Jer. 11:1 ¶ The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer. 11:2 Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
Jer. 11:3 And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,
Jer. 11:4 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, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:
Jer. 11:5 That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.
This chapter begins with announcement of yet another message that God wants Jeremiah to proclaim to the people of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This message is identified as directly related to the covenant that the LORD made with His people after miraculously delivering them from slavery in Egypt. Jeremiah is to remind the people that this covenant was conditional upon their obedience to God’s commands. The LORD also directly relates their possession of the “promised land” to the unconditional covenant that He had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
I thought it was important to note that the LORD references His oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as something yet to be done. When He chooses to fulfill that oath is dependent upon their descendants keeping covenant with the LORD as detailed by Moses in the book of Deuteronomy. The oath to “the fathers” specifies that the children of Israel will remain in the land forever under God’s protection and provision. This cannot happen until the Jewish people determine to keep covenant with the LORD as established by His covenant with Moses.
Genesis 17:7–8 “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
Deuteronomy 28:1–2 “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.”
Deuteronomy 28:58–64 “If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.”
Deuteronomy 30:1–6 “And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”
I have probably used these quotes already in this study, but I think they are well worth repeating since so many in the “church” today seem to be confused about God’s continuing plan for the nation of Israel.
Jer. 11:6 Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.
Jer. 11:7 For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.
Jer. 11:8 Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do; but they did them not.
Jeremiah was obedient to God’s command. He spread the word throughout the land that the LORD wanted His people to keep the covenant that had been established with them through Moses. It is important to note that to know the covenant was not good enough; God expects obedience—actions that prove their commitment to and faith in Him. This truth is echoed by James; when one chooses not to obey God’s word, he can deceive himself into thinking he is pleasing God just by knowing His word.
James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”
Jeremiah reminded the people that their forefathers refused to obey God. They chose instead to live according to the desires of their sinful nature. The people had misinterpreted God’s patience to mean that He would not follow through on His promise, but they were sadly mistaken. You would have thought that the capture of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria would have opened their eyes. I guess they felt they had special protection because of the presence of the temple in their midst.
People today also misinterpret God’s longsuffering. They seem to think that His mercy and grace will prevent Him from judging our sin, but Peter tells us differently.
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Jer. 11:9 And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Jer. 11:10 They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.
“conspiracy” = Hebrew: an (unlawful) alliance…conspiracy, treason
The LORD is basically declaring to Jeremiah that the people of the Southern Kingdom are following in the footsteps of their forefathers. They are deliberately rejecting the LORD to serve false gods. They have committed treason against the God of Israel.
This is really a perplexing truth about humanity. We will go to the nth degree to keep from recognizing YHWH, the self-existent, eternal, almighty God as LORD. However, we will readily use our energy to serve false gods in accordance with the desires of the flesh and to our ultimate detriment, while rejecting our Creator who so wants to deliver us from bondage to sin and bless us for eternity.
The LORD is emphasizing that both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms had broken covenant with Him. The Northern Kingdom had already experienced His hand of judgment. Though He has been longsuffering, that same hand of judgment is about to fall on Judah.
Jer. 11:11 ¶ Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.
This verse is a declaration that YHWH’s judgment is certain. This judgment will bring evil upon his people—evil that cannot be escaped. Prayers of repentance will fall on deaf ears once judgment starts. God is going to push the mute button on Judah so to speak.
Jer. 11:12 Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
Jer. 11:13 For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.
It is really a sad commentary that the people of God who have a history full of miracles giving evidence of His power and desire to protect and provide for them will respond to His judgment by praying to false gods. Those petitions will die as soon as they are expressed; it will be as if they were never uttered. The evil spirits that deceive the people through their pagan worship are nothing before the power of Almighty God. What He purposes will always be accomplished.
Isaiah 14:24 “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:”
The LORD observes that to their shame there are as many altars to honor Baal as there are streets in the city of Jerusalem.
Jer. 11:14 Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.
God’s patience with His people has reached its limit. At this point He again (cf 7:16) tells the prophet that He is not to utter one prayer on behalf of the people. He also emphasizes that His ears will be closed to any cries for help that they may address to Him during their judgment.
I don’t think that is a truth that we focus on very much. God’s patience is not without limit. We like to focus on God’s grace, mercy and love; but those characteristics are balanced by his righteousness and judgment.
Psalms 9:7–8 “But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.”
Psalms 33:4–5 “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.”
Jer. 11:15 What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.
