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JEREMIAH COUNSELS SUBMISSIONS TO BABYLON

JEREMIAH 27:1-22

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN., 37216, U.S.A. John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor.


JEREMIAH COUNSELS SUBMISSIONS TO BABYLON

Text: 1. Jeremiah 27:1-22, The Lord spoke to Jeremiah early in the reign of Josiah’s son, King Zedekiah of Judah. 2. The Lord told me, “Make a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and put it on your neck. 3. Use it to send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Send them through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah. 4. Charge them to give their masters a message from me. Tell them, ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says to give your masters this message. 5. “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength, and I give it to whomever I see fit. 6. I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power of my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him. 7. All nations must serve him and his son and grandson until the time comes for his own nation to fall. Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon. 8. But suppose a nation or a kingdom will not be subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Suppose it will not submit to the yoke of servitude to him. I, the Lord, affirm that I will punish that nation. I will use the king of Babylon to punish it with war, starvation, and disease until I have destroyed it. 9. So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination, by dreams, by consulting the dead, or by practicing magic. They keep telling you, ‘You do not need to be subject to the king of Babylon.’



10. Do not listen to them, because their prophecies are lies. Listening to them will only cause you to be taken far away from your native land. I will drive you out of your country and you will die in exile. 11. Things will go better for the nation that submits to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon and is subject to him. I will leave that nation in its native land. Its people can continue to farm it and live in it. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’” 12. I told King Zedekiah of Judah the same thing. I said, “Submit to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. Be subject to him and his people. Then you will continue to live. 13. There is no reason why you and your people should die in war or from starvation or disease! That’s what the Lord says will happen to any nation that will not be subject to the king of Babylon. 14. Do not listen to the prophets who are telling you that you do not need to serve the king of Babylon. For they are prophesying lies to you. 15. For I, the Lord, affirm that I did not send them. They are prophesying lies to you. If you listen to them, I will drive you and the prophets who are prophesying lies out of the land and you will all die in exile.” 16. I also told the priests and all the people, “The Lord says, ‘Do not listen to what your prophets are saying. They are prophesying to you that the valuable articles taken from the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon very soon. But they are prophesying a lie to you. 17. Do not listen to them. Be subject to the king of Babylon. Then you will continue to live. Why should this city be made a pile of rubble?’” 18. I also told them, “If they are really prophets and the Lord is speaking to them, let them pray earnestly to the Lord who rules over



all. Let them plead with him not to let the valuable articles that are still left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace, and in Jerusalem be taken away to Babylon. 19. For the Lord who rules over all has already spoken about the two bronze pillars, the large bronze basin called ‘The Sea,’ and the movable bronze stands. He has already spoken about the rest of the valuable articles that are left in this city. 20. He has already spoken about these things that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiakim’s son King Jeconiah of Judah and the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem away as captives. 21. Indeed, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all has already spoken about the valuable articles that are left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 22. He has said, ‘They will be carried off to Babylon. They will remain there until it is time for me to show consideration for them again. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’ I, the Lord, affirm this!” (NET) Introduction: I. Hamilton wrote, “Chapters 27-28 are a unit involving a symbolic act. A yoke, first worn by Jeremiah, Hananiah (a false prophet) removes. Hananiah then breaks the yoke as a symbolic act to illustrate the supremacy of his own prophecy, which contradicted that of Jeremiah.”

A. Willis placed the events of chapters 27-28 to early in the reign of Zedekiah (597-586 B.C.), later said to be the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign (594-593 B.C.).



II. Smith wrote, “After 605 B.C. the burning political issues in Syria – Palestine was this: What will be the relationship with the new world power Babylon?

A. The various Syrian-Palestinian governments thought Babylon’s power was very temporary and that Babylon should be resisted. B. Jeremiah took the opposite position that Judah-Jerusalem should submit, surrender to Babylon.

III. Jeremiah 27, Willis wrote, contains three messages; viz.,.. A. one for the foreign envoys (27:4-11),… B. a supplementary message for King Zedekiah (27:12-15), and …

C. a warning to the priests and people of Jerusalem about false prophets (27:16-22).

IV. The Pulpit Commentary states:

A. Jeremiah 27, 28, 29 are closely connected and relate to events associated with the early years of Zedekiah’s reign, especially the warnings arising out of the deepening gloom of the political situation in which he found himself. B. Zedekiah had been appointed as vassal king by Nebuchadnezzar, but the people of Judah and Jerusalem were not happy with submitting to Babylon. C. This political pressure led Zedekiah to consider forming a military alliance with certain neighboring countries for the purpose of rebelling against Babylon.



D. Jeremiah strongly objected to this course of action and declared God’s command was submission to Babylon which advice was rejected. E. In the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign, he made a journey to Babylon evidently to renew his oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, but this did not keep Jerusalem, due to its sinfulness, from later being destroyed.

Commentary: Jeremiah 27:1, The Lord spoke to Jeremiah early in the reign of Josiah’s son, King Zedekiah of Judah. (NET)

I. The Lord spoke to Jeremiah early in the reign of Josiah’s son, King Zedekiah* of Judah.

A. * NET footnote: A few Hebrew manuscripts and the Syriac as well as the LXX omit the verse.

1. The name of this king varies in Hebrew manuscripts from Zedekiah to Jehoiakim. (Hamilton)

2. Hamilton and Smith wrote that the context favors Zedekiah.

3. This event may be dated to 594 B.C.E., according to Hamilton.

4. The varying reading of Zedekiah / Jehoiakim appears to be the result of a scribal error.

B. Jeremiah prophesied during the reigns of the following five kings of Judah and one governor.

1. King Josiah (640-609 B.C.E.)



a. Jeremiah was called to the prophetic ministry in 627 B.C. in the 13th year of Josiah’s reign. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary.)

2. King Jehoahaz (Shallum) (609 B.C.)

3. King Jehoiakim (609-598 B.C.)

4. King Jehoichin (Jeconiah, Coniah) (597 B.C.)

5. King Zedekiah (Mattaniah) (597 B.C. – 586 B.C.)

6. Governor Gedaliah (586 B.C.) (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

NOTE: Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim were sons of Josiah. Jehoiachin was a son of Jekoiakim and a grandson of Josiah. Zedekiah was a son of Josiah and an uncle of Jehoiachin, Gedaliah whom Nebuchadnezzar appointed Governor after Jerusalem was destroyed was a son of Ahikam (the friend or protector of Jeremiah) and grandson of Shaphan (the scribe) during the reign of Josiah. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary and The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

C. Clarke wrote, “It is most evident that his (Jeremiah’s) prophecy was delivered about the fourth year of Zedekiah, and not that of Jehoiakim, as in the text.

