Devotional
Commentary on Jeremiah 30
This
chapter is an excellent chance to investigate the Jeremiah text from the Dead
Sea Scrolls or Qumran Scrolls. The Dead Sea is much lower than the Mediteranean
Sea in the West. On the western side of the Dead Sea on cliffs are caves in which
scholars since 1947 excited the world with discoveries of manuscripts. For
those who do not know, the caves were actually visited two times in history
before 1947: in the time of Origen (217-254 CE); in the time of 8th
or 9th century CE the cave was discovered and in a letter of Chasdai
ibn Safrut he told how a Jew discovered a cave full of books. Then in 1947 and
later more manuscripts were discovered. Jeremiah is from Cave Four. Are the
texts of Jeremiah from this cave long or short? Is the text of Jeremiah in this
cave similar to the short LXX or the long Masoretic Hebrew text? Answer: today’s
Qumran text in this chapter covers verses 17-31:4. This text is called 4QJerc.
It is almost 98% the same as the Masoretic Text of the Codex Alleppo dating to
1008 CE, nearly a millennium later. What accuracy for the Word of God!
But
not all scholars share this high view of scripture. Shortly after 1947 when the
scrolls were published two prominent scholars wrote about the fragments from
Cave four on Samuel: F. M. Cross of Harvard University and I. H. Eybers of the University
of Pretoria. Cross published 4QSama in 1953 and Eybers in 1960. Cross argued
that it compares very well with the LXX and Eybers that it does not but rather
to the Masoretic Text. My own investigation sided with Eybers. Who did scholars
like Tov followed since 1953? Cross. The Cross paradigm became the glasses to
which all Qumran scholars since aligned the texts: if they saw one or two
correspondences with the LXX then it is a prove of a “different Hebrew text”
than the Hebrew text of the Masoretic tradition. Final result in 1992 of EmanuelTov’s
book? Fluidity of texts in the Ptolemaic times and Second Temple Period. God’s
Word was coming to Jews in a “multiplicity of texts”, all just because of Cross
1953. God is speaking with a forked tongue saying one thing through the LXX
like texts and another through our Bibles in our hands currently. Is the devil
not sneaky? So what about Jeremiah in Cave four of Qumran? Well, Tov argued in
1992, there were two different Hebrew texts and a fluidity of text forms of
Jeremiah at Qumran with this one 4QJerc nearly exactly the Masoretic text but
another one we will look at in Jeremiah 43:2-10 as 4QJerd. Eybers was saying in
1960 that the Samuel copier was using the Masoretic text form but that he had other
intentions. That is exactly what we are going to find later in Jeremiah 43 but
I do not want to run ahead of that. So let us enjoy the Dead Sea scroll from
this chapter.
If
we have two different Bibles we have two different doctrines and if both of
them are equal then ecumenism is the best option for the future and also a God
that accommodates anyone and everyone. Bible does not dictate any longer to us
so we can do what is right or wrong in our own eyes. Fundamentalists or Biblicists
are wrong then if they cling only to one Bible (Masoretic like) and not also to
the other Bible (LXX like) even though they differ. How wonderful is this
deception of Satan.
You
must excuse me if I do not work with the equality of text theory of Tov but
with the primacy of the Hebrew of the Masoretic Tradition as we find it exactly
preserved in the Codex Aleppo dating from 1008 CE. Hebrew is the best and any
other version or translation is degenerative or secondary. That is my view.
There is only one Word of God and ecumemism or Baalism is not acceptable and
prooftexts do have a role in doctrines. Doctrines are the expression of one’s
faith. One faith, says Paul. Not multiplicity of faiths.
In
this chapter Jeremiah was to write on a scroll words the Lord spoke to him
regarding the restoration to the land again (verse 1-3). There is an
anticipation of 539 BCE.
This
writing may have occurred during the days of Zedekiah which is between 597-586
BCE. The people have not yet gone into captivity. Previously God told them that
they will go into captivity and that they are the bad figs. They were to return
to the Lord and He would forgive. Human decision to serve God rather can turn
the tides that God would bring later on them to be not coming.
