Jer. 1:1 ¶ The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:
Jer. 1:2 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.
Jeremiah was serving in Jerusalem/Judah at the same time Ezekiel and Daniel were serving in Babylon. He is identified as coming from Anathoth, which was about three miles from Jerusalem. We are also told that his ministry began during the 13th year of the reign of Josiah (about 627 BC) and continued on past the time that Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and the final deportation of Jews in 586 BC. Jeremiah was given the choice of going to Babylon under the favor of the king or staying with his people in Israel. He chose to stay in Israel but ended up being forced by his own people to go with them to Egypt after they murdered Gedaliah, the governor appointed over those left behind by the Babylonian forces. There is no real proof as to how he died.
It’s also important to note that Jeremiah was from a family of priests, so I would assume he was a Levite.
Interesting note from Courson: “Many scholars believe that the Hilkiah that found the scrolls is the same Hilkiah that was Jeremiah’s dad.”
2 Kings 22:8 “And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.”
Josiah had ordered the cleansing of the temple, and during this process the scroll of the law was found. Once it was read to him, the King publicly humbled himself before God and made a covenant with the LORD to follow Him and keep His commandments.
Jer. 1:3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
This verse affirms that Jeremiah also served during the reign of Josiah’s son, Jehoiakim until the 11th year of Zedekiah, Josiah’s brother, that was appointed to the throne by Nebuchadnezzar after the second of three waves of deportation. Daniel was taken to Babylon in the first group, and Ezekiel was taken in the second group.
Jer. 1:4 ¶ Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer. 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
This is an important verse in defining personhood from God’s point of view. Even BEFORE He formed Jeremiah in his mother’s womb, God had determined that Jeremiah was to be one of His prophets. Every human being is known by God before he/she is even conceived. It’s also a beautiful statement of the hand of God at work in the conception of every child.
This is a verse that goes hand-in-hand with the truth declared by Paul in his
letter to the Romans.
Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
I do not believe Jeremiah was deprived of choice in light of God’s calling. I believe that God’s calling was based on His omniscience in light of the person Jeremiah would be.
It’s also interesting to note that God called Jeremiah to be a prophet to “the nations,” not just Israel. Many of God’s prophets had messages for “the nations.” Though God chose Israel as His special witness to the nations, His plan has always included provision for all people to come to saving faith by accepting Him as LORD. Jeremiah is still declaring God’s truth to all nations through the scripture.
Jer. 1:6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
Jer. 1:7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
As Moses before him, Jeremiah protested that he was not qualified to serve as God’s prophet; he wasn’t a good communicator. Just as He did with Moses, God assured Jeremiah that He would be able to speak as God commanded. In other words, whatever God asks you to do, He will empower you to do.
He further protested that he was too young to be effective. It is surmised that he was in his late teens or early twenties. He probably protested because he wasn’t yet old enough to serve in the temple.
Numbers 8:24–25 “This is it that belongeth unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to wait upon the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: And from the age of fifty years they shall cease waiting upon the service thereof, and shall serve no more:”
Jer. 1:8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the
LORD.
Scripture is full of instances of the LORD telling His people not to be afraid as long as they are acting in obedience to Him. I immediately thought of His words to Joshua.
Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
The Lord Jesus made that same promise to those who choose to follow Him as Savior.
Matthew 28:19–20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
Jer. 1:9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.
Jer. 1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
I don’t know how God was speaking to Jeremiah, but he declares that God touched his mouth with His hand. With that touch, Jeremiah was to understand that God had put His words into Jeremiah’s mouth; he didn’t have to worry about knowing what to say. (Oh, how I yearn for that touch, Father!)
God dealt with His servants in so many different ways. Moses and Elijah were empowered to do miracles to reinforce their message. Isaiah tells us of having his mouth touched with a hot coal to purify him for ministry. Ezekiel and John tell us of eating scrolls to absorb the message they were to share.
Verse 10 is a bit confusing. How was Jeremiah to accomplish such feats among the nations? The Hebrew for the word set makes reference to being an overseer and giving a charge. In other words, he is to declare God’s messages to the nations as well as to Israel. Many of these messages would include words of judgment and destruction; some would consist of encouraging words of building and growth.
Jer. 1:11 ¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.
Jer. 1:12 Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.
Evidently the LORD gives Jeremiah a vision of a branch of an almond tree that is blossoming (from the Hebrew). God asks him what he sees, and he states the obvious. God basically answers him by saying that just as surely as this branch is blossoming the words that I give you to speak will come to pass shortly (at least from heaven’s perspective).