1. Jeremiah 28:1, The following events occurred in that same year, early in the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. To be more precise, it was the fifth month of the fourth year of his reign. The prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, spoke to Jeremiah in the Lord’s temple in the presence of the priests and all the people. (NET)

2. Jeremiah 27:1, 3, 12, The Lord spoke to Jeremiah early in the reign of Josiah’s son, King Zedekiah of Judah. Use



it to send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Send them through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah. I told King Zedekiah of Judah the same thing. I said, “Submit to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. Be subject to him and his people. Then you will continue to live. (NET)

3. This variance is due to a scribal error.

Jeremiah 27:2, The Lord told me, “Make a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and put it on your neck. (NET)

I. The Lord told me, “Make a yoke* out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and put it on your neck.

A. *NET footnote: A common biblical symbol of political servitude.

1. Deuteronomy 28:28, The Lord will also subject you to madness, blindness, and confusion of mind. (NET)

2. 1 Kings 12:4, 9, 10, “Your father made us work too hard. Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.” 9 He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” 10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.’ Say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! (NET)

3. Jeremiah 28:10, The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck and broke it. (NET)



B. The yoke in question worn by Jeremiah symbolized the yoke worn by a work ox. (See Hamilton.)

1. Smith wrote, “He (Jeremiah) was to send ‘them’, i.e., replicas of the yoke which he wore, to the kings of the five neighboring kingdoms by means of their ambassadors.

2. Willis stated the yoke illustrated Babylonian control over the nations mentioned in this chapter.

3. The Pulpit Commentary defines “bonds and yokes” (AKJV) as “bonds and poles”, that is, the bands which secured two pieces of wood placed respectively above and beneath the neck of the ox, so forming a yoke.

C. “The metaphor of a yoke in reference to political or religious control” is often used in the Old Testament. (Willis)

1. Leviticus 26:13, I am the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from being their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and caused you to walk upright. (NET)

2. Deuteronomy 28:48, instead in hunger, thirst, nakedness, and poverty you will serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you. They will place an iron yoke on your neck until they have destroyed you. (NET)

3. 1 Kings 12:4-14, “Your father made us work too hard. Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.” He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away. King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, “How do you advise me to



answer these people?” They said to him, “Today if you show a willingness to help these people and grant their request, they will be your servants from this time forward.” But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” The young advisers with whom Rehoboam had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.’ Say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” Jeroboam and all the people reported to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older men and followed the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.” (NET)

4. Isaiah 9:4, For their oppressive yoke and the club that strikes their shoulders, the cudgel the oppressor uses on them, you have shattered, as in the day of Midian’s defeat. (NET)

5. Isaiah 10:27, At that time the Lord will remove their burden from your shoulders, and their yoke from your neck; the yoke will be taken off because your neck will be too large. (NET)



6. Isaiah 14:25, I will break Assyria in my land, I will trample them underfoot on my hills. Their yoke will be removed from my people, the burden will be lifted from their shoulders. (NET)

7. Ezekiel 34:27, The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the earth will yield its crops. They will live securely on their land; they will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them. (NET)

8. Nahum 1:13, And now, I will break Assyria’s yoke bar from your neck; I will tear apart the shackles that are on you.” (NET)

9. Matthew 11:29-30, Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.” (NET)

D. Coffman observed God’s prophets on occasion engaged in certain unusual behaviors to convey the Lord’s messages.

1. Micah rolled in the dust and mud, screamed like an ostrich and howled like a jackal.

2. Isaiah went naked and barefoot for a period of two years.

3. Jeremiah wore an ox yoke on his neck.

E. An ancient ox yoke consisted of two pieces of wood, one to be placed above the neck of the animal and the other to be placed under the ox’s neck with both being held together by leather thongs, Coffman explained.

F. Clarke suggested these yokes were with straps by which they were attached to the neck and which represented the fact that the



kings referenced in the following verses would be brought under the domination of the Chaldeans.

Jeremiah 27:3, Use it to send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Send them through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah. (NET)

I. Use it to send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon.

A. Edomites were descendants of Edom or Esau, the twin brother of Jacob. The Israelites and Edomites were enemies. The Edomites lived south of Moab beginning at the river Zered and extending southward to the Gulf of Aqabah. On occasion their place of residence included the mountain ranges and fertile plateaus on the east and west of the Arabah, the desert valley south of the Dead Sea. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

B. Moabites were descendants of Lot by an incestuous relationship with his older daughter. The Moabites lived east of the southern half of the Dead Sea on the plateau between the Dead Sea and the Arabian Desert. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

C. Ammonites were descendants of Ben-Ammi, a son of Lot by an incestuous relationship with his younger daughter. They lived in the area north and east of Moab, a region between the River Arnon and the River Jabbok. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

D. Tyre was an ancient seaport city of the Phoenicians situated north of Israel. In contrast with the Edomites, Moabites and Ammonites, the people of Tyre maintained friendly relationships with Israel. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

E. Sidon was an ancient Phoenician city on the Mediterranean coast of northern Palestine. Sidon was the oldest of the Phoenician cities founded by the son of Canaan. (Genesis 10:15, Canaan was



the father of Sidon his firstborn, Heth, (NET) The tribe of Asher failed to dislodge theSidonians from its territory. (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary)

F. These envoys were likely in Jerusalem to form a coalition to oppose Babylon and regain their independence from the Babylonians. (See Coffman.)

II. Send them through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah.

A. Hamilton, Smith and Willis suggested these envoys may have come to Jerusalem to plan a rebellion against Babylon, to form an anti-Babylon coalition.

1. 2 Kings 25:1, So King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came against Jerusalem with his whole army and set up camp outside it. They built siege ramps all around it. He arrived on the tenth day of the tenth month in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign. (NET)

B. Coffman wrote Zedekiah rather than Jehoiakim is the correct reading here.

1. “… some ancient copyist accidentally copied the first verse of the preceding chapter” and placed it here. (See Coffman.)

2. Other verses in this chapter make it clear which reading is correct. (See Coffman.)

C. Five such yokes plus the one worn by Jeremiah were to be made, one to be taken by each country’s envoys back to their home governments. (See Coffman and The Pulpit Commentary.)



Jeremiah 27:4, Charge them to give their masters a message from me. Tell them, ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says to give your masters this message. (NET)

I. Charge them to give their masters a message from me.

A. The message Jeremiah delivered to these envoys was God’s message.

1. For these nations to refuse to obey Jeremiah’s message was rebellion against God!

2. Those who rebelled would suffer sword, famine, and plague.

II. Tell them, ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says to give your masters this message.

A. God is all powerful, rules in the affairs of men.

1. Daniel 4:25, You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and you will become damp with the dew of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes. (NET)

2. Jeremiah was directed by the Lord to convey this message to the envoys.

Jeremiah 27:5, “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength, and I give it to whomever I see fit. (NET)

I. “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength,* and I give it to whomever I see fit.



A. *NET footnote: Hebrew - by my great power and outstretched arm.

B. In this case, God delivered these countries to the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar.

1. God used this wicked heathen to do his will among the nations.

2. Nebuchadnezzar was used in these matters as his servant.

a. Nebuchadnezzar acted out of greedy self-interest, not out of devotion to God.

b. In this case, God’s will and Nebuchadnezzar’s interest coincided.

c. Acts 17:26, From one man he made every nation of the human race to inhabit the entire earth, determining their set times and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, (NET)

C. God is the creator of heaven and earth. He governs his creation as he sees fit. (See Clarke.)

1. The Lord can do with heaven and earth as he knows best. (See The Pulpit Commentary.)

Jeremiah 27:6, I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power of my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him. (NET)

I. I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power of my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

A. The envoys were to return to their home countries and deliver the message that God, by his great power and outstretched hand,



created and rules the world and that he had decided to give the nations in question to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. (See Smith and Clarke.)

