Rugged 1-20-19
Overview
Flowers in the Rugged Desert: Hope Among the Later Prophets
The prophetic books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah form the most rugged stretch of Israel's prophetic landscape. They speak into the darkest moments of God's people—the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC, the Babylonian deportation, and the long ache of exile. Yet even in this harsh terrain, God plants flowers: sudden, sometimes startling promises of grace that break through the soil of judgment.
The judgment was no surprise. Decades earlier, Isaiah had foreseen Judah's fall Isaiah 39:6, her restoration Isaiah 40:2, and even named Cyrus, the Persian king who would release the captives, before Persia existed as a kingdom Isaiah 44:24. God despises sin and is never indifferent to idolatry; the exile was the wages of rebellion. But the same God who pronounces judgment also speaks tenderly of return.
Jeremiah was set apart before birth Jeremiah 1:4 and called as a young man to deliver a heartbreaking message. The "weeping prophet" wept openly over Judah's pride Jeremiah 13:15 and lived to witness Zedekiah's horrifying end and Jerusalem's burning Jeremiah 39:1. Yet to a stunned people in Babylon expecting a quick rescue, he wrote: settle in, build houses, plant gardens, seek the welfare of the city—because God has plans for welfare and not for harm Jeremiah 29:4. His brightest flower is the promise of a New Covenant written on the heart, a covenant of forgiveness fulfilled in Jesus Christ and quoted in Hebrews 8 Jeremiah 31:31.
Ezekiel, both priest and prophet, was called among the exiles to a "rebellious house" Ezekiel 2:1. Their suffering was not God's abandonment but the fruit of their sin—and yet to a scattered people with no breath in them, God promised to breathe life into dry bones Ezekiel 37:4. Daniel, contemporary with Ezekiel, served faithfully in a foreign court and reminded God's people that the Lord has never abdicated His throne. His vision of "one like a Son of Man" receiving everlasting dominion Daniel 7:13 is the very passage Jesus applied to Himself before the Sanhedrin. Habakkuk distills the desert into a single, bracing flower: "the righteous shall live by faith" Habakkuk 2:4—words Paul carries into Galatians as the heartbeat of the gospel. Zephaniah ends his book with grace, as though God refuses to leave His people with the desert as the final word.
A pastoral note runs through all of this. In Jeremiah's day, false prophets told the people what they wanted to hear; God called them liars. The faithful teacher's task—then and now—is not to offer personal opinion or comforting illusions but to proclaim "thus says the Lord." Scripture warns that in the last days people will accumulate teachers to suit their itching ears. Resist that drift. Seek not what you want to hear, but what you must hear.
The pattern of these rugged books is the pattern of the Christian life. Amidst weeping, there are flowers. Amidst dry bones, there is breath. We point to Jesus, we live by faith, and we trust that the righteousness won at the cross is ours. The last word is never the desert. The last word is always the flower.
Transcript
Well, we have been walking these past few weeks in this series of entitled Flowers in the Desert 0s
and just to refresh where we were last week, we were taking a look at the book of Isaiah. 6s
That is really a little Bible because what you have in Isaiah is you've got 66 books. 14s
39 of them are focusing on really condemnation on the adultery of the people on the wrath of God 22s
and then you have 27 of them that really give a message of hope and comfort. 29s
And so people have described it as the little Bible. We talked about how the flowers in Isaiah appear, 34s
rather suddenly, you can be in a section on judgment and then all of a sudden you have the flower 44s
of God that appears in terms of his promises, very suddenly as the angels appeared, for example, 49s
upon the shepherds at the birth of our Lord. You've got these flowers just suddenly and wonderfully 58s
appeared. We took a look at Micah. Micah lived and worked alongside of Isaiah and of course Micah 64s
is the forerunner that tells the birthplace of our Lord and that flower. And today I'd like to 71s
look with you in flowers in the most rugged part of the prophetic books and that is Jeremiah, 77s
Zekiel, Daniel, Habakkuk and Zefania. It's really the most rugged part of the desert. 86s
But let's get a sense and a lead up onto this in terms of some historical work. In 722 BC, 96s
the Assyrians destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel and deported the people. This was God's 110s
judgment upon the people for their idolatry and the judgment that God levelled against his very 121s
own people was the use of the Assyrians in terms of this act of judgment because of the people's 131s
disobedience. Judgment would also fall upon the southern kingdom and that is Judah. So you've got 141s
