Jer. 17:1 ¶ The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
Jer. 17:2 Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.
This chapter begins with a statement of how entrenched in sin the people of Judah had become. The prophet describes it as being sharply engraved into their very being and clearly evident in the altars they use to sacrifice to their false gods. These practices are being taught to the children by the example of their parents. Cannot the same be said of America today?
The IVP Commentary made the observation that the picture was of very sharp tools needed to make the engraving on such stony hearts.
Jer. 17:3 O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures to the spoil, and thy high places for sin, throughout all thy borders.
Jer. 17:4 And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and I will cause thee to serve thine enemies in the land which thou knowest not: for ye have kindled a fire in mine anger, which shall burn for ever.
“my mountain in the field” – I believe this to be a reference to the temple mount. The LORD is declaring that He intends to give even the greatest treasures of His people to their enemies. He is going to place the people of Judah in bondage to their enemies in Babylon. Why? They have not only angered God; they have continually added fuel to the fire by their continued rebellion and refusal to repent in spite of God’s messages to them through His prophets and the example He made of the Northern Kingdom by allowing them to be conquered and taken captive by Assyria.
Verse 4, I believe, is using language meant to emphasize the extent of God’s anger. Sin fuels God’s anger to such an intensity that it cannot be appeased except through the saving grace of His precious Son.
Jer. 17:5 ¶ Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.
Jer. 17:6 For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.
In these verses the prophet is declaring God’s curse on those who choose to place their trust in men rather than in YHWH. Those men will find their lives hopeless and wanting of fulfillment.
You would think that the people would recognize that their history is replete with the failure of the people to provide for themselves apart from God. The book of Judges is a continual story of rebellion, oppression by the enemy, repentance and deliverance by God. Their history provides a record of God’s miraculous intervention on their behalf many times. Their history is clear— follow God in obedience and experience blessing; turn from God in rebellion and disobedience and experience judgment.
I almost moved on until the phrase “whose heart departeth from the LORD” jumped out at me. The Hebrew for the word heart makes reference to the place of man’s will and intellect. In other words, those who are trusting in the strength of man have made a choice to follow their own desires in rejection of YHWH as LORD. They would rather experience the pleasures of sin for a season than yield to God’s authority in obedience to His law.
Jer. 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
Jer. 17:8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.
As soon as I read these verses, I heard echoes from Psalm 1.
Psalms 1:1–3 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
In contrast to the previous verse that pronounced a curse on those who choose to reject the LORD, these verses declare a blessing on those who choose to trust in the LORD. They will experience provision in time of need and will be fruitful. I personally think that the emphasis is on spiritual destitution vs. spiritual prosperity. I think the connection to Psalm 1 was deliberate. The rest of that Psalm states:
Psalms 1:4–6 “The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
To place one’s hope in the LORD is to trust that in spite of what life throws at you, you know that your eternal future is secure and will be full of blessing beyond measure. However, I am not discounting an application to material deprivation and prosperity.
As I thought about the spiritual application, I was reminded of the words of the Savior as recorded by John.
John 7:37–39 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
Those who choose to take root in faith in the LORD will find themselves benefitting from the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Though the Old Testament saints were not privileged to experience a permanent indwelling of the Spirit, we can be sure that those who trusted in God and were obedient to His will experienced the provision of the Spirit. It’s one of the things that David most feared losing.
Psalms 51:9–12 “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
Jer. 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jer. 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
Again the heart is a reference to man’s will and intellect, the place in our being from which decisions and choices are made.
It was interesting to note the Hebrew for the word deceitful “fraudulent, crooked, polluted”; Webster adds, “serving to mislead or ensnare.” The Hebrew for “desperately wicked” makes reference to being sick and incurable. Webster defines wicked as “Evil in principle or practice; deviating from morality; contrary to the moral or divine law….”
In other words, because of the sin nature we inherited through Adam, man starts out with two strikes against him.
• The part of our being that guides us in making decisions and choices is naturally hardwired to mislead us and trap us through temptations.
• When following the leading of our heart, our natural proclivity is contrary to God’s law.