1. Willis wrote that God’s “outstretched arm” is an image of a king leading his troops in battle.

2. The picture of God’s leading his people with an outstretched arm, Willis wrote, reminds readers of Israel’s crossing the Red Sea.

a. Exodus 6:6, Therefore, tell the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord. I will bring you out from your enslavement to the Egyptians, I will rescue you from the hard labor they impose, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. (NET)

b. Deuteronomy 4:34, Or has God ever before tried to deliver a nation from the middle of another nation, accompanied by judgments, signs, wonders, war, strength, power, and other very terrifying things like the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? (NET)

c. Deuteronomy 5:15, Recall that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there by strength and power. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. (NET)

d. Deuteronomy 7:19, the great judgments you saw, the signs and wonders, the strength and power by which he brought you out—thus the Lord your God will do to all the people you fear. (NET)



3. Nebuchadnezzar was used of the Lord to do his will which warranted the designation “servant” in regard to Nebuchadnezzar. (See The Pulpit Commentary.)

a. Jeremiah 25:9, So I, the Lord, affirm that I will send for all the peoples of the north and my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and all the nations that surround it. I will utterly destroy this land, its inhabitants, and all the nations that surround it and make them everlasting ruins. I will make them objects of horror and hissing scorn. (NET)

II. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him.

A. Related references:

1. Jeremiah 32:17, ‘Oh, Lord God, you did indeed make heaven and earth by your mighty power and great strength. Nothing is too hard for you! (NET)

2. Psalm 24:1, The Lord owns the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live in it. (NET)

3. Isaiah 45:1-7, This is what the Lord says to his chosen one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold in order to subdue nations before him, and disarm kings, to open doors before him, so gates remain unclosed: “I will go before you and level mountains. Bronze doors I will shatter and iron bars I will hack through. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stashed away in secret places, so you may recognize that I am the Lord, the one who calls you by name, the God of Israel. For the sake of my servant Jacob, Israel, my chosen one, I call you by name and give you a title of respect, even though you do not



recognize me. I am the Lord, I have no peer, there is no God but me. I arm you for battle, even though you do not recognize me. I do this so people will recognize from east to west that there is no God but me; I am the Lord, I have no peer. I am the one who forms lightand creates darkness; the one who brings about peace and creates calamity. I am the Lord, who accomplishes all these things. (NET)

B. Nebuchadnezzar would domesticate these wild animals, which, Willis wrote, may be symbols for the various kings and/or nations represented by these envoys; for example, the lion was a symbol of the House of David.

1. Willis wrote this may be an indication of the completeness of Babylonian control, control that encompasses the most “peripheral” of creatures. (The Pulpit Commentary agrees.)

Jeremiah 27:7, All nations must serve him and his son and grandson until the time comes for his own nation to fall. Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon. (NET)

I. All nations must serve him and his son and grandson until the time comes for his own nation to fall.

A. These envoys should carefully heed Jeremiah’s advice because he is speaking for the Lord of all who rules in the affairs of men.

B. Babylon would stand as a world power for only three generations.

C. These three generations were, Clarke concluded, Nebuchadnezzar, his son, Evil-Merodach, and his grandson, Belshazzar.

1. Jeremiah 52:31, In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifth day of



the twelfth month, Evil-Merodach, in the first year of his reign, pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. (NET)

2. Daniel 5:11, There is a man in your kingdom who has within him a spirit of the holy gods. In the days of your father, he proved to have insight, discernment, and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father appointed him chief of the magicians, astrologers, wise men, and diviners. (NET)

D. The Pulpit Commentary reads, “Nebuchadnezzar died in 561 B.C. and was succeeded by his son Evil-Merodach, who, after two years, was put to death by Neriglissar. In B.C. 555 Laborosoarchod became king, but after nine months a usurper belonging to another family, Nabonedus or Nabunita, ascended the throne, which he occupied till 538 B.C., the year of the fall of Babylon.

1. The Pulpit Commentary states, “the seventy years’ Judah was to be kept in exile is a round number which better agrees with the Babylonian chronology.

II. The many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon.

A. Babylon would soon be defeated, subjugated by the Medes and Persians, many nations and great kings.

B. During the years of Babylonian strength, the nations were to submit to Babylon.

D. Bear in mind these things were fulfilled long after Jeremiah’s death just as the Lord had foretold.

Jeremiah 28:8, But suppose a nation or a kingdom will not be subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Suppose it will not submit to the yoke of servitude to him. I, the Lord, affirm that I will



punish that nation. I will use the king of Babylon to punish it with war, starvation, and disease until I have destroyed it. (NET)

I. But suppose a nation or a kingdom will not be subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Suppose it will not submit to the yoke of servitude to him.

A. What will happen to nations who do not submit to Babylon?

B. What happened to Judah will happen to rebellious nations even now – sooner or later.

II. I, the Lord, affirm that I will punish that nation. I will use the king of Babylon to punish it with war, starvation, and disease until I have destroyed it.

A. All nations were to submit to Babylon or be destroyed by sword, famine and pestilence.

1. Willis observed that God is “no respecter of persons” and he punishes all, Judah and Jerusalem as well as other nations, who refuse to obey the Lord.

Jeremiah 27:9, So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination, by dreams, by consulting the dead, or by practicing magic. They keep telling you, ‘You do not need to be subject to the king of Babylon.’ (NET)

I. So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination, by dreams, by consulting the dead, or by practicing magic.*

A. *NET footnote: Pagan practices which were all prohibited under the Mosaic law.

1. Deuteronomy 18:9-14, When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must not learn the



abhorrent practices of those nations. There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, anyone who practices divination, an omen reader, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, one who casts spells, one who conjures up spirits, a practitioner of the occult, or a necromancer. Whoever does these things is abhorrent to the Lord and because of these detestable things the Lord your God is about to drive them out from before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. Those nations that you are about to dispossess listen to omen readers and diviners, but the Lord your God has not given you permission to do such things. (NET)

B. False prophets, diviners, interpreter of dreams, mediums and sorcerers sought to determine the future by looking for signs, consulting with ghosts or spirits. Necromancers were mediums who inquired of the dead. Sorcerers were magicians who practiced witchcraft. Listening to these counselors would lead them into Babylonian exile. (See Hamilton.)

