Text this morning is found in
that portion we read in Jeremiah chapter 30 and verse 7. Book of the Prophet Jeremiah
chapter 30 and verse 7. Alas! For that day is great, so that
none is like it. It is even the time of Jacob's
trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. Jeremiah 30 verse
7 Alas! For that day is great, so that
none is like it. It is even the time of Jacob's
trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. The subject matter
then that we have before us in this particular verse of scripture
is the time of Jacob's trouble. And I want us in my wonts to
begin by seeking to say something with regards to the immediate
context, the historical setting of this particular verse. You will observe that the vocabulary
here is very emphatic. It begins with an interjection,
alas. It's a very striking way to introduce
the subject matter to us. It is the most significant thing
then that is being declared in this verse, alas, for that day
is great. so that none is like it, it is
even the time of Jacob's trouble. We know that the prophet Jeremiah
was one who was ministering at the time of the captivity, that
awful period in Israel's history when the nation was taken and
removed into exile. by Nebuchadnezzar. And they were
taken away into Babylon. And mention is clearly made of
these things in the context. Verse 3, For lo, the day is come,
saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people
Israel and Judah, saith the Lord. I will cause them to return to
the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess
it. Furthermore, at verse 10, Therefore,
fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD, neither be dismayed,
O Israel, for lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed
from the land of their captivity, and Jacob shall return, and shall
be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. Furthermore, at verse 18, Thus
saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring again the captivity of
Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling places. And the
city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the parish shall
remain after the manor thereof." He was ministering at the time
of the exile, the time of the captivity, but there is the promise
that that period would not be indefinite. As we read at the
end of our text concerning Jacob, he shall be saved out of it. But what an awful day it was,
that day. None like it, the time of Jacob's
trouble. And others of the prophets also
speak of it in a similar fashion. In the book of Joel, the day
of the Lord is great, it says, and very terrible. Who can abide
it? It was that time when the temple
of the Lord had been destroyed. and all that they knew of the
worship of God had withered as it were before their very eyes. In that psalm that we just sang
a portion from in the metrical version we have a great lament
concerning what had befallen the nation we see not as signs
Where are the signs of God's favour, of God's blessing? How
Nebuchadnezzar had come and removed the people. We have the account,
the historic account of these things there in the in the second
book of Kings at the end of that book in chapter 24. We read of
those things that befell Jerusalem at that particular time. Verse 11 of the 24th chapter,
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came against the city and his
servants did besiege it. Verse 13, And he carried out
thence all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures
of the king's house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of
gold which Solomon, king of Israel, had made in the temple of the
Lord, as the Lord had said. And he carried away all Jerusalem
and all the princes and all the mighty men of valor, even ten
thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths, none remained,
save the poorest sort of the people of the land." It was God's
terrible judgment that came upon them. Where were the signs? Where
was the evidence then of God's presence? We turn to that particular
74th Psalm. Observe how there the Psalmist
is clearly lamenting this terrible catastrophe that had come upon
the people at that time. There were no signs to be witnessed
of anything of the favours of God. There at verse 6 of the
Psalm Now they break down the carved work thereof at once with
axes and hammers. They have cast fire into thy
sanctuary. They have defiled by casting
down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. Oh, how they
had come and desecrated the temple of the Lord. Oh, the people had witnessed such
an awful sight, an unbelievable sight. And the psalmist cries
out here at verse 3, Lift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations,
even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary. Thine enemies roar in the midst
of thy congregations. They set up their ensigns for
signs. Those hosts, those armies of
the Babylonians had come and trodden underfoot the temple
of the Lord. And Jeremiah, is the man who
is ministering God's Word, he is the Lord's servant, the Lord's
prophet at such a season as this. And of course, following this
book of his prophecy, we have the book of his lamentations. And there in the opening words
of the lamentations, out of the city sits solitary that was full
of people. How has she become, as a widow,
she that was great among the nations and princess among the
provinces, how has she become tributary? The ways of Zion do
mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts. Or there were
those three great feasts that were to be observed every year. how all the men, all the males,
were to travel up to Jerusalem, the place where God had established
His worship, where first the tabernacle and then the temple
stood. They were to be there for the
Passover and for the Feast of Weeks and for the Feast of Tabernacles. But now the wives of Zion do
mourn, because none come to the solemn feast, all are gaits are
desolate, her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she
is in bitterness." Oh, this is evidently an awful time. Alas, for that day is great,
so that none is like it. It is even the time of Jacob's
trouble. These are the things then that
the Prophet was so very conscious of. as he receives the word of
the Lord in such a day, the only words of the chapter, the word
that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus speaketh the
Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have
spoken unto thee in a book. It's God's doing. None of these
things have come by chance. And what was true in Israel,
of course, is true amongst all people. Nothing in this world
comes by chance. God doeth according to his will
among the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth.
