I Will Cause Them to Know

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

The video version of this teaching is available at: https://youtu.be/0WYTet0mFa0

The scripture reading is Jeremiah 16:19-17:18

Over the last several weeks and months, as we have examined the prophecies and writings of the prophet Jeremiah, we have seen a continual pattern of judgment and redemption.  Our Haftarah portion this week, Jeremiah 16:19 through 17:14 is no different with one key exception. Unlike most of the book of Jeremiah, this section is in a poetic form.

Contained within this Haftarah are some often quoted verses, many of which are quoted by Yeshua as well as the disciples in their writings and letters.  Virtually every verse in this Jeremiah passage is also found in the Psalms.

This section of scripture contains the usual identification of the sins of Israel and Judah along with a promise of a future redemption.  But what is so special about this prophecy of Jeremiah?  And why was it so important to Yeshua and the disciples?

To understand this poetic prophecy from the viewpoint of the people of Jeremiah’s day, we have to read it in a broader context. God gave Jeremiah specific instructions about his own lifestyle and how he was to conduct himself. Jeremiah was to be a living example or sign to the people of Judah and Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 16:1-4 NKJV 1 The word of the LORD also came to me, saying, 2 "You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place." 3 For thus says the LORD concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bore them and their fathers who begot them in this land: 4 "They shall die gruesome deaths; they shall not be lamented nor shall they be buried, but they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be meat for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth."

Jeremiah was not to take a wife or to raise a family in this place because of the coming invasion by Babylon.  And the reason was that this invasion and judgment of God would be incredibly brutal. The people who are not taken in exile to Babylon would die a horrible death at the hands of the Babylonian army.  Those left alive would not even be able to follow the Torah statutes regarding the treatment and burial of the dead. Because of this, Jeremiah was also not to practice the mourning rituals, even for family members.

Jeremiah 16:5-8 NKJV 5 For thus says the LORD: "Do not enter the house of mourning, nor go to lament or bemoan them; for I have taken away My peace from this people," says the LORD, "lovingkindness and mercies. 6 "Both the great and the small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried; neither shall men lament for them, cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them. 7 "Nor shall men break bread in mourning for them, to comfort them for the dead; nor shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or their mother. 8 "Also you shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink."

God was soon to show the people of Judah and Jerusalem the power of His judgment.  They would be unable to receive His lovingkindness and mercies. Their population would be decimated, and their cities ravaged.  The LORD says that the people would come to Jeremiah wondering why he pronounced such an awful judgment against them.

Jeremiah 16:10-11 NKJV 10 "And it shall be, when you show this people all these words, and they say to you, 'Why has the LORD pronounced all this great disaster against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?' 11 "then you shall say to them, 'Because your fathers have forsaken Me,' says the LORD; 'they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them, and have forsaken Me and not kept My law.

Even though they may not accept Jeremiah’s words of judgment, the reasons are clear.  They have a covenant with God to obey His commandments and they have continually ignored it and severely broken it, and it was time for judgment.

Leading up to the scripture of our Haftarah reading, Jeremiah speaks of a restoration of Israel.

Jeremiah 16:15 NKJV 15 "but, 'The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.' For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.

The actual Haftarah reading for this week begins with Jeremiah 16:19-21

Jeremiah 16:19-21 NKJV 19 O LORD, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things." 20 Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods? 21 "Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD.

Verse 19 starts out with a near quote of Psalm 18.

Psalms 18:2 NKJV 2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Jeremiah 16:19-21 also speaks of the Gentiles coming to the LORD out of their idolatry. They will come seeking the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Gentiles will seek the very thing which the Jewish people have been rejecting! This may be a prophetic hint of the time after Messiah Yeshua when the Gentiles answer the call to repentance and receive salvation.

Acts 11:1 NKJV 1 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

Beginning with chapter 17, Jeremiah takes an abrupt turn, speaking again of the sins of Judah and the punishment. As we have seen, the more Jeremiah tries to get through to the people, the deeper into sin they seem to sink. The opening statement is rather strong and suggests that they are now beyond the point of no return or repentance.

Jeremiah 17:1-2 NKJV 1 "The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; With the point of a diamond it is engraved On the tablet of their heart, And on the horns of your altars, 2 While their children remember Their altars and their wooden images By the green trees on the high hills.