1. Genesis 41:8, In the morning he was troubled, so he called for all the diviner-priests of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. (NET)

2. Daniel 2:2, The king issued an order to summon the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and wise men in order to explain his dreams to him. So they came and awaited the king’s instructions. (NET)

C. False prophets influenced the people to rebel against Babylon and, as a result, they suffered, paid the price.

1. Jeremiah 23:9-40, Here is what the Lord says concerning the false prophets: My heart and my mind are deeply disturbed. I tremble all over. I am like a drunk



person, like a person who has had too much wine, because of the way the Lord and his holy word are being mistreated. For the land is full of people unfaithful to him. They live wicked lives and they misuse their power. So the land is dried up because it is under his curse. The pastures in the wilderness are withered. Moreover, the Lord says, “Both the prophets and priests are godless. I have even found them doing evil in my temple! So the paths they follow will be dark and slippery. They will stumble and fall headlong. For I will bring disaster on them. A day of reckoning is coming for them.” The Lord affirms it! The Lord says, “I saw the prophets of Samaria doing something that was disgusting. They prophesied in the name of the god Baal and led my people Israel astray. But I see the prophets of Jerusalem doing something just as shocking. They are unfaithful to me and continually prophesy lies. So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil, with the result that they do not stop their evildoing. I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom, and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah. So then I, the Lord who rules over all, have something to say concerning the prophets of Jerusalem: ‘I will make these prophets eat the bitter food of suffering and drink the poison water of judgment. For the prophets of Jerusalem are the reason that ungodliness has spread throughout the land.’” The Lord who rules over all says to the people of Jerusalem: “Do not listen to what those prophets are saying to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They are reporting visions of their own imaginations, not something the Lord has given them to say. They continually say to those who reject what the Lord has said, ‘Things will go well for you!’ They say to all those who follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts, ‘Nothing bad will happen to you!’ Yet which of them has ever stood in the Lord’s inner circle so they



could see and hear what he has to say? Which of them have ever paid attention or listened to what he has said? But just watch! The wrath of the Lord will come like a storm! Like a raging storm it will rage down on the heads of those who are wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has fully carried out his intended purposes. In days to come you people will come to understand this clearly. I did not send those prophets. Yet they were in a hurry to give their message. I did not tell them anything. Yet they prophesied anyway. But if they had stood in my inner circle, they would have proclaimed my message to my people. They would have caused my people to turn from their wicked ways and stop doing the evil things they are doing. Do you people think that I am some local deity and not the transcendent God?” the Lord asks. “Do you really think anyone can hide himself where I cannot see him?” the Lord asks. “Do you not know that I am everywhere?” the Lord asks. The Lord says, “I have heard what those prophets who are prophesying lies in my name are saying. They are saying, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’ Those prophets are just prophesying lies. They are prophesying the delusions of their own minds. How long will they go on plotting to make my people forget who I am through the dreams they tell one another? That is just as bad as what their ancestors did when they forgot who I am by worshiping the god Baal. Let the prophet who has had a dream go ahead and tell his dream. Let the person who has received my message report that message faithfully. What is like straw cannot compare to what is like grain! I, the Lord, affirm it! My message is like a fire that purges dross! It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces! I, the Lord, so affirm it! So I, the Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me. I, the



Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who are using their own tongues to declare, ‘The Lord declares….’ I, the Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies. I did not send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all. I, the Lord, affirm it!” The Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, when one of these people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, ‘What burdensome message do you have from the Lord?’ Tell them, ‘You are the burden, and I will cast you away. I, the Lord, affirm it! I will punish any prophet, priest, or other person who says “The Lord’s message is burdensome.” I will punish both that person and his whole family.’” So I, Jeremiah, tell you, “Each of you people should say to his friend or his relative, ‘How did the Lord answer? Or what did the Lord say?’ You must no longer say that the Lord’s message is burdensome. For what is ‘burdensome’ really pertains to what a person himself says. You are misrepresenting the words of our God, the living God, the Lord who rules over all. Each of you should merely ask the prophet, ‘What answer did the Lord give you? Or what did the Lord say?’ But just suppose you continue to say, ‘The message of the Lord is burdensome.’ Here is what the Lord says will happen: ‘I sent word to you that you must not say, “The Lord’s message is burdensome.” But you used the words “The Lord’s message is burdensome” anyway. So I will carry you far off and throw you away. I will send both you and the city I gave to you and to your ancestors out of my sight. I will bring on you lasting shame and lasting disgrace which will never be forgotten!’” (NET)

2. These false prophets, enchanters, diviners, dreamers, sorcerers and magicians were not to be believed.



II. They keep telling you, ‘You do not need to be subject to the king of Babylon.’

A. This, Jeremiah asserted, is totally untrue!

Jeremiah 27:10, Do not listen to them, because their prophecies are lies. Listening to them will only cause you to be taken far away from your native land. I will drive you out of your country and you will die in exile. (NET)

I. Do not listen to them, because their prophecies are lies.

A. Related references:

1. Jeremiah 6:13-15, “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them, all of them are greedy for dishonest gain. Prophets and priests alike, all of them practice deceit. They offer only superficial help for the harm my people have suffered. They say, ‘Everything will be all right!’ But everything is not all right! Are they ashamed because they have done such shameful things? No, they are not at all ashamed. They do not even know how to blush! So they will die, just like others have died. They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,” (NET)

2. Jeremiah 23:25-26, The Lord says, “I have heard what those prophets who are prophesying lies in my name are saying. They are saying, ‘I have had a dream! I have had a dream!’ Those prophets are just prophesying lies. They are prophesying the delusions of their own minds. (NET)

B. We must be extremely careful to differentiate correctly between God’s truth and false doctrine and to follow the way of truth.

II. Listening to them will only cause you to be taken far away from your native land.



A. Heeding the advice of these false prophets would lead to the people’s being exiled far from home.

1. Jeremiah told Zedekiah he was listening to the wrong advisor. (Smith)

B. The people of Judah dearly loved their homeland and regarded being taken by force far away from their native land as an horrendous punishment.

1. Isaiah 6:12, and the Lord has sent the people off to a distant place, and the very heart of the land is completely abandoned. (NET)

III. I will drive you out of your country and you will die in exile.

A. Because of their sinfulness, God would forcefully drive Judah out of their native land, take them to far away Babylon where many of them would die… never to see their homeland ever again!

Jeremiah 27:11, Things will go better for the nation that submits to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon and is subject to him. I will leave that nation in its native land. Its people can continue to farm it and live in it. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’” (NET)

I. Things will go better for the nation that submits to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon and is subject to him.

A. Submit to Babylon and you will live in your own land.

II. I will leave that nation in its native land. Its people can continue to farm it and live in it.

A. Those who submit to Babylon will not be deported, but would be permitted to remain in their native land.



1. This was certainly better than the alternative, sword, plague, famine, destruction and exile.

III. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’”

A. These truths had been spoken by the Lord and were now confirmed by his solemn affirmation!

B. What had been said was as sure to occur as if they had already happened!

NOTE: The message Jeremiah had given the envoys will now also be given to King Zedekiah. (See Hamilton.)

