Gleanings from Jeremiah

Below is but a small measure of revelation that my father had received from the Lord. I hope this will be a blessing to you. All that is written below are the words of my father.

September 29, 2021

In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023

In this message I want to share with you a few gleanings from the book of Jeremiah, which is the longest book in the Bible. We know about Jeremiah's personal life and struggles in a greater depth and detail than those of any other Old Testament prophet. We must emphasize that all the events as recorded in Jeremiah are much more than simply an historical event. We must see the significance for us today of the divine principles in this book. However, it is not enough to see those divine principles. We must also apply those principles in our daily walk with the Lord. 

The Lord sent some prophets to prophesy to Israel and others to prophesy to Judah. That, of course, was the grace and mercy of God, not wanting any of His people to miss the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. It is not a question of being saved and going to heaven one day. The Lord has much more in mind for each of us. Whatever we read in the Old Testament is given for our example that we might learn thereby. 1 Corinthians 10:6 and at least five other verses affirm that truth.

A repeat process is ongoing in the Church today. The Lord has raised up a few Jeremiahs today, speaking the same message that Jeremiah spoke many long years ago. The message has not changed because human nature never changes. The word of God has never changed. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. There is nothing new under the sun. Therefore, we should be changing every day.

Jeremiah, Chapter 1.

1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

The name, "Jeremiah" means "exalted of God." Jeremiah was born a priest, the son of Hilkiah, of the line of Abiathar, but he was called to the prophetic office by a divine decree. "Hilkiah" means "the Lord is our protector." Jeremiah came from the priestly town of Anathoth, which means "answered prayers." Anathoth was actually in the land of Benjamin, but the ministry of Jeremiah was to Judah, which, scripturally, speaks of the charismatic community over all of time. Although Scripture does not tell us his mother's name, I believe very strongly that either Jeremiah's mother or his grandmother was a real intercessor who prayed earnestly for the birth and future ministry of Jeremiah. That intercession was a part of his being apprehended, just as with Hannah and Samuel.

Back to Verse 2 of Jeremiah, chapter 1. 

2 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.

4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

Note that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah. We do not search out His word and thereby find it. The Holy Spirit of God must reveal to us the meaning and application of His word to us. Then it is our responsibility to walk in that revealed word. The word of the Lord likewise came to the great prophet Samuel. He did not comprehend at first, but the Lord was persistent. Samuel then said, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."

Verse 5 of 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."

Verse 5 speaks of the sovereignty of God. That Verse may shake our doctrine a little, but the Lord sanctified Jeremiah before he saw the light of day. Note that the Lord formed Jeremiah in the womb, the Lord knew Jeremiah before he was conceived, the Lord sanctified Jeremiah, and the Lord ordained him to be a prophet to the nations. All was done by the Lord. Jeremiah never went to any kind of school in order to become a prophet. He had no educational degrees. He went through the same school that Peter, James, and John went to ... the school of the Spirit of God.

Verse 6 of Jeremiah 1 describes a great principle for every Christian. 

6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.

Jeremiah said he could not speak for he was a child. Jeremiah was about 30 years of age when the Lord called him ... the same age when Jesus began His earthly ministry. That is certainly old enough to be able to speak. Verse 6 therefore speaks of the humility that had already been worked within him. Jeremiah just appears on the scene, much like the great prophet Elijah. We know almost nothing about the first 29 years of his life. However, we know that he did not instantly become a great man of God. No one does that. Only the Lord knows what happened in Jeremiah's life to bring him to the point where the Lord could use him. The Lord will rarely use a vessel that is ego-centric or full of pride. Moses, after 40 years of dying to self and even dying to his vision of freeing the Jews from captivity and bondage, exhibited that same humility. Moses said, "I am not eloquent ... but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue" (Exodus 4:10). 2 Corinthians 10:10 says of the Apostle Paul that, "his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." Every great man recorded in the Bible who was called by God had that same humility worked within them. That principle has never changed and is independent of time.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29. 

26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;

28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

29 That no flesh should glory in His presence.

Verse 28 is somewhat of an enigma. What are "things which are not"? The spiritual realm is just as real (and much more permanent) as the natural realm. In the Greek language, many words are translated as "not." The "not" in Verse 28 expresses that which is worthless and below contempt. 

Isaiah 40:17, "All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity?" 

It is certainly true that God uses things which are not seen to bring to nought things that are seen.

Verse 8 of Jeremiah 1.

8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.

I remember the time, when I was teaching at a Catholic university, an occasion that I needed to talk with an administrative person, who turned out to be a very strong Catholic young woman. Somehow the conversation evolved to a point when I said that I was not a Catholic. She said, "One day God will bring you back into the fold." When I assured her that would never happen, I have never seen so much hate in the eyes of anyone. I think that if she had a gun and murder was legal, she would have killed me.

