Exchanging glory for worthlessness.

“‘Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all) But my people have exchanged their Glory for worthless idols. Be appalled at this, O heavens, and shudder with great horror’, declares the Lord.”

This announcement expresses something of the Lord’s indignation. Justice is outraged! The most appalling thing imaginable had happened. Jeremiah said you could travel from Cyprus to the mouth of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates and never see anything like this. It had never happened before. No nation had ever changed its gods, even though they were only bits of wood and stone fashioned by human hands.

Even more incredible was the fact that the nation that had done this dreadful thing was the only nation to have known the one and only true God – the God of Creation! He was the God who had created the universe and he had chosen Israel to be a special people, his own servant through whom he would reveal himself, his nature and purposes and his teaching to all nations on earth.

Here was Israel, this special nation in a unique relationship with the one and only true God - and they had actually exchanged their ‘Glory’ for worthless idols. It was unbelievable! All the heavens were appalled and were shuddering with horror.

Altars to Foreign Gods

Idolatry in Jeremiah’s time was everywhere to be seen in the land of Judah. In the countryside under a grove of trees, or on the high places up in the hills and mountains, there were altars to pagan gods. In the villages there were Asherah poles and in the walled cities there were street-corner shrines. Even in the holy city of Jerusalem there were altars to foreign gods within sight of the Temple itself.

No nation had ever changed its gods, let alone exchange the Glory of a unique relationship with the one and only true God for worthless idols.

The people of Jerusalem worshipped openly at these urban sanctuaries, especially at the time of the spring fertility festival. They baked cakes with the image of Astarte, the Babylonian goddess known as the Queen of Heaven. They offered their worship to her because they thought that she was responsible for the power of the Babylonian Empire, whose armies were all-conquering in nation after nation. The Israelites thought that if they paid obeisance to the goddess of Babylon, she would bless them and ensure that they were safe from attack by the Babylonian army.

It seemed to them a logical thing to do, but to Jeremiah it was horrific. He could hardly believe what he was seeing:

The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes of bread for the Queen of Heaven. They pour out drink offerings to other gods to provoke me to anger. But am I the one they are provoking? declares the Lord. Are they not rather harming themselves, to their own shame? (Jer 7:18-19).

Jeremiah and Jesus

Another word tumbled from Jeremiah’s lips as he spread before God the things he was seeing on the streets of Jerusalem and he listened to the outraged indignation of the Lord: “My people have committed two sins: they have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water” (2:13).

Maybe Jesus had these words in his mind when he sat beside a well in Sychar talking to a Samaritan woman. “Whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst.” He said “Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). And on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus repeated that offer to all the people of Jerusalem, declaring that God would give them “streams of living water”, which John says was a promise of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38-39).

Jeremiah saw the Spirit of God as a spring of living water giving new life to all those who put their trust in God and who came into a new and intimate relationship with him.

This is one of the many parallels between the ministry of Jeremiah and that of Jesus. Jeremiah saw the Spirit of God as a spring of living water giving new life to all those who put their trust in God and who came into a new and intimate relationship with him. 500 years later, Jesus would identify this as a promise of the Counsellor – the Spirit of Truth who would be with his disciples for ever. “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said”, he promised (John 14:26).

Promise of Living Water

Springs of the Jordan at Banaias, Israel. See Photo Credits.

Fresh, running water - living water - became a symbol of life for the prophets. At the springs around Mount Hermon, a place known in Jesus’ day as Caesarea Philippi (Banaias today), pure fresh water bubbled up through the rocky ground as it does today.

These are the springs of the River Jordan, which feed the Sea of Galilee. Jesus sat there with his disciples, undoubtedly teaching them about the Father’s utterly dependable, everlasting love for them because of their love for him, and that the Father would send the Holy Spirit to be with them forever.

The Holy Spirit would be like this fresh water bubbling up through the rocks where they were sitting. Pure, clean, fresh and utterly trustworthy without any contaminates; it was constant, unceasing, dependable even in a time of drought - the spring water from Mount Hermon never ceased to flow. It was a beautiful symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The same springs were there in Jeremiah’s day and were honoured by the Psalmist who saw the dew of Mount Hermon falling upon Mount Zion (Ps 133).

Fresh, running water - living water - became a symbol of life for the prophets.

