Jeremiah & The Word of The Lord

Did you know that "God's word NEVER returns void"? It's true. This comes straight from Isaiah 55:11! But what does this mean exactly? Some think that this verse gives magic powers to the 'words' in Scripture. Simply quote a verse, claim its promise through faith, then sit back and watch God work. If you want to give this a try, here's how you can do it...

"God, your word says that 'you do not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.' I claim this promise for my sister and trust in your provision." 

But is this what Isaiah 55:11 is teaching? Not exactly. Why do I think this? Well, Isaiah 55:11 is not SPECIFICALLY talking about Scripture. Rather it is talking more GENERALLY about God's decrees, judgments, and plan. This is what the hebrew word dabar ('word') most likely means in this context (but check it out for yourself!). And so I don't believe that we find a "quote it, claim it" theology being taught here.

So what is being taught? Simply stated: God's decrees are a sure thing! In the context of Isaiah 55, just as God had previously decreed judgment on His people for their defiant and perpetual sin, so now He is decreeing salvation for all of His people who thirst for Him (elsewhere called the faithful 'remnant' - Jer. 23:3). And His people can believe the truth of this GOOD NEWS decree because His past decrees have never yet returned void or empty...they became reality! God's decrees are a sure thing!

And we see this working itself out in the prophetic literature! God calls out His people for their defiant sin, He decrees divine discipline through punishment, but then He provides reassurances that judgment isn't the final word (decree)...a restored and revitalized creation devoid of all evil and pain is the final word! And the words of the prophets become reality without fail!

JEREMIAH AND THE WORD OF GOD
And the book of Jeremiah fits this prophetic mold to a 't'! In fact, the main emphasis in the book of Jeremiah is 'the words (dabaray) of Jeremiah' that find their origin in 'the word (dabar) of the Lord.' This fact is made apparent by the constant repetition of the phrase "the word of the Lord came to me" (1:2, 4, 11, 13; 2:1; 7:1; 11:1; 13:3, 8; 14:1; 16:1; 18:1, 5; 21:1; 24:4; 25:1, 3 etc.) coupled with the fact that the book of Jeremiah begins and ends with the phrase, 'the words of Jeremiah' (1:1; 51:64).

BUT WAIT. This second claim isn't EXACTLY true. There is also chapter 52. This chapter retells of the fall of Jerusalem, the burning of the Temple, and the release of Jehoiachin from prison. So why does the book of Jeremiah end this way? ANSWER: The fall of Jerusalem, the burning of the Temple and the release of Judah's king validate 'the words of Jeremiah' and 'the word of the Lord.' And so I hope you can see that God's decrees take center stage in the book of Jeremiah! But that's not all...

THE STRUCTURE OF JEREMIAH
The structure of Jeremiah shows that God's decrees lead to GOOD NEWS (or 'rest' - Jer. 6:16, 31:2). The center of the book of Jeremiah (chapters 30-33) is often referred to as 'The Book of Consolation.' In The Book of Consolation, God reveals His future plans to restore the fortunes of His people (after the punishment of exile). This reveals something extravagant about God's heart...He delights in blessing His creation. And the overall trajectory of the book reinforces this very fact. The book moves from the punishment of Israel (ch. 1-44) to the punishment and destruction of the nations (ch. 45-52) who are threatening and oppressing Israel. God (in His kindness) is working out a plan that will ultimately bring 'rest' and peace to His people (and uproot evil from His creation).

JEREMIAH AND JESUS
And Jesus brings this plan to fulfillment! It's interesting how closely Jeremiah's LIFE and WORDS parallel those of Jesus! Just like with Jesus (Lk 13:34), the leaders of Jerusalem were wanting to kill Jeremiah because of the WORDS he was speaking (Jer. 2:30; 38:4-13). Just like Jesus (Lk. 19:46), Jeremiah prophesies against the TEMPLE by calling it a 'den of robbers' (7:11). Just like Jesus (Lk. 13:6-9; 21:29-33), Jeremiah points out the BAD FRUIT being produced by God's people (Jer. 11:16-20; 24:1-10). And just like Jesus (Lk. 21), Jeremiah prophecies the DESTRUCTION of Jerusalem and the Temple (Jer. 19:14-15). But also just like Jesus (Lk. 4:18-19), Jeremiah preaches a message of HOPE to those who will repent and turn from their rebellion against God (Jer. 30-33)! And finally just like Jesus, Jeremiah's life moves God's decrees even closer to fulfillment.

THE BOTTOM LINE
So how does this relate to our lives today? God's decrees have not yet met their final fulfillment. And so we need to continue to cooperate with God in moving His plan forward! This is why Jesus has given His followers a commission! GO and MAKE disciples who will make disciples. Disciplemaking needs to become our business! Both Jesus and Jeremiah took their commissions seriously and we should too! We need to walk just like they walked - with faithfulness and conviction. And just like them, we need to become more than just mere QUOTERS of the WORD...we need to become DOERS of the WORD. We need to REPRESENT God well to the world around us and BE God's message of HOPE to a hurting world.