Therefore
in this chapter God is looking after 538 BCE when He is going to bring them
back and restore them. Those who did bad to them in 605 and 597 and 586 [still
to come] would be dealt with by God (verse 5). But when? Most of these people
are already dead in 538 BCE! So here God is not talking about their enemies at
that time when they return or new enemies since their fathers also died in the
exile, here it is eschatological. God has a Last Generation Theological
Schedule in place and He is painting Jeremiah’s message from those colors.
“A
sound of quaking we have heard, fear, and there is no peace” (verse 5). Men
looks like pregnant woman (verse 6). This is a description of the Eschaton in
the end-time: “Ho! For that day is great, with none like it, and it is a Time
of Distress for Jacob, through which he shall be saved” (verse 7). It is the
same time Daniel 12:1-2 is talking about and that touches on the Second Coming.
Salvation is also present at that time for the Remnant Resurrected. Jacob will
also be resurrected at that time and be saved by going up to meet Christ in the
air with all His angels.
The
Second Coming at the end of the Time of Trouble is when “The Lord of Hosts”
will break the yoke of stress or persecution off the necks of the remnant
(verse 8). Look at the eternity phraseology: “strangers shall no longer enslave
them”. This is eternity jargon. No longer [welo `od]. Paradigm shift. Time
becomes eternity. Be becomes no longer. We cannot miss it. “Well,” some
Reformed scholars would say: “it is just hyperbole of an excited Jeremiah.”
Jeremiah has reason to be excited and so am I. And that without the hyperbole
but with a literal acceptance of what he describes.
“They
shall serve the Lord their God” and David their king, whom I will set up for
them (verse 9). Christ is the King of Kings from the house of David that will
be set up by the Father for the remnant and saved.
The
remnant as Jacob and Israel will be saved from all over the world and they
shall be at ease again, why? (verse 10). In the Time of Trouble there is no
ease. Again one of those Eschaton or eternity jargon phraseology: “and no-one
shall frighten them”. No-one (we-‘en). Again a paradigm shift from this-worldly
to heaven-worldly.
“For
I am with you, says the Lord, to save you [at the Second Coming] for I will make
an end of all the nations where I dispersed you” (verse 11). Massive migrations
of the remnant during the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The Glory of Christ at His
coming will bring to an end the nations who will ask the rocks to fall on them.
During the Time of Trouble “I will chasten you in measure”. God weighed the
trouble, or persecution, or whatever trauma we may be facing and gives it
according to our ability not endangering the perfection of character already
attained at that time since no Mediator is available any longer. This is the
logic of LGT or Last Generation Theology which suffocated weary saints in their
secular mood do not want to be awoken by. “Slaap maar my kindjie slaap sag”
[Sleep however my little child, sleep softly].
The
Time of Trouble is a wounding time and pain time (verse 12). It is not physical
bodily pain but the stress of salvation due to the absence of a Mediator in the
Heavenly Sanctuary, the doctrine of contribution of Seventh-day Adventists to
Christianity. Ellen White said the last scenes will be rapid. So if you haven’t
seen enough progress in the last 120 years or more, when it comes it will be
like gastritis. Fast. The condition cannot be healed by medicines (verse 13).
Loma Linda or Sahmyook Hospital in Seoul South Korea will not be able to help. It
is a spiritual wrestling that is taking place like Jacob did with his wrestling
with Christ in Genesis.
At
this point the Lord turns back to 592/591 BCE audience of the remnant of
Zedekiah day. The reason is that He is talking about the weight of these bad
figs sins. The lovers stood afar and do not seek them, for their sins are many
(verse 14-15). The 605 and 597 BCE events were done because of their iniquities
and sins. “Your sins are many, I have done these to you” (verse 15).
It
appears that this remnant was bad because of their sins but repented during the
process of punishment and now God is so happy that He is going to punish their
yoke suppliers in the Eschaton (verse 16). Do not worry about those placing a
yoke of trouble on you, their G-Day is coming. This is God’s message here.
