Parables of Jeremiah
We generally do not think of parables in the Old Testament, but there are many. Among the major prophets Isaiah has 3 parables, Jeremiah 10, Ezekiel 23 and Daniel 5. Among the minor prophets there are some 14 others. We will con- sider some of the parables in the book of Jeremiah.
Like Isaiah, Jeremiah prophesied to the two tribe Kingdom of Judah. At this time in the history of Israel the ten tribe Kingdom was not in existence, having earlier been conquered and destroyed by the Assyrians.
Jeremiah’s message was couched in appealing, symbolic language, but contained repeated condemnations of the backsliding and sinful nation. He spoke of the captivity as of divine will for the good of the Israelites. They were told to reject all worldly alliances, especially with Egypt. Because of his constant reminder of their sins, Jeremiah’s ministry became extremely unpopular, and he was repeatedly persecuted when his message of condemnation was proclaimed.
Of all the Old Testament prophets, Jeremiah seemed to have the hardest lot of persecutions and sufferings and imprisonment. This is specially noticeable in his writing of Lamentations 1:12, 3:1. “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger … I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.”
Despite his reprimands of the Israelites, Jeremiah was perhaps the most human of all the prophets. He was one with whom most people could identify. He reveals his personal feelings and his struggles more than other prophets. Despite these human tendencies, Jeremiah was courageous and had an impressive reputation for strength. Centuries later, in the New Testament, he was compared with the Lord Jesus. “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:13, 14).
We know more of Jeremiah’s personal history than we do of the other prophets. He was called to serve the Lord in his early youth. He was extremely conscious of his youthfulness in view of the enormity of the great task before him. For this reason Jeremiah said he could not speak, which meant he did not possess the eloquence of a speaker (Jeremiah 1:6). Yet speaking was to be his chief task as a prophet to Judah. The best speakers of God are frequently those who are the least gifted with human eloquence, for if that is richly present, there is a tendency to rely upon it, attribute the results to this quality and take the glory to themselves instead of giving it to the Lord. It is those like Jeremiah who are weak and as nothing in their own eyes that the Lord chooses to work for him.
Jeremiah’s ministry was both destructive and constructive, “to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). His message would emphasize both judgment and renewal. Before there could be reconstruction and fruitfulness in Israel there had to be purging to remove the idolatry and sins that kept the Israelites from being the people God intended them to be. It is always easier to criticize and destroy institutions and beliefs than to offer anything constructive as a viable alternative. But not with Jeremiah. He was not only critical of the Jewish establishment, but he always offered a reasonable and fair solution. The context of these verses suggests that the secret of power in Jeremiah’s ministry was the Word of God and not his cleverness or ability.
Since many prophecies have a double application, and since this one saw only a partial fulfillment in the destruction in Jeremiah’s day, there would be a two-fold fulfilment. (1) The restoration and rebuilding of Israel. (2) The restoration of the world of mankind in the Kingdom after the destruction during the great time of trouble. A third possible application could pertain to the nominal systems, and this would occur during this same time of trouble.
The entire series of Jeremiah’s parables suggest but one objective — to express sorrow and pathos for his country and for his people, so fallen and miserable because of their sinfulness. Phrase is heaped onto phrase and repetition upon repetition as Jeremiah expressed his affected feelings.
ALMOND ROD
The first parable is found in Jeremiah 1:11, 12. “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.”
The word “almond” in this text is taken from a root word which signifies “to hasten.” It is also translated as “to be wakeful.” The almond tree blooms very early in the year and the flowers or buds appear before the leaves. This suggests characteristics that resemble those of the fig tree. The early blooming of the almond tree is regarded by the Jews as the harbinger of spring. The mention of almond reminds us of the rod of Aaron that budded, which was an almond rod. Almond rods denote vigilance, and a rod by itself is a symbol of power and authority. A rod also signifies affliction, by which God disciplines his people.
