The Mystery of Ephraim

Chapter 31 is connected with the house of Israel and is full of prophecies and judgement of the house of Joseph. It begins with the principal promise of the covenant, confirmed by past experience, and with a fresh declaration of God’s everlasting commitment to Israel; “Rachel, weeping for her children,” the firstborn being Ephraim; but who are of the house of Joseph today?

More on (1) Ephraim / The United States (2) Ephraim and Manasseh

For more on Ephraim and Manasseh, or the Ox without the Unicorn.

For more on the enemy from the South, see A Sword from the South!

For more into another Captivity: Ezekiel Timeline – 190/40 Years

Jeremiah 31

¹ “At the same time,” saith the Lord, “will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.” — the Lord saith, I be the God of all the families of Israel;

— that is, the house of Jacob; not one or two families, but of every family; which means this will be prophetic, yet in the future as the full house of Israel has never return.

² Thus saith the Lord: “The people who were left from the sword found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.”

— thus the Lord saith, the people which were left of the sword; which were not consumed by the sword of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and who survived through his cruel edicts, and by his sword, famine and pestilence.

³ The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

⁴ Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel; thou shalt again be adorned with thy timbrels, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. — the Israelites have the title of “virgin of Israel” bestowed upon them to imply that, in consequence of their repentance after captivity,

— “they should be washed from the stains of their idolatries,” and they did; but other problems developed over the years: hypocrisies, over application of the laws, strigent Sabbath-keepings ordinances while forgetting justice, mercy and faith;

⁵ Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. — “the mountains of Samaria” is situated in today’s West Bank, which is populated by Palestinians and under their control;

— the ten tribes, especially Ephraim, haven’t regain their land yet; perhaps B’ney Yosef (Children of Joseph) the North America branch could spearhead their recovery and set up the continent of North America for a global Hebraic awakening?

⁶ For there shall be a day that the watchmen upon Mount Ephraim shall cry, ‘Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.’” — is B’ney Yosef their watchman? Let’s wait and see;

— but since God has foretold that a watchman will arise, so there will be one, whether is it B’ney Yosef or not we couldn’t be sure yet; or would there be another organization? Perhaps there are a few watchmen, [one namely wulfstein.org 😉 ] it’s in the plural – watchmen.

⁷ For thus saith the Lord: “Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations; proclaim ye, praise ye, and say, ‘O Lord, save Thy people, the remnant of Israel.’

— “the chief of the nations” is obviously Ephraim, the United States of America; that’s the topdog! Hence whoever the watchmen is upon Mount Ephraim, he will cry aloud, “Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion”

— again, there is a parallel passage from Ezekiel 6 with some comments below:

² “Son of man, set thy face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them

— Son of man, set thy face towards the mountains of Israel; or cities of Israel, the future inhabitants of them; not the ancient ten tribes, for they had been carried captive long before this time, even in the times of Hezekiah; but far more likely, into the far future unless it can be thought that this prophecy is designed to show the reason of their captivity, which isn’t.

³ and say: ‘Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys: Behold I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. — this message to the “mountains of Israel;” these mountains refer to the United States, UK and France…

— “and to the hills, to the rivers and to the valleys;” the hills: Ireland, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; and the valleys, the low countries: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg;

— and to the rivers; where during the nineteenth century, the British Royal Navy were known to “Rule the Waves” and the United States having been plowing up and down the five oceans with her Seven Fleets since the British left the scene.

⁸ Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child, and her that travaileth with child together; a great company shall return thither.

⁹ They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them; I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.

— for am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn; and so very dear to him, as in Jeremiah 31:20. So the Targum says “and Ephraim is beloved before me;” all the blessings which God bestows upon men, whether Israelites or not, all flow from being as Abraham’s children;

— Abraham is a father to them in covenant; and bestows his children’s blessings on them. The indication is to Joseph’s having the birthright, and whose younger son, Ephraim, was preferred to Manasseh the elder, 1 Chronicles 5:2. Ephraim becomes the head of Israel, the ten tribes, but excludes Judah, who has the scepter.

