Jer. 3:1 ¶ They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
This chapter starts out with what seems to be a reference to some verses in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 24:1–4 “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.”
I think the LORD is declaring that the scenario between God and His people is even worse. This wasn’t an issue of divorce and remarriage, but an issue of adultery with many lovers.
The last part of this verse could be taken either of two ways. The NIV offers this explanation that makes good sense to me: “The verb ‘return’ in the last line of v. 1 may allow for more than one rendering. If it is taken as an imperative, then the Lord is calling the nation to penitence in spite of the gravity of her sins. If the clause is interpreted as a question, then the sense is “Would you now return to me [in spite of all you have done]?”….It is hard to see, however, how the Lord would be declaring a reconciliation impossible when, throughout the remainder of the chapter, he is pleading for that very thing in urging Judah to repent. Even the question form of the last clause can be understood to impress Judah that it would be no light thing, considering her many offenses, for God to reclaim her. God is not indignantly rejecting the possibility of her return. We must never forget that God, as he wills, exercises grace beyond the law. Ruth was a Moabite woman and was excluded from Israel (cf. Dt 23:3); how then does she become the ancestress of David and of the Lord Jesus? God operated by grace beyond the law. So God was ready to forgive Judah in spite of all her past failures. Legal claims to the contrary, God calls Judah to the solution to her predicament—namely, repentance.”
Jer. 3:2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
Jer. 3:3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
The LORD continues to declare through Jeremiah the public display of their spiritual adultery. He challenges them to look around and see if they can identify a spot that had not been polluted with their idolatry. As I read through the other translations, it seems to be comparing the people to a prostitute on the side of the road seeking to find partners.
The LORD is declaring that the lack of spring rains is a result of the blatant display of their adulterous ways and their refusal to be ashamed of them. This is just one of many examples in scripture in which God makes use of the forces of nature to judge sin.
Jer. 3:4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?
Jer. 3:5 Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
In spite of their complete disdain of God and His law, they have called out to Him as Father and Friend of their youth. They are basically saying, “Are you really going to stay mad at me forever?” Even as they call out to God, they continue in their evil ways. They are acting like spoiled, petulant children playing on their father’s love and expecting to get their way without changing their disobedient ways.
Jer. 3:6 ¶ The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
Jer. 3:7 And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
Jer. 3:8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
Jer. 3:9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Jer. 3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah now records a message the LORD gave him during the reign of Josiah as king. The LORD basically asks Jeremiah if he is aware of Israel’s adulterous worship of false gods. He goes on to relate how He had sent His prophets to encourage her to repent, but she did not. This truth is affirmed in 2Kings.
2 Kings 17:13–14 “Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.”
Judah was witness to these events also. Even after being allowed to witness God’s action against Israel, divorcing her and sending her into captivity in the lands of the false gods she worshipped, Judah did not benefit. She fearlessly and blatantly went on to play the harlot in worship of false gods and their idols of wood and stone also. The people of Judah evidently pretended to repent, but their actions proved otherwise.
This is an especially sad observation in light of the wonderful spiritual leadership that Josiah provided as king. 2Kings 22-23 records how he took action to repair and restore the temple and cleanse it of idolatrous vessels, to have the book of the law read publicly to the people, to renew covenant with the LORD, to tear down the high places of idol worship, to eliminate sacrifice to Molech, and more.
One other observation, these and the following verses identify Israel as God’s wife even as “the church” is identified as the bride of Christ.
Ephesians 5:22–25, 31-32 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it…. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
Jer. 3:11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
Why does the LORD declare Judah to be worse than Israel in her sin? Because she refused to repent in spite of the witness of God’s dealings with Israel.
Jer. 3:12 ¶ Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
Jer. 3:13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
Jer. 3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
Jer. 3:15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
The LORD tells Jeremiah to send a message to the people of Israel calling for them to repent and put themselves at the mercy of God. Though He is righteous to judge, it is not His intent to break all relationship with His people forever. All the LORD asks is that they admit their sin and disobedience and repent. God is unchanging and He deals with His people the same way today.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The LORD goes on to plead with them as their Husband and declare His marriage still valid with those who choose to repent and follow Him as LORD even if by ones and twos. The word for “married” in the Hebrew makes reference to being master and having dominion over them as a husband. This is another affirmation of the unconditional nature of God’s covenant with Abraham in spite of the rebellion of his progeny.
He then promises to bring them back to Zion and give them shepherds (from the Hebrew for pastors) who love the LORD and will nourish them spiritually with knowledge and understanding of God and His law. I think this is looking forward to the millennial kingdom.
