Jeremiah 8

Jeremiah 8:1-3

The prophet proceeds in this chapter both to magnify and to justify the destruction that God was bringing upon this people. 1. He represents the judgments coming in very terrible, that death, though detested, should be deferred, vers. 1—3. 2. He aggravates the stupidity and willfulness of the people, as what brought this ruin upon them, vers. 4—12. 3. He describes the great willfulness and confirmation that the whole land should be in upon the alarm of it, vers. 13—17. 4. The prophet is himself deeply affected with it, vers. 18—22.

1. AT that time, faith the LORD, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem out of their graves. 2. And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the lusts of heaven whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have fought, and whom they have worshipped; they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth. 3. And death shall be chosen rather than life, by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, faith the LORD of holls.

In the derastful desolations before described, the unburied corpses lie exposed; here these savage invaders suffer not the dead to enjoy quiet repose.

1. The graves and republics of Judah’s kings and princes shall be opened, either their covetousness to search for treasures; or to show insult even to their allies; or as a just judgment of God, who suffered the bones of the kings, priests, prophets, and people, who had so rebuffed against him, to be exposed with infamy before those luminaries of heaven whom they had worshipped, loved, served, and fought; they had walked in the most abominable idolatries, and set up these to their gods, as if their favour was to be desired, and their blessing to be obtained: foolish and impious the service! and now it appeared so, when they could not afford the least help, nor so much as collect their scattered bones, spread for dung upon the face of the earth, v. 1, 2. Note, In the day of judgment the sinner’s loathsome carcals will be more thanfully exposed, fol. lavi. 24.

2. Death, the most dreaded of human evils, now shall be courted; not that it hath lost ought of its horrors, but because life is become intolerable; not from a hope of happiness in the exchange, but from despair of evil or eats below. The survivors of this evil family, for to so small a number will they be reduced, shall be so harassed and contented in every place whither they are driven, that they shall look with envy on those who have perished by famine and the sword, and count their lot more eligible than their own, v. 3. Note, That case is ter-VoL. II.

ribly indeed, when life becomes a burden, and the sinner is tempted to prefer strangling and death.

4. Moreover, thou shalt say unto them, Thou faith the LORD, Shalt they fall, and not arise? Shalt he turn away, and not return? 5. Why then is this people of Jerusalem hidden back, by a perpetual backfinding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. 6. I hearkned and heard, but they quake not aright: no man repeated him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse ruffeth into the battle. 7. Yes, the flock in the heaven knoweth her appointed tiress, and the turtle, and the crane, and the swallow observe the time of their coming, but my people know not the judgment of the LORD. 8. How do ye say, We are wide, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it, the pen of the scribes is in vain. 9. The wide men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken to Lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD, and what wisdom is in them? 10. Therefore will give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one deaeth fastly. 11. For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. 12. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall, in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, faith the LORD.

Jeremiah 8:4-12

Never was people so insinuated to their ruin. 1. They persevered in their evil ways. In general, when a man fails, he seeks immediately to recover himself; and if he loses his way, he is solicitous to return into the right path, v. 4. Why then is this people of Jerusalem hidden back by a perpetual backfinding? and instead of any desire to amend, they hold fast deceit; obstinate against every means of conviction, they refuse to return. Note, (1.) They who backfolds from God, wonder endlessly and perpetually, unless his grace plucks them from ruin. (2.) Nothing is so great a deceit as sin; it promises so much enjoyment, and ever produces so much misery.

2. They disappointed God’s expectations from them. He patiently waited and hearkn’d, if so he they might at last be prevailed upon to change their note, and learn the language of penitence: but not one quake might, nor repeated of his wickedness, reflecting with shame upon his conduct: but just the very reverse; they urged on their mad career in sin with such determined waywardness and fearlessness, as the horse ruffeth into the battle. Note, (1.) God is long-suffering to unward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come unto repentance. (2.) The first step to real penitence is serious reflection upon the evil of our past ways, What have I done? (3.) The daring sinner that mocks at the terrors of the Lord, as chimeras, and fearless ruffess into the depths of iniquity, will find them fearful realities, and that half was not told him.

3. They were more stupid and irrational than the fowls of heaven, whilst they made the highest pretensions to wisdom, v. 7—9. The birds of passage by inflict know the proper season for their coming and going, and how to direct their flight; but my people know not the judgment of the Lord; neither how to improve the calls of mercy in God’s word, nor the corrections of affliction, nor his vibrations on others, and yet they say, We are wide, and the law of the Lord is with us. How shameless their pretensions! when their whole conduct appeared so contradictory. In vain had they the law, and the pen of the scribes to write out copies or comments upon it; their expositions were false, or at least they paid no regard to them, if true. Their wise men themselves are confounded at calamities they could neither foresee nor avert: nor can it be wondered, when, is they have rejected the word of the Lord, sent by his prophets; and what wisdom is in them, when they reject the counsel of God, and revise to be instructed? Note, (1.) Many enjoy plenty of means, have Bible and ministers, and yet are never the wiser for them. (2.) Whatever pretenses to wisdom they may make, who reject God’s revealed word, they will be confounded in the day of judgment at their own egregious folly.

4. For their sins they shall suffer. Their sins are before charged on them, chap. vi. 13—15. Love of filthy lures, most scandalous in those who are to preach, and be examples to others of deadness to the world. Infanterity; their professions were false, and their doctrine dishonest, tending to lull the sinner’s soul into fatal security, instead of rousing him to a sense of his danger; and daring impudence, that knew not to blush, though convicted of their lies, and upbraided for their