Iron tools and diamond scribes are the instruments of carving into and shaping stone. Jeremiah is telling them that they have hearts of stone. Their sins are now indelibly inscribed on their hearts for all to see. Because of this state, is repentance now impossible for them? God does not leave living, breathing human beings without hope and the ability to repent, to change, and be forgiven.  In a Jewish midrash, this issue is addressed in a hypothetical conversation between the people and God.

“When Israel stood before God for judgment, they said before Him: ‘Master of the Universe, the heavens and earth testify against us regarding our sins… God replied: ‘I shall remove them’ Israel responded: ‘But still, our name is associated with disloyalty to You.’ To which God answered: ‘I will give you a new name.’ Again. Israel said: ‘But, You will remember!’ God retorted: ‘I will forget your earlier sins.’ Israel answers: ‘In Your heart, you will remember.’ God responds: ‘I will not take it to heart’. Israel responded [with the verse from out haftarah]: ‘But it is written before You, as it is written: The guilt of Judah is written with a stylus of iron.’ God responds: ‘Things that are written can also be erased and since I wrote it, I can also erase it!”[i]

Jeremiah goes on to describe what happens to their land after they are exiled to Babylon. The Promised Land, their heritage and inheritance will become plunder and treasure for their enemies.

Jeremiah 17:3-4 NKJV 3 O My mountain in the field, I will give as plunder your wealth, all your treasures, And your high places of sin within all your borders. 4 And you, even yourself, Shall let go of your heritage which I gave you; And I will cause you to serve your enemies In the land which you do not know; For you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall burn forever."

This one last warning about their impending exile is immediately followed by a reminder of perhaps why they faced this exile.  In Whom are they placing their trust?  In man or in God!

Jeremiah 17:5-8 NKJV 5 Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Verse 8 is a paraphrase from Psalm 1:3

Psalms 1:3 NKJV 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

The sages say that the heart is the first to stray from the LORD.  Once the heart departs from the ways of God, the rest is sure to follow. The LORD is our source of nourishment and water, the necessities of life. When we follow the ways or desires of our flesh, the life-giving water is sparse like a desert. The LORD knows the heart. He sees through the facade of our lives to the truth within us.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 NKJV 9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? 10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

David also speaks of God testing the hearts of men in Psalms7:9

Psalms 7:9 NKJV 9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.

The apostle Paul addresses this very thing in his letter to the Romans.

Romans 2:3-7 NKJV 3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who "will render to each one according to his deeds": 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;

This same judgment will be seen again at the end of the age. God will again search our hearts.

Revelation 2:23b NKJV 23b "… and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

We must come before God in all humility and sincerity. King David wrote in Psalm 139:23-24

Psalms 139:23-24 NKJV 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Jeremiah’s next statement seems to be addressing their corrupt financial dealings and dishonest gain.

Jeremiah 17:11 RSV 11 Like the partridge that gathers a brood which she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by right; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.

At the end of Psalm 55, David speaks of the deceitful hearts of men that will cause their lives to be cut short.

Psalms 55:23 NKJV 23 But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in You.

This speaks of rampant covetousness. Merrill F. Unger in his commentary on Jeremiah 17 writes:

“She (Judah) is compared to a partridge who “gathers a brood which she did not hatch”. For a little while she struts in great pomp with her illegitimate brood, but the fledglings soon desert their foster mother at the very time she needs them most to foster her ego. She is left looking like the fool she is.”[ii]

In much the same way Judah’s ill-gotten wealth will be taken from them in exile.

The Haftarah closes out with a profound warning about those who forsake the LORD.

Jeremiah 17:12-13 NKJV 12 A glorious high throne from the beginning Is the place of our sanctuary. 13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You shall be ashamed. "Those who depart from Me Shall be written in the earth, Because they have forsaken the LORD, The fountain of living waters."

Again, we see the allusion to the life-giving water which the LORD provides. This passage, in particular verse 13, is strongly suggested that this is the very scripture which Yeshua actually wrote in the ground when he was confronted by the Scribes and Pharisees when they brought to him a woman, whom they say was caught in the act of adultery. Since Yeshua actually stooped down to write something in the dust of the ground not once but twice, He may have also written the names of these Scribes and Pharisees!

John 8:3-6 NKJV 3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 "Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

This is a story which we have taught on before with an entire study lesson in our book “Shadows of the Messiah in the Torah, Volume 1.” In essence, the corrupt Scribes and Pharisees confronting Yeshua on this day were not so innocent themselves.  They had forsaken God and had deceitful hearts just as Jeremiah described in our Haftarah reading. Like the people of Jeremiah’s day, many among the Jewish leadership and the people in Yeshua’s time were also corrupt, with hearts of stone, and not following the Torah.

