Give them a message from the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to relay to their masters: Sermons
I. GOD IS RULER OF ALL THE KINGDOMS OF THE EARTH. He made them, and controls their destinies. Of the earth he says, "I have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me." His control over human interests, possessions, and destinies is absolute and unlimited. II. EVEN THE UNGODLY MAY BE INSTRUMENTS OF HIS PURPOSES. "Nebuchadnezzar, my servant," - a remarkable title when applied to a heathen prince. The character of the authorities, the agents, and the instrumentalities by which we are opposed is not in itself a reason for resisting them if they are evidently of Divine appointment. In such a case we should be fighting against God. Moral evil is ever to be resisted and witnessed against, but that which God appoints must be acknowledged and submitted to. III. IN SUCH CASES CIRCUMSTANCES WILL CLEARLY SHOW WHETHER THE APPOINTMENT IS OF GOD OR NOT, AND NOW WE MUST BE GUIDED IN OUR CONDUCT. The advice of the prophet is not to be interpreted as an expression of mere political prudence. It was the moral significance of Nebuchadnezzar's supremacy to which he appealed. In default of revelation our own conscience and common sense must be our guides. 1. In cases of unmistakable Divine dispensations the law of submission is clearly taught. Of this class is the rule of submission to the powers that be; of cheerful contentment with one's lot in life, so far as it seems beyond our own legitimate control or to be providentially arranged. 2. The ordinary miscellaneous trials and difficulties of life are not to be regarded in this way. Where there is not witness of conscience enjoining submission, energetic effort must be made. The Bible is no book of fatalism. It inculcates self-help, manly fortitude, and believing, intelligent enterprise. IV. GUIDANCE AND INSTRUCTION MAY BE GRANTED TO MEN EVEN WHILST UNDER DIVINE DISCIPLE. 1. Injunctions. To be punished does not mean to be cast off; quite the contrary. And therefore, if there be any gracious purpose in the dispensation, it is well that it should be explained. False prophets have foretold favorable turns of fortune with mischievous effect. These must be contradicted, and their tendency expend. The Bible is full of instruction to the perplexed in all ages, and the Spirit of God still speaks to the hearts of his children. 2. Signs. Sometimes these will be of one kind, sometimes of another. Here a crucial test was proposed, viz. the challenge to the false prophets to bring back the vessels of the temple from Babylon. If God heard their prayer, then it would appear that their advice was sound. Signs will never be wanting to those who earnestly seek to know God's will 3. These are to be sought through prayer and waiting upon God. - M.
I have made the earth. Homilist. I. God is the CREATOR of all earthly things: "The man and the beast that are upon the ground." The earth is not eternal, net the production of chance, not the work of many Gods. It has one Maker. This agrees with all true science.II. God is the SOVEREIGN DISPOSES of all earthly things. "Have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto Me." He might have built it and left it uninhabited, or He might have populated it with other creatures than those who tenant it now. He has given what He thinks fit of it to individuals, tribes, and nations. (Homilist.) (H. W. Beecher.) Have given I. GOD IS THE PROPRIETOR OF ALL.1. Man's forgetfulness of this in daily life. 2. The harmony of man's being requires a sense of dependence. 3. Depression results from stopping short of God. II. WISDOM AND SOVEREIGNITY GO TOGETHER. 1. No comfort to know we live under an absolute sovereign. 2. God gives not according to seeming fitness. He sees deeper than what seems. III. THE UNERRING MIND OF GOD. 1. Cultivate an adoring spirit. 2. Rest on Him in simple belief. 3. Repose in God's law of meetness. (P. B. Power, M. A.) Homilist. I. In it He EXERCISES ABSOLUTE RIGHT. The earth, with all its minerals, fruits, productions, and countless tenants, is His. If He gives a thousand acres to one man and denies a yard to another, it is not for us to complain.II. In it He ACTS ACCORDING TO HIS OWN FREE CHOICE ALONE. He gives it not on the ground of merit to any man, for now He gave it to Nebuchadnezzar, one of the worst of men. The only principle in the distribution is His own sovereignty. What "seemeth meet" to a Being of Infinite wisdom and goodness must be the wisest and the most benevolent. Here let us hush all our murmurings, here let us repose the utmost confidence. Conclusion — The subject teaches us how we should hold that portion of the earth we possess, however small or great it may be. 1. With profound humility. What we possess is a gift, not a right. We are temporary trustees, not proprietors. He who holds the most should be the most humble, for he has the most to account for. 2. With practical thanksgiving. This indeed is all the rent that the Supreme Landlord requires from us, thanksgiving and praise. 3. With a solemn sense of our responsibility. It is given to us not for our own gratification and self-aggrandisement, but for the good of the race and the glory of God. 4. With a conscious dependence on His will. We are all tenants at will. We know not the moment when He shall see fit to eject us from His land. (Homilist.). People Ammonites, Jeconiah, Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim, Jeremiah, Josiah, Nebuchadnezzar, Zedekiah, ZidonPlaces Ammon, Babylon, Jerusalem, Moab, Sidon, TyreTopics Almighty, Armies, Charge, Command, Commanded, Hast, Hosts, Lords, Masters, Orders, Saying, Says, ThusOutline 1. By the type of bonds and yokes he prophesies the subduing of the neighbor kings8. He exhorts them to yield, and not to believe the false prophets. 12. The like he does to Zedekiah. 19. He foretells the remnant of the vessels shall be carried to Babylon, Dictionary of Bible Themes Jeremiah 27:1-7Library JeremiahThe interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious … John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Jeremiah 27:4 NIVJeremiah 27:4 NLT Jeremiah 27:4 ESV Jeremiah 27:4 NASB Jeremiah 27:4 KJV Jeremiah 27:4 Bible Apps Jeremiah 27:4 Parallel Jeremiah 27:4 Biblia Paralela Jeremiah 27:4 Chinese Bible Jeremiah 27:4 French Bible Jeremiah 27:4 German Bible Jeremiah 27:4 Commentaries Bible Hub |