the north, Israel, you've got the south in Judah. In 722 God's judgment comes as God uses the hands 149s
of the Assyrians and then later judgment will come upon Judah. The judgment upon Judah should not 156s
have come as a surprise to the people because Isaiah who began his ministry remember in 740 BC 165s
foresaw the demise of Judah. So there was the prophetic word that God had given through Isaiah 175s
and remember he's starting in 740 BC and he's going to be talking about events that then for Judah 184s
come much later, 586 BC to be exact. Let's see that in scripture. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 39. 192s
Go to way to find Isaiah is to start in the middle of the Bible in the Psalms and then start moving 203s
your way to the New Testament. Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and then you bump into 209s
Isaiah. If you've had Jeremiah you've gone too far. Isaiah chapter 39 verse 6. Isaiah 39 verse 6. 217s
Now when he is prophesying at this point he's prophesying during a reign of a king who ruled 232s
721 to 710. So we can date this prophecy with a great deal of accuracy and he's talking about 242s
here what will come in the future in terms of the fall of Judah. So Isaiah 39 verse 6 we read this. 251s
Days are coming when all that is in your house and that which your ancestors have stored up until 263s
this day shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left says the Lord. So remember this is 270s
this is being prophesied here during this reign of this king. 721 to 710 BC you don't have the 279s
Babylonian attack and deportation until 586 BC. So it should not have come as a surprise to the people 286s
at all. Isaiah also predicted the restoration of the people from captivity. Let's go over to 298s
Isaiah 40 verse 2. Isaiah 40 verse 2. So you've got the prophecy here of God's use in a disciplinary 307s
function with regard to Babylon. You also have the prophecy in terms of the restoration of the people. 318s
Verse 2 speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that she has served her term that her 326s
penalty is paid that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice 333s
cries out in the wilderness. Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for 341s
our God. What we see here in in verse 3 is obviously that should sound familiar with regard to 347s
to John the Baptist. This is what's called the dual prophecy. Sometimes you'll see in scripture 358s
prophecies functioning in two ways. So this prophecy we see in the New Testament applied also to John 363s
the Baptist. Also this is a prophecy applied in terms of the restoration of the people from their 370s
captivity. What Isaiah also predicted. So he not only predicted indeed the fall, he predicted the 379s
deportation of the people, he predicted the restoration of the people and he got very, very 387s
specific in terms of the restoration of the people. He predicted the very king and king dumb that 392s
would release the people to return then back to their to their homeland and that was in 539 BC. 400s
So let's go to Isaiah chapter 44, verse 24. 409s
Thus is the Lord your Redeemer who formed you in the womb. I am the Lord who made all things, 428s
who alone stretched out the heavens, who by myself spread out the earth, 434s
who frustrates the omens of liars and make fools of diviners, who turns back the wise and makes 442s
their knowledge foolish, who confirms the word of his servant and fulfills the prediction of his 450s
messengers, who says of Jerusalem, it shall be inhabited and of the cities of Judah, they shall 458s
be rebuilt and I will raise up their ruins, who says to the deep, be dry, I will dry up your rivers, 467s
who says of Cyrus, he is my shepherd and he shall carry out all my purpose, who says of Jerusalem, 478s
it shall be rebuilt and of the temple your foundation shall be laid. Notice the reference to Cyrus, 488s
Cyrus was the king of a kingdom Persia, Cyrus released the people, 539, to return to their 498s
homeland. Now here's what of particular note here. When Isaiah prophesized this, this is of course 507s
decades before the very event. When Isaiah prophesized this, the kingdom of Persia doesn't even exist 516s
and of course Cyrus doesn't exist either. So you have now the prophecy in Isaiah of the destruction, 526s
the restoration and then the return of the people, you then have the rebuilding of Jerusalem and 536s
we see that under Ezra and Nehemiah when you get into those stories and those books. But you have 543s
the very naming of God, giving to Isaiah who it is that is going to release the people at a time 551s
when Persia doesn't even historically exist and neither obviously does the king. It should have 558s
been no surprise to the people of Judah what indeed would come upon them. When you go into the 565s
book of Jeremiah, Jeremiah began his ministry in 626 BC. It ended sometime after 586. So remember, 573s
586 here is the deportation of the people from the Babylonians. So his ministry ends sometimes 586s