¹⁰ “Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock.’

¹¹ For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

¹² Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord—for wheat and for wine and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd; and their soul shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow any more at all.

¹³ Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them and make them rejoice from their sorrow.

— for a country like the United States now, with thick layers of filths, to be a virgin, it has to undergo much purifications, which in God’s eye has to undergo a prolonged captivity, each layer of onion to be pilled off one by one; for 190 years;

¹⁴ And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and My people shall be satisfied with My goodness,” saith the Lord.

¹⁵ Thus saith the Lord: “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rachel, weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were no more.” — Ramah was a city of Benjamin, near which Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, was buried;

— Rachel weeping for her children; not really and in person, but by a figurative way for dark days in Ephraim and Manasseh. Rachel being the mother of Joseph and Benjamin; Joseph being the father of Ephraim and Manasseh.

— Judah’s experience under Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was just a preamble; just 70 years; currently a great captivity for Ephraim for 190 years is in the making! Perhaps a super hyperinflation caused by a de-petroldollarization would be a start? (more on this de-petroldollarizationat the end)

¹⁶ Thus saith the Lord; “Restrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded,” saith the Lord; “and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. — refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears; though sorrow on such an occasion may be lawfully indulged,

— yet it ought to be moderated; and attention should be given to those things which may serve to relieve it, and especially when they come from the Lord himself; then a stop is to be put to the mournful voice, and wet eyes are to be dried up.

¹⁷ And there is hope in thine end,” saith the Lord, “that thy children shall come back to their own border.

¹⁸ “I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus: ‘Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke; turn Thou me, and I shall be turned, for Thou art the Lord my God.

— thou hast chastised me and I was chastised; one possibility is that Ephraim has to undergo a cleaning of 190 years, and Judah 40; why the difference? Perhaps Judah had undergo numerous pogroms and cleanings whereas Ephraim has none since the day when went captivity and into apparent oblivion;

— Ephraim chastised . . . as a bullock; see, Ephraim is being symbolized by the bullock or ox again:

More on the Ox and the Unicorn:

His glory is like the firstling of his ox (bullock), and his horns are like the horns of unicorns. With them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh,” Deuteronomy 33:17.

In the above verse, the Ox and Ephraim are named first, the firstborn of his (Joseph’s) “bullock is his glory” the reference being to Ephraim; followed by Unicorn and Manasseh, which is embedded in the British Coat of Arms.

Although Manasseh was the firstborn, Joseph the father crossed his hands and placed Ephraim as firstborn, hence Ephraim, often known as the thirteenth tribe, represents not just the house of Joseph, but more often the house of the Northern 10-tribes Kingdom.

— Ephraim bemoaning himself; but today Ephraim, with 7 fleets and the largest army/navy in the world, is proud and arrogant; boastful, drunk and amusing herself with her harlotries; but that will change!

¹⁹ Surely after I was turned, I repented; and after I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ — surely after that I was turned, I repented; Ephraim’s prayer was answered;

— as he prayed he might be turned, he was; and when he was turned, then he repented, not only of sin in general, but of such sins as he had been particularly guilty of; not only of the grosser actions of life, but of inward sins: lusts, lies and corruptions.

²⁰ Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spoke against him, I do earnestly remember him still; therefore My heart is troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him,” saith the Lord. — I will surely have mercy on him, saith the Lord;

— or show mercy to him; as the Lord does to his children, by receiving them graciously upon their return; by manifesting and applying pardoning grace; by bestowing fresh favours on them; and by bringing them safe to eternal glory and happiness.

²¹ “Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps; set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest; turn back, O virgin of Israel, turn back to these thy cities. — set thee up way marks, make thee high heaps; of stones, raised up as pillars,

— or like pyramids; or upright, as palm trees; to be marks and signs, to know the way again upon a return. The Targum says, “O congregation of Israel, remember the right works of thy fathers; pour out supplications; in bitterness set thy heart.”

