- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Jul 29, 2016 18:06:40 GMT -8
Jerimiah 1:1-2:3, Haftara for Par’shah Mattot
Yir’meyahu- the Lord exalts
Jeremiah 1:5 (NASB) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
This verse has powerful meaning to me. Many years ago I was in the basement of the AoG church in Ritzville talking with the pastor and his wife who were good friends. At that time I believed abortion was a good thing. His wife was arguing with me and getting angrier and angrier, but he was sitting quietly and contemplatively to the side, thumbing through his Bible. There was a lull in the racket we were raising, and in a low tone he read the first 2/3rds of this verse. I was convicted, and have never since supported abortion.
Jeremiah 1:6 (NASB) Then I said, “Alas, Lord [Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord] God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth.”
Yir’meyahu was being called to give an extremely unpopular message to those in authority. But El Rai- God Who Sees Me has a distinct purpose for each one of us. Our primary goal in life should be to find that purpose and then to fulfill it.
Psalm 139:16 (NASB) Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
Jeremiah 1:1-3 (NASB) The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
Hilkiah is one of priests of Anathoth, making him a descendant of the Elide priest Abiathar. Recall Melech Shlomo expelled Abiathar from Yerushalayim:
1 Kings 2:26-27 (NASB) Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth to your own field, for you deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of the Lord [Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord ]God before my father David, and because you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Jeremiah 1:7-8 (NASB) But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. “Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.
Like Moshe, Yir’meyahu contends he is inadequate to the office of a prophet; especially in such turbulent times. However YHVH Immeka- The Lord is With You reassures Yir’meyahu, saying “I am with you.”
God needs our voices to herald the Word, yet no one feels adequate. If God calls you, or if He places someone before you, believe Him, trust Him, and above all obey Him. Our movement in particular needs our voices defending our faith and telling others who and what we are. You may not feel you can do it, but bear in mind that the same YHVH Immeka is with you. Your ability comes from His Ruach, not from yourself.
Moshe did not feel adequate when called to free his people, but the Lord reassured him as well:
Exodus 3:11-12 (NASB) But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
When HaShem gives you a calling, He does not ask you to be adequate, just available.
Jeremiah 1:9-10 (NASB) Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.”
As with Yishayahu a divine touch prepares Yir’meyahu for his role as a prophet. His commission to speak includes four verbs of destruction and two of restoration, signifying that the major theme in his messages would be destruction and punishment. However as always YHVH Mephalti- The Lord My Deliverer gives a message of hope along with that of destruction.
The touch of YHVH Uzzi- The Lord My Strength in all our endeavors makes all the difference in the success or failure of everything we do for Him. HaShem touched the lips of Yishayhu to give him purity:
Isaiah 6:4-7 (NASB) And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”
And HaShem touched the lips of Yir’meyahu give power to his speech:
Jeremiah 1:9 (NASB) Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
The call of God and touch of God are requisite to our success in service to Him. We do not get to just do it our way.
Jeremiah 1:11-12 (NASB) The word of the Lord came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond [Heb shaqed] tree.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching [Heb shoqed] over My word to perform it.”
The Almond tree (heb saqed), called by the Hebrews the “Wakeful Tree” is the first harbinger of spring in Yisro’el. It flowers in January and bears fruit in March. The metaphore here then to an Israeli would be that YHVH Mephalti- The Lord My Deliverer is watching, awakening early (heb soqed) to empower His Word and bring it to Yerushalayim and Yehuda.
There is a word-play that we would miss in our translations. SHaqed, the Almond Tree is spelled the same as soqed, watching. We as servants of the Most High must open our eyes as well as 0ur ears. Elohim can often help us relate to others through what we see as well as hear.
Jeremiah 1:13-15 (NASB) The word of the Lord came to me a second time saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land. For, behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the Lord; “and they will come and they will set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about and against all the cities of Judah. I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices [Or burned incense] to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands.
The boiling pot tipped from the north is a picture of Elohim Shophtim Ba’aretz- God Who Judges in the Earth, His anger boiling over and His judgement coming from north on Judah for her sin and idolatry.
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
And so as it was prophesied, so it was done. The Babalonian Empire was to conquer them in 605 BCE after a short alliance with the Assyrians.
