Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 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;
1. a pen of iron ] used for making permanent marks on a hard surface, e.g. on rocks (Job 19:24).
diamond ] as used now by glaziers on account of its extreme hardness. Pliny tells us ( Hist. Nat. Jer 37:15) that the ancients were well acquainted with the cutting powers of the diamond, and used to set it in iron. Judah’s guilt is, as it were, indelibly engraved upon their utterly hard hearts.
the table of their heart ] their inward nature. Cp. Pro 3:3; Pro 7:3.
horns ] probably metal projections from the corners (Exo 27:2).
your ] better read, as in mg. (with LXX) their.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Jer 17:1-4. See introd. summary to section.
The vv. are omitted in LXX, either (as St Jerome suggests) from unwillingness that the lasting condemnation here expressed should be put on permanent record against them, or because a translator’s eye accidentally wandered from the last word of Jer 16:21 to the same (“the Lord”) in Jer 17:5. Jer 17:3 f. are repeated from Jer 15:13 f., where the LXX rendering exists. The passage is doubtless genuine, though the text is difficult and probably not free from corruption.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
This section Jer 17:1-4 is inseparably connected with the preceding. Judahs sin had been described Jer 16:19 as one of which the very Gentiles will become ashamed. and for which she will shortly be punished by, an intervention of Gods hand more marked than anything in her previous history. Jeremiah now dwells upon the indelible nature of her sin.
A pen of iron – i. e., an iron chisel for cutting inscriptions upon tables of stone.
The point of a diamond – The ancients were well acquainted with the cutting powers of the diamond.
Altars – Not Yahwehs one altar, but the many altars which the Jews had set up to Baalim Jer 11:13. Though Josiah had purged the land of these, yet in the eleven years of Jehoiakims reign they had multiplied again, and were the external proofs of Judahs idolatry, as the table of her heart was the internal witness.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Jer 17:1
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond.
The deep seated character of sin
I. What is sin? If you ask the Pharisee of old what sin was–Well, he said, it is eating without washing your hands; it is drinking wine without having first of all strained out the gnats, for those insects are unclean, and if you should swallow any of them they will render you defiled. Many in these days have the same notion, with a variation. We have read of a Spanish bandit, who, when he confessed before his father confessor, complained that one sin hung with peculiar weight upon his soul that was of peculiar atrocity. He had stabbed a man on a Friday, and a few drops of the blood of the wound had fallen on his lips, by which he had broken the precepts of holy Church, in having tasted animal food on a fast day. The murder did not seem to arouse in his conscience any feeling of remorse at all–not one atom–he would have done the same tomorrow; but an accidental violation of the canons of mother Church excited all his fears. Singular, indeed, are the ideas which many men have of transgression. But such is not Gods view of sin. Sin is a want of conformity to the will of God; sin is disobedience to Gods command; sin is a forgetfulness of the obligations of the relation which exists between the creature and the Creator. This is the very essence of sin. Injustice to my fellow creature is truly sin, but its essence lies in the fact that it is sin against God, who constituted the relation which I have violated. It is a great and intolerable wrong that, being created by God, we yet refuse to yield to His will. It is right that He who is so good to us should have our love: it is sin that, living upon Gods goodness, we do not return to Him our hearts affection. It is right that, being sustained by Divine beneficence from day to day, we should give to Him constant thankfulness; but, being so sustained, we do not thank Him, and herein lies the very soul of sin. Now, in the light of this truth, let me ask the believer to humble himself very greatly on account of sin. That I have not loved my God with all my heart; that I have not trusted Him with all my confidence; that I have not given to Him the glory due unto His name; that I have not acted as a creature should do, much less as a new creature is bound to do; that, receiving priceless mercies, I have made so small a return–let me confess this in dust and ashes, and then bless the name of the Atoner who, by His precious blood, hath put even this away, so that it shall not be mentioned against us any more forever.
II. How is the fixedness of sin which is declared in the text proved? The prophet tells us that mans sinfulness is as much fixed in him as an inscription carved with an iron pen in granite. How is this fixedness proved? It is proved in two ways in the text, namely, that it is graven upon the table of their heart, and secondly, upon the horns of their altar. It clearly proves how deeply evil is fixed in man, when we reflect that sin is in the very heart of man. When a sin becomes intertwisted with the roots of the affections, you cannot uproot it; when the leprosy eats deep into the heart of humanity, who can expel it? It becomes henceforth a hopeless case, so far as human power is concerned. Since sin reigns and rules in mans affections, it is deep ingrained indeed. The second proof the prophet gives of the infixedness of human sin is, that it was written on the horns of their altars. These people sinned by setting up idols and departing from Jehovah: we sin in quite another way. When you get the unconverted man to be religious–which is a very easy thing–what form does the religion take? Frequently he prefers that which most gratifies his taste, his ears, or his sight. If your heart is touched, that is the worship of God; if your heart is drawn to God, that is the service of God; but if it is the mere ringing of the words, and the falling of the periods, and the cadence of the voice that you regard, why, you do not worship God, but on the very horns of your altars are your sins. You are bringing a delight of your own sensuous faculties and putting that in the place of true faith and love, and then saying to your soul, I have pleased God, whereas you have only pleased yourself. When men become serious in religion, and look somewhat to the inward, they then defile the Lords altar by relying upon their own righteousness. Man is much like a silkworm, he is a spinner and weaver by nature. A robe of righteousness is wrought out for him, but he will not have it; he will spin for himself, and like the silkworm, he spins, and spins, and he only spins himself a shroud. All the righteousness that a sinner can make will only be a shroud in which to wrap up his soul, his destroyed soul, for God will cast him away who relies upon the works of the law. In other ways men stain the horns of their altars. Some do it by carelessness. Those lips must be depraved indeed which even in prayer and praise still continue to sin. The horns of our altars are defiled by hypocrisy. You may have seen two fencers practising their art, and noticed how they seem to be seeking each others death; how they strike and thrust as though they were earnestly contending for life; but after the show is over, they sit down and shake hands, and are good friends. Often so it is in your prayers and confessions; you will acknowledge your sins, and profess to hate them, and make resolutions against them, but it is all outward show–fencing, not real fighting–and when the fencing bout is over, the soul shakes hands with its old enemy, and returns to its former ways of sin. Oh, this foul hypocrisy is a staining of the horns of the altar with a vengeance!
III. What is the cause of this? First, we must never forget the fall. We are none of us today as God made us. The human judgment is out of balance, it uses false weights and false measures. It puts darkness for light and light for darkness. The human will is no longer supple, as it should be, to the Divine will; our neck is naturally as an iron sinew, and will not bow to Jehovahs golden sceptre. Our affections also are twisted away from their right bent. Whereas we ought to have been seeking after Jesus, and casting out the tendrils of our affections towards Him, we cling to anything but the right, and climb upon anything but the true. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint. Human nature is like a magnificent temple all in ruins. In addition, however, to our natural depravity, there come in, in the second place, our habits of sin. Well may sin be deeply engraven in the man who has for twenty, forty, fifty, or perhaps seventy years, continued in his iniquity. Put the wool into the scarlet dye, and if it lie there but a week, the colour will be so ingrained in the fabric that you cannot get it out; but if you keep it there for so many years, how shall you possibly be able to bleach it? You must recollect, in addition to this, that sin is a most clinging and defiling thing. Who does not know that if a man sins once, it is much easier to sin that way the next time, nay, that he is much more inclinable towards that sin? I may add that the prince of the power of the air, the evil spirit, takes care, so far as he can, to add to all this. He chimes in with every suggestion of fallen nature. He will never let the tinder lie idle for want of sparks, nor the ground lie waste for want of the seeds of thorns and thistles.
IV. What is the cure for all this? Sin thus stamped into us, thus ingrained into our nature, can it ever be got out? It must be got out, or we cannot enter heaven, for there shall by no means enter within those pearly gates anything that defileth. We must be cleansed and purified, but how can it be done? It can only be done by supernatural process. Your only help lies in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became the Son of Man that He might lift the sons of men up from their natural degradation and ruin. How does Jesus Christ then take away these deeply-inscribed lines of sin from human nature? I answer, He does it first in this way. If our heart be like granite, and sin be written on it, Christs ready method is to take that heart away. A new heart also will I give you, and a right spirit will I put within you. Next to that, inasmuch as the guiltiness of sin is as permanent as sin itself, Jesus Christ is able to take our guilt away. His dying upon the Cross is the means by which the blackest sinner out of hell can be made white as the angels of God, and that, too, in a single instant. The Holy Spirit also comes in: the new nature being given and sin being forgiven, the Holy Ghost comes and dwells in us, as a Prince in his palace, as a God in his temple. Do I hear any say, Then, I would to God that I may experience the Divine process–the new nature given, which is regeneration, the washing away of sin, which constitutes pardon and justification, and the indwelling of the Holy Ghost, which insures final perseverance and complete sanctification. Oh, how can I have these precious things? Thou mayst have them, whoever thou mayst be, by simply believing in Jesus. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The iron pen recording sins
When Bishop Latimer was on trial for his life, a trial which ended in his being burned at the stake, he at first answered without duly considering how much a single unguarded word might cost him. Presently he heard the pen of a secretary, who was seated behind the tapestry, taking down every expression which fell from his lips. It would be well for us all to remember that there is a pen now recording behind the curtain of the skies, our every evil deed and word and thought and that for all these things God will bring us into judgment. The iron pen suggests two thoughts.
1. The record which it makes is deep and indelible. So, also, with the items which are filling up page after page in the book of Gods remembrance. A wealthy English landlord was once guilty of an act of tyrannical injustice to a poor, helpless widow, who rented a small cottage from him. The widows son, whose blood boiled with indignation when he witnessed this, grew up to be a distinguished painter, and he portrayed the scene, and placed it where the eye of the cruel landlord must rest upon it. When the hard-hearted oppressor saw it, he turned pale, and trembled, and offered any sum for it, that the terrible picture might be destroyed.
2. The iron pen with its diamond point does not wear out. Be the record of ones sins as long as it may, that record will assuredly be made. It is a moment of profound interest in the life of an antiquarian, when he drags forth from the sands of Egypt some ancient obelisk, on which the iron pen has engraved, so many ages ago, the portraits of those who, in the shadowy past, acted their part on the crowded theatre of a bustling world. This, however, is as nothing, compared with the disclosures of that day, when, from the stillness and silence of the grave, shall be brought out into the dazzling light of noon, tablets covered with the sculptured history of the soul; a history which no power nor skill can then erase. And thus the prophet would teach us, by the striking figure of the iron pen with its diamond point, that sin is no trifling thing; that one single violation of the Divine law does not pass unnoticed; and that they who die with the guilt of sins unrepented of, and unpardoned, resting on their souls, have nothing to expect but the outpouring of Gods terrible wrath. Vainly do we apologise for our shortcomings, on the ground of our natural bias to sin; or that the power of temptation proved too strong for us to resist. Forewarned, we ought to have been forearmed. Alas! who can contemplate his own sins against light and knowledge, against the strivings of conscience and the earnest pleadings of the Holy Spirit; who can count up his broken vows, and his contradictions of solemn confessions before God, and not tremble at the thought of the black catalogue which the iron pen has been writing down against him! When the great plague raged in London, in 1666, it was common to write over every infected house, Lord, have mercy upon us! Should the same inscription now be made over every abode where the plague of sin has entered, which of our habitations would not require to be thus labelled? (J. N. Norton, D. D.)
The inward registrar
Manton says: If conscience speaketh not, it writeth; for it is not only a witness, but a register, and a book of record: The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and the point of a diamond (Jer 17:1). We know not what conscience writeth, being occupied and taken up with carnal vanities, but we shall know hereafter, when the books are opened (Rev 20:12). Conscience keepeth a diary, and sets down everything. This book, though it be in the sinners keeping, cannot be razed and blotted out. Well, then, a sleepy conscience will not always sleep; if we suffer it not to awaken here, it will awaken in hell; for the present it sleepeth in many, in regard of motion, check, or smiting, but not in regard of notice and observation. Let those who forget their sins take note of this. There is a chiel within you taking notes, and he will publish all where all will hear it. Never say, nobody will see me, for you will see yourself, and your conscience will turn kings evidence against you. What a volume Mr. Recorder Conscience has written already! How many blotted pages he has in store, to be produced upon my trial. O Thou who alone canst erase this dreadful handwriting, look on me in mercy, as I now look on Thee by faith. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Sin ineradicable
The mind of man has been compared to a white sheet of paper. Now it is like a white sheet of paper in this, that whatever we write upon it, whether with distinct purpose or no, nay, every drop of ink we let fall upon it, makes an abiding mark, a mark which we cannot rub out, without much injury to the paper; unless, indeed, the mark has been very slight from the first, and we set about erasing it while it is fresh. In one of the grandest tragedies of our great English poet, there is a scene which, when one reads it, is enough to make ones blood run cold. A woman, whose husband had made himself King of Scotland by means of several murders, and who had been the prompter and partner of his crimes, is brought in, while in her sleep, and continually rubbing her hands, as though she were washing them, crying ever and anon, Yet heres a spot . . . What! will these hands neer be clean?. . .heres the smell of blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. In these words there is an awful power of truth. We can stain our souls; we can dye them, and double dye them, and triple dye them; we can dye them all the colours of halls rainbow; but we cannot wash them white. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten them, all the fountains of the great deep will not wash one little spot out of them. The usurping Queen of Scotland had been guilty of murder; and the stain of blood, it has been very generally believed, cannot be washed out. But it is not the stain of blood alone; every stain soils the soul; and none of them can be washed out. Every little speck of ink eats into the paper; every sin, however small we may deem it, eats into the soul. If we try to write over it, we make a deeper blot; if we try to scratch it out, the next letters which we write on the spot are blurred. Therefore is it of such vast importance that we should be very careful of what we write. In the tragedy which I was quoting just now, the queen says, Whats done cannot be undone. This amounts to the same thing as what I have written, in the sense in which I am now calling upon you to consider these words. Whats done cannot be undone. You know that this is true. You know you cannot push back the wheels of time, and make yesterday come again, so as to do over afresh what you did wrongly then. That which you did yesterday, yesterday will keep: you cannot change it; you cannot make it less or greater; if it was crooked, you cannot make it straight. You cannot turn back the leaves in the book of life, and read the lesson you have grabbed over again. That which you have written, you have written: that which you have done, you have done; and you cannot unwrite or undo it. (J. C. Hare.)
Sin leaves its marks
Even pardoned sins must leave a trace in heavy self-reproach. You have heard of the child whose father told him that whenever he did anything wrong a nail should be driven into a post, and when he did what was good he might pull one out. There were a great many nails driven into the post, but the child tried very hard to get the post cleared of the nails by striving to do right. At length he was so successful in his struggles with himself that the last nail was drawn out of the post. The father was just about to praise the child, when, stooping down to kiss him, he was startled to see tears fast rolling down his face. Why, my boy, why do you cry? Are not all the nails gone from the post? Oh yes! the nails are all gone, but the marks are left. That is a familiar illustration, but dont despise it because of that. It illustrates the experience of many a grey old sire, who, looking upon the traces of his old sins, as they yet rankle in his conscience, would give a hundred worlds to live himself back into young manhood, that he might obliterate the searing imprint of its follies. Have you never heard of fossil rain? In the stratum of the old red sandstone there are to be seen the marks of showers of rain which fell centuries and centuries ago, and they are so plain and perfect that they clearly indicate the way the wind was drifting, and in what direction the tempest slanted from the sky. So may the tracks of youthful sins be traced upon the tablet of the life when it has merged into old age,–tracks which it is bitter and sad remorse to look upon, and which call forth many a bootless longing for the days and months which are past. (A. Mursell.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XVII
This chapter begins with setting forth the very strong bias
which the people of Judah had to idolatry, with the fatal
consequences, 1-4.
The happiness of the man that trusted in Jehovah is then
beautifully contrasted with the opposite character, 5-8.
God alone knows the deceitfulness and wretchedness of the heart
of man, 9, 10.
The comparison of a bird’s hatching the eggs of another of a
different species, which will soon forsake her, is highly
expressive of the vanity of ill-acquired riches, which often
disappoint the owner, 11.
The prophet continues the same subject in his own person,
appeals to God for his sincerity, and prays that the evil
intended him by his enemies may revert on their own heads,
12-18.
The remaining part of the chapter is a distinct prophecy
relating to the due observance of the Sabbath, enforced both by
promises and threatenings, 19-27.
NOTES ON CHAP. XVII
Verse 1. The sin of Judah] Idolatry.
Is written with a pen of iron] It is deeply and indelibly written in their heart, and shall be as indelibly written in their punishment. Writing with the point of a diamond must refer to glass, or some vitrified substance, as it is distinguished here from engraving with a steel burine, or graver. Their altars show what the deities are which they worship. There may be reference here to the different methods of recording events in those days: –
1. A pen or stile of iron, for engraving on lead or wood.
2. A point of a diamond, for writing on vitreous substances.
3. Writing on tables of brass or copper.
4. Writing on the horns of the altars the names of the deities worshipped there. This is probable.
In several parts of India, and all through Ceylon, an iron or steel pen is used universally; with these the natives form the letters by incisions on the outer rind of the palm leaf. Books written in this way are very durable. This pen is broad at the top, has a very fine sharp point, and is sharp at one side as a knife, to shave and prepare the palm leaf. A pen of this description now lies before me.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
There is much arguing amongst those that are critical about the true signification of words, what is here signified by which we translate a diamond; most agree that it doth not signify a diamond, (not used in engraving,) but that by the pen of iron, and the point of a diamond, are meant some tools with which they were wont to engrave things upon hard substances; it may be made in a figure resembling the claw of a bird, as the word seemeth to import.
It is graven upon the table of their heart; it is graven in their hearts; they are so accustomed to sin, so inured to idolatry, that there is no hope of any reclaiming them. For how can they that are accustomed to do evil, do well?
And upon the horns of your altars; nor is it a thing done in secret, but it is written, or painted, or engraven upon the horns of their altars. Gods altar was foursquare, and at each corner there was a rising part made of brass something high, these were called the horns of the altar. See Exo 27:2; Eze 43:15,16. Now their sin is either said to be engraven or published upon the horns of the altar, because the blood of the sacrifices which they offered to idols was sprinkled there, or because their altars had some inscription upon them, declaring to what idol that altar was consecrated, as the altar of Athens had.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. The first of the four clausesrelates to the third, the second to the fourth, by alternateparallelism. The sense is: They are as keen after idols as if theirpropensity was “graven with an iron pen (Job19:24) on their hearts,” or as if it were sanctioned by alaw “inscribed with a diamond point” on their altars. Thenames of their gods used to be written on “the horns of thealtars” (Ac 17:23). Asthe clause “on their hearts” refers to their inwardpropensity, so “on . . . altars,” the outwardexhibition of it. Others refer “on the horns of . . . altars”to their staining them with the blood of victims, in imitation of theLevitical precept (Exo 29:12;Lev 4:7; Lev 4:18),but “written . . . graven,” would thus be inappropriate.
table of . . . heartwhichGod intended to be inscribed very differently, namely, with Histruths (Pro 3:3; 2Co 3:3).
yourThough “their”preceded, He directly addresses them to charge the guilt home to themin particular.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron,…. Or an iron tool, such as engravers use in working on hard matter:
[and] with the point of a diamond; such as glaziers use in cutting their glass; though this is not the word used for a diamond in
Ex 28:18, this word is elsewhere translated an adamant, Eze 3:9. Bothart h takes it to be the smiris, which jewellers use in polishing their gems. Jarchi makes mention of a Midrash, or exposition, which explains the iron pen of Jeremiah, and the point of the adamant, or diamond, of Ezekiel, because of what is said of them, Jer 1:18. Kimchi thinks the word “shamir”, rendered “diamond”, is expressive of the subject matter on which their sin is said to be written, and not of the instrument with which; and then it is to be read thus,
“the sin of Judah is written with an iron pen (with an iron claw, or nail, of which mention is made in some Jewish writings) upon “shamir”, or an adamant stone;”
which is no other than their stony heart, as it follows:
it is graven upon the table of their heart; where it is so fixed that it cannot be rooted out, and will never be forgotten by them, but always remembered and desired; for which they have the strongest affections, having a place, and having made deep impressions there: or this may denote the evidence of it in their own consciences, which bore witness to it, and which they could not deny:
and upon the horns of your altars; on which the names of their idols were engraven or inscribed, Ac 17:23, so that their idolatry was notorious; their consciences within, and their altars without, were testimonies of it and besides, the blood of the sacrifices was poured upon the horns of the altar, Le 4:7 and which, as it was done at the offering of sacrifices appointed of God, so very probably at the offering of sacrifices to idols, and which made their sin notorious; yea, even all the sacrifices of the ceremonial law were a standing testimony of their being sinners, and carried in them a confession of sin, and that they were deserving of death, and so were a handwriting against them; for there is no need to limit the sin of Judah here to idolatry, but it may include all their sins; and so the Targum expresses it in the plural number,
“the sins of Judah;”
though, if any particular sin is intended, it seems to be idolatry, by what follows.
h Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 6. c. 11, col. 842. of which stone, see Dioseorides, Hesychius, & Stephanus in ib.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Judah’s sin is ineffaceably stamped upon the hearts of the people and on their altars. These four verses are closely connected with the preceding, and show why it is necessary that Judah be cast forth amidst the heathen, by reason of its being perfectly stepped in idolatry. Jer 17:1. “The sin of Judah is written with an iron pen, with the point of a diamond graven on the table of their hearts and on the horns of your altars. Jer 17:2 . As they remember their children, so do they their altars and their Astartes by the green tree upon the high hills. Jer 17:3 . My mountain in the field, thy substance, all thy treasures give I for a prey, thy high places for sin in all thy borders. Jer 17:4 . And thou shalt discontinue, and that of thine own self, from thine inheritance that I gave thee, and I cause thee to serve thine enemies in a land which thou knowest not; for a fire have ye kindled in mine anger, for ever it burneth.” The sin of Judah (Jer 17:1) is not their sinfulness, their proneness to sin, but their sinful practices, idolatry. This is written upon the tables of the hearts of them of Judah, i.e., stamped on them (cf. for this figure Pro 3:3; Pro 7:3), and that deep and firmly. This is intimated by the writing with an iron pen and graving with a diamond. , from , scratch, used in Deu 21:12 for the nail of the finger, here of the point of the style or graving-iron, the diamond pencil which gravers use for carving in iron, steel, and stone.
(Note: Cf. Plinii hist. n. xxxvii. 15: crustae adamantis expetuntur a sculptoribus ferroque includuntur, nullam non duritiem ex facili excavantes.)