after that. Jeremiah is the longest book in the Bible. It contains more words than in the other book. 595s
In the Bible. And Jeremiah was called to the unhappy task of announcing the judgment 603s
of that would come upon Judah and the destruction of Judah. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet, 612s
the weeping prophet, the message that he was given to proclaim broke his heart, 620s
who was heart. And yet he is faithful in proclaiming that. Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 13. 626s
Very next book, Jeremiah chapter 13 and we'll pick up in verse 15. 636s
Jeremiah 13 picking up in verse 15. 647s
Here I give you here, do not be haughty, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God 655s
before he brings darkness and before your feet stumble on the mountains at twilight. 664s
While you look for light, he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness. 671s
But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride. 679s
My eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears because the Lord's flock has been taken. 686s
Capture. Remember God despises sin. God hates idolatry. God is not indifferent with regard to sin. 695s
And here we have the expression of his wrath upon his people because of their idolatry and wrath. 710s
Jeremiah prophesies this, this destruction that is coming upon Judah and it breaks his heart. 718s
His call on his life came before he was born. Let's go to Jeremiah chapter 1. 725s
Jeremiah chapter 1 and we'll start in verse 4. 735s
Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. 748s
And before you were born, I consecrated you. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. 755s
So before then, Jeremiah was ever conceived. God had a plan for Jeremiah and God called him to be a prophet. 763s
His response as a 20 year old, verse 6, then I said, oh Lord, God, truly, I do not know how to speak. 775s
I'm only a boy. But the Lord said to me, do not say I'm only a boy. 784s
For you shall go to all to whom I send you and you shall speak whatever I command you. 790s
Do not be afraid of them. For I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. 798s
Then the Lord put on his hand and put out his hand and touched my mouth and the Lord said to me, 804s
now I have put my words in your mouth. See today, I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms 809s
to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant. 814s
So 586 then comes. 824s
And you have the Babylonians who are now the ruling nation in power. 586 is a 830s
destruction here of Jerusalem. You've got the deportation of most of the Jews into Babylonian exile. 838s
There's one final act here associated with that time. Jeremiah chapter 39, 848s
Jeremiah 39 verse 1, Jeremiah 39 verse 1. 856s
In the ninth year of King Zedakaya of Judah, in the 10th month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and 874s
all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. Jump down the verse 4, please. 882s
When kings Zedakaya of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night 892s
by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls and they went toward the Araba. 900s
But the army of the Caldeans pursued them and overtook Zedakaya in the plains of Jericho. 908s
And when they had taken him, they brought him up to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon at Riblah 914s
in the land of Hemath and he passed sentence on him. The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of 921s
Zedakaya at Riblah before his eyes. Also the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. 930s
He put out the eyes of Zedakaya and bound him in fetters to take him to Babylon. 938s
The Caldeans burned the king's house and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of 946s
Jerusalem. So they killed the children of the king in his presence. They gouged out his eyes. 955s
They lead him off into slavery. The people are stunned. They're stunned at what has happened. 961s
And in Babylon they begin to realize that the fate that has come upon them is exactly 972s
reaping what they have shown, that they have not listened to the prophet's calls for repentance. 980s
And they thought that surely God would intervene soon. Perhaps within two years, 988s
God's going to intervene and everything will be fine. Jeremiah writes telling them to settle in 998s
for a long stay. Go to Jeremiah the 28th chapter, please. Jeremiah chapter 29, 1007s
excuse me, chapter 29 of Jeremiah, verse 4. 1016s
Thus is the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from 1030s
Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses and live in them, plant gardens, and eat what they produce. 1037s
Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage. 1045s
That they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there and do not decrease. 1051s
For seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile and pray to the Lord on its behalf. 1057s
For in its welfare you will find your welfare. 1064s