None can stay his hand or say to him what doest thou? Why it
was that very man Nebuchadnezzar who was so humbled by God as
we see there in the fourth chapter of the book of Daniel to make
that confession to acknowledge that God is in the heavens and
he has done whatsoever he pleased. All we see not as signs, says
the Psalmist there in Psalm 74. And two particular signs, two
particular signs are to be observed. There was the departure, not
just of the children of Israel out of the promised land, but
there was also the departure of the Shekinah glory. remember
how when Moses had set up the tabernacle at the end of the
book of Exodus there in chapter 14 we see how that God's glory enters
the tabernacle God's glory is there in the midst of Israel
right at the book at the end of that book of exodus. And so remarkable was that glory
of God that Moses himself is filled with great fear and dread. The cloud covered the tent of
the congregation, it says, and the glory of the Lord filled
the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter into
the tent of the congregation because the crowd abode thereon
and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." And at the time
of the exile that glory was taken away and we have it set before
us in the imagery that is spoken of in the book of the Prophet
Ezekiel who also was ministering at the same time. He was to minister
to those who had been taken into exile. And the language is most
interesting and instructive. There in Ezekiel chapter 10 verses
18 and 19 we are told, the glory
of the Lord departed from the threshold of the house and stood
over the cherubims and the cherubims lifted up their wings and mounted
up from the earth in my sight when they went out the wheels
also were beside them and everyone stood at the door of the east
gate of the Lord's house and the glory of the God of Israel
was over them above and moving now God's glory is being removed
from the temple and we read of that glory at the door of the
east gate of the Lord's house but then when we go over into
the next chapter into the 11th chapter of that book of Ezekiel
we read there at verse 22 Then did the cherubims lift up their
wings, and the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God
of Israel was over them above. And the glory of the Lord went
up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which
is on the east side of the city. God's glory first of all removing
to the east gate of the temple. And now God's glory altogether
departing out of Jerusalem and going to the mountain which is
on the east side of the city. The direction in which the glory
of God, the Shekinah glory is moving is eastward. God is going
to be with that remnant. That godly remnant that has been
taken into exile, there is the true Israel of God. But now you
see there were no signs of God's glory anymore in Jerusalem. All this was a dreadful time.
