Jeremiah 4
OGCREVIEW OF CHAPTER SIX
I. Facts to Master.
The interpretation of evil from the north and destroyer of nations (Jeremiah 4:6-7).
The charge which Jeremiah makes against God (Jeremiah 4:10).
That which was essential if Judah was to be saved in the coming invasion (Jeremiah 4:14).
Jeremiah’s personal feelings as he contemplated the impending disaster (Jeremiah 4:19-22).
That which the nation tried to do to avert disaster (Jeremiah 4:30).
A favorite comparison of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 4:31).
The search which Jeremiah is bidden to under take (Jeremiah 5:1).
The words they used in taking an oath (Jeremiah 5:2).
What the people had been saying about their prophets (Jeremiah 5:13).
The fate of those who had served foreign gods (Jeremiah 5:19).
The appalling thing which had happened in the land (Jeremiah 5:30).
The figure with which Jeremiah describes the obstinacy of the people (Jeremiah 6:10).
That which the false priests and prophets were proclaiming (Jeremiah 6:14).
That for which the people should ask (Jeremiah 6:16).
That which was no longer acceptable to God (Jeremiah 6:20).
Two metaphors used to describe the prophet (Jeremiah 6:27 ASV).
II. Questions to Ponder.
How can the heart of the sinner be compared to fallow ground? How can the preacher of the Gospel precondition the soil of the heart for a favorable reception of the seed of the Word? Jeremiah 4:3
Why does Jeremiah call upon these Jews to circumcise themselves?
What literary technique does the prophet employ in Jeremiah 4:5-18 and Jeremiah 6:1-6?
What was the prophet’s personal reaction to the destruction of his people? Jeremiah 4:19-22.
What is meant by the expression yet I will not make a full end? Jeremiah 4:27; Jeremiah 5:10; Jeremiah 5:18.
Was the sin of Judah a matter of ignorance? Justify your answer. Jeremiah 5:1-6.
What were some of the pagan gods worshiped in Judah in the days of Jeremiah?
What was the root cause of the apostasy in Judah? Jeremiah 5:23.
What was the attitude of Jeremiah toward social injustice? Jeremiah 5:28. Should church leaders today be come involved in social action projects?
What does the prophet mean in Jeremiah 6:8 when he urges the people of Jerusalem to be instructed?
What is the significance of the figure of the grape gatherer in Jeremiah 6:9?
Who is speaking in Jeremiah 6:11 b? Is this a prayer on the part of the prophet or a command on the part of God?
What inadequate remedies for the hurt of God’s people are the spiritual leaders of our nation offering? See Jeremiah 6:14.
Why do you think Jeremiah 6:16 was such a popular preaching text among the preachers of the Restoration Movement?
What kind of rest comes to those who walk the old paths? Is it the rest of inactivity? See Jeremiah 6:16. Also Matthew 11:28.
- Why is ritual without righteousness worthless?
Does Jeremiah here completely repudiate the Mosaic sacrificial system? Jeremiah 6:20.
Jeremiah 4:1-4
F. The Rewards of Repentance Jeremiah 4:1-4
TRANSLATION
(1) If you return, O Israel, (oracle of the LORD) unto Me return; and if you will remove your abominations from before Me, and never waver (2) and you sware, As the LORD lives, in truth, in justice and in righteousness then nations shall bless themselves in Him and in Him they shall glory. (3) For thus says the LORD, to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Plow up your unplowed ground! Do not sow among the thorns! (4) Circumcise yourselves to the LORD. Remove the foreskins of your heart, O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest like a fire My wrath goes out and burns and there be no one to quench it because of the evil of your deeds.
COMMENTS
If she was to reap the rewards of repentance Israel must make sure that she turns unto the Lord. The pronoun Me is in an emphatic position in the Hebrew sentence structure of Jer 4:1. Israel had turned to other gods and to other nations. She was constantly turning in one direction or the other. Now she must make sure she returns to Me. A genuine return to the Lord will involve three distinct actions on the part of the nation. (1) They must remove all their abominations, i.e., their idols and the rites conducted in their worship, from before the face of the Lord. (2) From that point on they must never waver, i.e., run to and from other gods, but rather remain steadfastly faithful to the Lord. (3) They must swear by the life of the Lord. As the Lord lives was the common form of the Jewish oath. The men of Israel must swear to the Lord and by the Lord. They must renew their covenant to the Lord by swearing allegiance to Him.[156] To swear by the Lord means to call Him to witness to the truth of a statement. Lest one take this matter of swearing lightly three qualifications are placed upon the act. The oath must be made (a) in truth, i.e., in sincerity; (b) in justice, i.e., in keeping with that which is right; and (c) in righteousness, i.e., in accordance with the commandments of the law of God (Deuteronomy 6:24-25). Following this lengthy statement of the stipulations concerning repentance, the Lord adds a beautiful promise. If Israel truly repents then the Lord will make them a blessing to the whole world and the promise of Jer 3:17 will be fulfilled. The heathen will come to bless and glorify the Lord when they see the way in which He will bless penitent Israel (Jeremiah 4:2).