Verse 9 of Jeremiah 1.

9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth.

Jeremiah 1:1 speaks of "the words of Jeremiah," but they were the words of the Lord, as confirmed in Jeremiah 1:9. This parallels the experience of Isaiah in Isaiah, Chapter 6.

Verse 10 of Jeremiah, chapter 1.

10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

Note that the four "negatives" come first ... root out, pull down, destroy, and throw down. In reality, there is NOTHING negative about the Word of God. The Truth is never negative. That which man, even Christian man, has built must come down before the building and planting can occur. Building and planting will come sovereignly and through true apostolic and prophetic ministry (Ephesians 2:20) as the Lord builds His Church.

And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. Nehemiah 4:10

No one can build anything on rubbish; there would be no firm foundation. Therefore, the rubbish must be cleared away before building can begin. It will take no less than the giant bulldozer of the Lord to clear away all of the rubbish in charismatic churches today. No man can do that. The bearers of burdens are intercessors, whose strength today is decayed.

Did Jeremiah fulfill Verse 10? NO! But Jeremiah did speak forth the word of God which set things in motion to root out, pull down, destroy, throw down, and to build and plant. The word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. His word never returns to Him void and accomplishes that for which it is sent. The Lord will never give anyone a ministry or a function to perform unless He also gives us the power to do that which He says.

Jeremiah was an imperfect type of Christ. Both were accused of political treason, tried, persecuted, and imprisoned. Both were rejected by their own. Both foretold and wept over Jerusalem. Jeremiah stood alone as God's spokesman. He lived a life of solitude (15:17), and he had no wife (16:2). His message was unheeded. He was humiliated, persecuted, slandered, and he experienced grief... all for speaking that which the Lord told him to say. Jeremiah was consumed with the will of God. Would that all of the Lord's people had that same passion for the Person of the Lord that His will might be done, that He might be glorified.

In Jeremiah 20:7-9, the prophet said,

7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.

8 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily.

9 Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.

Jeremiah prophesied 40 years and never made one convert. Not one person ever believed Jeremiah concerning the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the exile. Scripture records only four friends of Jeremiah: Ahikam, Gedaliah, Baruch, his secretary, and Ebed-Melech. Ahikam and Gedaliah both had been made governors of Judah after the exile by the king of Babylon. Both were used by the Lord to spare Jeremiah's life before his ministry was completed. Ebed-Melech, which means servant of the king, likewise risked his own life to save Jeremiah from sure death in a pit. We have previously shared that event from Jeremiah 38 in a message titled "Wounded Healers." It is easy for a prophet to become somewhat discouraged when no one believes him. However, we are called only to hear, speak, and do what the Holy Spirit tells us. The results are never our responsibility.

Jeremiah, the man, and his message were one. That was not unique with him. He did not merely speak FOR God; he identified with Him and with His message. He did not merely speak TO the people; he identified with them. (14:7) Jeremiah loved the people of Judah in spite of their sins, and like all true intercessors, he prayed for them, even though the Lord told him 3 times not to pray for the people (Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11).

In Jeremiah 1, starting at Verse 11, the Lord asked Jeremiah twice, "What seest thou? or what do you see?" In the past 50 years, the Lord has taken me to many churches, not for me to say anything, but rather that the Lord asked me, "What do you see?" I have seen a spirit of democracy, a self-seeking spirit, a spirit of materialism, traditions of men, complacency, lack of vision, lack of discernment, division, entertainment, pride, and yes, even idolatry, which have permeated the charismatic churches in America and greatly affected believers. False doctrines abound, particularly the faith and prosperity teachings that thrill the flesh but anger the Lord. None of those spirits or ego-centric attitudes should have any place in Christianity. Today, the watered-down Gospel is big business. Indeed, it is the best form of entertainment around! I have seen a few Sunday "sermons" that would rival a Broadway play. I have seen charismatic preachers prance around a platform as if to say, "Look at me!"

Today's charismatic breed of evangelistic showmanship never ceases to amaze the world with its Hollywood dress and Broadway appearance. Gospel music is big business! probably billions of dollars a year. Many years ago I heard some Christian music which I thought was so good that I bought twenty copies of the record and gave them away to some folks in our Christian fellowship. A few years later, as we were visiting my mother in North Carolina, we went to a concert in a nearby city where that same well-known musical group was performing. The music and singing were still good. But they might as well have made big signs and hung them on their necks saying, "Look at us!" because their pride and egos came shining through.

It has been said that the steps to the spiritual downfall of Christian groups during the ages have always followed this cycle: (1) Revelation; (2) Inspiration; (3) Evangelization; (4) Organization; (5) Education; and (6) Stagnation, with this generally happening in less than one generation.

