Jeremiah 52, also Revelation 22, and Matthew 1,v1-17.
The film Oppenheimer, has a number of scenes repeated, especially one involving Strauss – prounced straws – Oppenheimer and Einstein. It is replayed three times, and it is assumed something is happening when there is more than meets the eye.
Jeremiah 52. It can feel like Déjà vu.
If reading Jeremiah, we already read this in Jer 39 – and again. Actually if you were reading through your bible, you’d come across this in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, repeated again. Yet is there more going on – as Strauss did not consider. He thought his views were right…
Frames.
- Jeremiah 52 forms a frame with Jeremiah 1 around the entire scroll / book. Jeremiah 52 – the book reaches its goal. It is deliberately included again.
- Jer 52
- Its themes matches the main content of the book.
- It tells the solemn, sad, serious story of Judah leaving their God, their sin, and the disaster that followed.
- Yet disaster is not Yahweh’s last word.
Consider Jeremiah 1.
*Jeremiah appointed to uproot, tear down, destroy, to build, to plant.
Jer 52. His mission was completed over 40 years of ministry.
Israel is tore down.
Military broken. Scattered.
King taken – sons killed, no line continues, place in prison til he dies.
Land – people – not all – taken in exile. Land lost.
Temple, articles, in depth description –
we heard of how it was built, bit by bit, we hear of how it is tore down bit by bit.
Occupied, destroyed.
It has been suggested, to a Jew, these events were the saddest part of the First Testament.
Yet God has planted something also, but we return to that.
Jer 1. God said went on to say. Foreign kings would come and rule, and judgement would fall on the nation – Jer 52 – it has happened.
Jeremiah.
If Jeremiah 1 and 52 form the frame, then we consider the call on Jeremiah.
Jer 52 is roughly 40 years after his ministry began.
The end of Jer 51 says: the words of Jeremiah end here.
Well, did his words come true, may have been the question of a first time reader.
They do and he is vindicated as a true prophet.
Jer 1. Go to everyone I send you. Say whatever I command you.
Jeremiah – in reflection – we have seen – has been faithful, even if he has not been successful in the eyes of people. He went. He spoke. He was faithful.
I have been more and more moved by the story of Jeremiah in these past months. So many prophets we know so little about. They appear, we have their words but that is it.
And some of the ones, like Ezekiel and Daniel, it all seems to go pretty well and successful – visions, kings becoming believers.
Jeremiah we really get to know. He is a true example.
In a world where there is an obsession with being seen and being seen to be successful, Jeremiah is an example of faithfulness.
God says twice – I am with you, I will rescue you. God will be faithful.
What does it look like for God to be faithful?
Jeremiah asks questions for us to reflect upon – what does it mean, when God says ‘I am with you?’ What does it mean when God says ‘I will rescue you?’
Jeremiah reprogrammes us. God can be with us, yet we can still be in an uncomfortable position.
At the other ends of our bibles, John, receives these incredible visions and experiences – how many of us would have wanted to be in his shoes – and yet, when does it all happen – he is in exile, a pastor without a community, alone… yet who truly experienced God with him…
Jer 1. God will make Jeremiah into a fortified city.
Unlike Jerusalem which was conquered, Jeremiah was not.
A pillar, a wall, to stand – and he did stand – those words actually draw us to the Armour of God – Put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. He did stand…but the day of evil came not once but many times…
Who would he stand against. Against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land – that is , like everyone! The mention of Zedekiah reminds us of the opposition he faced. As God said, against the whole land he stood…
Post Credits Scene
Jer 52, as you come to it, like Straws, you know what is going on, and there is nothing more to see – if you yielded to the temptation to skip reading, or speed read and not think about , in order to get to the next passage on your reading list, then you would miss the Marvel like key end credit scenes which point to something coming… and in this case someone coming.
Jehoiachin is mentioned.
2 Chronicles ends with Cyrus, the return from exile.
2 Kings and Jeremiah end here.
Who is Jehoiachin. A king. A grandson of Josiah.
He was the son of Jehoiakim, who had, enjoyed burning the word of God.
Jehoiachin – 18 year old king who reigns for 3 months. He had surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar when Nebuchadnezzar approached. And he was taken, with others like Ezekiel, to Babylon,–he was unharmed.
37 years later, he is released.
There are comparisons here – Zedekiah, Jer 52 tells us, he would be in prison v11 until he dies., while Jehoiachin experiences relative freedom.
Jehioachin. Jer 52 is not only about judgement occurring, God said Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 1, would build and plant;
Jehoiachin is part of that.
In Jeremiah 30-33 is called the Book of Restoration or Hope in Jeremiah. In that section we hear of the new covenant but also the strong promises of a return to the land, and it is declared that they will have a Davidic king raised up.
The more clearly in Jeremiah 33 – ‘’in those days and at that time I, God, will make a righteous branch sprout from David’s line.’’
Jehoiachin. Zedekiah has no sons, they were brutally killed, what has happened to the line of David, the tree of David.
Jehoiachin. The tree survives, preserved by the Lord God as he preserved Jeremiah.
There is hope – someone will come – the righteous branch will come. The new covenant is coming.
The grandson of Jehoiachin is a person who will be called Zerrubabel.
And then you go to Matthew 1 – where we read of the lineage of Jesus – and there we see it, in the line of descent, Jehoiachin… the Davidic line contd – 14 generations before Jesus birth, there is Jehoiachin.
Jehoiachin points us to Christ.
A Davidic king, who points us to promise of the ultimate King of Kings, as Revelation 22 says – the offspring of David. His first advent – incarnation – his second coming. And Revelation 22 shares that glorious vision of a new Jerusalem. A garden city – with a river and trees and nations, who have been judged in the past – will be healed.
The temple is destroyed in Jer 52, yet in Rev 22, there is no temple for the LORD GOD Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. Ezekiel had a vision of the Lord’s glory leaving the city – and yet Revelation – not only is the glory there, his servants will seen him face to face.
Build, plant. What God is moving towards all the time.
We long for what we see. God is faithful yet perhaps it does not work out as we may expect it.
Yet we still follow in Jeremiah’s footsteps and remain faithful.
We hear the voice – I am coming soon – and we join with the Spirit, the bridge and John, ‘Amen, Come Lord Jesus.’
Shall we pray.