Alas, for that day is great, so that none is like it. It is
even the time of Jacob's trouble." But besides the removal of the Shekinah glory
from the Temple from Jerusalem, there was another sign to be
observed. As the Prophet says there, as
the Psalmist says there in that 74th Psalm, there is no more
any prophets, neither any that knoweth along. Well, there were prophets. There
were prophets. There was Jeremiah, as we said,
there was Ezekiel, there was Daniel. What are we to make then
of that statement in verse 9 of the Psalm? No more any prophets. neither any that knoweth how
long." There was no prophet in Jerusalem. There was no prophet
in Jerusalem. We know that Ezekiel and Daniel
were men who were in exile. They were ministering to those
who had been taken away into captivity. They were there in
Babylon. And we see also here how that
this prophet Jeremiah is removed, is taken into Egypt. We turn over to chapter 43, verse
5. We read out, Yelhainan, the son
of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant
of Judah that were returned from all nations, whether they had
been driven to dwell in the land of Judah, even men, and women,
and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that
Nebuchadnezzar, the captain of the God, had left with Gedoliah,
the son of Ahicham, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah, the prophet,
and Baruch, the son of Nariah. So they came into the land of
Egypt, for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord. Thus came
they even to Jeremiah was removed, he's taken
away, he's taken into Egypt. There was no more any prophet
there in Jerusalem, neither any that knew how long. God had forsaken
Jerusalem. God had forsaken that land of
promise. He was there with the exiles,
with those who were in captivity. It was a ministry to them and
only to them. Oh, it was truly a most dreadful
day, the time of Jacob's trouble. So much then for the context,
the historical setting of our our text this morning. But also
we have to observe here that the verse is in the form of a
prophecy. It's part of the prophetic scriptures
but it's also that that is pointing us to the future. Although it's speaking in a present
context, it has reference to some future events. It's really,
in that sense, a prophetic statement that we have. And Dr. Gill, interestingly, sees a two-fold
prophecy. in this text. He says first of
all it has some reference to the destruction of Jerusalem
by the forces of Imperial Rome in the year 70. It has reference
to that that came upon Jerusalem after the death of the Lord Jesus
Christ. how that God forsakes the sitter
and lasts for that day is great so that none is like it. It is
even the time of Jacob's trouble. But Gill also goes on to say
that he doesn't only have reference to events associated with the
activity of pagan Rome and the year 70 when the armies of of
Titus come and lay siege to the city and destroy the city. Now
Gill also says it has some reference to pagan Rome but also to papal
Rome. Also to papal Rome. It has reference
to the latter days. In fact the whole chapter concludes
on the of that note. The fierce anger of the Lord
shall not return until he hath done it, until he hath performed
the intents of his heart. In the latter days ye shall consider
it. The latter days is a reference
to this day, this day of the Gospel. This day in which we are living.
And the chapter has an application here. Yes, certainly Jeremiah
is ministering to the men of his own time but it's prophetic
and it belongs to the day in which we're living and remember
how the Lord Jesus speaks of events that will be accomplished
at the end of this great day of Christ when the Lord comes
to the end of his earthly ministry there in the Gospels Time and
again he makes mention of events that will come to pass. In Matthew
24 for example, verse 21, Then shall be great tribulation, such
as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor
ever shall be. And except those days should
be shortened, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elect's
sake those days shall be shortened. even in the day of Christ. There
is to be that awful opposition. When we come to the book of the
Revelation we see it time and time again. We have those things
that are spoken of there in the 12th chapter of the book of the
Revelation, the dragon persecuting the woman. And what do we read? Concerning the woman, verse 5
in that chapter, she brought forth a man-child, who was to
rule all nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught
up unto God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness,
where she had a place prepared of God, that they should feed
her there a thousand two hundred and three score times. There is references, Dr. Gill.
to these remarkable things. All this is the time of trouble.
It's spoken of by the prophets. It's spoken of in the book of
the Revelation, that apocalyptic literature. It's spoken of in
the book of Daniel, which is also apocalyptic. Speaking of
these terrible things, look at the language that we have there
in the opening part of the twelfth chapter of the book of Daniel. What does Daniel say? He speaks
of a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation
even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be
delivered everyone that shall be found written in the book.
It's a time of trouble. And this day in which we're living
is a time of trouble. In many ways it is that that
is spoken of in our text. That day is great, so that none
is like it, even the time of Jacob's trouble. But he shall
be saved out of it. Or now, in this day, in these
last days, this is the time. We live in a period where Bible
religion is constantly being scoffed at. We know that. Men
pour scorn upon the biblical account of origins. We're dismissed out of hand as
obscurantists. We should dare to believe that
God created all things out of nothing and was pleased to do
it in six days and then to rest on the seventh day. We ridiculed. It's a time of Jacob's trouble.