Our haftarah this week ends at verse 14 but it would be good to continue to the end of the poetic passage.

Jeremiah 17:14-18 NKJV 14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise. 15 Indeed they say to me, "Where is the word of the LORD? Let it come now!" 16 As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You, Nor have I desired the woeful day; You know what came out of my lips; It was right there before You. 17 Do not be a terror to me; You are my hope in the day of doom. 18 Let them be ashamed who persecute me, But do not let me be put to shame; Let them be dismayed, But do not let me be dismayed. Bring on them the day of doom, And destroy them with double destruction!

Jeremiah prays for his own deliverance and for the deliverance of all of Israel.  In this prayer Jeremiah says that through all the persecution, he has remained faithful to God. He has been a good shepherd, faithful to all that the LORD has given him. We too are given a task to perform. We are called to be not only disciples of Yeshua, but also apostles, which simply means “sent ones.” Whatever task we are sent to do, the lesson we can learn from Jeremiah is to always be faithful to God; To not let our hearts stray away from the LORD and His ways. He is always faithful to keep His covenant with us and will always be ready and willing to accept our repentance.

Study Questions:

1. Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah Portion Bechukotai, Leviticus 26:3-27:34.

2. Jeremiah says that Judah had forsaken the LORD in Jer. 16:11. In what way was that generation written in the Earth as described in Jer. 17:13-14? How does this compare to the scribes and Pharisees that brought the woman caught in adultery to Yeshua to be judged?

3. Compare the description of the man who trusts in God with Jude’s description of those who “have crept” into the body of believers unnoticed.  What do we need to watch for?

4. What are some of the other Psalms or scriptures that are quoted or paraphrased by Jeremiah? Why do you think he quoted these Psalms?

5. This teaching quoted a Jewish Midrash about a conversation between God and Israel. In what way do we have similar “conversations” with God? What can we learn about this tendency in ourselves and people in general?

6. What new insight did you gain from this teaching? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

Bonus: Why do you think Jeremiah used a poetic form in this haftarah?

© Moed Ministries International. All rights Reserved.

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[i] Midrash Tanaim 32:1 Hoffman edition pp. 180-1

[ii] Unger’s Commentary on the Old Testament, AMG Pub. P. 1391

The Right and Hope of Redemption

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

The video version of this teaching is available at: https://youtu.be/IDPFlRMb75A

The scripture reading is Jeremiah 32:1-27

Our haftarah portion this week begins with Jerusalem under siege by the Babylonian army. It is the tenth year of the eleven year reign of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. Jeremiah, the prophet who warned of the coming fall and captivity of Judah, was in the prison in Jerusalem because King Zedekiah didn’t want to believe the words of the LORD through Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 32:3 NKJV 3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, "Why do you prophesy and say, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;

For Jeremiah, who knew the words of the LORD were certain, things couldn’t be looking bleaker. Jeremiah faithfully brought the message of repentance to Judah, but Judah didn’t hear. He faithfully warned them about the coming destruction, but Judah didn’t hear. Now, when Jerusalem was besieged by the Babylonians, Jeremiah was helpless to act being held in prison by his own people. Jeremiah could only watch the destruction as it came. Was there any hope for his people? Would they ever again be the people of God or would they be swallowed up by their conqueror never to exist again? In the midst of Jeremiah’s darkest days, God spoke and gave him hope.

As Jeremiah languished in the prison, helpless to alter the coming destruction, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah instructing him to redeem his cousin’s land in his hometown of Anathoth.

Jeremiah 32:6-7 NKJV 6 And Jeremiah said, "The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 7 'Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, "Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it."'

The sale of land in Israel was not the same as it was and is in other countries. In Israel, the land could never be permanently sold because it actually belonged to God!

Leviticus 25:23 NKJV 23 'The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me.

All land that was sold could be purchased back by a kinsman of the permanent owner of the land. If it was not purchased back, it reverted to the permanent owner in the year of Jubilee. In essence, a purchase of land in ancient Israel was what we would call a lease. The purchaser had use of the land until the year of Jubilee. As such, the purchase price was based on the number of years until the Jubilee.

Leviticus 25:15-16 NKJV 14 15 'According to the number of years after the Jubilee you shall buy from your neighbor, and according to the number of years of crops he shall sell to you. 16 'According to the multitude of years you shall increase its price, and according to the fewer number of years you shall diminish its price; for he sells to you according to the number of the years of the crops.