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, do not let the prophets and the 1069s
diviners who were among you deceive you and do not listen to the dreams that they dream. 1074s
For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name. I did not send them, says the Lord. 1079s
For thus says the Lord only when Babylon, 70 years are completed when I visit you, 1088s
and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 1093s
For surely, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm 1099s
to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 1106s
When you search for me, you will find me. If you seek me with all your heart, 1113s
I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all 1118s
the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to 1123s
the place from which I sent you into exile. There is a flower, isn't it? There is a flower amidst 1129s
the desert of what Jeremiah is writing. Notice also what God is addressing here. 1138s
Then and in all times, there will always be people that will tell you what it is you want to hear. 1145s
The role of the teacher is not to tell you what you want to hear. The role of the teacher is to tell 1157s
you what you need to hear. Born out of Scripture. The role of the teacher is not to give personal opinion. 1165s
The role of the teacher is to proclaim the truth of God. Remember what the prophecy says in the 1176s
last days in the New Testament, it says that people will search for themselves, teachers of their 1184s
own liking. They'll follow their itching ears and simply say, tell me what it is you want me, 1191s
or the look for teachers that will tell them what it is that they want to be told. That's the 1200s
warning here that comes to the people. Not to search for that which you want to hear, but to search 1207s
for what you must hear. And that is the role of the teacher. That is why in Orthodox Lutheranism, 1216s
what you hear is an absolute emphasis on, thus say it the Lord. 1226s
My opinion on stuff, Pastor Malik's opinion on stuff is absolutely irrelevant. 1235s
Do we have opinions on all sorts of subjects? I would venture that she does, and I can speak for 1244s
myself, I do. We got a whole host of things that we can give opinions on. But the only thing that 1252s
that matters is what does the Lord say. There's Lord say. And what the teacher is called to do is to 1259s
tell you not what you want to hear, but what you must hear. And that is exactly what Jeremiah 1269s
is talking about. Calling them to ignore the false teaching and simply listen to the truth rooted 1276s
in the Word of God. Well, there's flowers here that appear. Flowers also in Jeremiah chapter 31. 1286s
Let's turn over there, please. Jeremiah 31. This is one of the most famous of the flowers of Jeremiah. 1294s
The days are surely coming. It says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of 1308s
Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors. 1314s
When I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, a covenant that they broke, 1320s
though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house 1326s
of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my law within them. I will write it on their 1332s
hearts. I will be their God and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another 1339s
or say to each other, no the Lord, for they shall all know me. From the least of them to the greatest, 1346s
says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more. The new covenant is the 1352s
covenant of forgiveness. The old covenant is the covenant of the law, which the people of Israel 1360s
should have kept, but they did not. God promised to make a new people to give a new spirit, a willingness 1367s
to obey his commands. The writer of Hebrews in the eighth chapter, we won't turn to it for the sake 1375s
of time, quotes this entire prophecy and he shows how, indeed, this was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus 1383s
Christ whose life and death brings forgiveness. So Jeremiah weeping, but amidst the tears, are these 1392s
beautiful flowers that emerge. When we go to Ezekiel, Ezekiel was among the Jews who were 1403s
exiled to Babylon by by Nebuchadnezzar. And there he receives his call as a prophet. He received his 1410s
call in 593 BC and he was active for 22 years. Ezekiel was both a priest and a prophet. 1420s
That's an interesting combination because normally what you see is a separation of them. 1434s
Priest performed the activities and the duties in the temple and the prophets just preached 1440s
preached everywhere. But you see this dual role here where Ezekiel proclaims the prophetic word 1446s
while at the same time he pleads with God on behalf of the people. So he's an interesting mix. 1455s
Ezekiel explains to the people that the oppression that they were experiencing and would experience 1465s
was not a result of God's abandonment. It was a result of their sinfulness. Let's go to Ezekiel chapter 2. 1472s
