Day 224: The Weeping Prophet (2023)

00:03: Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Bible in a year podcast, where

00:07: we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a year

00:11: podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll

00:15: read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds

00:18: and we've entered that story today. Congratulations, you guys have made it today, 224, and the beginning

00:23: of the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, where we're reading today from Jeremiah, chapter 1, and Ezekiel,

00:28: Chapter 27, so only two chapters or one chapter of peace from both our prophets, Jeremiah

00:33: and Ezekiel, as well as reading from Proverbs chapter 14 verses 5 through 8.

00:37: As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the revised standard version second Catholic edition.

00:42: I'm using the great event your Bible from Ascension.

00:44: If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year.

00:49: You can also subscribe to your podcast app to this podcast and receive daily episodes.

00:53: I don't know if you knew that.

00:54: Not many people say that, and I rarely have ever mentioned it.

00:56: So if that's something that you are interested in, please feel free to follow that interest

01:01: and unravel that piece of thread and keep pulling on it until you subscribe.

01:05: As I said, it is day 224.

01:07: We're reading from the beginning of the book of the Prophet Jeremiah.

01:10: We're going to hear today of the call of Jeremiah to be a prophet and his commission is being

01:14: sent by the Lord to be a prophet.

01:15: We're also going to hear Jeremiah kind of push back a little bit on this call as well

01:20: as we're going to go into the book of the prophet Ezekiel.

01:23: Yesterday I mentioned that Easy Kill had prayed that I didn't get the right line, but it

01:28: was basically the idea that we want to love what God loves.

01:31: We want to hate what God hates.

01:34: And I mentioned a song.

01:35: I just want to say it right off the bat.

01:37: It was the line was, I was like, how did I make it this?

01:41: It's a line that says, break my heart for what breaks yours.

01:44: And Easy Kill is going to be praying that.

01:45: But today he's going to be lamenting over a foreign nation.

01:48: He's going to be lamenting over the nation of the city of Tyre, really.

01:52: And we get to be part of that as well as Proverbs 14 verses 5-8.

01:56: So once again, we're reading this day 2-24, 224, gosh, easy for me to say.

02:02: We're reading Jeremiah 1, Ezekiel 27, Proverbs 14 verses 5-8.

02:08: The Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 1, Introduction

02:12: The words of Jeremiah, the Son of Ilkha'a, of the priests who were in anaphoth in the

02:16: land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah, the Son of

02:21: Ammon, King of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of

02:25: Johaya Kim, the son of Josiah, King of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of

02:30: Zedekaya, the son of Josiah, King of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.

02:37: Jeremiah's call and commission.

02:39: Now, the word of the Lord came to me, saying, before I formed you in the womb, I knew

02:44: you, and before you were born, I consecrated you. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

02:50: And I said, Ah, Lord God, behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.

02:57: But the Lord said to me, Do not say I am only a youth, for to all to whom I send you,

03:02: you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

03:06: Be not afraid of them.

03:08: For I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.

03:11: Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, Behold,

03:15: I have put my words in your mouth.

03:18: I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms to pluck up and to break down,

03:23: to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.

03:27: And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what do you see?

03:31: And I said, I see a rod of almond.

03:34: Then the Lord said to me, you have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.

03:39: The word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, what do you see?

03:42: And I said, I see a boiling pot facing away from the north.

03:46: the Lord said to me, out of the North shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

03:52: For behold, I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the North, says the Lord,

03:56: and they shall come, and everyone shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of

04:00: Jerusalem, against all its walls round about, and against all the cities of Judah.

04:05: And I will utter my judgments against them for all their wickedness in forsaking me.

04:09: They have burned incense to other gods and worshipped the works of their own hands. you.

04:14: Gird up your loins, arise, and say to them everything that I command you, do not be

04:19: dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them.

04:22: And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against

04:29: the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land.

04:35: They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you.

04:38: I am with you," says the Lord, to deliver you.

04:47: The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, chapter 27.

04:50: Lamentation over Tyre.

04:52: The word of the Lord came to me.

