Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne

Causes for National Judgment Part 2 of 2

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2012-02-01

Synopsis: In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver continues his exposition of Jeremiah 5, focusing on verses 25–31 to present the fourth and fifth causes for national judgment: iniquitous conduct among civil rulers and indifference in the calling of prophets and priests. He argues that these sins, combined with those from part one, make a nation ripe for God's judgment, drawing parallels to modern America.

[John Weaver] All right, open your Bibles, if you would, to Jeremiah chapter 5. Jeremiah chapter 5. Last week, we looked at Jeremiah 5, verses 1 through 13. And today, we're going to be looking at Jeremiah 5, verses 25 through 31. I will take a few minutes to review, but let's look at Jeremiah 5, beginning with verse 25. God says your iniquities have turned away these things and your sins have withholden good things from you.

[John Weaver] For among my people are found wicked men. They lay weight. I see that set of snares. They set a trap. They catch men as a cage is full of birds or their houses full of deceit. Therefore they are become great and waxen rich. They're waxen fat. They shine. Yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked. They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper on the right of the needy, do they not judge?

[John Weaver] Shall I not visit for these things, said the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land. The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so. And what will you do? in the end thereof. You remember last week I started a message entitled, Causes of National Judgment.

[John Weaver] And Jeremiah chapter 5 is certainly very clear on at least five of these points that I'm going to make. The first three we covered last week. And it's interesting when you consider in light of today's politically correct mentality, and in light of the immorality in our land, that some of these things are considered by most people as light sins. But God certainly considers them as heinous, vile, and wicked, which is evidence that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and our ways are certainly not God's ways. One of the first three reasons given to us in Jeremiah chapter 5 for which God will send national judgment. I gave you three causes. First of all, we saw that God charged the people of Judah and Jerusalem with being implacable in their comprehension. That's verses one through five.

[John Weaver] That is, they were unwilling to listen. They were unwilling to learn. They were unwilling to obey. God told Jeremiah to run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and see if he could find just one man that understood and one man that would execute justice. And God said, I'll pardon the whole nation. If you can just find one. And of course he could not find one man here were a people that were so implacable, so unyielding, they would not listen to Jeremiah. They would not listen to God. And God says for this cause, I will send national judgment. That's why he said in verse nine, shall I not visit for these things set the Lord and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation is this.

[John Weaver] Secondly, we saw that these same people were incorrigible in chastisement. You'll find that in verse 3. They would not positively respond to chastisement. Instead, chastisement only made them more hardened in their sin, more rebellious, more stubborn, more wicked. And God said in Proverbs 29 in verse 1, he that being often reproved, hardened his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy. So very clearly, then, these people were incorrigible in their chastisement. They would not respond. Therefore, says God, shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? And then thirdly, God charged them with infidelity in covenantal relations. And I showed you, first of all, that that infidelity was Godward. Therefore, he says in verse 7, How shall I pardon thee for this?

[John Weaver] Thy children have forsaken me and sworn by them that are no gods. So first of all, their infidelity was God word. And secondly, it was man word because he says in the latter part of verse seven, when I fed them to the full, then they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots houses. They were as fed horses in the morning. Everyone made after his neighbor's wife and appointed out. When there is no fear of God, there will be no regard for man. I pointed out when someone commits spiritual adultery, and that is idolatry, leaving God, it is but a small step to commit physical adultery.

[John Weaver] So if you're going to be dishonest in that, which is the greatest, it'll be no big thing to be dishonest in that, which is the least. And God therefore rightly compared them to animals. That's why he said, everyone made after his neighbor's wife. And in other words, when we forsake God, we basically did ascend to the level of animals. And he said in verse nine, shall I not visit for these things at the Lord and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this.

[John Weaver] Now, today we come to the fourth and fifth reason. The fourth and fifth calls for which God will send national judgment. Let me just go ahead and tell you that the fourth calls that I'm going to give you pertains really to civil rulers and to those who are in positions of authority. And the reason I'm telling you this in advance, I'm going to show you the point in just a moment. But the reason I'm telling you this in advance is I want you as we consider these passages. Let's see if there's a parallel in our country today. See if you recognize in our nation any such thing that existed in Judah and Jerusalem. So if you look at verses 25 through 28, we'll just read them very quickly.

[John Weaver] He says, your iniquities have turned away these things and your sins have withholding good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men. They lay wait as he that said it snares, they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. Therefore, they become great and waxen rich. They are waxen fat. They shine, yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked.

[John Weaver] They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they do prosper. And the right of the needy do they not judge. So here is the fourth cause for which God will judge a nation. They were iniquitous in their conduct. They were iniquitous in their conduct. As we look at this passage, one might conclude by way of casual observation that this passage could refer to all classes of men in general. And certainly that is true in one sense of the word.

[John Weaver] There are many applications of the truth. But when you look at these verses in their context, at what is specifically stated, you're going to find that this passage refers primarily to civil rulers, to judges, to those who are in authority. When you notice that specifically the word of God says these men are laying weight, they're setting traps and snares, that they're catching men, that they're becoming exceedingly rich, that they're overpassing the deeds of the wicked, I'll explain that later, and that there is a failure to judge the cause of the fatherless and to judge the cause of the needy. So very obviously we're talking about some very wealthy, some very deceitful men who are in positions of authority and power and who should be doing that which is right but they're doing that which is wicked. Now the passage then deals, as I'm going to show you, with men who are iniquitous in their conduct.

[John Weaver] And let me say that I've chosen my words carefully. I considered many words when I was going to describe the conduct of these men and I chose the word iniquitous because of its many synonyms. Let me read to you some of the synonyms for iniquitous and just think, just try to see if any of these synonyms could apply to any of our civil rulers and judges today. Here they are, the synonyms.

[John Weaver] It connotes such words as abominable, atrocious, bad, blameable, blameworthy, criminal, cussed, that's a good word, damnable, dark, disgraceful, evil, evildoing, extrable, felonious, flagrant, foul, harmful, hateful, heinous, illegal, immoral, improper, inequitable, infamous, invidious, thank you. invidious, navish, low, malefactory, malfeasant, malicious, malignant, mean, monstrous, nasty, naughty, nefarious, noxious, ornery, rank, reprehensible, reprobate, scandalous, shameful, sinful, unbalanced, uneven, unforgiven, unjust, unlawful, unspeakable, unworthy, vicious, vile, villainous, and wicked. And that just describes their good points.

[John Weaver] I think those synonyms pretty well hit where it hurts, because truly our leaders, like those in Judah and Jerusalem, are iniquitous in their conduct. Now, if you'll refer back in your Bible to Jeremiah 5, verses 23 and 24, here is a general principle that relates to the people, Notice if you would, he begins talking about the civil rulers immediately thereafter in verse 23, he says, but this people, which would include the civil rulers, this people have the revolting and a rebellious heart. They're revolted and gone. Neither say they're in their heart.

[John Weaver] Let us now fear the Lord, our God that giveth rain, both the former and the latter in his season, he reserveth unto us the appointed rest of rest of heart for weeks of harvest. Now notice, neither say they in their hearts. In other words, here are people that are in such a state of rebellion to God and His law, they do not even conceive, they do not even think of the possibility of returning to God or recognizing God. Consequently, God says in verse 26, now watch, for among my people, or found wicked men. Now, these wicked men like Nimrod are mighty hunters against the Lord. Well, if they're mighty hunters, you must ask the question, what is their prey? Well, according to the Bible, in verse 26, they catch men. Their prey is men. Well, how do you catch men? Not necessarily murdering men, that is a possibility, but you catch men by deceiving them. You catch men by controlling them. You catch men by regulating them. You catch men by dictating to them. Now if you look back to Jeremiah 5 and verse 5, you'll understand this because he says, I will get me to the great men and will speak unto them, for they have known the way of the Lord and the judgment of their God.

[John Weaver] But these, the great men, the rulers, but these have altogether broken the yoke and burst the bonds." In other words, God's boundaries mean nothing to them. God's limitations have no effect upon them. Matthew Henry. The commentator says this concerning these men. Listen carefully. He says they were spiteful and malicious. That's almost descriptive of our rulers today, isn't it? Spiteful and malicious. Such are properly wicked men, men that delight in doing mischief.

[John Weaver] Let me just stop right there. I'm going to come back to this quote. But Alice and I were listening to the news last night. Do you know what our government is considering doing? Taking all of those quote-unquote non-combatant Muslims who they have now kept in Gitmo, Guantanamo Bay, for all these years. They're now not only thinking of releasing them in America But they're also saying that they will have to be subsidized. In other words, they're going to have to be on welfare and your taxes will have to support them while they make a new life. Why don't you just send them back to their country where they came? You have to be either the most stupid person in the world or the most treacherous to come up with some of these ideas. So here's what he's saying.

[John Weaver] He says they were spiteful and malicious. Such are properly wicked men, men that delight in doing mischief. They were found, that is, caught in the very act of their wickedness.

[John Weaver] Now listen, as hunters or fowlers lay snare for their game, so did they lie in wait to catch men and made a sport of it, and took as much pleasure as if they had been entrapping beasts or birds. They contrived ways of doing mischief to good people, whom they hated for their goodness, especially to those that faithfully reproved them, and to those that stood in the way of their preferment, or whom they supposed to have affronted them, or done them an unkindness, or those whose estates they coveted. So Jezebel and Snared Naboth for his vineyard, nay they did mischief for mischief's sake."

[John Weaver] Now I want you to listen to what Matthew Henry said in commenting on this verse. He said, they hated those for their goodness, and especially those who faithfully reproved them, or stood in their way. Now Matthew Henry is referring to a verse in the Bible. Isaiah 29, and I want you to turn back there, whole Jeremiah 5. Look in Isaiah 29 and verse 21. Isaiah 29 and verse 21. Because I'm going to show you exactly what Isaiah and Jeremiah are talking about.

[John Weaver] Notice if you would please. Isaiah 29 and verse 21. That make a man an offender for a word. and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught."

[John Weaver] Now stop and look at that. They make a man an offender for a word. They don't like what he says. Watch."...and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate." That is for anyone who rebukes them, who doesn't agree with them, who doesn't like what they're doing. and they're willing to turn aside the just for a thing of not. In other words, they have no sense of justice, they have no sense of right and wrong, they simply take pleasure in turning aside the just and that which is right for a thing of not.

[John Weaver] Now listen to me, in our politically correct land, just like in Isaiah's day, just like in Jeremiah's day, One may indeed become incarcerated, put in prison, or murdered simply for using the wrong terminology or associating with those who are designated as politically incorrect people. Now, you don't believe that, but listen to me. This has been in the news. I hope you've read it. But I hope you're familiar with the report that the Missouri Information Analysis Center put out. just a week or so ago. Now the report was so atrocious, so vile, so wicked, there was so much uproar that just this past week they had to withdraw that report. Most states now have what are known as fusion centers where all this information comes in and then a report goes out to the law enforcement. Here is what the Missouri Information Analysis Center report said, and I'm quoting now, the MIAC report specifically describes supporters of presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr as militia-influenced terrorists.

[John Weaver] and instructs the Missouri police to be on the lookout for supporters displaying bumper stickers and other paraphernalia associated with constitutional campaign for liberty and libertarian parties. The MIAC report specifically links these supporters to militia-influenced terrorists. Police are educated in the document that people who are anti-abortion, who own gold, display an assortment of United States flags, or even those that talk about the film Zeitgeist, view the police as their enemy and conflates them with domestic terrorists like Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph, and other domestic militia groups who have been charged with plotting terrorist attacks.

[John Weaver] Now let me give you a definition of a word. It says that this report conflates them with domestic terrorists like McVeigh, and Rudolph and other militia groups. The word conflates literally means to merge together or to identify or to make one. So if you voted for Ron Paul or Chuck Baldwin or Bob Barr or if you have a bumper sticker on your card that supports them or if you have a U.S. flag and I'll name one of them in just a moment, or if you are against the Federal Reserve, or if you believe the Constitution says no state shall make anything but gold and silver as legal, you're as bad as Eric Rudolph and Timothy McVeigh and any other militia group that's planning terror, domestic terror.

[John Weaver] By the way, the main flag that they were identifying as wicked and vile and atrocious was the flag of the coil rattlesnake that said don't tread on me. Which was the flag of the American Revolution? A historic flag. Here's the state of Missouri telling their state troopers, telling their police, be on the lookout for anybody that's got a bumper sticker. that says Ron Paul. Now, Missouri got caught.

[John Weaver] My question is how many other states have put out this same information and they have not been exposed as of yet? In fact, the governor of the state of Missouri came out and said that he endorsed that report, but he thought it was unwise for it to have been sent out. What? All I'm trying to show you is this, Isaiah 29, 21, Jeremiah 5 is just as applicable today.

[John Weaver] Here are people who do not like to be rebuked and reproved and disagreed with. Now, look at verse 27 of Jeremiah 5. Here's a further description of these wicked men. He says, as a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. Therefore, they become great and waxen rich.

[John Weaver] Now, Matthew Poole, the commentator, gave an interesting comment on this verse. Just one short paragraph. Listen to what he says. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. And in other words, They fill up their houses with the goods and wealth of those that they deceive and overreach. Ill-gotten gains, a metonymy of the efficient, as the fowler carries his cage along with him wherein he puts the birds which he catches to keep them safe so that they get not away.

[John Weaver] When once they are caught, as also by their appearance and singing to entice others, therefore they become great and waxen rich, showing how and what manner they got their riches by deceitfulness. Therefore by this means there such as gotten by a lying tongue and are therefore called in scripture the treasures of wickedness. So actually what you have in verse 27 is a picture of what these men are doing in reality.

[John Weaver] Just like a man snares and traps birds and then keeps them in the cage to make sure they don't get away. So that is how these men got their wickedness and got their riches by wickedness. And they are keeping the people in that cage so they can continue to fleece them. Isn't that interesting?

[John Weaver] Now look at verse 28. He goes a little bit further. He says they are wax and fat. They shine. Yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked. They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper on the right of the needy. Do they not judge? Oh, listen, I've got to give you this quote. John Calvin on verse 28 says this just to show you, I'm not making any of this up.

[John Weaver] And this is the main line of historic interpretation. John Calvin writes on verse 28. Here the prophet reproves those who were high in dignity, station, and wealth, and who wished at the same time to be deemed inviolable because they're the rulers of the people. In other words, we can do no wrong. We're over you. You do what we're telling you. You keep your mouth shut.

[John Weaver] Now watch what he says. He has spoken before generally. But now he assails the higher orders, the king's counselors, the priests, the judges, and all endowed with authority. He says that they were swollen with fatness and that they were shining though they had exceeded.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note, if you would please, one thing that he does say in verse 28. This is very, very interesting. He says in verse 28, they are waxen fat, they shine, they overpass the deeds of the wicked. Notice they overpass the deeds of the wicked. I want you to remember something. I want you to remember that Judah and Jerusalem professed to be the people of God. You remember Jerusalem is where the tabernacle was.

[John Weaver] It's where the temple was. It's where the teaching priests and where the Levites were. And yet here this people are charged with going over, above, and beyond the pagans. Wow. It seems that when a self-professed believer strays, nothing hinders him from his wickedness. And likewise, when a professed Christian nation forsakes God, nothing hinders them from exceeding the heathen and the pagans. I want you to hold Jeremiah 5.

[John Weaver] Turn over to the book of Ezekiel chapter 5. I want you to note how specifically God spells this out. Notice if you would please. Ezekiel chapter 5 and let's read verses 5 through 7. Ezekiel chapter 5 beginning there with verse 5. Thus saith the Lord God, this is Jerusalem. Now remember, Jerusalem, a covenantal people. Thus saith the Lord, this is Jerusalem. I've set it in the midst of the nation and countries that are round about her. And all those countries and nations were pagan. And she had changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations. And my statutes more than the countries that are round about her. For they have refused my judgments and my statutes.

[John Weaver] They have not walked in them. Therefore, thus said the Lord God, because you multiplied more than the nations that are around about you and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are around about you. Therefore, thus said the Lord God, behold, I even, I am against thee and will execute judgment in the midst of thee and the side of the nations. What did God say?