— turn again, O virgin of Israel, turn again to these thy cities; an invitation and encouragement to Ephraim to turn again to their own land; from a “Babylonish captivity” to come, so from all lands in the latter day; after 190 years of purification, which is yet to be fulfilled, and to which the prophecy more properly belongs.

²² How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? For the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth: a woman shall compass a man.”

²³ Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “As yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring them back from captivity: ‘The Lord bless thee, O habitation of justice and mountain of holiness.’

— as yet they shall use this speech in the land of Israel, and in the cities thereof, when I shall bring again back from their captivity; not the Babylonish captivity, but a futuristic one; when, by way of salutation and prayer, the following words “The Lord bless thee” they rejoice in saying;

²⁴ And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks.

²⁵ For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.”

²⁶ Upon this I awaked and beheld, and my sleep was sweet unto me.

²⁷ “Behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. — that God will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah,

— with the seed of man, and with the seed of beast; that is, will multiply both man and beast, so that there shall be a great increase; whereas, through war, famine, pestilence and captivity, their numbers were greatly reduced.

²⁸ And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down, and to throw down and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant,” saith the Lord.

— to build and to plant, saith the Lord; to build their city and temple, and to plant them in their own land; the temple which God will be building, whose foundation he lays, the superstructure of which he rears up, and will complete it in his own time;

— the allusion is to the sowing of a field with seed, which in due time springs up, and produces a large increase. Some understand this of the spiritual blessing of regeneration; but of incorruptible seed by the word of God: though afterwards an account is given of the new covenant.

²⁹ “In those days they shall say no more: “‘The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ — that is, the fathers have sinned, and the children are punished for their sins. So the Targum says, “the fathers have sinned, and the children are smitten.”

³⁰ But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.

³¹ “Behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah — “Behold, the days will come,” again, this is prophetic, especially with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; yet in the future.

³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband unto them,” saith the Lord.

— not according to the covenant that God made with their fathers; meaning not Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; or their ancestors that came out of Egypt, as appears by what follows; which was the covenant made at Sinai.

³³ “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days,” saith the Lord, “I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be My people.

— God will put his law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; which will be implanted in the genre by the spirit and power of God; the tables on which this law or laws are written are not tables of stone, but the fleshly tables of the heart; the heart is the proper seat.

³⁴ And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord.’ For they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them,” saith the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

³⁵ Thus saith the Lord, who giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hosts is His name:

³⁶ “If those ordinances depart from before Me,” saith the Lord, “then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me for ever.”

³⁷ Thus saith the Lord: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done,” saith the Lord.

³⁸ “Behold, the days come,” saith the Lord, “that the city shall be built to the Lord from the Tower of Hananeel unto the Gate of the Corner. — behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord; this prophecy refers to future times in the latter redemption, which were never fulfilled during the second Temple period;

— that the city of Jerusalem shall be built to the Lord; which will be rebuilt upon the return of all Israelites from captivity, and under the direction of the Messiah, so for his service and worship; in the Ezekiel Temple, and divine worship restored; and the city, built up a dwelling for God, where he is worshipped, feared and glorified.

³⁹ And the measuring line shall yet go forth opposite it upon the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath.