Please, so keep for your in Jeremiah. You're going to cross over lamentations. Then you come to 1483s
Ezekiel the second chapter. Ezekiel chapter 2 verse 1. 1489s
He says, he said to me, O mortal, stand up on your feet and I will speak with you. 1506s
And when he spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my feet and I heard him speaking 1511s
to me. He said to me, mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel to a nation of rebels 1516s
who have rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. 1523s
The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them and you shall say to them, 1530s
thus says the Lord God, whether they hear or refuse to hear for their rebellious house, 1538s
they shall know that there has been a prophet among them. And you, O mortal, do not be afraid of them 1546s
and do not be afraid of their words. Though briers and thorns surround you and you live among scorpions, 1554s
do not be afraid of their words and do not be dismayed at their looks for they are a rebellious house. 1561s
You shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear for they are a rebellious 1570s
house. Hear the theme there? Rebellion, huh? Over and over and over again. 1577s
Ezekiel also had words of hope to scattered Israel in exile with no breath in them. 1587s
Hear these words of hope, this flower in Ezekiel chapter 37. Ezekiel 37, 1596s
and we'll pick up in verse 4. 1606s
Then he said to me, prophesied to these bones and sated them. O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 1622s
Thus says the Lord God of these bones, I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live. 1631s
I will lay sinews on you and we will cause flesh to come upon you and cover you with skin and put 1637s
breath in you. And you shall live and you shall know that I am the Lord. Israel scattered in exile, 1644s
no breath. Here comes the flower that indeed God would breathe life into them. So you've got 1655s
Jeremiah, the weeper, you've got Ezekiel dealing with a rebellious house still bringing flowers of 1664s
hope. Then you've also got Daniel. Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel. He was a Jew who 1670s
had a very high position. He was elevated to it during the Babylonian government. And during the 1678s
exile Daniel served in that position the entire time. The theme that Daniel lifts up is that no one 1685s
should look at your situation in exile and assume that God is all this throne and has lost control. 1694s
So that theme is a gorgeous theme that emerges in Daniel. And you hear then this beautiful flower. 1702s
So let's go to the very next book, Daniel chapter 7, verses 13 and 14. 1711s
Chapter 7, verses 13 and 14. 1721s
As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. 1732s
And he came to the ancient one was presented before him. 1741s
To him was given dominion and glory and kinship that all people's nations and languages should serve him. 1746s
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away and his kingship is one that 1752s
shall never be destroyed. Jesus quoted these very words applied it to himself. It earned him the death 1759s
sentence because the Jewish leaders knew exactly what he was saying, that he was declaring himself 1768s
who he is, who he was, the Messiah. And the Jewish leaders knew exactly what he was doing when he 1776s
quoted from Daniel. This beautiful flower. Well, we don't have time to explore a couple other books. 1784s
Let me just give you a fly over on them. One is Habakkuk. Habakkuk may have written his time, 1792s
prophecy during the time of Jeremiah when Jeremiah was in Jerusalem. The most famous statement 1800s
in Habakkuk is in chapter 2 verse 4 that says, but the righteous live by their faith. 1810s
That's the flower that emerges amidst all of the desert in Habakkuk. And of course, 1816s
we hear that echo in the New Testament. Paul, for example, in Galatians III chapter, 1824s
takes Habakkuk's statement and incorporates it in his letter. And then lastly, you've got 1830s
Zefania. Zefania prophesied during the last days of the kingdom of Judah before Babylon 1838s
took Judah into captivity. There's one flower at the end of the book, which just how it is structured, 1845s
I think, is a beautiful way that it's almost as God is saying, I'm not going to leave you 1855s
with the desert, but I'm going to leave you with the flower of the grace of God. 1861s
Jeremiah weeks amidst the weeping, there are flowers. Ezekiel speaks to the dry bones that will 1869s
receive breath. Daniel points to the Savior. Habakkuk proclaims living by faith. 1878s
Zefania highlights that the flower is the last word. Amidst weeping, there's flowers. Amidst dry 1889s
bones, there's breath. We live to point to Jesus. We live by faith and through faith, indeed, 1901s
that righteousness one on the cross is ours. And we know that the last word is not desert. 1911s
The last word is always the flower. We examine the third period of prophecy. Hey guys, Zechariah, 1920s
Malachai next week. 1930s