, diamond, not emery as Boch. and Ros. supposed; cf. Eze 3:9; Zec 7:12. The things last mentioned are so to be distributed that “on the table of their heart” shall belong to “written with a pen of iron,” and “on the horns of their altars” to “with the point of a diamond grave.” The iron style was used only for writing or carving letters in a hard material, Job 19:24. If with it one wrote on tables, it was for the purpose of impressing the writing very deeply, so that it could not easily be effaced. The having of sin engraved upon the tables of the heart does not mean that a sense of unatoned sin could not be got rid of (Graf); for with a sense of sin we have here nothing to do, but with the deep and firm root sin has taken in the heart. To the tables of the heart as the inward seat of sin are opposed the horns of their altars (at “altars” the discourse is directly addressed to the Jews). By altars are generally understood idolatrous altars, partly because of the plural, “since the altar of Jahveh was but one,” partly because of Jer 17:2, where the altars in question are certainly those of the idols. But the first reason proves nothing, since the temple of the Lord itself contained two altars, on whose horns the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled. The blood of the sin-offering was put not merely on the altar of burnt-offering, but also on the horns of the altar of incense, Lev 4:7-8; Lev 16:16. Nor is the second reason conclusive, since there is no difficulty in taking it to be the altars of Jahveh as defiled by idolatry. This, indeed, we must do, since Josiah had destroyed the altars of the false gods, whereas here the altars are spoken of as existing monuments of idolatry. The question, in how far the sin of Judah is ineffaceably engraven upon the horns of her altars, is variously answered by comm., and the answer depends on the view taken of Jer 17:2, which is itself disputed. It is certainly wrong to join Jer 17:2 as protasis with Jer 17:3 as apodosis, for it is incompatible with the beginning of Jer 17:3, . Ew. therefore proposes to attach “my mountain in the field” to Jer 17:2, and to change into : upon the high hills, the mountains in the field – a manifest makeshift. Umbr. translates: As their children remember their altars…so will I my mountain in the field, thy possession…give for a prey; and makes out the sense to be: “in proportion to the strength and ineffaceableness of the impressions, such as are to be found in the children of idolatrous fathers, must be the severity of the consequent punishment from God.” But if this were the force, then could not possibly be omitted before the apodosis; apart altogether from the suddenness of such a transition from the sins of the people (Jer 17:1) to the sins of the children.
Jer 17:2-3 Jer 17:2 is plainly meant to be a fuller and clearer disclosure of the sins written on the tables of Judah’s heart, finding therein its point of connection with Jer 17:1. The verse has no verbum finit ., and besides it is a question whether “their children” is subject or object to “remember.” The rule, that in calm discourse the subject follows the verb, does not decide for us; for the object very frequently follows next, and in the case of the infinitive the subject is often not mentioned, but must be supplied from the context. Here we may either translate: as their sons remember (Chald. and Jerome), or: as they remember their sons. As already said, the first translation gives no sense in keeping with the context. Rashi, Kimchi, J. D. Mich., Maur., Hitz. follow the other rendering: as they remember their children, so do they their altars. On this view, the verb. fin. is supplied from the infin. , and the two accusatives are placed alongside, as in Isa 66:3 after the participle, without the particle of comparison demanded by the sense, cf. also Psa 92:8; Job 27:15. Ng. calls this construction very harsh; but it has analogues in the passages cited, and gives the very suitable sense: Their altars, Astartes, are as dear to them as their children. Hitz. takes the force to be this: “Whenever they think of their children, they remember, and cannot but remember, the altars to whose horns the blood of their sacrificed children adheres. And so in the case of a green tree upon the heights; i.e., when they light upon such an one, they cannot help calling to mind the Asherahs, which were such trees.” But this interpretation is clearly wrong; for it takes the second clause as object to , which is grammatically quite indefensible, and which is besides incompatible with the order of the words. Besides, the idea that they remember the altars because the blood of their children stuck to the horns of them, is put into the words; and the putting of it in is made possible only by Hitz.’s arbitrarily separating “their Astartes” from “their altars,” and from the specification of place in the next clause: “by the green tree.” The words mean: As they remember their children, so do they their altars and Asherahs by every green tree. The co-ordination of Asherahs and altars makes it clear that it is not sacrifices to Moloch that are meant by altars; for the Asherahs have no connection with the worship of Moloch. Ng. ‘s assertions, that is the name for male images of Baal, and that there can be no doubt of their connection with child-slaughtering Moloch-worship, are unfounded and erroneous. The word means images of Asherah; see on 1Ki 14:23 and Deu 16:21. Graf says that ‘ does not belong to “altars and Asherahs,” because in that case it would need to be ‘ , as in Jer 2:20; Jer 3:6, Jer 3:13; Isa 57:5; Deu 12:2; 2Ki 16:4; 2Ki 17:10, but that it depends on . This remark is not correctly expressed, and Graf himself gives a local force, thus: by every green tree and on every high hill they think of the altars and Asherahs. This local relation cannot be spoken of as a “dependence” upon the verb; nor does it necessarily exclude the connection with “altars and Asherahs,” since we can quite well think of the altars and Asherahs as being by or beside every green tree and on the hills. At the same time, we hold it better to connect the local reference with the verb, because it gives the stronger sense – namely, that the Jews not merely think of the altars and Asherahs which are by every green tree and upon the high hills, but that by every green tree and on the high hills they think of their altars and Asherahs, even when there are no such things to be seen there. Thus we can now answer the question before thrown out, in what respects the sin was ineffaceably engraven on the horns of the altar: It was because the altars and images of the false gods had entwined themselves as closely about their hearts as their children, so that they brought the sin of their idolatry along with their sacrifices to the altars of Jahveh. The offerings which they bring, in this state of mind, to the Lord are defiled by idolatry and carry their sins to the altar, so that, in the blood which is sprinkled on its horns, the sins of the offerers are poured out on the altar. Hence it appears unmistakeably that Jer 17:1 does not deal with the consciousness of sin as not yet cancelled or forgiven, but with the sin of idolatry, which, ineradicably implanted in the hearts of the people and indelibly recorded before God on the horns of the altar, calls down God’s wrath in punishment as announced in Jer 17:3 and Jer 17:4.
“My mountain in the field” is taken by most comm. as a name for Jerusalem or Zion. But it is a question whether the words are vocative, or whether they are accusative; and so with the rest of the objects, “thy substance,” etc., dependent on . If we take them to be vocative, so that Jerusalem is addressed, then we must hold “thy substance” and “thy treasures” to be the goods and gear of Jerusalem, while the city will be regarded as representative of the kingdom, or rather of the population of Judah. But the second clause, “thy high places in all thy borders,” does not seem to be quite in keeping with this, and still less Jer 17:4: thou shalt discontinue from thine inheritance, which is clearly spoken of the people of Judah. Furthermore, if Jerusalem were the party addressed, we should expect feminine suffixes, since Jerusalem is everywhere else personified as a woman, as the daughter of Zion. We therefore hold “my mountain” to be accusative, and, under “the mountain of Jahveh in the field,” understand, not the city of Jerusalem, but Mount Zion as the site of the temple, the mountain of the house of Jahveh, Isa 2:3; Zec 8:3; Psa 24:3. The addition may not be translated: with the field (Ges., de W., Ng. ); for denotes the means or instrument, or an accessory accompanying the principal thing or action and subservient to it (Ew. 217, f. 3), but not the mere external surroundings or belongings. Ng. ‘s assertion, that , amidst = together with, is due to an extreme position in an empirical mode of treating language. means “in the field,” and “mountain in the field” is like the “rock of the plain,” Jer 21:13. But whether it denotes “the clear outstanding loftiness of the mountain, so that for it we might say: My mountain commanding a wide prospect” (Umbr., Graf), is a question. , field, denotes not the fruitful fields lying round Mount Zion, but, like “field of the Amalekites,” Gen 14:7, “field of Edom” (Gen 32:4), the land or country; see on Eze 21:2; and so here: my mountain in the land (of Judah or Israel). The land is spoken of as a field, as a level or plain (Jer 21:13), in reference to the spiritual height of the temple mountain or mountain of God above the whole land; not in reference to the physical pre-eminence of Zion, which cannot be meant, since Zion is considerably exceeded in height of the highlands of Judah. By its choice to be the site of the Lord’s throne amid His people, Mount Zion was exalted above the whole land as is a mountain in the field; and it is hereafter to be exalted above all mountains (Isa 2:2; Mic 4:1), while the whole land is to be lowered to the level of a plain (Zec 14:10). The following objects are ranged alongside as asyndetons: the Mount Zion as His peculiar possession and the substance of the people, all their treasures will the Lord give for a prey to the enemy. “Thy high places” is also introduced, with rhetorical effect, without copula. “Thy high places,” i.e., the heights on which Judah had practised idolatry, will He give up, for their sins’ sake, throughout the whole land. The whole clause, from “thy high places” to “thy borders,” is an apposition to the first half of the verse, setting forth the reason why the whole land, the mountain of the Lord, and all the substance of the people, are to be delivered to the enemy; because, viz., the whole land has been defiled by idolatry. Hitz. wrongly translates for sin, i.e., for a sin-offering.
Jer 17:4 And thou shalt discontinue from thine inheritance. There is in an allusion to the law in Exo 23:11, to let the ground lie untilled in the seventh year, and in Deu 15:2, to let loans go, not to exact from one’s neighbour what has been lent to him. Because Judah has transgressed this law, the Lord will compel the people to let go their hold of their inheritance, i.e., He will cast them out of it. seems strange, interposed between the verb and the “from thine inheritance” dependent on it. The later Greek translators (for the entire passage Jer 17:1-4 is wanting in the lxx) render it , and Jerome sola. Ew. therefore conjectures , but without due reason, since the translation is only a free rendering of: and that by thyself. J. D. Mich., Gr., and Ng. propose to read , on the ground of the connection wrongly made between and , to let go his hand, Deu 15:2, given in Ges. Lex. s.v. For in this case is not object to , but belongs to , hand-lending; and in Deu 15:3 is subject to , the hand shall quit hold. sig. and that by thee, i.e., by thine own fault; cf. Eze 22:16. Meaning: by thine own fault thou must needs leave behind thee thine inheritance, thy land, and serve thine enemies in a foreign land. On the last clause, “for a fire,” etc., cf. Jer 15:14, where is also discussed the relation of the present Jer 17:3 and Jer 17:4 to Jer 15:13-14. For ever burns the fire, i.e., until the sin is blotted out by the punishment, and for ever inasmuch as the wicked are to be punished for ever.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| The Guilt of Judah. | B. C. 605. |
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; 2 Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills. 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. 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.
The people had asked (ch. xvi. 10), What is our iniquity, and what is our sin? as if they could not be charged with any thing worth speaking of, for which God should enter into judgment with them; their challenge was answered there, but here we have a further reply to it, in which,
I. The indictment is fully proved upon the prisoners, both the fact and the fault; their sin is too plain to be denied and too bad to be excused, and they have nothing to plead either in extenuation of the crime or in arrest and mitigation of the judgment. 1. They cannot plead, Not guilty, for their sins are upon record in the book of God’s omniscience and their own conscience; nay, and they are obvious to the eye and observation of the world, Jer 17:1; Jer 17:2. They are written before God in the most legible and indelible characters, and sealed among his treasures, never to be forgotten, Deut. xxxii. 34. They are written there with a pen of iron and with the point of a diamond; what is so written will not be worn out by time, but is, as Job speaks, graven in the rock for ever. Note, The sin of sinners is never forgotten till it is forgiven. It is ever before God, till by repentance it comes to be ever before us. It is graven upon the table of their heart; their own consciences witness against them, and are instead of a thousand witnesses. What is graven on the heart, though it may be covered and closed up for a time, yet, being graven, it cannot be erased, but will be produced in evidence when the books shall be opened. Nay, we need not appeal to the tables of the heart, perhaps they will not own the convictions of their consciences. We need go no further, for proof of the charge, than the horns of their altars, on which the blood of their idolatrous sacrifices was sprinkled, and perhaps the names of the idols to whose honour they were erected were inscribed. Their neighbours will witness against them, and all the creatures they have abused by using them in the service of their lusts. To complete the evidence, their own children shall be witnesses against them; they will tell truth when their fathers dissemble and prevaricate; they remember the altars and the groves to which their parents took them when they were little, v. 2. It appears that they were full of them, and acquainted with them betimes, they talked of them so frequently, so familiarly, and with so much delight. 2. They cannot plead that they repent, or are brought to a better mind. No, as the guilt of their sin is undeniable, so their inclination to sin is invincible and incurable. In this sense many understand Jer 17:1; Jer 17:2. Their sin is deeply engraven as with a pen of iron in the tables of their hearts. They have a rooted affection to it; it is woven into their very nature; their sin is dear to them, as that is dear to us of which we say, It is engraven on our hearts. The bias of their minds is still as strong as ever towards their idols, and they are not wrought upon either by the word or rod of God to forget them and abate their affection to them. It is written upon the horns of their altars, for they have given up their names to their idols and resolve to abide by what they have done; they have bound themselves, as with cords, to the horns of their altars. And v. 2 may be read fully to this sense: As they remember their children, so remember they their altars and their groves; they are as fond of them and take as much pleasure in them as men do in their own children, and are as loth to part with them; they will live and die with their idols, and can no more forget them than a woman can forget her sucking child.
II. The indictment being thus fully proved, the judgment is affirmed and the sentence ratified, Jer 17:3; Jer 17:4. Forasmuch as they are thus wedded to their sins, and will not part with them, 1. They shall be made to part with their treasures, and those shall be given into the hands of strangers. Jerusalem is God’s mountain in the field; it was built on a hill in the midst of a plain. All the treasures of that wealthy city will God give to the spoil. Or, My mountains with the fields, thy wealth and all thy treasures will I expose to spoil; both the products of the country and the stores of the city shall be seized by the Chaldeans. Justly are men stripped of that which they have served their idols with and have made the food and the fuel of their lusts. My mountain (so the whole land was, Psa 78:54; Deu 11:11) you have turned into your high places for sin, have worshipped your idols upon the high hills (v. 2), and now they shall be give for a spoil in all your borders. What we make for a sin God will make for a spoil; for what comfort can we expect in that wherewith God is dishonoured? 2. They shall be made to part with their inheritance, and shall be carried captives into a strange land (v. 4): Thou, even thyself (or thou thyself and those that are in thee, all the inhabitants), shall discontinue from thy heritage that I gave thee. God owns that it was their heritage, and that he gave it to them; they had an unquestionable title to it, which was an aggravation of their folly in throwing themselves out of the possession of it. It is through thyself (so some read it), through thy own default, that thou art disseised. Thou shalt discontinue, or intermit, the occupation of thy land. The law appointed them to let their land rest (it is the word here used) one year in seven, Exod. xxiii. 11. They did not observe that law, and now God would compel them to let it rest (the land shall enjoy her sabbaths, Lev. xxvi. 34); and yet it shall be not rest to them; they shall serve their enemies in a land they know not. Observe, (1.) Sin works a discontinuance of our comforts and deprives us of the enjoyment of that which God has given us. Yet, (2.) A discontinuance of the possession is not a defeasance of the right, but it is intimated that upon their repentance they shall recover possession again. For the present, you have kindled a fire in my anger, which burns so fiercely that it seems as if it would burn for ever; and so it will unless you repent, for it is the anger of an everlasting God fastening upon the immortal souls, and who knows the power of that anger?
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
JEREMIAH – CHAPTER 17
WARNINGS AND EXHORTATIONS
Vs. 1-4: JUDAH’S SIN IS DEEPLY ENGRAVED‘
1. This message was delivered near the close of the reign of Jehoiachim.
2. So indelibly and permanently fixed is the sin of Judah (Jer 2:22) that Jeremiah pictures it as engraved (comp. Job 19:23-24) on the hearts of the people (contrast Isa 49:16; Pro 7:1-3; 2Co 3:3), and upon the horns of her altars (vs. 1; comp. Exo 29:12; Lev 4:7), where the blood of the sin-offering was to be smeared for the removal of sin.
3. Her children, forgetting the true God, were devoting themselves to Asherah (the cult-goddess of the Canaanites) whose objects of devotion (sexually-suggesting shame-images, Jdg 6:25 -26) were scattered throughout the land, (vs. 2; Jer 3:6; Jer 7:18; Exo 34:12-16; Deu 16:21).
4. Because of her sin, the kingdom (mountain) of Judah, with all its possessions, will be given (for a spoil) into the hands of her enemy, (vs. 3; Jer 26:18; Mic 3:12; Isa 39:4-6; Jer 15:13; Jer 20:5; 2Ki 24:13), since she has kindled a fire of divine anger that will burn “to the age”
the coming day of the Lord, (Jer 7:20; Jer 15:14; comp. Isa 5:25).
5. Judah will be cast out of her divinely-given heritage and delivered into the hands of an enemy (Babylon) whom she does not really know, (vs. 4; Jer 12:7; Jer 27:12-13; Deu 28:48).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
The Prophet teaches us here in other words what we have often already seen, — that the Jews in vain sought refuges, for their sin had so much accumulated that it was very apparent. It indeed often happens, that men fall; but God, who is ever inclined to mercy, forgives them; and they are also often led astray through levity, and thus their sins are not engraven on their hearts. But Jeremiah says, that nothing remained for that nation but to be entirely swept away, because their iniquity was past recovery. Had they been lightly besprinkled with vices, there might have been still a remedy for them; but when their iniquities were engraven on their hearts, on their marrow and bones, what more remained for them? He had said before,
“
Can the Ethiop change his skin?” (Jer 13:23)
though the Ethiop may change his skin, and also the panther, yet thou art still like thyself. They had so completely imbibed a contempt for God, and also perverseness, that they could not by any means be restored to a right mind. We now then perceive the meaning of the Prophet in this passage.
He says that the sin of Judah was written with an iron pen, with the point of adamant; as though he had said, “They are not only slightly imbued with iniquity, for then there might be some healing; but iniquity is engraven on their inmost feelings, as though one had graven it with adamant or with an iron pen.” It hence appears, that they were wholly unworthy of pardon, as they were in no way capable of receiving mercy, how much soever God might have been inclined to receive them into favor; for their obstinacy had closed the way of salvation; nor could they apply to themselves the promises, for they require repentance in sinners.
He then adds, It is graven on the table of their heart; as though he had said, that they were so addicted to iniquity, that all their inward parts bore the impressions of it. It hence follows that the Jews were so proved to be guilty, that they in vain contrived evasions, for their own conscience condemned them. At the same time, I consider the Prophet as speaking not only of guilt, but also of sin itself, and of their propensity to evil. He means then that the Jews had not only sinned and transgressed God’s law in a way not common, but that they were also so given up to wickedness as to delight in the iniquity that was graven on their hearts. He calls by a metaphor the affections or feelings the tables of the heart: For he compares the heart to tables; as writing appears when cut in stone or brass, so when a sinful impression is made on the hearts of men, iniquity itself may be said to be graven on the tables of the heart.
He afterwards adds, And on the horns of your altars. He had spoken of the heart, he now proceeds farther, — that there appeared openly an evidence of hidden iniquity. Had he spoken only of their hearts, the Jews might have objected and said, “How canst thou penetrate into our hearts? Art thou God, to examine and try our inward emotions?” But the Prophet adds, that their iniquity was sufficiently known by their altars. He at the same time intimates, that they in vain alleged the name of religion; for under that pretense they especially sinned against God; for they had vitiated his pure worship. And to confirm this very thing he adds —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.1. Chronology of the Chapter. Jer. 17:1-18 continue the prophecy of chap. 16. A distinct break in the continuity of the book is noticeable at Jer. 17:19. [Keil seems alone in suggesting that this section may very well be joined with the preceding general reflections as to the springs of mischief and of well-being; inasmuch as it shows how the way of safety appointed to the people lies in keeping the decalogue, as exemplified in one of its fundamental precepts. This is so far true, but is not sufficient to decide the connection with the antecedent prophecy when this section, Jer. 17:19-27, stands out so manifestly distinct and complete in itself.] At what date must this section, 1927, be placed? Plainly, before the guilty relapse under Jehoiakim; for the tone of the message is not condemnatory: It is, as Dr. Payne Smith says, dissuasive of future neglect rather than objurgatory of past misconduct. Henderson suggests Josiahs reign, delivered in connection with and shortly after his reformation. Hitzig assigns it to the period of Jeconiah, or that immediately following Jehoiakims death. But Eichorn, Rosenmller, Maurer, Naegelsbach, Payne Smith, and Jamieson agree that its deliverance was at the outset of Jehoiakims reign, before he began the evil course by which he undid the good effected by Josiahs reformation. Its similarity to chap. Jer. 22:1-5 makes it probable that the two messages were contemporaneous, and this latter was doubtless delivered in Jehoiakims reign also. Usher assigns Jer. 17:1-18 to B.C. 605; and Jer. 17:19-27 to B.C. 600. Hales: B.C. 601 and 599 respectively. (See Chronological Note of chap. 7)
For 2. Contemporary Scriptures; 3. National Affairs; 4. Contemporaneous History, see also Notes on chap. 7.
5. Geographical References.Jer. 17:3. My mountain (Jerusalem) in the field: the surrounding country. Jer. 17:6. A salt land (see Deu. 29:23; comp. Job. 39:6, Psa. 107:34). Salt regions suggest, as a figure, total want of the means of life. Jer. 17:19. Gate of the children of the people: described further as that whereby the kings of Judah come in: most probably the Gate of David, now called the Joppa Gate. Denominated the Peoples Gate, as being the principle thoroughfare for the tribes coming from the south, south-west, and north-west. Jer. 17:26. Cities of Judah: that part of the country bordering on Jerusalem. Land of Benjamin: the northern province of Judah, and south of Ephraim. The plain: the low country between Joppa and Gaza (Jos. 9:1; Jos. 12:8; Jos. 15:21; Jos. 15:33). The mountains: the hill country of Judea (Jos. 15:48 sq.) South: southern district of Judah. The verse is interesting, says Dr. Payne Smith, as specifying the exact limits of the dominions of the Davidic kings, now confined to Judah and Benjamin. These two tribes are divided, according to their physical conformation, into the Sheflah, or low country, lying between the mountains and the Mediterranean; the mountains, which formed the central region, extending to the wilderness of Judah, on the Dead Sea; and the Negeb, or arid region, which lay to the south of Judah.
6. Personal Allusions.Jer. 17:5. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man. Many commentators find here reference to the perfidious character and tyrannical conduct of Jehoiakim. So also Maurer recognises in Jer. 17:9 an allusion to Jehoiakims cupidity.
