Jeremiah 3
BBCJeremiah 3:1
3:1-5 According to Deu_24:1-4, a man could not remarry his divorced wife if she had married another man in the meantime. Judah had had many lovers, yet the Lord still invites her to return. Her promiscuity had brought pollution and drought on the land, yet she was as shameless as a harlot. She spoke to God in words of pretended repentance but He knew her evil words and deeds.
Jeremiah 3:6
B. Judah’s Future Conditioned upon Repentance (3:66:30)
- Past Sin and Future Glory (3:6-18)3:6-14 Israel, the Northern Kingdom, had practiced gross harlotry, and had refused to return to the Lord. Judah saw her taken captive by the Assyrians, yet persisted in her sin, refusing to return to the Lord. Thus because the backsliding Ten Tribes of Israel were more righteous than treacherous Judah, God invites them to return to Him in repentance and confession so that He can bring them back to Zion. Note in verse 8 that God divorced Israel and that it was because of adultery. The Savior’s words in Mat_19:9 are consistent with this. He taught that divorce is permissible for an innocent partner when the spouse has been guilty of immorality. When we read in Mal_2:16 that God hates divorce, it must mean unscriptural divorce, not all divorce. 3:15-18 These verses anticipate the Millennium. God will give them shepherds according to His heart, who will feed them with knowledge and understanding. There will then be no need for the ark of the covenant because the Messiah Himself will be there. Jerusalem will be the world capital and called The Throne of the LORD. Israel and Judah will be restored from worldwide dispersion and reunited.
Jeremiah 3:19
- The Need for Repentance (3:194:4)Here we have a future dialogue between Jehovah and His people. He covets the very best for them but their sins have cut them off from blessing. They respond with contrite weeping. Once more He calls them to return. They confess that idols are a deception, that God is the only salvation, that their apostasy has cost them dearly, and that they are now covered by shame and reproach.