Text:
Jeremiah 24:1-10:
1 The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD, after that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem, and had brought them to Babylon.
2 One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
3 Then said the LORD unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.
4 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
5 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.
6 For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
8 And as the evil figs, which cannot be eaten, they are so evil; surely thus saith the LORD, So will I give Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, that remain in this land, and them that dwell in the land of Egypt:
9 And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places whither I shall drive them.
10 And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, till they be consumed from off the land that I gave unto them and to their fathers.
Theme:
The Heart Of The Matter
Introduction:
- The text comes from the Book of Jeremiah, the 2nd of the books of major prophecy in the Old Testament.
- The writer was the prophecy Jeremiah who was appointed by God to be a prophet at an early age as it says in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
- Jeremiah was also known as the weeping prophet for his lamenting two calamities seen in his life:
- One, the death of King Josiah, a respected and revered King of his time
- Two, the sins of the Hebrew children of God, for which God would judge and punish
- The Book of Jeremiah is unique in its organization
- The book can be organized into 23 separate and independent sections arranged into 5 books.
- However, the chapters are not arranged into chronological order.
- The reason for the organization of the book of Jeremiah is not known
- The book can be organized into 23 separate and independent sections arranged into 5 books.
- The text is found in the 7th section of the second book, Reproofs of the sins of the Jews.
- God makes an analogy for Jeremiah to clarify his impending judgment upon the people of Israel. => Good Figs vs. Evil Figs
- They are all Figs that presumably came from the same tree
- They were all God’s Chosen People
- They had all sinned
- The people of Israel were to be judged by God for their wrongdoings. However, not all of them were to suffer punishment.
- God used Babylonian captivity to preserve “Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, and the princes of Judah, with the carpenters and smiths, from Jerusalem” to be the remnant that maintains the covenant with God as His Chosen People
- The rest were left to dwell in the land, endure hardship from the wrath of God, and eventually die off.
- The Good Figs
- Those taken into captivity were represented by the Good Figs
- Set apart, preserved, kept…the best
- Those taken into captivity were represented by the Good Figs
- The Evil Figs
- Those left in the land to dwell and suffer punishment were represented by the Evil Figs
- Left behind, not wanted, bad, could not be eaten
- What we think is “captivity” may be God’s way of “Preservation” and “Protection”
- Those left in the land to dwell and suffer punishment were represented by the Evil Figs
- They are all Figs that presumably came from the same tree
- Within the explanation of the Good Figs, God explains to Jeremiah that those who were taken captive will be cultivated to maintain the covenant with God and be the Chosen People…where the other “Evil Figs” will die out.
- Reminds us of how God weeded out the Children of Israel in the time of Moses by having them wander in the wilderness until all of the generation that came out of Egypt had died off…because of their serving idol Gods in the wilderness.
- GOD WILL JUDGE US FOR OUR WORKS!
- 1 Peter 1:17, “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:”
- Verse 7 of our text specifically highlights the core of God’s Will being wrought.
- God makes an analogy for Jeremiah to clarify his impending judgment upon the people of Israel. => Good Figs vs. Evil Figs
“And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”
- The recurring element of this scripture is what happens with the HEART
- Here lies THE HEART OF THE MATTER!!
Body:
- What is the HEART?
- The HEART = the CONSCIENCE
- No word in Hebrew for CONSCIENCE…HEART takes the place.
- Romans 2:15, “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)”
- “In particular the heart is the place in which the process of self-consciousness is carried out” (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
- The heart itself identifies the man
- No word in Hebrew for CONSCIENCE…HEART takes the place.
- Center of all moral, spiritual, and intellectual life
- Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
- The heart and soul are different
- The Hebrew nephesh (“soul”) is never translated kardia (“heart”)
- SOUL = the internal core of the heart
- the primary influence on the heart
- Is Spiritual
- houses the spirit/Spirit that leads the life
- the heart reflects the contents of the soul
- Proverbs 23:7a, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he….”
- the primary influence on the heart
- The heart and mind are different
- MIND = where the “self” realized in the heart is carried out
- Numbers 16:28, “And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.”
- Can be good or evil…depending on the heart
- Matthew 12:34, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”
- Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
- Manipulates the “things” of this world for the purpose of the heart’s desire
- Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
- Can be good or evil…depending on the heart
- Characteristics of the Heart:
- Is wicked by nature
- Genesis 8:21, “And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.”
- Affects/contaminates the whole of the man (life and character)
- Matthew 15:18, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.”
- Ecclesiastes 8:11, “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”
- Must be changed/regenerated before one can willingly obey God
- We need a NEW HEART to serve God
- Psalms 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
- God will provide a new heart
- Ezekiel 36:26, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
- We need a NEW HEART to serve God
- Is wicked by nature
- The HEART = the CONSCIENCE
- God used the HEART in our text to articulate three vital promises (headings from Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary)
- “That they should be better acquainted with God”
- “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD”
- They needed a NEW HEART
- Only with a NEW HEART can we comprehend, hear, KNOW God
- Only with a NEW HEART can we be truly repentant
- Ezekiel 11:19, “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:”
- They needed a NEW HEART
- “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD”
- “That they should be entirely converted to God”
- “for they shall return unto me with their whole heart”
- God requires ALL
- 2 Chronicles 15:15, “And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about.”
- Psalms 119:2, “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.”
- God requires ALL
- “for they shall return unto me with their whole heart”
- “That thus they should be again taken into covenant with God”
- “they shall be my people, and I will be their God”
- Divine Restoration
- It’s as simple as the Old Testament articulation in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
- We now look to the ultimate Restoration in Isaiah 25:8, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.”
- Divine Restoration
- “they shall be my people, and I will be their God”
- “That they should be better acquainted with God”
- THE HEART OF THE MATTER is in God’s using the HEART to translate and transcend us to Him!
Conclusion:
- We are to experience both Short-term and Long-term restoration
- Short-Term Restoration à Deliverance from captivity
- Psalms 23:4-5, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
- Long-Term Restoration à Qualification for Salvation
- Psalms 23:6, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”
- We must HANG IN THERE!!!
- 2 Timothy 2:3, “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
- Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
- Short-Term Restoration à Deliverance from captivity
- So, through our trials and tribulations we can be blessed!
- Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
- Don’t worry about where you are…KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GONNA BE!!
- Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
HEAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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