[156] Cf. Deuteronomy 26:17 f.; 2 Kings 23:3; Nehemiah 9:1 to Nehemiah 10:39.
From the explicit promise of reward in Jeremiah 4:2 the prophet develops two metaphors which contain implicit promises to penitent sinners. In the first metaphor, which Jeremiah has borrowed from Hosea (Hosea 10:12), the heart of the men of Judah is like a field which has never been cleared of dense brush and plowed for planting. (Jeremiah 4:3). It is no easy task to clear that land of thorn and thistle and plow that virgin soil. Superficial plowing will not do for the roots of the weeds can only be destroyed as the ground is worked again and again. But no harvest of any consequence can be reaped from a field which has not thoroughly been prepared. So must the sinner laboriously work to root up and kill the thorns of wickedness and idolatry. The seed of the word of God does not stand a chance in a heart which harbors the roots of sin. But the more thorough the plowing, the richer the harvest.
In Jeremiah 4:4 the metaphor changes as Jeremiah calls upon the men of Judah to circumcise themselves to the Lord. Here the prophet is taking a slap at the mere formal, ritualistic notions of circumcision. All Jews were circumcised; but not all were circumcised to the Lord. Jeremiah is certainly not advocating that the outward act of circumcision be abandoned. God Himself had commanded His people to perform this act. But the prophet is demanding that circumcision be carried out in the right spirit. Israel must not only circumcise the foreskin of their flesh but also of their hearts (Deuteronomy 10:16). While the outward act of circumcision made a man a member of the commonwealth of Israel, it was the circumcision of the heart that made a man part of the true Israel of God. The outward act was of no consequence if the heart was unchanged. The earnest entreaty of the Lord closes with an ultimatum. If these men fail to live up to their circumcision then the consuming fire of God’s wrath will break forth against them and no one will be able to extinguish that fire (Jeremiah 4:4).
Jeremiah 4:5-10
CHAPTER SIX
SERMONS FROM THE REIGN OF JOSIAH (Continued) III.** **GOD’S WARNING To HIS PEOPLE
Following his treatment of repentance Jeremiah takes up at length the subject of divine judgment. Using bold figures of speech he first announces the coming judgment (Jeremiah 4:5-18) and then adds a somewhat detailed description of that judgment (Jeremiah 4:19-31). Chapter 5 in its entirety is devoted to discussion of the causes of the impending disaster. In chapter 6 the prophet sees the judgment approaching ever closer to his country.
A. Announcement of Coming Judgment Jeremiah 4:5-18
Jeremiah builds the announcement of divine judgment around three figures. He compares the armies which will destroy Judah to a lion who ravishes the countryside (Jeremiah 4:5-10), to a tempest which swirls through the land (Jeremiah 4:11-13) and to watchers who station themselves outside the fortifications of Jerusalem and guard against any escape on the part of the inhabitants of the city (Jeremiah 4:14-18).
- The first figure: the lion (Jeremiah 4:5-10)
TRANSLATION
(5) Declare in Judah and publish in Jerusalem, and say: Blow the trumpet in the land; cry out boldly and say: Gather yourselves and let us go unto the fortified city. (6) Set up a standard toward Zion. Take refuge. Do not hesitate; for I am about to bring calamity from the north and great destruction. (7) A lion has gone up from his thicket, yea, a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out of his place to make your land a desolation. Your cities shall fall to ruins, without inhabitant. (8) Because of this gird on sackcloth, mourn and howl for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned back from us. (9) And it shall come to pass in that day (oracle of the LORD) that the heart of the king shall perish and the heart of the princes as well. The priests shall be astonished and the prophets shall be dumbfounded. (10) And I said, Ah Lord GOD! Surely you have completely deceived this people and Jerusalem saying, you shall have peace, while the sword reaches to the soul.