Some 65 years ago William Branham prophesied of the coming entertainment in Christian circles. We are aware, through a brother who was a close personal friend of William Branham that, (quote)

"He [Branham] was particularly sharp in his insight and understanding of future events as well as of those personalities and organizations that would bring terrible confusion, mixture, and impurity to the body of Christ through religious programming, networking, television, Christian entertainment and music with a contemporary beat." (end quote)

That was and is a true word of prophecy.

Verse 16 of Jeremiah 1. 

16 And I will utter My judgments against them [God's people] touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken Me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.

Verse 17 is the second time in Chapter 1 that the Lord told Jeremiah not to be afraid of their [the people of God] faces. Any time the Lord repeats Himself, that is very important. Why did the Lord repeat that charge? because human nature is such that we all like to be accepted by our peers. The flesh of no human being likes for other people to show displeasure with us. Jesus said, in Luke 6:26,

Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10

That does not mean that our motivation is to deliberately try to displease men. Rather, our motivation must always be to please the Lord. For we are created for His pleasure, not for the purpose of pleasing men.

Verse 18 of Jeremiah, chapter 1.

18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.

Note the sovereignty of God. The Lord told Jeremiah that He had made him a defenced city, an iron pillar, and brazen walls. This is one of hundreds of Scriptures that cannot be interpreted in the natural realm.

Verse 19 of Jeremiah, chapter 1.

19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.

The Lord plus one person is much mightier than 100,000 men. Note also that the Lord warned Jeremiah that God's own people would fight against him. I am sure it is not a very pleasant scenario for any believer to be fought against (spiritually) by other believers. Here is another good example of the grace and mercy of God ... to warn Jeremiah what will happen when he prophesies to his own people. Sometimes, depending upon the severity of the situation at hand, the Lord will likewise warn us of the reactions of men toward His word. That is true scripturally, historically, and experientially.

Jeremiah 2:22 says, "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" 

That does not mean that we should become a hermit and never associate with men anymore. It means that we must always follow the Lord, not a man, not even a godly man. The breath of man is in his nostrils, but the breath of God is His Spirit.

The Lord was so angry with backsliding Judah that He said 15 different times in the Book of Jeremiah that He would consume His chosen people "by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence." That is still going on today. Jeremiah was called to the sad task of announcing the destruction of the kingdom of Judah, which had been thoroughly corrupted during the reign of Manasseh.

Now let us consider a few other significant verses in the Book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 3:11, "And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah."

Israel speaks of those in denominational churches. Judah speaks of those in charismatic churches.

From Jeremiah 18, 

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear My words.

3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.

4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

  

10 Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee,

11 And shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury. 

Jeremiah 19:10-11

Tophet means the "place of burning," a location very near Jerusalem in the Gehenna, which means a place of torment or suffering or hell, where worshipers influenced by the ancient Canaanite religion engaged in the human sacrifice of children to the gods Moloch and Baal by burning them alive. Today, millions of unborn babies are killed through abortion.

Jeremiah 6:10, "To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it."

Jeremiah 8:7, "Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but my people know not the judgment of the LORD.

Jeremiah 12:5, "If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?"

Jeremiah 29:13, "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

Jeremiah is commonly referred to as the weeping prophet and a prophet of doom, whereas the false prophets prophesied of peace and safety. Today, many folks laughingly and mockingly refer to those they call prophets of doom. Nothing has changed. Judgment is one of the pervasive themes in his writings. But he was careful to point out that repentance, if sincere, would postpone the inevitable. His message of submission to Babylon and his message of "life as usual" for the exiles of the early deportation branded him as a traitor in the eyes of many.

Actually, his warning against rebellion marked him as a true patriot, a man who loved his fellow countrymen too much to stand by silently and watch them destroy themselves. By warning the people to submit and not rebel, Jeremiah was revealing God's will to them, which is always the best counsel under any circumstances. In contrast to being a prophet of doom, Jeremiah, Chapters 30 through 33 consist of a message of consolation and restoration. We could call those chapters a "book of comfort," which is placed in the middle to emphasize his message of hope.

Jeremiah 30:7, "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it."

Jeremiah 31:28-34 

28 And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the LORD.

29 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge.

30 But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.

God is very much concerned about individual people and their accountability to Him. The undeniable relationship between sin and its consequences, so visible to Jeremiah as he watched his beloved Judah in her death throes, contributed to make him a fiery preacher of righteousness. His oracles have lost none of their truth and power with the passing of the centuries. 

31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Jeremiah 33:3, 10-11.

3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

10 Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say shall be desolate without man and without beast, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast,

11 The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for His mercy endureth for ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.

Every professing Christian is familiar with 2 Chronicles 7:14, where the Lord says, 

"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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 

We like to quote that verse to other Christians. Unfortunately, too many Christians seem to believe that verse applies to those Christians over there, not to me. Is our land healed today? If not, why not? Amen.