Bible religion is much... We know that the media in general
has an agenda and that agenda is always set against the truth.
There's opposition. There ever has been in this fallen
world. Men would sooner believe the
lies of Satan than the truth of God's Word. We know in our
own land there is an awful famine. not a famine of bread, not a
thirst for water, but there's a famine nonetheless. It's a
spiritual famine. It's a famine of the hearing
of the Word of God as we read in Amos chapter 8 and verse 11. Men have no regard for the Word
of God, no desire for the Word of God. We have a generation
that are completely ignorant of the content of God's words.
They know not what the Ten Commandments are. Everything is relative. There's no absolutes. This is
a day in which we're living, and does God wink at these things? Of course not. As we've said,
God is that one who is sovereign, as he was sovereign in all the
affairs of the nation of Israel, in the little kingdom of Judah
also, so God is sovereign in our day, and in our nation. Nothing
comes by chance. things happen and we're often
confused, we can't understand, we try to seek the face of God
and I trust to those who would commit even political events
into his hands you think of the recent general election, the
results how the media can't understand these things, but God is in these
things and above all of course we feel that there is such a
solemn withholding of the Holy Spirit, always acts not amongst
the chief of all our griefs. God withholds his blessed spirit. There is so little power associated
with the ministry of the Word of God. The same truths are being
believed by some and proclaimed or there are those who seek to
proclaim those same truths as were believed by our fathers.
Yet in their day, oh, there was such an unction upon the word.
The word had such a gracious influence in the hearts of men,
but not so now. Not so now. Oh, remember the words of the
Lord Jesus. He says, When the Son of Man
cometh, shall he find faith in the earth. Where is there that
spiritual faith? Where is there that life of faith
being lived? What a sad day it is that we're
living in. It is, indeed, the day of Jacob's
trouble. Amos. Amos asks the question
twice in the seventh chapter of his prophecy. By whom shall
Jacob arise? For he is small. All that's company
of God's people, it is a small company. a poor company, an afflicted
company. This is the day in which we are
living. These things are not to surprise us. The last for
that day is great, so that there is none like it. It is even the
time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. Well, we thought this morning
to say something with regards to the historical context in
which this word is first given. to the prophets. We sought to
say something with regards to how it is a prophetic scripture. It has to do with future events,
not just the events that pertained in the day of Jeremiah. But it
speaks principally of our day, of the gospel day. But in the third place, in the
third place I want us to consider how that Ultimately, we have
to interpret these words, we have to understand these words
spiritually and experimentally. It has to do with God's dealings
with us individually. And what does it speak of? It
speaks of conviction, the conviction of sin, but it also speaks to
us of the comforts and the consolations that we have in the Gospel. Here we really have a verse that
has an application to that sinner who is brought under the conviction
of his sin. That sinner who is convinced,
reproved because of his sin. And I was struck by a sentence
in the letters of of James Bourne concerning this day. Alas, for
that day is great, so that none is like it. It is even the time
of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. And Bourne
says this, it is different from all other trouble. It is divine
and spiritual, which though it turns man to destruction yet
it has eternal life as its issue or when the Lord comes you see
and deals with a man to convince him of his sin thou turnest man
to destruction says Moses in Psalm 90 thou turnest man to
destruction and sayest return ye children of men The day of Jacob's trouble, if
we are those who are the true Jacob, the real Israel, the day
of Jacob's trouble begins, does it not, with that realization
of what we are, that conviction of our sins. As the Lord Jesus
speaks of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, when He has come
He will reprove the world of sin and of righteousness and
of judgment. Of sin because they believe not
on me. of righteousness, because I go to the Father and you see
me no more, of judgment, because the Prince of this world is judged."