“my beloved” = the people of Israel; in context of Jeremiah’s message—the people of Judah
“mine house” = the temple
“she hath wrought lewdness with many” = worship rituals performed by the Jewish people in honor of the false gods of the nations
I liked the CJB translation of the last part of the verse: “Offerings of consecrated meat can no longer help, because it is when you are doing evil that you are happy.” In other words, though they continue to go through the motions of worship at the temple that were established to honor YHWH, there was no heart involvement. They were just performing a ritual. They preferred instead to participate in the worship rituals in honor of the false gods that fed the desires of their flesh.
Jer. 11:16 The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
Jer. 11:17 For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.
My paraphrase: The LORD had created Israel to be a beautiful and prosperous nation. They had chosen to reject His covenant and its associated blessings and bring down His hand of judgment. The result would be great destruction. The reason for this judgment—their worship of Baal (representative of all false gods).
I liked the phrasing that JFB used in commenting on verse 17: “The sinner’s sin is to his own hurt.”
Wiersbe: “What we worship and the way we worship are not incidentals in life; they’re essentials that determine the character of life itself.”
Jer. 11:18 ¶ And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.
Jer. 11:19 But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.
At this point Jeremiah seems to begin speaking for himself. He is acknowledging that the LORD had revealed to him how his own people were plotting to kill him. Evidently they had concluded that if you don’t like the message, get rid of the messenger.
As we continue to read, these enemies are identified as the “men of Anathoth (v21—his hometown) most likely in reference to the priests there that did not like him speaking against them.
Jeremiah 1:1 “The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:”
Jer. 11:20 But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.
After receiving the LORD’s revelation, Jeremiah prays for God’s vengeance upon his enemies in much the same way that David often prayed. Both were of the mindset that their enemies were God’s enemies………….And if we are living our lives so as to truly honor the LORD, that should be our mindset as well.
Psalms 5:8–10 “Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.”
Jer. 11:21 Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:
Jer. 11:22 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:
Jer. 11:23 And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.
In these verses the LORD answers Jeremiah’s prayer. He tells Jeremiah that the men of Anathoth that are seeking to murder him for declaring God’s word will be punished. When He chooses to exact that punishment, many will be killed and their sons and daughters will die from hunger. None of the guilty will survive.
Jer. 12:1 ¶ Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
Jer. 12:2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.
I really do identify with Jeremiah in the opening verses of this chapter. He knows that God is righteous in everything He does, but he is having a hard time understanding how the wicked prospering meshes with that truth. Jeremiah recognizes that God is the source of all that man possesses. Scripture is clear that because of His love He does not withhold resources from the wicked.
Matthew 5:44–46 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?”
I couldn’t help but think of the words of the psalmist regarding this same frustration.
Psalms 73:3 & 17 “For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked…. Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.”
When the wicked face their time of judgment before God, they will not be able to blame Him for treating them unfairly. Their “end” will be determined based on their specific choice to reject the God who showed His love for them in so many ways—none more radical than to sacrifice His only Son to provide their redemption.
The last part of verse two caught my attention. I know that in context the reference is to those in Jeremiah’s day who were maintaining an outward appearance of worshipping the LORD, but whose hearts declared that worship to be false. In today’s culture I find that the LORD’s name is still often in the mouths of wicked pretenders to the faith, but It is even more often in the mouths of those who make no pretense of honoring God; they just use His name as an expletive or curse. The more sin abounds, the colder love becomes and is evidenced in the way people treat one another.
Matthew 24:12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”
Jer. 12:3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
Jeremiah knows that in contrast to the wicked, the LORD knows that his desire is to honor God with his life; he has been tested and proven faithful in his commitment to the LORD. He is asking God to destroy his enemies. I believe he is asking this from his perspective based on God’s righteousness in judgment.
Jer. 12:4 How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.
Jeremiah is basically expressing his thoughts that the land has suffered far too long in consequence of the sin of the wicked men who dominate the culture. The last phrase seems to be conveying the thought that the people think that God doesn’t know what is going on.
Wiersbe: “God’s servants don’t live by explanations; they live by promises. Understanding explanations may satisfy our curiosity and make us smarter people, but laying hold of God’s promises will build our character and make us better servants.”
Jer. 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?
Jer. 12:6 For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee.
The NLT introduced these verses as coming from the LORD, and that made sense to me. It seems that He is telling Jeremiah that the trials that are confronting him because of these wicked men are meant to strengthen his faith. The implication seems to be that the trouble they are causing him is but a little thing in comparison to troubles to come. Very distressing to note is that the greatest trials to one’s faith are often a result of the actions of family—those whom you should be able to trust the most. It seems that one of their favorite ploys is deception.