⁴⁰ And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields unto the Brook of Kidron unto the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east shall be holy unto the Lord. It shall not be plucked up nor thrown down any more for ever.”

~~~~

The great de-petroldollarization by BRICS, which is an acronym for five leading emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has continuously being expanding and strengthening.

Potential further expansion

Since South Africa joined the BRIC grouping (now BRICS) in 2010, numerous other countries have expressed interest in joining the bloc, including Argentina and Iran. Both signaled their intent to join BRICS during meetings with senior Chinese officials, the current BRICS chair, over the course of the summer of 2022.

Beijing backed Argentina’s potential accession following a meeting between Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the margins of the G20 Summit in Indonesia.

China once again reiterated their support for Argentina’s potential application during a subsequent meeting between Cafiero and Yi on the margins of the 77th UN General Assembly. Likewise, it is understood that both Russia, India and Brazil support Argentina’s application.

Iran also submitted an application in June 2022 to Chinese authorities to join the economic association of emerging markets. Relations between Iran, China and Russia have warmed in recent months as all three governments seek new allies against increasing Western opposition.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Afghanistan are interested, along with Indonesia, also expressed their interest in joining BRICS but have not yet submitted formal requests.

There is no formal application process as such to join BRICS, but any hopeful government must receive unanimous backing from all existing BRICS members—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—to receive an invitation. Other potential members are: Kazakhstan, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Senegal, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

The New Development Bank, informally referred to as the BRICS Bank, is a multilateral bank operated by the five BRICS countries. Recently Bangladesh, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay were added as new members of the BRICS Bank.

At the 2015 BRICS summit in Russia, ministers from BRICS nations, initiated consultations for a payment system that would be an alternative to the US-controlled SWIFT system.

Jeremiah 32

The list of kings of Judah towards the end; in successive reigns, as Josiah (reign 640–609), Jehoahaz (reign 609), Jehoiakim (reign 609–598), Jehoiachin or Jechonias (reign 598–597), and Zedekiah (reign 597–586)

¹ The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. — in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar;

— that would be 597 BC, the same with Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a year before the taking of the city by him; for that was in the eleventh of Zedekiah, and the nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzar; Jeremiah 52:1.

² For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged Jerusalem; and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah’s house. — and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king’s palace;

³ For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why dost thou prophesy and say, ‘Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;

— king Zedekiah showing himself great stupidity and hardness of heart, together with his courtiers and elders, to imprison a prophet of the Lord when surrounded by an enemy’s army and that according to the prediction of a true prophet; who warned them of the taking of their city, and carrying them off as captives, would be fulfilled.

⁴ and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes;

— and Zedekiah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans; this is a continuation of the prophecy of Jeremiah, repeated to the king, as he was more of himself; who, upon the taking of the throne, he would endeavour to scheme his escape as he did; but wasn’t successful, Jeremiah 52:8.

⁵ and he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until visit I him, saith the Lord; though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper’?” — and Nebuchadnezzar shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon; as he did in chains from Riblah, where he was brought unto Nebuchadnezzar after he was taken, endeavouring to make his escape, Jeremiah 52:8.

⁶ And Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came unto me, saying: — this would be a new vision;

⁷ Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, ‘Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.’ — behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee; Hilkiah, the father of Jeremiah, and this Shallum, were own brothers; so that Jeremiah and Hanameel were brothers’ sons, or first cousins:

— saying, buy thee my field that is in Anathoth; the place from whence Jeremiah came, about two or three miles from Jerusalem, and therefore must be in the possession of the Chaldean army; wherefore it may seem very strange in Hanameel to propose it to sale, and stranger still for Jeremiah, who was in the palace’s prison, to buy it.

⁸ So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, ‘Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.

— the words “the right of inheritance is thine” indicate that Hanameel had no children, and although we are not told what led Hanameel to make the offer of sale; Leviticus 25:25 says such a sale could put the property within the family’s estate according to the Law of inheritance. Numbers 35:5 designates how and where land are to be set aside for Levites and priests;

— if not sold, a foreigner, like the Chaldeans, might misappropriate the property since he hasn’t any heir. But Jeremiah, being in prison for his prophecy, also don’t have any heir, he was not even allowed to get married (Jeremiah 16:2).

— one possibility is that Hanameel was dying and now at his death trip? But there was no evidence he was dying. Another possibility is that he was designated to go to Babylon as a captive, hence he would like to sell it, have some reserve, buy a house and dwell in Babylon in compliance to God’s word in Jeremiah 29:5 “Build ye houses and dwell in them,”

⁹ “And I bought the field from Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. — has been thought a small price; as compared with the four hundred shekels paid by Abraham for the field of Ephron (Genesis 23:16); or the fifty paid by David for the threshing-floor and oxen of Araunah, II Samuel 24:24;

¹⁰ And I subscribed the evidence and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. — being a just man, Jeremiah did all to comply with God’s ordinances and legal procedures in the property transfer;

¹¹ So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom and that which was open;

— Jeremiah oblidged to Hanameel’s requst as it seemed his cousin needed the money; as he could be designated to go to Babylon, willingingly or unwillingly, as a captive, and in compliance to God’s word in Jeremiah 29:5 to build houses and dwell there; plant gardens and eat the fruit of them.

¹² and I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison.

— in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son; of whom the purchase was made: the word “son” is not in the text, which has led some to think that both were present at this bargain, both the uncle and the uncle’s son;

¹³ And I charged Baruch before them, saying,

¹⁴ ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed and this evidence which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.

— the “earthen vessels” in which they kept their most precious treasures; was obviously a better protection against damp or decay than one of wood, and was the security of the household;

