And the LORD has given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then You showed me their doings.
The title is Jeremiah 11:18 and is Jeremiah telling of the LORD letting him know the evil (ra’) being done by His people, and of the evil (ra’) they are plotting against Jeremiah (against Jehovah rising, in an attempt to thwart His raising up His Nation).
Jeremiah 11
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying,2 Hear you the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;3 And say you unto them, Thus says the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeys not the words of this covenant,4 Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice [the essence of the Covenant, new and old – as we are told of Abram in Genesis 15:6, saying, “he believed in the LORD
The idea above is that these men who are choosing to remain in their evil, who are refusing to believe the LORD, are rejecting His voice, and thereby are continuing on the path taking them into the consequences of their own evil. Instead of repenting, reconsidering their own understanding so they would be healed (be able to see His presence, and hear His voice), they with feigned humility and prayers contradicting Him, are ignorantly asking Him to stop His own voice. They are praying He would save them from His saving them.
The “visitation” spoken of in verse 23 above is the Hebrew word peqaddah, from the word paqad. In these words, we understand it is speaking of one sent (come) to assess the condition and to give a correct accounting. The word is precisely used in this context in Ezekiel 9:1, where it is rendered “cause them to have charge.” There it is speaking of six men, all with weapons of slaughter in their hands. These represent the six halves of the sacrifice spoken of in Genesis 15:9, prophets whose weapon is the same sword, the word of God they have written, we saw above in Jeremiah 11:22. They represent all the prophets who have been slain for the word of God, for giving their testimony as the LORD sent it by them.
Ezekiel 9 speaks of the man sent to mark those who have seen the abomination corrupting God’s people, and have sighed. The mark is in the heads, forefront of the minds, of those who come to understanding. I am the writer the LORD has sent, and through me He has healed the eyes and ears of those who’ve believed our report. He has, by my hand, brought all the sacrifices of all those He has sent before me, together on this other side, into one coherent message, the gospel of His salvation.
Ezekiel 9
The only problem 1 He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge [pequddah] over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand.2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lies toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the
In the above, we see allusions to Daniel 12, which we have recently discussed in this context. There we are told of the time of passing between the sacrifices as the river where the same men in fine linen are seen. Daniel is told of it as the time during which the word of God would be sealed, and he is told it’s opened at this ending. These times are the beginning and end of Abraham’s deep sleep, which we have seen described in Genesis 15.
Ezekiel only uses the word pequddah one other time, also in telling of the time of this opening, when the east gate is opened again, for the LORD to enter. There we are told it has been closed since He left by it (according to the scriptures), which tells of the long sleep of God’s people – when their minds where closed by the corrupt teaching of the men who’ve led them away from His light into darkness (from understanding into ignorance).
Pequddah is rendered “charge” in Ezekiel 44:11, where we are told of the priesthood, which had strayed away from God and went after idols, who will in this ending again have charge at the gate of the house. It is in their hand to lead their own people out of darkness, by repenting. Daniel’s prayer of repentance in Daniel 9 should be their song. They need to be the witnesses to exactly what has happened here. The LORD is present and has made Himself apparent for the salvation of His people. Behold the glory of the LORD God Almighty!
Ezekiel 44
1 Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looks toward the east; and it was shut.2 Then said the LORD unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut.3 It is for the prince; the prince, he shall sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by the way of the porch of that gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.4 Then brought he me the way of the north gate before the house: and I looked, and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD: and I fell upon my face.5 And the LORD said unto me, Son of man, mark well, and behold with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I say unto you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD, and all the laws thereof; and mark well the entering in of the house, with every going forth of the sanctuary.6 And you shall say to the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus says the LORD God; O you house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,7 In that you have brought into my sanctuary strangers, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to pollute it, even my house, when you offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant because of all your abominations.8 And you have not kept the charge of mine holy things: but you have set keepers of my charge in my sanctuary for yourselves.9 Thus said the LORD God; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.10 And the Levites that are gone away far from me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge [peqaddah] at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.12 Because they ministered unto them before their
Do you understand Daniel 9? If not, it is because of your own abominations, the idols you have created or worship, have blinded your eyes to His presence and closed your ears to His voice.
Matthew 23
31 Wherefore you be witnesses unto yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the prophets.32 Fill you up then the measure of your fathers.33 You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them you shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall you scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zechariah son of Barachias, whom you slew between the temple and the altar.36 Truly I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets, and stone them which are sent unto you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not!38 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.39 For I say unto you, You shall not see me henceforth, till you shall say,
Daniel 9
1 In the first year of Darius [the seed of David – through Esther, the hidden star – the sun at night] the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.3 And I set my face unto the LORD God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O LORD, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from your precepts and from your judgments:6 Neither have we hearkened unto your servants the prophets, which spake in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.7 O LORD, righteousness belongs unto you, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.8 O LORD, to
Psalms 91
1 He that dwells in the secret place of the