Understanding Jeremiah

I am reading through a portion of the Bible written by a guy named Jeremiah.  This portion was written 700 years +/- before Jesus so a lot of what was written should be interpreted in the culture and times and circumstances of the people in the text.  I was struggling to grasp the significance of certain passages in light of Jesus so I posed a few questions to my friend, Jeremiah (Mitchell)*.  My email is below:

I’m reading through Jeremiah right now and one of the questions I have is to what extent is the interpretation/application solely for Israel and how much is for the church now?

Like, for instance, Chapters 30 and 31.

I guess, are these promises and hopes for Israel in their captivity or is there something that I can hold on to right now?  I don’t want to pull something out of the context intended by the author and the Holy Spirit but I also want to know that that portions of the OT are worth more than just as an addendum to the NT (in a gross over exaggeration).  Does that make sense?

I think his responses to these questions are tight and have really helped me put Old Testament prophets in their place.

1. I wouldn’t make a distinction between Israel and the Church. At an ethnic level, sure, but that’s shallow. I think the NT makes it clear the true Israel, the true people of God, are those who put their faith in Jesus. I would argue the OT is more for us than it is for those Jews now who don’t believe in Jesus

2. I would say the question is not a distinction between Israel then and the church now, but the people of God then and the people of God now who are not in their specific circumstances.

3. I usually say the first most important question to ask of the text is, what did this mean for the people to whom it was written? But there’s even a question which precedes that sometimes, which is what these words meant for the people who received these words from God before they were written down? I think if we ask questions like this first, the answers we get about what these texts mean for us will likely be more accurate and treat the text with more respect. It is, from my perspective, reading the Scriptures the way the Scriptures want to be read.

4. Every text is a little different and sometimes more specific questions are better for the text. However, I find a few general questions can be very helpful. Things like: What does this passage teach us about God? What does it teach us about sin? What does it say about how humans should interact with God? What does it communicate about how God interacts with his people? Are these specific promises God is making in the text ultimately promises God wants to fulfill for all of who believe in him (like peace, being his people, salvation, freedom, good plans, prosperity, safety, hope, etc)

5. In terms of the prophets, so many of the promises God makes are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. In part through his bringing of the kingdom here and now, as the firstfruits, a proof of the promise of the full harvest to come when Jesus brings the kingdom of God in full. Even though often the prophets did not know about Jesus as the fulfiller of the promises, we know Jesus came to fulfill all the law and the prophets. We are better equipped to interpret the promises of God than even the people speaking them were sometimes, when we look at them with Jesus lenses on.

I particularly like the questions posed in #4.  Go back and read them and use those questions to frame your Bible study.  I think you and I will both be enriched deeply by thinking through those questions.

Item #5 is a really good reminder – that this life after Jesus is only a taste of the future restoration of all things that he promises to bring.  Today isn’t forever.  It is only the first fruits which is a sample of produce brought to give proof of future harvest.  Jesus was the first fruits and he promises to one day bring the full harvest of abundant life and love and light.

*See what I did there?

August 2, 2015August 2, 2015 by joelmorgan4 Categories: Bible Study, Jeremiah Was a Dragon-Man Leave a comment

Jeremiah 23

I like a few verses from Jeremiah 23. Here are my raw, unfiltered thoughts.

Vs 23″  “Am I God who is only near” – this is the LORD’s declaration – “and not a God who is far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places where I cannot see him?” – the LORD’s declaration. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” – the LORD’s declaration

Context: God is speaking through the Prophet Jeremiah about false prophets who have led God’s covenant people astray by their lies, evil behavior, and false prophecies.  Exile is forthcoming.

Yahweh asks rhetorical questions that highlight his imminence (near) and transcendence (far).  Yahweh is not solely near (imminent).  He is not a pagan deity shackled by geographic locations or “responsibilities.”  He is not the Oracle at Delphi nor is he Poseidon, god of the sea, typical pagan deities associated with a place or jurisdiction.  Nor is Yahweh solely transcendent (far) in that he doesn’t intimately know us and our every thought, action, and feeling.  Yahweh is both imminent and transcendent.

Genesis 1 says;

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.

The creation account details Yahweh’s creation and dominion over all elements of this world.  He transcends location because he created geography.  He transcends limited jurisdiction because he imagined and made all roles and responsibilities.

Thus, the answer to “Am I God who is only near” is one that the Israelites should’ve known; “No.”

Because Yahweh is not solely near but is far, we ought to hold highly Yahweh’s sovereignty and stand and worship in AWE of Yahweh.  We ought to study and know his actions and character and uphold what he has told us to uphold.

God is not so far, though, that we can hid ourselves in secret places where he cannot see us.

Psalm 139, written by King David ,says

Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away….  Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord…. Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?….For it was you who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb…all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.

God knows us intimately – every thought, feeling, and action.  God’s nearness can be a source of great comfort or great terror.  God describes himself as a father who delights to give good gifts to his children and we know that he will meet our needs (Matthew 6).  We ought to trust in God’s nearness to uphold justice in our lives and surroundings and to help us in our distress.  I am comforted by this.

Second, like a good father, Yahweh metes out discipline when we disobey him.  I sometimes wonder if God has a perfect life full of love and joy imagined for each of us that can only be experienced through him.  Yet all of us, me especially, eschew this perfect life for one we imagine and desire to make.  We disobey through pride, lust, envy, anger, bitterness, jealousy, idolatry, etc.  Like children, we hide when we know we have disobeyed.  Think about a shy 2 year old – she hides behind her parent’s leg because she doesn’t think the stranger can see her.  We act the same when confronted with our sin.  So, we ought think of God’s nearness with terror. We cannot hide ourselves in secret places where Yahweh cannot see us.  All of our thoughts, actions, and feelings are laid bare before the Creator of all things.  The choice is to repent and be restored to Yahweh or continue to hide and deceive ourselves that he doesn’t see.  But he does and he seeks to restore our broken relationship.

Yahweh fills both the heavens and the earth.  He is both imminent and transcendent, near and far.  Let’s be awed and humbled by his transcendence, his sovereignty.  And let’s be comforted or humbled to repentance by his imminence, his nearness.

June 27, 2015June 27, 2015 by joelmorgan4 Categories: Jeremiah Was a Dragon-Man Leave a comment