves. Have we forfeited the calling of our Lord for thorns?

:53 'And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended …' is a recurring phrase in Matthew.
7:28, 11:1, 19:1, 26:1

I had always thought that the parable of the sower was all about whether we store the word of God in our hearts or not. I have just had a look at it more closely, and surprisingly this is not the case! In fact, the man who stores the word in his heart is the man in v19. The wicked one snatches it away.... because he doesn't understand it. v.23 tells us that the seed falling on good ground is he who hears and understands it.

So the point of the parable isn't to do with the heart, as I had always thought, but with the understanding. No wonder Solomon wrote "..in all your getting, get understanding!" (Sol 4v7). This brings out a very simple difference in the parable between the fruitful and the unfruitful seed. The fruitful did something about the knowledge they gained. They sought to understand it. Jesus is saying in this chapter that those who listen to his words must seek to understand them, or else they will be like those who had closed their eyes (v15). Jesus's refrain "he who has ears to hear, let him hear!" is a call to all of us to put effort in to opening our ears. Sometimes understanding is just a prayer away, because "whoever asks receives" (Matt 7v8).

13:11 ‘Unto you it is given …’ shows that the gospel is not for everyone. Also it forces the point that the parables were given  to separate out those who would listen from those who would not.

V.34-35 We are told here that at this particular season Jesus, in describing the mysteries of the kingdom (V.11) to the crowds, confined himself to parables, His twofold reason for employing this story method, namely, revealing the truths concerning salvation to those who were willing to accept them, and concealing them from those whose hardened hearts rejected them, shown in V.10-17. 

V.51 Jesus, here gives the disciples the opportunity to ask for more information about the kingdom, in case there should still be matters that were not clear to them. There answer indicates that they felt they had a clear understanding. With this Jesus then tells them that they must become disciples of the Kingdom of Heaven.(V.52)

SEEDS ON THE PATH
 
Jesus told the parable of the farmer sowing seed.  On of the places the seed fell was on the path, which, when it had landed, was eaten up by the birds.  Jesus explained this part of the parable this way: "When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is the seed sown along the path." (Matt 13:18-19)
 
In the parable the seed represents the word of God, and the soil, or the path in this instance, represents the way we receive God's word.  Our aim must be to become like the good soil described later that brought forth a good crop for the farmer (God). 
 
So how do we change from being people like those described by the path to those likened to the good soil?  The particular problem that path people have is that they don't understand God's message to them.  Yet it is the most important message they will ever hear.  So if we don't understand, we need to enhance our understanding by asking for help before someone puts us off understanding at all.  Ask for help to understand God's message to you.  Read the Bible more often.  Pray harder and make up your mind not to be moved if someone tries to tempt you to turn away from God.  By doing this God's word can take root in us, grow and produce a crop in good soil.
 
Let us be sure that a lack of understanding doesn't stand in the way of a productive life.

13:44 The man who 'sold all that he had' becomes the basis on which the ruler (Matt 19:21) was expected to respond to the gospel.

13:35 In quoting Psa 78:2 – a Psalm which recounts the history of Israel’s experience, we see that the events of our lives are ‘of God’ for our learning.

13:14-15 The use of parables was self selecting inasmuch as it ‘caught’ those who were in tune with the way that God thought. Parables were the way in which God taught Israel. A classic example is Psa 78 which asserts that the experience of Israel in the wilderness was a ‘parable’ – not that the event did not happen but that the events were part of the teaching that God was using to instruct them. So rather than a list of commands there were experiences which were to be measured against Scripture.

V.11 The mysteries (KJV), secrets (ESV), not only meant the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ (The gospel of salvation), but also, the written prophecies which had not yet been fulfilled.

Vs.14,15 fulfil Isa 6:9,10.

V.25 Tares are actually darnel  (genus lolium) which is a grass that intertwines itself with the stalk of the good grain.  The darnel cannot be extricated without damaging the good-grain stalk. Also, if darnel seeds are crushed and added to flour, they will make the consumer experience dizziness, intoxication, or even paralysis.

And so, one can see how dangerous tares can be to the good grain.  Likewise, there will be members of ecclesias who are not walking faithfully.  These members can affect the atmosphere of the ecclesia in many ways.  

Nevertheless, the good grain (faithful members) can still bring forth fruit under such conditions by remaining strong and not being influenced by spiritual foolishness.  Jesus recommends not trying to remove the wayward members.  By the strong example of faithful members, there is always the potential for the wayward to turn to righteousness. Those who don’t will be judged harshly by Jesus when He returns. 

The members of the ecclesia at Sardis illustrate Jesus’ point (Rev 3:1-6).

13:29 There is a tendency when we see error amongst us to speedily endeavour to remove the offender. However in this parable Jesus teaches that it is inevitable that the group of believers will be made up of faithful and unfaithful. Further, it is inevitable that they will grow together. Now this is not counselling against dealing with error. However Paul gives an interesting perspective upon this – 1Cor 11:19 – in which he teaches that the situation of there being ‘tares’ helps the ‘good seed’. This is achieved by the ‘good seed’ exercising their minds to be able to identify the tares.

MUSTARD SEED

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." (Matt 13:31-32)

If the man in the parable represents you or I, and the field represents our lives, then the growth of the mustard seed means that the kingdom of God and the acceptance of Jesus ruling in our lives is growing within us. It means that instead of us making our own decisions in our own selfish ways, we submit ourselves to Jesus as our king and give our lives over to him. This is a growing process. It firstly involves us taking the seed, the word of God, and planting it in our lives. In fertile ground it will grow and become a tree, big and strong enough that we ourselves are able to become a support, comfort, shelter and provider for others. In this way God's kingdom can now spread into the hearts of other people and the cycle can begin all over again.

