«　WEEK 9　DAY 1　»

　　Jer. 46:25 Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, says, I will punish Amon of No and Pharaoh and Egypt and her gods and her kings, even Pharaoh and those who trust in him.

　　John 17:14 I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world even as I am not of the world.

　　The book of Jeremiah…shows us that God’s elect, Israel, was very much involved with the nations. This is a type of us, God’s New Testament elect, who are very much involved with the world in its many aspects. The nations in chapters 46 through 51 typify nine different aspects of the world. Today the world has even more aspects. Jeremiah presents us such a picture so that we can live a church life that is not polluted by the different aspects of the world. We need to know how to have a clear separation from the world and not be wrapped up or mixed with any of its aspects. God will come in to judge the world in all its aspects and to make a clear distinction between the church as His elect and every aspect of the world.

　　According to Galatians 6:16, we are today’s Israel. Around us are all kinds of aspects of the world. We need to ask ourselves what aspect of the world we are involved with. We may be involved with the desire to help others through humanitarian efforts, or we may be occupied with the enjoyment of worldly amusements. In either case, we are away from God. (Life-study of Jeremiah, pp. 252-253)

　　The sequence in which Jeremiah covered God’s punishment on Israel and His judgment on the nations is very significant. First, Jeremiah spoke concerning Israel’s sin and Jehovah’s punishment on Israel. Then he spoke concerning God’s punishment and judgment upon the nations involved with Israel. In speaking concerning the nations, he mentions Egypt first (Jer. 46:2-28) and Babylon last (chs. 50—51). This indicates that, in God’s view, the world is first Egyptian and then Babylonian.

　　Babel is the origin, the source, of man’s worship of idols, man’s rebellion against God, and human self-exaltation. After these things began, the world became Egyptian, with Egypt signifying the world in the aspect of making a living and having entertainment. At Babel man rebelled against God, worshipped idols, and exalted man’s self, but at Babel there was no way to make a living or to have entertainment. Hence, according to the sequence in Genesis, Babel is mentioned first and then Egypt. During the time of famine, Egypt was nearly the only place that still had food (Gen. 42:1-2). Egypt was the place of security and enjoyment. The book of Jeremiah presents us a picture of God’s coming in to punish and judge the nations. According to this picture, the last nation to be judged is Babylon. When God judges Babylon, His judgment of the nations will be complete. Around the church, typified by the people of Israel, are the Egyptian world and the Philistine world. The Egyptian world attracts those in the church by their making a living and the pursuing of worldly enjoyment. These distract the church people from God’s economy and from God as the fountain of living waters.

　　Jeremiah presents God’s economy to us that we may turn back to our source and origin, the Triune God as the fountain of living waters (Jer. 2:13). Then we will enjoy Him and will receive His dispensing into us for the accomplishment of His economy. God will then take care to keep the world away from us. Today in our church life there should not be anything Babylonian. We should clear away any rebellion against God, any exalting of ourselves, and any worshipping of idols. Then we will be God’s elect under His dispensing to enjoy Him. Instead of enjoying Egypt as a good place for our living, we will enjoy the Triune God, and the church life will be our living. In such a situation we will be blessed by God. (Life-study of Jeremiah, pp. 251-252, 231, 253-254)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of Jeremiah, msgs. 34, 36-38; Life-study of Genesis, msg. 24