Tragic Rejection

The tragedy that Jeremiah was crying out about was that this wonderful spring of everlasting fresh water – the Spirit of the Living God – that had been given freely to the people of Israel, had been rejected wilfully by them. They had exchanged the spring of pure fresh water for stale, lukewarm, dirty, infected water in cisterns they had dug for themselves – broken cisterns that leaked and would probably run dry when they needed water most! How could they be so utterly stupid?

But is not this exactly what we have done in the Western nations that have had the Gospel for centuries, and where our entire civilisations have been built upon Judeo-Christian biblical principles and values? In a single generation we have destroyed the foundations of our society. We have exchanged the Glory of God for worthless idols of humanism and paganism!

We worship at the shrines of labour-saving gadgets, hedonistic pleasure and material wealth. We are just as stupid as the people in Jeremiah’s day who baked cakes for the goddess of fertility and rejected the word of the Living God.

God withdrew his covering of protection as Jeremiah warned that he would, and Jerusalem was destroyed along with all its great buildings, including the Temple. Is not this a warning for us today?

This article is part of a series. Click here to read other instalments.

The Prophet's message for our times.

The first in a new series looking at the lives and ministries of the Old Testament prophets, particularly in light of our situation in Britain today.

Jeremiah lived in a time of great turbulence, on both the international and the domestic scenes. Internationally, three great empires, Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon, were vying for dominance, while on the domestic front Jeremiah saw the reigns of five kings, bitter political rivalries and moral and spiritual decay.

In the 22 years from the death of Josiah in 608 BC to the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC, four kings reigned in Jerusalem, none of whom were godly men. Two of the four, Jehoiahaz and Jehoiachin each only reigned three months, while Jehoiakim and Zedekiah each reigned 11 years. The two short reigns were each the result of military conquest.

From One Tragedy to the Next

Josiah was killed in battle at Megiddo when the Egyptian army was passing through the territory of Judah en route to face the Assyrians. Josiah foolishly decided to oppose them, despite the fact that the Egyptians had said that they had no quarrel with Judah.

He lost his life in an entirely unnecessary battle and was succeeded by Jehoiahaz who, only three months later, was taken in captivity to Egypt. This was following the surrender of Jerusalem and the payment of crippling amounts of gold and silver, none of which would have happened if Josiah had not intervened in a dispute between the two empires.

The history of Judah, from that moment, went from one tragedy to the next until the final decimation of all its towns and cities and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army in 586 BC. Jeremiah was in Jerusalem throughout this time, witnessing each stage of the national tragedy. This is reflected in the account of his ministry recorded in the book that bears his name in the Bible.

Jeremiah lived in a time of great turbulence, on both the international and the domestic scenes.

Vassal Kingdom

Following Jehoiahaz’s short reign, Jehoiakim was appointed by the Egyptians, whose power was greatly weakened later on in the Battle of Carchemish in 605 BC. This had involved all three empires, with Babylon emerging as the strongest power. Judah was seen as a vassal of Egypt, which drew the wrath of Babylon. As their army approached Jerusalem in 598 BC, Jehoiakim died (or was assassinated).

He was succeeded by his 18-year-old son Jehoiachin, who reigned just three months until Jerusalem surrendered to Babylon in the spring of 597 BC. He was taken captive to Babylon, together with many thousands of the leading citizens of the land plus most of Judah’s army and the most valuable articles from the temple (2 Kings 24).

Terrible Destruction Foretold

Then, Zedekiah was put on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah was a weak and foolish man who sought to enter into a conspiracy with the surrounding nations of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon – fiercely opposed by Jeremiah in chapter 27.

It was this act of treachery by Zedekiah, who had sworn allegiance to Babylon in the name of Yahweh, God of Israel, that enraged Nebuchadnezzar and caused him to come back ten years after the surrender of Jerusalem and this time decimate the whole land. He destroyed towns and villages, raped the countryside and laid siege to Jerusalem causing great suffering to the people, until the city fell in July 587 BC.

Most of the remaining citizens and many from the land were taken to Babylon in the second Exile. The great walls of Jerusalem were torn down; the Temple and the Palace and most of the great buildings were destroyed. Zedekiah’s family were murdered in front of him, then his eyes were gouged out and he was taken to Babylon as the prize exhibit in Nebuchadnezzar’s victory parade.

