Jeremiah 5

KingComments

‹ Chapter 4 Jeremiah — All Chapters Chapter 6 ›

Jeremiah 5:2

Israel Will Blossoms

The extermination of the anti-Christian powers by Christ at His second coming, described in the previous chapter, will be followed by what is described in this chapter: the realm of peace. After the storms of judgment now follows the invigorating calmness of blessing, yes, its full joy (Isaiah 35:10). Isaiah’s heart will have been beating faster as in spirit he looks ahead and describes this time. The New Testament calls it the time when creation will be freed from its slavery to corruption (Romans 8:21).

Unlike the desolation of Edom, the land of Israel will blossom like a crocus (Isaiah 35:1). As desolate and empty as Edom shall be, so glorious is what the LORD brings about in the land of promise. As the land of Edom becomes a desert, the desert of Israel turns into a blossoming garden. The glory of the LORD and the majesty of God will be revealed in the fertility of the land as a result of the ruling righteousness (Isaiah 35:2).

Slack hands will be strengthened, buckling knees will become firm (Isaiah 35:3). The writer of the letter to the Hebrews encourages the Hebrews with this verse, and also us, when things sometimes seem to get too much for us, when we are in danger of losing courage and giving up hope that the Lord and His kingdom will come (Hebrews 12:12). If in faith we turn our gaze again to what has been promised to us, our limp hands will start again to work for the Lord and our knees will become firm again, determined to go the way of following the Lord Jesus.

Fear will be banished (Isaiah 35:4). The vengeance of their God over their enemies will be followed by final salvation. “Behold, your God” applies to the Messiah. The Messiah Who comes is God (Isaiah 40:9). He will both judge the enemies and bless the remnant. The blind and deaf will be healed (Isaiah 35:5). The lame will leap and the mute will sing (Isaiah 35:6).

Although they will not have glorified bodies, they will have recovered, healthy bodies, for sickness must give way in the realm of peace. That does not only concern physical healing. Also spiritually, Israel, the blind and deaf servant of the LORD (Isaiah 42:19), will be healed by the Messiah, Who is the perfect Servant of the LORD (Matthew 12:17-21).

At His first coming, during His life on earth, the Lord Jesus shows the foreshadowing of this, when He opens the eyes of the blind and makes the deaf hear. These wonders are proof that He is the promised Messiah (Matthew 11:4-6). He is the Messiah, even though He does not yet assume world domination because the people reject Him. The wonders He does are “the powers of the age to come” (Hebrews 6:5), that is the millennial realm of peace, in which those powers belong. The wonders that the Lord does refer to that. They are a foretaste of that time. That is what Isaiah describes here. He uses the word “then”, which refers to that time. These wonders are not characteristic for the church.

The terrible situations of sorrow in the great tribulation will give way to the glory of God in the happiness of His redeemed. The wilderness, the scorched land, the thirsty ground, it will all and entirely become fruitful (Isaiah 35:7). Nature will reap the benefits of the disappearance of the spiritual and human hostile powers and of the presence of the glory of the LORD and His earthly and heavenly people.

Jeremiah 5:3

Israel Will Blossoms

Jeremiah 5:4

Israel Will Blossoms

Jeremiah 5:5

Israel Will Blossoms

Jeremiah 5:6

Israel Will Blossoms

Jeremiah 5:7

Israel Will Blossoms

Jeremiah 5:8

Israel Will Blossoms

Jeremiah 5:9

The Highway of Holiness

The roadway by which God’s people are enabled to interact and communicate with one another will be sanctified to the LORD (Isaiah 35:8). It is a roadway like the highway on which other nations will also walk, a roadway that runs through the wilderness to Israel (Isaiah 19:23). It is not possible to go astray or not understand one another. There is only a “Highway of Holiness” on which no unclean person can walk. It is the roadway that leads to Jerusalem.

The roadway in the presence of God is always the roadway of holiness. In that day, when the hearts of men have returned to the LORD, He will lead them to Himself by the Highway of Holiness, to Mount Zion, where His throne will be established and from where His law will go over the whole earth.

That roadway is also a picture of the Lord Jesus. For us He is the way to the Father (John 14:6), to have fellowship with Him. Through Him we, New Testament believers, will be eternally in the presence of the Father in the Father’s house.

He is also for His earthly people the only way to all earthly blessings they will enjoy in the realm of peace. This roadway is only for those who have fellowship with God, in their hearts “are the highways” (Psalms 84:5). Similarly, in the new Jerusalem there is only one street, “the street” of “pure gold” (Revelation 21:21b). There, too, it will be impossible for anything unholy or unclean to come there, nor will it be possible to wander or do anything that contradicts God’s glory, of which gold is a picture.