Or when the Lord comes, when the Lord comes to the individual
and deals with us. Again, look at the language that
we find in the book of the prophet Malachi. And there in chapter
3 at verse 2, "...who may abide the day of his coming, who shall
stand when he appears, For He is like a refiner's fire, and
likefull as soap, and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier
of silver, and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them
as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering
in righteousness. Oh, this is that great work that
the Lord does. The context here as it follows
in verse 8, "...it shall come to pass in that day, saith the
Lord of Hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and
will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves
of him, but they shall serve the Lord their God, and David
their King, whom I will raise up unto them." Now the Lord is
that One who removes the yoke, that awful yoke of the Law. Before faith came we were kept
under the Law. shut up to the faith that should
afterward be revealed. Oh that Lord of God, what does
He do? He worketh wrath. Paul speaks of it in 2nd Corinthians
chapter 3 as administration of condemnation and administration
of death. We know that what is in the law
says, it says to them who are under the law that every mouth
may be stopped. and all the world become guilty
before God. This is what God does. It's a
terrible thing when God comes to deal with us individually,
personally, showing us what we are. Shutting us up to what we
are by nature. Making us feel our complete and
our utter impotence. And we have no ability at all
with regards to spiritual things. And now the psalmist is made
to cry out, I am shut up and I cannot come forth. Or the Lord convinces. There
is that aspect to the text. That day is great. None is like it. The time of
Jacob's trouble. When God makes his Jacob's feel
what they are. and there's much that we see
in the early history of Jacob that makes him in many ways such
an unattractive character all but when God makes us to see
what we are in his sight and yet we have that word that most
comforting word in Isaiah many fear not but there in chapter
41 and verse 14 fear not thou worm Jacob and ye men of Israel
for I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy
One of Israel. O worm Jacob, fear not thou worm
Jacob, and ye men." The margin says, literally, the Hebrew is,
ye few men. Fear not thou worm Jacob, and
ye few men of Israel. It is such a small remnant And that's what we feel ourselves
to be, a little remnant. As we said, a remnant that is
mocked and scoffed at, ridiculed, rejected. It is the time of Jacob's
trouble. But interesting how Jacob is
addressed as a worm. Thou worm Jacob. Well remember how the Lord Jesus
Christ himself was made sin This is what Paul says to the Corinthians
concerning the Lord Jesus, how that He was made sin for us,
he says, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And what humiliation it was that
that man who was holy and righteous and just, that man who was separate
from all sin, that man who never sinned in thoughts or in word
or in deed, it was holy and one that ever pleased the father
one of whom the father could say this is my beloved son in
whom I am well pleased how there he was made sin and he says again
in in prophecy in that Messianic 22nd Psalm he says I am a worm
and no man I am a worm and no man and so when we see that Jacob
is like unto a worm fear not no worm Jacob we see the connection
the relationship the union between Christ and his people as Christ
was made sin so if we're going to be those who know anything
of the Lord Jesus Christ surely we must feel sin To cease in
smart but slightly, to own with lip confession is easier still,
but all to feel cuts deep beyond expression, to feel what we are
as sinners. Alas, for that day is great,
so that none is like it, it is even the time of Jacob's trouble. in that experimental sense then
when we are doubted by the Lord and He comes and He begins to
teach us, He begins to show us something of ourselves and we
need to know what we are if we're going to know what Christ is
or what comfort can the Saviour bring to those who never felt
their worth the sinner is a sacred thing the Holy Ghost has made
him so But there's not just that dark side of Jacob's experience,
that awful dreadful day of his trouble. But here we have that
word, but. We have a contrast, but. He shall
be saved out of it. but he shall be saved out of
it. And then it follows, for he shall
come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will
break his yoke from off thy neck. And I will burst thy bonds, and
strangers shall no more serve themselves of him. But they shall
serve the Lord their God, and David their King, whom I will
raise up unto them." Who is this David their King? It's not the
historic man King David who lived many, many, many years before
Jeremiah's prophecy. It speaks of course of the Lord
Jesus, David's greatest son. He who is the one who is truly
the Lord's beloved. David their king, he is the one
who is going to deliver Jacob out of all his troubles. And so there's that other aspect
of the Spirit's ministry as the Lord Jesus speaks of it. He doesn't
only come as the convincer and the reprover, but He comes also
as that One who is the Comforter He comes as that One who is the
Revealer of the Lord Jesus Christ when He, the Spirit of Truth
is come, Christ says, He shall not speak of Himself He shall
take of Mine and shall show it unto you, it's a remarkable ministry
He shall testify of Me, says Christ Here is the Spirit, He
is equal to the Father equal to the Son, He is God. He is
God, and yet He's ministering in the Gospel, such a self-effacing
ministry. He doesn't speak of Himself.