At
the Second Coming, when God will deal with everyone’s enemies, that is, with
the saint’s enemies, at that time “I will heal you” (verse 17). We are now
wholeheartedly in a fragment from Cave Four that also contains these verses.
But they are the same. A problem here and there of misreading of a letter, and
those slips happened easily. At Honda Engineering in Utsunomiya Tochigi
Prefecture they want to avoid you hearing a /b/ for a /d or vice versa since
Formula One engine R&D cannot afford mistakes, so they say /b/ as be and
/d/ as d3. That is what happened at Qumran in this Jeremiah fragment. The kind
of errors we find is just slips and there are five kinds: slips of the eye, of
the ear, of the tongue, of the memory and of the hand. No human is a robot or
computer and even robots and computers can create errors.
The
remnant will be considered an outcast. Of course, if they control who can sell
and who not as the Book of Revelation is saying going to happen in the LGT Last
Generation Theology schedule, then the remnant is going to be an outcast. “Come
out of her my people so that you do not get her plagues”. Result: outcast. “Zion
whom no one seeks out”. The only lonely. The “separatists”. The non-ecumenical
non-conformists. The odd ones out.
Then
the Lord explained again an Eschaton scenario and I have to seek for such a
scenario since later in the verses the eternity jargon pops-up. Time has
stopped and eternity is at play. In this scenario the Lord has plans to create
a new earth, we know from Revelation. Returning from captivity the city shall
be built (verse 18). Many will say it is the rebuilding of ancient Jerusalem in
the Persian periods. But wait. The jargon is coming. Hold the horses.
There
will be thankgiving, festivals, multiplication of people (not by human
instrumentality for ‘I [God] will multiply them’). Now an eternity jargon
statement: “and they shall not be diminished” (verse 19). Are we diminishing
today? Of course. Most Asian countries are bemoaning shrinking societies. Children
there will be and the congregations of the Lord shall be there “before Me”
(verse 20).
“And
their Prince [Immanuel] shall be from them [‘in all aspects just as we are yet
without sin’] and their Ruler [Christ our Righteousness and King] shall emerge
from their midst, and I [Father-God] will bring Him [Christ Divine] near, and
He shall approach Me, for Who is it Who pledged His heart to approach Me? Says
the Lord” (verse 21). Powerful Eternal Covenant language between the Trinity
before the Creation of the World woven into a continuing scheduled program for
the near future.
“And
you shall be My people and I will be your God” (verse 22). Eternity started and
heaven came down and glory filled our souls.
But
watch, after the millennium [according to Revelation by John] some event needs
to take care that we call in the Bible “Hell” or the Day of the Lord according
to Amos, or Armeggedon according to the Book of Joel. “Behold a storm from the
Lord has gone forth fury, yea a settling storm, on the head of the wicked (plural)
it shall rest” (verse 23). It is the final eradication scene. Saints are
already in heaven but New Jerusalem descended on the earth with the mountains
splitting in two in Zechariah 14 and then the counter city war starts but
Christ the Warrior settles the last battle once and for all.
“The
kindling of the Lord’s anger shall not return until He has executed it, and
until He has fulfilled the plans of His heart” (verse 24). God will not change
his LGT Last Generation Theology schedule. It is embedded in His Revelation to
us although some readers wish to read around it, over it, under it, but never
it.
“At
the end of days you shall consider it”. Like it was said: Eschaton talking.
“At
that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of [spiritual]
Israel, and they [from all global nations] shall be My people” (verse 25).
Finally,
something about the Qumran fragment. It has some stiches from line 3 to 5 which
resulted in some misreadings of letters. The scribe was adding extra vowel
consonants to use it to explain his pronunciation. But in one instance he didn’t
do it, in line 13. In line 1 and line 7 he misread some Hebrew consonants. He
omitted in line 3 a letter. When a text is copied with such accuracy to
correspond to the Masoretic text consonantal text, then one can assume that the
Masoretic text is the original Word of God as it is in the Codex Aleppo of 1008
CE.
Dear
God
We
belong to You because we have no other desire. Keep us close to You until those
times. In Jesus Name. Amen.