COMMENTS
Jeremiah 4:5-10 present a picture of impending disaster. Mentally projecting himself into the future, Jeremiah describes the frenzied activity throughout the land of Judah as the foe draws near. The dramatic quality of the passage is enhanced by the use of a series of rhetorical imperatives addressed by God to the prophet, by the prophet to the people, and by the people to one another. Jeremiah urges the people to sound the alarm throughout the land by means of trumpet and word of mouth. He urges them to cry out as loudly[157] as they possibly can in order that the scattered population might rush to safety in the fortified cities of the land (Jeremiah 4:5). Jeremiah urges them to set up a standard, a signal flag or signpost, to guide the fleeing refugees to Zion or Jerusalem. He pleads with fugitives not to hesitate (literally, stand around). They should not linger or tarry in order to have their possessions. It is an urgent hour. The Babylonian forces in the north are sweeping southward to bring calamity and destruction to Judah (Jeremiah 4:6).
[157] The Hebrew says literally, Cry out! Fill! sometimes in Hebrew a verb is used to convey an adverbial idea. Jeremiah is then urging them to cry out with the fullness of their strength.
Jeremiah compares Nebuchadnezzar to a lion which has gone up from its thicket. The lion, being the symbol of irresistible might and royalty, is a fitting figure for the invincible Chaldean conqueror. Unlike the literal lions which might attack individuals, this mighty and ruthless lion attacks and destroys whole nations. So certain is Jeremiah that this enemy from the north will descend on Judah that he can declare that Nebuchadnezzar has gone out of his place (lit., has broken up his camp). His purpose, declares the prophet, is to make the whole land of Judah a desolation (Jeremiah 4:7). In view of this impending disaster Jeremiah urges the people to gird on sackcloth as a sign of extreme distress. They should mourn and howl as in lamentation over the dead. The destruction of the land is inevitable because the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from Judah (Jeremiah 4:8) as the people naively believed (Jeremiah 2:35). In that day of disaster the heart of the king and his princes shall perish. The heart in the Old Testament is the center of the intellect, the will and the emotions. Hence the civil rulers who should be a tower of strength in the national emergency will lose their reason and their courage. The spiritual leaders who had so confidently been predicting that God could not and would not destroy Jerusalem will be utterly dumbfounded at the extent of the calamity (Jeremiah 4:9).
In Jeremiah 4:10 Jeremiah reacts to the vivid description of the future judgment which he has just faithfully related to the people. Shocking as it may seem, Jeremiah accuses God of deceiving or beguiling the nation, promising them peace while the sword of divine retribution was about to reach to the very soul or life of the nation. This is not the only passage where Jeremiah charges God with deceit (cf. Jeremiah 20:7). But what is the basis of the accusation against God? Where had God promised peace to the nation? Perhaps Jeremiah has reference to the Messianic promises of Jer 3:14-18. He is not able to reconcile those glorious promises of a golden age to come with his present prophecy of the total destruction of Judah. On the other hand Jeremiah may be alluding to the prophecies of the fake prophets who had been confidently predicting peace for the land (Jeremiah 6:14; Jeremiah 14:13; Jeremiah 23:17). In this case the Lord is held responsible for those predictions of peace because He did not immediately punish the men who delivered the prophecies. In other words God is said to have done what He only permitted to occur. Upon complaining about these other prophets in a later passage (Jeremiah 14:18) Jeremiah is told that they are prophesying lies in the name of God.
Jeremiah 4:11-13
**2. The second figure:
TRANSLATION**
(11) In that time it shall be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A wind scorching hot of the bare heights in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, not to winnow, not to cleanse; (12) a wind too strong for these things shall come for Me; now also I will speak judgments against them. (13) Behold, like clouds he comes up and like a whirlwind are his chariots. His horses are more swift than eagles. Woe to us! for we are devastated.
COMMENTS
When the judgment falls upon Judah people will use the figure of a blasting wind to describe what has befallen the land. The foe sweeping down upon Jerusalem will not be like the gentle wind which separates the grain from the chaff but will be like the fierce sirocco which blasts in annually from the Arabian desert (Jeremiah 4:11). Repeating his figure for the sake of emphasis Jeremiah declares that the coming wind of retribution will be too strong for these things, i.e., it will be a more violent wind than could serve for winnowing the grain. God had spoken in times past through His prophets. Now God will speak to His people in the only language which they will understand, the language of judgment and punishment (Jeremiah 4:12). The hosts of God’s warriors will come up like the clouds (Ezekiel 38:16) which accompany a violent whirlwind (Isaiah 5:28; Isaiah 66:15). The horses of the enemy are more swift than eagles (Habakkuk 1:8; Deuteronomy 28:49). As the inhabitants of Judah see that vast horde descending upon them the wail of lamentation shall be taken up in the land (Jeremiah 4:13).