Jeremiah 28:12, I told King Zedekiah of Judah the same thing. I said, “Submit to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. Be subject to him and his people. Then you will continue to live. (NET)

I. I told King Zedekiah of Judah the same thing. I said, “Submit to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. Be subject to him and his people. Then you will continue to live.

A. The people of Judah and Jerusalem were greatly disturbed by Jeremiah’s prophesies.

1. They regarded Jeremiah as a traitor, guilty of treason and blasphemy!

2. The people of Jerusalem responded emotionally to Jeremiah’s preaching as Americans would have reacted to a person advocating surrender to Nazi Germany during World War II.

B. Submit to Babylon and live! Rebel and suffer death, destruction, disaster and exile in a distant land. (See Hamilton.)



1. The same message Jeremiah had delivered to the envoys he now delivers to King Zedekiah.

Jeremiah 27:13, There is no reason why you and your people should die in war or from starvation or disease! That’s what the Lord says will happen to any nation that will not be subject to the king of Babylon. (NET)

I. There is no reason why you and your people should die in war or from starvation or disease!

A. There appears to still be hope if the people would genuinely repent.

B. What Jeremiah preached, prophesied did not reflect any shrewd political acumen. He was simply repeating what God had told him to say! (See Coffman quoting Thompson.)

II. That’s what the Lord says will happen to any nation that will not be subject to the king of Babylon.

A. Jeremiah strongly advised submission to Babylon.

1. Those who submitted to Babylon would live.

2. Those who refused to submit to Babylon would be conquered and/or destroyed.

Jeremiah 27:14, Do not listen to the prophets who are telling you that you do not need to serve the king of Babylon. For they are prophesying lies to you. (NET)

I. Do not listen to the prophets who are telling you that you do not need to serve the king of Babylon.

A. False prophets in Jerusalem were numerous and influential..



1. In general, the people listened to and believed what the false prophets said.

2. Jeremiah strongly warned Zedekiah against following the advice of those false prophets.

II. For they are prophesying lies to you.

A. Jeremiah told it like it was!

1. Jeremiah did not say this “behind the backs” of these prophets. (See Coffman.)

2. He told them to their face that they were liars. (See Coffman.)

3. They were not honestly mistaken. They were dishonest liars! … saying what they thought was to their selfish advantage.

Jeremiah 28:15, For I, the Lord, affirm that I did not send them. They are prophesying lies to you. If you listen to them, I will drive you and the prophets who are prophesying lies out of the land and you will all die in exile.” (NET)

I. For I, the Lord, affirm that I did not send them.

A. Again God is absolutely clear, definite about what he had said!

B. Do not listen to these false prophets who are preaching lies!

II. They are prophesying lies to you.

A. These lies include statements to the effect that Judah should rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, would be able to resist Babylon successfully, that God would never permit Jerusalem and the Temple to be destroyed and that valuables taken previously to Babylon would be soon returned!



B. The false prophets preached what the people wanted to hear.

III. If you listen to them, I will drive you and the prophets who are prophesying lies out of the land and you will all die in exile.”

A. Listening and following the advice of false prophets would be extremely costly for Judah and will be costly for anyone today.

Jeremiah 28:16, I also told the priests and all the people, “The Lord says, ‘Do not listen to what your prophets are saying. They are prophesying to you that the valuable articles taken from the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon very soon. But they are prophesying a lie to you. (NET)

I. I also told the priests and all the people, “The Lord says, ‘Do not listen to what your prophets are saying.

A. “The Babylonian force that came to Jerusalem in 597 B.C. had looted the temple, taking away some of the valuable items kept there.” (Willis)

1. Some of the more significant items including those listed in verse 19 remained in the Temple at this time. (See Willis)

a. 1 Kings 7:13-51, King Solomon sent for Hiram of Tyre. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a craftsman in bronze from Tyre. He had the skill and knowledge to make all kinds of works of bronze. He reported to King Solomon and did all the work he was assigned. He fashioned two bronze pillars; each pillar was 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference. He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was seven-and-a-half feet high. The latticework on the tops of the pillars was adorned with ornamental wreaths and chains; the top of each pillar had seven groupings of



ornaments. When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six feet high. On the top of each pillar, right above the bulge beside the latticework, there were two hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments arranged in rows all the way around. He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right side and called it Yakin; he erected the other pillar on the left side and called it Boaz. The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the construction of the pillars was completed. He also made the large bronze basin called “The Sea.” It measured 15 feet from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet high. Its circumference was 45 feet. Under the rim all the way around it were round ornaments arranged in settings 15 feet long. The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.” “The Sea” stood on top of twelve bulls. Three faced northward, three westward, three southward, and three eastward. “The Sea” was placed on top of them, and they all faced outward. It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom. It could hold about 12,000 gallons. He also made ten bronze movable stands. Each stand was six feet long, six feet wide, and four-and-a-half feet high. The stands were constructed with frames between the joints. On these frames and joints were ornamental lions, bulls, and cherubim. Under the lions and bulls were decorative wreaths. Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and four supports. Under the basin the supports were fashioned on each side with wreaths. Inside the



stand was a round opening that was a foot-and-a-half deep; it had a support that was two and one-quarter feet long. On the edge of the opening were carvings in square frames. The four wheels were under the frames and the crossbars of the axles were connected to the stand. Each wheel was two and one-quarter feet high. The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels; their crossbars, rims, spokes, and hubs were made of cast metal. Each stand had four supports, one per side projecting out from the stand. On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep; there were also supports and frames on top of the stands. He engraved ornamental cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the plates of the supports and frames wherever there was room, with wreaths all around. He made the ten stands in this way. All of them were cast in one mold and were identical in measurements and shape. He also made ten bronze basins, each of which could hold about 240 gallons. Each basin was six feet in diameter; there was one basin for each stand. He put five basins on the south side of the temple and five on the north side. He put “The Sea” on the south side, in the southeast corner. Hiram also made basins, shovels, and bowls. He finished all the work on the Lord’s temple he had been assigned by King Solomon. He made the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped tops of the pillars, the latticework for the bowl-shaped tops of the two pillars, the four hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two pillars (each latticework had two rows of these ornaments at the bowl-shaped top of the pillar), the ten movable stands with their ten basins, 44 the big bronze basin called “The Sea” with its twelve bulls underneath, and the pots, shovels,



and bowls. All these items King Solomon assigned Hiram to make for the Lord’s temple were made from polished bronze. The king had them cast in earth foundries in the region of the Jordan between Succoth and Zarethan. Solomon left all these items unweighed; there were so many of them they did not weigh the bronze. Solomon also made all these items for the Lord’s temple: the gold altar, the gold table on which was kept the Bread of the Presence, the pure gold lampstands at the entrance to the inner sanctuary (five on the right and five on the left), the gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs, the pure gold bowls, trimming shears, basins, pans, and censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (the most holy place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple. When King Solomon finished constructing the Lord’s temple, he put the holy items that belonged to his father David (the silver, gold, and other articles) in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple. (NET)