04:54: Now you son of man.

04:55: Raise a lamentation over Tyre and say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrance to the sea, merchant

05:00: of the peoples on many islands, thus says the Lord God.

05:04: O Tyre, you have said, I am perfect in beauty.

05:08: Your borders are in the heart of the seas.

05:11: Your builders made perfect your beauty.

05:13: They made all your planks of fur trees from Seneer.

05:16: They took a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you.

05:19: Of oaks of Bishan, they made your ores.

05:22: They made your deck of pines from the coasts of Cyprus inlaid with ivory.

05:26: Of fine embroidered linen from Egypt was your sail, serving as your ensign.

05:30: Blue and purple from the coasts of Elishah was your awning.

05:34: The inhabitants of Siden and Arvad were your rowers, skilled men of Semeer were

05:38: in you, they were your pilots. The elders of Gabal and her skilled men were in you,

05:43: clocking your seams, all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you, to barter

05:48: for your waters. Persia and Lude and Putt were in your army as your men of war, they hung

05:54: the shield and helmet in you. They gave you splendor. The men of Arvad and Helek were

05:59: upon your walls round about, and men of Gabad were in your towers. They hung their shields

06:03: upon your walls round about, they made perfect your beauty.

06:07: Tarshish trafficked with you because of your great wealth of every kind, silver, iron,

06:12: tin, and lead the exchange for your wares.

06:15: Javan, Tubal, and Meshek traded with you the exchanged the persons of men and vessels of bronze for your merchandise.

06:22: Bet Togarmah exchanged for your wares horses, war horses, and mules.

06:27: The men of Rhodes traded with you.

06:29: Many islands were your own special market.

06:32: They brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony.

06:35: Eat them trafficked with you because of your abundant goods.

06:38: They exchanged for your wares emeralds, purple, embroidered work, fine linen, coral and agate.

06:44: Judah and the land of Israel traded with you.

06:47: They exchanged for your merchandise wheat, olives and early figs, honey, oil and balm.

06:52: Damascus trafficked with you for your abundant goods because of your great wealth of every kind.

06:57: Wind of Hellbond and white wool and wind from Uzzal they exchanged for your wares.

07:02: brought iron, cazia, and calumas were bartered in your merchandise.

07:06: Didon traded with you in saddlecloths for riding.

07:09: Arabia and all the princes of Cedar were your favorite dealers in lambs, rams, and goats.

07:15: In these they trafficked with you.

07:17: The traders of Shiba and Rahama traded with you.

07:20: They exchanged for your wares the best of all kinds of spices and all precious stones and gold.

07:27: Haran, Kenna, Eden, Ashur, and Kilmad traded with you.

07:31: These traded with you in choice garments, in clothes of blue and embroidered work, and

07:36: in carpets of colored stuff bound with cords and made secure.

07:39: In these they traded with you.

07:41: The ships of Tarshish traveled for you with your merchandise.

07:45: So you were filled and heavily laden in the heart of the seas.

07:48: Your rowers have brought you out into the high seas, the east wind has wrecked you in the heart of the seas.

07:54: Your riches, your wares, your merchandise, your mariners and your pilots, your coccors,

07:59: dealers and merchandise in all your men of war who are in you, with all your company that is in your midst.

08:05: Sink into the heart of the seas on the day of your ruin.

08:09: At the sound of the cry of your pilots, the countryside shakes, and down from their ships, come all that handle the ore.

08:15: The mariners and all the pilots of the seas stand on the shore and wail aloud over you and cry bitterly.

08:21: They cast dust on their heads, and while in ashes, they make themselves bold for you and

08:26: They put on sackcloth, and they weep over you in bitterness of soul with bitter mourning.

08:32: In their whaling, they raise a lamentation for you, and lament over you, who was ever destroyed

08:37: like tire in the midst of the sea.

08:39: When your wares came from the seas, you satisfied many peoples with your abundant wealth and

08:43: merchandise, you enriched the kings of the earth.

08:46: Now you are wrecked by the seas in the depths of the waters.

08:50: Your merchandise and all your crew have sunk with you.