I found an important quote in the IVP New Bible Commentary: “The one who would be faithful to God can often count on the faithfulness only of God himself.”
Wiersbe: “Growth only happens with challenge and challenge always brings change. As they get older, people resist change, forgetting that without the challenge of change, they’re in danger of deteriorating physically, mentally, and spiritually. God wanted Jeremiah to grow, and He also wants us to grow.”
Jer. 12:7 ¶ I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.
Jer. 12:8 Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it.
Jer. 12:9 Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.
The LORD tells Jeremiah that He has basically abandoned His people at this point in time because of their sin. He has given them over to their enemies. The roaring of a lion is a sign of evil intent. The LORD describes His people as roaring at Him with evil in their hearts; they have blasphemed His name in light of their idol worship and their rejection of His word from the mouths of His prophets. They have provoked His anger and become His enemy (from the Hebrew for “hated” in v8).
The Hebrew for “speckled bird” in v9 is a reference to birds of prey; this again identifies the people of Judah as God’s enemies. The “birds” around her would be a reference to the enemies of Judah. Just as the beasts of the field often finish off what is left of the prey of the carnivorous birds, the LORD is inviting the nations to take their spoil of anything left behind in the wake of destruction caused by Israel’s enemies.
Jer. 12:10 Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.
Jer. 12:11 They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.
The Hebrew for the word “pastors” makes reference to those in rule over others and in association with friends. This is probably referencing the leadership of many of the kings and spiritual leaders in Judah’s history that have resulted in the spiritual corruption of the people and their rebellion against God. These leaders were established to guard against such corruption and rebellion. They were intended to lead the people according to God’s word.
The most telling phrase is the last one in verse 11—no one really cares. The people were willing and complicit.
I think it is important to note that these observations are pertinent to the general population. There is obviously still a precious remnant of men of faith as represented by Jeremiah. I am afraid that America is becoming much like the nation of Israel in that regard. What was established as a nation founded on the principles of the word of God has become a nation that has chosen to put aside most of those principles and reject the author of those principles for the most part. Even our own president in 2010 declares that we are not a Christian nation. Our leaders have led us astray, and we have followed like dumb sheep. I am sorry to say that I am afraid we have allowed ourselves to get past the point of no return regarding spiritual healing of the nation as a whole.
Jer. 12:12 The spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness: for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace.
Jer. 12:13 They have sown wheat, but shall reap thorns: they have put themselves to pain, but shall not profit: and they shall be ashamed of your revenues because of the fierce anger of the LORD.
The LORD has declared judgment upon the whole land of Israel. He has determined that the people will reap no reward on their work investment. He is also boldly declaring that this judgment is a result of His “fierce anger.”
Jer. 12:14 ¶ Thus saith the LORD against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit; Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.
Jer. 12:15 And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.
The opening phrase in these verses is quite interesting; the LORD is referencing the evil neighbors of Judah/Israel as His neighbors. These are words of hope for the people of Israel. Though they have rejected Him, God will keep His covenant with Abraham. Their enemies will not be allowed to permanently possess the land that God has given to His people. The time will come when the LORD will remove them from Israel and bring His people back home. It seems His intention is to return all people to the land of their own heritage.
Though scripture doesn’t define the boundaries of most Gentile nations, it is clear that He has granted certain lands to certain nations; e.g. Edom, Moab and Ammon.
Deuteronomy 2:5 “Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau [i.e., Esau] for a possession.”
Deuteronomy 2:9 “And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because
I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.”
Deuteronomy 2:19 “And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.”
I tend to think the nations are defined in God’s view according to genealogical descent from the sons of Noah as described in Genesis 10.
Genesis 10:32 “These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.”
Scripture also indicates that the nations have been apportioned relative to the population of Israel.
Deuteronomy 32:8 “When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.”
Jer. 12:16 And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The LORD liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.
Jer. 12:17 But if they will not obey, I will utterly pluck up and destroy that nation, saith the LORD.
Because of the wording, I tend to think that these last four verses are in reference to the time that Messiah comes to set up His kingdom. They are speaking of a time when Israel has been regathered and will be in a position to teach the nations their ways (implied is that these are the ways that were given to them by
God). The hope for the Gentile nations is that they will also be allowed to prosper if they will learn to honor the LORD. If, however, a nation chooses to disobey God and rebel against His rule, the LORD will destroy that nation. This truth is also recorded in Isaiah’s prophecy.
Isaiah 60:9–12 “Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted.”