Rev. Carl Roth, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Elgin, TX, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 27:1-22.
The LORD tells Jeremiah to make a yoke for himself in order to preach His Word to nations. As a yoke places an animal under the control of its master, so the nations who have been attempting to ally against Babylon will be placed under the control of Nebuchadnezzar. Those who attempt to rebel against him will only be destroyed, but those who go in the direction of the way he leads them under his yoke will be allowed to live in their own land. In this way, the LORD reveals His previously hidden will to the nations that they might trust in His Word. The LORD gives Jeremiah a similar word to speak to His own people and their king, Zedekiah. They must not presume to think they will be exempt, nor should they listen to the lies of the false prophets. Such lies will only lead to death. The LORD proclaims the reality that the vessels of the temple will be taken into exile, but He promises restoration in the day of His visitation.
“A Time to Destroy and a Time to Build” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Jeremiah. The prophet calls the people of Judah and Jerusalem to repent of their faithless idolatry and warns them of the destruction that is coming in the Babylonian exile. Yet Jeremiah does not leave us without hope in the midst of such dark days. Jeremiah and all who believe the Word of God he preached survive because of hope that is found in the righteous Branch from the line of David, Jesus Christ.