The cities belonging to the priests and the Levites were under further restrictions in what could be sold and redeemed. In particular, the common land around a Levitical or Aaronic city belonged to the inhabitants of the city and could not be sold.

Leviticus 25:33-34 NKJV 33 'And if a man purchases a house from the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession shall be released in the Jubilee; for the houses in the cities of the Levites are their possession among the children of Israel. 34 'But the field of the common-land of their cities may not be sold, for it is their perpetual possession.

Anathoth was one of thirteen cities in Israel that were given to the priesthood, the sons of Aaron. The field of Jeremiah’s cousin Hanamel could not be sold. It had to be redeemed by a kinsman. Jeremiah was apparently Hanamel’s nearest kinsman who had the means to purchase back the land.

From the natural point of view, this would be a useless and futile action. Babylon was on the brink of taking the entire city of Jerusalem completing their conquest of all of Judah. All the land of Judah would be in the possession of Babylon. Anathoth, in particular was one city that was hardest hit. It was only three miles northeast of Jerusalem and, so, was in the direct path of the Babylonian army. Also, God allowed the destruction of Anathoth because the inhabitants of the city sought to kill Jeremiah to silence him from prophesying.

Jeremiah 11:21-23 NKJV 21 "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, 'Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, lest you die by our hand' - 22 "therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; 23 'and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even the year of their punishment.'"

Buying a field of land at this time anywhere in Judah would be ridiculous since it would only be good for at most fifty years anyway and Jeremiah had prophesied that the captivity in Babylon would last seventy years! But buying land in the region of Anathoth would be a really bad idea! It seems that Jeremiah also thought that there would be no reason to purchase land that would be immediately taken by the Babylonians. It wasn’t until his cousin, Hanamel, came to Jeremiah asking him to redeem the land that Jeremiah knew that God had really told him to buy the land.

Jeremiah 32:8 NKJV 8 "Then Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said to me, 'Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is  in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.

So, Jeremiah quickly made arrangements and purchased the land carefully weighing out the purchase price in the presence of witnesses and writing and sealing the deed.

Jeremiah 32:9-12 NKJV 9 "So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money-seventeen shekels of silver. 10 "And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales. 11 "So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open; 12 "and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison.

Jeremiah describes a well-established process for the transfer of property. It was done in the presence of witnesses who signed the deed and could testify to the transfer of the agreed purchase price. The document itself consisted of a sealed document that would be resistant to tampering as well as an open portion that could be easily read without having to open the seals, and thus, perhaps invalidate or call into the question the validity of the document. The purchase deed was signed by Jeremiah as well as the witnesses to the transaction. Jeremiah, then, secures the documents by having his servant place them in an earthenware jar.

Jeremiah 32:13-14 NKJV 13 "Then I charged Baruch before them, saying, 14 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days."

Storing documents in earthenware vessels was a common practice throughout the ancient near east. It was an effective method of preserving documents. Examples of these storage jars have been found in excavations in Israel.

The witnesses to Jeremiahs purchase saw more than just the transfer of property; they saw that Jeremiah believed in the future of Judah and Israel. By purchasing land that would remain in his family, Jeremiah indicated his faith that God would restore the nation. He spoke that assurance in the presence of the witnesses.

Jeremiah 32:15 NKJV 15 'For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land."'

Jeremiah would never have the opportunity to actually possess the land he had just purchased and benefit from it. About a year after this purchase, in the fourth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, Babylon would take the city. So, Jeremiah didn’t purchase this land to receive any benefit or even to keep it in the hands of his relatives; he bought the land as a sign or signal that the exile of his people would be temporary. Houses, fields, and vineyards would once more be possessed by their rightful owners! True ownership of the Promised Land still belongs to God, and, through God, to Israel, the seed of Abraham to whom it was promised.

As we dig deeper, we see that there are layers of meaning in this text. The field that Jeremiah redeemed belonged to Hanamel the son of Shallum. The name Hanamel, is a variation of the name “chananel,” number 2606 in Strong’s Concordance meaning God has favored. The root of this name is “chanan” number 2603 meaning to bend and stoop in kindness. It is frequently translated as gracious or merciful. Chanamel’s father is Shallum, a variation of “Shil-loom,” number 7966 in Strong’s Concordance meaning a requital, recompense or reward. Judah would receive the just recompense for their sins, but the graciousness of God would bring them back.

Jeremiah 32:42 NKJV 42 "For thus says the LORD: 'Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them.