— “may continue many days” implied the captivity would be long; and the captives need to settle down; build houses and dwell there; plant gardens and eat the fruit of them; and so might continue many years, to the end of the captivity, all for seventy years.

¹⁵ For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.’ — Jeremiah, being in prison for his prophecy, purchased a piece of ground;

— this was to signify, that though Jerusalem was besieged, and the whole country likely to be laid waste, yet the time would come, when houses, and fields and vineyards and all the laws and ordinances pertaining to inhertinance of land and property would be restored.

¹⁶ “Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord, saying:

¹⁷ Ah Lord God! Behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and outstretched arm; and there is nothing too hard for Thee.

— and there is nothing too hard for thee; or “hidden from thee” which his wisdom and knowledge did not reach, or his power could not effect: or which is “too wonderful for thee.”

¹⁸ Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them. The Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts is His name, — kindness, grace and justice are all over the OT era, not something new that just pop up in the NT;

— God’s name is the four-letter Hebrew word יהוה‎ YHVH Yehovah; not Jehovah since the letter J wasn’t around but only after the sixteenth century;

¹⁹ great in counsel and mighty in work. For Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings; — to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:

²⁰ who hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt even unto this day, and in Israel and among other men, and hast made Thee a name, as at this day;

²¹ and hast brought forth Thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt, with signs and with wonders, and with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror; — with signs and with wonders; which he wrought for them at the time of their deliverance, slaying the firstborn; and at the Red sea, and in the wilderness, after he brought them out of Egypt,

²² and hast given them this land which Thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. — a land flowing with milk and honey; that is, abounding with all necessary things, and all pleasant things.

²³ And they came in and possessed it, but they obeyed not Thy voice, neither walked in Thy law: they have done nothing of all that Thou commanded them to do. Therefore Thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them.

²⁴ Behold the siege ramps! They have come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, who fight against it, because of the sword and of the famine and of the pestilence. And what Thou hast spoken has come to pass, and behold, Thou seest it. — and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; what was foretold by the prophets, and by himself, was now fulfilling:

²⁵ And Thou hast said unto me, O Lord God: ‘Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses,’ for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”

²⁶ Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying,

²⁷ “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there any thing too hard for Me? — is there anything too hard for me? suggesting, that though the city of Jerusalem should be destroyed, and the inhabitants carried captive, yet he could return them again to their own land;

²⁸ Therefore thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. — which Nebuchadnezzar could not do, notwithstanding his powerful army, had not the Lord delivered it into his hands.

²⁹ And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods to provoke Me to anger. — they have polluted this Temple by idolatry, they have offered incense and paid homage to the idol Baal;

³⁰ For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth; for the children of Israel have only provoked Me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the Lord. — both the northern house of Israel and the southern house of Judah have done evil before God;

³¹ For this city hath been to Me as a provocation of Mine anger and of My fury from the day that they built it even unto this day, so that I should remove it from before My face — instead having joy and a blessing, Jerusalem had became a provocation of sourse of God’s anger and fury;

³² because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger — they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

— again, both the northern house of Israel and the southern house of Judah have done evil before God; “they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets,” that is, their false prophets,

³³ And they have turned unto Me the back and not the face. Though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction; — sometimes God is explicit in expressing why Israel sinned, like idolatories;

— but other times God just hint at what’s wrong with his people; here is another one: “they have turned unto me their back and not the face” for which the more details are found in the writing of another prophet, Ezekiel (more at the end)

³⁴ but they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name to defile it. — the house which is called by my name, that is, in the Temple; Rashi: On the day that the Temple was founded, Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter.

³⁵ And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech, which I commanded them not, neither came it into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

— to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech: the phrase, “through the fire” is not in the text; but is well enough supplied from other places.

³⁶ “And now therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city whereof ye say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence’: — the learning process by being “delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence” is to learn the fear of the Lord.

³⁷ Behold, I will gather them out of all countries whither I have driven them in Mine anger and in My fury and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. — again, this is to learn the fear of the Lord; simply because the current crop of kings, princes, priests and false shepherds has no fear of the Lord;

— they lied, they cheat, and they looted; and they thought they can get away with it:

For a small sample of what they had done, see:

Wikileaks: no bloodshed inside Tiananmen Square
Britain stole $45 trillion from India
Lie of the Century!

³⁸ And they shall be My people, and I will be their God;

³⁹ and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me for ever, for the good of them and of their children after them. — “that they may fear me for ever” a parallel in the reverse of the wicked is expressed in Jeremiah 2:19 “and that the fear of Me is not in thee,” saith the Lord God of hosts.”

— and the only way you will learn to fear God is to be “delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence.” of course, a new Babylon is upon the horizon, for more, see The Sword from the South!

⁴⁰ And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me. — surely this is not after the return from the Babylonish captivity; but during the Millennium, when God will install a new covenant, and “I will put my fear in their hearts.”

⁴¹ Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul. — upon repentence, God will whole heartedly rejoice over them;

⁴² “For thus saith the Lord: As I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. — giving them one true heart and one way; putting God’s fear into them; causing them to persevere to the end.

⁴³ And fields shall be bought in this land whereof ye say, ‘It is desolate without man or beast. It is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ — this is after the return from the Babylonish captivity.

⁴⁴ Men shall buy fields for money, and sign evidences and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return, saith the Lord.”