7. Natural History.Jer. 17:6. Heath in the desert: is generally accepted as describing the juniper tree, which (says Henderson) is found in the vicinity of the Arabah, or the Great Valley to the south of the Dead Sea, and doubtless the same desert which Jeremiah here calls ; the image, therefore, being a solitary juniper in an arid desert. Pliny says that the heath was one of the plants excluded from religious uses, because it is neither sown nor planted, and has neither fruit nor seed. (See Lit. Crit. below on Heath). Jer. 17:11. Partridge sitteth on eggs: ; the Arabs apply this name, Korea, to a bustard. It is not true of the partridge that she stole the eggs of other birds and hatched them as her own; but the ancients believed she did. Henderson cites in proof EPIPHAN. Physiol, cap. ix.; ISID. Origg. ii. 7. But Jamieson urges that it is not needful to make Scripture allude to an exploded notion as if it were true, and therefore states that the name Korea, from a root, to call, alluding to its cry, is now applied to a bustardheavy birds of slow flight, like the ostrich.
8. Manners and Customs.Jer. 17:1. Pen of Iron: (See Note on chap. Jer. 8:8, under Manners and Customs. Comp. Job. 19:24, Psa. 45:1, Isa. 8:1.) The iron stylus was used only for writing or carving letters in a hard material. Point of a diamond: indicating the very hardest substance on which the graving was wrought. Upon the horns of your altars: the names of the gods, to whom sacrifices were devoted, were inscribed on the horns of the altars (comp. Act. 17:23). Jer. 17:2. Altars and groves, &c. (comp. Note in loc. chap. Jer. 2:20). Groves should be Asherahs, in all probability images of Astarte, the goddess of the heavenly hosts, represented under the imagery of a tree. Jer. 17:3. High places: on which it was their custom to erect idolatrous altars. Jer. 17:21. Bear no burden on the Sabbath day: Probabilities are that the country people brought their agricultural produce into Jerusalem with them when they came ostensibly to worship on the Sabbath; and that the residents of Jerusalem carried forth burdens out of their houses (Jer. 17:22), i.e., took their wares to the city gates, and bartered or exchangea with the villagers for their goods (comp. Neh. 13:15-22).
9. Literary Criticisms.Jer. 17:1-4 are omitted by the LXX., and Bleek coincides in their omission; but all the other Greek versions and authorities retain the verses. Jer. 17:2. Groves by the green trees: instead of by read upon. The sense seems to require under; but the LXX. have . Jer. 17:3. Thy high places for sin: Text obscure here: Ewald recalls the similar phrase in chap. Jer. 15:13, and renders, without price for thy sins. The reading may however be, I will give thy substance, all thy treasures, and thy high places to the spoil on account of (for) sin throughout (committed throughout) all thy borders. Jer. 17:4. And thou, even thyself: Lit., even with thyself, i.e., with thy bare life; or (Henderson) and through thee, by means of thine own wickedness; or (Jamieson) owing to thyself, by thy own fault; or (Vulgate) and that with thyself, alone. Jer. 17:6. Heath: . The word in the same form appears in Psa. 102:17, destitute. Like a destitute man; and Speakers Com. insists that the verbs, he shall see (or fear), and shall inhabit, plainly show that a man is here meant, and not a plant. But surely the heath is not the nominative of these verbs? Rather the man (Jer. 17:5) of whom Jer. 17:6 recounts, He shall be like the heath, &c. There is in this verse a contrast of the solitary pining juniper tree [see Natural History above] and the tree planted by the waters (Jer. 17:8). Jer. 17:9. Deceitful: , from , to lie in wait for, trip, act insidiouslythe word from which Jacob took his name. Desperately wicked: wofully sick (Jer. 17:16): , incurable, malignant, desperate. Mentally sick, as in chap. Jer. 15:18. Jer. 17:11. Sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not: Lit., gathereth young which she hath not brought forth. Jer. 17:12. A glorious high throne, &c. Most probably this verse should read on continuously with the next, thus: Thou throne of glory, on High from the beginning; thou place of our sanctuary, thou hope of Israel, the Lord! So Ewald, Graf, Keil, Payne Smith. Jer. 17:16. Not hastened: i.e., sought to escape. From being a pastor; Hitzig and Graf: from following lovingly after thee. Umbreit reads: I have not forced myself forward to follow Thee as a shepherd. But Speakers Com. gives, From being a shepherd (see on. Jer. 2:8, ruler) after thee; i.e., as one invested with authority by God to guide and direct the political course of the nation. Naegelsbach thinks Jeremiah means he was literally a pastor, a shepherd lad tending his flock when God called him, and pleads that priests had pasture land (comp. Joshua 21 and 1 Chronicles 6) intended expressly for the cattle (Num. 35:4), and Anathoth had its pasture (Jos. 21:18). But Henderson and Wordsworth suggest: I have not hastened away, or backward, from being a shepherd. Jer. 17:21. Take heed to yourselves: in your souls, i.e., conscientiously. Naegelsbach: Care with foresight for your souls. Jer. 17:25. This city shall remain for ever: be inhabited; not mere continuance, but populousness.
HOMILETIC OUTLINES ON SECTIONS OF CHAPTER 17
Section
Jer. 17:1-4.
Judahs guilt flagrantly manifest.
Section
Jer. 17:5-11.
Spiritual corruption traced to its root-causes.
Section
Jer. 17:12-18.
Safety and vindication sought in God.
Section
Jer. 17:19-27.
Exhortation to hallow the Sabbath.
Section 14.JUDAHS GUILT FLAGRANTLY MANIFEST
The denial of having sinned against Jehovah (Jer. 16:10) must mean that the fact of idolatry is by them denied. Against such a bold and shameless assertion, the prophet rises here with visibly increasing indignation. He says that
I. Judahs sin is forcibly certified, and, as it were, recorded in the archives.
1. In their own consciences; in which the memory of their idolatrous abominations is fixed like an ineffaceable brand. And
2. Externally, on the horns of the altars, where the blood of the slaughtered children adheres as an equally ineffaceable memorial (Jer. 17:1).
II. Judahs sin is inerradicably remembered. While the two testimonies (in their own consciences and on the horns of the altars) were deep and inextinguishable to them, the actors present at their idolatrous barbarities, it was also true that
1. Their children would never lose the impression of that horrible cult which had snatched so many from their midst. The horror of the sight of those frightful holocausts would remain unforgetable.
2. So deep was this impression, that the mere sight of green trees and high hills was sufficient to refresh the revolting memory continually (Jer. 17:2).
III. Judahs sin therefore would be severely punished. On the basis of the facts thus certified, the prophet
1. Repeats the announcement of the Divine punishments. These will consist in (a) plunder of substance; (b) desolation of the land, according to the analogy of the year of release; and (c) deportation into an unknown land (Jer. 17:3-4).
2. Bewails the desolations which Judah must endure. A cry of grief escapes the prophets lips as he describes the ravages with which Judahs crimes will be punished. Oh my mountain in the field! His patriotic soul bemoans the catastrophe which sin invokes. (Comp. Naegelsbach in Lange.)
The people had asked (Jer. 16:10), What is our iniquity, and what is our sin? Here we have a reply to their challenge.
I. The indictment is fully proved. Both the fact and the fault. Their sin is too plain to be denied, and too bad to be excused.
1. They cannot plead not guilty, for their sins are upon record in the book of Gods omniscience and their own conscience; nay, they are obvious to the eye and observation of the world (Jer. 17:1-2).
(a.) They are written before God, and in most legible and indelible characters, and sealed among His treasures, never to be forgotten (Deu. 32:34).
(b.) What is so written will never be worn out by time. With a pen of iron, &c. Graven in the rock for ever. Sin is never forgotten till it is forgiven. It is graven on the heart, and though covered for a time, cannot be rubbed out, and will be produced in evidence when the books shall be opened. If they will not own the conviction of their consciences, then the horns of their altars will witness against them. And their own children shall be witness against them: they remember the altars and the groves to which their parents took them when they were little (Jer. 17:2).
2. They cannot plead that they repent, or are come to a better mind. For as their guilt is undeniable, so their inclination to sin is invincible and incurable. In this sense many understand Jer. 17:1-2.
(a.) Their sin is deeply engraven in their hearts. It is inwrought into their very natures; and is as dear to them as that is of which we say, It is engraven on our hearts!
(b.) They had pledged themselves to their idols; bound themselves as with cords to the horns of their altars; and given up their names to their idols.
(c.) They remember their idolatries with affection. For Jer. 17:3 may be rendered thus: As they remember their children, so remember they their altars and their grovesthey are fond of them, and loth to part with them, as men with their children.
II. The judgment is affirmed and the sentence ratified. Inasmuch as they were thus wedded to their sins and will not part with them
1. They shall be made to part with their treasures (Jer. 17:3). Both the stores of the city and the products of the country will be seized by the Chaldeans. Justly are men stripped of that with which they have served their idols, and made the food and fuel of their lusts. What we make for a sin (Jer. 17:3), God will make for a spoil.
2. They shall be made to part with their inheritance (Jer. 17:4).
(a.) God owns it was their heritage, and that He gave it them. It was an aggravation of their folly in throwing themselves out of the possession of it.
(b.) Their discontinuance in occupancy of the land should give it rest. The word here used, discontinue, is the word used in the appointment (Exo. 23:11) that the laud should rest one year in seven. They did not observe that law, and now God would compel them to let it rest. But it should be no rest to them, for they should serve their enemies in a land they knew not.
Observe (i.) Sin works a discontinuance of our comforts; deprives us of the enjoyment of that which God has given us.
Observe (ii.) A discontinuance of the possession is not a defeasance of the right. It is intimated that upon their repentance they should recover possession again.M. Henry.
Section 511.SPIRITUAL CORRUPTION TRACED TO ITS ROOT-CAUSES
All this outward perfidy and prostitution are but manifestations of inward and spiritual apostasy. The whole affections and dispositions of the soul have gone astray from God, and therefore their moral conduct has become degraded, and their religious behaviour disloyal. This section delineates three radical defects, and to each is attached its corresponding and appropriate judgment.
I. A perverse disposition.
1. Its action. It rests not in Jehovah, but regards flesh as its better confidence, seeking in man the spring and supply of good (Jer. 17:5).
2. Its judgment. The forlorn and deserted picture of Jer. 17:6 supplies an idea of the consequences of deserting God. This desolate result is further emphasised by the contrast presented in Jer. 17:7-8.
II. Perfidiousness of heart. Total faithlessness, and illimitable trickery.
1. The depths of its deceptiveness human thought fails to reckon (Jer. 17:9).
2. Gods reckoning and punishment will rest upon His complete knowledge of the hearts wickedness (Jer. 17:10).
III. Impetuous avarice.Jer. 17:11.
1. It cruelly, acquires that for which it restlessly craves. Seizes as its own the treasures of others.
2. It forcibly relinquishes the spoil it has violently seized. Brief years are threatened, and a fools end.
Section 1218.SAFETY AND VINDICATION SOUGHT IN GOD
Here the prophet turns from the corruption of his people, saddened and sickened at heart, to meditate on his God and his personal safety in Him. This was the realisation of the Psalmists prayer: When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. Then there arise before his contemplation
I. Majestic guarantees for the godly soul.Jer. 17:12-13. He apostrophises God. [See Lit. Crit. on verse.]
1. He celebrates the power and glory of God. Thou Throne, symbol of royal power and supreme sway. Throne of Glory, language expressive of highest majesty, surpassing all powers, most glorious in royalty, dominion, and dignity.
2. The eternal excellency of God. On high from the beginning. Exalted on high, since loftiest glory is His; yet also highest in excellency; for who in grace and glory can be compared to God? And from the beginningor ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, or from the outset of Israels national existence, God has been supreme; supreme in personal majesty, supreme as Israels Lord.
3. The devout souls hiding-place. Thou place of our sanctuaryfor security, rest, reverence, and bliss.
4. Israels covenanted Hope. O Jehovah! name of God in which He is pledged to His people. The Hope of Israel; never having failed them through all their past history. Their enduring Hope, notwithstanding all they have done to alienate Thee. Their sole Hope, for, losing Thee, what have they left? Their future Hope; for after mournful desertion of Thee, they will return to the Lord as their everlasting strength.
5. The living spring of refreshing. Fountain of living waters. (See Notes on chaps. Jer. 2:13, Jer. 9:1.)
Thereupon Jeremiah utters his assertion, that forsaking Him will eventuate in shame while they live, and contemptuous oblivion as the end!
II. Fearless appropriation of Divine graciousness.Jer. 17:14-18. Jeremiah lays his claim to all that he knows God to be. Treasures of grace are valueless s far as we are concerned, unless they become ours. The prophet appeals to God for
1. Present tranquillity and safety (Jer. 17:14). This appeal for healing suggests the troubled and aggrieved state of his spirit (Psa. 6:3; Psa. 30:3). For salvation; that his life was encompassed with perilsfrom scorners and unbelievers, who rejected his word and his claim to prophetic mission. He bases his appeal on what God was to himmy praise: he had boasted in God, and had occasion to rejoice in God; and more, Jehovah had delighted him with favours, and distinguished him with honours as His servant.
2. Official vindication. He was ridiculed (Jer. 17:15). He had been faithful (Jer. 17:16). God was his witnessThou knowest; and that guaranteed that God would make others know the verity of the words he had spoken in Gods name.
3. Future refuge. A day of evil was coming; full of terror to evil-doers (Jer. 17:17). But in that evil time God would discriminate between the persecutors and the persecuted, confounding them but sheltering the prophet; and God would fulfil His predictions in their complete destruction. Refutation of his foes, refuge for himself.
Double destruction; i.e., sharing in the national ruin which was impending and suffering for their sin in persecuting and deriding Gods messenger.
Section 1927.EXHORTATIONS TO HALLOW THE SABBATH
A sermon which the prophet received from the Lord, and was ordered to deliver in the most solemn and public mannerproclaimed in all the places of concourse, the gates. First at the court-gate, whereby the kings of Judah enter: let them be told their duty first, and particularly this duty. Then also in all the gates of Jerusalem, as being a matter of great and general concern.
I. How the Sabbath is to be sanctified, and what is the law concerning it.
1. They must rest from their worldly employ. Bear no burdens into the city, nor carry any out of their houses.
2. They must apply themselves to the proper business of the day. Hallow ye the Sabbath-day, &c. (Jer. 17:22). Consecrate it to the service of God.
3. They must herein be very circumspect. Take heed to yourselves (Jer. 17:20). Where God is jealous, we must be cautious.
4. They must observe the statute made and provided. This was no new imposition, but what I commanded your fathers.
II. How the Sabbath had been profanedJer. 17:23. Their fathers disobedience in this respect is mentioned to show
1. That there needed a reformation in Sabbath conduct.
2. That God had a just controversy with them, for the long transgression of this law.
3. And because they disregarded this law with the intent to evade all instruction on other commands. Where Sabbaths are neglected, all religion sensibly goes to decay.
III. With what blessings God would reward Sabbath sanctification. Though their fathers had been guilty of its desecration, yet if (Jer. 17:24) they would make conscience of Sabbath sanctification
1. The court shall flourish (Jer. 17:25). The honour of the government is the joy of the kingdom; and the support of religion would contribute greatly to both.
2. The city shall flourish (Jer. 17:25). This city shall remain for ever. Whatever supports religion tends to establish the civil interests of a land.
3. The country shall flourish (Jer. 17:26). The cities of Judah and the land of Benjamin shall be replenished with inhabitants, abounding in plenty and living in peace, which shall appear in the multitude and value of their offerings to God. By this the flourishing of a country may be judged of: What does it for the honour of God?
4. The church shall flourish (Jer. 17:24). Meat offerings, &c. Everything shall go in the right channel.
V. With what judgments God would punish Sabbath profanation.Jer. 17:27.
1. The enemy would besiege their city, kindle a fire in the gates. And justly shall those gates be fired that are not used to shut out sin, and to keep the people in to an attendance on their duty.
2. The fire should destroy their palaceswhere the princes and nobles dwell; who did not use their power and interest, as they ought to have done, to keep up the honour of Gods Sabbaths.
3. The fire shall not be quenched, until it has laid the whole city in ruins. Fulfilled by the army of the Chaldeans (chap. Jer. 52:13). The profanation of the Sabbath is a sin for which God has often contended with a people by fire.Comp. M. Henry.
HOMILIES AND COMMENTS ON VERSES OF CHAPTER 17
Jer. 17:1. Theme: SINS HOLD ON THE INMOST MAN. It is graven upon the table of their heart.
Suggestions:
i. Sin indelibly impresses itself upon sinners. Its mark is deep. Its influence is not superficial or evanescent, but ineffaceable and perpetual.
ii. Sin had become inwrought into their affections. Worked into the very texture of the heart.
iii. Hid in the deepest secrecy of their being. The heart is a profound hiding-place. It is the citadel and secret chamber of the entire man.
iv. It cannot be ignored in their own consciousness. Every movementaffection and actionof the heart would make the presence therein of sin evident. It would testify its presence by the force of feeling.
v. Cannot be erased by their own efforts. If sin was ever to be removed, a new heart must be given. And only God can create in us a clean heart.
See Addenda: INDELIBLE RECORDS OF SIN.
Theme: THE DEEP-SEATED CHARACTER OF SIN. The hardness of Judahs heart is repeated in the stubbornness of barbarian, Roman, Greek, Scythian; seen indeed in ourselves.
I. Answer the question, What is sin? Always hearing about it, from preacher; and reading about it, in every Scripture page. What is it?
Pharisee says: It is eating with un-washen hands, &c. But to break some of the commandments, especially the ecclesiastical commandments, of men, may be virtuous, and indicate enlightenment!
Sin is the repudiation of our obligations to God. Against Thee have I sinned.
II. How is the fixedness of sin proved?
1. It is in the very heart of man. Deep ingrained.
2. They sinned in their very religion. On the horns of their altars. Converted men frequently prefer the form of religion most gratifying to their tastes, ears, and sight. Or they stain the horns of Gods altars by their own righteousness, by carelessness, by vain thoughts, by hypocrisy,as Demas and Judas.
III. What is the cause of this? How did sin get such a firm footing in humanity? The answer is
1. We must never forget the Fall. We are none of us as God made us. We are born in sin, &c.
2. Our habits of sin. Well may sin be deeply engraven in the man who has continued in his iniquity for twenty, forty, perhaps seventy years. Can the Ethiopian change, &c. Use is second nature.
3. Sin is a most clinging and defiling thing. One license renders us easily enslaved.
4. The prince of the powers of darkness allies himself with sin. He will never let the tinder lie idle for want of sparks.
IV. What is the cure for all this? Can sin, thus ingrained, ever be got out? It must be got out if we are ever to enter heaven. Only done by supernatural processes.
1. Christ Jesus does take away these deeply-inscribed lines of sin from human nature. It is part of the covenant of grace and part of His Gospel that Jesus can give to us hearts free from tendency to sin.
2. And since the guiltiness of sin is as permanent as sin itself, Jesus Christ is able to take our guilt away. The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin. And the vilest sinner may be made partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in the world through lust.Spurgeon: Metropolitan Pulpit, No. 812.
Jer. 17:2. Theme: OUR CHILDRENS RECOLLECTION OF OUR SIN. Whilst their children remember their altars, &c.
Probably we here have
i. An allusion to their sacrifice of children to Molech.
ii. The horrors of such blood-stained rites would be for ever engraven upon the memory of any who were present to witness them.
I. Our evil deeds vividly impress our children.
II. Fixed upon their memory, our children may keep alive recollections we fain would obliterate.
III. Parental sins will reappear in our childrens lives. The horrid ghosts of our old iniquities resuscitated!
IV. Remembrancers of old iniquities crowd around our life. We may shun suggestive scenes that bring up dark memories, but our children remember the groves, &c., and will point them out to us. We cannot clear the world of these accusers.
V. Children may thus become witnesses against us.
1. By their inability to forget what we would gladly consign to oblivion;
2. By their reproduction of our evil habits, continuing the wicked ways they learned from us; and
3. Before God in the last day of account, when we, and our children with us, stand in the judgment.
Jer. 17:3-4. See note in Geog. References; also Lit. Crit. on these verses; also Homilies and Comments on chap. Jer. 15:13-14.
CommentsMy mountain in the field: Jerusalem or Zion; called the Rock of the plain in chap. Jer. 21:13, and Mountain of Jehovah, Mic. 4:2.
Being the place which Jehovah had chosen as the residence of His visible glory, He claims it as His; just as He frequently calls it My holy mountain (Isa. 11:9; Isa. 56:7).Henderson.
Jer. 17:5. Theme: THE ACCURSED TRUST.
The Jews, in looking now to the Assyrians and then to the Egyptians, thought to gain sufficient defence against God Himself. This false confidence was a hindrance to their relying on the favour of God, and kept them from repentance.
I. Men are variously deceived while trusting in men.
1. They begin with themselves. Every one is inflated with vain confidence, either in his own prudence, dexterity, or power. There is no one, even the most wretched, who does not trust in himself before he trusts in others; no one so contemptible but that he swells with some secret pride.
2. They take aids to themselves from every quarter. This is the out-working of what they deem their own prudence. Yet their goings round are useless; and not only so, but they turn out to their own destruction.
II. God derides the folly of such delusive trust in men.
1. He declares that they who so trust are cursed. This curse of God ought to strike us with terror; for we hence learn that God is highly displeased with all those who seek their own salvation in the world and in creatures.
2. He charges such with estrangement of heart from Himself. When confidence is reposed in flesh, God is deprived of His own honour. These two things cannot be connectedconfidence in flesh, and reliance on God. When water is blended with fire, both perish. To attempt to unite trust in man with trust in God is like mixing heaven and earth together. It is to confound the order of nature, when men imagine that they have two objects of trust, and ascribe half of their salvation to God and half to themselves or to other men.
3. All are apostates and deserters from God who fix their hope on men. True in the present life; twofold a madness in respect of eternal things.Arranged from Calvin.
Comments
Jer. 17:5. There is great occasion for this cursed dependence on flesh, when one, from the hope of good personal protection, gives up the work of the Lord to the powers of the earth. It is true the Church is to have foster-parents who are kings, but, nevertheless, neither kings nor princes are its tutelar deities, much less lords and commanders of the Church; but One is our Master, One our Judge, One our Kingthe Crucified.Zinzendorf.
Jer. 17:5-8. Theme: THE DUTY OF TRUSTING IN GOD.
Every created being derives its existence and support from God. Yet man is prone to depend on the creature rather than on Him. Though constantly disappointed, he still leans on an arm of flesh. But such conduct is justly reprobated.
I. The characters that are contrasted.
(a.) Every man by nature trusts in man, makes flesh his arm, and in his heart departs from the Lord. We need not go to heathens or infidels to find persons of this description. We need only search the records of our own conscience. In temporal things we never think of looking above the creature. If they be prosperous, we trust in uncertain riches, and take the glory to ourselves. If adverse, we lean to our own understanding and exertions, or rely for succour on our friends. In spiritual things we seek to establish a righteousness of our own. We expect to repent and serve God by our own strength.