Jer. 3:16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
Jer. 3:17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
Jer. 3:18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
At this point the message makes one of those prophetic leaps over time. This is evident since it is describing a time when the nation is once again whole and walking no more after the imagination of their evil heart. It is a time in which the ark of the covenant will have no significance to them since the Lord will be on His throne in Jerusalem. This is obviously talking about the 1,000-year reign of Christ as King of kings spoken of in Revelation, the Messianic Kingdom.
Revelation 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
Other prophets declare this as a time when the people of Israel would fill the land and experience great blessing. Ezekiel joined with Jeremiah in foretelling of this time of God’s restored relationship to His people.
Ezekiel 11:17–20 “Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”
Ezekiel 36:24–28 “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.”
Jer. 3:19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
Jer. 3:20 ¶ Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.
The people of Israel/Judah could have been enjoying those blessings during Jeremiah’s day, but they had chosen to be unfaithful to their covenant with the LORD.
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.”
God’s desire was that they would trust Him as a Father and obey Him in love, but they chose instead to break His heart and reject His love. God was not surprised at their actions, however; He had foretold it all through His servant Moses.
Deuteronomy 32:15–18 “But Jeshurun [Israel] waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.”
Jer. 3:21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.
Jer. 3:22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
The LORD acknowledges that He can hear the weeping and prayers of His people because of their sorrows and troubles—a result of their perverted, sinful ways and rejection of God as LORD.
Evidently, they are crying out without repentance. “Return” in the Hebrew references returning to their beginnings—to repent. If they will but repent, God is ready to heal them, to restore them and make them whole again. True repentance will be reflected in hearts that have yielded to God as LORD in their lives.
Jer. 3:23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
The prophet is emphasizing that the LORD God is the only trustworthy defender of Israel. There is no deliverance to be found in the idols they worshipped in the high places, the hills; nor can they depend upon the power of other kingdoms (such as Egypt and Assyria) and their many gods to protect them from their enemies.
Mountains are sometimes used to represent kingdoms in the scripture, and I think readily applies in this instance.
Daniel 2:35&44 “Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth…. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.”
Jeremiah 51:24–25 “And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD. Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.”
Jer. 3:24 For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
Jer. 3:25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
It sounds like the prophet is expressing his heart in these verses and the preceding verse. He is declaring that they should be ashamed at the folly of their fathers in turning to worship idols in rejection of Almighty God. As part of that worship they had sacrificed flocks and herds as well as sons and daughters in sacrifice to those false gods. The prophet is saying that they can’t lay all the blame at the feet of their fathers; they, too, had chosen to follow the example of their fathers. They had chosen to disobey the voice of the LORD as declared through His prophets and the scripture. (see 2Kings 17:13-14 quoted above) This is an important truth in scripture. Each person is accountable for his/her own sin. God is very clear in reiterating that truth through Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 18:20 “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.”
Jer. 4:1 ¶ If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
Jer. 4:2 And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
This chapter begins with another plea from the LORD for His people to repent of their sin and turn back to Him in faith and obedience. Obedience is requisite in light of the instruction to “put away your abominations,” or get rid of your idols and all the practices associated with their worship. He also declares that the repentance of Israel will result in a blessing to the nations since they will then be in position to testify to the benefits of trusting in the LORD of Israel as their LORD. That testimony would reflect life in a nation governed by the character of God in truth, judgment and righteousness.
Truth = stability, trustworthiness
Judgment = Ruling with authority and righteousness
Righteousness = Moral integrity, purity
I can only imagine what life in America would be like today if our leaders possessed such character traits.
Jer. 4:3 ¶ For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
Jer. 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
As the LORD continues to speak through Jeremiah, His message is specifically directed to the people of Judah/Jerusalem; and He again uses the example of sowing seed. He is urging His people to prepare their hearts to receive the seeds of His truth, His word, and not let it fall on ground that will prevent its producing fruit. Fallow ground has not been broken up or plowed; it is not ready to receive seed; it does not provide an environment conducive to growth. How are they to do this? By circumcising their hearts. Circumcision is a cutting away of the flesh and is a graphic picture of the need to refuse to let the desires of the flesh rule their lives. Much of their motivation for idol worship was rooted in worship practices that included fulfilling the lust of the flesh through sexual immorality.
As the Lord pleads with His people to turn to Him in faith and obedience, He also warns them of the consequences of refusing to do so—the fact that they will experience His fury in judgment. He is very clear in stating that their evil actions would be the reason for such judgment. Scripture is consistent in declaring that sinful, evil actions have consequences; and if continued without repentance, result in God’s judgment.
Isaiah 13:11 “And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.”