Jeremiah 4:14-18
- The third figure: the keepers (Jeremiah 4:14-18)
TRANSLATION
(14) Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, that you might be saved. How long will you harbor in your midst wicked thoughts? (15) For hark! A messenger from Dan, one who announces bad tidings from the hills of Ephraim! (16) Report it to the nations: Behold! Publish concerning Jerusalem, Watchers are coming from a distant land and they shall give forth their voice against the cities of Judah. (17) Like watchmen of a field are they against her round about for she has rebelled against Me (oracle of the LORD). (18) Your way and your deeds have done these things to you; this is your evil. Surely it is bitter! Surely it has touched your very heart.
COMMENTS
The third figure opens with an appeal to the inhabitants of Jerusalem to cleanse themselves from evil in order that they might be saved. Amid the crashing threats of divine judgment it is easy to overlook these quiet and sincere appeals. Jeremiah was perplexed by the obstinacy of his countrymen. In view of the impending disaster Jeremiah asks rhetorically, How long will you harbor (lit., cause to lodge) in your midst (within you) wicked thoughts (Jeremiah 4:11). Repentance is so urgent for Jeremiah can see in prophetic vision the rapid advance of the enemy, He dramatically depicts a messenger arriving from Dan, the northern border of Palestine. Almost as quickly as the first messenger reaches Jerusalem a second runner from the hills of Ephraim ten miles from Jerusalem arrives with equally bad tidings. The enemy is rapidly advancing toward Jerusalem (Jeremiah 4:15). Even the neighboring nations are called upon to take heed to what is taking place at Jerusalem for the divine visitation there has universal significance. Watchers, i.e., the besieging army. station themselves around the cities of Judah. They lift up their voices against the besieged cities in ridicule, in taunts and. demands for total surrender (Jeremiah 4:16). The enemy erects pavilions, booths and tents about the besieged city like unto those erected by those who guard a field (cf. Isaiah 1:8). The enemy watches the city lest any within make good their escape. All this has come upon Judah because she has rebelled against the Lord (Jeremiah 4:17). The sin of Judah is bitter indeed. It has reached to the very heart of the nation dealing a death blow to her (Jeremiah 4:18).
Jeremiah 4:19-22
B. Description of Coming Judgment Jeremiah 4:19-31
In the last half of chapter four Jeremiah describes the coming judgment. He emphasizes that this judgment will be (1) terrifying (Jeremiah 4:19-22); (2) devastating (Jeremiah 4:23-26); and (3) inevitable (Jeremiah 4:27-31).
- Terrifying judgment (Jeremiah 4:19-22)
TRANSLATION
(19) O my bowels, my bowels! I writhe! O walls of my heart! My heart roars within me! I cannot remain silent! for the sound of the trumpet you have heard, O my soul, the battle cry! (20) Destruction upon destruction is called for; the whole land is spoiled; suddenly they have spoiled my tents, in a moment my curtains. (21) How long shall I see a standard, hear the noise of a trumpet? (22) For My people are foolish, they know not Me; they are stupid sons! they are senseless ones. They are wise to do evil but they do not know how to do good.
COMMENTS
Let no one think that Jeremiah enjoyed preaching his message of judgment. He was no sadist who took delight in the suffering of others. As he contemplates the imminent destruction of his people he is emotionally shaken. His heart pounds; his bowels, considered by the ancients to be the seat of emotion, are in agony. He cannot remain silent. He must give vent. to his intense feelings (Jeremiah 4:19). When he hears the war trumpet, the battle cry and sees in his mind’s eye wave after wave of destruction sweeping across his land he is completely overwhelmed. Suddenly, in a moment it seems, the land and all its tents and curtains fall into the hands of the enemy (Jeremiah 4:20). Of course the people of Judah had long since given up the tents and curtains of their nomadic age for more permanent dwellings. Here Jeremiah is using tents and curtains as a metaphor for the habitations of the citizens of Jerusalem.[158]
[158] Jeremiah 30:18; 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 8:66; 1 Kings 12:16; Psalms 132:3.
In Jeremiah 4:21 the agony of the prophet reaches a climax as he cries out, How long shall I see a standard, hear the noise of a trumpet? The prophet seems to be rebelling against the visions of divine judgment which he has so frequently seen. The trumpet and standard here may be those of the enemy who attack Jerusalem or those of the Judeans who are defending their capital. Jeremiah seems to have hoped for some breakthrough in divine revelation, some note of hope. Yet all he has received thus far in his ministry are revelations of death and destruction. He asks the question, How long? He really means Why? God answers that question in Jeremiah 4:23 by giving a three-fold justification for the impending destruction of the nation. (1) The Judeans are foolish and no longer truly know God in their hearts. (2) When it comes to spiritual things, God’s people are stupid and senseless sons. (3) These people are brilliant in planning further evil but do not know the first thing about how to do what is right. Jeremiah wanted to know how long he would continue to receive revelations of destruction. The implication of Jer 4:22 is that these revelations will continue so long as the people continue to be foolish and disobedient.