[John Weaver] You are worse than the pagans. And I tell you what I'll do says God. I'll judge you in the sight of all the other nations. You didn't want my statutes? You didn't want my laws? You didn't want my judgments? Ah, says God, fine. You want to live like the heathen? I will judge you like the heathen. So look at verse 29. Shall I not visit for these things, said the Lord?

[John Weaver] Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? Now I want you to look at this. I want you to watch a progression. I showed you here are people that were implacable in their comprehension. They would not listen. They would not learn.

[John Weaver] Next, they were incorrigible in chastisement. They wouldn't even receive correction. Then they were infidels in their covenantal relations. They were willing to forsake God, forsake their mates, forsake men, their covenants and agreements. Nothing stopped them. And isn't it strange that such a people now have rulers who are iniquitous in their conduct? A wicked people want wicked rulers. Because the wicked rulers are not going to condemn a wicked people. They're doing the same thing the people are.

[John Weaver] Now let me show you something. God says in verse 29, Shall I not judge for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? The judgment of God is absolutely sure certain and absolute. It is not a matter of if God judges, but when God judges. For God said, Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

[John Weaver] Now I want you to think about our country so far. How do we compare with those first four causes for national judgment. I don't know about you, but I believe we're plum ripe for the picking. And I believe God's the picker. Here's the fifth reason. Watch carefully. Now I want you to think about America. They were indifferent in their calling. Look in verse 30. A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land.

[John Weaver] The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means. And my people love to have it so. And what will you do in the end thereof? I want you to note neither prophets nor the priest took their callings seriously. They were willing to sell themselves and sell their ministries for gain and popularity. They were willing and had rather to be accepted by the people than be accepted by God.

[John Weaver] Have you heard that phrase? a seeker-friendly church. Have you heard the term mega-church? I want to ask you a question. How many people do you think would flock to hear Jeremiah preach? Or Ezekiel? Or Isaiah? or John the Baptist? Let me tell you what has happened in this land today. You don't have to turn there, but 2 Peter 2.15 tells us about such men that not only existed in Jeremiah's time, but exist today. Peter writes, who have forsaken the right way and are going astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Besor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness." You remember Balaam was the false prophet? And what does Peter say? He said, these prophets, these preachers today, they've forsaken the right way, they followed the way of Balaam. Now I want you to watch. The ministry had become so perverted That in verse 30, Jeremiah exclaims, a wonderful and a horrible thing is committed in the land. And then he tells you what that wonderful and horrible thing is. The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so.

[John Weaver] Now the word wonderful in verse 30 is a word that emphasizes horror and disbelief. Actually, the word wonderful literally means that which is amazing, that which is horrifying, that which is absolutely astounding. Have you ever been in a position where you've heard something or you've seen something and your mouth just falls open? You're at a loss for words. You can't believe what you're seeing or you can't believe what you're hearing.

[John Weaver] This is what happens here in Jeremiah. He is saying a tremendous, a horrifying thing has happened which exceeds all human conception. It cannot be comprehended. By the two words that he uses here, wonderful and horrible, he is intimating that the impiety of the people could not be expressed in such words or even conceived by the mind. It was such a monstrous and horrible things. Now, what is so monstrous? What is so horrible? Here's what is so monstrous and so horrible. The prophets prophesy falsely.

[John Weaver] And the priests bear rule by their means. And my people love to have it so. Now, let me just tell you that sometimes the word priest here When he says the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means, sometimes the word that is translated priest here is also translated as princes. So you will have a collusion then between the prophets or the preachers and the princes, the civil rulers. And if you interpret it as priest, you still have, the two main religious elements that are in collusion against the people. What is so monstrous that the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests or the princes bear rule by their means?

[John Weaver] Let me put it to you bluntly. When a profligate people stand up for profligate rulers, the height of corruption has reached its zenith.

[John Weaver] I cannot even conceive of anyone who believes the Bible endorsing or associating with 99% of our civil rulers. Now I want you to note something. He says in verse 30, a wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land. He says the prophets prophesied falsely. First, there are those who prophesied falsely. They did not preach the truth. They did not speak the truth. Undoubtedly, there were prophets who deliberately sought to mislead and sought to deceive the people. We find them all the time in the Bible.

[John Weaver] They were in Jeremiah's day. They were in Isaiah's day. They were in our day. They were in the New Testament day. There were others who may not have intentionally deceived or intentionally misled, yet they did. I don't know if you've ever thought about this question or not. But if someone is going to replace the Word of God and preach and teach falsely, What are they going to replace it with? Now you've got to understand, in reality, the Word of God cannot be replaced. You understand that. But very obviously, not everybody preaches the Word of God. And have you ever thought about this? That man by nature has a natural aversion and distaste for God and His Word. Oftentimes, unsaved men, carnal men, prefer to hear half-truths and outright lies rather than the Word of God. So how then can a false prophet deceive someone?

[John Weaver] Well, let me show you. I want you to hold Jeremiah 5, but turn right over to Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah 23. And let's begin reading at verse 30, Jeremiah 23, verse 30. I want you to watch this. This is how false prophets to see. Jeremiah 23, verse 30. Therefore says God, therefore behold, I'm against the prophets set the Lord that steal my words, everyone from his neighbor. Behold, I'm against the prophets set the Lord that use their tongues and say, he says, behold, I'm against them that prophesy false dreams, set the Lord.

[John Weaver] I do tell them and cause my people to err by their lies and by their likeness. Yet I sent them not nor commanded them. Therefore they shall not profit. This people at all set the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, Jeremiah gives us three ways in which the word of God is stolen, butchered and replaced. And I want you to know that in each of these instances, the prophets are doing that, which God forbids. And God specifically says I'm against them. I got news for you folks. I don't want God against me. I don't mind the people being against me, but I don't want God against me. So how Is the word of God stolen and butchered?

[John Weaver] We'll look in verse 31st. He says, behold, I'm against the prophet, set the Lord that steal my words, everyone from his neighbor. Okay. First of all, you can steal God's word by taking it away. What did he say? I'm against the words that the prophet said, the Lord that steal my words, everyone from his neighbor. Now the word of God may be stolen. By just totally ignoring it, refusing to preach and teach it. That's one way, but let me tell you generally how his word is stolen. when preachers refuse to preach the whole counsel of God, the Word of God is being stolen. In other words, all you have to do is leave out and leave off the offensive sections of the Bible, those sections that most people don't want to hear, they don't like, you just leave them off, you just leave them, you just teach a positive thinking. You just teach that man by nature is good and that if you work hard enough and if you're sincere, God's gonna let you in his heaven.

[John Weaver] Don't you worry about it. You just leave off all that stuff that you're a sinner and you're wicked and you're a reprobate and you're ungodly and God demands that you repent and turn from your wicked ways. You leave all that stuff off. You know what you're doing? You're stealing God's word by refusing to preach the totality of God's word. You don't have to take this Bible and throw it away to steal God's word. You just refuse to preach all of it and you're stealing it.

[John Weaver] What did Paul write in second Timothy chapter three and verse 16? All scriptures given by inspiration of God and is what's that next word? Profitable. Profitable. So if all of God's Word is profitable, all of God's Word should be preached. But God's against the false prophets, He said, who steal His words. They take from. Notice verse 31, Jeremiah 23. He says, Behold, I'm against the prophets, saith the Lord, that use their tongues and say, He saith. Ah! Here's another way that you can steal God's Word.

[John Weaver] This time you're not taking away from, this time you're adding to. So they're preaching and teaching then a gospel of their own making. They're teaching and preaching their own interpretation that arises from their own imagination. In other words, they're not only diluting the Word of God by adding to it, They are, in essence, perverting it as well. And God places a curse upon all those who add to.

[John Weaver] Let me just quote the scriptures. Deuteronomy 4 in verse 2. Here's what God says. You shall not add unto the word which I command you. Neither shall you diminish from it that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you. God says you're not to add to and you're not to take from. How about this one? Revelation 22 verse 18. Our Lord says, for I testified to every man to hear the words of the process prophecy of this book. If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. So God says then that you're not to take from and not to add to. And you may steal God's Word by taking from it, and you may steal God's Word by adding to it.

[John Weaver] And yet there is a third way. If you'll look in verse 32 of Jeremiah 23, he says this, Behold, I'm against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the Lord, and do tell them and caused my people to err by their lies and by their likeness, yet I sent them not nor commanded them, therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the Lord." The third way is, they're not necessarily adding to or taking from, they're merely substituting for. They teach their dreams, they teach their desires, they teach their whims, they teach whatever they please, they just simply do not take and teach the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Do you realize if I were to advertise on the first Sunday in May, we're going to have a comedy fest. And I'm going to tell you some of the most hilarious jokes you've ever heard in your life. Come and be entertained. Come and be tickled. Come and be delighted. Guess what? I could have people standing outside. Or if I dream a dream? Let me tell you what I've dreamed. God spoke to me in a dream. No, God speaks through His Son Jesus Christ. He speaks through His Word. Anytime you substitute for, you are taking away from, the truth of God. And you are deceiving people and you're depriving them of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Jeremiah said, the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means. There was a collusion then between the preachers and the princes and the priests. And instead of the priests correcting the false prophets, they found out rather, hey, we get gain from this. It's benefiting us. Let them go. We'll build us a crystal cathedral. We'll build us a shiny new temple. I mean, come on! The prophets and the priests and the princes, listen, got together to deceive, to ruin, and to control the people.

[John Weaver] Now here's the saddest part. I want you to go back to Jeremiah five. Here's the saddest part. You see, most people today don't even think of the fact that most of the big time preachers, and I'm certainly saying not all, but most really have no true regard for the word of God. That's why you find them always invited to the White House. Congressional meetings. You don't find someone who takes a strong stand for the kingship of Christ and the importance and the infallibility of Scripture being invited. Most people don't even want to think that there's a collusion between the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches and the civil rulers. Yet there is such a collusion. Now listen, but here's the sad part. Look at verse 31.

[John Weaver] The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests or the princes bear rule by their means and my People love to have it so. My people love to have it so. Why in the world would God's professing people or professing Christian nation love to have it so? Here's why. False preaching, false teaching appeals to the flesh. It pampers the pride of man. It removes guilt from his conscience so that he may sin with impunity.

[John Weaver] It relieves him of his responsibility and accountability. Historically, listen carefully, historically and biblically false preaching, false teaching always leads to licentiousness, wickedness, injustice and tyranny. It does. Do you understand that error in the religious or spiritual realm will always lead to error in the political or the civil realm? And by the way, I want you to note that most false teaching and preaching is synergistic, and by that I mean it will incorporate a little of the truth from the Bible. With a whole lot of error. They've got to have just a little bit of truth to get you to swallow the hook. It's just like rat poison. Rat poison is about 99% corn meal. Corn meal is good food. It's just that 1% of arsenic that gets you. Now I want you to look back. Chapter 2, verse 8. Jeremiah 2, verse 8. Watch this. To show you this wickedness. Jeremiah 2, verse 8.

[John Weaver] My people love to have it so. Jeremiah 2, verse 8. The priest said not, where is the Lord? And they that handle the law knew me not. The pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit." And what did he say? And my people love to have it so.

[John Weaver] Now, if you can, very quickly, turn to the little book of Micah. Micah. And I want you to turn to Micah chapter 2, if you would. So you have... You have Obadiah, Jonah, Micah. Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, and then Nahum. Micah's right in the middle there, right before the book of Nahum. So look in Micah chapter 2, verse 11. Micah 2, verse 11. Here's how perverse the prophets and the priests were.

[John Weaver] If a man walking in spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and strong drink. He shall even be the prophet of this people. Let me be your preacher. I'll tell you it's all right to get drunk. That's what they're saying. But the scripture says no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God. Look in Micah chapter 3 at verses 11 and 12. Micah 3 verse 11.

[John Weaver] You're talking about a good description. Here it is, Micah 3, verse 11. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money. Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say, is not the Lord among us? None evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion, or Jerusalem, For your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high place of the forest." Note if you would, the heads, that is the civil rulers, judge for reward. The priests teach for hire. The prophets divine for money. Yet they will lean upon the Lord. In other words, we're trusting in the Lord. We're doing everything contrary to God, yet we're going to lean upon Him and say, no evil is going to come upon us because we're leaning upon the Lord. Ah, said God, I'll plow you as a field that is plowed, and you shall discover you're not really leaning upon Me. and you're stealing my word.

[John Weaver] Have you ever stopped to think that people tend to love their flesh and to love their sins? No one likes to be made uncomfortable. No one likes to be made uneasy. No one really likes to hear you're wicked, you're ungodly, you're reprobate, and if you don't repent, God's going to kill you. How many just love to hear that? You see what I'm saying? You know what the Bible says in Isaiah 30 in verse 10? Here's what the people told the prophets. Listen now, let me just quote it. Isaiah 30 verse 10. Which say to the seers, that's the prophets, which say to the prophets, see not, and to the prophets prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. We'd rather hear something smooth, we'd rather hear something palatable, we'd rather hear deceits than the truth. And what did he say? And my people love to have it so. One last passage I want to quote. You're familiar with it, 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verses 3 and 4. 2nd Timothy 4 verses 3 and 4.

[John Weaver] What did Paul tell Timothy? He said, for the time will come that they will not endure sound doctrine. But after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears, and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned into fables." They don't want the truth. They just want someone to scratch their ears, to tickle them, and let them go.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to Jeremiah chapter 5, and I want you to look at verse 31. He says, the prophets prophesy falsely, the priests bear rule by their means, and my people love to have it so. Now, I want you to watch. It's easy enough to despise, reject, ridicule, mock, neglect, and substitute for the word of God. But here's the question and God is asking it. Look at verse 31. The prophets prophesy falsely and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it. So here's the question.

[John Weaver] What will you do in the end thereof? You might like it smooth and easy. You might like the deceit and the lies. But what are you going to do when God calls you into account? What are you going to do when God judges you? What are you going to do when you rebel and sin like a flood of mighty waters and then God judges you like a flood of mighty waters? What are you going to do in the end thereof?

[John Weaver] One thing that we know absolutely for certain, absolutely for sure, is that God will judge such a nation, for He said in verse 29, Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? Let me make just a couple of applications, and I want you to think with me. I've given you five causes for national judgment. Think about them.

[John Weaver] Put them together in your mind. In Jerusalem, in Judah, were people that were implacable in their comprehension. They wouldn't listen. They were incorrigible in chastisement. They wouldn't receive correction. They were unfaithful. They were infidels in their covenantal relations. They had rulers who were iniquitous in their conduct. And they had prophets and priests, princes, who were indifferent as to their calling.

[John Weaver] Now, my question is this. What do you think God is going to do with such a nation as that? Well, let's look. Jeremiah 5, verse 10. In fact, let's read verse 9. Look at verse 9. Jeremiah 5, verse 9. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? Now look what he says about Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] Go you up upon her walls and destroy, but make not a full in, take away her battlements for they are not the Lord's. You know what the wall was? You know what the battlements were? Those were your defenses as a people and as a nation. God said, take them away. They're not mine. I'm not defending this people. This people do not want me. They do not want my word. They do not want my preachers. They do not want my prophets. They don't want me. They don't want my protection. You just take away what little they've got, they're not mine.

[John Weaver] I'll let the enemy have them. Such a nation will be deprived of God's sovereign protection. Let me ask you a question. Why would God respect a people who do not respect Him? Why would God defend the people who do not defend Him?

[John Weaver] Secondly, I want you to note that all of the causes that I've mentioned to you for national judgment are exceedingly grievous to the Lord. And here's one reason why they're so grievous. It's because they are a misrepresentation of God. and they constitute in reality lying against God. Look in Jeremiah 5 verse 11. After he says in verse 10, take away abatements, he says in verse 11, For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord.

[John Weaver] In other words, such a nation is considered traitors. They're treacherous. They're traitors. Then he says in verse 12, They have belied the Lord and said, it is not He. Neither shall evil come upon us, neither shall we see sword nor famine. Now, I want you to note, they have belied the Lord. That is, they've lied against Him. How did they lie against Him? By misrepresenting Him, by refusing to believe Him.

