Jeremiah 27

A Lesson in Submission - Part 7

Debra Isenbletter

Vs 18: “But if they be prophets...and the word be in them...let them now make intercession.” In this verse Jeremiah has a message for the prophets and it is a reminder of what the true ministry of a prophet is. Jeremiah shows what the Lord requires of the prophets. First and foremost they must speak the “word of the Lord” because a true prophet cannot be separated from God’s Word. He speaks for God, he is God’s mouth and God’s voice. But a prophet did more than foretell the future, which is what these false prophets said they were doing. A prophet advised and admonished, he reminded and rebuked, he warned and forewarned, and he preached and prophesied. Jeremiah did all of this, he presented the practical and provisional side of God’s Word. This is something the Apostle Paul reminded Timothy to do, he was to present the fullness of God’s Word so that the Word would have a practical effect on the lives of God’s people (II Ti 3:16-17).

Jeremiah begins his message with the declaration that there is a need for intercession. He says, “let them make intercession.” Intercession means “to come between, to meet together (with God) and to entreat.” If they are led by the Holy Spirit they will see the real needs of the people, then they must be willing to come and stand between God and the people and pray. Then they must be willing to listen to what the Lord has to say so they can bring a message back to the people. They are to listen to the Lord and the people are to listen to them. These men need to be like Jeremiah, who was a true intercessor. There will come a time later in Jeremiah’s life, when the city has fallen and a remnant is left and they will ask Jeremiah to pray for them, and seek the Lord’s will for them, and Jeremiah will do so, and he will tell them exactly what the Lord wants them to do.

In Jer 42, they will be at a crossroads, on the way to Egypt, and they will stop and ask Jeremiah to pray to the Lord for them so they will know what to do. Should they go on to Egypt? Should they go back to Jerusalem? Jeremiah’s intercession brings the answer, “Go back to Jerusalem.” But again, this is not a message they want to hear and they call him a liar. We need intercessors, godly men and women who will pray, but we also need to listen to what the Lord has to say. There are some wonderful intercessors in the Bible: Samuel, Moses, Elijah, Daniel and Paul, and we too are intercessors. James 5:16 says, “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” And John tells us we are made kings and priests, this is His full provision for us and we begin as intercessors now and we begin to reign now. What a wonderful privilege we have to come before the throne of grace and pray!

Notice what they are to pray for. They are to pray for what remains! For “the vessels which are left...” All that is left are the vessels of brass which verse 19 describes. They are to pray for what has not been taken, and they were to pray for three locations. The house of the Lord, the house of the king, and every house in Jerusalem. There is a similarity between this prayer for the vessels “which are left” and John’s statement to the Sardis church in Rev 3:2, “Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die.” Both seem to be prayer for those facing judgment and it’s a sad place to be in to be called upon to pray for what is left. What is left? Brass vessels, which picture judgment. The gold and silver vessels are gone and they went in stages. First went the smaller vessels, and second went the gold that had to be stripped off the walls and cut up.

I can see here a picture of two things. First when the gold and silver vessels of worship were taken away by Nebuchadnezzar it shows they lost their understanding of God’s holiness and His redemption. Second, these vessels went in stages and give us a glimpse of ranks, because along with these vessels taken, people were taken. During Nebuchadnezzar’s first campaign one group was taken and during his second campaign another group was taken. Daniel was in one group and Ezekiel was in another group. They were taken before the final great judgment. The smaller vessels which could picture the Bride and later the larger pieces of gold that had to be cut up could picture the second rank. All that is left now are vessels of brass and brass speaks of judgment. Those that are left face the greatest degree of judgment for when Nebuchadnezzar comes against Jerusalem a final time he will destroy all that lies within. These vessels of brass could picture tribulation saints for all they will see is judgment and the vessels of brass picture their comprehension or revelation of Him.

Vs 19-20: “For thus saith the Lord...concerning the pillars...the sea...the bases...which Nebuchadnezzar took not...” These two verses show what Nebuchadnezzar left, what had not yet been taken. Jeremiah describes the brass vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had left after his first two visits. They are very descriptive and very precious!

The Pillars (I Ki 7:15-22): There were two pillars of brass that set in the porch of the temple, and they speak of judgment and self-judgment. The right Pillar was called “Jachin” (He will establish) and the left Pillar was called “Boaz” (In Him is Strength). Some think these two pillars were memorials of the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire which led Israel through the wilderness. In relation to God’s people they can speak of Dependence. He is our Strength and He is the One who Establishes us. These pillars are at the door of the temple what a glorious place to be! And how sad when these pillars are removed. It says a lot as to what God’s people will have lost before they go into captivity. The Lord is no longer their Strength and He no longer Establishes them.

The Sea (I Ki 7:23-26): the Sea was a brazen laver, that was used for the washing of the priests (2 Chron 4:6). It weighed 25-30 tons and held 20,000 gallons of water. It speaks of Cleansing, the cleansing of the priesthood. There will be this loss when they go into captivity. There will be no sacrifices, no temple, no worship, no priesthood.

The Bases (I Ki 7:27-37): On each side of the “sea” were five bases upon which rested five lavers, for a total of ten. They were used for the service in the temple, for the cleansing of the sacrifices, and the cleansing of the temple. They speak of Service. They were unique in that they were all of one casting, one measure and one size. What a picture of unity! What a loss when these bases are taken.

The Residue of the vessels (I Ki 7:38-50): These were the brass lavers, shovels, basins and pots, and there were so many in number that they never knew what the weight of them was. All these were necessary in the worship and service of the priesthood. And all would be carried away in judgment.

There are wonderful typical lessons in each of these items that picture God’s people and the level of their comprehension and service to the Lord. This is what Jeremiah asked these prophets to pray for. His message was not to worry about what was gone, but to pray for what was left.