Jeremiah 5:25 “Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.”
Psalms 38:3 “There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.”
Psalms 32:10 “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked….”
It is obvious that the people of America and most of the world today do not understand this truth.
Courson: “True circumcision speaks not of outward rituals, religious activities, or church membership. True circumcision—the true mark of one who is linked to God—is found in those who worship God wholeheartedly and rejoice in Christ Jesus personally.”
Jer. 4:5 ¶ Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities.
Jer. 4:6 Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
Jer. 4:7 The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.
In these verses the prophet is declaring a warning to the people of Judah of coming judgment through the attack of an enemy from the north. This enemy is on the move and can be expected to cause great destruction in the land. Their best hope is to flee to Zion/Jerusalem, the city with the best fortifications, for safety. He has already conquered many of the Gentile nations and has now targeted Judah. The prophet is clear in stating that many cities in Judah will be left without inhabitants (implied: either through death or capture).
It is interesting to note that the winged lion was the standard or symbol for the nation of Babylon and was probably chosen in honor of Ishtar, the goddess of war and fertility.
Jer. 4:8 For this gird you with sackcloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the LORD is not turned back from us.
Jer. 4:9 And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
The prophet goes on to advise that the people clothe themselves in sackcloth, an indication of sorrow and repentance, in hopes of turning away God’s anger. If they don’t, the LORD is going to allow the enemy to invoke fear in the hearts of all the leaders of the people—king, princes, priests and prophets. The implication from the Hebrew is that the evidence of the enemy’s power and destruction will stun the people. They will feel totally helpless.
Jer. 4:10 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
Jeremiah decides to speak up on behalf of the people. It sounds like he is accusing God of deception since He had promised peace for Judah and now He is telling them that judgment is at hand.
I have to admit that I needed help with this verse. The NIV Commentary and JFB made reference to how God had allowed the false prophets to misrepresent His message to the people and deceive them. They proclaimed that God was going to send peace to Judah, while Jeremiah, and other true prophets, had been consistent in declaring God’s message of judgment to come in light of the wickedness and rebellion of His people. This logic makes sense and would seem to clarify that Jeremiah is not accusing God of deceit but is declaring the response of the people in this verse.
Scripture is clear that God uses all types of vessels to accomplish His purposes from submissive, obedient servants to pagan world conquerors to false prophets to actually giving people over to their sinful desires. That is what He did in the life of Pharaoh, and that is what He will do again when the Antichrist comes on the scene.
2 Thessalonians 2:8–12 “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
In God’s dealings with His people He often allows certain things to happen in order to prove their faith.
Deuteronomy 8:2 “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”
Judges 2:20–22 “And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.”
Jer. 4:11 At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A dry wind of the high places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse,
Jer. 4:12 Even a full wind from those places shall come unto me: now also will I give sentence against them.
Jer. 4:13 Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.
The LORD doesn’t even acknowledge Jeremiah’s statement. He just goes on to affirm that judgment (“I will give sentence against them”) is coming in the form of a Gentile conqueror. He compares the coming judgment to a powerful, destructive wind (a blast of His anger). He will descend upon them like a thundercloud, with chariots as powerful as a whirlwind and with horses that are faster than eagles.
Jeremiah’s conclusion, and again (I think) representing the response of the people—We are doomed!
Jer. 4:14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
After these fearful words of judgment, the prophet again urges the people to repent of their wickedness and seek God’s deliverance. He doesn’t understand how they can choose to persist in their unrighteousness in light of God’s message of judgment.
Jer. 4:15 For a voice declareth from Dan, and publisheth affliction from mount Ephraim.
Jer. 4:16 Make ye mention to the nations; behold, publish against Jerusalem, that watchers come from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Judah.
Jer. 4:17 As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.
Jer. 4:18 Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
The land allotments of Dan and Ephraim frame the northern and southern borders respectively of the Northern Kingdom that had already been conquered by the Assyrians. That the Northern Kingdom had been judged and taken captive by a Gentile power should have spoken volumes to those in the Southern Kingdom of Judah about the consequences of disobedience to God and disregard of their covenant with God. The LORD is clear in verses 17-18 in declaring that it is their rebellion against Him that has resulted in the current threat posed by the advance of the enemy. I think the wording of the CJB for verse 18 is clear: “Your own ways and your actions have brought these things on yourselves. This is your wickedness, so bitter! It has reached your very heart.”
Jer. 4:19 ¶ My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
Jer. 4:20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.
Jer. 4:21 How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?