So let us take the seed, plant it in our lives, nurture it, and allow Jesus to take over our lives. Then, following his example of love and compassion, pass on the seeds of the kingdom to others.

13:36 The way in which the disciples sought further instruction from Jesus was precisely the objective that Jesus had in teaching with parables. They sorted the seekers of truth from those who were just interested in hearing a pleasant message.

13:55  ‘Is not this the carpenter’s son’ indicates that Jesus was being assessed, not on his words but on his perceived origins. Outward appearances are not to be our basis for forming judgements of others.

13:49   This parable echoes the ideas contained in Matt 13:41 in the parable of the tares.

The parable of the wheat and tares

In Matt 13:38 the children of the kingdom are the good seed, so we assume that they are the righteous in v43 who live forever in the kingdom. However, when we look in Matt 8:12, it says this:

"But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

How is this possible? Clearly, the righteous must be a subsection of the children of the kingdom. The latter group have the potential to be saved, yet also have the potential to fall away. This is the situation with the previous parable of the sower, where all the seed are equally the children of the kingdom, yet depending on the way they understand and apply the word of Jesus, they bear fruit unto righteousness or fall away.
 

(Children of the wicked one)     (Children of the kingdom)

      ¦                                         ¦                         ¦

      ¦                                     (Righteous)             (Unrighteous)

(Burned in the fire)                     ¦                         ¦

                                            (Everlasting light)    (Weeping and gnashing teeth)

13:38  Twice, here and Matt 8:12, Jesus talks of the “Children of the kingdom”. Of course he is not speaking of children literally. He is speaking of those who are child like in their willingness to learn of Jesus.

13:48   The good and bad fish that are segregated is an idea which Jesus uses again – Matt 22:10 – when speaking of the guests invited to the wedding.

13:31-32    In likening the eternal kingdom of heaven to a tree sheltering birds Jesus contrasts with the kingdom of Egypt which was short lived – Eze 31:5-6.

13:25     It seems most natural to think of during sleep an enemy coming. However there is an Old Testament prophecy – Isa 29:10 – which has Israel sleeping – that is not listening to God’s word – which may for a basis for what Jesus says here.

14:36    Those who understood that they would be healed if they touched the hem of Jesus garment had faith that Jesus was the one spoken of in Malachi 4:2 who had healing in his wings (skirt) as in Ruth 3:9 <3671>.

Matt 13:9 

He (the new man) has acquired a new mode of thinking, for he thinks in harmony with the thoughts of God as revealed in His law and testimony. He sees himself, and the world around him, in a new light. He is convinced of sin, and experiences an aversion to the things in which he formerly delighted. His views, disposition, temper, and affections, are transformed. He is humble, child-like, teachable, and obediently disposed; and his simple anxiety is to know what God would have him to do. 

- FROM ELPIS ISRAEL

13:10-23       We might wonder who the disciples were who asked Jesus this question and received the answer. Jesus was in a ship – verse :2– apart from the multitude on the shore. Did Jesus tell the parable out loud for the whole audience and then answer, privately, a question from the twelve before speaking more parable to the multitude on the shore?

13:2  If we can envisage the scene. Jesus is in a boat looking towards the land. Crowds are on the land which is flat. Sound carries incredibly across water. So the way Jesu was in the ship and the people on the ground made it far easier for him to be heard than if he had been on the land as well.

13:56     we learnt – Matt 12:47 – of a visit indicating that Jesus had brothers. Now we see that he had at least two sisters. Interestingly they never seem to figure in his life or in the early group of believers after his resurrection.

13:33 The “three measures of meal” quotes Genesis 18:6 which speaks of another woman, Sarah: “And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal …” Something being “hid” also links with Sarah, as Peter wrote: “But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham …” (1 Pet. 3:4-6).

13:6 the idea of the grass withering is taken up – James 1:11 – by James and is one of the many references to the gospel of Matthew that James makes.

13:20-22 There are two groups who fall away. One might have thought that they could be joined together as just one group. However Jesus presents them as two, singling out the “deceitfulness of riches” as one potential problem. That is because wealth can tempt one into feeling secure in the things that one possesses and thus turn away from God.  Persecution can be a real problem causing one to turn away from God to achieve a degree of relief. However riches are far more subtle. They, of themselves, do not bring problems. They appear to remove problems. That in the subtilty – one can be led to a false sense of security.

13:16-17 One wonders how many of those who listened to Jesus’ words appreciated how privileged they were?

Of course we are in the same position, even though we were not on the sea shore. Do we really value what we read of Jesus in the gospels?

13:47-50 In speaking of the going forth of the gospel message as a “net” is something that the disciples had heard before – 4:19 – where Jesus said his disciples would be “fishers of men”

Matt 13:52

“Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.”

“The instructed scribe of Christ’s own household has a duty towards his fellow-members of the house. That duty is to ‘bring forth out of his treasure things new and old.’ The qualified scribe has his ‘treasure’—the knowledge of God’s Word, and to the extent that he has prayerfully studied it, seeking to divide it rightly as a good workman (2Tim 2:15), so he is a good scribe. Such is the quality of the ‘treasure’ that its full beauties are never fully comprehended, and the most diligent students know how unsearchable are the riches of God’s revelation. Hence there is a never-failing interest in the ’food’ the scribe provides, things ever ‘new’ while ‘old.’ Without any deviation from first principles of God’s word there is a continued freshness in its presentation…

This short parable is an encouragement to men of every age to follow the Lord as teachers, to be like him students of God’s word, like him to present in full loyalty to the Scriptures the unfailing wonder of the grace of God as it is revealed in the many-sided presentation of the oracles of God.”

John Carter, Parables of the Messiah, p. 112