As we continue to dig deeper we notice that God didn’t just have Jeremiah seal the deed of a property he already owned and use that to demonstrate that land would be possessed again in Israel. God had Jeremiah use the process of redeeming a land. This would remind Israel that God is the ultimate owner of their land and it was a gift to them to use as long as they kept God’s commandments.

Leviticus 25:18-19 NKJV 18 'So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. 19 'Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety.

The God who could redeem them out of Egypt could redeem them from captivity in Babylon. When God promised David that He would build a house for David, David responded with these words of praise.

1 Chronicles 17:20-21 NKJV 20 "O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21 "And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people-to make for Yourself a name by great and awesome deeds, by driving out nations from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt?

Also, as the ultimate owner of the land, it is God’s right to redeem! He is the ultimate kinsman redeemer. Jeremiah speaks of the strength and power of God as the redeemer and that He will redeem the children of Israel and Judah from their captivity in Babylon.

Jeremiah 50:33-34 NKJV 33 Thus says the LORD of hosts: "The children of Israel were oppressed, Along with the children of Judah; All who took them captive have held them fast; They have refused to let them go. 34 Their Redeemer is strong; The LORD of hosts is His name. He will thoroughly plead their case, That He may give rest to the land, And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

After sealing the deed and giving it into the care of his servant Baruch, Jeremiah turned to the LORD in prayer and praise. He asserted His faith that the all-powerful God could bring about the redemption of His people.

Jeremiah 32:16-18 NKJV 16 "Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying: 17 'Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. 18 'You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them-the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

Jeremiah states the obvious; that nothing is too hard for God. This is the same Hebrew phrase that God rhetorically asks of Abraham about His own ability to bless Sarah and Abraham with a child.

Genesis 18:14 NKJV 14 "Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."

God showed Himself able to open Sarah’s womb so that she could conceive her son Isaac.

The word translated as “hard” is the Hebrew word “paw-law,” number 6381 meaning to separate, by implication to be great, difficult, wonderful, hard, hidden, or marvelous. The Stone Edition Chumash translates “paw-law,” as hidden in the Jeremiah passage rendering the phrase as “there is nothing that is hidden from you.”

Jeremiah continues in his prayer to remind God of His covenant promises of extending lovingkindness to those who love Him and of His ability to see into the hidden things.

Jeremiah 32:18-19 NKJV 18 'You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them-the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts. 19 'You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.

Jeremiah goes on to describe the sins of the children of Israel and that God sees the calamity that has come upon it because of their sins.

Jeremiah 32:24 NAS95 24 'Behold, the siege ramps have reached the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, the famine and the pestilence; and what You have spoken has come to pass; and behold, You see it.

Jeremiah called on God by His name “The LORD of Hosts.” He used it in verses thirteen and fifteen, and here, again, in verse eighteen. This word “Hosts” is number 6635, “tsaw-baw” meaning a mass of people especially an army. Jeremiah, who is in Jerusalem surrounded by the army of Babylon, calls out to the LORD of a great army! Jeremiah acknowledges that God had the power and the army to easily defeat Babylon, but He chose to give Jerusalem into the hands of Babylonians.

Jeremiah 32:25-27 NKJV 25 'And You have said to me, O Lord GOD, "Buy the field for money, and take witnesses"! -yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.'" 26 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

There is nothing too hard for God and there is nothing hidden from him! The passage continues with God describing to Jeremiah the reasons for God giving Jerusalem into the hands of the Babylonians. He concludes, however, that He can and will bring the captives back; fields will once again be purchased in Israel.

Jeremiah 32:42-44 NKJV 42 "For thus says the LORD: 'Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them. 43 'And fields will be bought in this land of which you say, "It is desolate, without man or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans." 44 'Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return,' says the LORD."

As we continue to peel back the layers of this passage, we move forward to the time of Yeshua. The leaders of Israel once more were deaf to the words of the prophets as they called for repentance. Destruction was coming on Jerusalem once again. This time, God didn’t have a Jeremiah come and redeem a piece of property; this time He sent His son to redeem not only the land but the people. Judgment would fall like it did in the time of Jeremiah but the promise of redemption was as sure at the time of Yeshua as it was in Jeremiah’s day.

The disciples were convinced that Yeshua was the coming redeemer. After Yeshua’s death, two of His disciples unknowingly spoke to Yeshua about His death.

Luke 24:19-21 NKJV 19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 "and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

Yeshua explained to them how He, as the redeemer, had to die before He could enter into His glory.