(b.) The true Christian trusts in the Lord, and makes the Lord his hope. He trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ as the God of providence. He commits his affairs to Him, expecting His promised aid. He trusts also in Jesus as the God of grace. He renounces all hope in his own goodness or resolutions. These marks afford a sure line of distinction between the nominal and real Christian. Nor is this difference between them of trifling import.
II. Their respective conditions. Mens eternal state will be fixed with perfect equity. The conditions of the characters before us are strongly contrasted:
1. Simply: blessed, &c.; cursed, &c. What can be more important than these declarations? They are not the dictates of enthusiasm, but the voice of God. Thus saith the Lord. God has given His Son to be our Saviour; but while some confide in Him, others, by not trusting in Him, reject Him. How reasonable then is it that a curse should attach to these and a blessing to those! Such a difference in their conditions seems the necessary result of their own conduct. Let every one inquire which of these conditions he has reason to expect.
2. Figuratively: heath in desert,tree planted by the waters. To mark the contrast more clearly, it is further observed that both the blessing and the curse shall be
(a.) Abundant. The unbeliever shall be like the heath in the desert. He shall be left in a state of extreme barrenness and wretchedness; and this, too, amidst all his boasted fulness (Job. 20:22). The believer shall be as a tree planted by the waters, &c. He shall be made flourishing and happy by rich supplies of grace (Php. 4:9).
(b.) Unmixed. The unbeliever shall not see when good cometh. He receives none of the heavenly dew that falls around him. The believer shall not see when heat cometh, but his leaf shall be green, nor shall he be careful in the year of drought. He may experience heat and drought, i.e., he shall, however, not be injured, but benefited by them (Heb. 12:11).
(c.) Eternal. The unbeliever shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt laud, and not inhabited. He shall be an outcast from God in the regions of misery. The believer shall not cease from yielding fruit. His present enjoyments are the pledge and earnest of eternal happiness.
Infer (1.) How glorious a person must Christ be! If He were a mere creature, it would be ruinous in the extreme to trust in Him. (2.) How are we all concerned to trust in Christ. God regards, not merely our outward conduct, but the frame of our hearts. On this our present and everlasting happiness depends.Simeon.
See also NOTICEABLE TOPICS.
Jer. 17:5-6. Theme: THE HEATH IN THE DESERT. Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. 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.
The Jews had withdrawn dependence from God, and trusted to themselves and Egypt. They were delivered to the Babylonians. To this the text refers primarily. But it may apply to all.
Two definitions of a heath. A shrub growing in barren places, and a sandy barren plain of Arabia seldom rained upon. These plains and the shrubs they produce do not see when good cometh. The trees of Canaan by the rivers are refreshed by nightly dews. Gods vineyard is as a watered garden, and yields the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valley, but the wastes of Arabia, doomed to barrenness, never see when good cometh.
I. Let us learn against whom this curse is denounced, and trace resemblances between them and the heath, &c. They are those who disclaim dependence on Godidolators, infidels, and the profane.
1. Those who do not realise their dependence on God for all true happiness, but think it lies in worldly gain. They make no daily petition to God for it. The prayerless, stupid, and worldly inherit the curse in the text.
2. Those who trust in man and make flesh their arm, and neglect to fix all dependence on Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They do not feel they are hopeless and helpless, or they would cast themselves upon Christ as the only hope of sinners; they are therefore under the curse against those who trust in man.
3. There is yet another class under this curse. Some are in the Church; some are not. Punctual perhaps on ordinances, they depend upon a form of godliness without the power, and, excepting a little animal sympathy, remain cold as ever. They are a numerous class even in the Church of Christ. Five were wise, and five were foolish.
II. How do these resemble the heath in the desert?the prayerless, stupid, and worldly.
1. In barrenness and deformity. God gave them powers to bear fruit, but He comes year after year and finds nothing, and worsea crop of misshapen shrubs. After so many benefits, they refuse to serve Him.
2. They are like the heath in being desolate, forsaken, and unblest. No voice of joy or song is heard on the heath, while those who wait on God are refreshed like Eden. Those who are like the heath in barrenness and deformity shall resemble it in desolation and woe.
3. While the holy land is refreshed with dew from heaven, the desert remains parched as before. This feature of resemblance exists at this time. Showers of grace fall on some, but the barren sands know not when good cometh.
4. Showers falling on desert heath only promote the growth of deformed shrubs; and the influence of heaven falling on this class calls forth a more fatal resistance of the Holy Spirit.
5. The heath cannot be made fruitful, and all Gods visitations fall unregarded upon many.
6. It is plain that, while many obey the Gospel call, others remain desolate and uncheered by any heavenly influence.
7. Some of the awakened may say, I cannot change my own heart; I do the best I canDo you? even for a day? Drop these excuses, and cry, God be merciful to me a sinner.
8. Others resemble the heath in deformity and barrenness. They resort to sacraments, but yield no fruit, and so will they remain till death.
APPLICATION
(a.) I address those who cast off fear and restrain prayer. Waste not out, I pray you, your life, seeking independent happiness. Return and seek happiness in God alone, and become rich for eternity.
(b.) I warn you who are awakened. Trust not in ministers or Christians. Only Christ can give the mighty blessing. Let Calvarys Voice draw you to Him.
(c.) I speak to those who think they love God better than father, mother, or life, yet are chained to earththese are the most discouraging of all men. It is easy to alarm the humble, but a task to destroy false hopes.
(d.) Let the dear loved children of God receive the precious promises succeeding the text: Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.Edward Griffin, D.D.
Jer. 17:7. Theme: MAKING GOD OUR TRUST.
Man, sensible of his weakness, requires for his happiness some object without himself in which he can trust. In what do men trust? God alone furnishes an object adequate to the requirements of our trust. All lesser objects are frail, variable, uncertain.
I. The souls right and only trust.
1. We owe it to the supremacy of the divine nature.
2. Entire resignation to Gods wisdom and will.
3. Entire withdrawal of our trust from all inferior things.
4. Sincere acceptance of Christ as our Saviour.
5. Sincere effort to live a holy and pious life.
II. The blessedness with which godly trust is crowned. This will be seen in the following contrast of believer and unbeliever.
1. The objects of the unbelievers trust are uncertain and insignificant; the believers, certain and glorious.
2. The one inadequate and perishing, the other all-sufficient and abiding (1Pe. 1:4).
3. The one bears a burdened conscience and a character ill at ease, the other enjoys peace and rest (Mat. 11:28-30).
4. The one regards God as his foe, and resembles the inferior objects of his trust; the other regards God as his friend, enjoys His protection and fellowship, and resembles Him.
Learn
1. Not to be deluded by inferior things.
2. Seek this blessing by submission to Gods will in a crucified Saviour.E. Jerman.
Comments
Blessed are those teachers, who have betaken themselves to His protection, who once promised His Church that even the gates of hell should not prevail against it. Who has ever been put to shame who trusted in Him?Zinzendorf.
Jer. 17:8. Theme: VERDURE IN THE MIDST OF DESOLATION. He shall not see when heat cometh.
Nothing in nature more admirable than the strange and unlikely circumstances in which we often see plants and trees retaining their sap and verdure, and manifesting the most luxuriant fruitfulness. By a wonderful instinct of their nature, they adapt themselves each to their appointed place, and thus continue to live and flourish abundantly where another would perish in an hour. No natural influence more fatal to vegetable life than extreme drought; yet, even that in some favoured instances may prove innocuous. Some plants and trees do not see when heat cometh, but their leaf is green, &c.
This beautiful fact the prophet transfers from the natural world to the spiritual by way of illustration and analogy. There, too, often verdure appears in midst of desolationlife in midst of death. True happiness and true holiness depend, not on outward advantages, but on inward state.
Let us consider further this interesting and instructive phenomenon.
I. The fact itself. Meets us everywhere in the natural world. So also in the kingdom of grace. Spiritual health depends not alone or mainly on our circumstances, but on the temper and state of our souls. In the cottage, the palace; in want, in affluence; in retirement, on busy Exchange; in youth, in age; in health, in disease and sickness, Gods Enochs have walked with God. Every situation not equally favourable to souls life, but none utterly unfavourable; e.g., Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Caleb, Samuel, Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Esther, and others; are witnesses to this truth. Look, then, within for source of weakness, decay, low spiritual state.
II. The explanation. The man trusteth in the Lord, and his hope the Lord is.
1. He lives in constant believing communion with God.
2. He improves what advantages he possesses. They may be few, but he aspires after and improves them. If Jesus is passing by, he, like Zaccheus, will be on the sycamore-tree.
3. He retains the good he receives. Careful to retain the fruits of opportunities after they are gone. Those who make rich are not only they who get much, but who keep what they get.
4. He sedulously improves and turns to account the grace he has. The surest way alike to confirm and to strengthen any holy principle is to carry it into action. Talents are increased by trading. The idle Christian is a feeble, drooping, pining Christian.
Such is the secret of a holy, happy walk with God, in any times and in the worst times. Get truly planted by the waters of salvation, and your roots stretched out by the rivers of God.Rev. Islay Burns, Dundee: Family Treasury, 1859.
Comments
The Musorites changed the word FEAR into shall not see when the heat cometh, in order to make it correspond with Jer. 17:6. But the change is not merely unauthorised, but meaningless. Gods people see the heat when it comes; they feel trouble as much as other people, but they do not fear it, because they know
i. That it is for their good, and
ii. That God will give them strength to bear it.Dr. Payne Smith.
The servants of God are planted, as it were, in a moist soil, irrigated continually by streams of water. The prophet intimates that Gods children are not exempt from adversities: the heat cometh, and they feel the heat of the sun, being, like trees, exposed to it; but moisture is supplied, and the juice diffuses itself through all the branches. Though they feel great heats as well as the unbelieving, for this is common to both, Gods children shall yet be kept safe: there is a remedy for themtheir root has moisture. The word rendered see , dag, means to fear and to be careful; also to grieve, and so some render it here, It will not grieve; but the better meaning is, It shall not be afraid of heat.Calvin.
Jer. 17:9. Theme: THE FALSITY AND FOULNESS OF MANS HEART.
The Bible reveals what man would have failed to discern, that the heart is the root of character, the seat of the moral quality attaching to the thoughts and actions of men. This truth, plainly taught in Scripture, accords with reason, and finds irrefutable proof in mans career. There are three aspects of the heart here suggested:
I. Surpassing deceptiveness. Deceitful above all things.
1. Its cruel delusions. It often prompts a man to evil, promising joy and reward, then leaves him befooled by his desires; allures him to follow passion, then leaves him to the tortures of conscience; assures him of courage in difficult hours, then, at the crisis, leaves him trembling in fear, &c. It flatters its dupes; is a false syren.
2. Its religious frauds. Fosters hypocrisy in the superficial, urges men to assume a religious profession, and walk as if God were being reverently served; and then, in secret, craves and impels towards hidden vice and subtle indulgences. Flatters a man into a belief in his own goodness when life is pleasant and easy; and then, in death, mocks and chides him for his sin.
3. Its supreme falsity. Above all things. Above the desert mirage?Yes. Above gold?Yes. Above pleasure?Yes. Above fickle beauty?Yes. For the heart is the cause of all deceits; it supplies the fantasy in us which makes the illusion possible.
II. Malignant guiltiness. Desperately wicked.
1. Its action in the region of common life. To what detestable iniquities would it impel men! Judge of this by considering the filthy, atrocious, idolatrous customs and social habits which prevailed in Oriental scenes. Where the passions are left unrestrained by civilisation and religion, what a foul life is mans! Nearer home: what revolting, sensual, brutal careers men live amongst us where neither fear of God nor regard of man rule! What are the furious schemes of the assassin, the usurper, the traducer, the felon, the adulterer, but illustrations of the hearts unbridled lusts! Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, &c.
2. Its action in the sphere of religion.
We expect of the heart that it responds to love; but how does it respond to the great love wherewith God hath loved us? How does it keep outside its closed doors Him who long has knocked there in vain, yet who first loved us? And after having avowedly, in discipleship of Christ, given Him our heart, how does an evil heart of unbelief lead us to depart from the living God, and urge us by fervent cravings to fall back into sin!
III. Profound inscrutableness. Who can know it? Having used the strongest language to describe it, yet words fail to tell its depths of iniquity.
Looking on the loathsome sights of vice, squalor, villany, and woe around us, and asking, Whence came these? Christ replies, Out of the heart. The hearts wilfulness brought death into the world, and all our woe. It still can prompt brutal cruelty to requite tender love; it still stirs the lascivious to decoy innocence into ruin worse than death, &c.
Who can know his own heart? We cry, Is thy servant a dog that he should do this thing? yet we do it, and worse far.
Who can know the hearts of others?
Is there a bound which the hearts impulses will not pass? Is there a thought, at whose horribleness the mind staggers, and of which we exclaim, Surely, it could never be that a man is capable of it! Yet greater enormities are being wrought: cold-blooded, sinister, vengeful, devilish! Who can know it?
If this be so between man and man, oh, how shall we fathom the depths of mans great criminality to Godslaying His Son; to Jesuscrucifying Him afresh and putting Him to open shame; to the Holy Spiritgrieving the Holy Spirit of God!
(a.) Do you think this description exaggerated? But this is the deceitfulness of your heart, flattering you that you cannot be so bad, or are not so bad as others.
(b.) Should not this urge you to self-abasement before the Cross? Boasting no more your self-righteousness, and hastening to the Fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, crying, Create in me a clean heart, &c.
See Addenda on Jer. 17:9-10. FALSITY OF HEART, and SEARCHING THE HEART.
Theme: THE HEARTS DECEITFULNESS TOWARDS ITSELF.
There is great deceit in the dealings of men in the world, in their counsels and contrivances, in their private and public affairs, in their words and actings; the world is full of deceit and fraud. But all this is nothing as compared with the deceit in a mans heart towards himself (for that is the meaning of the expression here), and not towards others.
This deceitfulness of the heart, whereby it is exceedingly advantaged in its harbourings of sin, lies chiefly in two things: that
I. It abounds in contradictions, so that it is not to be dealt with on any constant rule.
The frame of the heart is ready to contradict itself every moment. None know what to expect of it. Facile now, then obstinate; open, then reserved; gentle, then revengeful.
This ensues from the disorder wrought upon our faculties by sin. God created all in perfect harmony. The minds subjection to God was the spring of the orderly and harmonious motion of the soul. This being disturbed by sin, the rest of the faculties move cross and contrary one to another; the will chooseth not what the mind discovers good, the affections delight not in what the will chooseth, &c.
II. Its deceit lies in its full promisings upon the first appearance of things.
Sometimes the affections are wrought upon, and the whole heart appears in a fair frame, and all promises well: suddenly all is reversed. Who can mention the treacheries which lie in the heart of man? Uncertain in what it doth; false in what it promises.
1. Never let us think our work, in contending against indwelling sin, is ended. The place of its habitation is unsearchable. There are still new stratagems and wiles to be dealt withal. Many conquerors have been ruined by their carelessness after a victory. David was so. Many decline into sin in old age: they gave over the task of mortifying sin before their work was at an end.
2. The fact that the heart is inconstant calls for perpetual watchfulness. An open enemy, that deals by violence only, always gives some respite; but against adversaries that deal by treachery nothing but perpetual watchfulness will give security. The heart bath a thousand deceits, and if we are the least off in our watch we are sure to be surprised (Pro. 28:6).
3. Commit the whole matter therefore to Him who searcheth the heart. Here lies our safety. There is no deceit in our hearts but He can disappoint it. David takes this course (Psa. 139:8-10; Psa. 139:23).Dr. John Owen.
Theme: THE DECEITFULNESS OF THE HEART. The heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9).
I. Men impose on themselves respecting their own character. The heart practises deception in regard to its natural tendency and disposition.
1. Men do not attribute to themselves the character given of the human heart in the Bible. The Christian does.
2. Is it not possible that your heart deceives you? If the Bible be true, there is no such native excellence of character as you suppose that you possess. Multitudes who once had the same view of themselves have been convinced of their error.
3. Nothing easier than self-deception.
II. Men deceive themselves in regard to their real attachments.
III. The heart is deceitful in regard to its power of resisting temptation.
IV. In its promises of reformation and amendment.
IMPROVEMENT
1. There is a danger of losing the soul.
2. You have a heart which is not to be trusted.
3. Wake from all delusions to the reality of your condition.Albert Barnes.
Theme: DECEITFULNESS OF MANS HEART.
Nothing so mean as deceit. The text calls attention to the deceitfulness of our hearts.
I. A difficult subject to deal with, because
1. The examination is made by the guilty party into his own character.
2. Nothing more humiliating and painful to mans pride.
II. No deception like that of the heart. The gardenthe cornfieldthe mercantile speculationthe youthmay promise well and deceive, but the heart is deceitful above all.
1. It is the fountain of deceit.
2. Deceives its owner and best friends often.
3. Its deceit is in a very large measure voluntary.
4. Its deceitfulness is insidious in its growth.
5. Will be terrible in its consequences. Its possessor is travelling in a dangerous path, but fancies all well. His character is being fixed in evil. The future must be terrible in the circumstances of its misery, and its disappointment and despair.
III. The examples of Scripture bear this out. Old prophet, 1Ki. 13:11-18; Gehazi, 2Ki. 5:22-27; Hazael, 2Ki. 8:7-15; Ananias and Sapphira, Act. 5:5-10.
IV. The heart deceives its possessor continually. With regard to
1. Its motives. 2. Its inclinations. 3. Its safety amidst temptations. 4. Its power of reformation.
Learn
1. To distrust and watch it. 2. To trust in Christ and His word.E. Jerman.
Theme: THE HEARTS DECEPTIVENESS AND WICKEDNESS.
This truth is not difficult to illustrate and prove. It requires no penetrating genius to bring it up from the depths. As illustrative of
I. The hearts deceptiveness, we point
i. To the mistakes into which it falls relative to religion. Scripture declares it the one thing needful; the heart deems it not needful at all, or only of secondary consequence. Or, if it heeds religion, it mistakes its forms for the reality of Christianity.
ii. Further apparent in its pursuit of pleasure. The Source of true happiness is God; but the heart supposes that pleasure must be found in things seen and temporal. A deceived heart has turned them aside.
iii. Still further seen in the fact, that God has not left it to be its own guide. A Law has been given for its conduct, and a Gospel for its faith, while line upon line, &c., has been added to guide its commonest actions. The ant wants no guide, for its instincts are safe and sufficient. But the hearts tendencies are wholly untrustworthy.
iv. Further proved by the declaration of the Lord, that the heart must be renewed. The mariner when voyaging never thinks of changing his compass, knowing that the one he has is faithful and true. But mans heart is so wrong that a new heart is demanded.
But the heart is not the only deceitful thing in the world: other things are deceitful, though NOT EQUALLY SO. The heart is deceitful above all things.
It surpasses all other things in two particulars
1. In its extent.
2. In its fatality.
Other things may deceive a few men; this deceives every man. Other things may so deceive as to ruin mans temporal interests; this ruins mans eternal interests.
II. The proof of the hearts wickedness is equally easy:
i. It is at enmity with Godthe best and most gracious of beings.
ii. Utterly opposed to the holy law of God: ignores its claims, &c.
iii. Sternly rejects the Gospel; flings aside Gods greatest Gift, and costliest Sacrifice.
iv. Wilfully disregards the warnings and threatenings of God.
v. Notwithstanding all the culture the heart receives from education, preaching, and literature, it brings forth nothing but the briers and thorns of unrighteousness.
vi. Its desperate wickedness is further seen in the fearful punishment with which its wickedness will be visited. The undying worm, the unquenchable fire. Only greatest criminals are punished with direst punishments.
1. As this truth rests upon Divine testimony, to deny it is to make God a liar, and prove the hearts self-deceivings.
2. How different is the new heart from the old! Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.Rev. D. Pledge.
Theme: THE HEART INSCRUTABLE. Who can know it?
It is extremely difficult for sinners to know their hearts.
I. What is implied in their knowing their own hearts?
It implies: 1. A knowledge of their selfishness. 2. Of their desperate incurable wickedness. 3. Of their extreme deceitfulness.
II. Why is it so extremely difficult for them to know their own hearts?
Because: 1. They are unwilling to know them. 2. Because of the deceitfulness of sin. They love or hate, as they appear friendly or unfriendly to their cherished feelings,(a) God, (b) Christ, (c) good men, (d) the world, (e) their own hearts, (f) the means of grace, (g) their convictions, (h) heaven.
III. Application
1. The only way to know the heart is to inquire whether it loves God or not.
2. Saints can more easily ascertain their true characters than sinners can.
3. All changes of life are trials of the heart.Emmons.
See also NOTICEABLE TOPICS on the HUMAN HEART.
Jer. 17:10. Theme: GODS RULE OF JUDGMENT. 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.
None but God can explore the depths of iniquity in the human heart. As He will judge the world at the last day, He must have access to the inmost recesses of the soul, and be able to bring forth to judgment all its hidden abominations.
Accordingly God is employed noticing and recording everything, that He may then reward every man according to his ways. We here see
I. The preparation God is making for the future judgment. God is not an unconcerned spectator of what is done upon earth.
1. He continually marks the ways of men.
(a.) All their actions He observes, according to the principles from which they proceed, and the ends for which they are done.
(b.) Our words, also, and our very thoughts (Psa. 11:4, Pro. 16:2).
Hezekiah evinced the mixture of motives and principles which lay behind actions (2Ch. 32:31); and these need to be analysed and distinguished. God tries the reins, as a philosopher assays gold.
2. He records everything in the book of His remembrance. The thoughts as well as the words of men (Mal. 3:16). All will be educed in the judgment (Job. 14:17). Nothing escapes His attention; certainly not any good thing eludes His sight (1Ki. 14:13).
II. The rule by which the judgment shall be determined.
1. The sentence will be according to every mans works (Gal. 6:7-8; 2Co. 9:6).
2. Rightly understood, this strongly declares the equity of Gods future judgments. Everything that can affect the quality of an action will be taken into account.
Behold then
i. What an awful prospect is here opened to the ungodly!
ii. What an encouragement is here afforded to the righteous!
Moses looked to the recompense of reward. Paul anticipated the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.Chas. Simeon.
Theme: GODS INTEREST IN MAN.
I. Respects Fruit in mens lives.
II. Deals with men according to Fruit.
III. Where Fruit is to be found(in the heart).
IV. The Search for Fruit.J. Farren.
See Addenda: SEARCHING THE HEART.
Comments
Jer. 17:11. As the partridge hath gathered eggs which it laid not. Epiphanius says: The partridge is not satisfied with the fruit of her own womb, but steals the eggs of other birds and carries them to her nest (Phisiol. 9).
This notion might easily be taken for the great number of eggs which the partridge lays. Another interpretation is given by Hippolytus, who says that the partridge calls to it the young belonging to other broods, and gathers them under its wings, but when they hear the cry of the true parent they leave the false one. The general sense is that the covetous man is as sure finally to reap only disappointment as the partridge which piles up eggs not of her own laying, and is unable to hatch them.Dr. Payne Smith.