Since a rod is an instrument of punishment, it may be intended here as a symbol of the punishment coming upon Israel which Jeremiah was about to announce. A similar interpretation, but using the meaning of the word here translated “almond tree,” suggests God was awake and alert to the evils in Judah and was preparing to send judgments upon them. This thought is taken from the name Jeremiah used for the almond tree which means “the wakeful tree” or “the watcher” or the tree “that hastens to awake.” These definitions come from the fact that it awakens out of its winter sleep earlier than other trees. By this parable God, through the prophet, indicated the early execution of his purpose: “I will hasten my word to perform it.” The judgments pronounced upon the Israelites were nearing their fulfillment. “And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the LORD unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them any more” (Amos 8:2).
SEETHING POT
The second parable is found in Jeremiah 1:13, 14. “And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.”
According to Ezekiel 24:3, a “seething pot” or a “boiling pot” was an emblem of conflict. A flame upon a pot kept brisk by blowing was an oriental symbol of a raging conflict. Regarding “the face thereof is toward the north,” or “from the north,” Jeremiah saw a large metal caldron on a great pile of burning wood, boiling and steaming with its face turned from the north, so as to point to the emptying out of its scalding contents toward the south, toward Judah.
The pot represented the empires of the Chaldeans and Babylonians from the north, pouring forth its multitudes as a thick vapor to overspread the land. Though geographically Babylon was located east of Judah, an invading force would not come directly across the forbidding Arabian desert but would follow the fertile crescent, the Euphrates River route, and thereby enter Judah by way of Syria in the north.
At first God used the gentle chastening of the rod. But this was without effect. Now he resorted to the severe chastisements of the boiling bot. This boiling pot was illustrative of the terrors Israel could expect from the regions north of their land. The parable, in context, is self-explanatory. “For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands” (Jeremiah 1:15, 16).
These two parables contain lessons pertinent and relevant to us also. Lessons of the sinfulness of sin, and that such actions by Judah would not be tolerated by the Almighty. Lessons that there would be no escape from the judgments and punishments of Jehovah. These lessons in Jeremiah applied not only to natural Israel, but apply in this age to the spirit-begotten and will also apply to mankind during the Millennium. Of all the sins committed there will have to be a recompense, whether that recompense is now or during the Mediatorial reign. All sins committed against the Lord’s people during this age, the Gospel Age, will have to be retributed before this age ends. This retribution will come upon the living generations at the close of this age.
MARRED GIRDLE
The third parable, that of the Marred Girdle, is recorded in Jeremiah 13:1-11. “Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water. So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins” (verses 1, 2).
Jeremiah was commanded to act out another parable of God’s dealings with his people. This action not only existed in the mind of Jeremiah as a portion of an inward vision, but materialized into an outward or external picture. The open- ing phrase of verse 1, “Thus saith the LORD unto me,” shows the divine method of revelation and teaching of mankind. Note 2 Peter 1:21 as confirming this. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Spirit.” The prophets spoke and wrote as they were moved by the holy Spirit; as they were influenced by the power of God which acted and directed the thinking of those who were chosen to convey his message to Israel. Often, those whom he chose to instruct would suffer persecution at the hands of his own people, as the prophets declared the Lord’s message. In this instance Jeremiah had to purchase and actually wear this linen girdle until it began to rot and become nearly un- bearable to him. He had to wear it on the long journey to the Euphrates River, where he buried it in a rock or most likely in a cave near the river.
The Prophet Jeremiah
In this passage, verse 1, the linen girdle reminds us of the white linen girdle worn by the priests of Israel. White was symbolic of the holy character they were expected to emulate as a “holy people” (Exodus 19:6). The fact that Jeremiah purchased the girdle was a reminder that these peoples had been purchased and redeemed by God to be his typical people. Placing the girdle on his loins showed the closeness between Jehovah and his people (verse 11). The girdle, being an ornamental part of the priestly raiment, was for glory and beauty as indicated in Exodus 28:40. Israel had been chosen to glorify the name of the Lord before all the nations on earth.