Luke 24:25-27 NKJV 25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

These disciples understood that Yeshua was explaining to them how He was the promised Messiah, the Redeemer of Israel. At the time of Yeshua’s ascension forty days later, the question of the restoration of Israel was uppermost on their minds.

Acts 1:6 NKJV 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

God is still the rightful owner of the land of Israel. He will gather His people to His land once again. Yeshua will return and restore the kingdom to Israel. We who are grafted into Israel through Yeshua will also return to the land. Ezekiel tells us that we will receive our inheritance in the land alongside all the tribes of Israel. God is a covenant keeping God and will bring His people home.

Study Questions:

1. Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah Portion Behar Leviticus 25:1-26:2

2. God speaks through the prophet Isaiah about the redeemer of Israel in Isa. 54:5-8, Isa. 59:20, Isa. 60:16, and Isa. 63:16. Who is the redeemer of Israel? Why is this the appropriate and obvious choice?

3. Jeremiah quoted the words of the covenant from Exodus 20 and 32 in Jer. 32:18. How are these words an affirmation of Jeremiah’s trust in the covenant? How are God’s actions in exiling Israel confirmation that He keeps covenant?

4. Jeremiah states in Jer. 32:17 that there is nothing too hard for God or, there is nothing hidden from God with the Hebrew word “paw-law,” , #6381, defined as either hard or hidden. How does this connect with God’s words in Gen. 18:10-14? How are both definitions for “paw-law” appropriate in these passages? How does this connect with Yeshua?

5. The only other account of redemption of land in the Bible is in the book of Ruth. How is this similar to Jeremiah’s situation? How is it different?

6. What new insight did you gain by watching this video? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

Bonus: Yeshua, the lamb who was slain, is worthy to open the scroll in Revelation 5. Could this be connected to the sealed scroll of Jeremiah’s deed? What about the scroll of Daniel 12:4 and Ezekiel 2:9-10?

© 2019 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

A Once and Future Priesthood

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

The video version of this teaching is at: https://youtu.be/CJ7u6HLGafQ

The Scripture reading is Ezekiel 44:15-31

Our Haftarah this week concerns the priesthood in a future Temple envisioned by the prophet Ezekiel.  The description of the duties of this future priesthood closely match those described in Leviticus as recorded by Moses.  As we have learned earlier, Ezekiel was both a priest and a prophet of God. He was among the first to suffer exile to Babylon and witnessed the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

But God gave Ezekiel a vision of a future priesthood and a grand, new Temple far exceeding the beauty and majesty of Solomon’s Temple. Ezekiel records his vision beginning in chapter 40.

Ezekiel 40:4 NKJV 4 And the man said to me, "Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see."

The opening verses of chapter 40 say that this vision of this beautiful and grand temple was given to Ezekiel at the time when the children of Israel were in captivity in Babylon and Assyria.  Why was Ezekiel given this vision at this time?  We know now that the Second Temple, built after a remnant returned from Babylon, did not fulfill this vision, so what was God’s purpose in revealing this Temple to Ezekiel at this time?

Before we dig into our Haftarah portion this week, a little historic perspective is in order. In addition to this background, you might want to review our previous teaching titled “Proclaim the House of the LORD” from last February 13th.  Links to both video and printed versions of this teaching are listed below or in the endnotes of the printed version of this teaching.

Our portion today deals with a very narrow part of a multi chapter recording of Ezekiel’s vision of the restoration or rebuilding of the Temple, the priesthood, and the nation of Israel. Why was Ezekiel given this vision at that time, some 25 years into their captivity?

Ezekiel 40:1-2 NKJV 1 In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of the LORD was upon me; and He took me there. 2 In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city.

The memory of Solomon’s Temple must have been fresh in the minds of the people. They had witnessed its glory and its destruction.  The vision of this grand and holy future Temple would certainly give the people much needed comfort in their captivity. But just a couple of generations later a new Temple was being constructed that bore little to no resemblance to Ezekiel’s vision. Ezekiel was looking much farther ahead to the Messianic age yet to come.  Messiah Himself will build the Temple in Ezekiel’s vision and oversee its functions!

One interesting observation from our reading is that at the time of this Messianic Temple, the Levitical priesthood will be re-established and function in much the same way as commanded in the Torah. But not all the sons of Aaron will return as priests. Ezekiel tells us there is a special linage of Aaron who will serve.

Ezekiel 44:15 NKJV 15 "But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood," says the Lord GOD.