The steaming pot may have Levitical connotations as well. A similar pot was used In preparation of sacrificial meat.
Ezekiel 24:2-6, 8 (NASB) “Son of man, write the name of the day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Speak a parable to the rebellious house and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Put on the pot, put it on and also pour water in it; Put in it the pieces, Every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder; Fill it with choice bones. “Take the choicest of the flock, And also pile wood under the pot. Make it boil vigorously. Also seethe its bones in it.”
‘Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Woe to the bloody city, To the pot in which there is rust And whose rust has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece, Without making a choice. … “That it may cause wrath to come up to take vengeance, I have put her blood on the bare rock, That it may not be covered.”
Jeremiah 1:17-19 (NASB) Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them. Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.
The prophet’s task was a difficult one: he had to condemn his own kings, officials, and people for their sins. But Elohe Mauzi- God of My Strength promises to stand by him throughout his ministry. It must have been exceedingly difficult for the youthful Yir’meyahu to confromt these leaders with his denunciations. But El Emunah- The Faithful God had made him for this purpose, and He would be with Yir’meyahu all the way.
Those promises of verses 18 & 19 be held close by all called to stand in the breach, and charging men with their sins.
Jeremiah 2:1-3 (NASB) Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown. “Israel was holy to the Lord, The first of His harvest. All who ate of it became guilty; Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’”
This is the start of an early prophecy calling men to repentance. Note he first describes where the nation was when they walked with and followed God. Then he condemns them. In Jewish thought, the term “repent” means not just turning away from sin, but returning to the state you once were in before Elohim Kedoshim- Holy God when He walked with them. True repentance should bring us to the state Adam and Chava had when they walked with God in the Garden.]
Yehuda was being judged because the people were unfaithful to El Emunah- The Faithful God. They had mixed worship of Yehova with the worship of heathen idols. This should be a wakeup call to those of us who cling to some of the tennets of Christianiy.
Dan C
Resources: JPS Study TNK, W Wiersbe, Meyer, unger, Rav S, my father and others
Yir’meyahu- the Lord exalts
Jeremiah 1:5 (NASB) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
This verse has powerful meaning to me. Many years ago I was in the basement of the AoG church in Ritzville talking with the pastor and his wife who were good friends. At that time I believed abortion was a good thing. His wife was arguing with me and getting angrier and angrier, but he was sitting quietly and contemplatively to the side, thumbing through his Bible. There was a lull in the racket we were raising, and in a low tone he read the first 2/3rds of this verse. I was convicted, and have never since supported abortion.
Jeremiah 1:6 (NASB) Then I said, “Alas, Lord [Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord] God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth.”
Yir’meyahu was being called to give an extremely unpopular message to those in authority. But El Rai- God Who Sees Me has a distinct purpose for each one of us. Our primary goal in life should be to find that purpose and then to fulfill it.
Psalm 139:16 (NASB) Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
Jeremiah 1:1-3 (NASB) The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
Hilkiah is one of priests of Anathoth, making him a descendant of the Elide priest Abiathar. Recall Melech Shlomo expelled Abiathar from Yerushalayim:
1 Kings 2:26-27 (NASB) Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth to your own field, for you deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of the Lord [Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord ]God before my father David, and because you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.” So Solomon dismissed Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
Jeremiah 1:7-8 (NASB) But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. “Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.
Like Moshe, Yir’meyahu contends he is inadequate to the office of a prophet; especially in such turbulent times. However YHVH Immeka- The Lord is With You reassures Yir’meyahu, saying “I am with you.”
God needs our voices to herald the Word, yet no one feels adequate. If God calls you, or if He places someone before you, believe Him, trust Him, and above all obey Him. Our movement in particular needs our voices defending our faith and telling others who and what we are. You may not feel you can do it, but bear in mind that the same YHVH Immeka is with you. Your ability comes from His Ruach, not from yourself.
Moshe did not feel adequate when called to free his people, but the Lord reassured him as well:
Exodus 3:11-12 (NASB) But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
When HaShem gives you a calling, He does not ask you to be adequate, just available.
Jeremiah 1:9-10 (NASB) Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. “See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, To pluck up and to break down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.”
As with Yishayahu a divine touch prepares Yir’meyahu for his role as a prophet. His commission to speak includes four verbs of destruction and two of restoration, signifying that the major theme in his messages would be destruction and punishment. However as always YHVH Mephalti- The Lord My Deliverer gives a message of hope along with that of destruction.