[John Weaver] And notice, if you would, let me break it down for you. Verse 12, he says, they have belied The Lord, that is, they've lied against the Lord and said, number one, watch, it is not He. That is, they're denying His personhood. They're denying God. So they've denied His person. Neither shall evil come upon us. Now they're denying His providence. God won't do anything to us. Why, we're His people. We're His favorite nation. Notice what else they say in verse 12. Neither shall we see sword or famine." Now they're denying His punishment. They deny His person, His providence, His punishment. I've heard people tell me, God will never judge America. I mean, we're a Christian nation. What? We were a Christian nation, past tense. Used to be! But now, as a nation, we belie the Lord. We lie against Him. God says such a people are nothing but traitors. And by the way, would you want to know what the penalty is for lying against the Lord?

[John Weaver] You remember Acts chapter 5, Ananias and Savirah had a certain land and sold it? Kept back part of the possession. Brought the money to Peter and said, aren't we wonderful Christians? We've sold this land and we're giving all this money to the Lord. Peter looked at Ananias and said, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to God? He said, when you had the land, wasn't it yours?

[John Weaver] You could do what you wanted to with it. When you sold it, and got the money. What did yours? You could do whatever you wanted to with it. But what you've done is you've kept back part of it, and now you're pretending like you've given it to the Lord. Why has Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Lord? Thou hast not lied to man, but unto God, and God killed him.

[John Weaver] A little while later when Sapphira came in, Peter said, Tell me, did you sell the land for so much? Oh yes, and we gave it all to the Lord. Aren't we wonderful Christians? Peter just said, Behold the feet of the young men Bore out your husband, they shall take you out too. Words God killed Ananias. He's the one that killed Sapphira. She's part of it. What did they do? They lied to God. And they lied about God. And God killed them.

[John Weaver] What is He charging Judah and Jerusalem with? Lying against Him. What did He do to Judah and Jerusalem? He destroyed them. Look at verses 13 through 17. Watch this. Here's the third application. When God ordains judgment, He will not repent. He said in verse 13, and the prophets, that is these false prophets they trust in, the prophets shall become wind. And the word is not in them, thus shall it be done in them. Wherefore, thus saith the Lord God of hosts, because you speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people would and shall devour them.

[John Weaver] Lo, I'll bring a nation against you from afar, the Babylonians. O house of Israel, saith the Lord, it is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say. Their quiver is an open sepulcher. They're almighty men. And they shall eat up thine harvest and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat. And they shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds. And they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees. And they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, whereof thou trustest with a sword." God said, I'll destroy you. I'll not change my mind. And He did not.

[John Weaver] Now let me tell you something. When God's true preachers cry out of judgment and destruction, they're mocked, they're ridiculed, they're called unloving, unkind, insensitive, intolerant, all kinds of names. But let me tell you, when you begin to hear all of God's true preachers Speak about judgment. You listen to this one preacher, he's a good preacher on the radio, and he's preaching judgment. You get another one on TV, he's preaching judgment. You go to church, he's preaching judgment. You hear about some other sermon, he's preaching judgment. When you hear that, you better watch out. Why?

[John Weaver] Amos 3 verse 7 says this, The Lord God will do nothing, but He revealed His secrets to His servants, the prophets. When God's men begin to preach the same thing, you better be getting ready. Because God will not change. Now one last application. I want you to see the lex talionis of scripture here. You remember the lex talionis is just simply the law of retribution. God always makes the punishment fit the crime. Okay? God is just whether man is or not.

[John Weaver] So, look in verses 7 and 8. Jeremiah 5 verse 7. God asks, How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods. And when I fed them to the full, then they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's houses. They were as fed horses in the morning, everyone nayed after his neighbor's wife."

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to watch. What did God do to these people? First of all, He blessed them. He fed them to the full. What did they do to God? They forsook Him. They turned from God. They used His blessings. They used His provision to worship false gods and to sin against God. So here's what God asked. You like those false gods? You like to do what they command you? Okay.

[John Weaver] Skip down to verse 19. And it shall come to pass when you shall say, wherefore doth the Lord our God all these things in us? Then shalt thou answer them, like as you have forsaken me and serve strange gods in your land, so shall you serve strangers in a land that is not yours. Oh, God said you like those false gods. Guess what? I'll send you as a slave where they are and you can worship them all you like.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you something, folks. The nation that will not serve God will serve their enemies. And they will serve a false god. Either in their land or in a strange land, God will judge them because God is absolutely just and He always makes the punishment fit the crime. Five causes for national judgment. When a people are implacable in their comprehension, incorrigible in chastisement, infidels in covenantal relation, when they are iniquitous in their conduct and indifferent in their callings, God asks, Shall not I visit for these things, saith the Lord? And shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? Watch out. God is still on the throne. And He's still the judge of all the earth. Let's pray.

[John Weaver] Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ for Your grace and Your mercy. We pray that You would teach us. And Lord, help us prepare our hearts that we may not be disobedient in any of these areas. May we honor Thee and recognize Thee. and confess and acknowledge that thou art the one true and the living God thou hast given by word and by word is truth. And may we submit to it. May we be faithful in warning others and showing others that we are indeed a nation that's ripe for judgment because we have forsaken the Lord our God. We do pray for repentance and we pray for an awakening. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask it. Amen.

Causes for National Judgment Part 2 of 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Ct3xyjTfLWg
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 186: Causes For National Judgment — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	94

Formatted Transcript

Opening

All right, open your Bibles, if you would, to Jeremiah chapter 5. Jeremiah chapter 5. Last week, we looked at Jeremiah 5, verses 1 through 13. And today, we're going to be looking at Jeremiah 5, verses 25 through 31. I will take a few minutes to review, but let's look at Jeremiah 5, beginning with verse 25. God says,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:25-31

"Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you." "For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge."

"Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" You remember last week I started a message entitled, "Causes of National Judgment."

Review of First Three Causes

Weaver reviews the first three causes for national judgment from Jeremiah 5:1-13: implacable in comprehension, incorrigible in chastisement, and infidelity in covenantal relations.

And Jeremiah chapter 5 is certainly very clear on at least five of these points that I'm going to make. The first three we covered last week. And it's interesting when you consider in light of today's politically correct mentality, and in light of the immorality in our land, that some of these things are considered by most people as light sins. But God certainly considers them as heinous, vile, and wicked, which is evidence that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and our ways are certainly not God's ways. One of the first three reasons given to us in Jeremiah chapter 5 for which God will send national judgment. I gave you three causes. First of all, we saw that God charged the people of Judah and Jerusalem with being implacable in their comprehension. That's verses one through five.

That is, they were unwilling to listen. They were unwilling to learn. They were unwilling to obey. God told Jeremiah to run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and see if he could find just one man that understood and one man that would execute justice. And God said, "I'll pardon the whole nation if you can just find one." And of course he could not find one man. Here were a people that were so implacable, so unyielding, they would not listen to Jeremiah. They would not listen to God. And God says for this cause, I will send national judgment. That's why he said in verse nine, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

Secondly, we saw that these same people were incorrigible in chastisement. You'll find that in verse 3. They would not positively respond to chastisement. Instead, chastisement only made them more hardened in their sin, more rebellious, more stubborn, more wicked. And God said in Proverbs 29 and verse 1, "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." So very clearly, then, these people were incorrigible in their chastisement. They would not respond. Therefore, says God, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" And then thirdly, God charged them with infidelity in covenantal relations. And I showed you, first of all, that that infidelity was Godward. Therefore, he says in verse 7, "How shall I pardon thee for this?"

"Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods." So first of all, their infidelity was Godward. And secondly, it was manward because he says in the latter part of verse seven, "When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife." And I pointed out, when there is no fear of God, there will be no regard for man. I pointed out when someone commits spiritual adultery, and that is idolatry, leaving God, it is but a small step to commit physical adultery.

So if you're going to be dishonest in that which is the greatest, it'll be no big thing to be dishonest in that which is the least. And God therefore rightly compared them to animals. That's why he said, "every one neighed after his neighbour's wife." And in other words, when we forsake God, we basically descend to the level of animals. And he said in verse nine, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

Fourth Cause: Iniquitous Conduct of Civil Rulers

Weaver introduces the fourth cause, focusing on verses 25-28, which describe wicked men in authority who are deceitful, wealthy, and fail to judge the fatherless and needy.

Now, today we come to the fourth and fifth reason. The fourth and fifth causes for which God will send national judgment. Let me just go ahead and tell you that the fourth cause that I'm going to give you pertains really to civil rulers and to those who are in positions of authority. And the reason I'm telling you this in advance, I'm going to show you the point in just a moment. But the reason I'm telling you this in advance is I want you as we consider these passages, let's see if there's a parallel in our country today. See if you recognize in our nation any such thing that existed in Judah and Jerusalem. So if you look at verses 25 through 28, we'll just read them very quickly.

He says, "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked." "They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge." So here is the fourth cause for which God will judge a nation. They were iniquitous in their conduct. They were iniquitous in their conduct. As we look at this passage, one might conclude by way of casual observation that this passage could refer to all classes of men in general. And certainly that is true in one sense of the word.

There are many applications of the truth. But when you look at these verses in their context, at what is specifically stated, you're going to find that this passage refers primarily to civil rulers, to judges, to those who are in authority. When you notice that specifically the word of God says these men are laying wait, they're setting traps and snares, that they're catching men, that they're becoming exceedingly rich, that they're overpassing the deeds of the wicked—I'll explain that later—and that there is a failure to judge the cause of the fatherless and to judge the cause of the needy. So very obviously we're talking about some very wealthy, some very deceitful men who are in positions of authority and power and who should be doing that which is right but they're doing that which is wicked. Now the passage then deals, as I'm going to show you, with men who are iniquitous in their conduct.

Synonyms and Description of Iniquitous Conduct

Weaver lists synonyms for 'iniquitous' and applies them to modern civil rulers, emphasizing their spiteful and malicious nature.

And let me say that I've chosen my words carefully. I considered many words when I was going to describe the conduct of these men and I chose the word iniquitous because of its many synonyms. Let me read to you some of the synonyms for iniquitous and just think, just try to see if any of these synonyms could apply to any of our civil rulers and judges today. Here they are, the synonyms. It connotes such words as abominable, atrocious, bad, blameable, blameworthy, criminal, cussed—that's a good word—damnable, dark, disgraceful, evil, evildoing, execrable, felonious, flagrant, foul, harmful, hateful, heinous, illegal, immoral, improper, inequitable, infamous, invidious—thank you—invidious, knavish, low, malefactory, malfeasant, malicious, malignant, mean, monstrous, nasty, naughty, nefarious, noxious, ornery, rank, reprehensible, reprobate, scandalous, shameful, sinful, unbalanced, uneven, unforgiven, unjust, unlawful, unspeakable, unworthy, vicious, vile, villainous, and wicked. And that just describes their good points.

I think those synonyms pretty well hit where it hurts, because truly our leaders, like those in Judah and Jerusalem, are iniquitous in their conduct. Now, if you'll refer back in your Bible to Jeremiah 5, verses 23 and 24, here is a general principle that relates to the people. Notice if you would, he begins talking about the civil rulers immediately thereafter. In verse 23, he says, "But this people"—which would include the civil rulers—"this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. Neither say they in their heart..."

Biblical Parallels: Catching Men and Deceit

Weaver explains how rulers catch men through deceit and control, citing Jeremiah 5:26-27 and Matthew Henry's commentary, and draws parallels to modern government actions.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:23-24

"...Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest."

Now notice,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:23-24

"neither say they in their heart."

In other words, here are people that are in such a state of rebellion to God and His law, they do not even conceive, they do not even think of the possibility of returning to God or recognizing God. Consequently, God says in verse 26, now watch, "For among my people are found wicked men." Now, these wicked men like Nimrod are mighty hunters against the Lord. Well, if they're mighty hunters, you must ask the question, what is their prey? Well, according to the Bible, in verse 26, they catch men. Their prey is men. Well, how do you catch men? Not necessarily murdering men, that is a possibility, but you catch men by deceiving them. You catch men by controlling them. You catch men by regulating them. You catch men by dictating to them. Now if you look back to Jeremiah 5 and verse 5, you'll understand this because he says, "I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God."

"But these"—the great men, the rulers—"but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds." In other words, God's boundaries mean nothing to them. God's limitations have no effect upon them. Matthew Henry, the commentator, says this concerning these men. Listen carefully. He says they were spiteful and malicious. That's almost descriptive of our rulers today, isn't it? Spiteful and malicious. Such are properly wicked men, men that delight in doing mischief.

Let me just stop right there. I'm going to come back to this quote. But Alice and I were listening to the news last night. Do you know what our government is considering doing? Taking all of those quote-unquote non-combatant Muslims who they have now kept in Gitmo, Guantanamo Bay, for all these years. They're now not only thinking of releasing them in America, but they're also saying that they will have to be subsidized. In other words, they're going to have to be on welfare and your taxes will have to support them while they make a new life. Why don't you just send them back to their country where they came? You have to be either the most stupid person in the world or the most treacherous to come up with some of these ideas. So here's what he's saying.

He says they were spiteful and malicious. Such are properly wicked men, men that delight in doing mischief. They were found, that is, caught in the very act of their wickedness. Now listen, "as hunters or fowlers lay snares for their game, so did they lie in wait to catch men and made a sport of it, and took as much pleasure as if they had been entrapping beasts or birds. They contrived ways of doing mischief to good people, whom they hated for their goodness, especially to those that faithfully reproved them, and to those that stood in the way of their preferment, or whom they supposed to have affronted them, or done them an unkindness, or those whose estates they coveted. So Jezebel snared Naboth for his vineyard, nay they did mischief for mischief's sake."

Now I want you to listen to what Matthew Henry said in commenting on this verse. He said, they hated those for their goodness, and especially those who faithfully reproved them, or stood in their way. Now Matthew Henry is referring to a verse in the Bible. Isaiah 29, and I want you to turn back there, hold Jeremiah 5. Look in Isaiah 29 and verse 21. Isaiah 29 and verse 21. Because I'm going to show you exactly what Isaiah and Jeremiah are talking about.

Modern Examples of Government Overreach

Weaver cites a Missouri Information Analysis Center report labeling political supporters as terrorists, illustrating how rulers make men offenders for a word (Isaiah 29:21).

Notice if you would please. Isaiah 29 and verse 21.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 29:21

"That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought."

Now stop and look at that. They make a man an offender for a word. They don't like what he says. Watch.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 29:21

"...and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate."

That is for anyone who rebukes them, who doesn't agree with them, who doesn't like what they're doing. And they're willing to turn aside the just for a thing of nought. In other words, they have no sense of justice, they have no sense of right and wrong, they simply take pleasure in turning aside the just and that which is right for a thing of nought.

Now listen to me, in our politically correct land, just like in Isaiah's day, just like in Jeremiah's day, one may indeed become incarcerated, put in prison, or murdered simply for using the wrong terminology or associating with those who are designated as politically incorrect people. Now, you don't believe that, but listen to me. This has been in the news. I hope you've read it. But I hope you're familiar with the report that the Missouri Information Analysis Center put out just a week or so ago. Now the report was so atrocious, so vile, so wicked, there was so much uproar that just this past week they had to withdraw that report. Most states now have what are known as fusion centers where all this information comes in and then a report goes out to the law enforcement. Here is what the Missouri Information Analysis Center report said, and I'm quoting now, the MIAC report specifically describes supporters of presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr as militia-influenced terrorists.

and instructs the Missouri police to be on the lookout for supporters displaying bumper stickers and other paraphernalia associated with constitutional campaign for liberty and libertarian parties. The MIAC report specifically links these supporters to militia-influenced terrorists. Police are educated in the document that people who are anti-abortion, who own gold, display an assortment of United States flags, or even those that talk about the film Zeitgeist, view the police as their enemy and conflates them with domestic terrorists like Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph, and other domestic militia groups who have been charged with plotting terrorist attacks. Now let me give you a definition of a word. It says that this report conflates them with domestic terrorists like McVeigh, and Rudolph and other militia groups. The word conflates literally means to merge together or to identify or to make one. So if you voted for Ron Paul or Chuck Baldwin or Bob Barr or if you have a bumper sticker on your car that supports them or if you have a U.S. flag—and I'll name one of them in just a moment—or if you are against the Federal Reserve, or if you believe the Constitution says no state shall make anything but gold and silver as legal tender, you're as bad as Eric Rudolph and Timothy McVeigh and any other militia group that's planning terror, domestic terror.