In this section of verses we hear the heart of the prophet; he is distressed over the
plight of his people. He knows judgment is at the door and that their destruction
is certain. Verse 21 indicates that he is hoping that this judgment is swift; he is
distressed with thoughts of an extended action.
Jer. 4:22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
This verse seems to begin God’s answer to Jeremiah’s question in verse 21. He declares the people of Israel, specifically Judah in context, to be foolish—perverse, willfully wicked. “Sottish” children again emphasizes silly (lacking in judgment) from a root that means “to be fat.” One definition from Webster for fat that seems to apply is: “Exhibiting the qualities of a fat animal; coarse; heavy; gross; dull; stupid.” These comments flow easily in context with the statement that they have no understanding; I believe spiritual understanding is the implication. This conclusion is clarified by the next statement; they are wise to do evil but seem to have no understanding of how to do good.
When man chose to rebel against God and inherited a sin nature, it became natural for man to choose to do evil. This does not excuse evil actions because scripture is clear from the very beginning that men knew what was acceptable before God and what was not. Evil is identified in contrast to that which is good and acceptable. Though men may argue the fact, it doesn’t change the truth that God is the source of truth and goodness.
Deuteronomy 32:3–4 “Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life….”
1 Chronicles 16:34 “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Psalms 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Those who choose to do evil show themselves to be children of the devil.
John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
Acts 13:10 “… thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?”
1 John 3:8 “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.”
Jer. 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
Jer. 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
Jer. 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
Jer. 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.
After reading through this section several times, I’m still not quite sure what to make of it. Verse 23 seems to tie directly to the Genesis account of creation.
Genesis 1:1–3 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.”
It’s interesting to note that God is clear in declaring that He did not create the earth in this state.
Isaiah 45:18 “For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.”
The Hebrew for vain in the above verse states: “to lie waste, a desolation (of surface, i.e. desert…without form.”
Maybe it is a nutshell version of Israel’s history. Verse 24 could be a reference to the people conquering the land and taking possession of it. Verses 25-26 could be referencing the judgment to come (which from God’s point of view is a done deal) and even looking on into the future just preceding the return of Jesus to assume the throne of David. As always, I’m open to input.
Jer. 4:27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
Jer. 4:28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
These verses are obviously referencing the situation confronting Judah at the time of Jeremiah’s prophecy. There is a ray of hope in light of the coming judgment; God promises not to completely destroy the nation.
God also declared the preservation of a remnant in accordance with His covenant with Abraham and as declared by other prophets.
Isaiah 10:20–21 “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.”
Isaiah 11:10–12 “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”
Ezekiel 14:21–23 “For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast? Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord GOD.”
Micah 2:12 “I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.”
Zephaniah 3:16–20 “In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.”
Zechariah 8:12–13 “For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things. And it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, O house of Judah, and house of Israel; so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing: fear not, but let your hands be strong.”
Still, judgment is certain—“I have purposed it, and will not repent.” It will be a time of such mourning that it will seem that the sun has quit shining on the land. As sure as the coming judgment is their future restoration to full fellowship with the LORD. God is not finished with Israel. God has NOT replaced Israel with the church. The church has been blessed to be grafted into the vine of God’s chosen people and participate in God’s plan to bring salvation to the nations and share in many of her blessings, but we have not replaced her.
Romans 11:1 “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid.”
Romans 11:5 “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”
Romans 11:11 “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.”
Romans 11:17–18 “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.”
Romans 11:25–27 “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”
Jer. 4:29 The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they shall go into thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city shall be forsaken, and not a man dwell therein.
Jer. 4:30 And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
Jer. 4:31 For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.
This section of verses begins with a description of the response of the people as they see the enemy advancing. Evidently, the people thought they could stave off the advance of the enemy by buying them off and/or declaring their position as allies; but point is made that their attempts will be rejected. The whole process is likened to a woman scorned. Judah’s actions in seeking to win the favor of the Babylonians are affirmed and vividly described by the prophet Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 23:4 “….Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.”
Ezekiel 23:11–17 “And when her sister Aholibah saw this, she was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister in her whoredoms. She doted upon the Assyrians her neighbours, captains and rulers clothed most gorgeously, horsemen riding upon horses, all of them desirable young men. Then I saw that she was defiled, that they took both one way, And that she increased her whoredoms: for when she saw men portrayed upon the wall, the images of the Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion, Girded with girdles upon their loins, exceeding in dyed attire upon their heads, all of them princes to look to, after the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea, the land of their nativity: And as soon as she saw them with her eyes, she doted upon them, and sent messengers unto them into Chaldea. And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.”
The chapter closes with a picture of Israel as a very frightened woman who seems to be drawing her dying breath after delivering her first child.