As Jehoiakim is described by Jeremiah as a covetous tyrant (chap. Jer. 22:17), and as he died at the age of thirty-six, he is supposed by some to be referred to in these words.Ibid.
Jer. 17:11. Theme: WEALTH UNJUSTLY ACQUIRED. Violence and fraud had been reigning in Jerusalem.
I. Unlawful means used to acquire wealth may win success.
1. Opportunities to acquire money tempt to oppression and fraud.
2. A temporary prosperity is realised in the possession of ill-gotten gains.
3. The rich toil to gather wealth, and then sit brooding over it, like the partridge; but it never gives comfort or satisfaction. They are always anxious and uneasy; for their sinful projects may miscarry.
4. Treasures acquired by wrong methods leave an unquiet conscience. The rich man may say, I am innocent (Hos. 12:8), but that only mocks his conscience.
II. Wealth when acquired cannot long be retained. He shall leave them in the midst of his days.
1. God shall cut him off by some surprising stroke (Luk. 12:19-20).
2. Gathered riches cannot be taken into eternity: He shall leave them.
3. His impoverished death shows him to be a miserable fool. He was not rich towards God, only had ill-gotten gains, and had to leave all in death; went into eternity poor indeedpoor and miserable, and blind and naked.
III. Parting with his wealth in death is a great vexation to a worldly man.
1. It naturally frets him to leave to another, who may squander all, the treasures he has wasted his life in accumulating.
2. It justly appals him to go into Gods presence with nothing but the memory of unjustly-accumulated gains. He shall be a fool: the laughing-stock of death.
Jer. 17:12-13. See HOMILETIC OUTLINES ON SECTIONS.
Theme: THE CHURCH OF THE LORD.
i. What it is in itself. Peace of sanctuary; throne of divine glory; house of Him who is Israels Hope.
ii. What it will be. It will ever remain firm (Mat. 16:18).
iii. What they find who forsake it. Shame, oblivion, unsatisfied thirsts.Naegelsbach.
Jer. 17:14. Theme: A CRY FOR HEALING AND SAVING GRACE. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed, &c.
One great proof of the experience of converting grace is the disposition to vindicate God and condemn ourselves. That Thou might be justified, &c. Here Jeremiah justifies divine dispensations.
I. That sin is the disease of the soul, and is so felt. All its symptoms are dreaded by the Christian. The worldling does not fear nor dread them. He is like a man in consumption, whose case is seen and dreaded by all but himself. But the Christian dreads the evil as well as punishment of sin. He knows the plague of his own heart. All the symptoms are dangerous. Sin like a venomous disease.
There is the loss of restno peace.
There is the depravation of tastehe feedeth on ashes. Want of appetite.
There is the loss of sightbut the Christian prays, Open Thou mine eyes.
There is the loss of hearingthe wicked is like a deaf adder. But the Christian says, The hearing ear and seeing eye, the Lord hath made both.
II. That Christ is the only physician, the Good Physician. Other physicians are prodigal of the patients blood, and sparing of their own; but Christ shed His own blood to save our souls. When justice calls for sinners blood, the Saviour shows His own.
Never was the disease known yet that mocked His skill. The blind, the dumb, the maimed, the deaf, the very deadowned His power; and, behold, the Lords arm is not shortened. There are seasons in which nothing short of this conviction of the infinite ability of Christ to pardon and to save can bring peace to the mind.
i. Consider the infinite efficacy of Christs atonement, as showing Gods readiness as well as ability to pardon. What pledge of Gods delight in mercy could He give like this, He spared not his own Son?
ii. Consider, has not God inculcated unlimited forgiveness on us? (Mat. 18:21; Luk. 17:4.) If God requires forgiveness of us without bounds, will not He extend forgiveness without bounds?
iii. Consider the direct statements of Scripture: I, even I, am He that blotteth out, &c.; All sins in depth of sea.
iv. From great instances of mercy.
III. That prayer is our only refuge.
It is the appointed means. It has never failed. Your desire for the benefit of purity and pardon is a proof it shall be extended. He will fulfil desire.
IV. That praise should be our truest delight. Thou art my praise. Our praises should be renewed, for past mercies, with prayers for new ones.Samuel Thodey, A. D. 1841.
Theme: PRAYER FOR SALVATION BASED UPON PRAISE. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed, &c.
I. The blessings sought.
1. Health. What temporal blessing greater. The health of the soul is the highest form of health.
2. Salvation. (Explain the term.)
II. How they are sought. By prayer.
1. Confession of need.
2. Seeking in right way; of right source.
3. Sincerity of prayer, shown in use of right means to preserve health and obtain salvation.
III. The ground of the prayer for these blessings. Thou art my praise.
What does this mean but that he who rightly offers this prayer is living in the service of God, seeking to please Him, rejoicing in His favour, acknowledging His mercy?The Hive, vol. viii., 1875.
Theme: THE PENITENTS PRAYER. The words express
I. An earnest desire for salvation.
II. He applies to Almighty God for it.
III. Through the medium of prayer.
IV. With confidence that He will be heard.Dr. A. Thomson, of Edinburgh, from Lange.
Jer. 17:14-15. Theme: A PREACHERS CRY FOR HELP. He is tempted on account of the truth.
i. The temptation (Jer. 17:13).
ii. The demonstration of innocence (Jer. 17:16).
iii. The cry for help.
(a.) Negative (Jer. 17:17-18).
(b.) Positive (Jer. 17:19).Naegelsbach.
Comments
Jer. 17:14. Thou art my praise. When a teacher confines himself to the praise of the Cross, and lets all other matters of praise go which might adorn a theologian of these times, and adheres immovably to this: I am determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucifiedamid all the shame of His Cross, He is victorious over the rest.Zinzendorf.
Jer. 17:15. Where is the word of the Lord? let it come, now! This taunt shows that this prophecy was written before any signal fulfilment of Jeremiahs words had taken place, and prior therefore to the capture of Jerusalem at the close of Jehoiakims life.Dr. Payne Smith.
Jer. 17:16. From being a pastor. See Lit. Crit. on this verse.
Desired the woful day: i.e., the day on which Jerusalem was to be destroyed and the temple burnt. Though these calamities would verify Jeremiahs word and vindicate him against scorners, yet his patriotic soul recoiled from the nearing desolation of his country and ruin of his people.
Jer. 17:16. That which I have preached was right before Thee. It is not difficult to know in these times what is right before the Lord. There is His Word: he who adheres to this strictly, knows in this that he is right. In all this it is the teachers chief maxim, not to make use of the application without need, but to make the truth so plain in his discourses that the hearers must necessarily make the application to themselves. Thus saying, Thou reproachest us also, said the lawyer (Luk. 11:45). Others went away convicted in their consciences.Zinzendorf.
Jer. 17:17. Theme: THE SOULS HOPE IN A TIME OF TERROR. Be not a terror unto me. Thou art my hope in the day of evil.
Jeremiah had forewarned. It was a painful duty. He now looks forward to the woful day with deep anxiety for his people. And as one who sees the storm pending, and looks around for hiding-place, he draws near and appeals to God, sure that amid the terrors of the day of evil He would preserve his soul.
Our case is sadly accordant with that of Judah.
1. The heartless rebellion of Judah did not exceed the iniquity of many of us who have trifled with grace.
2. The judgments pronounced were not heavier than those standing against the impenitent sinner who despises the great salvation.
3. The mission of the preacher is still to rush in among men whose hearts have departed from the Lord, and protest, warn, and call to repentance.
4. And the consolations of the righteous are as true as with the prophet; for he knows God is his Hope in the day of evil.
I. A day comes when God will be a terror. God would take from Judah all this worlds heritage they prized, and all the spiritual benefits they failed to profit by.
Days of evil
(a.) Come suddenly. Sweep down on us like unexpected storms.
(b.) Find us desolate. While we say, Peace, peace, sudden destruction cometh upon us. When our desolation cometh like a whirlwind, it is then too late to be seeking a sure refuge.
In these days of evil, which come on the soul of the guilty, we must include
1. The day of the sinners conviction and anguish. When God arrests the soul and confronts him with his guilt. Oh, what agony! Woe is me, I am undone! God is a terror to him. Whither can I go from Thy presence? Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!
2. The day when death calls the guilty soul from earth. Comes as a thief in the night. How terrible is the death of the wicked! How the soul shudders to be hurrying before God unreconciled, unsaved!
3. The day when the spirits of men will be arraigned for judgment. We shall meet God! No exaggeration of facts in the description of men calling on mountains and rocks to hide them. God will be a terror to the guilty. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
II. In the day of terror God may be found our Hope. God is not necessarily a terror to the soul in the day of calamity. The righteous prophet knew He would be his Hope.
1. This is the known character of God. He is called the Hope of Israel (Jer. 17:13). See also Jer. 14:8. It is on this well understood character of God that the exhortation is given, Let Israel hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is forgiveness: and He shall redeem Israel from all her iniquities. God is not willingly a terror to any soul. Listen to His Name declared amid Sinai. Read Gospel statement, God so loved the world. Watch His ways in providence: His tender mercies over all His works. When He becomes a terror, it is through a dire necessity.
2. He will become the Hope of every soul who seeks Him. Calls: Turn ye to the Stronghold, ye prisoners of hope; bids us lay hold on the hope set before us. We have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge, &c. Every soul may find the same.
Observe here the way by which God is made a terror (Jer. 17:13); and the way by which He will become as our Hope (Jer. 17:14).
3. The confident reliance and expectation of the believer.
(a.) How unwavering the repose. Thou art my hope. David, I will fear no evil.
(b.) How personal this appropriation! Thou art my hope. (Comp. Jer. 17:18.)
(c.) How single is the souls trust. Thou art. God only: God Himself (Psa. 91:1-2).
i. Unless this Hope is ours before terror comes, He will not be so in the day of evil.
ii. As the day of evil is uncertain and may be near, we should promptly seek the Lord (Jer. 17:7). If without Christ, no hope in the world.
See Addenda: THE SOULS HOPE.
Theme: DIVINE WRATH AN OBJECT OF FEAR.
Every believer can adopt the former of these expressions, but not the latter. Why so? Words spoken in an evil timea time of corruption, calamity, ruin. Jeremiah himself was in great danger. How appropriate then.
NoticeI. The petition. II. The expression of confidence.
I. The petition. Be not a terror unto me.
1. Gods majesty is in itself an object of fear and dread (Heb. 12:21, Isa. 6:5, Hab. 3:16, Hos. 3:5).
2. Divine chastisements are to be feared (Jer. 10:24, Psa. 6:1, Job. 9:34).
3. Gods wrath is still more dreadful.
4. The prophet prays for support and comfort in the time of trial.
II. The expression of confidence. Thou art my Hope in the day of evil.
1. The grace exercised is hope. Though troubled, he is not destroyed. (2Co. 4:8, &c.; Rom. 8:24).
(1.) God is the object of His peoples hope (Psa. 71:5; Psa. 78:5).
(2.) God is the end of their hope. They need no more (Psa. 16:11; Psa. 17:15).
2. Observe the time when this grace is exercised: Day of evil.
(1.) Sin and sorrow make every day an evil day, still let us hope (Psa. 62:8; Psa. 71:14).
(2.) Yet there are peculiar days of evil: National calamity; reverses in business; disappointments; affliction; old age (Psa. 73:26, 2Ti. 1:12).
LEARN
1. That hopes and fears are blended together in the experience of the godly (Psa. 147:11).
2. If God is sometimes a terror to His own people, how much more to the wicked? (Deu. 28:65-67).
From Short Discourses, by B. Beddome.
Jer. 17:19 to end, on SABBATH CONSECRATION, see HOMILIES ON SECTIONS.
Jer. 17:21. Theme: SABBATH REST. Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath-day.
The Sabbath argument is easy to the devout. Like exhorting a hungry man to take refreshment, or a mother to love her child, or the slave to enjoy freedom.
Welcome, sweet day of rest, etc.
The early Christians called it the Day of Light, and the Queen of Days. The ancient Church had it in great veneration. It was a badge of their religion, for when asked, Keepest thou the Sabbath? the answer was, I am a Christian, and dare not omit the celebration of the Lords day.
I. Motives for the observance of the Sabbath. There should be rest of body, with a view to the sanctity of the soul; and such a withdrawal from all worldly and sinful pursuits as may conduce to our spiritual advancement. We urge this
1. From the Divine command. Twice given by God himself in Eden, twice inserted in the Decalogue, and twice engraved on stone by God and given to Moses.
2. From the nature and reason of the case. Intended to give opportunity of rest from toil; to be a commemoration of the wisdom, power, and goodness of God in the creation of the universe; to furnish encouragement to acquire holiness and obtain salvation. The day is needful for rest and devotion.
3. From the blessings necessary to form a truly religious character. Absorbed by the business and vanities of this world, the recollections of the other world would be blotted out but for the return of the Sabbath. In the absence of our usual occupations, and in seasons of leisure, conscience regains her empire, and the mind is turned inwardly upon itself, and the voice of God is heard.
4. From the consequences of disobedience to the claims of the day. Further from God; hardened in worldliness; left godless, and led Christless, to sink into ever increasing alienation from all that is holy, and hopeful, and heavenly.
II. Some of the burdens which should be laid aside.
1. The burden of needless toil (Exo. 31:15). Surely the anointing of Christ was commendable work, yet Mary Magdalene waited till the Sabbath was past (Luk. 23:56). God forbade manna to be gathered on the Sabbath.
2. The burden of wilful sin. Abstain from amusements, convivial parties, needless journeys, unprofitable conversations, &c.
3. The burden of anxious care. Cast thy burden on the Lord. Do it by faith and prayer. Thinkwho cared for Noah in deluge, for Moses in bulrushes, for Daniel with lions, for Paul in storm?
4. The burden of desponding apprehensions for the future. Commit thy way unto the Lord and trust in Him. Oh, rest in the Lord, &c.Samuel Thodey, A. D. 1845.
See Addenda: SABBATH REST
Theme: THE SABBATH AND THE LORDS DAY.
I. What they have in common. The weekly holyday is in both cases
1. A monument of the loving care of our God.
(a.) For our body; (b.) for our soul.
2. A right of God, which forms a holy obligation towards
(a.) God, (b.) ourselves, (c.) our neighbour.
II. The differences which distinguish them.
1. The day of Jehovah is founded on the creation of the perishable world; the day of the Lord is founded on the resurrection of Christ, as of a new, eternal world.
2. The observance of the day of Jehovah was only legal; i.e. (a) imposed by external compulsion, (b) by requirements to be fulfilled with outward ceremonies: the observance of the day of the Lord is to be more and more an evangelical one; i.e. (a) a free, (b) a spiritually free one, satisfying the right as well as the obligation of personality.Naegelsbach.
See also NOTICEABLE TOPICS: On the Sabbath.
NOTICEABLE TOPICS IN CHAPTER 17
Topic: THE BLESSED AND THE CURSED. (Jer. 17:5-8)
Great is the distinction between the godly and the ungodly (Psa. 1:6; Psa. 7:11; Psa. 11:5) in their characters, in their practice, in their experience, in their end. This distinction will appear in the day of judgment (Mat. 25:34-41).
I. The characters here contrasted. Specially descriptive of the situation of Judah at the time. Threatened with invasion, they trusted in Egypt as a rival with Babylon; or in their own strengthartificial fortifications (Psa. 48:12-13); or in their individual accomplishments, as wise, rich, and powerful (Jer. 9:23).
This may apply to us as a nation. We form alliances, raise armies and navies; but woe to us if we trust in them so that our heart departeth from the Lord! (Psa. 20:6-8.)
1. The character of the wicked is stated (Jer. 17:5).
(a.) The root of all ungodliness is perversion of heart from God. The sinner will not have the Lord to reign over him. The carnal mind is enmity against God.
(b.) The wicked trust in human means for success and prosperity, and even for the salvation of their souls. They rely on wisdom and skill; on riches (Pro. 18:11), in their fortitude and heroism, to the pleasurable diversions invented; to their actions as meritorious for salvation.
Such procedure indicates: (1.) Ignoranceof God, law, themselves as depraved; (2.) Contemptof Providence, and Christs redemption; (3.) Presumption.
2. The character of the righteous is stated (Jer. 17:7).
(a.) The righteous trust in the Lord from a conviction that vain is the help of man. They have a knowledge of the human heart that it is deceitful above all things, &c. Self-confidence is, therefore, also abandoned.
(b.) They trust in the God of salvation alone. They can say of Christ, He loved me, and gave Himself for me.
(c.) They trust Him when they cannot trace Him; know that He will do all things well; and God is their hope in all their troubles, difficulties, fearsin prospect of death and eternity.
II. The conduct determining the blessing, i.e., whether we trust in man or in the name of the Lord.
1. As we trust the wisdom of men, or the revealed will of God, we are under the curse or the blessing. Some avowedly reject revelation, others admit only what accords with their own reason: the Christian takes the Scriptures.
2. As to righteousness, the determining question is whether we trust the righteousness of man, or the righteousness which is of God.
3. Though we trust in the Saviour Himself, yet if we consider Him only as a man, we incur the denunciation of the text. If Christ be only a man, to trust in Him is to trust in an arm of flesh. If His Divinity be denied, there is no ground for trust. (Comp. 1Ti. 1:12, 1Jn. 1:9.)
III. The consequences of the conduct of these contrasted characters.
1. As to those who trust in man. He shall be like the heath in the desert (Jer. 17:6).
(a.) Barrenness. He must remain destitute of Gods. fertilising and refreshing graceunholy, fruitless, worthless.
(b.) Wretchedness. Heath in desert; inhabit parched places.
(c.) Loss of all good. Not see when good cometh. It comes in a preached Gospel, in offers of salvation, in affliction, in the testimony of conscience, in the Spirits influence, but they see it not! Good comes upon the Church in the dew of heaven: Great grace is upon them all; upon believers even in their trials, and even when Christ comes to judgment; but the godless see it not, share it not.
2. As to the righteous. The result of trusting in the Lord is permanent fruitfulness (Jer. 17:8). (Comp. Psa. 1:3; Psa. 92:13-15). Indicates
(a.) Enjoyment. A tree planted by the waters, drawing in pleasure and refreshment.
(b.) Growth, or prosperityprogress. The Christian flourishes, grows in grace.
(c.) Security. He shall not see (not fear) when heat cometh, &c. He is kept by the power of God unto salvation, &c.
(d.) Permanent beauty and fruitfulness. Her leaf shall be green, neither cease yielding fruit. Is there anything more beautiful than a Christians lifea Christians deedsa Christians deatha Christians entrance into heaven?Altered from Helps for the Pulpit.
Topic: DECEITFULNESS OF THE HUMAN HEART. (Jer. 17:9.)
Many have been the laboured panegyrics indulged, in the endeavour to establish on a firm footing the dignity of human nature. One eminent preacher has not scrupled to affirmfirst, that men in general (if not every individual) are very wise; secondly, that men in general are very virtuous; and thirdly, they are very happy.
A charitable person once discovered that there was no sinner in the world but the devil. For, was the argument, he forces men to act as they do, therefore they are not accountable. The blame lights on Satan.
But whatever baptized or unbaptized infidels may say concerning the innocence of mankind, He that made man, and best knows what He has made, gives a very different account of him. He informs us that the heart of manof every man born into this worldis desperately wicked, and that it is deceitful above all things, so that we may well ask, Who can know it?
I. The wickedness of mans heart. It is desperately wicked. In considering this
1. We have no need to refer to any particular sins. When Satan had once transferred his own self-will and pride into the parents of mankind, together with a new species of sin, love of the world, the loving the creature more than the Creator, all manner of wickedness soon rushed in. The earth soon became a field of blood. Injustice in ten thousand formshatred, envy, malice, blood-thirstiness, falsehoodrode triumphant, till the Creator, looking down from heaven, would be no more entreated for an incorrigible race, but swept them off the face of the earth.
2. God having created us gratuitously of His own mere mercy (for we could merit nothing of Him before we had a being), has laid us under obligation to yield Him our obedience.
3. From the devil, the spirit of independence, self-will, and pride, productive of all ungodliness and unrighteousness, quickly infused themselves into the hearts of our first parents in Paradise, and, through them, their posterity, alienating us from God, making way for idolatry, atheism, &c.
4. Melancholy truth, that all mankind now have corrupted their ways before the Lord, unless when the Spirit of God has made the difference.
5. But if this be the case, how is it that every one is not conscious of it? For this plain reasonbecause the heart is not only desperately wicked, but deceitful above all things.
II. The deceitfulness of mans heart.
1. It is deceitful above all things,that is, in the highest degree, above all that we can conceive. So deceitful that the generality of men are continually deceiving both themselves and others. Imagining themselves to be abundantly better than they are.
2. And if men thus deceive themselves, is it any wonder that they deceive others also, and that we seldom find an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile?
3. This is one of the sorts of desperate wickedness, which cleaves to the nature of every man, proceeding from those fruitful rootsself-will, pride, and independence of God.
4. Hence there is in the heart of every child of man an inexhaustible fund of ungodliness and unrighteousness, deeply and strongly rooted in the soul, that nothing less than Almighty grace will cure.
5. There are exceptions as to the wickedness of mans heart. He that is born of God keepeth himself, and the wicked one toucheth him not. His heart is purified by faith. His wickedness is departed from him. Old things are passed away, all things (in him) are become new.
III. Lessons
1. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool. For who that is wise would trust one whom he knows to be desperately wicked?
2. That when thou seest a man wise in his own conceit, there is more hope of a fool than of him. For at what distance from wisdom must that man be who never suspected his want of it?
3. Wisdom of the caution, Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. How firmly soever he may stand, he has still a deceitful heart. In how many instances has he been deceived already?
4. Is it not wisdom for him that is now standing, continually to cry to God, Search me, O Lord, and prove me: Let me not think of myself more highly than I ought to think; but let me always think soberly, according as Thou hast given me the measure of faith?John Wesley.
Topic: THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH. Hallow ye the Sabbath day (Jer. 17:22).
The awful desecration of the Lords day which everywhere presents itself to our view, in scenes of pleasure, business, and dissipation, is at once a foul blot upon our national character, and a source of humiliation and sorrow to the sincere Christian.
The Sabbath is an institution both of divine origin and permanent obligation.
I. The Sabbath, as a day appropriated to rest and religious duties, is an original institution, coeval with the existence of man. (See Gen. 1:31; Gen. 2:1-3.) Thus the Sabbath dates its origin from the completion of creation, and was designed to commemorate that great event. This was the day God sanctified, setting it apart from all the rest It is an original institution, as ancient as the law of love itself, and, like that law, is intended to remain in force until mortality is swallowed up of life, until the earthly Sabbath gives place to the perpetual and uninterrupted rest of the heavenly world. It is a remarkable fact, that in almost all nations men have divided time into septenary periods, or periods of seven days. Josephus says (Against Apion, book ii.) that there is not a city of the Grecians, nor any of the Barbarians, nor any nation whatsoever, whither our custom of resting on the seventh day hath not come.