By the way, the main flag that they were identifying as wicked and vile and atrocious was the flag of the coiled rattlesnake that said "Don't Tread on Me," which was the flag of the American Revolution. A historic flag. Here's the state of Missouri telling their state troopers, telling their police, be on the lookout for anybody that's got a bumper sticker that says Ron Paul. Now, Missouri got caught. My question is how many other states have put out this same information and they have not been exposed as of yet? In fact, the governor of the state of Missouri came out and said that he endorsed that report, but he thought it was unwise for it to have been sent out. What? All I'm trying to show you is this, Isaiah 29:21, Jeremiah 5 is just as applicable today.

Here are people who do not like to be rebuked and reproved and disagreed with. Now, look at verse 27 of Jeremiah 5. Here's a further description of these wicked men. He says, "As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich."

Exceeding the Wicked and Ezekiel's Warning

Weaver notes that Judah exceeded the deeds of the wicked (Jeremiah 5:28) and reads Ezekiel 5:5-7 to show God's judgment on a people worse than pagans.

Now, Matthew Poole, the commentator, gave an interesting comment on this verse. Just one short paragraph. Listen to what he says. "As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit." And in other words, they fill up their houses with the goods and wealth of those that they deceive and overreach. Ill-gotten gains, a metonymy of the efficient, as the fowler carries his cage along with him wherein he puts the birds which he catches to keep them safe so that they get not away.

When once they are caught, as also by their appearance and singing to entice others, therefore they become great and waxen rich, showing how and what manner they got their riches by deceitfulness. Therefore by this means there such as gotten by a lying tongue and are therefore called in scripture the treasures of wickedness. So actually what you have in verse 27 is a picture of what these men are doing in reality. Just like a man snares and traps birds and then keeps them in the cage to make sure they don't get away, so that is how these men got their wickedness and got their riches by wickedness. And they are keeping the people in that cage so they can continue to fleece them. Isn't that interesting?

Now look at verse 28. He goes a little bit further. He says, "They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge." Oh, listen, I've got to give you this quote. John Calvin on verse 28 says this just to show you, I'm not making any of this up. And this is the main line of historic interpretation. John Calvin writes on verse 28. "Here the prophet reproves those who were high in dignity, station, and wealth, and who wished at the same time to be deemed inviolable because they're the rulers of the people." In other words, we can do no wrong. We're over you. You do what we're telling you. You keep your mouth shut.

Now watch what he says. "He has spoken before generally. But now he assails the higher orders, the king's counselors, the priests, the judges, and all endowed with authority. He says that they were swollen with fatness and that they were shining though they had exceeded."

Now, I want you to note, if you would please, one thing that he does say in verse 28. This is very, very interesting. He says in verse 28, "they are waxen fat, they shine, they overpass the deeds of the wicked." Notice they overpass the deeds of the wicked. I want you to remember something. I want you to remember that Judah and Jerusalem professed to be the people of God. You remember Jerusalem is where the tabernacle was. It's where the temple was. It's where the teaching priests and where the Levites were. And yet here this people are charged with going over, above, and beyond the pagans. Wow. It seems that when a self-professed believer strays, nothing hinders him from his wickedness. And likewise, when a professed Christian nation forsakes God, nothing hinders them from exceeding the heathen and the pagans. I want you to hold Jeremiah 5.

Turn over to the book of Ezekiel chapter 5. I want you to note how specifically God spells this out. Notice if you would please. Ezekiel chapter 5 and let's read verses 5 through 7. Ezekiel chapter 5 beginning there with verse 5.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 5:5-7

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem"

—now remember, Jerusalem, a covenantal people—

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 5:5-7

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her."

And all those countries and nations were pagan.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 5:5-7

"And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes."

"They have not walked in them. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations." What did God say? You are worse than the pagans. And I tell you what I'll do, says God. I'll judge you in the sight of all the other nations. You didn't want my statutes? You didn't want my laws? You didn't want my judgments? Ah, says God, fine. You want to live like the heathen? I will judge you like the heathen. So look at verse 29. "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

Fifth Cause: Indifference in Calling of Prophets and Priests

Weaver introduces the fifth cause from verses 30-31: prophets prophesy falsely, priests bear rule by their means, and the people love it so.

Now I want you to look at this. I want you to watch a progression. I showed you here are people that were implacable in their comprehension. They would not listen. They would not learn. Next, they were incorrigible in chastisement. They wouldn't even receive correction. Then they were infidels in their covenantal relations. They were willing to forsake God, forsake their mates, forsake men, their covenants and agreements. Nothing stopped them. And isn't it strange that such a people now have rulers who are iniquitous in their conduct? A wicked people want wicked rulers. Because the wicked rulers are not going to condemn a wicked people. They're doing the same thing the people are.

Now let me show you something. God says in verse 29, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" The judgment of God is absolutely sure, certain, and absolute. It is not a matter of if God judges, but when God judges. For God said, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"

Now I want you to think about our country so far. How do we compare with those first four causes for national judgment? I don't know about you, but I believe we're plum ripe for the picking. And I believe God's the picker. Here's the fifth reason. Watch carefully. Now I want you to think about America. They were indifferent in their calling. Look in verse 30. "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land."

"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" I want you to note neither prophets nor the priests took their callings seriously. They were willing to sell themselves and sell their ministries for gain and popularity. They were willing and had rather to be accepted by the people than be accepted by God. Have you heard that phrase, a seeker-friendly church? Have you heard the term mega-church? I want to ask you a question. How many people do you think would flock to hear Jeremiah preach? Or Ezekiel? Or Isaiah? Or John the Baptist? Let me tell you what has happened in this land today. You don't have to turn there, but 2 Peter 2:15 tells us about such men that not only existed in Jeremiah's time, but exist today. Peter writes, "Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness." You remember Balaam was the false prophet? And what does Peter say? He said, these prophets, these preachers today, they've forsaken the right way, they followed the way of Balaam. Now I want you to watch. The ministry had become so perverted that in verse 30, Jeremiah exclaims, "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land." And then he tells you what that wonderful and horrible thing is. "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so."

How False Prophets Steal God's Word

Weaver expounds Jeremiah 23:30-32 to show three ways false prophets steal God's word: taking away, adding to, and substituting for it.

Now the word wonderful in verse 30 is a word that emphasizes horror and disbelief. Actually, the word wonderful literally means that which is amazing, that which is horrifying, that which is absolutely astounding. Have you ever been in a position where you've heard something or you've seen something and your mouth just falls open? You're at a loss for words. You can't believe what you're seeing or you can't believe what you're hearing. This is what happens here in Jeremiah. He is saying a tremendous, a horrifying thing has happened which exceeds all human conception. It cannot be comprehended. By the two words that he uses here, wonderful and horrible, he is intimating that the impiety of the people could not be expressed in such words or even conceived by the mind. It was such a monstrous and horrible thing. Now, what is so monstrous? What is so horrible? Here's what is so monstrous and so horrible. "The prophets prophesy falsely."

"And the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so." Now, let me just tell you that sometimes the word priest here—when he says "the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means"—sometimes the word that is translated priest here is also translated as princes. So you will have a collusion then between the prophets or the preachers and the princes, the civil rulers. And if you interpret it as priest, you still have the two main religious elements that are in collusion against the people. What is so monstrous that the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests or the princes bear rule by their means? Let me put it to you bluntly. When a profligate people stand up for profligate rulers, the height of corruption has reached its zenith.

I cannot even conceive of anyone who believes the Bible endorsing or associating with 99% of our civil rulers. Now I want you to note something. He says in verse 30, "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land." He says, "the prophets prophesy falsely." First, there are those who prophesy falsely. They did not preach the truth. They did not speak the truth. Undoubtedly, there were prophets who deliberately sought to mislead and sought to deceive the people. We find them all the time in the Bible.

They were in Jeremiah's day. They were in Isaiah's day. They were in our day. They were in the New Testament day. There were others who may not have intentionally deceived or intentionally misled, yet they did. I don't know if you've ever thought about this question or not. But if someone is going to replace the Word of God and preach and teach falsely, what are they going to replace it with? Now you've got to understand, in reality, the Word of God cannot be replaced. You understand that. But very obviously, not everybody preaches the Word of God. And have you ever thought about this? That man by nature has a natural aversion and distaste for God and His Word. Oftentimes, unsaved men, carnal men, prefer to hear half-truths and outright lies rather than the Word of God. So how then can a false prophet deceive someone?

Well, let me show you. I want you to hold Jeremiah 5, but turn right over to Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah 23. And let's begin reading at verse 30, Jeremiah 23, verse 30. I want you to watch this. This is how false prophets deceive. Jeremiah 23, verse 30.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 23:30-32

"Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD."

"and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD." Now, Jeremiah gives us three ways in which the word of God is stolen, butchered, and replaced. And I want you to know that in each of these instances, the prophets are doing that which God forbids. And God specifically says, "I am against them." I got news for you folks. I don't want God against me. I don't mind the people being against me, but I don't want God against me. So how is the word of God stolen and butchered?

We'll look in verse 31. He says, "Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour." Okay. First of all, you can steal God's word by taking it away. What did he say? "I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour." Now the word of God may be stolen by just totally ignoring it, refusing to preach and teach it. That's one way, but let me tell you generally how his word is stolen. When preachers refuse to preach the whole counsel of God, the Word of God is being stolen. In other words, all you have to do is leave out and leave off the offensive sections of the Bible, those sections that most people don't want to hear, they don't like, you just leave them off, you just leave them, you just teach a positive thinking. You just teach that man by nature is good and that if you work hard enough and if you're sincere, God's gonna let you in his heaven.

Don't you worry about it. You just leave off all that stuff that you're a sinner and you're wicked and you're a reprobate and you're ungodly and God demands that you repent and turn from your wicked ways. You leave all that stuff off. You know what you're doing? You're stealing God's word by refusing to preach the totality of God's word. You don't have to take this Bible and throw it away to steal God's word. You just refuse to preach all of it and you're stealing it.

What did Paul write in 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16?

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 3:16

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is"

—what's that next word?—"profitable." Profitable. So if all of God's Word is profitable, all of God's Word should be preached. But God's against the false prophets, He said, who steal His words. They take from. Notice verse 31, Jeremiah 23. He says, "Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith." Ah! Here's another way that you can steal God's Word.

This time you're not taking away from, this time you're adding to. So they're preaching and teaching then a gospel of their own making. They're teaching and preaching their own interpretation that arises from their own imagination. In other words, they're not only diluting the Word of God by adding to it, they are, in essence, perverting it as well. And God places a curse upon all those who add to. Let me just quote the scriptures. Deuteronomy 4 and verse 2. Here's what God says.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 4:2

"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."

God says you're not to add to and you're not to take from. How about this one? Revelation 22 verse 18. Our Lord says, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book." So God says then that you're not to take from and not to add to. And you may steal God's Word by taking from it, and you may steal God's Word by adding to it.

And yet there is a third way. If you'll look in verse 32 of Jeremiah 23, he says this, "Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD." The third way is, they're not necessarily adding to or taking from, they're merely substituting for. They teach their dreams, they teach their desires, they teach their whims, they teach whatever they please, they just simply do not take and teach the Word of God. Do you realize if I were to advertise on the first Sunday in May, we're going to have a comedy fest. And I'm going to tell you some of the most hilarious jokes you've ever heard in your life. Come and be entertained. Come and be tickled. Come and be delighted. Guess what? I could have people standing outside. Or if I dream a dream? Let me tell you what I've dreamed. God spoke to me in a dream. No, God speaks through His Son Jesus Christ. He speaks through His Word. Anytime you substitute for, you are taking away from the truth of God. And you are deceiving people and you're depriving them of the Word of God.

The People's Love for False Teaching

Weaver explains why people love false teaching—it appeals to the flesh—and cites Micah 2:11, 3:11-12, Isaiah 30:10, and 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Jeremiah said, "the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means." There was a collusion then between the preachers and the princes and the priests. And instead of the priests correcting the false prophets, they found out rather, hey, we get gain from this. It's benefiting us. Let them go. We'll build us a crystal cathedral. We'll build us a shiny new temple. I mean, come on! The prophets and the priests and the princes, listen, got together to deceive, to ruin, and to control the people.

Now here's the saddest part. I want you to go back to Jeremiah 5. Here's the saddest part. You see, most people today don't even think of the fact that most of the big time preachers, and I'm certainly saying not all, but most really have no true regard for the word of God. That's why you find them always invited to the White House. Congressional meetings. You don't find someone who takes a strong stand for the kingship of Christ and the importance and the infallibility of Scripture being invited. Most people don't even want to think that there's a collusion between the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches and the civil rulers. Yet there is such a collusion. Now listen, but here's the sad part. Look at verse 31.

"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests"—or the princes—"bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so." My people love to have it so. Why in the world would God's professing people or professing Christian nation love to have it so? Here's why. False preaching, false teaching appeals to the flesh. It pampers the pride of man. It removes guilt from his conscience so that he may sin with impunity. It relieves him of his responsibility and accountability. Historically, listen carefully, historically and biblically false preaching, false teaching always leads to licentiousness, wickedness, injustice and tyranny. It does. Do you understand that error in the religious or spiritual realm will always lead to error in the political or the civil realm? And by the way, I want you to note that most false teaching and preaching is synergistic, and by that I mean it will incorporate a little of the truth from the Bible with a whole lot of error. They've got to have just a little bit of truth to get you to swallow the hook. It's just like rat poison. Rat poison is about 99% corn meal. Corn meal is good food. It's just that 1% of arsenic that gets you. Now I want you to look back. Chapter 2, verse 8. Jeremiah 2, verse 8. Watch this. To show you this wickedness. Jeremiah 2, verse 8.

"My people love to have it so." Jeremiah 2, verse 8.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 2:8

"The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit."

And what did he say? And my people love to have it so. Now, if you can, very quickly, turn to the little book of Micah. Micah. And I want you to turn to Micah chapter 2, if you would. So you have... You have Obadiah, Jonah, Micah. Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, and then Nahum. Micah's right in the middle there, right before the book of Nahum. So look in Micah chapter 2, verse 11. Micah 2, verse 11. Here's how perverse the prophets and the priests were.

"If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people." Let me be your preacher. I'll tell you it's all right to get drunk. That's what they're saying. But the scripture says no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God. Look in Micah chapter 3 at verses 11 and 12. Micah 3 verse 11. You're talking about a good description. Here it is, Micah 3, verse 11.

Scripture Reading — Micah 3:11-12

"The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest."

Note if you would, the heads, that is the civil rulers, judge for reward. The priests teach for hire. The prophets divine for money. Yet they will lean upon the LORD. In other words, we're trusting in the LORD. We're doing everything contrary to God, yet we're going to lean upon Him and say, no evil is going to come upon us because we're leaning upon the LORD. Ah, said God, I'll plow you as a field that is plowed, and you shall discover you're not really leaning upon Me, and you're stealing My word.

Have you ever stopped to think that people tend to love their flesh and to love their sins? No one likes to be made uncomfortable. No one likes to be made uneasy. No one really likes to hear you're wicked, you're ungodly, you're reprobate, and if you don't repent, God's going to kill you. How many just love to hear that? You see what I'm saying? You know what the Bible says in Isaiah 30 and verse 10? Here's what the people told the prophets. Listen now, let me just quote it. Isaiah 30 verse 10.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 30:10

"Which say to the seers"

—that's the prophets—

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 30:10

"which say to the prophets, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits."

We'd rather hear something smooth, we'd rather hear something palatable, we'd rather hear deceits than the truth. And what did he say? And my people love to have it so. One last passage I want to quote. You're familiar with it, 2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 3 and 4. 2 Timothy 4 verses 3 and 4.