Jeremiah had foretold all these terrible events, more than once telling Zedekiah what his personal fate would be. But none of these things would have happened if the word of the Lord had been obeyed.

None of the terrible events foretold by Jeremiah would have happened if the word of the Lord had been obeyed.

Similarities with Today

If king and people had been willing to humble themselves and to put their trust in the Lord, they would have been preserved from destruction. God would have found a way of working out his purposes among the nations while preserving and protecting his own covenant people, among whom he had established his name and through whom it was his intention to reveal himself to the pagan nations.

It was God’s intention to use Babylon as part of his purposes so that for 70 years they would dominate the region. After that time, God would deal with the Babylonians themselves for their cruelty and arrogance, as Jeremiah records in 25:11-12. The Exile lasted until Cyrus the Persian overthrew the Babylonian Empire and took Babylon in 538 BC, when the people of Judah were released to return to their land and rebuild Jerusalem.

But the Exile would never have happened if the word of the Lord through Jeremiah had been heeded.

Forewarning

Jeremiah claimed that God had revealed to him the threat from Babylon and he gave clear warning of what would happen: “This is what the Lord says: Look, an army is coming from the land of the north [Babylon]; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth. They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, O Daughter of Zion” (Jer 6:22-23).

Jeremiah also knew that it was no use relying on either Egypt or Assyria to protect them from Babylon. He said “Now why go to Egypt to drink water from the Shihor? And why go to Assyria to drink water from the River? Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realise how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me, declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty” (Jer 2:18-19).

Sadly, the politicians, the religious leaders and the people ignored the prophet among them, continuing in idolatry and turning their backs upon the word of the Lord. In one sentence Jeremiah describes the spiritual condition of the nation: “Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore off your bonds; you said, ‘I will not serve you!’ Indeed, on every high hill and under every spreading tree you lay down as a prostitute” (Jer 2:20). Jeremiah knew that by turning their backs upon God, both leaders and people had put themselves outside the Lord’s protection.

Jeremiah knew that by turning their backs upon God, both leaders and people had put themselves outside the Lord’s protection.

Nevertheless, Jeremiah continued throughout his 40 years’ ministry in Jerusalem to call for repentance and returning to God as the only way, both to national safety and to salvation. He was still calling for repentance when the Babylonian army was surrounding the walls of Jerusalem, because he knew that repentance would immediately bring the forgiveness, restoration and protection of God. He knew that God had the power to send a plague through the enemy army overnight, as he had done in the time of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:35). But Jeremiah’s warnings were not heard or heeded.

This is the tragedy that history records - and this is why the Book of Jeremiah has great significance for the Western nations in the world today. They, like Israel, have had biblical truth for many generations and, like Zedekiah, have conspired with one another to reject the truth and follow other gods and philosophies and cultures, to their own harm.

In studying the Book of Jeremiah, we can see many similarities with modern history. This is why we are undertaking this study on Prophecy Today UK.

Next week we will begin our study of the ministry of Jeremiah by looking at his calling and some of his early words.

This article is part of a series. Click here to read other instalments.

Edmund Heddle looks at the role of prophecy in spiritual warfare, using the example of Deborah.

The story of the prophetess Deborah told in prose in Judges 4 and in poetry in Judges 5 illustrates the role of the prophet within the people of God in times of both peace and war. The study is particularly appropriate at a time when the rise of personal prophecy needs to be balanced by according prophecy its proper place in the church's call to spiritual warfare.

It is true that, from time to time, God is pleased to reveal his purpose and guidance to individual believers, though this is likely to occur only occasionally through prophecy. Guidance is more likely to come through study of the scriptures, by the voice of the Spirit, through the teaching of God's ministers, and by the counsel and encouragement of other Christians. By contrast, every stage of spiritual warfare needs to be directed prophetically, as we shall see from our study of Deborah.

Deborah's Prophetic Ministry in Peace-time

Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading (or, more correctly, 'judging') Israel at that time. She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came to her to have their disputes decided (Jud 4:4-5).