Jer. 1:13 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north.
Jer. 1:14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.
Jer. 1:15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.
God gives him a second vision. When he asks Jeremiah what he sees, he answers that he sees a boiling pot facing the north; some translations indicate it is tilting from the north. The LORD explains that this represents great harm or trouble that will come from the north and will affect everyone in Israel.
Verse 15 is interesting. The assumption is that the reference is to the attack of Babylon. The wording—“all the families of the kingdoms of the north”—seems to me to make a great jump ahead to end times and the forces of Antichrist or possibly even the attack of the forces of Gog detailed in Ezekiel 38-39.
The NIV Commentary gave a good explanation of why Israel’s enemies always seem to come from the north: “Though Babylon is located east of Judah, her armies—and all invading armies from Asia—would invade Palestine from the north because of the impassable Arabian desert.”
Jer. 1:16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
In this verse God is declaring that the evil coming to Israel is His judgment upon them for living wickedly in rejection of Him as Lord and for worshiping idols and false gods in the process. God had declared to them from the very beginning that He is a jealous God and that they would be judged if they did not keep covenant with Him.
Deuteronomy 5:6–9 “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God….”
Deuteronomy 31:16–18 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.”
Jer. 1:17 Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.
Jer. 1:18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land.
Jer. 1:19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
The LORD now commands Jeremiah to get up and go out to deliver God’s word to the people. To “gird up your loins” is a phrase that means to prepare for a fight. He is not to let them intimidate him; He is to trust God. If he shows fear, God will humble him in the sight of the people. God even paints a word picture to help Jeremiah understand his position of strength. As long as he is obeying God, he is just as protected as a city with the best and strongest fortifications. Though the people will fight against him because they don’t like the message he declares, God will deliver him from them. God emphasizes again, as He did in verse 8, that He will be with Jeremiah.
Future chapters will reveal that this promise from God will serve to test the prophet’s faith. It doesn’t mean that he won’t experience trouble at the hands of his enemies. It does, however, mean that God will be with him and enable him to be an overcomer in spite of those troubles. This would prove true of many of our heroes of the faith. This principle is still true for every believer today. In fact, the LORD declared that we would experience trouble of varying kinds in this world; however, He also promised that He would be with us and empower us to be overcomers also if we will continue to follow Him in faith.
John 16:33 “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
1 John 5:4 “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth….and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”
It is interesting to note that Jeremiah will be opposed by the kings, princes, priests and people. I think the order is significant. The people are prone to
follow their leaders. The kings, princes and priests of Israel were all established authorities under God to lead the people according to God’s commands and instructions. Instead of responding with repentant heart to God’s word as declared by Jeremiah, he is to expect them to fight. The very ones who should be examples of righteousness before the people were responsible for leading them into wickedness and rebellion against God.
Is there application to be made to many who are recognized as the religious leaders of today? I’m afraid so.
Jer. 2:1 ¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer. 2:2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.
Jer. 2:3 Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.
This chapter begins with Jeremiah receiving another message from the LORD that he is to declare to the people of Jerusalem. He is to emphasize that this message is from the LORD. He is reminding the people of their spiritual beginnings and how they loved Him like a young bride. They followed Him through the wilderness as He led them to the Promised Land. He is to remind them how the LORD had chosen them for a position of honor among the nations. They grew under His protection and empowerment, and any enemy who came against them met with His judgment.
It stood out to me that this is a fond, nostalgic type memory that I completely identify with the older I get. As a parent I look back without much thought of the sleepless nights and the struggles of dealing with teenagers and their foolish choices that resulted in harsh words and nights of worry. It’s the sweet memories that come more readily to mind—the joys of watching those first steps, hearing those first words, enjoying the many recitals and concerts, etc.
The LORD is focusing on their times of obedience and overlooking the disobedience that eventually led to their wandering in that wilderness for forty years.
Jer. 2:4 Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:
Jer. 2:5 Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?
Jer. 2:6 Neither said they, Where is the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?
At this point the LORD broadens His message to include not only those in Jerusalem, but all the families of the house of Israel. This would include those of the Northern Kingdom that had already been taken captive by the Assyrians. The LORD wants an answer to a couple of questions. He is basically saying: “What did I do that caused your fathers to reject Me as LORD and turn to worshipping false gods? It is obvious that these false gods are useless. So why didn’t they turn back to Me—Almighty God who brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them through the harsh desert while providing for their every need?”
Jer. 2:7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.
Jer. 2:8 The priests said not, Where is the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit.