Jeremiah 4:23-26
2. Devastating judgment (Jeremiah 4:23-26)
TRANSLATION
(23) I looked at the land, and behold, it was waste and void; and unto the heavens, but there was no light. (24) I looked at the mountains, and behold, they were shaking; and all the hills shook themselves. (25) I looked, and behold, there was no man and all the birds of the heaven had fled. (26) I looked, and behold, Carmel was a wilderness and all his cities were pulled down because of the presence of the LORD and His fierce anger.
COMMENTS
Jeremiah regains his composure after the emotional outburst of Jer 4:19-21. God’s explanation of the forthcoming destruction in Jeremiah 4:22 seems to have satisfied the reluctant preacher. He takes up anew the description of the divine judgment by picturing the desolate condition of Judah during the years of the exile. Four times in Jeremiah 4:23-26 he declares that he saw what he describes to his hearers. What he saw was not a pretty picture. He saw waste and void. The same two words are used in combination in the second verse of Genesis to describe the state of primeval matter before the spirit of God molded it into order and form. He sees darkness prevailing over the land as the heavens refuse to give forth light (Jeremiah 4:23). The mountains and hills, despite their massive weight, are shaking (lit., to be light or move lightly), swaying, tossing and heaving (Jeremiah 4:24). Not a man could he see! Not even a bird remained in the land (Jeremiah 4:25). When birds flee a land the desolation is complete. Carmel, the fruitful field, had become a wilderness. All the cities of the land are in ruins. All had been laid waste and destroyed by the wrath of the God of judgment.
Jeremiah 4:27-31
- Inevitable judgment (Jeremiah 4:27-31)
TRANSLATION
(27) For thus says the LORD: All the land shall become a desolation; but I will not make a full end of it. (28) On account of this the land shall mourn, the heavens above shall be dark because I have spoken, I have purposed it and I have not repented nor turned back from it. (29) From the noise of the horsemen and bowmen all the city flees. They go into the thickets and go up into the rocks. Every city is forsaken and there is not a man dwelling in them. (30) And you who are about to be spoiled, what are you doing that you clothe yourself with scarlet, that you deck yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with eye shadow. In vain you primp! Your lovers despise you, they seek your life. (31) For a sound as a woman in labor I have heard, anguish as one who brings forth her first-born, the sound of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath, spreading forth her hands. Woe is me now for my soul faints before the murderers.
COMMENTS
However severe the punishment of Judah may be God will not make a full end of it (Jeremiah 4:27). A remnant will escape and become the seed for a holier nation.[159] Without such a conviction the work of the prophet would be meaningless. Yet God has proposed and decreed the destruction of the nation as a political entity. For this reason both earth and heaven are pictured as entering into mourning (Jeremiah 4:28). The figure of the earth mourning may mean that the soil will not produce its fruit. The lamentation on the part of nature is justified. Screaming, galloping horsemen and expert bowmen will sweep down upon the city. The inhabitants of the city will flee for safety to the thickets and rocks, the limestone caverns which abound in Palestine. Every city is forsaken, deathly silent (Jeremiah 4:29).
[159] See Amos 9:8; Isaiah 4:2; Isaiah 6:13; Isaiah 10:20; Isaiah 11:11; Hosea 6:1-2.
In view of the impending national disaster Jeremiah cannot comprehend the nonchalance of his countrymen. Like the wrinkled old Jezebel who painted her face in a desperate attempt to allure and seduce her antagonist Jehu (2 Kings 9:30), Judah is using every device to gain the favor of the powers of the world. Judah puts on scarlet robes and beautiful ornaments of gold. She applies cosmetics to her eyelids in order to make her eyes seem larger. But all of this primping is in vain. Judah’s political lovers actually despise her and are seeking to destroy her (Jeremiah 4:30). Judah had entered into adulterous liaison with Egypt, Assyria (Jeremiah 2:33 f.) and, most recently, Babylon. But history was about to prove again that Judah’s lover was her implacable foe. The foreign powers of antiquity were completely unimpressed by the seductive wiles of Zion. Three times in Jeremiah 4:30 Jeremiah emphasizes Judah’s efforts to please her political friends; three times he records the futility of her efforts. Too late the silly maiden will realize the folly of her ways. The dying daughter of Zion will experience agony akin to that experienced by a woman giving birth to her first child. She gasps for breath and spreads forth her hands in desperate appeal, crying out in anguish, woe is me! At last she realizes that her lovers (hogebim) are really her murderers (horegim).