II. They are prophesying to you that the valuable articles taken from the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon very soon.*

A. *NET Footnote: See 2 Kings 24:10-16, At that time the generals of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon marched to Jerusalem and besieged the city. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to the city while his generals were besieging it. King Jehoiachin of Judah, along with his mother, his servants, his officials, and his eunuchs surrendered to the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took Jehoiachin prisoner. Nebuchadnezzar took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items which King Solomon of Israel had made for the Lord’s temple, just as the



Lord had warned. He deported all the residents of Jerusalem, including all the officials and all the soldiers (10,000 people in all). This included all the craftsmen and those who worked with metal. No one was left except for the poorest among the people of the land. He deported Jehoiachin from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with the king’s mother and wives, his eunuchs, and the high-ranking officials of the land. The king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the soldiers (there were 7,000), as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metal workers. This included all the best warriors. (NET)

1. 1 Kings 7:48-50, Solomon also made all these items for the Lord’s temple: the gold altar, the gold table on which was kept the Bread of the Presence, the pure gold lampstands at the entrance to the inner sanctuary (five on the right and five on the left), the gold flower-shaped ornaments, lamps, and tongs, the pure gold bowls, trimming shears, basins, pans, and censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (the most holy place) and for the doors of the main hall of the temple. (NET)

2. Jeremiah 52:17, The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the Lord, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called “The Sea.” They took all the bronze to Babylon. (NET)

B. This was totally incorrect, a lie. These valuables would only be returned upon the fall of Babylon as decreed by Cyrus. (See Smith.)

1. Ezra 1:7, Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the Lord’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed in the temple of his gods. (NET)



2. Ezra 7:19, Deliver to the God of Jerusalem the vessels that are given to you for the service of the temple of your God. (NET)

C. These valuable vessels were taken by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon during the reigns of Jehoiakim and Jeconiah. (Clarke)

1. 2 Chronicles 36:7-10, Nebuchadnezzar took some of the items in the Lord’s temple to Babylon and put them in his palace there. The rest of the events of Jehoiakim’s reign, including the horrible sins he committed and his shortcomings, are recorded in the Scroll of the Kings of Israel and Judah. His son Jehoiachin replaced him as king. Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord. At the beginning of the year King Nebuchadnezzar ordered him to be brought to Babylon, along with the valuable items in the Lord’s temple. In his place he made his relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem. (NET)

III. But they are prophesying a lie to you.

A. God had not sent these prophets and had not authorized the lies they were preaching.

1. Jeremiah 23:16-18, 30-32, The Lord who rules over all says to the people of Jerusalem: “Do not listen to what those prophets are saying to you. They are filling you with false hopes. They are reporting visions of their own imaginations, not something the Lord has given them to say. They continually say to those who reject what the Lord has said, ‘Things will go well for you!’ They say to all those who follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts, ‘Nothing bad will happen to you!’ Yet which of them has ever stood in the Lord’s inner



circle so they could see and hear what he has to say? Which of them have ever paid attention or listened to what he has said? 30 So I, the Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me. I, the Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who are using their own tongues to declare, ‘The Lord declares….’ I, the Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies. I did not send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all. I, the Lord, affirm it!” (NET)

Jeremiah 27:17, Do not listen to them. Be subject to the king of Babylon. Then you will continue to live. Why should this city be made a pile of rubble?’” (NET)

I. Do not listen to them.

A. We are repeatedly warned in both the Old and New Testaments to try the spirits, to determine which are of God and which are not!

1. This is basic, essential!

II. Be subject to the king of Babylon. Then you will continue to live. Why should this city be made a pile of rubble?’”

A. Jerusalem’s choice was to be subject to the king of Babylon and live or rebel and face death, defeat, destruction and exile.

1. Regrettably they made the wrong decision to their own harm.

Jeremiah 27:18, I also told them, “If they are really prophets and the Lord is speaking to them, let them pray earnestly to the Lord who rules over all. Let them plead with him not to let the valuable



articles that are still left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace, and in Jerusalem be taken away to Babylon. (NET)

I. I also told them, “If they are really prophets and the Lord is speaking to them, let them pray earnestly to the Lord who rules over all.

A. These false prophets had shown they were not God’s spokesmen by, among other things, failing to intercede with the Lord on behalf of the people.

1. Jeremiah 7:16, Then the Lord said, “As for you, Jeremiah, do not pray for these people! Do not cry out to me or petition me on their behalf! Do not plead with me to save them, because I will not listen to you. (NET)

2. Prayers that the valuables which had already been taken would be returned and that the valuables still in the temple would not be stolen would have been appropriate.

3. 2 Kings 25:13, The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the Lord’s temple, as well as the movable stands and the big bronze basin called “The Sea.” They took the bronze to Babylon. (NET)

II. Let them plead with him not to let the valuable articles that are still left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace, and in Jerusalem be taken away to Babylon.

A. “True prophets would be praying that no further looting of the temple and city would take place,” Smith wrote.

1. However, the remaining valuables were taken by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.

B. The valuables which had been taken to Babylon would not soon be returned to Jerusalem. To the contrary, other valuables would



be taken to Babylon before what had already been taken was returned. (See Willis.)

1. However, in due time, the valuables would be returned.

a. God is still true to his word.

b. Exodus 34:6-7, The Lord passed by before him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children and children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.” (NET)

c. Ezekiel 10:1-19, As I watched, I saw on the platform above the top of the cherubim something like a sapphire, resembling the shape of a throne, appearing above them. The Lord said to the man dressed in linen, “Go between the wheelwork underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” He went as I watched. (The cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.) Then the glory of the Lord arose from the cherub and moved to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud while the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory. The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard from the outer court, like the sound of the sovereign God when he speaks. When the Lord commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the



cherubim,” the man went in and stood by one of the wheels. Then one of the cherubim stretched out his hand toward the fire which was among the cherubim. He took some and put it into the hands of the man dressed in linen, who took it and left. (The cherubim appeared to have the form of human hands under their wings.) As I watched, I noticed four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; the wheels gleamed like jasper. As for their appearance, all four of them looked the same, something like a wheel within a wheel. When they moved, they would go in any of the four directions they faced without turning as they moved; in the direction the head would turn they would follow without turning as they moved, along with their entire bodies, their backs, their hands, and their wings. The wheels of the four of them were full of eyes all around. As for their wheels, they were called “the wheelwork” as I listened. Each of the cherubim had four faces: The first was the face of a cherub, the second that of a man, the third that of a lion, and the fourth that of an eagle. The cherubim rose up; these were the living beings I saw at the Kebar River. When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them; when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not move from their side. When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when they rose up, the wheels rose up with them, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. Then the glory of the Lord moved away from the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. The cherubim spread their wings, and they rose up from the earth while I watched (when they went the wheels went alongside them). They stopped at the entrance to the east gate



of the Lord’s temple as the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. (NET)

d. Ezekiel 11:22-23, Then the cherubim spread their wings with their wheels alongside them while the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. The glory of the Lord rose up from within the city and stopped over the mountain east of it. (NET)