II. That the Sabbath, when re-enacted from Sinai, was not enjoined as a temporary institution, but as a moral duty. The law of the Sabbath holds its place among the moral precepts. (See Exo. 20:8-11.) Engraven by the finger of God on the tables of stone, and deposited in the ark of the covenantall indicative of its permanent character and obligation. As a moral precept, it is an original and universal duty, belonging to Gentile as well as Jew, to the Christian dispensation as well as the Levitical economy. Not a Jewish ceremony, but a moral duty, and as such cannot be set aside. Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfil and honour it. Command repeated many times, is enjoined in text, Hallow ye the Sabbath day.
III. The Saviour has expressly taught that the Sabbath was made FOR MAN; and not for man in any particular nation or age, but without limitation for man; and, therefore, it is of universal and perpetual obligation. And He said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (Mar. 2:27). For man, as a duty incumbent upon him; for man, as a privilege conferred upon him. Sabbath was made for all men without distinction. The Levitical law was designed to be temporary in its duration. In its extent it was confined to the Hebrew nation, and in its duration was limited to the Jewish dispensation. But the Sabbath was not made merely for the Hebrew nation, but for man, without distinction or restriction. And now the Levitical economy is abolished, it continues a moral law binding upon the conscience of the Christian in all parts of the world.
IV. Does the Christian ask what are the obligations of the Sabbath upon him?
(a.) Let your mind be established with a thorough conviction of the Divine authority and obligation of the Sabbath, and let your sense of duty be based on this conviction.
(b.) Let your example correspond with your profession. We profess to be Gods people; let us show it by our works. Our duty to God requires our observance of the Sabbath as a part of our obedience.
(c.) In addition to our example, our influence must be employed to promote the sanctity of the Sabbath. It is the Lords day. As Eusebius remarks, Before our Lords death, it was always called the first day; but now it was called the Lords day. To us it is, therefore, the Sabbath of the Lord our God, and it is our duty to keep it holy.William Cooke, D.D.
ADDENDA TO CHAPTER 17 ILLUSTRATIONS AND SUGGESTIVE EXTRACTS
Jer. 17:1. INDELIBLE RECORDS OF SIN. The great stone book of Nature reveals many records of the past. In the red sandstone there are found, in some places, marks which are clearly the impressions of showers of rain, and these so perfect that it can even be detected in which direction the shower inclined, and from what quarter it proceeded; and this, ages ago. Even so sin leaves its track behind it, and God keeps a faithful record of all our sins.Biblical Treasury.
If you cut a gash in a mans head, you may heal it; but you can never rub out, nor wash out, nor cut out the scar. It may witness against you in his corpse; still it may be covered by the coffin or hidden in the grave; but then it is not till decomposition shall take place that it shall entirely disappear. But if you smite a soul, the scar remains; no coffin or grave shall hide it; no revolution, not even the upturning of the physical universe, shall obliterate it; no fire, not even the eternal fires of hell, shall burn it out.Dr. Thomson.
Like as Queen Mary, when she died, told those about her that the loss of Calais had so impressed her, that its image would be found indelibly engraven on her heart.
Jer. 17:9. FALSITY AND FOULNESS OF THE HEART. I am more afraid of my own heart than of the Pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great popeself.Luther.
All our actions take
Their hues from the complexion of the heart,
As landscapes their variety of light
Bacon.
A soil which breeds
Or sweetest flowers or vilest weeds;
Flowers lovely as the mornings light,
Weeds deadly as the aconite;
Just as his heart is trained to bear
The poisonous weed or flowret fair.
Bowring.
As soon as we are born and receive the care of our parents, we engage in all kinds of depravity; so much, that we seem to suck in error with our nurses milk.Cicero.
The student should specially consult Secular Annotations on Scripture Texts, by Francis Jacox, second series, p. 122. Or, The Heart Inscrutably Deceitful.
Jer. 17:10. SEARCHING THE HEART
Who made the heart, tis He alone
Decidedly can try us;
He knows each chordits various tone,
Each springits various bias;
Then at the balance lets be mute,
We never can adjust it;
Whats done we partly may compute,
But know not whats resisted.
Burns.
Jer. 17:17. THE SOULS HOPE. Our hope is not hung upon such an untwisted thread as I imagine so, or, It is likely; but the cable, the strong rope of our fastened anchor, is the oath and promise of Him who is eternal verity; our salvation is fastened, with Gods own hand and Christs own strength, to the strong stake of Gods unchangeable nature.Rutherford.
Be not a terror to me. Let me have fair weather overhead, however foul soever it be under foot.Trapp.
Hope is the last thing that dies in man.
Diogenes.
Though at times my spirit fails me,
And the bitter teardrops fall;
Though my lot is hard and lonely,
Yet I hopeI hope through all.
Mrs. Norton.
With eyes turned upward, whence her help descends,
Hope waits expecting till the tempest ends.
Holmes.
Jer. 17:21. SABBATH REST. Had not Jeremiah expressly said, Bear no burden on the Sabbath day? Yes; but why? Because the Sabbath was an ordinance of mercy intended to protect the underlings and the oppressed from a life of incessant toil; because it was essential to save the serfs and labourers of the nation from the over measure of labour which would have been exacted of them in a nation afflicted with the besetting sin of greed; because the setting apart of one day in seven for sacred rest was of infinite value to the spiritual life of all.Farrar.
Captain Scoresby remarks, in his Voyage to Greenland, on the good effects of Sabbath-keeping on the health and spirits of his men; That if others who did not so sedulously keep it gained some benefits (as in fishing), we always gained extra advantage over them in course of the week. Independently of the Divine blessing, I found the restraint on the natural inclinations of the men for pursuing the fishery at all opportunities acted as an extra stimulus on their exertions when next sent after the whales. But our success, who refrained, was so much greater than those who indulged fishing, that there was not a man in the ship who did not consider it the effect of a Divine blessing.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
IV. PROPHETIC SAYINGS Jer. 17:1-11
The first eleven verses of chapter 17 contain three independent sayings of the prophet probably from three different sermons. These sayings do not seem to have any logical connection with one another. In them Jeremiah is concerned about the guilt of the nation (Jer. 17:1-4), trusting the Lord (Jer. 17:5-8) and the nature of the human heart (Jer. 17:9-11).
A. The Guilt of the Nation Jer. 17:1-4
TRANSLATION
(1) The sin of Judah is written with a stylus of iron; with a diamond point it is engraved upon the tablet of their heart and upon the horns of your altars: (2) while their children remember their altars and their Asherahs beside the green trees and on the high hills. (3) O My mountain in the field! Your wealth and all of your treasures I will give for a spoil, your high places in all of your boundaries because of sin. (4) And you even in yourself shall lose your hold on your inheritance which I have given to you; and I will cause you to serve your enemies in a land which you do not know; for you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall burn forever.
COMMENTS
A stylus of iron with diamond point was used by the artisans of Egypt and Babylon to chisel into solid rock the glorious records of their civilizations. Those records of rock have survived the ravishes of time and today can be studied first hand by students of ancient history. Sin also leaves a record; and Jeremiah points to three areas where the record of Judahs sin could be found. (1) Judahs sin was indelibly written upon the tablet of their heart. The inhabitants of the land had made their hearts as hard as stone and consequently the word of God could not penetrate their lives. If the people would but examine their own hearts they would see clearly the record of every rebellion and disobedience. (2) Judahs sin was also written upon the horns of their altars (Jer. 17:1). Both the altar of incense and the huge altar of burnt offering had projections at the four corners upon which the blood of the sacrificial victims was smeared. These horns were regarded as the most sacred part of the altar. How ironical it is that in the very spot where one should have been able to find forgiveness of sin, the record of sin was obvious to any observer. Jeremiah no doubt here alludes to the hypocrisy and pagan practices which had perverted true worship. (3) Perhaps most important, the sin of Judah has been inscribed on the memory of the children of the land. From their earliest days all that the children could remember was pagan worship. They remembered the Asherahs (not groves as in KJV), a sacred pole erected beside pagan altars. They remembered the green shady spots on the hill tops where the licentious rites were conducted in honor of the fertility gods (Jer. 17:2).
Because of her record of sin and rebellion all the wealth of Jerusalem and all her high places will be given as spoil to an enemy. Jerusalem is here addressed as My mountain in the field (Jer. 17:3). The word field here is best understood as meaning an open place rather than a level place. Mt. Zion upon which Jerusalem is built rises abruptly, like a mountain, out of the midst of the surrounding valleys. The inhabitants of Judah will lose their inheritance and be deported to a distant land. By their perpetual rebellion they have kindled the fire of divine wrath (Jer. 17:4). People who play with the fire of sin are bound to get scorched!
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
XVII.
(1) A pen of iron.i.e., a stylus, or graving tool, as in Job. 19:24, chiefly used for engraving in stone or metal. In Psa. 45:1 it seems to have been used of the instrument with which the scribe wrote on his tablets.
With the point of a diamond.The word expresses the idea of the hardness rather than the brilliancy of the diamond, and is rendered adamant in Eze. 3:9; Zec. 7:12. (For the diamond as a precious stone a different word is used in Exo. 28:18.) Strictly speaking, it was applied only to the diamond-point set in iron used by engravers. Such instruments were known to the Romans (Pliny, Hist. Nat. xxxvii. 15), and may have been in use in Phnicia or Palestine. The words describe a note of infamy that could not be erased, and this was stamped in upon the tablets of the heart (comp. 2Co. 3:3), and blazoned upon the horns of the altars of their false worship, or of the true worship of Jehovah which they had polluted and rendered false. The plural altars points probably to the former.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
JUDAH’S SIN INEFFACEABLY RECORDED, Jer 17:1-4.
1. Sin of Judah Namely, that very sin set forth in the previous chapter, of which even the Gentiles would become ashamed. Origen and Isidore understood by “Judah,” here, Judas Iscariot!
Pen of iron A sharp-pointed iron stylus, or chisel, used for making inscriptions on tables of wood or stone. Exo 32:16; Job 19:24. Of course when this was used it was for the purpose of graving it very deeply, so that it could not be easily effaced.
Point of a diamond In Eze 3:9, and Eze 7:12, the original of diamond is rendered adamant; in every other place it is translated thorn. The sense here is correctly given. Pliny says the ancients were acquainted with the cutting powers of the diamond.
Table of their heart horns of your altars The inward seat of sin and its outward expression. God would have his law written on their hearts, but they had written sin instead. The “altars” here are the idolatrous altars which the Jews had set up to Baalim. True, Josiah had destroyed these; but doubtless many of them had been rebuilt and were now standing as the visible proof of Israel’s idolatry, answering to the writing on their hearts. The change of person their heart your altars is such as is common, especially with Jeremiah, and serves to charge home their guilt more directly and personally.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Depths Of Judah’s Sin And Its Consequences ( Jer 17:1-4 ).
The thought of what YHWH is going to do in the future brings Jeremiah back to the present to consider Judah’s current state and its consequences.
Jer 17:1-2
“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron,
With the point of an adamant,
It is engraved on the tablet of their heart,
And on the horns of your altars,
Whilst their children remember their altars,
And their Asherim,
By the green trees,
On the high hills.”
The depths of Judah’s sin is vividly brought out by its being seen as deeply inscribed on the heart with an iron stylus which has the point of an adamant (or emery), an instrument which was used to inscribe in stone or metal. The ‘adamant’ or ‘emery’ was the hardest material then known in that area. (Diamonds are nowhere mentioned in Old Testament days, the first certain reference to them being by Manilius in 1st century AD). Thus their sin, especially the sin of idolatry, was seen as deeply inscribed. This was why it endured despite the efforts of reforming kings. It nullified the covenant in men’s hearts. Josiah could reform the Temple and desecrate the altars of Baal, but he could do nothing about the ancient natural sites known only to the locals. He could not remove them from the local memory, or eliminate the hold that they had on the hearts of the people.
And their sins were similarly inscribed on the horns of their altars (the upward protrusions on the four corners). Sacrifices for Baal were probably tied to them, and even the sacrificial blood smeared on them (as happened in the Temple with the offerings to YHWH). Every sacrifice that was offered, and every incense offering that was made, thus inscribed their sin more deeply. And its consequence was devastating, for it affected their children just as deeply. That is why their children also continued in their evil ways, ‘remembering’ their altars and their Asherim (either wooden poles or graven images representing Asherah) in the locally recognised sites under green trees or on the high hills. In this lay the problem for reformers. The ancient sites were mainly natural in formation, and while obvious altars could be broken up, the ancient sites were permanent natural sites and could not be removed, and the memory of them passed on in the local folklore, while Asherah poles were not always easily identifiable. Such shrines could be visited secretly at times of Yahwistic reform, and as soon as restrictions were lifted could blossom into open activity once more. Local superstition is often writ large on people’s hearts.
Some see ‘on the horns of your altars’ as referring to the bronze altar and the incense altar in the Temple, both of which would have the shed blood of sacrifices applied to their horns. The idea is then that this very act testifies against their hypocrisy and double-mindedness, emphasising their sin.
Jer 17:3
O my mountain in the countryside,
I will give your substance and all your treasures for a spoil,
Your high places, because of sin,
Throughout all your borders.
But all this was taking place on ‘YHWH’s mountain’. This might indicate Jerusalem as YHWH’s mountain, but the mention of ‘borders’ suggests that it rather indicated the Central and Judean highlands, stretching from Mount Ephraim along to the Judean hills which initially represented the central bulk of Israel/Judah, and could be seen as including the Shephelah, the lower hills (see Exo 15:17; Deu 3:25; Psa 78:54; Eze 20:40). A good deal of this had been under the control of Josiah at one stage, and Judah/Israel no doubt still saw it as ‘theirs’. If this is the case it was not only Jerusalem and the cities that were involved and were to be punished, but the whole countryside. And the result would be that the whole country would be despoiled, with all its substance and its treasures taken, whether from town or country, and the high places would be despoiled and would eventually be erased from the memories of their children when they were in the land of exile (which was one reason why exile was so necessary). After seventy years there would be no one left alive who remembered the ancient sanctuaries. This despoliation was the price of their seeking to the ancient sanctuaries and failing to hold to the covenant.
Jer 17:4
“And you, even of yourself, will discontinue,
From your heritage that I gave you,
And I will cause you to serve your enemies,
In the land which you do not know,
For you have kindled a fire in my anger,
Which will burn for ever.
The people themselves would also be exiled. They would ‘discontinue from the land that they had inherited’, that YHWH had given them, and it would be their own doing and their own responsibility. The word rendered ‘discontinue’ indicated ceasing to use the land. And there in exile YHWH would cause them to serve their enemies in an unknown land. All this would be because they had kindled an unceasing, unquenchable fire in arousing the anger of YHWH. For many of them it would never cease, for as time passed they would cease to see themselves as Israelites, while even today this fire of God’s anger continues to burn, for what remains of cast out Israel (which is spoken of here) is still in unbelief.
The coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, would result in the formation of a new Israel, a new nation, founded on Him and on the believing remnant of Israel (Mat 16:18; Mat 21:43; Joh 15:1-6; Rom 11:17-28; Eph 2:11-22; 1Pe 2:9), an Israel which would incorporate Gentiles in large numbers. And the result of this was that what remained of unbelieving Israel were also ‘cast out’ and no longer counted as the Israel of the promises. They are not all Israel who were of Israel (Rom 9:6). As a whole therefore they remain under the permanent displeasure of YHWH. It is only by returning to Christ that they can once more become a part of the true Israel (Rom 11:17-28), the believing Israel (Jesus Christ’s ‘congregation’ – ekklesia – i.e. church) which does retain the promises as expanded in the New Testament.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
SECTION 1. An Overall Description Of Jeremiah’s Teaching Given In A Series Of Accumulated, Mainly Undated, Prophecies, Concluding With Jeremiah’s Own Summary Of His Ministry ( Jer 2:4 to Jer 25:38 ).
From this point onwards up to chapter 25 we have a new major section (a section in which MT and LXX are mainly similar) which records the overall teaching of Jeremiah, probably given mainly during the reigns of Josiah (Jer 3:6) and Jehoiakim, although leading up to the days of Zedekiah (Jer 21:1). While there are good reasons for not seeing these chapters as containing a series of specific discourses as some have suggested, nevertheless they can safely be seen as giving a general overall view of Jeremiah’s teaching over that period, and as having on the whole been put together earlier rather than later. The whole commences with the statement, ‘Hear you the word of YHWH O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel, thus says YHWH —.’ It is therefore directed to Israel as a whole, mainly as now contained in the land of Judah to which many northerners had fled for refuge. We may divide up the main subsections as follows, based partly on content, and partly on the opening introductory phrases:
1. ‘Hear you the word of YHWH, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel —’ (Jer 2:4). YHWH commences by presenting His complaint against Israel/Judah because they have failed to continue to respond to the love and faithfulness that He had demonstrated to them in the wilderness and in the years that followed, resulting by their fervent addiction to idolatry in their losing the water of life in exchange for empty cisterns. It ends with a plea for them to turn back to Him like an unfaithful wife returning to her husband. This would appear to be mainly his initial teaching in his earliest days, indicating even at that stage how far, in spite of Josiah’s reformation, the people as a whole were from truly obeying the covenant, but it also appears to contain teaching given in the days of Jehoiakim, for which see commentary (Jer 2:4 to Jer 3:5).
2. ‘Moreover YHWH said to me in the days of King Josiah –’ (Jer 3:6). This section follows up on section 1 with later teaching given in the days of Josiah, and some apparently in the days of Jehoiakim. He gives a solemn warning to Judah based on what had happened to the northern tribes (‘the ten tribes’) as a result of their behaviour towards YHWH, facing Judah up to the certainty of similar coming judgment if they do not amend their ways, a judgment that would come in the form of a ravaged land and exile for its people. This is, however, intermingled with a promise of final blessing and further pleas for them to return to YHWH, for that in the end is YHWH’s overall purpose. But the subsection at this time ends under a threat of soon coming judgment (Jer 3:6 to Jer 6:30).
3. ‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH –’ (Jer 7:1). In this subsection Jeremiah admonishes the people about the false confidence that they have in the inviolability of the Temple, and in their sacrificial ritual, and warned that like Shiloh they could be destroyed. He accompanies his words with warnings that if they continued in their present disobedience, Judah would be dispersed and the country would be despoiled (Jer 7:1 to Jer 8:3). He therefore chides the people for their obstinacy in the face of all attempts at reformation (Jer 8:4 to Jer 9:21), and seeks to demonstrate to them what the path of true wisdom is, that they understand and know YHWH in His covenant love, justice and righteousness. In a fourfold comparison he then vividly brings out the folly of idolatry when contrasted with the greatness of YHWH. The section ends with the people knowing that they must be chastised, but hoping that YHWH’s full wrath will rather be poured out on their oppressors (Jer 9:22 to Jer 10:25).
4. ‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH –’ (Jer 11:1). He now deprecates their disloyalty to the covenant, and demonstrates from examples the total corruption of the people, revealing that as a consequence their doom is irrevocably determined (Jer 11:1 to Jer 12:17). The section closes with a symbolic action which reveals the certainty of their expulsion from the land (13).
5. ‘The word that came from YHWH to Jeremiah –’ (Jer 14:1). “The word concerning the drought,” gives illustrative evidence confirming that the impending judgment of Judah cannot be turned aside by any prayers or entreaties, and that because of their sins Judah will be driven into exile. A promise of hope for the future when they will be restored to the land is, however, once more incorporated (Jer 16:14-15) although only with a view to stressing the general judgment (Jer 14:1 to Jer 17:4). The passage then closes with general explanations of what is at the root of the problem, and lays out cursings and blessings and demonstrates the way by which punishment might be avoided by a full response to the covenant as evidenced by observing the Sabbath (Jer 17:5-27).
6. ‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH –’ (Jer 18:1). Chapters 18-19 then contain two oracles from God illustrated in terms of the Potter and his handiwork, which bring out on the one hand God’s willingness to offer mercy, and on the other the judgment that is about to come on Judah because of their continuance in sin and their refusal to respond to that offer. The consequence of this for Jeremiah, in chapter 20, is severe persecution, including physical blows and harsh imprisonment. This results in him complaining to YHWH in his distress, and cursing the day of his birth.
7. ‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH –’ (Jer 21:1). This subsection, which is a kind of appendix to what has gone before, finally confirming the hopelessness of Jerusalem’s situation under Zedekiah. In response to an appeal from King Zedekiah concerning Judah’s hopes for the future Jeremiah warns that it is YHWH’s purpose that Judah be subject to Babylon (Jer 21:1-10). Meanwhile, having sent out a general call to the house of David to rule righteously and deal with oppression, he has stressed that no hope was to be nurtured of the restoration of either Shallum, the son of Josiah who had been carried off to Egypt, nor of Jehoiachin (Coniah), the son of Jehoiakim who had been carried off to Babylon. In fact no direct heir of Jehoiachin would sit upon the throne. And the reason that this was so was because all the current sons of David had refused to respond to his call to rule with justice and to stamp down on oppression. What had been required was to put right what was wrong in Judah, and reign in accordance with the requirements of the covenant. In this had lain any hope for the continuation of the Davidic monarchy. But because they had refused to do so only judgment could await them. Note in all this the emphasis on the monarchy as ‘sons of David’ (Jer 21:12; Jer 22:2-3). This is preparatory to the mention of the coming glorious son of David Who would one day come and reign in righteousness (Jer 23:3-8).
Jeremiah then heartily castigates the false shepherds of Judah who have brought Judah to the position that they are in and explains that for the present Judah’s sinful condition is such that all that they can expect is everlasting reproach and shame (Jer 23:9 ff). The subsection then closes (chapter 24) with the parable of the good and bad figs, the good representing the righteous remnant in exile who will one day return, the bad the people who have been left in Judah to await sword, pestilence, famine and exile.
8. ‘The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah –’ (Jer 25:1). This subsection contains Jeremiah’s own summary, given to the people in a sermon, describing what has gone before during the previous twenty three years of his ministry. It is also in preparation for what is to follow. He warns them that because they have not listened to YHWH’s voice the land must suffer for ‘seventy years’ in subjection to Babylon, and goes on to bring out that YHWH’s wrath will subsequently be visited on Babylon, and not only on them, but on ‘the whole world’. For YHWH will be dealing with the nations in judgment, something which will be expanded on in chapters 46-51. There is at this stage no mention of restoration, (except as hinted at in the seventy year limit to Babylon’s supremacy), and the chapter closes with a picture of the final desolation which is to come on Judah as a consequence of YHWH’s anger.