What did Paul tell Timothy? He said, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." They don't want the truth. They just want someone to scratch their ears, to tickle them, and let them go.

The Question: What Will You Do in the End?

Weaver poses God's question from verse 31, emphasizing the certainty of judgment and the lex talionis principle of retribution.

Now, I want you to go back to Jeremiah chapter 5, and I want you to look at verse 31. He says, "The prophets prophesy falsely, the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so." Now, I want you to watch. It's easy enough to despise, reject, ridicule, mock, neglect, and substitute for the word of God. But here's the question and God is asking it. Look at verse 31. "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so." Here's the question. "What will ye do in the end thereof?" You might like it smooth and easy. You might like the deceit and the lies. But what are you going to do when God calls you into account? What are you going to do when God judges you? What are you going to do when you rebel and sin like a flood of mighty waters and then God judges you like a flood of mighty waters? What are you going to do in the end thereof?

One thing that we know absolutely for certain, absolutely for sure, is that God will judge such a nation, for He said in verse 29, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Let me make just a couple of applications, and I want you to think with me. I've given you five causes for national judgment. Think about them. Put them together in your mind. In Jerusalem, in Judah, were people that were implacable in their comprehension. They wouldn't listen. They were incorrigible in chastisement. They wouldn't receive correction. They were unfaithful. They were infidels in their covenantal relations. They had rulers who were iniquitous in their conduct. And they had prophets and priests, princes, who were indifferent as to their calling.

Now, my question is this. What do you think God is going to do with such a nation as that? Well, let's look. Jeremiah 5, verse 10. In fact, let's read verse 9. Look at verse 9. Jeremiah 5, verse 9. "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Now look what he says about Jerusalem.

Applications: Deprivation of Protection and Grievous Sin

Weaver applies the message: God will remove protection (verse 10), the sins are grievous as lying against God (verse 12), and judgment is certain (verses 13-17).

"Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD's." You know what the wall was? You know what the battlements were? Those were your defenses as a people and as a nation. God said, take them away. They're not mine. I'm not defending this people. This people do not want me. They do not want my word. They do not want my preachers. They do not want my prophets. They don't want me. They don't want my protection. You just take away what little they've got, they're not mine.

I'll let the enemy have them. Such a nation will be deprived of God's sovereign protection. Let me ask you a question. Why would God respect a people who do not respect Him? Why would God defend the people who do not defend Him? Secondly, I want you to note that all of the causes that I've mentioned to you for national judgment are exceedingly grievous to the Lord. And here's one reason why they're so grievous. It's because they are a misrepresentation of God. And they constitute in reality lying against God. Look in Jeremiah 5 verse 11. After he says in verse 10, "take away her battlements," he says in verse 11, "For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD."

In other words, such a nation is considered traitors. They're treacherous. They're traitors. Then he says in verse 12, "They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine." Now, I want you to note, they have belied the LORD. That is, they've lied against Him. How did they lie against Him? By misrepresenting Him, by refusing to believe Him.

And notice, if you would, let me break it down for you. Verse 12, he says, "They have belied the LORD"—that is, they've lied against the LORD—"and said," number one, watch, "It is not he." That is, they're denying His personhood. They're denying God. So they've denied His person. "Neither shall evil come upon us." Now they're denying His providence. God won't do anything to us. Why, we're His people. We're His favorite nation. Notice what else they say in verse 12. "Neither shall we see sword nor famine." Now they're denying His punishment. They deny His person, His providence, His punishment. I've heard people tell me, God will never judge America. I mean, we're a Christian nation. What? We were a Christian nation, past tense. Used to be! But now, as a nation, we belie the Lord. We lie against Him. God says such a people are nothing but traitors. And by the way, would you want to know what the penalty is for lying against the Lord?

You remember Acts chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira had a certain land and sold it? Kept back part of the possession. Brought the money to Peter and said, aren't we wonderful Christians? We've sold this land and we're giving all this money to the Lord. Peter looked at Ananias and said, "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?" He said, "Whiles it remained, was it not thine own?" "and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?" You could do whatever you wanted to with it. But what you've done is you've kept back part of it, and now you're pretending like you've given it to the Lord. "Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." And God killed him.

A little while later when Sapphira came in, Peter said, "Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much?" "Oh yes, and we gave it all to the Lord. Aren't we wonderful Christians?" Peter just said, "Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out." In other words, God killed Ananias. He's the one that killed Sapphira. She's part of it. What did they do? They lied to God. And they lied about God. And God killed them.

What is He charging Judah and Jerusalem with? Lying against Him. What did He do to Judah and Jerusalem? He destroyed them. Look at verses 13 through 17. Watch this. Here's the third application. When God ordains judgment, He will not repent. He said in verse 13, "And the prophets"—that is these false prophets they trust in—"the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them. Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them."

"Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far"—the Babylonians—"O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say. Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men. And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword." God said, I'll destroy you. I'll not change my mind. And He did not.

Lex Talionis and Conclusion

Weaver shows the law of retribution: as they forsook God for false gods, they will serve strangers in a foreign land (verse 19). He concludes with a call to repentance.

Now let me tell you something. When God's true preachers cry out of judgment and destruction, they're mocked, they're ridiculed, they're called unloving, unkind, insensitive, intolerant, all kinds of names. But let me tell you, when you begin to hear all of God's true preachers speak about judgment—you listen to this one preacher, he's a good preacher on the radio, and he's preaching judgment. You get another one on TV, he's preaching judgment. You go to church, he's preaching judgment. You hear about some other sermon, he's preaching judgment. When you hear that, you better watch out. Why?

Amos 3 verse 7 says this,

Scripture Reading — Amos 3:7

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

When God's men begin to preach the same thing, you better be getting ready. Because God will not change. Now one last application. I want you to see the lex talionis of scripture here. You remember the lex talionis is just simply the law of retribution. God always makes the punishment fit the crime. Okay? God is just whether man is or not.

So, look in verses 7 and 8. Jeremiah 5 verse 7. God asks, "How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife."

Now, I want you to watch. What did God do to these people? First of all, He blessed them. He fed them to the full. What did they do to God? They forsook Him. They turned from God. They used His blessings. They used His provision to worship false gods and to sin against God. So here's what God asked. You like those false gods? You like to do what they command you? Okay.

Skip down to verse 19. "And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours." Oh, God said you like those false gods. Guess what? I'll send you as a slave where they are and you can worship them all you like. Let me tell you something, folks. The nation that will not serve God will serve their enemies. And they will serve a false god. Either in their land or in a strange land, God will judge them because God is absolutely just and He always makes the punishment fit the crime. Five causes for national judgment. When a people are implacable in their comprehension, incorrigible in chastisement, infidels in covenantal relation, when they are iniquitous in their conduct and indifferent in their callings, God asks, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Watch out. God is still on the throne. And He's still the judge of all the earth. Let's pray.

Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ for Your grace and Your mercy. We pray that You would teach us. And Lord, help us prepare our hearts that we may not be disobedient in any of these areas. May we honor Thee and recognize Thee, and confess and acknowledge that Thou art the one true and the living God. Thou hast given Thy word and Thy word is truth. And may we submit to it. May we be faithful in warning others and showing others that we are indeed a nation that's ripe for judgment because we have forsaken the LORD our God. We do pray for repentance and we pray for an awakening. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask it. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

National Judgment for Sin

Summary: God judges nations for specific sins, as outlined in Jeremiah 5, and America is similarly guilty.

Evidence: Weaver repeatedly asks, 'Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?' and applies it to modern America.

Corruption of Civil Rulers

Summary: Wicked rulers deceive, oppress, and fail to uphold justice, leading to national judgment.

Evidence: Weaver describes rulers as 'iniquitous in their conduct' and cites Jeremiah 5:26-28, comparing them to hunters catching men.

False Prophets and Priests

Summary: Religious leaders who preach falsely and collude with rulers contribute to national decay.

Evidence: Weaver expounds Jeremiah 5:30-31 and Jeremiah 23:30-32, showing how prophets steal God's word and priests bear rule by their means.

People's Complicity in Sin

Summary: The people love false teaching because it appeals to their flesh, making them complicit in judgment.

Evidence: Weaver emphasizes 'my people love to have it so' (Jeremiah 5:31) and cites 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Certainty of Divine Retribution

Summary: God's judgment is sure and fits the crime (lex talionis), as seen in the Babylonian exile.

Evidence: Weaver points to Jeremiah 5:19 and the destruction of Jerusalem, applying the principle to America.

Key Arguments

Civil rulers are iniquitous and oppressive

Summary: Jeremiah 5:25-28 describes rulers who are deceitful, wealthy, and fail to judge the fatherless, paralleling modern American leaders.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'this passage refers primarily to civil rulers, to judges, to those who are in authority' and cites the MIAC report as a modern example.

False prophets steal God's word by taking away, adding to, or substituting

Summary: Jeremiah 23:30-32 outlines three ways false prophets corrupt God's word, which Weaver applies to modern seeker-friendly churches.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'you can steal God's word by taking it away... by adding to... by substituting for' and references 2 Timothy 3:16.

People prefer false teaching because it pampers the flesh

Summary: The phrase 'my people love to have it so' (Jeremiah 5:31) shows that people reject sound doctrine for smooth things, as in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'False preaching, false teaching appeals to the flesh. It pampers the pride of man.'

God's judgment is certain and proportional

Summary: God will not repent of judgment (Jeremiah 5:13-17) and applies lex talionis: as they forsook God, they will serve strangers (Jeremiah 5:19).

Evidence: Weaver says, 'When God ordains judgment, He will not repent' and 'God always makes the punishment fit the crime.'

Scripture References

Jeremiah 5:25-31

Context: Primary text for the sermon, detailing the fourth and fifth causes for national judgment.

Jeremiah 5:1-5

Context: Referenced in review of first cause: implacable in comprehension.

Jeremiah 5:3

Context: Referenced in review of second cause: incorrigible in chastisement.

Jeremiah 5:7

Context: Referenced in review of third cause: infidelity in covenantal relations.

Jeremiah 5:9

Context: God's rhetorical question about visiting judgment, repeated throughout.

Jeremiah 5:23-24

Context: General principle of a revolting and rebellious heart preceding the description of wicked rulers.

Jeremiah 5:26-28

Context: Description of wicked men who catch men, become rich, and fail to judge the fatherless.

Jeremiah 5:5

Context: Great men who have broken the yoke and burst the bonds.

Isaiah 29:21

Context: Making a man an offender for a word and laying a snare for him that reproveth in the gate.

Ezekiel 5:5-7

Context: Jerusalem changed God's judgments into wickedness more than the nations.

Jeremiah 23:30-32

Context: God against prophets who steal His words, use their tongues, and prophesy false dreams.

2 Timothy 3:16

Context: All scripture is profitable, supporting the need to preach the whole counsel of God.

Deuteronomy 4:2

Context: Command not to add to or diminish from God's word.

Revelation 22:18

Context: Warning against adding to the words of the prophecy.

Jeremiah 2:8

Context: Priests and prophets transgressed and walked after things that do not profit.

Micah 2:11

Context: A prophet of wine and strong drink will be the prophet of this people.

Micah 3:11-12

Context: Heads judge for reward, priests teach for hire, prophets divine for money; therefore Zion will be plowed.

Isaiah 30:10

Context: People tell seers to prophesy smooth things and deceits.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

Context: Time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but heap to themselves teachers with itching ears.

Amos 3:7

Context: God reveals His secret to His servants the prophets before doing anything.

Historical References

Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) report

Context: A report labeling supporters of Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr as militia-influenced terrorists, used as an example of modern government overreach.

Timothy McVeigh and Eric Rudolph

Context: Domestic terrorists mentioned in the MIAC report to conflate political supporters with terrorists.

Guantanamo Bay detainees

Context: Government considering releasing and subsidizing non-combatant Muslims in America, cited as an example of foolish or treacherous policy.

Matthew Henry's commentary

Context: Quoted to describe the wicked men as spiteful and malicious, delighting in doing mischief and catching men like hunters.

Matthew Poole's commentary

Context: Quoted on Jeremiah 5:27, explaining the metaphor of a cage full of birds as ill-gotten gains.

John Calvin's commentary

Context: Quoted on Jeremiah 5:28, identifying the wicked men as high in dignity and authority.

Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5)

Context: Example of lying to God and being struck dead, illustrating the penalty for lying against the Lord.

Babylonian exile

Context: The historical judgment on Judah, referenced as the fulfillment of God's warning in Jeremiah 5:15-17.

Important Quotes

Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

Significance: This rhetorical question from Jeremiah 5:9 is the central refrain of the sermon, emphasizing the certainty of God's judgment on a sinful nation.

A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

Significance: This verse (Jeremiah 5:30-31) introduces the fifth cause and the climactic question that Weaver uses to challenge his audience.

When a profligate people stand up for profligate rulers, the height of corruption has reached its zenith.

Significance: Weaver's summary of the collusion between wicked people and wicked rulers, indicating total moral decay.

False preaching, false teaching appeals to the flesh. It pampers the pride of man. It removes guilt from his conscience so that he may sin with impunity.

Significance: Explains why people love false teaching, linking it to the human desire to avoid accountability.

What will ye do in the end thereof?

Significance: The piercing question from Jeremiah 5:31 that Weaver uses to call his audience to consider the consequences of their sin.

The nation that will not serve God will serve their enemies.

Significance: A concise statement of the lex talionis principle, summarizing the sermon's warning about national judgment.

Discussion Questions

In what ways do we see modern civil rulers acting like the 'wicked men' described in Jeremiah 5:26-28?

Context: Weaver argues that rulers today are iniquitous, citing the MIAC report and other examples.

How can we discern whether a preacher is stealing God's word by taking away, adding to, or substituting for it?

Context: Weaver explains the three methods from Jeremiah 23:30-32 and applies them to modern preaching.

Why do people often prefer false teaching over sound doctrine, and how can we guard against this tendency in ourselves?

Context: Weaver discusses the appeal of false teaching to the flesh and cites 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

What does the phrase 'my people love to have it so' (Jeremiah 5:31) reveal about the responsibility of the congregation in a nation's spiritual decline?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that the people are complicit in the corruption of religious leaders.

How does the principle of lex talionis (the punishment fits the crime) apply to national judgment, and what examples can we see in history?

Context: Weaver points to Jeremiah 5:19 and the Babylonian exile as examples of God's proportional judgment.

What are the implications of God's question, 'What will ye do in the end thereof?' for our nation today?

Context: Weaver uses this question to challenge his audience to consider the consequences of national sin.

Applications

Examine our own complicity in national sins

Summary: Weaver calls listeners to see if they are like the people of Judah who loved false teaching and supported wicked rulers.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'my people love to have it so' and asks, 'What do you think God is going to do with such a nation as that?'

Preach and demand the whole counsel of God

Summary: Weaver warns against stealing God's word by omitting offensive parts, urging preachers to declare all Scripture.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'when preachers refuse to preach the whole counsel of God, the Word of God is being stolen.'

Recognize the certainty of judgment and repent

Summary: Weaver urges repentance and awakening, warning that God will not change His mind once judgment is ordained.

Evidence: Weaver prays, 'We do pray for repentance and we pray for an awakening.'

Be faithful in warning others

Summary: Weaver encourages believers to warn others that the nation is ripe for judgment because of forsaking God.