08:53: All the inhabitants of the islands are appalled at you, and their kings are horribly afraid their faces are convulsed.

09:00: The merchants among the peoples hiss at you, you have come to a dreadful end, and you shall be no more forever."

09:12: The Book of Proverbs 14-5-8.

09:15: A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies.

09:20: A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

09:26: Leave the presence of a fool.

09:27: For there you do not meet words of knowledge.

09:31: The wisdom of a prudent man is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.

09:41: Father in heaven, we thank you and give you praise.

09:43: Ah, man, Lord, thank you so much.

09:46: Thank you for this day and thank you for your words, your words of convict.

09:51: Even your words of condemnation because, Lord God, we never want to be on the receiving end of those words.

09:55: We never want to be on the receiving end of your judgment, of your justice.

10:00: We just, God, we deserve your justice, but we need your mercy.

10:05: And so when we hear your words to the city of Tyre, when we hear what you are going to

10:10: do with Jeremiah's life, we just, we give you thanks that you spoke these words and

10:14: you revealed your longing for justice and the fact that you are a God of justice and

10:19: you do not delay in your judgment.

10:22: Lord God, in the way that you do not delay in your judgment,

10:25: please also do not delay in your mercy.

10:27: Those of us who have, we've failed you, we've fallen in.

10:31: We need your mercy more, more than ever,

10:34: right now in this moment in our lives, this moment in my life.

10:38: I just ask you for your mercy today, Lord.

10:40: Your mercy is new every morning

10:42: and help me to turn back to you.

10:43: Help us all to turn back to you.

10:45: In whatever way, great or small that we have wandered away or fallen away or run away.

10:50: Help us always find the way back to you in Jesus.

10:54: We'll make this prayer in the name of Jesus,

10:56: in the name of the Father, in the Son, in the Holy Spirit.

10:58: Amen.

10:59: Okay, awesome.

11:00: Yeah, so when it comes to Ezekiel,

11:01: we're just gonna let you know that for the next number of days, we already have Ezekiel.

11:05: He's prophesying, not just right now, to the people of Judah, right?

11:08: The people, God's people, the chosen people.

11:10: He's also preaching now to Tyre.

11:12: He's preaching the Word of the Lord against Tyre.

11:14: He's gonna talk against the King of Tyre and the next couple upcoming days.

11:17: He's going to give a prophecy to Egypt and to the Pharaoh of Egypt.

11:20: And so it's going to be this kind of situation where, as we know, Ezekiel has been kind

11:24: of spreading the word of God has been going out not simply to the people of Judah or to

11:29: the exiles, but has been now to those other nations that have been false to the Lord as well.

11:35: So that's Ezekiel.

11:36: That's what's going to be in the next couple days as well.

11:38: But when it comes to the book of the Prophet Jeremiah, we left behind Isaiah.

11:42: We didn't leave him behind.

11:43: We always have him.

11:43: We always have our friend Isaiah, the prophet.

11:46: we now have Jeremiah the prophet. Ezekiel, remember he's the performance art prophet,

11:50: so he's the one who acts out a lot of things. Jeremiah is going to do some things similar.

11:53: He's going to act out some things too, but he's going to be a little bit different as

11:56: well. So, remember that Ezekiel was a priest. He came from the priestly family. He had

12:01: this vision of the Lord. Remember at the very beginning of the book of the prophet Ezekiel,

12:04: had a vision of the Lord that lasted for quite a while. In fact, there's a number of visions

12:09: that Ezekiel is given because he has this really, really hard message that he's given

12:13: to the people. So he has this incredible multiple times. He sees this vision of God and he's

12:18: a priest. Jeremiah is also a priest, as it says very clearly, the very beginning of the

12:22: book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah, the son of Hulkaya, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the

12:26: land of Benjamin. So Anathoth is a town out just outside of Jerusalem and that's where

12:30: Jeremiah was born now. It also talks about how Jeremiah was not only a prophet under one

12:35: king. He was a prophet kind of like Ezekiel under a number of kings except unlike Ezekiel

12:41: that Jeremiah was a prophet in the land of Judah for almost his entire life.