While the opening phrase ‘the word that came from YHWH to Jeremiah’ will appear again in Jer 30:1; Jer 32:1; Jer 34:8; Jer 35:1; Jer 40:1 it will only be after the sequence has been broken by other introductory phrases which link the word of YHWH with the activities of a particular king (e.g. Jer 25:1; Jer 26:1; Jer 27:1; Jer 28:1) where in each case the message that follows is limited in length. See also Jer 29:1 which introduces a letter from Jeremiah to the early exiles in Babylon. Looking at chapter 25 as the concluding chapter to the first part, this confirms a new approach from Jer 26:1 onwards, (apparent also in its content), while at the same time demonstrating that the prophecy must be seen as an overall unity.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Section 5. The Word Concerning The Droughts: The Certainty Of Exile For Judah ( Jer 14:1 to Jer 17:27 ).
The new section is again introduced by the words ‘The word of YHWH which came to Jeremiah –’ (Jer 14:1) although in slightly altered form (literally ‘that which came, the word of YHWH, to Jeremiah’). “The word concerning the droughts” gives illustrative evidence confirming that the impending judgment of Judah cannot be turned aside by any prayers or entreaties, and that because of their sins Judah will be driven into exile, although a promise of hope for the future when they will be restored to the land is also incorporated (Jer 16:14-15), but this only with a view to stressing the general judgment (Jer 14:1 to Jer 17:4). The passage then closes with general explanations of what is at the root of the problem, and lays out cursings and blessings and demonstrates the way by which punishment might be avoided by a full response to the covenant as evidenced in the observance of the Sabbath (Jer 17:5-27).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
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 17:1
Jer 17:1 “is written with a pen of iron” – Scripture Reference Note Job 19:23-24, “Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!”
Jer 17:1 “it is graven upon the table of their hearts” Word Study on “the table” Strong says the Hebrew word “table” ( ) or ( ) (H3871) means, “a tablet of stone, wood or metal.” In Jer 17:1 it used figuratively of a hardened heart.
Comments – Pro 3:3 tells us not to forsake the truth. In the same manner, they has also clung to sin:
Pro 3:3, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:”
Scripture References – Note similar verses:
Jer 31:33, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Eze 11:19, “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:”
Eze 36:26-27, “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.”
God has given Christians a heart of flesh:
2Co 3:3, “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”
Jer 17:1 “and upon the horns of your altars” Comments Blood was placed upon the horns of altar of burnt incense and burnt sacrifice in order to sanctify the altar (Exo 29:36-37). This, in turn, would sanctify the offering so that God might accept it.
Exo 29:36-37, “And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it . Seven days thou shalt make an atonement for the altar, and sanctify it; and it shall be an altar most holy: whatsoever toucheth the altar shall be holy.”
Strong says the Hebrew word “atonement” ( ) (H3722) literally means, “to cover,” and figuratively, it means, “to appease, cleanse, disannul, pardon, purge.”
Lev 8:15, “And he slew it; and Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his finger, and purified the altar , and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it.”
Mat 23:19, “Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift ?”
Jer 17:1 Comments – Iron pens of biblical times were used to write on stone. The idea is the awareness that God has of their sin. It is not forgotten, but it is remembered.
Jer 17:1 Illustration – Years ago on television, a strong muscular hand was shown slamming down a metal stamp and strike the top of this stamp with a heavy harmer and leave a deep impression (IV) in the metal. The world thinks if they ignore sin, maybe it will go away or fade into not being there. Sin has to be dealt with. It does not go away.
Jer 17:2 Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.
Jer 17:2
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 17:3
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.
Jer 17:4
Jer 15:13, “Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.”
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 17:5
Rom 8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Jer 17:5 Illustration – I once had a gas credit card and put it in my wallet, just in case I needed it. I later asked God to provide my gas money. Money did not come because my trust was in the gas card, not God. It could not be in both. So I threw the card away.
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.
Jer 17:6
Jer 17:6 “and shall not see when good cometh” – Comments Just as in Jer 17:8, when the blessed man does not see when heat comes, the backslider will not see when good comes. He will, instead, be cursed when everyone else around him is prospering. He will never see or partaken of the good. Nor will he understand why things are thus. When good does come, the wicked will not recognize it as a blessing from God, and will therefore miss this blessing.
Jer 17:6 “but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness” – Comments Note in Jer 14:1-6 that the Lord sends the drought upon the land of Judah.
Jer 17:6 “in a salt land and not inhabited” Comments A salt land is totally uninhabitable, without vegetation or wildlife. These places are totally unable to sustain any visual signs of life, and particularly an ecosystem. There may be some traces of microbe that have adapted to these extreme conditions, but it is a land of salty ponds and salt flats. There are a number of places on earth that fit this description; the Dead Sea located along the Israeli-Jordan border cannot support any life forms; the Great Salt Lake and the salt flats in Utah are similar locations.
Jer 17:7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.
Jer 17:8 Jer 17:8
Comments – In Jeremiah 14 a drought came upon the land. Jer 17:8 is a good example of God’s provision. When troubles come, we will stand in courage (Php 4:6-8).
Php 4:6-8, “ Be careful for nothing ; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Jer 17:7-8 Comments The Blessings of Trusting in the Lord – The blessed man of Jer 17:7-8 must be the spiritually-minded person (Rom 8:6).
Rom 8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Jer 17:9
Comment Having lived in Africa for over a decade as a missionary, I never cease to be amazed at how many ways a man’s heart can device deceit. I sometimes think that I have seen every trick in Africa, but I am still sometimes outsmarted by the deceitful heart. Thus, the depths of deception cannot be fully discovered by one man in one lifetime, since the heart is capable of devising new deceptions every day.
However, at salvation the heart is recreated and becomes a new creation; so it is no longer desperately wicked (2Co 5:17, Col 3:10).
2Co 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Col 3:10, “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”
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.
Jer 17:10
Word Study on “try” – Strong says the Hebrew word “try” ( ) (H974) means, “to test, investigate, examine, prove.”
Word Study on “reins” – Strong says the Hebrew word “reins” ( ) (H3629) literally means, “the kidney,” and figuratively, “the mind (as the interior self).”
Comments – The words “search” and “try” are used as synonyms in Psa 139:23.
Psa 139:23, “ Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:”
Jer 17:10 “even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” – Word Study on “ways” Strong says the Hebrew word “ways” ( ) (H1870) means, “a course of life, journey, path.”
Jer 17:10 Comments – Jer 17:10 answers the question asked in Jer 17:9 of who can know the heart of man. God can know the heart.
Jer 17:10 Scripture References – Note similar verses:
Psa 62:12, “Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.”
Jer 32:19, “Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:”
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.
Jer 17:11
Jer 17:11 Illustration – The parable of the rich fool in Luk 12:15-21 stored up earthly treasures, but did not lay up treasures in heaven.
Jer 17:12 A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.
Jer 17:13 Jer 17:13
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 17:14
Jer 17:15 Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now.
Jer 17:15
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Reason for Judah’s Rejection
v. 1. The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, v. 2. whilst their children, v. 3. O my mountain in the field, v. 4. And thou, even thyself, shall discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
Jer 17:1-18 are closely connected with the preceding chapter. We have just been pointed to the striking contrast between the conduct of the heathen and that of the backsliding men of Judah. The inspired orator’s indignation swells as he thinks of the inveterateness and indelibleness of Judah’s sin. Then he passes to a subject immediately suggested by the policy of the court, viz. the true source of safety in dangerous times. Trust in man brings a curse; trust in Jehovah a blessing (Jer 17:5-13). From this portion of the prophecy we can venture to fix the date of the whole. Jer 17:11 is, in fact, a shorter form of the denunciation in Jer 22:13-19, which is directly addressed to Jehoiakim; and the most natural view of Jer 22:5-10 is to regard them as a warning against the negotiations with Egypt entered into by Jehoiakim after his revolt from Nebuchadnezzar (see Ewald, ‘History of Israel,’ 4.261). The emphasis on the deceitfulness of the heart, in Jer 22:9, is readily intelligible in this connection; it reminds us of the woe pronounced by Isaiah against those who “seek deep to hide their counsel from Jehovah” (Isa 29:15), and which undoubtedly refers to a projected Egyptian alliance.
Jer 17:1
The sin of Judah, etc. “Judah’s sin” is not merely their tendency to sin, but their sinful practicestheir idolatry. This is said to be graven upon the table of their heart, for it is no mere form, but carried on with passionate earnestness, and as indelible as if engraved with an iron pen. How unlike, however, is this record to that of which the same expression is used in Job 19:24! With the point of a diamond; or, with a point of adamant (harder than flint, as Eze 3:9 says). Fragments of adamant, says Pliny (‘Hist. Nat.,’ 37.15), are sought out by engravers and enclosed in iron; they easily overcome every hardness. Upon the horns of your altars. First of all, what altars are referred to? Those erected for the worship of idols or the two in the temple of Jehovah, which had been defiled by idolatry? And why is the sin of Judah said to be engraved upon the horns of the altars? Probably because the “horns,” i.e. the projections at the four upper corners (Exo 28:2) were smeared with the blood of the victims. The direction in Exo 29:12 and Le Exo 4:7 was doubtless not peculiar to the ritual of the Law.
Jer 17:2
Whilst their children remember, etc. The connection of this with the preceding verse is rather obscure. Probably it is intended as an exemplification of the “sin of Judah,” the inveterateness of which is shown by their thoughts spontaneously turning to the altars and symbols of the false gods whenever they are near a leafy tree or a high hill. To make “their sons” the accusative (with Hitzig and Keil), rendering, “As they remember their children, [even so they remember their altars],” seems unnatural; why should “children” and “altars” be associated in idea? Groves; rather, idols of Asherah, the Canaanitish goddess.
Jer 17:3
O my mountain in the field; a still more obscure passage. The question is whether “my mountain in the field” is a vocative or an accusative dependent on “I will give.” If the former, then the phrase will mean Jerusalem (comp. “rock of the plain,” Jer 21:13). This, however, does not suit with the second half of the verse (“thy high places,” etch), and still less with Jer 17:4, which evidently refers to the people of Judah. Added to this, if Jerusalem were here addressed we should certainly expect feminine suffixes. It remains to take “my mountain,” etc; as an accusative. It describes, not Jerusalem, but Mount Zion as the site of the temple, the mountain of the house of Jehovah (Isa 2:3; Zec 8:3; Psa 24:3). Render, therefore, my mountain in the field will I give. The prophet magnifies Zion into a mountain with a widely extended prospect (comp. Jer 17:12 and Jer 21:13). Thy substance and all thy treasures; i.e. these of the people. The part of the verse which begins here is almost the same as Jer 15:13 (see note). And thy high places for sin. Keil explains, Jehovah declares that he will, on account of the sinful practices upon them, deliver up the high places throughout the land. Gesenius, “He will deliver up the high places with the sin attaching to them;” Hitzig, “as a sin offering.” There is a question, however, whether there is not a corruption in the text, and whether we should not read, with Ewald, “without price for thy sins” (as in the parallel passage, Jer 15:13).
Jer 17:4
(Comp. Jer 15:14.) Even thyself; literally, even with thyself, i.e. with thy bare life (if the text, which is here evidently rather out of order, is correct). Shalt discontinue. The word involves an allusion to the Law in Exo 23:11 and (especially) Deu 15:2 (see the Hebrew). The latter passage suggests a correction of the difficult “even with thyself,” just preceding, into “thy hand.” Thus we get for the opening of this verse, “And thou shalt let loose thy hand” (i.e. as Authorized Version, “shalt discontinue”).
Jer 17:5-11
In the higher gnomic or proverbial style. God and man, flesh and spirit, are natural antitheses (comp. Isa 31:3; Psa 56:4). The prayer of the believer is, “Be thou (O Jehovah) their arm every morning;” not Egypt, not Assyria, not any “arm of flesh.”
Jer 17:6
Like the heath in the desert; as forlorn as some well-known desert plant. But which plant? St. Jerome explains, “Et erit quasi myrice [‘tamarisk’], quae Hebraice dicitur Aroer (?) sire, at interpretatus est Syrus, lignum infructuosum.” The versions agree in supposing the comparison to be to a plant; and a very similar word in Arabic (ghargar) means the mountain juniper; Tristram, the dwarf juniper. Most, however, take the word to be an adjective equivalent to “destitute.” Dr. Thomson tells a story of a poor destitute woman he found in the desert (comp. Jer 48:6the form there is Aroer, here it is arar; Psa 102:18). Shall not see; i.e. shall not perceive, or feel any evil consequences (comp. Isa 44:16, “I have seen the fire,” equivalent to “feel the flame”). A salt land; i.e. one entirely barren (comp. Deu 29:23).
Jer 17:8
Shall not see; rather, shall not fearthis is the reading of the Hebrew text, and of the Septuagint, Peshito, and Vulgate. The Authorized Version represents that of the margin, which is conformed to Jer 17:6, but is against the parallelisms.
Jer 17:9, Jer 17:10
The crocked devices of the human heart, which is characterized as deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, or rather, desperately sick (see Jer 15:18, where it is explained by the words, “which refuseth to be healed”). The Septuagint reads this verse differently, “The heart is deep above all things, and it is a man.”
Jer 17:11
As the partridge hatcheth them not; rather, as the partridge sitteth on eggs which it hath not laid; a proverbial illustration of the Divine retributive justice. The prophet assumes the truth of a popular belief respecting the partridge (still a common bird in Judaea), that it brooded upon eggs which it had not laid. As the young birds soon leave the false mother, so unjustly acquired riches soon forsake their possessors. [Canon Tristram rejects this explanation, on the ground that the statement is not true to natural history; the partridge neither steals the broods of others nor needs to do so, as it lays a very large number of eggs. But grammar requires us to translate as suggested above, and consequently excludes any other explanation-May not the unusually large number of the eggs laid by the partridge have led to the fancy that they could not be all its own?]
Jer 17:12, Jer 17:13
An address to Jehovah in two parts, the first specially referring to the temple regarded as the sacramental symbol of the Divine presence (comp. Psa 5:7), the second to Jehovah himself. It seems to us, no doubt, singular thus practically to identify, Jehovah and his temple; but the prophet s meaning is that God can only be addressed in so far as he has revealed himself. The temple was not, strictly speaking, the “Name or revelation of God, but it was “the place of the Name of Jehovah,” and in the language of strong feeling might be addressed as if it were really the Divine Name. The disciples of the incarnate Name were familiar with the idea that their Master was in some sense the antitype of the temple (Mat 12:6; Joh 2:19). In proposing this explanation, it has been tacitly assumed that the Authorized Version, A glorious high throne is the place of our sanctuary, is wrong. Grammatically, indeed, it is not indefensible; but it is a weak rendering in such a context. Render, therefore, Thou throne of glory, a height from the beginning, thou place of our sanctuary, thou hope of Israel, Jehovah. The temple is called “the throne of thy glory” in Jer 14:21; “height” is a common synonym for heaven (Psa 7:8, Hebrew; Isa 57:15, Hebrew), but is also applied to Mount Zion (Eze 17:23; Eze 20:40, quoted by Keil), which is also in Isa 60:13 called, “the place of my sanctuary.” By adding the concluding words of the address (at the opening of Isa 60:13), the prophet prevents the suspicion that he attached importance to the mere outward buildings of the temple, like those formalist Jews, whose words are quoted in Jer 7:4.
Jer 17:13
They that depart from me. The abrupt change of person is extremely harsh; the Vulgate, followed by Ewald and Olshausen, supposes that a final caph has dropped out, rendering, “they that depart from thee.” Shall be written in the earth; a contrast to that which is recorded for all time “with a pen of iron” (Jer 17:1). The fountain, etc.; a favorite phrase of our prophet (see Jer 2:13).
Jer 17:14-18
A prayer of the prophet in this his hour of need. He who makes his boast of Jehovah may reckon upon his help. This is Jeremiah’s principle. He prays for healing, Heal me and I shall berather, that I may behealed. He is one of those “broken in heart,” whom Jehovah alone can “heal” (Psa 147:3).
Jer 17:15
The occasion of this prayer is the hostility of his neighbors, and their mocking question, Where is the word of the Lord? The prophecy seems to be floating as it were in mid-air, unable to alight (Isa 9:8) and fulfill itself, so that Jeremiah could be plausibly treated as a false prophet (Deu 18:22). Hence, as Keil remarks, the discourse of which this forms the conclusion must have been spoken before the first Babylonian invasion of Judah.
Jer 17:16
I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee; i.e. I have not eagerly withdrawn from following thee as a shepherd (or prophet). The prophet does not follow his own vague inclinations; he is but an under-shepherd, and waits on the will of his superior. He is, as Hosea calls him (Hos 9:7, Hebrew), “the man of the Spirit.” If God leads any one, whether people or individuals, it is through the agency of the Spirit (Isa 63:11, Isa 63:12); and it is the characteristic of the typical prophet that his ear is “wakened morning by morning” to receive his daily lesson. Only by thus “following” the Divine Leader, can a prophet act as pastor to his people. [The construction is, however, rather simplified by the renderinga perfectly legitimate one from following thee as a companion.] The woeful day. The word for “woeful” is the same rendered “desperately wicked” (verse 9); the “day” of Judah’s calamity is metaphorically “sick,” like the heart of man. So, other words being used, Isa 17:11 (end). Was right before thee; rather (since some adjective must be supplied), was manifest before thee. He appeals to the all-seeing Eye as a witness to his fidelity to his mission.
Jer 17:17
Jeremiah reckons on Jehovah’s protection; he therefore entreats that his God will not bring him to shame by leaving his prophecies unfulfilled. A terror is a weak rendering; a consternation would be better.
Jer 17:18
(On this terrible execration, with reference to Jeremiah’s character, see the general Introduction.) Destroy them with double destruction. “Double” here means “amply sufficient” (comp. Rev 18:6, and see on Jer 16:18).
Jer 17:19-27
An exhortation to a more strict observance of the Sabbath. The reward held out is Jerusalem’s continuance in all its old pomp, both temporal and spiritual, and the penalty the destruction of the city by fire. This passage stands in absolutely no connection with the preceding and the following prophecies; and we have just the same sense of suspicion in meeting with it here, in the midst of perfectly general exhortations, as in reading the parallel exhortations to Sabbath-keeping in Isa 56:1-12. and 58; surrounded as they are by the moving and almost evangelical rhetoric of the second part of Isaiah. Geiger and Dr. Rowland Williams have hence been led to conjecture that this section (or part of it) was introduced into the roll of Jeremiah’s prophecies to assist the reforming movement of Ezra and Nehemiah. Certainly the regard for the Sabbath, so conspicuous in the later Judaism, dates, so far as we can see, from the time of Ezra and Nehemiah (see Neh 13:1-31.), though it is credible enough that the perception of the high importance of this holy day (comp. Heine’s ‘Prinecssin Sabbath’) began to acquire greater distinctness as the other parts of the social and religions organization were seen to be fading away (comp. art. “Sabbath” in Smith’s ‘Bible Dictionary’).
Jer 17:19
In the gate of the children of the people. It is uncertain which of the gates of Jerusalem is meant, and not perfectly clear what is the meaning of the title. Does it mean Israelites as opposed to foreigners, or laymen as distinguished from priests? Whereby the kings of Judah come in. Jeremiah appears to use the phrase “kings of Judah” in a particular sense (see on verse 20). He may, no doubt, simply mean to say that those who are from time to time sovereigns of Judah enter by this gate. But once grant that the prophet does sometimes use the phrase in a sense of his own, and that in the very next verse, and it is very difficult to avoid interpreting it so in this passage.
Jer 17:20
Jeremiah addresses himself first of all to the kings of Judah. As it would be very unnatural for a public orator to appeal to the yet unborn members of the reigning dynasty, and as there are several indications that the “house of David” was able at this period, as also in that of Isaiah, to exercise a decisive political and civil influence, even, as appears from Jer 21:11, Jer 21:12, monopolizing the judicial functions, it is natural to suppose that “kings of Judah” is here used in a very special sense, via. of the members of the various branches of the royal family (“The sons of the king,” Zep 1:8; comp. Jer 36:26, “Jerahmeel, a king’s son”), and their descendants, who received the royal title by courtesy (parallels for this will be found in Gesenius’s ‘Hebrew Thesaurus,’ s.v. me’lek). The queen-mother was probably the leader of this plan; “the mistress,” as she was called (see on Jer 13:18), and the royal princes (among whom the “house of Nathan,” Zec 12:12, would doubtless be reckoned), constituted in fact a body almost as numerous as they did (according to Brugsch Bey) in Egypt, and politically much more influential; so much so indeed that only a king of unusual force of character, like Hezekiah or Josiah, could venture, and that timidly, to oppose them. The weak-principled Zedekiah seems to have been entirely dominated by this powerful caste, and to have been little more than a maire du palais (the same sense of the phrase is required in Jer 19:8, and probably in Jer 25:18).
Jer 17:21
Take heed to yourselves; rather, Take heed heartily, conscientiously; literally, in your souls. So in Malachi (Mal 2:15, Mal 2:16), “Take heed in your spirit” (not, “to your spirit,” as Authorized Version).
Jer 17:22
Neither do ye any work; according to the fourth commandment (Exo 20:10; Deu 5:14).
Jer 17:23
This verse is modeled on Jer 7:26, Jer 7:28.
Jer 17:25
Parallel passage, Jer 22:4, where, however, we simply meet with “kings sitting upon the throne o f David,” not, as hero, “kings and princes.” Has the latter word come in by accident, owing to the frequent combination of kings and princes in Jeremiah (Jer 1:18; Jer 2:26; Jer 25:18; Jer 32:32; Jer 44:17, Jer 44:21)? Shall remain forever; rather, shall be inhabited forever.
Jer 17:26
Parallel passage for the catalogue of the districts of Judah, Jer 32:44. Three divisions are mentioned.
(1) The neighborhood of Jerusalem (including the “cities of Judah”);
(2) the land of Benjamin, i.e. the northern part of the kingdom; and
(3) the tribe of Judah, with its three subdivisionsthe Shefela or lowland country by the Mediterranean Sea, the hill country, and the Negeb or “dry” south country (comp. Jos 15:21-62). The sacrifices are described with equal explicitness; they fall into two classes, the bloody (burnt offerings and other sacrifices) and the unbloody (the vegetable offering or minkhah, and the incense which was strewed upon the minkhah, Le Jer 2:1). And bringing sacrifices of praise. This was, no doubt, the title of a particular variety of sacrifices (Le Jer 7:12; Jer 22:29); here, however, it seems as if all the preceding sacrifices were summed up under this designation. St. Paul says, “In everything give thanks;” and this seems to have been the prophet’s ideal of the sacrifices of the future.
HOMILETICS
Jer 17:1
Engraved sin.
I. SIN LEAVES A RECORD OF ITSELF. It is not an isolated act. It begets consequencesplants memories, creates guilt. The record remains even if we do not read it. God still notes it, and will some day confront us with it. Hence it is not enough to amend our ways for the future. We need to have past transgressions blotted out if we are to be restored to peace with God.
