Sabbath: Rebuke and Retribution
Read for This Week’s Study: Jer. 17:5-10, Jer. 17:1-4, Jer. 11:18-23, John 3:19, Jer. 12:1-6, Jer. 14:1-16.
Memory Text: Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise
(Jeremiah 17:14, NKJV).
What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9, ESV).
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Nothing new under the sun? This is especially true when it comes to the lives and work of God’s prophets, who were often called to deliver words of warning and rebuke to those who should have known better. Though seeking to be faithful to their calling, the prophets for the most part faced fervent opposition, even retribution, often from the spiritual leaders, those who should have been the first to listen to them. No wonder Jesus said, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets
(Matt. 23:29-30).
This week we’ll start to look at the trials of Jeremiah, whose ministry seemed to consist of nothing but rebuke and retribution: he giving the rebuke, the leaders giving him retribution.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 24.
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One of the familiar texts that came to mind is Jesus words at beatitudes, Rejoice when you are persecuted for the reward is in heaven and not on earth most of the times and also Paul's comment that those who want to follow Jesus and be his disciples would be persecuted. So we should go out to the world without delay or fear in spite of the fact that most of the times we will be ridiculed, persecuted or thrown out. If we love Jesus and people we are doing Christ a return of favor for His unmerited grace
When rebuke is perceived as an attack on ego (sense of self-esteem) it is natural that one will take exception to it and perhaps push back. The persistent problem encountered by Jeremiah was his consistent and necessary message of reproof was almost always viewed as offensive by those who needed it most.
Regardless of their profession the ones who are farthest removed from the Lord are those who are likely to resist godly reprimand most strenuously and sense a need to launch a counter attack (Acts 7:54). Rage is a pre-packaged response to wounded pride (Psalm 2:1-3).
The fallen human mind is pre-conditioned to view honest warning, holy rebuke, and justice with enmity. This hostility has to be overcome by the sweet influence of the Holy Spirit and growth in humility (Genesis 3:15).
The view of justice as something negative leads some to see it as counterbalancing love or tempering (lessening) love. Yet justice is a part of love and does not reduce it in any way (Revelation 3:19). Justice may balance mercy, but both are expressions of love (Psalm 89:14). That God is love requires Him to be both just and merciful as appropriate (2 Samuel 24:14; 1 Corinthians 11:32).
Even the final destruction of the rebellious will not be the mean spirited act of a frustrated deity, but the considered just action required by the love of God.
In Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary love was demonstrated by the just payment for sin at the same time the repentant sinner is pardoned by the mercy of God (Psalm 85:10; John 3:16).
i agree that nothing is new under the sun if we dont repent God will punish us just like our ancestors
Very few if any relish criticism, be it constructive or destructive. As mentioned it is seen as an affront to our character. A text is used from Jerimiah 17:5-10 regarding spiritual principals. Verse 9 is well known and quoted quite often as a generalization. Should it be, or is it specific to Verse 1 and the last line of verse 4? See also 2 Kings 23:26. Jerimiah 17:10 seems to indicate a generalization. If so we want to know how it applies to us and where we stand? We might ask how does Jer.17:9 apply to Abraham, Moses, David, Job, Daniel and others? Read Rom.5:8-10, Which text is the most appealing, Jer.17:9 or Rom.5:8-10?
Rom 5:8-10 is more appealing because it reveals how we’ve been delivered, redeemed from Jer 17:9. Christ died for sinners; such as were guilty, deceitful, and hateful! Our everlasting destruction would be to the glory of God’s justice. Christ bore that judgment to save us, not in our sins, but from our sins; and we were yet sinners when He died for us, beings who were then incapable of the least sympathy either with His Love or His labors in our behalf....even our ‘justification,’ our ‘reconciliation’. The carnal mind is not only an enemy to God, but enmity itself. (Rom 8:7; Col 1:21; Jer 17:9) That Christ should die for such as us, including Daniel, Job, Moses and others, is a mystery according to the scripture.
If that part of His work of Grace, ‘justification,’ ‘reconciliation’, which cost Him his blood - death agonies, is already completed; how much more will he do all that remains to be done , since He has it to do in untroubled ‘LIFE’, and no longer for ‘enemies,’ but for ‘friends’, from whom, at every stage of it, He receives the grateful response of redeemed and adoring souls.
This seems to denote the whole work of Christ towards believers, from the moment of justification to being presented before the throne of God, having “kept them from falling, and presenting them faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding Joy”(Jude 24). Thus are they “saved from wrath through Him.”
Justice also includes reward and that is what we can look forward to with joyful anticipation.
If there is nothing new under the Sun then how am I sending you this message without even typing? You speak of justice, there is no justice in the reward we receive! It is grace that gives us that thing we do not deserve! It is mercy it keeps us from getting the reward we deserve, our justice is death. It is the gift of GOD that is eternal life! Rom6:23
“Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.” Ecclesiastes 3:15 is another verse that represents the principle taught by the expression “nothing is new under the Sun” (Ecc 1:9). The history simply repeats itself.
The study of Jeremiah´s prophetic ministy show us the persecution by the God´s people leadership against the messengers of the God´s truth. The same happened with Jesus who was persecuted by the leaders of the jewish church. So if the history is cyclic we don´t need to get surprised with the persecution conducted by the adventist leadership against messengers of the truth during the final events of the great controversy. I know it´s a very tough issue but is it not the reality of what will come to pass ?
The older I get the more the word of God has a powerful meaning for me to apply to my life. There is nothing new that will not be done again, we should never forget everything comes full circle.
We are likely to repeat same mistake to look to those who preach of Gods latter time message as legalists or "doomist" if hat the correct English. Remember all this time in the past those to whom the prophet was sent are the very same who crucified the prophet. John 1:11
Actually the truth is that humam nature is hard to understand.Becos of sin in our hearts .We must be willing to repent and take rebukes in positive way.
In fact rebukes normally threatens our lives, but we should learn to be positive as in the end, we correct ourselves.
we should learn to be positive for what we have been warned against
Eccl. 1:9 was something that kept repeating itself like a broken vinyl record. We see Israel of old falling time and again, but did not learn from history. Joshua, Elijah at Carmel, Jeremiah, Jesus, and other prophets saw this happening during their time on earth. They warned people of this and their message to the people was disregarded to a large extent. However, the same is happening now and we are bound to repeat the same mistakes. Persecution comes from without and sometimes comes from within, even from church or religious leaders, including leaders of our own church. Ellen White warned us of this as signs of the last days. Let us not get discouraged but simply realize that the end is at hand.