Deborah's name means 'bee'. She was obviously 'busy' and industrious. She brought sweetness into many situations as the Spirit of God enabled her to unravel tangled relationships. On the other hand, she could inflict a sharp sting to those who were acting unfairly or selfishly. Her husband's name means 'flaming torch', so she obviously had the blessing of a man who wielded the torch of truth. For some time, she had sat regularly under the palm which by now had taken her name and which had become an open-air court of justice. She did not conduct her ministry in secret but allowed everyone access to her presence. In this way she had won for herself universal respect throughout Israel and was acknowledged as a "mother in Israel" (Jud 5:7).

Deborah conducted her ministry of justice in the open, public arena, winning for herself universal respect.

There is still need today for those who can exercise the gift of prophecy in a counselling situation. The gifts of wisdom and knowledge make it possible to get to the heart of the trouble, and this without the lengthy psychotherapy of earlier days.

Israel's Deteriorating Situation

The idyllic scene at Deborah's palm tree was not to last very much longer. After the death of an earlier judge, Ehud, the Israelites (as was their bent) turned from Yahweh to idols, from God's ways to do what was right in their own eyes (Jud 2:11, 3:12, 41, 6:1 and 10:6, see also Jud 17:6 and 21:25).

Because of this apostasy the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, a Canaanite king who reigned in Hazor. He had at his disposal 900 iron chariots, an armoury that must have terrified Deborah's fellow countrymen. In her song (Jud 5) Deborah tells of the time when "the roads were abandoned" and travellers had to take to by-ways, a time when "village life in Israel ceased" and no longer was it possible to consult Deborah about their problems (Jud 5:6-8). It was a time when, to face Jabin's chariots, Israel was unable to rustle up even shield or spear to arm its 40,000 soldiers (1 Sam 13:19).

After 20 years of cruel oppression, the Israelites cried out to the Lord for succour. By way of answer the Spirit began to stir within Deborah. Where would we be today without devout women in all church groupings, women who are grieved at the state of the church; the idolatry, the immorality, the occult practices and the proud confidence of those who really believe they can cope without prayer and the spiritual gifts? There is no hope for our own deteriorating situation unless we take spiritual warfare seriously and learn its elements from the Deborah story, lessons that Christian men as well as women need to learn.

Where would we be today without devout women who are grieved at the state of the church and know how to take spiritual warfare seriously?

Deborah's Prophetic Ministry in Time of War

First let us note that Deborah did not presume to command the Israelite army herself. She waited on God until he revealed the commander of his choice. Then, reads the inspired record, "She sent for Barak [his name means 'lightning' or a flashing sword] from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, 'The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor'" (Jud 4:6).

In this incident Deborah was acting as God's mouthpiece. Just as in time of peace she had used the prophetic gift to counsel God's people, so now as Israel prepared to go to war she was able to hear what God had to say and was quick to pass on to Barak what she had heard. We should note that God's brief through Deborah to Barak is highly detailed:

1. Barak, son of Abinoam, his name meaning 'Father of Pleasantness', was God's choice to be Israel's military commander.
2. He was told the number of troops he was to recruit: "ten thousand men" (Jud 4:6).
3. He was told the tribes from which he was to select them: "of Naphtali and Zebulun" (Jud 4:6).
4. He was told the place where he was to rendezvous: "lead the way to Mt Tabor" (Jud 4:6).
5. He was told the battle-plan God had designed: "I will lure Sisera...with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon river" (Jud 4:7).
6. He was given the promise of complete victory: "I will give him into your hands" (Jud 4:7).
7. He was given the day to march forth against the enemy (Jud 4:14): "This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands."
8. He was given the assurance that God had gone ahead (Jud 4: 14).

Barak's Insistence That Deborah Must Go with Him

All this vital tactical information was given to him by Deborah, who had first received it from the Lord. Some commentators have been critical of Barak who, in response to his commission, replied, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me I won't go" (Jud 4:8). Others have labelled him a coward. But surely his caution was sensible? He had learned a lesson, one the church needs to learn today. It is folly to imagine that the spiritual battle can be won by human ability or academic qualifications alone. We need to remember the explanation given by Jesus to his disciples when he said, "This kind can come out only by prayer" (Matt 17:21) (some manuscripts add "and fasting").

How important it is for today's church to ask that an abundance of Deborahs be raised up who can hear what God is saying and then pass on his battle orders! I fear that often we fail to discover God's combat briefing, and then wonder why so little has been accomplished despite all our efforts.

How important is it for today's church to ask that an abundance of Deborahs be raised up who can hear what God is saying and pass on his battle orders!