Evidence: Weaver prays, 'May we be faithful in warning others and showing others that we are indeed a nation that's ripe for judgment.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:28:07Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:25:51Z

Clean Transcript

Causes for National Judgment Part 2 of 2

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

All right, open your Bibles, if you would, to Jeremiah chapter 5. Jeremiah chapter 5. Last week, we looked at Jeremiah 5, verses 1 through 13. And today, we're going to be looking at Jeremiah 5, verses 25 through 31. I will take a few minutes to review, but let's look at Jeremiah 5, beginning with verse 25. God says, "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you."
#1 | 0:16 to 0:55 | cleaned
"For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge."
#2 | 0:56 to 1:26 | cleaned
"Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" You remember last week I started a message entitled, "Causes of National Judgment."
#3 | 1:26 to 1:54 | cleaned
And Jeremiah chapter 5 is certainly very clear on at least five of these points that I'm going to make. The first three we covered last week. And it's interesting when you consider in light of today's politically correct mentality, and in light of the immorality in our land, that some of these things are considered by most people as light sins. But God certainly considers them as heinous, vile, and wicked, which is evidence that God's thoughts are not our thoughts, and our ways are certainly not God's ways. One of the first three reasons given to us in Jeremiah chapter 5 for which God will send national judgment. I gave you three causes. First of all, we saw that God charged the people of Judah and Jerusalem with being implacable in their comprehension. That's verses one through five.
#4 | 1:56 to 2:56 | cleaned
That is, they were unwilling to listen. They were unwilling to learn. They were unwilling to obey. God told Jeremiah to run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and see if he could find just one man that understood and one man that would execute justice. And God said, "I'll pardon the whole nation if you can just find one." And of course he could not find one man. Here were a people that were so implacable, so unyielding, they would not listen to Jeremiah. They would not listen to God. And God says for this cause, I will send national judgment. That's why he said in verse nine, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"
#5 | 2:57 to 3:41 | cleaned
Secondly, we saw that these same people were incorrigible in chastisement. You'll find that in verse 3. They would not positively respond to chastisement. Instead, chastisement only made them more hardened in their sin, more rebellious, more stubborn, more wicked. And God said in Proverbs 29 and verse 1, "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." So very clearly, then, these people were incorrigible in their chastisement. They would not respond. Therefore, says God, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" And then thirdly, God charged them with infidelity in covenantal relations. And I showed you, first of all, that that infidelity was Godward. Therefore, he says in verse 7, "How shall I pardon thee for this?"
#6 | 3:43 to 4:44 | cleaned
"Thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods." So first of all, their infidelity was Godward. And secondly, it was manward because he says in the latter part of verse seven, "When I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife." And I pointed out, when there is no fear of God, there will be no regard for man. I pointed out when someone commits spiritual adultery, and that is idolatry, leaving God, it is but a small step to commit physical adultery.
#7 | 4:44 to 5:26 | cleaned
So if you're going to be dishonest in that which is the greatest, it'll be no big thing to be dishonest in that which is the least. And God therefore rightly compared them to animals. That's why he said, "every one neighed after his neighbour's wife." And in other words, when we forsake God, we basically descend to the level of animals. And he said in verse nine, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"
#8 | 5:26 to 5:56 | cleaned
Now, today we come to the fourth and fifth reason. The fourth and fifth causes for which God will send national judgment. Let me just go ahead and tell you that the fourth cause that I'm going to give you pertains really to civil rulers and to those who are in positions of authority. And the reason I'm telling you this in advance, I'm going to show you the point in just a moment. But the reason I'm telling you this in advance is I want you as we consider these passages, let's see if there's a parallel in our country today. See if you recognize in our nation any such thing that existed in Judah and Jerusalem. So if you look at verses 25 through 28, we'll just read them very quickly.
#9 | 5:57 to 6:52 | cleaned
He says, "Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked."
#10 | 6:52 to 7:15 | cleaned
"They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge." So here is the fourth cause for which God will judge a nation. They were iniquitous in their conduct. They were iniquitous in their conduct. As we look at this passage, one might conclude by way of casual observation that this passage could refer to all classes of men in general. And certainly that is true in one sense of the word.
#11 | 7:16 to 7:54 | cleaned
There are many applications of the truth. But when you look at these verses in their context, at what is specifically stated, you're going to find that this passage refers primarily to civil rulers, to judges, to those who are in authority. When you notice that specifically the word of God says these men are laying wait, they're setting traps and snares, that they're catching men, that they're becoming exceedingly rich, that they're overpassing the deeds of the wicked—I'll explain that later—and that there is a failure to judge the cause of the fatherless and to judge the cause of the needy. So very obviously we're talking about some very wealthy, some very deceitful men who are in positions of authority and power and who should be doing that which is right but they're doing that which is wicked. Now the passage then deals, as I'm going to show you, with men who are iniquitous in their conduct.
#12 | 7:54 to 9:03 | cleaned
And let me say that I've chosen my words carefully. I considered many words when I was going to describe the conduct of these men and I chose the word iniquitous because of its many synonyms. Let me read to you some of the synonyms for iniquitous and just think, just try to see if any of these synonyms could apply to any of our civil rulers and judges today. Here they are, the synonyms.
#13 | 9:03 to 9:41 | cleaned
It connotes such words as abominable, atrocious, bad, blameable, blameworthy, criminal, cussed—that's a good word—damnable, dark, disgraceful, evil, evildoing, execrable, felonious, flagrant, foul, harmful, hateful, heinous, illegal, immoral, improper, inequitable, infamous, invidious—thank you—invidious, knavish, low, malefactory, malfeasant, malicious, malignant, mean, monstrous, nasty, naughty, nefarious, noxious, ornery, rank, reprehensible, reprobate, scandalous, shameful, sinful, unbalanced, uneven, unforgiven, unjust, unlawful, unspeakable, unworthy, vicious, vile, villainous, and wicked. And that just describes their good points.
#14 | 9:42 to 10:50 | cleaned
I think those synonyms pretty well hit where it hurts, because truly our leaders, like those in Judah and Jerusalem, are iniquitous in their conduct. Now, if you'll refer back in your Bible to Jeremiah 5, verses 23 and 24, here is a general principle that relates to the people. Notice if you would, he begins talking about the civil rulers immediately thereafter. In verse 23, he says, "But this people"—which would include the civil rulers—"this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. Neither say they in their heart..."
#15 | 10:53 to 11:35 | cleaned
"...Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest." Now notice, "neither say they in their heart." In other words, here are people that are in such a state of rebellion to God and His law, they do not even conceive, they do not even think of the possibility of returning to God or recognizing God. Consequently, God says in verse 26, now watch, "For among my people are found wicked men." Now, these wicked men like Nimrod are mighty hunters against the Lord. Well, if they're mighty hunters, you must ask the question, what is their prey? Well, according to the Bible, in verse 26, they catch men. Their prey is men. Well, how do you catch men? Not necessarily murdering men, that is a possibility, but you catch men by deceiving them. You catch men by controlling them. You catch men by regulating them. You catch men by dictating to them. Now if you look back to Jeremiah 5 and verse 5, you'll understand this because he says, "I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, and the judgment of their God."
#16 | 11:35 to 13:13 | cleaned
"But these"—the great men, the rulers—"but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds." In other words, God's boundaries mean nothing to them. God's limitations have no effect upon them. Matthew Henry, the commentator, says this concerning these men. Listen carefully. He says they were spiteful and malicious. That's almost descriptive of our rulers today, isn't it? Spiteful and malicious. Such are properly wicked men, men that delight in doing mischief.
#17 | 13:13 to 13:54 | cleaned
Let me just stop right there. I'm going to come back to this quote. But Alice and I were listening to the news last night. Do you know what our government is considering doing? Taking all of those quote-unquote non-combatant Muslims who they have now kept in Gitmo, Guantanamo Bay, for all these years. They're now not only thinking of releasing them in America, but they're also saying that they will have to be subsidized. In other words, they're going to have to be on welfare and your taxes will have to support them while they make a new life. Why don't you just send them back to their country where they came? You have to be either the most stupid person in the world or the most treacherous to come up with some of these ideas. So here's what he's saying.
#18 | 13:58 to 15:02 | cleaned
He says they were spiteful and malicious. Such are properly wicked men, men that delight in doing mischief. They were found, that is, caught in the very act of their wickedness.
#19 | 15:03 to 15:13 | cleaned
Now listen, "as hunters or fowlers lay snares for their game, so did they lie in wait to catch men and made a sport of it, and took as much pleasure as if they had been entrapping beasts or birds. They contrived ways of doing mischief to good people, whom they hated for their goodness, especially to those that faithfully reproved them, and to those that stood in the way of their preferment, or whom they supposed to have affronted them, or done them an unkindness, or those whose estates they coveted. So Jezebel snared Naboth for his vineyard, nay they did mischief for mischief's sake."
#20 | 15:13 to 15:52 | cleaned
Now I want you to listen to what Matthew Henry said in commenting on this verse. He said, they hated those for their goodness, and especially those who faithfully reproved them, or stood in their way. Now Matthew Henry is referring to a verse in the Bible. Isaiah 29, and I want you to turn back there, hold Jeremiah 5. Look in Isaiah 29 and verse 21. Isaiah 29 and verse 21. Because I'm going to show you exactly what Isaiah and Jeremiah are talking about.
#21 | 15:53 to 16:42 | cleaned
Notice if you would please. Isaiah 29 and verse 21. "That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought."
#22 | 16:43 to 17:01 | cleaned
Now stop and look at that. They make a man an offender for a word. They don't like what he says. Watch. "...and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate." That is for anyone who rebukes them, who doesn't agree with them, who doesn't like what they're doing. And they're willing to turn aside the just for a thing of nought. In other words, they have no sense of justice, they have no sense of right and wrong, they simply take pleasure in turning aside the just and that which is right for a thing of nought.
#23 | 17:01 to 17:37 | cleaned
Now listen to me, in our politically correct land, just like in Isaiah's day, just like in Jeremiah's day, one may indeed become incarcerated, put in prison, or murdered simply for using the wrong terminology or associating with those who are designated as politically incorrect people. Now, you don't believe that, but listen to me. This has been in the news. I hope you've read it. But I hope you're familiar with the report that the Missouri Information Analysis Center put out just a week or so ago. Now the report was so atrocious, so vile, so wicked, there was so much uproar that just this past week they had to withdraw that report. Most states now have what are known as fusion centers where all this information comes in and then a report goes out to the law enforcement. Here is what the Missouri Information Analysis Center report said, and I'm quoting now, the MIAC report specifically describes supporters of presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr as militia-influenced terrorists.
#24 | 17:38 to 19:08 | cleaned
and instructs the Missouri police to be on the lookout for supporters displaying bumper stickers and other paraphernalia associated with constitutional campaign for liberty and libertarian parties. The MIAC report specifically links these supporters to militia-influenced terrorists. Police are educated in the document that people who are anti-abortion, who own gold, display an assortment of United States flags, or even those that talk about the film Zeitgeist, view the police as their enemy and conflates them with domestic terrorists like Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph, and other domestic militia groups who have been charged with plotting terrorist attacks.
#25 | 19:08 to 19:57 | cleaned
Now let me give you a definition of a word. It says that this report conflates them with domestic terrorists like McVeigh, and Rudolph and other militia groups. The word conflates literally means to merge together or to identify or to make one. So if you voted for Ron Paul or Chuck Baldwin or Bob Barr or if you have a bumper sticker on your car that supports them or if you have a U.S. flag—and I'll name one of them in just a moment—or if you are against the Federal Reserve, or if you believe the Constitution says no state shall make anything but gold and silver as legal tender, you're as bad as Eric Rudolph and Timothy McVeigh and any other militia group that's planning terror, domestic terror.
#26 | 19:58 to 20:59 | cleaned
By the way, the main flag that they were identifying as wicked and vile and atrocious was the flag of the coiled rattlesnake that said "Don't Tread on Me," which was the flag of the American Revolution. A historic flag. Here's the state of Missouri telling their state troopers, telling their police, be on the lookout for anybody that's got a bumper sticker that says Ron Paul. Now, Missouri got caught.
#27 | 21:00 to 21:41 | cleaned
My question is how many other states have put out this same information and they have not been exposed as of yet? In fact, the governor of the state of Missouri came out and said that he endorsed that report, but he thought it was unwise for it to have been sent out. What? All I'm trying to show you is this, Isaiah 29:21, Jeremiah 5 is just as applicable today.
#28 | 21:44 to 22:22 | cleaned
Here are people who do not like to be rebuked and reproved and disagreed with. Now, look at verse 27 of Jeremiah 5. Here's a further description of these wicked men. He says, "As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich."
#29 | 22:22 to 22:47 | cleaned
Now, Matthew Poole, the commentator, gave an interesting comment on this verse. Just one short paragraph. Listen to what he says. "As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit." And in other words, they fill up their houses with the goods and wealth of those that they deceive and overreach. Ill-gotten gains, a metonymy of the efficient, as the fowler carries his cage along with him wherein he puts the birds which he catches to keep them safe so that they get not away.
#30 | 22:48 to 23:18 | cleaned
When once they are caught, as also by their appearance and singing to entice others, therefore they become great and waxen rich, showing how and what manner they got their riches by deceitfulness. Therefore by this means there such as gotten by a lying tongue and are therefore called in scripture the treasures of wickedness. So actually what you have in verse 27 is a picture of what these men are doing in reality.
#31 | 23:18 to 23:50 | cleaned
Just like a man snares and traps birds and then keeps them in the cage to make sure they don't get away, so that is how these men got their wickedness and got their riches by wickedness. And they are keeping the people in that cage so they can continue to fleece them. Isn't that interesting?
#32 | 23:51 to 24:16 | cleaned
Now look at verse 28. He goes a little bit further. He says, "They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge." Oh, listen, I've got to give you this quote. John Calvin on verse 28 says this just to show you, I'm not making any of this up.
#33 | 24:16 to 24:46 | cleaned
And this is the main line of historic interpretation. John Calvin writes on verse 28. "Here the prophet reproves those who were high in dignity, station, and wealth, and who wished at the same time to be deemed inviolable because they're the rulers of the people." In other words, we can do no wrong. We're over you. You do what we're telling you. You keep your mouth shut.
#34 | 24:47 to 25:13 | cleaned
Now watch what he says. "He has spoken before generally. But now he assails the higher orders, the king's counselors, the priests, the judges, and all endowed with authority. He says that they were swollen with fatness and that they were shining though they had exceeded."
#35 | 25:13 to 25:30 | cleaned
Now, I want you to note, if you would please, one thing that he does say in verse 28. This is very, very interesting. He says in verse 28, "they are waxen fat, they shine, they overpass the deeds of the wicked." Notice they overpass the deeds of the wicked. I want you to remember something. I want you to remember that Judah and Jerusalem professed to be the people of God. You remember Jerusalem is where the tabernacle was.
#36 | 25:31 to 25:59 | cleaned
It's where the temple was. It's where the teaching priests and where the Levites were. And yet here this people are charged with going over, above, and beyond the pagans. Wow. It seems that when a self-professed believer strays, nothing hinders him from his wickedness. And likewise, when a professed Christian nation forsakes God, nothing hinders them from exceeding the heathen and the pagans. I want you to hold Jeremiah 5.
#37 | 26:00 to 26:43 | cleaned
Turn over to the book of Ezekiel chapter 5. I want you to note how specifically God spells this out. Notice if you would please. Ezekiel chapter 5 and let's read verses 5 through 7. Ezekiel chapter 5 beginning there with verse 5. "Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem"—now remember, Jerusalem, a covenantal people—"Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her." And all those countries and nations were pagan. "And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes."
#38 | 26:45 to 27:44 | cleaned
"They have not walked in them. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you; Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations." What did God say?
#39 | 27:44 to 28:07 | cleaned
You are worse than the pagans. And I tell you what I'll do, says God. I'll judge you in the sight of all the other nations. You didn't want my statutes? You didn't want my laws? You didn't want my judgments? Ah, says God, fine. You want to live like the heathen? I will judge you like the heathen. So look at verse 29. "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"
#40 | 28:07 to 28:42 | cleaned
Now I want you to look at this. I want you to watch a progression. I showed you here are people that were implacable in their comprehension. They would not listen. They would not learn.
#41 | 28:43 to 29:08 | cleaned
Next, they were incorrigible in chastisement. They wouldn't even receive correction. Then they were infidels in their covenantal relations. They were willing to forsake God, forsake their mates, forsake men, their covenants and agreements. Nothing stopped them. And isn't it strange that such a people now have rulers who are iniquitous in their conduct? A wicked people want wicked rulers. Because the wicked rulers are not going to condemn a wicked people. They're doing the same thing the people are.
#42 | 29:09 to 29:49 | cleaned
Now let me show you something. God says in verse 29, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" The judgment of God is absolutely sure, certain, and absolute. It is not a matter of if God judges, but when God judges. For God said, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?"
#43 | 29:54 to 30:34 | cleaned
Now I want you to think about our country so far. How do we compare with those first four causes for national judgment? I don't know about you, but I believe we're plum ripe for the picking. And I believe God's the picker. Here's the fifth reason. Watch carefully. Now I want you to think about America. They were indifferent in their calling. Look in verse 30. "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land."
#44 | 30:36 to 31:14 | cleaned
"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?" I want you to note neither prophets nor the priests took their callings seriously. They were willing to sell themselves and sell their ministries for gain and popularity. They were willing and had rather to be accepted by the people than be accepted by God.
#45 | 31:14 to 32:02 | cleaned
Have you heard that phrase, a seeker-friendly church? Have you heard the term mega-church? I want to ask you a question. How many people do you think would flock to hear Jeremiah preach? Or Ezekiel? Or Isaiah? Or John the Baptist? Let me tell you what has happened in this land today. You don't have to turn there, but 2 Peter 2:15 tells us about such men that not only existed in Jeremiah's time, but exist today. Peter writes, "Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness." You remember Balaam was the false prophet? And what does Peter say? He said, these prophets, these preachers today, they've forsaken the right way, they followed the way of Balaam. Now I want you to watch. The ministry had become so perverted that in verse 30, Jeremiah exclaims, "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land." And then he tells you what that wonderful and horrible thing is. "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so."
#46 | 32:05 to 33:54 | cleaned
Now the word wonderful in verse 30 is a word that emphasizes horror and disbelief. Actually, the word wonderful literally means that which is amazing, that which is horrifying, that which is absolutely astounding. Have you ever been in a position where you've heard something or you've seen something and your mouth just falls open? You're at a loss for words. You can't believe what you're seeing or you can't believe what you're hearing.