Why? He comes as the Spirit of Christ.
He comes as that One who will reveal the Lord Jesus Christ
to sinners. And this is the application.
of that great salvation. Jacob is to be saved. He shall
be saved out of it. Oh, it's that sure and certain
salvation that is in the covenant. All the promises of God in the
Lord Jesus, they're all yea and amen. And here we have it. Certainty
of that salvation out of all of Jacob's troubles. Now observe,
observe the order in this chapter first of all in the opening verses
we have the promise of deliverance the first three verses contains
that great promise of deliverance and that's spoken of previous
to this prediction in verse 7 of Jacob's trouble. The word that
came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord
God of Israel, saying, Write all the words that I have spoken
unto thee in the book. For, lo, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people, Israel
and Judah, says the Lord, and I will cause them to return to
the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess
it." Here is that that stands at the head of God's purpose,
it's a salvation of His people. And then we have this prediction
of their trouble. The last for that day is great
so that none is like it. It is even the time of Jacob's
trouble. But He shall be saved out of it. Why so? Because God
himself has purposed such a great salvation. Salvation is first
in the order of God's decree. We often speak, when we refer
to the sovereignty of God, of the decrees of God. We speak
in the plural, but really, of course, there is a blessed simplicity
in God, and there's a simplicity with regards to the purpose of
God, and God's decree is one. It's a decree of God. God doesn't
see things in a process of time. God dwells in eternity. God's
decree centers in the salvation of his people. That is the great
thing in all that he does. He is ever mindful of the needs
of his people. When we see this same prophet
Jeremiah lamenting, lamenting over the awful condition, the
sad state of affairs there in Jerusalem, the temple raised
to the ground. Oh, how he mourns, how he is
grief-stricken. But what does he say in that
great third chapter of the Lamentations? Though he cause grief, yet will
he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies,
for he doth not afflict willingly It's interesting that the marginal
reading there is from his heart. He does not afflict from his
heart nor grieve the children of men. God's great purpose is
that of salvation, even when he deals with his people in the
way of chastisings. And he does chastise his people.
He does correct them, but always. He doesn't afflict them willingly,
he doesn't do it from his heart, his heart is set upon them, he
loves them. It's the same when he begins with them, when they're
dead in trespasses and sins, when they're awakened, when conviction
comes into their soul, it's because he has a gracious end in view. Thou turnest man to destruction,
yes, but sayest return, ye children of men. I am the Lord, He says. I change not, therefore ye sons
of Jacob are not consumed. Oh, in all the Lord's dealings
with us, if we are those who are His Jacobs, He will not consume
us. He will accomplish in us all
His gracious goodwill and pleasure. Remember how it was at Peniel
that Jacob became Israel, or there he became Israel. He wrestled
with the angel, or the angel wrestled with him, and as he
wrestled, Jacob would not let that angel go without his blessing.
And there God called him Israel, a prince, a prince with God,
an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile. O God, grant
that we might be this Jacob that we read of in our text this morning
whatever be our circumstances whatever be our needs we know
something of Jacob's troubles we cannot avoid Jacob's troubles
but always the certainty of that great salvation which is in the
Lord Jesus Christ alas for that day is great so that none is
like it it is even the time of Jacob's trouble but He shall
be saved out of it. The Lord bless. To us His Word.
Amen.