WHEN E.F. HUTTON SPEAKS… ~ A Study in Jeremiah

 

“I’ll follow the Lord harder when I get a little older; right now, I just want to enjoy life and have fun!”  “I don’t want to think about judgment today; I’ll think about it when I’m not so busy.” “Manana, manana”, as the song lyrics go. The problem is we do not know what tomorrow holds in store for us, and judgment often comes before “tomorrow” ever arrives. Judgment, just like “tomorrow” often sneaks up on us and takes us by surprise. The Lord had been patient with Judah, repeatedly calling her to Himself in repentance. There was still an open window for escape, but it was closing quickly. Once Babylon surrounded the city, there would be very little chance of escaping the wrath of this cruel enemy. Babylon, who would come in fierce boldness by day and by night, was being summoned by the Lord to attack His own.

“Flee for safety, O sons of Benjamin, from the midst of Jerusalem! Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa and raise a signal over Beth-haccerem; for evil looks down from the north, and a great destruction. The comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion, I will cut off. Shepherds and their flocks will come to her, they will pitch their tents around her, they will pasture each in his place. Prepare war against her; arise and let us attack at noon. Woe to us, for the day declines, for the shadows of the evening lengthen! Arise, and let us attack by night and destroy her palaces!” (Jeremiah 6:1-5)

“Evil” looks down from the north to bring a great destruction on the comely and dainty one, the daughter of Zion. God, Himself, is bringing this evil against His own. The NKJV renders verse 2 as: I have likened the daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman. In Isaiah 65:10, Jeremiah 23:3, and Exodus 15:13 the word comely is translated ‘fold’ or ‘habitation’. Some commentators say, “the comely one” here should be translated ‘a fair pasturage’ or, “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a fair pasturage.” God often refers to Israel as His flock like in Jeremiah 23:3—Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. They were His flock, yet He was bringing an enemy against them who would pitch their tents around her pasturing each in his place. As vulnerable sheep without a Shepherd to protect them, they could not win. They could not stand against this enemy. Jeremiah’s message is one of urgency to the people, but when her time had run out, the Babylonians would have a sense of urgency to destroy her.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, “Cut down her trees and cast up a siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, in whose midst there is only oppression. As a well keeps its waters fresh, so she keeps fresh her wickedness. Violence and destruction are heard in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me. Be warned, O Jerusalem or I shall be alienated from you, and make you a desolation, a land not inhabited.” (Jeremiah 6:6-8)

Notice who is speaking here. It is the Lord of hosts. Lord Sabaoth which means “armies”. What armies? It is a reference to the angelic armies of heaven. The Lord of hosts is God of the armies of heaven. He is Lord Almighty.

Imagine the indignation of the self-righteous, religious elite being told that God is judging her by bringing a far more sinful enemy against her. It is He who is the Commander of this army formed against her. How this would offend her proud heart! God’s judgment to punish Judah would come because she was oppressive towards the poorest and weakest among her; she did not love or care for her own. She professed to be His, but her actions proved otherwise. Judgment would later come for Babylon, but judgment always begins with the house of God as He weeds out those who only profess to be His followers. 1 Peter 4:17—For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? The suffering of those oppressed were continually before His eyes. She was literally overflowing with wickedness. Yet, Nebuchadnezzar and the fierce Babylonians were known throughout the world as exceedingly cruel warriors. He says, “Be warned…” Why does He say that? Because there is still time to repent. They could still avoid His alienation and His making them a desolation…a land not inhabited.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, “They will thoroughly glean as the vine the remnant of Israel; pass your hand again like a grape gatherer over the branches.” To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed and they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them; they have no delight in it. But I am full of the wrath of the Lord; I am weary with holding it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street and on the gathering of young men together; for both husband and wife shall be taken, the aged and the very old. Their houses shall be turned over to others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 6:9-12)

The Israelites had been told by God that part of their harvest practices was to include leaving food in the field for the poor to glean. We see this clearly in the book of Ruth. Here, the vine is Israel. When the Babylonians come through, they will pick the vine bare. There will be no fruit left on the vine. Even those who had been left from the Assyrian invasion would be taken into captivity. The enemy will not finish harvesting until every one of them is carried away captive to Babylon.

Jeremiah says, “To whom shall I speak? Nobody is listening to me. Their ear is uncircumcised.” Literally, ‘their ear is closed with a foreskin’—just like an uncircumcised heart into which divine precepts cannot penetrate. Circumcision was a religious rite required of all of Abraham’s descendants as a sign of the covenant God made with him. The Mosaic Law repeated the requirement, and Jews throughout the centuries have continued the practice. It was the sign that they were to be set apart unto God, a sanctified people. They were physically circumcised as required by the letter of the Law; yet their ear was uncircumcised which meant their hearts were not right.

What is circumcision of the heart? We see this idea in Romans 2:29 wherein it refers to having a pure heart that is separated unto God. Romans 2:28-29 says: For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God. The Israelites had circumcised bodies, but their hearts were evil. Only the Holy Spirit can purify our hearts and make set us apart or sanctify us unto God. This is why God said in Jeremiah 4:4—Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or My wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done.

An ear that is fleshly (uncircumcised) cannot hear the Word of God by the Spirit of God. This is an indictment on every unbeliever and a true measure of the heart: How does one regard the Word of the Lord? Is it a reproach to him? Does he despise the Word? Does he take great delight in it or have great disdain for it? A person’s spiritual condition is revealed in a distaste for the Word of God. Instead of eagerly receiving its truths as food for life, they are repelled by it and turn away from it not even being able to handle the smell of it (i.e., the aroma of truth as we live out the Word—2 Corinthians 2:15). This is a clear sign that one is ripe for judgment. The exact period between Jeremiah’s warnings and judgment is not certain. We do know that it is somewhere under 40 years. We should stop and ask ourselves: Where are we in this country? How long has God had a voice among us warning of judgment against sin?

Some people my own age may remember a commercial for E.F. Hutton. Their slogan was: “When E.F. Hutton talks, people listen.” The firm’s ads ran for years and typically featured crowds of people leaning in to hear the advice of a Hutton broker. It was a catchy slogan because people got it. Who would not listen to others giving sound advice when it comes to how they are able to make more of their monetary investments? No question about it; people listen to that type of information that they believe benefits them in some way materially and temporally.

Jeremiah is speaking God’s Word to His own people, and they are not listening. Just like wickedness is overflowing out of the hearts of the people, Jeremiah is full to overflowing of God’s message of judgment. He is full of the fury of the Lord. Some would say, “What’s the big deal? So, they didn’t want to hear God’s Word being shoved down their throats 24/7!” Have you ever had anyone say that to you when you tried to witness to them in some way? I have. “Well, I’m a Christian, but I don’t need to be preached to 24/7!” What is the big deal in not wanting to hear the Word? The Bible is not some great literary work. People who do not love the Word of God, do not love the God of the Word. Eventually, time will run out and God will reject. For those who leaned away from hearing God’s Word, it would be too late. They would face God’s Word in His judgment. In Judah, when judgment came, He would reject everybody alike—judgment would affect everyone—children, the aged, husbands and wives. Who is listening right now?