Even more alarming is the answer to the closing question in verse 9—God searches our hearts; He knows them inside out. The Psalmist was well aware of this truth.
Psalms 44:20–21 “If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
The Hebrew for reins seems to be part and parcel of the heart; it makes reference to the “mind, the interior self.” When the LORD searches our heart, He is examining our thought processes, our motives. His judgments for or against each person are based on that examination.
Thankfully, each person of faith will emerge from that examination declared righteous in Christ Jesus. Heavenly rewards, however, will result from the LORD’s examination of our service before the LORD; and I believe that examination will be focused on the motivations of our heart.
2 Corinthians 5:17–18 & 21 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ…. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
1 Corinthians 3:13–15 “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
Stedman: “The heart is clever, crafty; it can appear one way when it is quite another. Every once in a while we know this about ourselves, don't we? We know that we have a frightening ability to hide a hateful heart under flattering words, or that we can speak softly and lovingly to someone whom we utterly despise. We know we can do it; we do it all the time. We can use a sweet tone, and act and sound as if we are perfectly at ease, when inwardly we are seething with revolt and rebellion. That is the heart. It has that ability. It can appear fair. It can make the most impressive vows to do better. It can promise reform, and suffer hardship. Paul says that you can bestow all your goods to feed the poor, without love. You can give your body to be burned, without love. And to do so is worth nothing. It can do all these things with utmost sincerity, but it is a house built upon the sand, doomed to disaster.”
Jer. 17:11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
I thought the NLT expressed this verse well: “Like a bird that hatches eggs she has not laid, so are those who get their wealth by unjust means. Sooner or later they will lose their riches and, at the end of their lives, will become poor old fools.”
When I was first reading through this chapter several times, I didn’t understand the connection of this verse. I see now that it is an example, a direct commentary on the LORD’s examination of the heart of the unjust man; in the end he will have nothing.
Jer. 17:12 ¶ A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.
Jer. 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
“a glorious high throne” = the throne of God as represented by the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant
“from the beginning” – I believe in context would be the beginning of the nation of Israel
It would seem that the following verses from Exodus would support that conclusion.
Exodus 15:2 & 15-17 “The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him…. all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.”
Verses 12-13 seem to be an interjection of praise from the heart of Jeremiah. He knows that only positioned in faith and obedience before the throne of the LORD can the people of Judah find true sanctuary—spiritual cleansing and a place of refuge.
2 Chronicles 30:8–9 “Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.”
Ezekiel 11:16 “Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.”
He recognizes the truth that only in YHWH can the people of Israel find hope in their future. The Hebrew for hope comes from a root that means to be bound together—a reference to the restoration of the nation as a whole before the LORD. Those who choose to forsake the LORD will face shame and disappointment in their future; their only expectation is to be “written in the earth.”
This is in direct contrast to the future of the man of faith whose name is written in the “book of the living” in heaven.
Psalms 69:28 “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.”
Revelation 20:12 &15 “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works….And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Having one’s name in the Book of Life gives a picture of permanence vs having one’s name written in the earth and subject to destruction.
It is only in the LORD, the fountain of living waters, that man can have a true hope for the future. That provision comes in the person of Jesus Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
John 7:37–39 “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive:”
Jer. 17:14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
Jer. 17:15 Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.
I can so connect with Jeremiah as he comes to these verses. In his heart he is in love with the LORD and so desires to serve him. Confronted with the circumstances, he is feeling in need of healing and salvation. He feels weak in ministry and he wants to be made whole. He feels threatened by the people and knows that only in the LORD can he find deliverance. The people are questioning Jeremiah’s message because nothing has happened yet. This seems to mirror the attitude that is a reflection of our times as prophesied by Peter.
2 Peter 3:3–4 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”
Jer. 17:16 As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.
Jer. 17:17 Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil.
Jer. 17:18 Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
It’s like Jeremiah is building a case for the LORD to answer his prayer. He has been obedient and faithful to his calling as a pastor or spiritual shepherd to his people. Jeremiah’s heart has been grieved at the message of coming judgment and the lack of repentance on the part of his people, but he has faithfully declared the message the LORD has put in his mouth.
