Jeremiah has another object lesson for the people of Judah, trying to get through to them. The potter has power over the clay and he can let defects remain, or reshape the pot.....God can do this over an entire nation...if we yield to God like clay does, he can reshape us into valuable vessels.....in verse 18, the people aren't compliant or yielding and want to go against Jeremiah instead of change. (editorial comment, do you ever feel like a cracked pot????)
Then God has Jeremiah actually purchase a pot for another object lesson. Topheth (means fireplace) is a place where child sacrificing has been ocurring and God will change the name to Valley of Slaughter. The prophecy talks about people falling by the sword before their enemies which will occur in 586 BC by Babylon. God tells Jeremiah to break the pot in front of witnesses to show how God is going to smash the nation. Do you think the people will listen?
Pashhur the priest wants to silence Jeremiah and has him beaten....the Lord renames Pashhur "terror on every side"....Pashhur is going to fall specifically for what he did to Jeremiah. Pashhur picked the wrong prophet to mess with. Jeremiah complains to the Lord once again (at least he knows who he can turn to in times of trouble). Jeremiah can't hold in his prophecy, it almost burns him if he doesn't let it out. Jeremiah is full of a combination of fear, praise and despair...
King Zedekiah (the last king of Judah, by the way) wants Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord about being attacked from Babylon. Pashhur (a different one, look at who the father is) brings the request to Jeremiah. God rejects Zedekiah's request because he knows the people aren't repentant. Babylon is coming.
God now judges against the evil kings...we are at the end of a line of monarchy now. God points out that they do not obey commands and these were put through to the kings from the beginning..their are consequences for not obeying those commands and the palace is going to become a ruin....exile is coming because they have broken the covenant. God passes judgment on Jehoiakim who was Josiah's son...God warned him, but he refused to listen.....
We are coming to an end of an era.
Look what comes up from the depths of the sea.
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