The LORD goes on to remind them how He brought them into a land filled with good things. Instead of responding with gratitude and obedience, they decided to defile the land and fill it with the disgusting practices of idol worship. Even the religious leaders did not seek the Lord. Those who were supposed to teach the people God’s law did not know it themselves. The spiritual leaders and the prophets declared themselves followers of Baal. They led the people in worship of impotent and useless false gods.
Baal seems to be a generic term for many of the false gods worshipped by the Gentile nations. This name was used to identify the main god of the Phoenicians, according to Easton’s Dictionary, and was also identified with Molech, the god to whom the Israelites sacrificed their own children. The Canaanites worshipped him as the sun god and connected him with fertility.
Elijah represented God in a great test of power against the prophets of Baal as recorded in 1Kings 18. In summary, they prepared sacrifices and proceeded to see which “god” could answer with fire and consume the sacrifice. Elijah patiently waited as the prophets of Baal called on him from noon until the time of the evening sacrifice. No answer from Baal. Finally Elijah made an altar and made a trench around it. He placed his sacrifice on the altar and commanded that they dump 12 barrels of water on the sacrifice and the wood under the altar and fill the trench with water as well. The result:
1 Kings 18:36–38 “And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.”
How many times does God have to prove Himself to His people to command their respect and obedience? To us?
Note that just as God had chosen Israel as His portion among the nations, so too He considered the land he gave them as His land.
Jer. 2:9 ¶ Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children’s children will I plead.
Jer. 2:10 For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing.
Jer. 2:11 Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.
Verse nine is a very sad declaration of God’s knowledge that this attitude of rebellion will continue in future generations. He is basically saying that not even the Gentile nations turned against their gods in spite of their impotence. In stark contrast, the LORD’s people had chosen to turn against Him in spite of His awesome display of power on their behalf and turned to serve the impotent “gods” of the heathen.
Jer. 2:12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.
Jer. 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
I think the meaning of verse 12 is better expressed in the CJB: “Be aghast at this, you heavens! Shudder in absolute horror!” says ADONAI. “
The LORD is basically calling on the heavens as a witness; maybe this even includes the angels as well. He is making two specific charges against the people of Israel.
1. They have forsaken Him, the very source of life-giving water.
2. They have attempted to find provision from broken cisterns that can hold no water—the false gods and idols of their own making.
JFB made an important observation. Fountains supply an ever-flowing supply of fresh water; while cisterns are dependent on an outside water source. The false gods are being compared to cisterns that are broken and can’t even hold water.
Jer. 2:14 ¶ Is Israel a servant? is he a homeborn slave? why is he spoiled?
Jer. 2:15 The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant.
Jer. 2:16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head.
The LORD poses more questions to get the people to think. Are you slaves? Were you born into slavery? Why then have you been taken captive? God had declared Israel to be His son.
Exodus 4:22 “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:”
The young lions appear to be a reference to the nations that are taking the people captive and destroying the cities of Israel. This appears to be referencing the Assyrians who had taken the Northern Kingdom captive and destroyed many of their cities and goes on to include Egypt’s invasion of Judah and the death of King Josiah who went out to battle against them.
Jer. 2:17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way?
Jer. 2:18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river?
Jer. 2:19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
In these verses the LORD is basically saying that His people had brought judgment upon themselves by breaking covenant with Him (as noted in chapter 1). He doesn’t understand why they would choose to depend on alliances with Egypt and Assyria. I think the mention of the rivers of these nations is in direct contrast to the living waters available to them through the LORD.
Verse 19 states an important principle: Experiencing the consequences of sin should serve to correct and convict God’s people to the point of repentance. That experience should make them understand that to rebel against “the LORD thy God” and not serve Him with reverence and obedience always results in distress, wretchedness and grief.
Jer. 2:20 ¶ For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot.
Jer. 2:21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?
Jer. 2:22 For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.
The LORD goes on to declare that long ago He had broken their yoke and delivered them from slavery in Egypt. At that time they had promised to obey Him and keep the covenant He made with them. Now, however, they were blatantly prostituting themselves to false gods and idols.
The LORD reminds them that He had planted them in the land of Israel as a choice, fruitful vine from proven good seed. I would assume He is making reference to their forefathers—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the same truth
declared by the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 5:1–4 “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?”
The LORD’s question: How did you become such a degenerate, adulterous vine to Me? There is no lye (nitre) or soap that is strong enough to cleanse you of your sin; your sin has left a permanent mark on you before Me.
These are words that should strike fear in their heart; God is declaring this generation in need of harsh, hopefully purifying judgment.
