PEOPLE OUT OF CONTROL! ~ A Study on Jeremiah

 

People out of control. People let loose in the cities. This is the reality of a nation in crisis. One definition of the word crisis is: The turning point of a disease when an important change takes place, indicating either recovery or death. What responsibility do the leaders bear? What is the culpability of the people? 

Look at Exodus 32. Moses, chosen by God to lead His people, was in a conference meeting with God on Mount Sinai. He had left Aaron in charge of the people. But, according to the people, Moses was taking too long to come down off the mountain. And all hell broke loose below. Like sheep, people need led, and there is danger when people are impatiently waiting to be led! There is danger when people do not look to God in faith when they need direction. In this instance, the sheep go to their proxy shepherd, Aaron, and demand he make for them “a god who will go before them”. They do not know what has happened to Moses—their actions convey a complete lack of faith in Moses and God! Aaron, unbelievably, complies with their demands resulting in the Golden Calf image. Aaron’s words are spoken like a true modern-day politician who gives the people what they want. Upon unveiling the gold idol, Aaron says to the people, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” We would expect fire to come down from heaven! Notice he says in verse 5 how idolatry and worship of God are co-mingled together. This is called syncretism; it is also that for which the Israelites of Jeremiah’s day still carried the burden of guilt upon their backs. Aaron says, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” The next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to play. Rose up has the idea of doing something before another—in this case, it was God! He sees what the children of Israel are doing and tells Moses to get down the mountain at once! Get down there and control your people, Moses, for they have corrupted themselves. As evidenced in verses 7-9, God is angry. Moses stands in the gap for his people by pleading to the Lord for them using God’s own glory as the only ground he can stand upon for this obstinate people. And the Lord changes His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.

 Moses comes down off the mountain, and he is furious! This is what righteous anger looks like next time we are tempted to justify our own sinful anger. It is all about God’s glory! First, he throws the tablets of stone to the ground (on which God had written the commandments); then, he destroys the idol. He ground it to powder, scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it. (I am certain he would be thrown into prison for this today.) Then, he turns to admonish Aaron as if to say, “What on earth were you thinking?” Leaders should listen to his words carefully: “What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?” Aaron blames the people saying they are prone to evil. Then this wild exaggeration: They asked me to make them a god because they did not know what happened to you (implying it was somehow Moses’ fault). I told them to give me all their gold. I threw it into the fire, and POOF!—out came this calf! I seriously don’t know how Moses didn’t say, “You are unfit for leadership. Disqualified! You are plum crazy!”

In verse 25 it says: Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies—then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” It was the Levites who gathered to him (these were the members of the priestly tribe). Notice there was no option to remain neutral in this scenario. This was one people chosen by the Lord. Yet, they were called upon to decide as to whether they would stand with their people, with their families, or with the Lord. They were being called upon to make a clear stand for what was right against that which was evil in the Lord’s sight. However, this was more than just taking a stand and making a confession of loyalty. It was also a call to action. What action? They were told to go throughout the camp killing all those who did not stand with them. They did as they were told, and about 3,000 men fell that day. Talk about consequences for sin and taking responsibility for it!

The next day Moses addressed the people telling them that they had committed a grave sin. He let them know he was going back up the mountain so he could perhaps make atonement for their sin. Moses, this great leader, confessed the sin of the people, then asked the Lord to forgive the people and added, “But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” Listen to the Lord’s response because it is ominous: “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.” Then the Lord smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.

People out of control. This is what Jeremiah was referring to when he said in Jeremiah 5:5b (speaking about the people of Judah), “With one accord, they have broken the yoke and burst the bonds.” It is the same thing found in Psalm 2:3 when the people of the nations who are raging against the Lord say—Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us! What did their breaking the yoke and bursting the bonds look like? The Lord tells us in Jeremiah 2:20—“For long ago, I broke your yoke and tore off your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve!’ For on every high hill and under every green tree you have lain down as a harlot.” There are two kingdoms in this world. Every person serves the king of one of these kingdoms. Both kings are not seen with physical eyes but only with the eyes of faith. One kingdom is clearly seen; the other is only seen with the eyes of faith. We all either serve God and His kingdom of Light or Satan, the prince of the power of the air, and his kingdom of darkness. Each one comes with a yoke of submission. God, alone, can break Satan’s yoke of bondage to sin and darkness over those who are spiritually dead and blind.

Because Judah had not listened to God’s prophet, because she had refused to wear the yoke of God’s love, she had acted like a wild animal breaking free and recklessly running after other gods like an animal in heat. For this reason, the Lord says He will bring the fiercest enemies against them, and she will be easy prey for these savages. These enemies were animals, too! The Lord uses the imagery of animals to describe the Babylonians whom He was bringing against His own people.

Therefore, a lion from the forest will slay them (the lion, he is a strong beast), a wolf of the deserts will destroy them (the wolf is ravenously hungry), a leopard is watching their cities (ready to pounce, the leopard is swift as the wind). Everyone who goes out of them will be torn to pieces, because their transgressions are many, their apostasies are numerous. “Why should I pardon you? Your sons have forsaken Me and sworn by those who are not gods. When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the harlot’s house. They were well-fed lusty horses, each one neighing after his neighbor’s wife. Shall I not punish these people,” declares the Lord, “And on a nation such as this shall I not avenge Myself? Go up through her vine rows and destroy, but do not execute a complete destruction; strip away her branches, for they are not the Lord’s. For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously with Me,” declares the Lord. They have lied about the Lord and said, “Not He; misfortune will not come on us, and we will not see sword or famine. (Jeremiah 5:6-12)

The Lord had abundantly blessed Israel throughout the ages. They had turned their backs on Him and trusted, instead, in idols. They re-payed His kindness and blessings by committing adultery, not only with other gods but with their human representatives. Spiritual adultery led to physical adultery. The lesson for us all here is that when we have been blessed with prosperity by the Lord, we must know that it is meant to turn us towards Him with grateful, thankful hearts. History reveals prosperity often has the opposite effect. Well-fed, lusty horses have the idea of wandering, libidinous horses. Full, but not content or satisfied. Their lusts and passions were out of control.

The Lord’s instructions to the coming enemies would be to go through her vine rows and destroy, but to leave a remnant. (See also John 15:1-6 and Romans 11:17-24) They lied about God when they said He would not judge them. Isn’t that interesting? To say that judgment is not coming upon sin is to lie about God’s character. Is it any wonder everyone is so at ease lying to one another today? A society that can no longer determine truth for the incessant lying that is going on all around it has surely been given over to a reprobate mind.

“The prophets are as wind, and the word is not in them, thus it will be done to them!”  (Jeremiah 5:13) The prophets’ words were nothing more than hot air (empty, lies, exaggerations, and nonsense). Hot air was empty talk meant to impress—it was impressive but worthless talk filled with empty promises.

What a dreadful day. God has stopped calling His people to return to Him. Now, He brings not only threats of judgment, but promises of judgment. The people only wanted to hear their false prophets who were not sent by God’s Spirit. God says these prophets were as wind. The play on words here is that this word wind can be translated “Spirit”. Jeremiah was sent by God’s Spirit, but they rejected his message as God’s spokesman but received the message from windbags. From the bottom to the top of the social ladder, no one listens. All that is left to do is for God to bring judgment. He will get their attention one way or another.

We, the church, must not be like the false prophets who speak, “Peace and safety,” to a sinful generation. We had better start being Jeremiah’s in our world, speaking out and boldly proclaiming that judgment is coming! And we had better start doing it with tears…for that judgment is coming for those whom we love dearly.