But it seems Jeremiah has finally had enough. He wants the LORD to bring shame to his persecutors. He is ready for the people to experience the righteous judgment of the LORD, but he wants to be spared. The last part of verse 18 seems to indicate that Jeremiah wants God to judge them to the fullest extent.
Jer. 17:19 ¶ Thus said the LORD unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem;
Jer. 17:20 And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the LORD, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by these gates:
Jer. 17:21 Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
Jer. 17:22 Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
Jer. 17:23 But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.
The LORD answers Jeremiah by giving him a new message to declare at all the gates of Jerusalem, beginning with the gate that is used by the kings of Judah. This message is for everyone regardless of social position.
This is an interesting message. The focus of the message is obedience in keeping the Sabbath. God is issuing a call to the people to turn from their evil ways and keep the Sabbath according as God had commanded their fathers through Moses.
Exodus 20:8–11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Point is made that the fathers had refused to obey God’s law.
Jer. 17:24 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;
Jer. 17:25 Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever.
Jer. 17:26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD.
The LORD is declaring that if the people will humble themselves and choose to once again hallow the Sabbath as a day of rest before the LORD, He will establish them in prosperity before the nations. Verse 26 is a call for all the people of Judah to participate—not just those in Jerusalem.
I think the NIV Commentary made an important observation regarding the reason the keeping of the Sabbath was singled out: “…the Sabbath recognizes God as Creator, which is a witness against idolatry, and it marks the special covenant relationship between God and Israel.”
Jer. 17:27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.
If they, however, choose to follow in the footsteps of their fathers and continue to reject God in disobedience and desecrate His Sabbath, they will surely experience the refining fires of His judgment that will not be quenched.
Stedman: “The sabbath is a picture to us of how God intends man to live — not by trusting in himself, not by trusting in any other man, or in what other men can do; but accepting this new way of life, which is God himself working in us, God himself living in us; and making our humanity available to him, with our mind, our emotions, our will, and everything about us; and saying, ‘Lord, here I am. Here's the situation in front of me, the thing I have to do. (Maybe it is my work tomorrow and all through the week. Maybe it is some special demand made upon me by my children, by my husband or my wife. Maybe it is some difficult situation to which I must respond.) Lord, how do I meet it? Well, here I am, Lord. You meet it. You meet it in me. I'll do what is necessary, but I'll count on you to do it in me, and you'll be responsible for the results.’"
Jer. 18:1 ¶ The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Jer. 18:2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
Jer. 18:3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer. 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
This chapter begins with YHWH instructing Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house to receive another message from Him. Jeremiah does as he is told, and he sees the potter working at his wheel. At one point the potter determines that the clay on the wheel has been spoiled, and he starts over with the clay to work toward producing the desired vessel.
Jer. 18:5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
Jer. 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
Jer. 18:7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
Jer. 18:8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
Jer. 18:9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
Jer. 18:10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
The LORD declares that what Jeremiah just witnessed was an object lesson. Israel is like the clay in the hands of the potter. If He decides to declare judgment upon a nation and that nation repents of their evil ways, He would show pity to that nation. On the other hand, if He establishes a nation and blesses it and that nation decides to act wickedly before Him, He will just as surely decide to take vengeance on that nation.
In other words, the LORD is sovereign; He is the one in ultimate authority over what happens on planet earth. Everything happens according to His will; all He has to do is “speak” to accomplish His purpose.
Psalms 47:7–8 “For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.”
I think it is important to note that the people of the nations have a choice, and this ability to choose is according to God’s sovereign will.
I couldn’t help but be reminded of the record of the prophet Jonah and his ministry to the wicked nation of Nineveh. God had decreed judgment against Nineveh unless they turned to Him in repentance. The nation repented following the example and exhortation of their king, but Jonah was not happy. He did not agree with God’s decision; he thought the LORD had made a bad decision.
Verse 9 brought to mind the words from the Chronicler.
2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
There are many that say that verse only applies to Israel. I have always contended that the principle declared is in accordance with God’s character and applies to people of faith of all time. I believe Jeremiah is confirming that truth.
No one can question the righteousness of how YHWH exercises His authority. He is holy and righteous in all that He does.