Jer. 2:23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
Jer. 2:24 A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her.
The LORD questions how His people could deny that they were morally unclean or had followed the ways of Balaam. The evidence was clear.
“see thy way in the valley…” – Commentaries connect this with the sacrifice of their children to Molech in the Valley of Hinnom, and that makes sense to me. The LORD then goes on to compare His people to a dromedary (a young shecamel), which the commentaries indicate makes reference to an animal in heat trying to find satisfaction. He emphasizes His point by also comparing them to a wild ass in the same condition. The IVP Commentary made a pointed application: “The female donkey, when in heat, becomes almost violent and chases after the male donkey, just as Israel, like the wild female donkey, chases after the Baals.”
Jer. 2:25 Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go.
The LORD has been pleading with His people through His prophets to stop their ongoing, determined pursuit of these false gods. They’re driven to fulfill the desires of their flesh by participating in the perverted practices that are part of the worship of the false gods of their heathen neighbors. They figured that they had sinned too greatly for God to take them back.
Jer. 2:26 As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets,
Jer. 2:27 Saying to a stock, Thou art my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
In these verses the LORD is basically declaring that the only time His people show any shame or remorse is when they are in trouble and need Him to rescue them. They prostrate themselves before idols made of wood and stone in direct rejection of YHWH, but expect Him to welcome them with open arms in their time of need.
I couldn’t help but make a comparison to the attitude of our nation as a whole today—a nation founded on the principles of scripture and clear in its recognition of God, the Creator, as the authority behind the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We have gradually but surely rejected God’s truth and authority. Our culture has embraced materialism and become morally decadent. I remember how after the tragedy of 9/11, the churches were full again for a while as people sought comfort and understanding. Most of the time we live as though there is no God other than self. Yet, when tragedy strikes, we expect Him to be ready to answer our every prayer. I’ve observed many times in these journals how we want to hold Him accountable for such tragedies without being held accountable for the way we have rejected Him. This is just like the attitude of the people of Israel to whom Jeremiah was speaking.
Jer. 2:28 But where are thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah.
Jer. 2:29 ¶ Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD.
The LORD is chiding His people—Let your chosen “gods” save you out of your trouble. You have as many gods as you have cities; surely you don’t need Me. Why come to me for help? You have rejected my authority.
Jer. 2:30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
The LORD continues—I have punished you, but it has done no good. You have refused to be corrected. You have even killed My prophets.
Notice how the people are held accountable for their own choices. A righteous God cannot hold people to account whom He has preprogrammed to do wrong. I just don’t know how people can try to argue otherwise.
Jer. 2:31 O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee?
Jer. 2:32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
The LORD is asking the people to consider these questions.
• “Have I been a wilderness unto Israel?” - In other words, have you been deprived of nourishment and provision?
• “a land of darkness?” – I think this is making reference to the knowledge they need to grow and benefit both physically and spiritually.
He continues to drive His message home—Why would you reject me as LORD in light of all I have done for you?
Instead of taking delight in the love of YHWH, as a bride for her groom, the people of Israel had directed their passion toward the worship of false gods. The LORD makes point of the fact that this hasn’t been just a short term fling, but a long term affair.
Jer. 2:33 Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
Jer. 2:34 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
Jer. 2:35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
The NLT translation of verse 33 is more readily understood: “How you plot and scheme to win your lovers. The most experienced prostitute could learn from you!”
I think verse 34 is making reference again to the souls of the innocent children who were publicly offered as sacrifices to Molech. It could also include reference to the prophets who were killed because the people did not like their message, or even others who tried to live in obedience to the LORD and incurred the wrath of the masses.
In spite of all the evidence before the LORD, the people refuse to recognize their sin and expect Him to turn His anger away from them. The LORD declares that He is going to “execute judgment” against them (from the Hebrew for plead) since they refuse to repent of their sin.
As I continued to think about how long God gave His people before judging them, I was reminded of the words of Peter.
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.”
The LORD always goes to the nth degree to get us to accept His love and provision by accepting Him as LORD and Savior. His desire is for all to come to repentance. That truth was just as true in Old Testament times as it is now. Continued rejection, however, will result in judgment in God’s time and according to His purpose.
Jer. 2:36 Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria.
Jer. 2:37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.
I think the LORD is basically asking His people why they continue to look for strength and protection from other nations rather than from Him. Assyria had ended up turning on Israel and taking them captive. Judah’s alliance with Egypt for protection against Babylon is going to be just as inadequate. The LORD is going to ensure that they are led in shame into captivity just as surely as were those in the Northern Kingdom.