It was the sons of Zadok who were perpetually faithful throughout the history of Israel and Judah.  When the kings and people of Israel strayed away from God, committing abominations and adulteries in the land, there was one line of Aaron who were always faithful to God, that being the line of Zadok, a descendant of the house of Aaron’s son Eleazar. The name Zadok is number 6659 in the Strong’s concordance meaning just. It is from the root word, number 6663 meaning to be right, to do justice or be righteous. During the reign of king David, Zadok stood by David when David’s son Absalom rebelled against him and David rewarded Zadok for his faithfulness.

1 Kings 2:35 NKJV 35 The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his place over the army, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.

Zadok was the priest to anoint David’s son Solomon as king after David.

1 Kings 1:33-34 NKJV 33 The king also said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34 "There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, 'Long live King Solomon!'

A carful reading of Ezekiel 44:15 also reveals that in addition to being descendants of Zadok, the priests who serve in this future temple are the ones who have remained faithful, taking care of the inner sanctuary of the Temple.  I can imagine that even during many of the darkest times, even when the Temple doors were shut and no services or sacrifices were offered, that there was always a descendant of Zadok who would care for the sacred things.

In this future temple, in the Messianic age of Ezekiel’s vision, the sons of Zadok will perform the normal duties of the priesthood. Verses 15 and 16 reveals that they will minister to God, indicated by God speaking and using the personal pronouns “my” and “me”.

Ezekiel 44:16 NKJV 16 "They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.

The priests will have certain personal responsibilities in the Messianic Temple.  First, they must dress in an appropriate manner and with clothing made specifically for their service.

Ezekiel 44:17-18 NKJV 17 "And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house. 18 "They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat.

They were to wear these priestly garments only in the inner sanctuary and never in the outer courts or when off duty. 

Ezekiel 44:19 NKJV 19 "When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments; and in their holy garments they shall not sanctify the people.

The Torah also mentions that the priests were to wear only white linen.

Exodus 28:39,42 NKJV 39 "You shall skillfully weave the tunic of fine linen thread, you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work… 42 "And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs.

Why were they not to wear these special garments outside of the sanctuary?  Isn’t it a common practice in today’s body of believers to wear special clothing or other items which identify one’s self as a Pastor, Rabbi or Priest? Verse 19 gives us the reason.

All of the items within the Temple and the inner courts as well as the Temple itself were sacred; this includes the priests while on duty and all the clothing they wear. The sacred things and the common things were not to be mixed.

By not wearing their priestly garments outside the inner courts, we get an illustration of the set apart and holy nature of God. Rabbi J.H. Hertz in his commentary, Pentateuch and Haftarah writes:

“They are not to mingle with the people in their sacred garments lest the thoughtless among the people might consider themselves qualified to perform duties of Temple Service”[i]

We read in verse 20 that the there are special grooming requirements for the priests who serve in the Messianic Temple.

Ezekiel 44:20 NKJV 20 "They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long; but they shall keep their hair well trimmed.

Having a shaved head was a common practice among the priests of foreign gods and idol worshipers. The priests of the God of Israel were to look different than those of the world. Not only were they to be concerned with how they dressed and looked, but there are specific dietary requirements as well.

Ezekiel 44:21 NKJV 21 "No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court.

The Torah, in Leviticus 10:9, it says essentially the same thing. But what is the reason for this?  Leviticus 10:10-11 explains:

Leviticus 10:10-11 NKJV 10 "that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, 11 "and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD has spoken to them by the hand of Moses."

This brings us to the second charge or duty of this Messianic priesthood; to teach the Torah to the people. Teaching Torah was not a task to be undertaken when affected by alcohol. Ezekiel 44:23 is virtually a quote of Leviticus 10:10

Ezekiel 44:23 NKJV 23 "And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Just like the instruction Moses gave to the priesthood of his time, Ezekiel says that the same applies to the priesthood in the millennial kingdom! This has interesting implications! This is the millennial kingdom when Messiah Himself is on the throne in Jerusalem and present in the Temple!

What does this tell us about the Messianic kingdom?  It tells us that there will be many things to learn about God at this time, and there will be many people to be taught about those things which are holy and those things which are not. And it certainly implies that even though Messiah is present with us on the earth, he will delegate teaching responsibilities to his qualified priesthood.

Ezekiel goes on to say that in addition to teaching the Torah during the Millennial reign, the sons of Zadok will sit in judgment according to the commandments and statutes.