The touch of YHVH Uzzi- The Lord My Strength in all our endeavors makes all the difference in the success or failure of everything we do for Him. HaShem touched the lips of Yishayhu to give him purity:
Isaiah 6:4-7 (NASB) And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”
And HaShem touched the lips of Yir’meyahu give power to his speech:
Jeremiah 1:9 (NASB) Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
The call of God and touch of God are requisite to our success in service to Him. We do not get to just do it our way.
Jeremiah 1:11-12 (NASB) The word of the Lord came to me saying, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” And I said, “I see a rod of an almond [Heb shaqed] tree.” Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching [Heb shoqed] over My word to perform it.”
The Almond tree (heb saqed), called by the Hebrews the “Wakeful Tree” is the first harbinger of spring in Yisro’el. It flowers in January and bears fruit in March. The metaphore here then to an Israeli would be that YHVH Mephalti- The Lord My Deliverer is watching, awakening early (heb soqed) to empower His Word and bring it to Yerushalayim and Yehuda.
There is a word-play that we would miss in our translations. SHaqed, the Almond Tree is spelled the same as soqed, watching. We as servants of the Most High must open our eyes as well as 0ur ears. Elohim can often help us relate to others through what we see as well as hear.
Jeremiah 1:13-15 (NASB) The word of the Lord came to me a second time saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.” Then the Lord said to me, “Out of the north the evil will break forth on all the inhabitants of the land. For, behold, I am calling all the families of the kingdoms of the north,” declares the Lord; “and they will come and they will set each one his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all its walls round about and against all the cities of Judah. I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices [Or burned incense] to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands.
The boiling pot tipped from the north is a picture of Elohim Shophtim Ba’aretz- God Who Judges in the Earth, His anger boiling over and His judgement coming from north on Judah for her sin and idolatry.
Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
And so as it was prophesied, so it was done. The Babalonian Empire was to conquer them in 605 BCE after a short alliance with the Assyrians.
The steaming pot may have Levitical connotations as well. A similar pot was used In preparation of sacrificial meat.
Ezekiel 24:2-6, 8 (NASB) “Son of man, write the name of the day, this very day. The king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Speak a parable to the rebellious house and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Put on the pot, put it on and also pour water in it; Put in it the pieces, Every good piece, the thigh and the shoulder; Fill it with choice bones. “Take the choicest of the flock, And also pile wood under the pot. Make it boil vigorously. Also seethe its bones in it.”
‘Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “Woe to the bloody city, To the pot in which there is rust And whose rust has not gone out of it! Take out of it piece after piece, Without making a choice. … “That it may cause wrath to come up to take vengeance, I have put her blood on the bare rock, That it may not be covered.”
Jeremiah 1:17-19 (NASB) Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all which I command you. Do not be dismayed before them, or I will dismay you before them. Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.
The prophet’s task was a difficult one: he had to condemn his own kings, officials, and people for their sins. But Elohe Mauzi- God of My Strength promises to stand by him throughout his ministry. It must have been exceedingly difficult for the youthful Yir’meyahu to confromt these leaders with his denunciations. But El Emunah- The Faithful God had made him for this purpose, and He would be with Yir’meyahu all the way.
Those promises of verses 18 & 19 be held close by all called to stand in the breach, and charging men with their sins.
Jeremiah 2:1-3 (NASB) Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown. “Israel was holy to the Lord, The first of His harvest. All who ate of it became guilty; Evil came upon them,” declares the Lord.’”
This is the start of an early prophecy calling men to repentance. Note he first describes where the nation was when they walked with and followed God. Then he condemns them. In Jewish thought, the term “repent” means not just turning away from sin, but returning to the state you once were in before Elohim Kedoshim- Holy God when He walked with them. True repentance should bring us to the state Adam and Chava had when they walked with God in the Garden.]
Yehuda was being judged because the people were unfaithful to El Emunah- The Faithful God. They had mixed worship of Yehova with the worship of heathen idols. This should be a wakeup call to those of us who cling to some of the tennets of Christianiy.
Dan C
Resources: JPS Study TNK, W Wiersbe, Meyer, unger, Rav S, my father and others