There will be nothing that can be dangerous for the redeemed because they walk in obedience (Isaiah 35:9; cf. 1 Kings 13:21-24; Judges 14:5). He is only for the redeemed. They walk the roadway of blessing that the human beings of the past have always wanted to build in the history of the world. All these efforts have caused nothing but misery because everything is based on selfishness and abuse of power. No civilization has been able to eradicate war and disease, despite all the peace conferences and treaties. Only Christ can and will bring order. His return is the only and certain hope for lasting peace.

Jeremiah 5:10

The Highway of Holiness

Jeremiah 5:11

The Ransomed of the LORD

The section concludes with a promise repeated in Isaiah 51 (Isaiah 51:11) – through which both main sections of the book express the same message of comfort; this is a proof of the unity of the book. In anticipation of the glorious situation described above, “the ransomed of the LORD” will return to the land. No one will be left behind in the land of his exile (Ezekiel 39:28; Matthew 24:31).

Instead of ashes on their heads as a sign of mourning, there will be joy upon their heads. This joy will never be disturbed again. The joy of their return will be enhanced by the gladness and joy they will experience when they have come to the land. All suffering and its manifestations will then be forgotten; they will, so to speak, flee at the sight of all those glorious things, never to return. They have passed away forever.

Thus this third part of the book of Isaiah ends with the “joyful shouting” of “everlasting joy”, like the first and the second part (Isaiah 12:1-6; Isaiah 27:2-13). This is reminiscent of the situation of the new heaven and the new earth that will follow thereafter: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be [any] death; there will no longer be [any] mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

Jeremiah 5:13

Introduction

Overview of the intersection – Isaiah 36-39

Isaiah and Hezekiah – Assyria and Babylon

The intersection includes Isaiah 36-39 and can be divided as follows: 1. The siege and deliverance of Jerusalem (Isaiah 36-37) 2. The illness of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38) 3. The envoy from Babylon (Isaiah 39)

Isaiah 36-39 contain the historical part of the book of Isaiah. They largely correspond with the description of the history of Hezekiah in 2 Kings 18-20 and 2 Chronicles 29-32. The histories mentioned in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles are part of “the vision of Isaiah” (Isaiah 1:1; 2 Chronicles 32:32).

The fact that these histories are also described by Isaiah means that they also have a prophetic meaning. The historical description of the Assyrian armies’ attack on God’s people and God’s salvation of His people in Isaiah 36-37 is an example of what will happen in the end time. The same goes for Isaiah 38-39, in which the mortal illness of Hezekiah and his restoration and the visit of the envoy from Babylon are described. This informs us about the exile of the people and the deliverance from it. Both events take place shortly afterward, but also refer to the end time.

Isaiah 36-37, which deal with the invasion and the humiliating retreat of the Assyrians, are the historical fulfillment and illustration of what Isaiah prophesied in previous years and what is recorded in Isaiah 7-35 (Isaiah 10:12-19; 33-34; Isaiah 14:24-25; Isaiah 30:28-31; Isaiah 31:8). Isaiah 38-39 containing the story of the illness, restoration and failure of Hezekiah, form the historical basis for the second major part of the book, Isaiah 40-66.

In the prophetic previous part the prophet described the actions of the Assyrians. He also pointed out to God’s people that this enemy will corner them because of their unfaithfulness to the LORD. He spoke sternly to them not to be deceived into entering into anti-Assyrian alliances. God uses the Assyrians as a disciplinary rod for His people. The only way to be saved and happy is that of repentance and trust in the LORD.

Isaiah also spoke time and again about the fact that the LORD will wipe out the Assyrians. In Isaiah 36-37 we see the other side. We see how Isaiah encourages Hezekiah when he is cornered by the Assyrians. Hezekiah is a pious king. He is a type of the faithful remnant of Israel in the future. The LORD wants to save Israel and use it as a servant, but that is only possible if Israel wants to go the way of faith. God always encourages those who trust in Him. For the unbelievers, God does not have such encouragement. Nor do they trust in Him and seek their support from allies.

March to Jerusalem

Hezekiah is a pious king. The LORD is with him. When Sargon, the father of Sennacherib, dies four years ago, Judah, together with many other nations, including Egypt, casts off the yoke of the king of Assyria and serves him no more (Isaiah 36:5b; 2 Kings 18:5-7). That is why Sennacherib goes up against Judah. He takes all the fortified cities – forty-six in number – except Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:1). The last fortified city, Lachish, has almost fallen. An important part of Egypt’s army was defeated in the battle of Eltekeh, thirty kilometers west of Jerusalem. This fulfilled the prophecies about Egypt (Isaiah 20; 30-31).

The march to Jerusalem in 701 BC has already been described by Isaiah (Isaiah 10:28-32). Jerusalem is kept in a wonderful way and the enemy is destroyed in a supernatural way (Isaiah 37:36). Ultimately, Isaiah 36-37 are about the end of the times of the nations, the full redemption of Israel, and the beginning of the realm of peace.