12:45: I mean, basically, he gets at the end of the story,

12:47: spoiler, he gets carted off to Egypt.

12:50: And it's not great.

12:51: The book of the prophet Jeremiah is not gonna be one

12:53: where not a lot of wins for our buddy Jeremiah.

12:56: So we need to stay close to him because Jeremiah is known as the prophet of Doom.

13:01: It says in the great adventure Bible notes,

13:03: he's also known as the weeping prophet

13:05: because Jeremiah has a, he has a sensitive heart to the people, he loves them,

13:09: His ascensitive heart to the Lord, he loves God.

13:12: Yet, God, in this incredible call, we heard it today.

13:16: We heard God speaking over Jeremiah and saying,

13:19: before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.

13:20: And before you were born, I consecrated you.

13:22: I pointed you a prophet to the nations.

13:25: So here's God saying, I mean,

13:27: this is a great scripture verse for you to know for yourself

13:30: because yes, this is to Jeremiah specifically,

13:33: but this is how God knows all of us.

13:34: God knows every single one of us

13:36: before we were formed in the womb, before we were born,

13:39: There's a consecration, there's a call that he places upon every one of our lives.

13:42: And that's exhibited here in Jeremiah.

13:44: Now, that's a great news and it's an encouraging word.

13:47: And yet, at the same time, the Lord says this to Jeremiah, knowing what's going to happen.

13:52: He's saying, basically, even in this very first chapter, he says,

13:55: multiple times, do not be afraid of them.

13:57: Do not be dismayed by them.

13:59: Do not be discouraged by them.

14:00: Why?

14:01: Because I'm going to send you to this people.

14:03: And you're going to speak my words to them.

14:05: And they will not listen to you.

14:07: I mean, this is this is one of the reasons why Jeremiah is the weeping prophet is not only because he has a hard message to give

14:14: But because this hard message will not be received. It's just it's the worst

14:18: The worst Isaiah he had some moments of beauty some moments of glory like he listened member of the book of

14:24: Whoa in the book of consolation

14:25: Ezekiel has some even some really powerful things

14:29: Like God says to the people and yet Jeremiah it's

14:33: It's the Prophet of Doom because he is preaching in the last days, last gasp essentially of

14:41: the people of Judah before the Babylonians come in and destroy everything.

14:46: Remember that Ezekiel, the Prophet we've been going through, he just read chapter 27 today, Ezekiel.

14:52: He was carted off, and those three waves of deportation.

14:55: The first wave of deportation to Babylon was Daniel and some of those bros, and then

14:59: And the second wave was Ezekiel himself, and that third wave had not yet happened.

15:04: And so, Ezekiel's preaching about this third wave, basically saying that complete destruction

15:08: of Jerusalem doesn't have to happen kind of a thing.

15:11: You can repent and turn back to the Lord.

15:13: People aren't necessarily listening to him either, but their release is some hope.

15:17: Jeremiah, he's in Judah during this time.

15:19: So he lived to see these deportations, and he lived to see the destruction of Jerusalem.

15:27: also he got to be part of that in being exiled to Egypt. He got to be hated. And this is the

15:33: thing. Again, this is the word of God. As I'm saying, that incredible line of before I formed you

15:38: in the womb, I knew you before you were born. I consecrated you. I pointed to you and

15:41: to profit to the nations. Incredible, beautiful, powerful. You know that the Lord sees you. He knows

15:47: you. He loves you. He's commissioned you for a great task. And yet you will go to them and they they will not listen to you.

15:53: And so Jeremiah preaches, I think, for 50 years, 5-0.

15:57: Preaches for 50 years over the course of what it says

16:00: in the very first couple, versus in the book of Prophet

16:03: Jeremiah.

16:03: He was there when Josiah was the king.

16:07: He was there when Jehoyakim was the king.

16:10: He was there when Zedakaya was the king.

16:12: And for 50 years, Jeremiah preached this word of repentance

16:17: to the people of Israel, people of Judah, and they did not listen.