Jeremiah 27:19, For the Lord who rules over all has already spoken about the two bronze pillars, the large bronze basin called ‘The Sea,’ and the movable bronze stands. He has already spoken about the rest of the valuable articles that are left in this city. (NET)

I. For the Lord who rules over all has already spoken about the two bronze pillars, **, the large bronze basin called “The Sea”* and the movable bronze stands.***

A. *NET Footnote: the two free standing pillars at the entrance to the temple (described in 1 Kings 7:15-22, He fashioned two bronze pillars; each pillar was 27 feet high and 18 feet in circumference. He made two bronze tops for the pillars; each was seven-and-a-half feet high. The latticework on the tops of the pillars was adorned with ornamental wreaths and chains; the top of each pillar had seven groupings of ornaments. When he made the pillars, there were two rows of pomegranate-shaped ornaments around the latticework covering the top of each pillar. The tops of the two pillars in the porch were shaped like lilies and were six feet high. On the top of each pillar, right above the bulge beside the latticework, there were two hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments arranged in rows all the way around. He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right side and called it Yakin; he erected the other pillar on the left side and called it Boaz. The tops of the pillars were shaped like lilies. So the construction of the pillars was completed. (NET))



B. **NET Footnote: The large basin mounted on 12 bronze bulls which stood in front of the temple (1 Kings 7:23-26, He also made the large bronze basin called “The Sea.” It measured 15 feet from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet high. Its circumference was 45 feet. Under the rim all the way around it were round ornaments arranged in settings 15 feet long. The ornaments were in two rows and had been cast with “The Sea.” “The Sea” stood on top of twelve bulls. Three faced northward, three westward, three southward, and three eastward. “The Sea” was placed on top of them, and they all faced outward. It was four fingers thick and its rim was like that of a cup shaped like a lily blossom. It could hold about 12,000 gallons. (NET))

C. ***Net Footnote: Described in 1 Kings 7:23, 27-37, He also made the large bronze basin called “The Sea.” It measured 15 feet from rim to rim, was circular in shape, and stood seven-and-a-half feet high. Its circumference was 45 feet. 27 He also made ten bronze movable stands. Each stand was six feet long, six feet wide, and four-and-a-half feet high. The stands were constructed with frames between the joints. On these frames and joints were ornamental lions, bulls, and cherubim. Under the lions and bulls were decorative wreaths. Each stand had four bronze wheels with bronze axles and four supports. Under the basin the supports were fashioned on each side with wreaths. Inside the stand was a round opening that was a foot-and-a-half deep; it had a support that was two and one-quarter feet long. On the edge of the opening were carvings in square frames. The four wheels were under the frames and the crossbars of the axles were connected to the stand. Each wheel was two and one-quarter feet high. The wheels were constructed like chariot wheels; their crossbars, rims, spokes, and hubs were made of cast metal. Each stand had four supports, one per side projecting out from the stand. On top of each stand was a round opening three-quarters of a foot deep;



there were also supports and frames on top of the stands. He engraved ornamental cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the plates of the supports and frames wherever there was room, with wreaths all around. He made the ten stands in this way. All of them were cast in one mold and were identical in measurements and shape. (NET)

D. Solomon placed these two brazen columns in the portico of the temple, eighteen (18) cubits high and twelve (12) cubits in circumference. (See Clarke.)

E. The brazen sea, ten (10) cubits in diameter and thirty (30) cubits in circumference, was supported by twelve (12) brazen oxen. (See Clarke.)

1. The water in this basin was used for various washings in the temple worship. (See Clarke.)

II. He has already spoken about the rest of the valuable articles that are left in this city.

A. If the people did not repent, these valuables would be taken to Babylon when Jerusalem fell.

a. 1 Kings 7:21, He set up the pillars on the porch in front of the main hall. He erected one pillar on the right side and called it Yakin; he erected the other pillar on the left side and called it Boaz. (NET)

Jeremiah 27:20, He has already spoken about these things that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiakim’s son King Jeconiah of Judah and the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem away as captives. (NET)

I. He has already spoken about these things that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiakim’s son King



Jeconiah of Judah and the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem away as captives.

A. Nebuchadnezzar had defeated Jerusalem in 597 B.C. and had taken many valuables to Babylon.

1. He would return to finish the job in 586 B.C.

Jeremiah 27:21, Indeed, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all has already spoken about the valuable articles that are left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem. (NET)

I. Indeed, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all has already spoken about the valuable articles that are left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem

A. Hamilton wrote, “The Jerusalem prophets falsely anticipated the imminent end of the exile and the return of the holy vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon in 597 B.C., when he first conquered Jerusalem and Judah.”

1. 2 Kings 24:13, Nebuchadnezzar took from there all the riches in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace. He removed all the gold items which King Solomon of Israel had made for the Lord’s temple, just as the Lord had warned. (NET)

B. Hamilton further observed that Daniel mentioned Nebuchadnezzar’s blasphemously drinking wine from the holy vessels and praising false gods; later Jews who returned from exile under Cyrus, the Persian King, after he had conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., restored the holy vessels.

Jeremiah 27:22, He has said, ‘They will be carried off to Babylon. They will remain there until it is time for me to show consideration



for them again. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’ I, the Lord, affirm this!” (NET)

I. He has said, ‘They will be carried off to Babylon. They will remain there until it is time for me to show consideration for them again.

A. These valuables would not be returned to Jerusalem anytime soon, but would remain in Babylon until that city fell (to the Medes and Persians). (See Smith.)

B. The people then living in Judah and Jerusalem did not heed Jeremiah’s advice to submit to Babylon and were devastated, left in rubble and carried as captives to Babylon. (See Clarke.

1. Jeremiah 52:17-23, The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the Lord, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called “The Sea.” They took all the bronze to Babylon. They also took the pots, shovels, trimming shears, basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers, basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels. The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple (including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” and the movable stands) was too heavy to be weighed. Each of the pillars was about 27 feet high, about 18 feet in circumference, three inches thick, and hollow. The bronze top of one pillar was about seven and one-half feet high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it. There were ninety-six pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there were one hundred pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went around it. (NET)



2. 2 Kings 25:13, The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the Lord’s temple, as well as the movable stands and the big bronze basin called “The Sea.” They took the bronze to Babylon. (NET)

II. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’

A. This must have been an unspeakable comfort to those who believed in God and Jeremiah, God’s prophet.

B. This is a remarkable predictive prophecy, Coffman wrote.

1. “The remaining treasures of the temple, the king’s house, and the city of Jerusalem shall also be carried away to Babylon;…

2. The vessels would not be destroyed there, but would be preserved to that day when God will visit them, and…

3. He will indeed visit them and restore them to Jerusalem at the time when his Divine Will may desire to do so!”

4. God would return them in due time to their homeland.

a. Coffman further wrote, “A hundred years before Jeremiah was born, Isaiah promised the “return of the remnant,” and named one of his sons, “A Remnant Will Return.”

b. Jeremiah added his voice to that of Isaiah, “A Remnant Will Return!”