What follows in Isaiah 36:2 precedes what is written in 2 Kings 18 (2 Kings 18:14-16). There we read that Hezekiah is oppressed and sends an envoy to the king of Assyria to ask him for the conditions to buy off the threat. The king of Assyria imposes a great tribute on Hezekiah, which he pays with all possible means. Instead of leaving now, the king of Assyria sends Rabshakeh, or chief officer, from Lachish – an important city in Judea between Jerusalem and the Mediterranean, which he has seized – with a large army to Jerusalem (Isaiah 36:2). He commits treason (Isaiah 33:1). Such is the enemy: after the money he also wants the souls.

Rabshakeh, or chief officer, stands at the place where Isaiah met King Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah, and foretold him the march to and the conquest of Judah by the king of Assyria (Isaiah 7:3). In this way the Holy Spirit reminds us of the contrast between the faith of Hezekiah and the unbelief of Ahaz. It is a place that speaks of cleansing (water) and whitening (fuller’s field), both of which can only be obtained by faith.

After Rabshakeh has called for the king (2 Kings 18:18), Hezekiah sends three distinguished officials (Isaiah 36:3) to the place of meeting. Hezekiah does not go himself, possibly because he is ill at that moment (Isaiah 38:1).

Jeremiah 5:14

Introduction

Overview of the intersection – Isaiah 36-39

Isaiah and Hezekiah – Assyria and Babylon

March to Jerusalem

Jeremiah 5:15

Introduction

Overview of the intersection – Isaiah 36-39

Isaiah and Hezekiah – Assyria and Babylon

March to Jerusalem

Jeremiah 5:16

Rabshakeh’s Speech

Rabshakeh, who also speaks Hebrew, begins a boasting speech in these verses against the delegation of Hezekiah. He proves to be a cunning diplomat. He presents his king in all his power. Against that greatness he places the total helplessness of everything on which Hezekiah – whom he consciously does not call a king – and the people trust. In this way he wants to frighten his opponents, so that they give up every resistance as useless.

Rabshakeh represents his great king and speaks on his behalf (Isaiah 36:4). First he aims at the trust of the people. If the trust can be eroded, victory is within reach without a long battle. This is also an important question for us: What is our trust based on? As soon as our trust in the Lord is gone, the enemy has gained the victory.

Rabshakeh mentions three things on which, according to him, Hezekiah and the people rely. Do they sometimes rely on propaganda, on firm statements, on encouraging each other (Isaiah 36:5)? Talking about policy is not the same as vigorously implementing it. No, you don’t win a war with a big mouth or woolly language. Do they then put their trust in someone else? Yes, he knows, they trust in Egypt (Isaiah 36:6). But that trust won’t help either. It will even turn against them. Instead of being helped by it, they will be wounded by it.

Rabshakeh here talks to the people in the same spirit as Isaiah did with regard to Egypt (Isaiah 30:3; 5; cf. Ezekiel 29:6-7). This will have given their confidence an extra blow. Isaiah appealed to Judah on their trust in Egypt and severely warned of the consequences. Now they hear it from the mouth of the enemy who surrounded Jerusalem. So Rabshakeh is aware of their plan to use Egypt as an ally!

Here we see that the search for protection with people against other people fails. Only if we seek our protection with the Lord we will not be ashamed. Not that Hezekiah himself has made this covenant. That is what the responsible leaders have done who do not have the faith of Hezekiah. Yet it is said to Hezekiah, because he is the king and therefore ultimately responsible whether he knows about it or not.

Rabshakeh has another argument to reach his goal. With the previous two arguments he aimed mainly at the people and their leaders. Now he wants to hit Hezekiah. Hezekiah has strongly expressed his trust in the LORD (Isaiah 36:7). The people have pronounced the same. But Who exactly is this God? It is a God from Whom you apparently can remove altars just like that and Who does nothing against it. And then Hezekiah also determines that this God can only be worshiped before one particular altar. What kind of God is that?

Sowing doubt about God has always been satan’s strongest weapon. If our trust is not based on the God Who revealed Himself in the Bible as His perfect Word and in His Son Jesus Christ, satan will succeed in sowing doubt with us. There is only one object of worship and that is the Lord Jesus. Everything else must be removed. The world will call that narrow-mindedness; for the believer, every removal of the wrong means more freedom.

Again Rabshakeh mocks the powerlessness of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36:8). In great arrogance he proposes to make a bet. He gives two thousand horses if Hezekiah can supply two thousand riders for them. With this he emphasizes the hopeless position of Hezekiah. On the other hand he exalts the heroism of even the smallest soldiers of his lord’s army (Isaiah 36:9). Yes, he indeed believes that Hezekiah – in reality the leaders of the people – has placed his trust in Egypt (Isaiah 31:1). After all, Hezekiah himself has no power at all.

In his discouragement rhetoric, Rabshakeh uses his last argument. It is about the will of the LORD (Isaiah 36:10). Perhaps he has heard of the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 10:5) and is responding to it. Very confidently he says that the LORD has sent him with the command to destroy the land. Such a reference to the will of the LORD must surely deprive Hezekiah of the last bit of courage.