Ezekiel 44:24 NKJV 24 "In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

This is not a new duty of the priesthood, but one they have been charged with from the beginning.

Deuteronomy 17:9 NKJV 9 "And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; they shall pronounce upon you the sentence of judgment.

We can clearly see that the priesthood, the sons of Zadok, during the Millennial reign of Messiah will offer sacrifices, instruct the people in the Torah, and serve as judges over them. This is no different than the proscribed duties of the priesthood as given in the Torah by Moses!

Verses 25 through 27 of our Ezekiel reading reiterates the requirements for the priesthood regarding mourning practices which are also identical to those of the Torah.

In verses 28 through 31 Ezekiel shows us how the priesthood will be provided for.

Ezekiel 44:28-31 NKJV 28 "It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I am their inheritance. You shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession. 29 "They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. 30 "The best of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest's; also you shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, to cause a blessing to rest on your house. 31 "The priests shall not eat anything, bird or beast, that died naturally or was torn by wild beasts.

Throughout this entire Ezekiel passage as well as the entirety of Ezekiel’s vision, we get a glimpse into the details of the Millennial reign of Messiah! Although this Haftarah is about the future priesthood, the sons of Zadok, we see a picture of what daily life may be like when Yeshua rules from Jerusalem. There is a surprising amount of detail about the Millennium and some surprising implications.

Many believers, mostly those of us who come from a traditional Christian background, are at first taken aback by the fact that there will be blood sacrifices in the millennium! Verse 29 specifically mentions the sin offering. Paul tells us that Messiah Yeshua is our sin offering.

Romans 3:23-26 NKJV 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Why is the sin offering needed during the millennium? Ezekiel clearly states that the sacrificial system will be in place and practiced during the millennium, so there must be a need for it. The prophet Zechariah tells us that rebellion is still possible among the nations during the millennium.

Zechariah 14:17-19 NKJV 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

We read in Ezekiel 44:23 that the Torah will be taught by the priesthood. This, of course means that there are people during the millennium who need to hear the word of God. Messiah will be on the throne, but God’s word must go forth from Zion!

There will be many things common to our present age, including food and drink items.  People will get married and raise families.  Ezekiel mentions the rules of marriage for the priesthood.

Ezekiel 44:22 NKJV 22 "They shall not take as wife a widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.

There will be death during the millennium as we read about the rules of mourning. And, very importantly, in verse 24, the feast days will be observed, especially the Sabbaths.

It is apparent from reading Ezekiel’s vision that life in the millennium will be similar to our life today with some key differences.

Number one: because Messiah will be physically present and rule with perfect righteousness, righteousness will dominate the earth. This is difficult at best for us to comprehend give the broken conditions of our society around us today. But Messiah’s judgment will prevail!

Two: there will be great blessings for the righteous in the millennium. The prophet Isaiah has a great deal to say about this.

Isaiah 2:3-4 NKJV 3 Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.

Third is the most obvious, Messiah Yeshua will be with us on this earth. Yeshua will be the source of all that is good for us. He will be the source of all Torah teaching through his chosen priesthood. Yeshua will be the source of fair justice and judgment.  Yeshua will be the source of all joy and the object of our praise and worship.

Study Questions:

1.  Discuss the connection of this teaching to the Torah Portion Emor, Leviticus 21:1-24:23.

2. At the very beginning of this vision God gave to Ezekiel, the Bible notes the exact date of the vision, Ezekiel 40:1-2.  What is the significance of this date? How does it relate to the importance of Ezekiel’s overall vision? What is the connection to the timing of events in Yeshua’s ministry?

3. What is the scriptural background of Zadok and his descendants?  How does this background qualify them for the priesthood?

4. In this teaching, we propose that Ezekiel’s vision along with his description of the priesthood and the Temple described in the last few chapters of Ezekiel, is speaking of the millennial reign when Messiah is present in Jerusalem.  What other evidence is there that supports this view?

5. What are some of the other aspects of daily life during the millennium that can be gleaned from this haftarah passage as well as the rest of Ezekiel’s vision?

6. What new insight did you gain from this teaching? How do you respond to this new insight? How will you realign your life based on this new understanding?

Bonus Question: Compare the similarities and differences between the Mosaic priests and the future priests in the millennium as well as the Temple worship practices.  Can you explain the differences?

© 2019 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

Our previous teaching, “Proclaim the House of the LORD” is available at: https://youtu.be/e61vrRzISmk

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[i] Rabbi J.H. Hertz, Petateuch and Haftarah, p. 529