III. I, the Lord, affirm this!”

A. Again, the Lord made it clear what was true, right and would definitely occur as Jeremiah had foretold.



B. The problem was not in knowing what God said. The problem was they did not believe and live in keeping with what God said.

Conclusion:

I. Early in the reign of Zedekiah envoys from several neighboring nations met in Jerusalem evidently to form an alliance to oppose Babylonian rule.

A. This may have been occasioned by a revolt in Nebuchadnezzar’s army and the seating of a new Egyptian Pharaoh (Psammetichus II, 594 B.C.) giving the impression of Egyptian strength and Babylonian weakness. (See Hinton, Abington Press, Nashville, 1988)

B. Jeremiah conveyed God’s message that Babylon was not to be opposed, but that they were to submit to Babylon.

1. Jeremiah’s word was illustrated with ox yokes indicating that Jerusalem should submit to Babylon.

2. Jeremiah withstood the false prophets who advocated rebellion against Babylon.

3. Jerusalem followed the advice of the false prophets which led to the destruction of the city, the death and exile of its people.

C. In due time, God would return a righteous remnant to their homeland.



Questions

1. Jeremiah 27-28 are a unit. Summarize the content of these two chapters. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Identify Jeremiah and Hananiah. Compare/contrast their religious positions. __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. When did the events of Jeremiah 27-28 occur? __________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. At the time of the events recorded in Jeremiah 27-28, what was the major political question, issue? ________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



5. According to Willis, what three messages does Jeremiah 27 contain?_ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. What was the relationship between Zedekiah and Nebuchadnezzar at the time of the events mentioned in Jeremiah 27? __________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. When did the Lord speak to Jeremiah? ________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. What did the Lord say to Jeremiah? ___________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. During the reigns of what five kings of Judah did Jeremiah prophesy? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. How were these five kings related? __________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. Which is the correct reading in verse 1, Zedekiah or Jehoiakim? Give reasons for your answer. What accounts for this variance in different versions? __________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 12. Who was Gedaliah? How did he become ruler in Jerusalem? Whatever happened to him? ___________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 13. What did Jeremiah make? How many did he make? What did these things symbolize? What did he do with them? ____________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



14. Name other prophets who engaged in unusual behavior. Describe these behaviors. ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 15. Envoys from what countries met with Zedekiah in Jerusalem? What was the purpose of this meeting? _______________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 16. What message did Jeremiah send by way of these envoys to the rulers of their respective countries? _____________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 17. God made the earth, people and animals. What did this give him the authority to do? _____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 18. In what ways could it be said that Nebuchadnezzar was God’s servant? ___________________________________________________



__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 19. What is meant by God’s making all the wild animals subject to Nebuchadnezzar? ___________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20. Who were the rulers of Babylon referenced in verse 7? __________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 21. When did the seventy year Babylonian captivity begin and end? Were these seventy years literal or a round number? Give reasons for your answer. _______________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 22. Give information regarding the subjugation of Babylon. When did it occur? Who subjugated Babylon? How were they able to defeat this once powerful nation? _______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 23. What would happen to any nation that refused to submit to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon? (See Verse 8.) _____________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 24. People were urged not to listen to false prophets, diviners, enchanters, predictors of the future, necromancers, sorceress, witches, et.al. Define each one of these fraudulent pretenders. How did they operate? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 25. What did these fraudulent pretenders advise? What happened to those who followed their advice? _______________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________



26. The people of _____________ _____________ _______________ their _______________ and regarded being _______________ by _______________ _______________ _______________ from their _______________ _______________ to be an _______________ _______________. 27. We must be ____________ _____________ to _______________ ______________ between ______________’s _______________ and _______________ _______________ and to _______________ the _______________of _______________. 28. God said he would _______________ Judah out of their ____________ and they would _______________ in _______________. This was all because of their _______________. 29. Things would go better for the nations that submitted to Babylon than for those nations who rebelled against Babylon. In what respects was this true? ______________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 30. These ___________ had been ____________ by the ____________ and was now ____________ by his _______________ _____________! 31. What was the need, reason for this affirmation and that in verse 22? __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________



32. After sending word by the envoys to their respective kings, Jeremiah told Zedekiah the same thing. What did Jeremiah tell the envoys and Zedekiah? _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 33. How did the people of Judah and Jerusalem react to Jeremiah’s message? _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 34. How did the people of Judah and Jerusalem regard Jeremiah? _____ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 35. Jeremiah warned the people of Judah and Jerusalem not to _______________ to the _______________ who are _______________ you that you do _______________ _______________ to _______________ the _______________ of _______________. _______________ _______________ in _______________ were _______________ and _______________. 36. In general, the _______________ _______________ to and _______________ what the _______________ _______________ said. _______________ told these _______________ _______________ to their ____________ that they were ______________ _______________



_______________. They were _______________ _______________! …saying what they thought was to their _______________ _______________. _______________ _______________that he had not sent these _______________ _______________ who were _______________ ______________. 37. What lies did these false prophets tell the people? _______________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 38. What would happen to those who believed and followed the advice of the false prophets? ________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 39. When were valuables taken from Jerusalem to Babylon? When would these valuables be returned? _____________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 40. We are _____________ _______________ to the _______________ and _______________ _______________ to _______________ the _____________ to _______________ which are of _______________ and which are not! 41. What was Jerusalem’s choice? … decision to be made? __________



__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 42. If the Jerusalem prophets had been faithful to God, what would they have done? ________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 43. Give all the information you can about the two bronze pillars and the large bronze basin called “The Sea” and the movable bronze stands. ___ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 44. The _______________ _______________ _______________ anticipated the _____________ _____________ of the ______________ and the _______________ of the _______________ _______________ that _______________ had _______________ to _______________ in _______________ BCE when he _______________ _______________ _______________ and _______________. _______________mentioned ______________’s _________________from the _______________ _____________ and ___________ ______________ _______________. Later ______________ who _______________ from _______________ under _______________, the _______________ _______________, after he had _______________ _______________ in _______________ BCE, _______________ the _______________.



45. The people then living in _______________ and _______________ _______________ heed _______________’s _______________ to _______________ to _______________ to _______________ and were _______________, left in _______________ and _______________ as _______________ to _______________. 46. These ___________ would not be _____________ to ___________ anytime soon, but would remain in _______________ until that ______________ _______________ to the _______________ and _______________. 47. When would God bring back to Jerusalem a righteous remnant and the valuables confiscated by Nebuchadnezzar? ____________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 48. Why did envoys meet with Zedekiah in Jerusalem? What was happening about that time with the Babylonians and Egyptians? ______ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 49. Jeremiah stood for God’s truth in face of strong opposition. Against what teachings of the devil must we take our stand? ________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________



50. In your opinion, what is the one most important thing you have learned from your study of Jeremiah 27? _________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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