As the girdle braced the body of the wearer and increased his strength, so Israel was designated to be as a power of God as they witnessed in his name. The last phrase of verse 1, “put it not in water,” is an anomaly, for the priests of old were required to maintain absolute cleanliness both in body and garments, including their linen girdles. Hence there were frequent washings of their garments. But this was not so with Jeremiah’s girdle. He was not to wash it.
This exceptional prohibition signified the moral decadence of Israel, who became like this corrupted and filthy garment which was worn constantly next to the skin without being washed. This garment properly represents Israel. This is shown in verse 11. “As the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.” The longer Jeremiah wore this garment, the worse it became. The unwashed girdle signified the absence of the “clean water” of repentance on the part of those peoples.
There is an important significance and lesson in the girdle being hid in a hole in the rock. “Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock” (Jeremiah 13:4). Because of their corrupt and unrepentant attitude, Israel would be confined to the rock like fortress prison, which was Babylon. “It came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there” (Jeremiah 3:16).
“After many days” Jeremiah was commanded to return again to the Euphrates River and retrieve the garment. The interval between the burial and retrieval of the garment we believe to be a period of 70 days. This would be an adequate symbol of the 70-year exile, captivity and desolation of the land by the nation of Babylon. Going such a long distance, some 350 miles each way, to bury the garment and to retrieve it, had another significance. It pointed out that the people of the country into which they would be carried away as captives would be a distant place. Jeremiah now found the girdle worthless, or as verse 7 reads, “profitable for nothing.” This also represented the state of Judah after the exile, stripped of all their outward greatness and loss of its place among the nations of earth. “Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing” (Jeremiah 13:9, 10).
Let’s look at this concept that the “many days” may have been 70 days and represented the 70 years of captivity. 2 Chronicles 36:21, “to fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.” Note the expression “to fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah.” This refers us back to Jeremiah 25:12, “And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.” There is a similar expression in Jeremiah 29:10.
WINE BOTTLES
The next three parables have to do with pottery, earthen ware clay jars. The first of these, the parable of the wine bottles, is found in Jeremiah 13:12-14. “Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word; Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine? Then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings that sit upon David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness. And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them.”
Baruch Writing Jeremiah’s Prophecies
Bottles in eastern lands were generally made of animal skins and were called wineskins. Our Lord referred to such an animal skin bottle in his parable in Luke 5:37, 38. This bottle in Jeremiah is one that was made of clay, an earthen vessel or jug. The expression, “Every bottle shall be filled with wine” was a popular proverb and prophets frequently used those proverbs in their messages. The NASB reads, “Every jug is to be filled with wine” (Jeremiah 13:12). It was such a truism that Jeremiah could expect hecklers to respond, “Don’t we already know that?” Jeremiah answered them by explaining that the jug in this proverb represented them, the people of Judah, including their rulers.
The significance of this parable is that as wine intoxicates the drinkers, so God’s judgments and wrath were to reduce that wayward nation to confusion when the time of destruction would come. They would be “drunken, but not of wine” (Isaiah 29:9). Babylon, similarly, made the nations “drunk” (Revelation 18:3). It dulled their teachings, making them oblivious to the true teachings of the Scriptures and unaware of their internal wickedness.
As a result, all were to be dashed as an earthen vessel on the rock because there had been no mourning or humbling in their attitude toward sin and unrighteousness. This is much like the punishment coming upon Christendom and the nations according to David in Psalm 2:9, “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” All bonds keeping society together would break.
The first World War in Europe, 1914-1918, was not only the beginning of the struggle that would overthrow the nations, but was a prelude to the great time of trouble known as the Battle of Armageddon. This will be the great “earthquake” of Revelation 16:16-18. In this period anarchy will abound and all present day institutions will be broken into pieces and be swept away.
The humiliation later suffered by Judah, and Israel previously, should have resulted in the people giving glory to God. But instead, their guilt was not admitted or confessed.
— John Trzyna (to be continued)