~~~

More about turning their back against God Jeremiah 32:33; and more details in Ezekiel 8

¹⁵ Then said He unto me, “Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.”

¹⁶ And He brought me into the inner court of the Lord’S house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east.

— the heads of the twenty-four courses of the priesthood, led by the high priest, making up the “twenty five men” were not only worshipping the sun: they were doing so in the very temple of God, with their backs turned upon the presence of God!

— the worship of heavenly bodies was against God’s will which Moses had warned the people (Deuteronomy 4:19, 17:3, whose penalty is to be stoned to death, Deuteronomy 17:5 ’till they die). These 25 men corrupted themselves by worshipping the sun;

— and so the Targum renders it, “and, lo, they corrupted themselves, worshipping facing the east the sun; their backs toward the temple of the Lord” — turned their backs to the most holy place; which is an aggravation of their impiety; casting the utmost contempt for God:

Moses’ warnings in Deuteronomy 17

³ And [if you] hath gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded,

⁴ and it be told thee, and thou hast heard of it and inquired diligently, and behold, it be true and the thing certain that such abomination is wrought in Israel,

⁵ then shalt thou bring forth that man or that woman who has committed that wicked thing unto thy gates, even that man or that woman, and shalt stone them with stones till they die. Deuteronomy 17:3-5

— today, more than 98.5 percent of Christians are honoring the SUN by observing SUNday worship. They have “their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east; and they worshiped the SUN toward the east; whose penalty is to be stoned to death – ’till they die.

— also, following the SUN-worshipping Samaritans, most Church of God Communities are showing their contempt for God by having their “wavesheaf offering” and Pentecost on a SUNday; always on a SUNday. And these are supposedly in God’s Sanctuary, but God says He is a jealous God, so these pretentious Christians could be spewed out of His mouth! A death penalty – ’till they die!

~ by Joel Huan on March 2, 2023.

Posted in Jeremiah