Leviticus 11:44 “For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy….”
1 Samuel 2:2 “There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.”
Daniel 9:14 “Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth….”
Revelation 16:7 “And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.”
I think it is interesting to note that Jeremiah was told to go “down” to the potter’s house. The Hebrew makes reference to “a lower region…the enemy….” Earth is definitely in the lower regions from heaven, and at this time Judah had positioned herself as God’s enemy.
Jer. 18:11 ¶ Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.
After instructing Jeremiah with His object lesson, the LORD sends him to speak to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He is to warn them that God has determined to judge their sin. According to the teaching of the object lesson, the people are encouraged to repent of their evil ways and turn back to God in obedience. Such action is their only hope for deliverance.
This makes me think of the words of the prophet Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 33:11 “Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live:”
Jer. 18:12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.
Amazingly, the people discount the power and authority of Almighty God. They would rather act according to the desires of their flesh. This verse ties directly back to verse 9 from the previous chapter: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked….”
It stands out to me that they know their actions are evil. The Hebrew for the word “imagination” references obstinacy and lust from a root word that means to be hostile, an enemy. They are aware that they have positioned themselves as enemies of God.
Jer. 18:13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.
YHWH now calls for a witness from the heathen nations. They would never think of treating their “gods” in such a way. It’s even worse in light of the miraculous intervention of the LORD on His people’s behalf so many times throughout their history.
The IVP Old Testament Commentary gave some interesting insight on the reference to Israel as a virgin: “The term translated ‘virgin’ here refers to a woman who is still legally under her father’s supervision. Comparable to such a girl who betrays her father’s trust and honor is Israel’s unfaithfulness to Yahweh, often described in the Old Testament as ‘playing the harlot.’”
Jer. 18:14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?
The LORD now makes use of some rhetorical questions to make His point. The words inserted by the KJV translators were not helpful. The NIV is clearer:
“Does the snow of Lebanon ever vanish from its rocky slopes? Do its cool waters from distant sources ever cease to flow?”
The application: God’s provision for His people was just as sure if they would repent and keep covenant with Him.
Jer. 18:15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;
Jer. 18:16 To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
Jer. 18:17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
Because the people had broken covenant with God and had turned to serving idols, God is going to make them as vulnerable to their enemy as the dust is to the east wind. Their land is going to be left desolate, a place that will be scorned by all who see it. God will not intervene this time. When they call out for His help, their view will be of His back in rejection of them instead of His face interceding on their behalf in answer to their cry.
This is another statement of reaping what one sows in reference to a previous verse: Jeremiah 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.”
Jer. 18:18 ¶ Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.
The people didn’t like Jeremiah’s message from the LORD. They decided to try to destroy him with slander and ignore him. They preferred to listen to the priests and spiritual leaders that told them what they wanted to hear. The application to the church in America today is obvious.
Jer. 18:19 Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me.
Jer. 18:20 Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.
Jer. 18:21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
Jer. 18:22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet.
Jer. 18:23 Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.
In this section Jeremiah turns to the LORD in his frustration. He wants the LORD to pay attention to what his enemies are saying. He states that their actions against him are more than just words, they are digging a pit to imprison him and eventually kill him.
Jeremiah reminds the LORD that he had interceded for his people. Now, however, in light of his obedience to the LORD in the face of such persecution, he calls for the LORD to bring on His judgment; he wants them to suffer death at the hands of their enemy. He doesn’t want the LORD to forgive them; he wants them to experience the judgment of God’s anger.
At this point Jeremiah is no longer the weeping prophet; he is the angry prophet. Just as David of old, Jeremiah knew that the people were angry at him as God’s prophet; they were his enemies because they were God’s enemies.
Psalms 54:2–3 “Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them.”
Psalms 143:11–12 “Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble. And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.”
Thought-provoking comment from Wiersbe: “Unrighteous anger takes matters into its own hands and seeks to destroy the offender, while righteous anger turns the matter over to God and seeks to help the offended. Anguish is anger plus love, and maintaining a holy balance isn’t easy. If Jeremiah seems too angry to us, perhaps we aren’t angry enough at the evil in this world.”