#47 | 33:55 to 34:34 | cleaned
This is what happens here in Jeremiah. He is saying a tremendous, a horrifying thing has happened which exceeds all human conception. It cannot be comprehended. By the two words that he uses here, wonderful and horrible, he is intimating that the impiety of the people could not be expressed in such words or even conceived by the mind. It was such a monstrous and horrible thing. Now, what is so monstrous? What is so horrible? Here's what is so monstrous and so horrible. "The prophets prophesy falsely."
#48 | 34:35 to 35:18 | cleaned
"And the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so." Now, let me just tell you that sometimes the word priest here—when he says "the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means"—sometimes the word that is translated priest here is also translated as princes. So you will have a collusion then between the prophets or the preachers and the princes, the civil rulers. And if you interpret it as priest, you still have the two main religious elements that are in collusion against the people. What is so monstrous that the prophets prophesy falsely and the priests or the princes bear rule by their means?
#49 | 35:19 to 36:16 | cleaned
Let me put it to you bluntly. When a profligate people stand up for profligate rulers, the height of corruption has reached its zenith.
#50 | 36:17 to 36:29 | cleaned
I cannot even conceive of anyone who believes the Bible endorsing or associating with 99% of our civil rulers. Now I want you to note something. He says in verse 30, "A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land." He says, "the prophets prophesy falsely." First, there are those who prophesy falsely. They did not preach the truth. They did not speak the truth. Undoubtedly, there were prophets who deliberately sought to mislead and sought to deceive the people. We find them all the time in the Bible.
#51 | 36:44 to 37:36 | cleaned
They were in Jeremiah's day. They were in Isaiah's day. They were in our day. They were in the New Testament day. There were others who may not have intentionally deceived or intentionally misled, yet they did. I don't know if you've ever thought about this question or not. But if someone is going to replace the Word of God and preach and teach falsely, what are they going to replace it with? Now you've got to understand, in reality, the Word of God cannot be replaced. You understand that. But very obviously, not everybody preaches the Word of God. And have you ever thought about this? That man by nature has a natural aversion and distaste for God and His Word. Oftentimes, unsaved men, carnal men, prefer to hear half-truths and outright lies rather than the Word of God. So how then can a false prophet deceive someone?
#52 | 37:36 to 39:05 | cleaned
Well, let me show you. I want you to hold Jeremiah 5, but turn right over to Jeremiah 23. Jeremiah 23. And let's begin reading at verse 30, Jeremiah 23, verse 30. I want you to watch this. This is how false prophets deceive. Jeremiah 23, verse 30. "Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD."
#53 | 39:05 to 39:52 | cleaned
"and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD."
#54 | 39:53 to 40:04 | cleaned
Now, Jeremiah gives us three ways in which the word of God is stolen, butchered, and replaced. And I want you to know that in each of these instances, the prophets are doing that which God forbids. And God specifically says, "I am against them." I got news for you folks. I don't want God against me. I don't mind the people being against me, but I don't want God against me. So how is the word of God stolen and butchered?
#55 | 40:05 to 40:45 | cleaned
We'll look in verse 31. He says, "Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour." Okay. First of all, you can steal God's word by taking it away. What did he say? "I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour." Now the word of God may be stolen by just totally ignoring it, refusing to preach and teach it. That's one way, but let me tell you generally how his word is stolen. When preachers refuse to preach the whole counsel of God, the Word of God is being stolen. In other words, all you have to do is leave out and leave off the offensive sections of the Bible, those sections that most people don't want to hear, they don't like, you just leave them off, you just leave them, you just teach a positive thinking. You just teach that man by nature is good and that if you work hard enough and if you're sincere, God's gonna let you in his heaven.
#56 | 40:45 to 42:16 | cleaned
Don't you worry about it. You just leave off all that stuff that you're a sinner and you're wicked and you're a reprobate and you're ungodly and God demands that you repent and turn from your wicked ways. You leave all that stuff off. You know what you're doing? You're stealing God's word by refusing to preach the totality of God's word. You don't have to take this Bible and throw it away to steal God's word. You just refuse to preach all of it and you're stealing it.
#57 | 42:16 to 42:53 | cleaned
What did Paul write in 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16? "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is"—what's that next word?—"profitable." Profitable. So if all of God's Word is profitable, all of God's Word should be preached. But God's against the false prophets, He said, who steal His words. They take from. Notice verse 31, Jeremiah 23. He says, "Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith." Ah! Here's another way that you can steal God's Word.
#58 | 42:55 to 43:34 | cleaned
This time you're not taking away from, this time you're adding to. So they're preaching and teaching then a gospel of their own making. They're teaching and preaching their own interpretation that arises from their own imagination. In other words, they're not only diluting the Word of God by adding to it, they are, in essence, perverting it as well. And God places a curse upon all those who add to.
#59 | 43:35 to 44:15 | cleaned
Let me just quote the scriptures. Deuteronomy 4 and verse 2. Here's what God says. "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." God says you're not to add to and you're not to take from. How about this one? Revelation 22 verse 18. Our Lord says, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book." So God says then that you're not to take from and not to add to. And you may steal God's Word by taking from it, and you may steal God's Word by adding to it.
#60 | 44:15 to 45:16 | cleaned
And yet there is a third way. If you'll look in verse 32 of Jeremiah 23, he says this, "Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD." The third way is, they're not necessarily adding to or taking from, they're merely substituting for. They teach their dreams, they teach their desires, they teach their whims, they teach whatever they please, they just simply do not take and teach the Word of God.
#61 | 45:18 to 45:59 | cleaned
Do you realize if I were to advertise on the first Sunday in May, we're going to have a comedy fest. And I'm going to tell you some of the most hilarious jokes you've ever heard in your life. Come and be entertained. Come and be tickled. Come and be delighted. Guess what? I could have people standing outside. Or if I dream a dream? Let me tell you what I've dreamed. God spoke to me in a dream. No, God speaks through His Son Jesus Christ. He speaks through His Word. Anytime you substitute for, you are taking away from the truth of God. And you are deceiving people and you're depriving them of the Word of God.
#62 | 46:01 to 47:06 | cleaned
Jeremiah said, "the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means." There was a collusion then between the preachers and the princes and the priests. And instead of the priests correcting the false prophets, they found out rather, hey, we get gain from this. It's benefiting us. Let them go. We'll build us a crystal cathedral. We'll build us a shiny new temple. I mean, come on! The prophets and the priests and the princes, listen, got together to deceive, to ruin, and to control the people.
#63 | 47:07 to 48:05 | cleaned
Now here's the saddest part. I want you to go back to Jeremiah 5. Here's the saddest part. You see, most people today don't even think of the fact that most of the big time preachers, and I'm certainly saying not all, but most really have no true regard for the word of God. That's why you find them always invited to the White House. Congressional meetings. You don't find someone who takes a strong stand for the kingship of Christ and the importance and the infallibility of Scripture being invited. Most people don't even want to think that there's a collusion between the National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches and the civil rulers. Yet there is such a collusion. Now listen, but here's the sad part. Look at verse 31.
#64 | 48:09 to 49:27 | cleaned
"The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests"—or the princes—"bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so." My people love to have it so. Why in the world would God's professing people or professing Christian nation love to have it so? Here's why. False preaching, false teaching appeals to the flesh. It pampers the pride of man. It removes guilt from his conscience so that he may sin with impunity.
#65 | 49:27 to 50:12 | cleaned
It relieves him of his responsibility and accountability. Historically, listen carefully, historically and biblically false preaching, false teaching always leads to licentiousness, wickedness, injustice and tyranny. It does. Do you understand that error in the religious or spiritual realm will always lead to error in the political or the civil realm? And by the way, I want you to note that most false teaching and preaching is synergistic, and by that I mean it will incorporate a little of the truth from the Bible with a whole lot of error. They've got to have just a little bit of truth to get you to swallow the hook. It's just like rat poison. Rat poison is about 99% corn meal. Corn meal is good food. It's just that 1% of arsenic that gets you. Now I want you to look back. Chapter 2, verse 8. Jeremiah 2, verse 8. Watch this. To show you this wickedness. Jeremiah 2, verse 8.
#66 | 50:12 to 51:46 | cleaned
"My people love to have it so." Jeremiah 2, verse 8. "The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit." And what did he say? And my people love to have it so.
#67 | 51:46 to 52:09 | cleaned
Now, if you can, very quickly, turn to the little book of Micah. Micah. And I want you to turn to Micah chapter 2, if you would. So you have... You have Obadiah, Jonah, Micah. Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, and then Nahum. Micah's right in the middle there, right before the book of Nahum. So look in Micah chapter 2, verse 11. Micah 2, verse 11. Here's how perverse the prophets and the priests were.
#68 | 52:11 to 52:51 | cleaned
"If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people." Let me be your preacher. I'll tell you it's all right to get drunk. That's what they're saying. But the scripture says no drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God. Look in Micah chapter 3 at verses 11 and 12. Micah 3 verse 11.
#69 | 52:51 to 53:22 | cleaned
You're talking about a good description. Here it is, Micah 3, verse 11. "The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest." Note if you would, the heads, that is the civil rulers, judge for reward. The priests teach for hire. The prophets divine for money. Yet they will lean upon the LORD. In other words, we're trusting in the LORD. We're doing everything contrary to God, yet we're going to lean upon Him and say, no evil is going to come upon us because we're leaning upon the LORD. Ah, said God, I'll plow you as a field that is plowed, and you shall discover you're not really leaning upon Me, and you're stealing My word.
#70 | 53:26 to 54:36 | cleaned
Have you ever stopped to think that people tend to love their flesh and to love their sins? No one likes to be made uncomfortable. No one likes to be made uneasy. No one really likes to hear you're wicked, you're ungodly, you're reprobate, and if you don't repent, God's going to kill you. How many just love to hear that? You see what I'm saying? You know what the Bible says in Isaiah 30 and verse 10? Here's what the people told the prophets. Listen now, let me just quote it. Isaiah 30 verse 10. "Which say to the seers"—that's the prophets—"which say to the prophets, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits." We'd rather hear something smooth, we'd rather hear something palatable, we'd rather hear deceits than the truth. And what did he say? And my people love to have it so. One last passage I want to quote. You're familiar with it, 2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 3 and 4. 2 Timothy 4 verses 3 and 4.
#71 | 54:39 to 55:59 | cleaned
What did Paul tell Timothy? He said, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." They don't want the truth. They just want someone to scratch their ears, to tickle them, and let them go.
#72 | 55:59 to 56:31 | cleaned
Now, I want you to go back to Jeremiah chapter 5, and I want you to look at verse 31. He says, "The prophets prophesy falsely, the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so." Now, I want you to watch. It's easy enough to despise, reject, ridicule, mock, neglect, and substitute for the word of God. But here's the question and God is asking it. Look at verse 31. "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so." Here's the question.
#73 | 56:33 to 57:16 | cleaned
"What will ye do in the end thereof?" You might like it smooth and easy. You might like the deceit and the lies. But what are you going to do when God calls you into account? What are you going to do when God judges you? What are you going to do when you rebel and sin like a flood of mighty waters and then God judges you like a flood of mighty waters? What are you going to do in the end thereof?
#74 | 57:16 to 57:50 | cleaned
One thing that we know absolutely for certain, absolutely for sure, is that God will judge such a nation, for He said in verse 29, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Let me make just a couple of applications, and I want you to think with me. I've given you five causes for national judgment. Think about them.
#75 | 57:51 to 58:28 | cleaned
Put them together in your mind. In Jerusalem, in Judah, were people that were implacable in their comprehension. They wouldn't listen. They were incorrigible in chastisement. They wouldn't receive correction. They were unfaithful. They were infidels in their covenantal relations. They had rulers who were iniquitous in their conduct. And they had prophets and priests, princes, who were indifferent as to their calling.
#76 | 58:28 to 59:04 | cleaned
Now, my question is this. What do you think God is going to do with such a nation as that? Well, let's look. Jeremiah 5, verse 10. In fact, let's read verse 9. Look at verse 9. Jeremiah 5, verse 9. "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Now look what he says about Jerusalem.
#77 | 59:06 to 59:35 | cleaned
"Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD's." You know what the wall was? You know what the battlements were? Those were your defenses as a people and as a nation. God said, take them away. They're not mine. I'm not defending this people. This people do not want me. They do not want my word. They do not want my preachers. They do not want my prophets. They don't want me. They don't want my protection. You just take away what little they've got, they're not mine.
#78 | 59:36 to 1:00:27 | cleaned
I'll let the enemy have them. Such a nation will be deprived of God's sovereign protection. Let me ask you a question. Why would God respect a people who do not respect Him? Why would God defend the people who do not defend Him?
#79 | 1:00:29 to 1:01:01 | cleaned
Secondly, I want you to note that all of the causes that I've mentioned to you for national judgment are exceedingly grievous to the Lord. And here's one reason why they're so grievous. It's because they are a misrepresentation of God. And they constitute in reality lying against God. Look in Jeremiah 5 verse 11. After he says in verse 10, "take away her battlements," he says in verse 11, "For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD."
#80 | 1:01:04 to 1:01:47 | cleaned
In other words, such a nation is considered traitors. They're treacherous. They're traitors. Then he says in verse 12, "They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine." Now, I want you to note, they have belied the LORD. That is, they've lied against Him. How did they lie against Him? By misrepresenting Him, by refusing to believe Him.
#81 | 1:01:47 to 1:02:16 | cleaned
And notice, if you would, let me break it down for you. Verse 12, he says, "They have belied the LORD"—that is, they've lied against the LORD—"and said," number one, watch, "It is not he." That is, they're denying His personhood. They're denying God. So they've denied His person. "Neither shall evil come upon us." Now they're denying His providence. God won't do anything to us. Why, we're His people. We're His favorite nation. Notice what else they say in verse 12. "Neither shall we see sword nor famine." Now they're denying His punishment. They deny His person, His providence, His punishment. I've heard people tell me, God will never judge America. I mean, we're a Christian nation. What? We were a Christian nation, past tense. Used to be! But now, as a nation, we belie the Lord. We lie against Him. God says such a people are nothing but traitors. And by the way, would you want to know what the penalty is for lying against the Lord?
#82 | 1:02:17 to 1:03:45 | cleaned
You remember Acts chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira had a certain land and sold it? Kept back part of the possession. Brought the money to Peter and said, aren't we wonderful Christians? We've sold this land and we're giving all this money to the Lord. Peter looked at Ananias and said, "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?" He said, "Whiles it remained, was it not thine own?"
#83 | 1:03:48 to 1:04:15 | cleaned
"and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?" You could do whatever you wanted to with it. But what you've done is you've kept back part of it, and now you're pretending like you've given it to the Lord. "Why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." And God killed him.
#84 | 1:04:15 to 1:04:33 | cleaned
A little while later when Sapphira came in, Peter said, "Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much?" "Oh yes, and we gave it all to the Lord. Aren't we wonderful Christians?" Peter just said, "Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out." In other words, God killed Ananias. He's the one that killed Sapphira. She's part of it. What did they do? They lied to God. And they lied about God. And God killed them.
#85 | 1:04:33 to 1:05:03 | cleaned
What is He charging Judah and Jerusalem with? Lying against Him. What did He do to Judah and Jerusalem? He destroyed them. Look at verses 13 through 17. Watch this. Here's the third application. When God ordains judgment, He will not repent. He said in verse 13, "And the prophets"—that is these false prophets they trust in—"the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them. Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them."
#86 | 1:05:03 to 1:05:40 | cleaned
"Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far"—the Babylonians—"O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say. Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men. And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword." God said, I'll destroy you. I'll not change my mind. And He did not.
#87 | 1:05:40 to 1:06:17 | cleaned
Now let me tell you something. When God's true preachers cry out of judgment and destruction, they're mocked, they're ridiculed, they're called unloving, unkind, insensitive, intolerant, all kinds of names. But let me tell you, when you begin to hear all of God's true preachers speak about judgment—you listen to this one preacher, he's a good preacher on the radio, and he's preaching judgment. You get another one on TV, he's preaching judgment. You go to church, he's preaching judgment. You hear about some other sermon, he's preaching judgment. When you hear that, you better watch out. Why?
#88 | 1:06:18 to 1:07:16 | cleaned
Amos 3 verse 7 says this, "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." When God's men begin to preach the same thing, you better be getting ready. Because God will not change. Now one last application. I want you to see the lex talionis of scripture here. You remember the lex talionis is just simply the law of retribution. God always makes the punishment fit the crime. Okay? God is just whether man is or not.
#89 | 1:07:17 to 1:08:01 | cleaned
So, look in verses 7 and 8. Jeremiah 5 verse 7. God asks, "How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' houses. They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife."
#90 | 1:08:02 to 1:08:26 | cleaned
Now, I want you to watch. What did God do to these people? First of all, He blessed them. He fed them to the full. What did they do to God? They forsook Him. They turned from God. They used His blessings. They used His provision to worship false gods and to sin against God. So here's what God asked. You like those false gods? You like to do what they command you? Okay.
#91 | 1:08:26 to 1:09:08 | cleaned
Skip down to verse 19. "And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours." Oh, God said you like those false gods. Guess what? I'll send you as a slave where they are and you can worship them all you like.
#92 | 1:09:09 to 1:09:40 | cleaned
Let me tell you something, folks. The nation that will not serve God will serve their enemies. And they will serve a false god. Either in their land or in a strange land, God will judge them because God is absolutely just and He always makes the punishment fit the crime. Five causes for national judgment. When a people are implacable in their comprehension, incorrigible in chastisement, infidels in covenantal relation, when they are iniquitous in their conduct and indifferent in their callings, God asks, "Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?" Watch out. God is still on the throne. And He's still the judge of all the earth. Let's pray.
#93 | 1:09:43 to 1:10:53 | cleaned
Father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ for Your grace and Your mercy. We pray that You would teach us. And Lord, help us prepare our hearts that we may not be disobedient in any of these areas. May we honor Thee and recognize Thee, and confess and acknowledge that Thou art the one true and the living God. Thou hast given Thy word and Thy word is truth. And may we submit to it. May we be faithful in warning others and showing others that we are indeed a nation that's ripe for judgment because we have forsaken the LORD our God. We do pray for repentance and we pray for an awakening. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask it. Amen.
#94 | 1:10:54 to 1:11:44 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:28:07Z