Responding to our Commission to Overthrow the Principalities

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm" (Eph 6:12)

There was a response to the Lord's call to his people in the time of Deborah. There were some who delighted Deborah (and the Lord himself) by willingly offering themselves for the work. She commenced her song with the words, "When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves - praise the Lord!" A few stanzas further on she comes back to the joy of finding volunteers: "My heart is with Israel's princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!" (Jud 5:2 and 9).

Further still in their victory song, Deborah and Barak record their appreciation of help received from other tribes within Israel, and comment on those who did not heed the call.

1. The tribes that mustered at the call

Help came from Ephraim and Benjamin, while a group of captains came from Makir (a branch of the tribe of Manasseh that had settled west of the Jordan). A group of men, each carrying a commander's staff, came from Zebulun. The princes of Issachar (the tribe that "knew the signs of the times") are twice mentioned for their support of Deborah and for rushing into the valley with Barak (Jud 5:14-15).

2. The tribes that risked their lives to be there

Two of the tribes, Zebulun and Naphtali, risked their lives as they took position on the heights of the battlefield (Jud 5:18). Their bravery received special mention.

3. The tribes that found excuses and failed to turn up

Reuben was the tribe that could not make up its mind. As the New English Bible renders the verse, "He was split into factions." According to the Good News Bible, "The tribe of Reuben was divided, they could not decide whether to come" (Jud 5:5-1). Deborah asks, but does not answer, the question posed in her song: "Why did you stay among the camp-fires to hear the whistling for the flocks?".

Reuben had the reputation of being unstable (Gen 49:4). He could not decide who should go or, if they did go, who should lead. So in the end no one went from Reuben. Other tribes lived some way away and did not want to get involved. Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. Dan lingered with his ships. Asher sat unmoved by the seaside, with its creeks and coves.

4. The tribe that was cursed for failing to help

We do not know why the tribe or clan of Meroz is singled out for special condemnation, but it is cursed by the angel of the Lord himself. The reason given is simply that they "did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty" (Jud 5:23). No one knows who or what Meroz was and there is no other mention of the name in the Bible. Like the fig-tree which was also cursed by the Lord himself (Mark 11:12 and 21), their failure to respond to the call was visited by divine displeasure.

Jael is called 'blessed' because she seized her opportunity and dispatched the cruel tyrant Sisera with tent-peg and hammer (Jud 5:26). Deborah is careful, in commending those who turned up to help so willingly, to remember that the praise must go to Jehovah, the God of Moses, and to him alone. "Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the Lord, I will sing; I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel" (Jud 5:3).

Deliverance at the River Kishon

The river Kishon, whose name means 'winding', was normally a meandering stream. But it was to this river that God said he would lure Sisera, the Canaanite commander, with his chariots and troops (Jud 4:7). From Deborah's song we can see that the event had a parallel to God's action in Moses' day: "O Lord, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water" (Jud 5:4-5).

As well as extensive flooding there was also frightening activity in the sky: "From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera" (Jud 5:20). A catastrophic cloud-burst changed the Kishon into a raging torrent. Many chariots were swept away and the rest were bogged down in the mud. Up to his waist in mud, Sisera had to abandon his chariot and seek whatever protection could be found on such a night. But his fate was already sealed by the prophetic word that Deborah had received and passed on to Barak.

The Prophetic Word in Spiritual Warfare

There are valuable lessons to be learned from this account of the prophetess Deborah. The church is committed to continuous conflict with powers of darkness, and we have every reason to believe the conflict will escalate the nearer we get to the coming of the Lord.

The church is committed to continuous conflict with the powers of darkness – and so we have valuable lessons to learn from the account of the prophetess Deborah.

Church leaders need to understand and accept the valuable part that men and women must play in this kind of warfare. They need to encourage co-operation between the regular on-going ministry and the occasional spiritual gift such as prophecy. Finally, they should remember that we need never be afraid to follow where Christ is leading us. There may be temporary problems and set-backs, but victory is certain. All the time we follow his prophetic direction we shall find that the weather itself will fight for us.

Discover the place of prophecy in leading God's army into action, and how thrilling his service can be when we learn to take God's prophetic word seriously.

First published in Prophecy Today, Vol 6 No 6, November/December 1990.