16:21: And just give you an imagine this as we begin.

16:23: As we begin, gosh, Jeremiah accepts this call.

16:29: And I don't know that he knew exactly what it would cost,

16:34: but this is part of what it is to belong to God.

16:37: Part of what it is is to say,

16:39: I will do what you ask me no matter what.

16:42: And then this is the call for every one of us.

16:44: Again, God, before he formed you in the womb,

16:46: he knew you and before you were born, he consecrated you.

16:49: We don't know. I don't know what his mission is for you.

16:51: But belonging to the Lord basically means saying, I am yours, no matter what.

16:57: I will do what you ask of me, no matter what.

17:00: And Jeremiah is a great example of this because we're going to walk with him for a lot of chapters.

17:05: We're going to walk with him for the next 50 years of his life and the next 50 years of what the people of Judah had to endure and to go through

17:14: as well as what he had to go through.

17:16: So it all begins with this call and this commission,

17:19: which is incredible and beautiful and powerful, and yet at the same time,

17:23: it is not one that I think many of us would want.

17:26: In fact, one last note about Jeremiah.

17:28: Jeremiah, we remember Ezekiel was married

17:30: and we just had the chapter where Ezekiel's wife had died

17:34: and he was to not mourn her

17:35: because the people of Israel wouldn't mourn

17:37: when they heard about the destruction of the temple.

17:41: Well, Jeremiah doesn't marry.

17:43: And one of the ideas behind this is that

17:47: Jeremiah's life is too marked with pain for him to get married.

17:50: Like it's one of those people have posited this, right?

17:53: People have offered this as maybe this is the idea

17:57: that Jeremiah's life is so marked by pain

17:59: that God is sparing the wife of Jeremiah

18:04: and saying, I'm gonna limit them on a pain

18:05: he goes through to just one person.

18:07: I'm not gonna have it be he and his wife.

18:10: And that's in that is something worth reflecting on.

18:12: I'm not sure what it means when it comes to reflecting on

18:15: for your life or for my life,

18:17: but it's one of those pieces of just, but for Jeremiah's life.

18:19: Just reflect on that for his life,

18:22: that God had called them to this intimacy with him

18:25: and him alone knowing that he would be very alone as he walked through this world.

18:31: And there are people who are alone every day.

18:33: Maybe you're one of those people,

18:35: part of this community, who you walk through life alone.

18:38: maybe you see someone on a regular basis,

18:41: maybe someone you work with or someone you see at the store

18:44: or out on the street, you see my church

18:46: and you realize that person is alone.

18:49: No, Jeremiah, he didn't have to have a wife in order to have friendship,

18:53: or have a relationship to be able to love,

18:56: but to have someone in your life,

18:57: to have that friend in your life

18:59: or that family that takes you in can be incredible and incredible gift.

19:02: I know it is for many priests to have that family

19:04: that kind of takes you in or to have your own family,

19:07: like I have my siblings, my parents, that just love me really well.

19:10: And I am so grateful for that gift.

19:14: But those people around us who don't have those siblings,

19:16: they don't have those parents or those children.

19:19: And maybe this is a word that we're looking for,

19:21: Jeremiah, and we were looking for someone who,

19:24: they walk through life and they have a, they've been called by God.

19:27: They're known by God and they're loved by God, but they walk alone.

19:31: And maybe we just, today say, God, keep my eyes open.

19:35: So I can see those that you see.

19:37: I can maybe get to know those that you know,

19:39: and maybe you're calling me to love those that you love.

19:42: Someone walking alone, that doesn't have to walk alone

19:44: because you and I can walk beside them.

19:46: I don't know, I don't know if that's the case today, but it could be.

19:49: And so let's pray for that.

19:49: Let's pray that God opens our eyes,

19:51: it opens our hearts and opens our lives

19:53: that we can maybe open our homes

19:55: to those among us who are alone.

19:57: I don't know, that's something worth praying about.

20:00: And I'm praying for you, please pray for me.

20:02: My name is Father Mike, I cannot wait to see you tomorrow.

20:04: God bless.