Causes for National Judgment Part 2 of 2

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver continues his exposition of Jeremiah 5, focusing on verses 25–31 to present the fourth and fifth causes for national judgment: iniquitous conduct among civil rulers and indifference in the calling of prophets and priests. He argues that these sins, combined with those from part one, make a nation ripe for God's judgment, drawing parallels to modern America.

Opening

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:25-31

"Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you." "For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge."

Review of First Three Causes

Weaver reviews the first three causes for national judgment from Jeremiah 5:1-13: implacable in comprehension, incorrigible in chastisement, and infidelity in covenantal relations.

Fourth Cause: Iniquitous Conduct of Civil Rulers

Weaver introduces the fourth cause, focusing on verses 25-28, which describe wicked men in authority who are deceitful, wealthy, and fail to judge the fatherless and needy.

Synonyms and Description of Iniquitous Conduct

Weaver lists synonyms for 'iniquitous' and applies them to modern civil rulers, emphasizing their spiteful and malicious nature.

Biblical Parallels: Catching Men and Deceit

Weaver explains how rulers catch men through deceit and control, citing Jeremiah 5:26-27 and Matthew Henry's commentary, and draws parallels to modern government actions.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:23-24

"...Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest."

Now notice,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 5:23-24

"neither say they in their heart."

Modern Examples of Government Overreach

Weaver cites a Missouri Information Analysis Center report labeling political supporters as terrorists, illustrating how rulers make men offenders for a word (Isaiah 29:21).

Notice if you would please. Isaiah 29 and verse 21.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 29:21

"That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought."

Now stop and look at that. They make a man an offender for a word. They don't like what he says. Watch.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 29:21

"...and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate."

Exceeding the Wicked and Ezekiel's Warning

Weaver notes that Judah exceeded the deeds of the wicked (Jeremiah 5:28) and reads Ezekiel 5:5-7 to show God's judgment on a people worse than pagans.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 5:5-7

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem"

—now remember, Jerusalem, a covenantal people—

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 5:5-7

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her."

And all those countries and nations were pagan.

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 5:5-7

"And she hath changed my judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and my statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused my judgments and my statutes."

Fifth Cause: Indifference in Calling of Prophets and Priests

Weaver introduces the fifth cause from verses 30-31: prophets prophesy falsely, priests bear rule by their means, and the people love it so.

How False Prophets Steal God's Word

Weaver expounds Jeremiah 23:30-32 to show three ways false prophets steal God's word: taking away, adding to, and substituting for it.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 23:30-32

"Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD."

What did Paul write in 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16?

Scripture Reading — 2 Timothy 3:16

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is"

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 4:2

"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."

The People's Love for False Teaching

Weaver explains why people love false teaching—it appeals to the flesh—and cites Micah 2:11, 3:11-12, Isaiah 30:10, and 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

"My people love to have it so." Jeremiah 2, verse 8.

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 2:8

"The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit."

Scripture Reading — Micah 3:11-12

"The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest."

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 30:10

"Which say to the seers"

—that's the prophets—

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 30:10

"which say to the prophets, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits."

The Question: What Will You Do in the End?

Weaver poses God's question from verse 31, emphasizing the certainty of judgment and the lex talionis principle of retribution.

Applications: Deprivation of Protection and Grievous Sin

Weaver applies the message: God will remove protection (verse 10), the sins are grievous as lying against God (verse 12), and judgment is certain (verses 13-17).

Lex Talionis and Conclusion

Weaver shows the law of retribution: as they forsook God for false gods, they will serve strangers in a foreign land (verse 19). He concludes with a call to repentance.

Amos 3 verse 7 says this,

Scripture Reading — Amos 3:7

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

Causes for National Judgment Part 2 of 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Ct3xyjTfLWg
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Revelation: Witness, Judgment, and the Throne
Genre	Sermon
Date	2012-02-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 186: Causes For National Judgment — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	94

Lecture Guide

Outline

Review of First Three Causes: Weaver reviews the first three causes for national judgment from Jeremiah 5:1-13: implacable in comprehension, incorrigible in chastisement, and infidelity in covenantal relations.
Fourth Cause: Iniquitous Conduct of Civil Rulers: Weaver introduces the fourth cause, focusing on verses 25-28, which describe wicked men in authority who are deceitful, wealthy, and fail to judge the fatherless and needy.
Synonyms and Description of Iniquitous Conduct: Weaver lists synonyms for 'iniquitous' and applies them to modern civil rulers, emphasizing their spiteful and malicious nature.
Biblical Parallels: Catching Men and Deceit: Weaver explains how rulers catch men through deceit and control, citing Jeremiah 5:26-27 and Matthew Henry's commentary, and draws parallels to modern government actions.
Modern Examples of Government Overreach: Weaver cites a Missouri Information Analysis Center report labeling political supporters as terrorists, illustrating how rulers make men offenders for a word (Isaiah 29:21).
Exceeding the Wicked and Ezekiel's Warning: Weaver notes that Judah exceeded the deeds of the wicked (Jeremiah 5:28) and reads Ezekiel 5:5-7 to show God's judgment on a people worse than pagans.
Fifth Cause: Indifference in Calling of Prophets and Priests: Weaver introduces the fifth cause from verses 30-31: prophets prophesy falsely, priests bear rule by their means, and the people love it so.
How False Prophets Steal God's Word: Weaver expounds Jeremiah 23:30-32 to show three ways false prophets steal God's word: taking away, adding to, and substituting for it.
The People's Love for False Teaching: Weaver explains why people love false teaching—it appeals to the flesh—and cites Micah 2:11, 3:11-12, Isaiah 30:10, and 2 Timothy 4:3-4.
The Question: What Will You Do in the End?: Weaver poses God's question from verse 31, emphasizing the certainty of judgment and the lex talionis principle of retribution.
Applications: Deprivation of Protection and Grievous Sin: Weaver applies the message: God will remove protection (verse 10), the sins are grievous as lying against God (verse 12), and judgment is certain (verses 13-17).
Lex Talionis and Conclusion: Weaver shows the law of retribution: as they forsook God for false gods, they will serve strangers in a foreign land (verse 19). He concludes with a call to repentance.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Civil rulers are iniquitous and oppressive

Jeremiah 5:25-28 describes rulers who are deceitful, wealthy, and fail to judge the fatherless, paralleling modern American leaders.

Weaver says, 'this passage refers primarily to civil rulers, to judges, to those who are in authority' and cites the MIAC report as a modern example.

False prophets steal God's word by taking away, adding to, or substituting

Jeremiah 23:30-32 outlines three ways false prophets corrupt God's word, which Weaver applies to modern seeker-friendly churches.

Weaver explains, 'you can steal God's word by taking it away... by adding to... by substituting for' and references 2 Timothy 3:16.

People prefer false teaching because it pampers the flesh

The phrase 'my people love to have it so' (Jeremiah 5:31) shows that people reject sound doctrine for smooth things, as in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

Weaver states, 'False preaching, false teaching appeals to the flesh. It pampers the pride of man.'

God's judgment is certain and proportional

God will not repent of judgment (Jeremiah 5:13-17) and applies lex talionis: as they forsook God, they will serve strangers (Jeremiah 5:19).

Weaver says, 'When God ordains judgment, He will not repent' and 'God always makes the punishment fit the crime.'

Scripture References

Jeremiah 5:25-31: Primary text for the sermon, detailing the fourth and fifth causes for national judgment.
Jeremiah 5:1-5: Referenced in review of first cause: implacable in comprehension.
Jeremiah 5:3: Referenced in review of second cause: incorrigible in chastisement.
Jeremiah 5:7: Referenced in review of third cause: infidelity in covenantal relations.
Jeremiah 5:9: God's rhetorical question about visiting judgment, repeated throughout.
Jeremiah 5:23-24: General principle of a revolting and rebellious heart preceding the description of wicked rulers.
Jeremiah 5:26-28: Description of wicked men who catch men, become rich, and fail to judge the fatherless.
Jeremiah 5:5: Great men who have broken the yoke and burst the bonds.
Isaiah 29:21: Making a man an offender for a word and laying a snare for him that reproveth in the gate.
Ezekiel 5:5-7: Jerusalem changed God's judgments into wickedness more than the nations.
Jeremiah 23:30-32: God against prophets who steal His words, use their tongues, and prophesy false dreams.
2 Timothy 3:16: All scripture is profitable, supporting the need to preach the whole counsel of God.
Deuteronomy 4:2: Command not to add to or diminish from God's word.
Revelation 22:18: Warning against adding to the words of the prophecy.
Jeremiah 2:8: Priests and prophets transgressed and walked after things that do not profit.
Micah 2:11: A prophet of wine and strong drink will be the prophet of this people.
Micah 3:11-12: Heads judge for reward, priests teach for hire, prophets divine for money; therefore Zion will be plowed.
Isaiah 30:10: People tell seers to prophesy smooth things and deceits.
2 Timothy 4:3-4: Time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but heap to themselves teachers with itching ears.
Amos 3:7: God reveals His secret to His servants the prophets before doing anything.

Historical References

Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) report: A report labeling supporters of Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin, and Bob Barr as militia-influenced terrorists, used as an example of modern government overreach.
Timothy McVeigh and Eric Rudolph: Domestic terrorists mentioned in the MIAC report to conflate political supporters with terrorists.
Guantanamo Bay detainees: Government considering releasing and subsidizing non-combatant Muslims in America, cited as an example of foolish or treacherous policy.
Matthew Henry's commentary: Quoted to describe the wicked men as spiteful and malicious, delighting in doing mischief and catching men like hunters.
Matthew Poole's commentary: Quoted on Jeremiah 5:27, explaining the metaphor of a cage full of birds as ill-gotten gains.
John Calvin's commentary: Quoted on Jeremiah 5:28, identifying the wicked men as high in dignity and authority.
Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5): Example of lying to God and being struck dead, illustrating the penalty for lying against the Lord.
Babylonian exile: The historical judgment on Judah, referenced as the fulfillment of God's warning in Jeremiah 5:15-17.

Important Quotes

Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

This rhetorical question from Jeremiah 5:9 is the central refrain of the sermon, emphasizing the certainty of God's judgment on a sinful nation.

A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?

This verse (Jeremiah 5:30-31) introduces the fifth cause and the climactic question that Weaver uses to challenge his audience.

When a profligate people stand up for profligate rulers, the height of corruption has reached its zenith.

Weaver's summary of the collusion between wicked people and wicked rulers, indicating total moral decay.

False preaching, false teaching appeals to the flesh. It pampers the pride of man. It removes guilt from his conscience so that he may sin with impunity.

Explains why people love false teaching, linking it to the human desire to avoid accountability.

What will ye do in the end thereof?

The piercing question from Jeremiah 5:31 that Weaver uses to call his audience to consider the consequences of their sin.

The nation that will not serve God will serve their enemies.

A concise statement of the lex talionis principle, summarizing the sermon's warning about national judgment.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways do we see modern civil rulers acting like the 'wicked men' described in Jeremiah 5:26-28?

[Context]

Weaver argues that rulers today are iniquitous, citing the MIAC report and other examples.

[Question]

How can we discern whether a preacher is stealing God's word by taking away, adding to, or substituting for it?

[Context]

Weaver explains the three methods from Jeremiah 23:30-32 and applies them to modern preaching.

[Question]

Why do people often prefer false teaching over sound doctrine, and how can we guard against this tendency in ourselves?

[Context]

Weaver discusses the appeal of false teaching to the flesh and cites 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

[Question]

What does the phrase 'my people love to have it so' (Jeremiah 5:31) reveal about the responsibility of the congregation in a nation's spiritual decline?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that the people are complicit in the corruption of religious leaders.

[Question]

How does the principle of lex talionis (the punishment fits the crime) apply to national judgment, and what examples can we see in history?

[Context]

Weaver points to Jeremiah 5:19 and the Babylonian exile as examples of God's proportional judgment.

[Question]

What are the implications of God's question, 'What will ye do in the end thereof?' for our nation today?

[Context]

Weaver uses this question to challenge his audience to consider the consequences of national sin.

Applications

Format deepseek deepseek-v4-pro structured study JSON | Source Commentary.net transcript enrichment

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:25:51Z