Bible Studies
When the Lord Withdraws (Jer. 16:1-9)
Series: Additional StudiesIntroduction:
1. The book of Jeremiah dates to the period between 700 and 600 B.C., immediately before the nation of Judah was taken into Babylonian captivity (1:1-3). 2. The passage that we have just read describes the Lord as “withdrawing His peace” from them. As a result there is only hopelessness.a. There is no joy in looking to the future.
b. The instruction is “do not take a wife or have children.” Those who do will see them die of deadly diseases. They will not be buried but become food for the buzzards.
c. There will be no comfort or consolation. Forget the visitation and funeral. There will be no lamentation. No graciousness. No compassion. Only grief.
d. No voice of the bride. No voice of a bridegroom. The voice of rejoicing and the voice of gladness will be completely removed. Only sorrow, grief and despair remain.
3. Because the Lord has withdrawn His peace from this people. 4. The idea of the Lord withdrawing from His people is a theme evident throughout Scripture. This study surveys some of these instances, notices the consequences and contrasts these with being with the Lord.Discussion:
I. God sometimes withdraws from nations and sometimes from individuals.A. Here in Jer. 16 God has withdrawn from the nation of Judah.
B. In our recent studies in 1 Sam. the Lord was with David, but He had departed from Saul (1 Sa. 16:14; 18:12; 28:15-16).
C. Before that we saw how the Lord departed from Samson (Judges 16:20).
D. In 1 Sam. 4:21-22 Phineas’s wife died giving birth to a son whom she named Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel.”
E. Thus there are multiple examples from our recent studies about the Lord withdrawing from both nations and individuals and the consequences are always devastating.
F. The book of Ezekiel is written after the book of Jeremiah and concerns the period of the Babylonian captivity. In chapter 10 Ezekiel sees a vision of the glory of the Lord departing from the temple (18-19). Thus the captivity itself is a result of the departure of the Lord from the people.
G. There are evidences of the same theme in the N.T. Examples are found in Rev. 2:5 and 3:5 in the threat of the removal of the lampstand from the church at Ephesus and the threat in Sardis of the removal of individual names from the book of life.
H. In Jer. 16 the withdrawal of God’s peace is devastating.
1. It results in death without comfort when God withholds his lovingkindness and compassion.
2. Rejoicing is ended.
3. Calamity results.
4. And captivity.
II. Why would the Lord withdraw from His people and replace life with death? The Lord withdraws His peace, His lovingkindness and compassion from those who forsake Him (Jer. 16:10-13).A. Their problem and its consequence is described in Jer. 14:10-12.
B. The false prophets spoke of peace (Jer. 14:13-16).
C. In graphic language the Lord continues His prediction of judgment (Jer. 15:1-3).
D. The language of other prophets is just as graphic (Ezek. 5:11-17; Hos. 5:6-7).
III. God’s presence and His peace is available to all (Jer. 16:14-21).A. While the Lord brought the nation out of Babylonian captivity this passage looks beyond that event.
1. It looks beyond the exodus from Egypt.
2. It looks beyond the exodus from Babylon. No indication that God’s presence ever returned to the temple in Jerusalem.
B. The Jews of today are still looking for the fulfillment of God’s prediction as they look for a future Messiah. Others like them are looking to the second coming of the Messiah and a kingdom of this world similar to the expectation of the Jews for the fulfillment of God’s prediction.
C. Jesus’ disciples of the first century saw in Him the fulfillment of the restoration promises.
1. Jesus used the imagery of this passage in His selection of the apostles (Matt. 4:19; Mk. 1:17; cf. Jer. 16:16).
2. Their mission was the preaching of peace not just for Israel but also for all nations (Jer. 16:19). This is what Peter preached in Acts 10:36.
3. Isaiah had predicted the coming of the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).
a. Even Gentiles would be included in His kingdom (Isa. 9:1-2).
b. Jesus used this very passage as He initiated His preaching (Matt. 4:12-17). Note again Matt. 4:18ff and the call to be “fishers of men.”
4. Paul reasons forcefully in Eph. 2 from death to Peace with the Father and restoration of the presence of God in a spiritual temple. The message of life and peace is available by means of the cross. In chapter 3 he reasons that this was the eternal purpose of God. In chapter 4 he reasons that we should be diligent to preserve this unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
D. What does it all mean? It means that our mission is to call attention to what happens when the Lord withdraws and it means that our mission is to preach the way of peace through Jesus Christ.
E. The realization that must be faced is that there is a time coming when those who do not obey the gospel will pay the penalty of eternal destruction “away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thess. 1:6-9). In contrast to that believers will “always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17-18).
Conclusion:
1. So what will it be for you? 2. Death without comfort as depicted in Jer. 16? 3. Or the peace associated with the presence of God?