II. THE RECORD OF SIN IS ENGRAVED ON HEART OF THE SINNER.
1. It is written on the memory. Men who have forsaken the scenes of their evil deeds cannot shake off the clinging burden of the memory of them. The criminal is haunted by his crimes. They people his dreams with horrors; they overshadow his waking hours with gloom. Even when sin is put out of mind it is probably buried in the secret chamber of memory, to be ultimately brought to the light of consciousness. The experience of those who have been recovered from drowning and from delirium suggests the idea that forgotten memories can be revived, and that probably the whole of the soul’s experience is indelibly written upon the memory. No other recording-angel may be wanted. The soul carries its own indictment in the record it bears of its own conduct.
2. This is also written on the affections. Sin begets the passion for sin. Vice springs from the heart, and it corrupts the heart. That which is first committed under the stress of temptation comes at length to be sought with the hunger of a natural appetite.
III. THE RECORD OF SIN IS ENGRAVED ON THE ALTAR OF SACRIFICE. Judah desecrated the altar of Jehovah with idolatrous rites. We desecrate Divine things by sinful conduct.
1. We cannot leave our guilt behind us when we enter the temple of worship. If it is not repented of it will vitiate the worship. The sin of the week-day renders worthless the offerings of the Sunday.
2. Sin directly connected with religion is peculiarly wicked. The altar is defiled. Thus the offering of gifts from base motives, deceit, and unholiness in worship, stamps our sins with peculiar guilt on the altar of God.
IV. THIS RECORD OF SIN IS NATURALLY INDELIBLE. It is graven with an adamant.
1. It is, therefore, useless to ignorant.
2. It is vain to try to wash it away by any effort of our own.
3. It is foolish to expect peace with God till this terrible hindrance has been removed out of the way.
4. We have every motive to seek in penitence and in faith that God should blot out our sin, not only from his book of remembrance, but also from our hearts, even though it is so deeply written there that nothing short of the creation of a new heart will remove it (Psa 51:10).
Jer 17:5-8
The desert shrub and the flourishing tree.
I. THE DESERT SHRUB EXEMPLIFIES THE CURSE OF WORLDLY CONFIDENCE.
1. Note the character of worldly confidence.
(1) Trust in man. There is a trust in man that is natural and right. The foolish and wrong confidence is when man takes the place of God, when the highest trust is in man, when the power of the prince, the skill of the physician, or the astuteness of the lawyer are thought to be sufficient to secure us against the greatest dangers.
(2) Reliance on the arm of flesh. This illustrates the ultimate ground of such confidence as trust in man. It turns to the flesh rather than to the spirit, i.e. to worldly influences rather than to principles of truth, to the mortal rather than to the Divine, to the man who will perish rather than to the God who is eternal.
(3) The departure of the heart from God. We cannot have a true confidence in God together with a supreme worldly confidence. The one excludes the other. The tree cannot be growing both in the desert and by the water-course. This departure is of the heart. In the heart we trust. Outwardly we may still seem near to God, but if faith has gone the heart has forsaken God.
2. Consider the curse of this worldly confidence. It makes one like a desert shrub.
(1) Dwarfed and stunted in growtha shrub, not a treea miserable shrub of the desert. Though departure from God does not involve sudden destruction, it lowers the spiritual energies, dwarfs the whole life.
(2) Not even benefited by blessings received. The shrub “shall not see when good cometh.” The breath of spring, which brings fresh bloom and growth to other plants, passes over it with no more fruitful effects than the chill blasts of autumn produce. He who has departed from God and lives only in worldly confidence derives no real benefit from the blessings that God still sends him.
(3) Suffering from lack of the chief good. The shrub is in a parched land, is withered for lack of water (see Jer 2:13).
(4) Lonely. “In a salt land and not inhabited.” The soul that is separated from God is essentially solitary, deserted, destitute though immersed in the tumult of worldly society.
II. THE FLOURISHING TREE EXEMPLIFIES THE BLESSEDNESS OF TRUST IN GOD.
1. Note the character of trust in God.
(1) It is intelligent. It is trust in God revealed as Jehovah, as supreme, self-existent, eternal, known in the past for merciful helpfulness.
(2) It is whole-hearted. It is a simple trust in God, not divided by partial worldly confidence.
(3) It is hopeful. “Whose hope the Lord is.” The strongest faith rises into hope.
2. Consider the blessedness of this trust in God.
(1) Full and flourishing lifea tree, not a shrub. He who trusts in God is not only endowed with external blessings, he is enlarged and developed in his own life.
(2) Nourished and refreshed. The tree is planted by the waters, etc. Trust is God brings and plants us near to the “river of life.”
(3) Secured against trouble. “And shall not see when heat cometh,” etc. While the shrub derives no benefit from the most favorable weather, the tree planted by the water does not suffer from the most trying. Trust in God does not prevent the approach of trouble, but it fortifies us against suffering real harm from it. Hidden sources supply the Christian with spiritual nourishment when outwardly the heavens are as brass and the earth as iron.
(4) Perpetual fruitfulness. “Neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” Fruitfulness is a sign of health, perpetual fruitfulness of unbroken health. Fruitfulness is a blessing. The Christian is most blessed in being able to work for good, and to distribute blessings to others as the chief glory of the tree is its fruit-bearing.
Jer 17:9, Jer 17:10
The evil heart searched and judged.
I. THE EVIL OF THE HEART.
1. The most important question concerning a man is as to the state of his hearthis thoughts, affections, intentions. In the heart we find the true man. The outer life is but the clothing and may be the mask of the man. From the heart spring all the actions of life. The character of the fountain determines that of the stream (Mat 15:18, Mat 15:19).
2. The root of the evil of the heart is self-will. It is rugged above all things, proud, not compliant with God’s will, wrapped up in self.
3. The character of the evil of the heart is desperate sickness.
(1) Sickness, for sin is a disease of the soul, though one for which we are responsible, and it results in suffering, general derangement of life, and finally death;
(2) desperate sickness, for sin is no simple scratch on the skin of life, no mere temporary functional disorder, but heart-disease, an organic constitutional disease, terrible in its present condition, alarming in its future prospects.
4. The evil of the heart is inscrutable to man. “Who can know it?” This is the case,
(1) because we cannot read the hearts of our fellow-men, but only judge from external conduct, which is often deceptive;
(2) because we are blinded to our own sin by pride, prejudice, and self-admiration;
(3) because there is an intricacy and subtlety about all wickedness which makes it difficult to trace it out, a shamefacedness that seeks concealment, and an essential falseness that belies its own nature; and
(4) because the disease has made so great progress, has penetrated so deeply, ramified so far, and infected every function of the soul so completely, that it is beyond all measure.
II. THE DIVINE SEARCH AND JUDGMENT. The heart is difficult to understand, but God thoroughly searches it. “Who can know it?” “I the Lord.”
1. God searches and tries,
(1) by his own silent, all-penetrating gaze that detects the darkest secrets; and
(2) by the outward action of providence in events which test a man’s nature and reveal it to the world, for the judgment of God is ultimately open and with a fair trial, that all may see and acquiesce in the righteousness of the sentence.
2. God knows the heart. The search is effectual. The trial is fruitful. God knows us, while the world is deceived. How foolish, then, to play the hypocrite! For it matters little what men think of us, but God’s thoughts concerning us are of infinite moment. God will judge justly and reasonably, for he knows all.
3. God will administer judgment according to the character of men’s actions revealed by his searching and trying. God’s knowledge is followed by his action. He is not simply a great contemplative Being. He has an arm to make bare for action as well as eyes to see the evil and the good. Judgment will be for our actions, but according as these are read in the light of the state of our heart. God searches and gives to men according to their ways. This judgment is universal”to every man,” discriminatingto each “according to his ways,” and natural”according to the fruit of his doings, according to their natural products, each in its own kind, so that men shall reap what they sow as by a law of nature.
Jer 17:11
Partridge-nests.
I. ILL–GOTTEN RICHES BETOKEN AN UNNATURAL CONDITION Of SOCIETY. It is not natural that strange eggs should be found in a partridge-nest. Violence and fraud and more subtle sharp-practice are proofs of a disorganized state of society.
II. ILL–GOTTEN RICHES MAY BE MINGLED WITH JUST GAINS. It may not be that all the eggs are strange. The business man who is dishonest in some transactions may be honest in others; but his very correctness may be only a cloak for his fraud.
III. ILL–GOTTEN RICHES MAY PROSPER FOR A TIME. The eggs are hatched. Schemes of fraud succeed. The wicked prosper.
IV. ILL–GOTTEN RICHES WILL ULTIMATELY BE LOST. How often does the ablest device of dishonesty fail of ultimate success! The swindler is taken at the height of his prosperity. If he is not discovered he cannot take his wealth with him when he dies.
V. ILL–GOTTEN RICHES LEAVE THE POSSESSOR OF THEM CONVICTED OF FOLLY. He thinks himself supremely clever, and smiles with contempt on his credulous victims. But he is really the greatest dupe of his own devices, since in the end all his labor is wasted and his ultimate condition ruinous (Luk 12:20, Luk 12:21). “Honesty is the best policy” in the long run, though, as has been shrewdly observed, no man is truly honest who only acts on this maxim.
Jer 17:12-14
The Hope of Israel.
I. THE REVELATION OF THE HOPE OF ISRAEL.
1. God is revealed as the Hope of his people; i.e. as the source
(1) of their highest gooda “fear” at first (Gen 31:42), but when better known a “hope;”
(2) of a good not yet attaineda hope, not a full fruition; but
(3) of a good assured for the futurea true hope resting on good promises, not a vain dream.
2. God is thus revealed in connection with the sanctuary,
(1) because the worship of God enlarges the knowledge of God;
(2) because the sanctuary is the center of religious instruction, either by symbolic service as that of the temple, or by direct teaching as that of the Christian Churches. God must be known to be loved and trusted. They who neglect the duty of public worship lose the privilege of receiving light on Divine truth which would be a comfort and help to them.
3. Experience confirms this revelation of God. The glorious character of God has been true of him “from the beginning.” The antiquity of the temple was the proof of this to the Jew, the history of Christendom should be more so to the Christian.
II. THE FOLLY OF FORSAKING THE HOPE OF ISRAEL.
1. It is foolish to forsake God. We know that it is wrong; we have to learn that it is also injurious to ourselves. The character of God should make this apparent. Such a character as has been above ascribed to him shows that he is “the Fountain of living waters,” i.e. the one Source of pure, life-giving energy. Though no true roll on can be founded on low motives of self-interest, self-interest should at least show us the mistake of irreligion.
2. The results of forsaking God are shame and destruction:
(1) shame, because the stay of confidence which was chosen in preference to God is seen at last to be a rotten reed, while God is manifested as worthy of all trust; and
(2) destruction, for “they shall be written in the earth;” sin is graven as with a pen of iron upon a rock, but the life of the sinner is written in dust, to be dissipated and forgotten, a wasted career, with nothing solid and lasting about it.
III. THE PRAYER OF CONFIDENCE IN THE HOPE OF ISRAEL. (Jer 17:14.)
1. A prayer for healing. Though we hope in God we may suffer at present. We need not so much improved circumstances as a bettering of the condition of our own soulsnot so much wealth as health.
2. A prayer for salvation. The prophet feels himself in danger. Dangers of various kinds wait on all of us. Salvation is a large word, meaning deliverance from all real harm. It is a large thing to ask for, but not too much for faith.
3. A prayer of assurance“I shall be healed.” What God does he does effectually.
4. A prayer of humble thankfulness“For thou art my Praise.” True faith rests, not on our merits, but on God’s mercy, and therefore all prayer should confess his goodness and all supplication be mingled with thanksgiving (Php 4:6).
Jer 17:19-27
The Sabbath.
As Gentiles we were never under the special regulations of the Jewish Law, and as Christians we are free from all formal laws of “ordinances,” and called to free spiritual obedience. Like St. Paul, we may be able to see that no one day is more sacred than other days (Rom 14:5); and if we are unable to go so far as this, we must admit that there is, in the New Testament, no direct command to Christians to observe the first day of the week just as the Jews observed the seventh. Still, to him who is in sympathy with the thoughts of God and desires to do the will of God rather than to seize excuses for liberty only to exercise his own serf-will, there is much in the Old Testament Sabbath requirements which must command the reverence of his conscience as springing out of Eternal Divine counsels, and representing what is inherently good and profitable.
I. CONSIDER IN WHAT THE OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH CONSISTED.
1. Rest. “Bear no burden.” Work is holy, but so also is rest, and if work usurp the place of rest it becomes unholy, as anything does which is in the wrong place. Men bear burdens on their minds. If the shop is shut but the mind of the tradesman continues devoted to business cares on the Sunday, he is making no more Sabbath of the day than if he were openly buying and selling. The rest needed for refreshment is rest from the toils and anxieties of the mind, quite as much as a cessation of manual labor.
2. Hallowing the day. The Jew treated the Sabbath day as essentially holy. We may have freer notions. But we, too, can hallow the day if we devote it to sacred uses. We should remember that it is not the day that hallows the conduct, but the conduct that hallows the day. Sacred days, like sacred places, are not endowed with a mystical consecration, which transfers its grace to whatever is done in them, but they are simply made sacred by the acts of goodness to which they are devoted.
3. Personal care to observe the rest and sanctity of the day. “Take heed in your souls;” “diligently hearken.” The observance of the Sabbath was to the Jew a duty to be personally regarded and conscientiously executed. If we feel any corresponding duty, the example of the more lax conduct of others should not affect us, nor should we be content with the outward decorum which satisfies the world.
II. CONSIDER THE OBLIGATION TO KEEP THE SABBATH.
1. The Sabbath was instituted by the command of God. It was required by one of the ten commandments, and thus exalted to a position of peculiar sanctity. To the Jew who felt that this law of God was binding on him, the duty of implicit obedience was imperative. When once we know God’s will no valid excuse can be found for neglecting it. Though the letter of the Mosaic Law was limited and temporal, the spirit of its obligations is eternal, since they spring from the changeless character of God. It is for us to discover the eternal Divine principle which led to the institution of the Sabbath, and see that this is obeyed.
2. It corresponded to the constitution of nature. Changes in nature are recurrent. Rest and labor alternate in the physical world.
3. It was designed to benefit men. (Mar 2:27.) The wealthy might not have felt the requirement, but the burden-bearers and hand-laborers did, and must have enjoyed the repose it afforded them. Do we need this? If in quieter times such a rest was necessary, is it needless in the rush and roar of our wearing modern life? If seasons set apart for religious observances were ever profitable, are they useless amid the pressing claims and innumerable distractions of the age we live in?
III. CONSIDER THE BLESSEDNESS OF OBSERVING THE SABBATH. The Jews had premises of blessing to the court, the city, the country, and the Church (see Matthew Henry, in loc.).
1. This might be expected as the reward of obedience. It is always blessed to do the will of God, though the first doing of it is often painful.
2. This might also be expected, because the Sabbath was made for man. It was a beneficent institution. It is found by experience that the observance of a weekly day of rest is conducive to the prosperity of a people.
3. Accordingly, the neglect of the Sabbath might be expected to bring disaster (Jer 17:27). This was the case with the Jew, not because of the inherent sanctity of the day or of the essential immorality of working on it, but because the breach of the Sabbath was a breach of the Law, an act of overt rebellion against God. If we disobey what we believe to be the will of God, this must be to our own hurt.
4. The blessedness of the observance of the Jewish Sabbath teaches us all to avoid treating the day of rest as a gloomy day, and making children and dependants dislike it on account of the formalism or harshness of our behavior. The day of rest should be the brightest day of the week. To the Christian, Sunday is “the Lord’s day,” the day of Easter gladness, commemorating the joy of the Resurrection.
HOMILIES BY A.F. MUIR
Jer 17:1, Jer 17:2
Sin’s record.
I. THE RECORD IS INEFFACEABLE. This is contrary to the notions of very many. Sin, when it is committed, wears the aspect of insignificance and triflingness. It is the gratification of a momentary impulse, of a personal and individual character; and it is not supposed that any one else, or at any rate any large number of persons, can be affected by it. The sinner supposes that he himself will be able to condone it, and that, when the active prompting of which he is conscious retires into the background, he will be as he was before. All sins, e.g. idolatry, which deeply engage the affections and the highest capacities of men, have a lasting influence upon their character. And when they are systematized into a religion they exert a daily influence which at last fixes itself. But the same is true, in a very serious degree, with all sins. They are contradictions of conscience and the Law of God, and can only be repeated without scruple by inverting and hardening the moral nature. In this sense we are all guilty before God. Our every sin has had its influence upon us, and has left its indelible impress. Conscience stores the guilty memory in its archives; habit perpetuates the evil impulse in conduct; and our relations and associations are involved in the wicked practices which ensue.
II. HOW USELESS, THEREFORE, ATTEMPTING TO EXCULPATE OURSELVES! This arrangement, by which sin leaves its impress upon the character and life, is of God. It is a law of nature, and cannot be set aside by private understanding. Even where it appears to be inoperative, its effects are only accumulating themselves in a more hidden manner, and some day they will be the more overwhelming in their manifestation. It is the common question of the sinner, when addressed by the ministers of God, “Wherein have we sinned?” But this only shows a dullness of spiritual self-knowledge and a general lowering of the moral standard. Others are not so oblivious to the fact. They have witnessed the excesses and been involved in the complications of their immorality. In this case the children whose companions had been sacrificed to Moloch looked on the horns of the altars with aversion and loathing. It was a memory of horrid cruelty never to be effaced. There is every reason to believe that the sin we commit does not cease its work when its immediate outward effects take place. An ever deepening and widening circle of influence results. And, just as now it is impossible for us to plead innocence with so many proofs of our guilt staring us in the face, in the great day of judgment the secret sins will be set in the light of God’s countenance, and the thoughts and intents of the heart revealed. Our character will be our condemnation, and many witnesses will rise on every side to swell its testimony.
III. HOW NECESSARY, TOO, THAT THE PRINCIPLE OF SALVATION SHOULD BE RADICAL AND THOROUGH. The sinner needs a saving power that can penetrate to his inmost nature, cleansing the conscience, rectifying the character, and making the weaknesses and defects created by sin a means of grace. And this is supplied by the gospel, which furnishes a new motive and principle to the character and a new law to the conduct. So profound is its effect that it may be said by the saved sinner, “Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new,” It is as a character-power that the “cross” asserts its preeminence over every other principle of reformation. There is nothing superficial, partial, or one-sided about it.M.
Jer 17:9, Jer 17:10
Heart mysteries and their Interpreter.
The repudiation of his charges by Judah and Jerusalem leads the prophet to advert to the causes of this behavior. They not only declare their innocence when guilty, but pursue after unholy aims on the plea of serving God. How are such ignorance and infatuation produced? The reply is that the natural heart is deceitful and corrupt above everything else.
I. THE MYSTERY OF THE HEART.
1. It is a “mystery of iniquity.” The heart is affected by what it contains. It is itself the greatest dupe and sufferer. And, being so inextricably bound up with evil, it is involved in its danger and judgment.
2. Exceeding human diagnosis. No one is so ignorant of his own depravity as the sinner himself; and no earthly eye can read the true significance of the symptoms.
3. Preeminent in this respect. It is the source of it all The master is greater than his work. The center contains all the threads of connection.
II. ITS INTERPRETER.
1. Jehovah. Because
(1) he made it;
(2) he is related to it in its constitution and conscience;
(3) “All things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.”
2. This qualifies and authorizes him to judge. It is not his only qualification, nor is that the sole reason for his knowledge. But it is obvious that, as knowing man so intimately, he also is able to judge of his state. And he alone has the standard of perfect righteousness.M.
Jer 17:12, Jer 17:13
The saint’s Refuge.
The construction Of the clauses of the twelfth verse is very difficult, and it is not easy to determine their exact relations. It may be better to take them as simple and independent exclamations, united in their being addressed to a common object rather than by any grammatical nexus: “O throne of glory, height from the beginning, place of our sanctuary!” But, taken by itself, this would have no particular sense. It is only as a preface to Jer 17:13 that we can thoroughly understand its bearing. Jeremiah, full of anxiety and distress at the general depravity, looks instinctively upon Jerusalem, and reflects that only through that which it represents can the future of Israel be secured. There is a gradually ascending climax of spiritual reference, culminating in the words, “Hope of Israel, Jehovah.”
I. THE SAYING POWER OF THE HOLY CITY IS DERIVED FROM HIM OF WHOM IT IS THE SHRINE. It is obvious that the descriptions of Jerusalem are all relative to this, which gathers up and concentrates everything in a person. The series of epithets of verses 12 and 13 are cumulative, and express a gradually deepening spiritual insight. Through the material the prophet looks until his eye rests upon the spiritual. God is the center of attraction and the Savior of the worshipping soul. Everything in the ritual and teaching of the temple pointed to him. The glory of the temple was his. It was only as he condescended to use it that men could find therein the spiritual rest and safety they needed. And the same is true of the Church of Christ. It is not the institution which saves, but Christ working in and through it. There is danger of this being overlooked by non-spiritual men. Association connects the grace of salvation with the means or instrumentality, and ignores the original source. It is the virtue of the prophet’s insight that it penetrates the veil of rites and ordinances, and fastens itself upon God as the only saving power.
1. Spiritual men should examine themselves and see whether they rest upon this true spiritual foundation. The process of the prophet’s mind is one through which all true saints have to go. In many instances there will not be the eagle-like directness and happy immediacy of his discovery. There may be clouds and difficulties. But no true satisfaction can be attained until he be discovered and rested in. We are all prone to stay ourselves upon prescription, antiquity, authority, that are merely human. The doctrine, the rite, the priesthood, may intervene, not to unite, but to separate.
2. It behooves those who call themselves by God‘s name to exalt and honor him. If there is danger of his being ignored or pushed into the background, the more need is there of a bold and frequent assertion of his power and grace.
3. It is only by a living, experimental, practical faith that this connection with God can be sustained. The sorrow and trouble of Jeremiah drive him inwards for comfort. His meditation was like a voyage of the soul through the straits and shallows of ceremonialism into the great ocean of the personal presence and love of God.
II. THE THREEFOLD CLAIM OF GOD‘S CITY TO THE REGARD OF MEN. Jerusalem, as the seat of the theocracy, was:
1. The seat of authority and splendor. The power of Israel amongst and against the nations consisted in the spiritual influence emanating from Jerusalem and its temple. The house of God, as the center of all rule and influence, is a throne. It is its own protection, and its authority is self-sustained and self-commended. It is a refuge for the oppressed and a place of justice for the wronged. “Go round about her: tell the towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks;’ for this city is our city, and “this God is our God forever and ever.” “Because thou hast made the Almighty thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” And this power to enforce its mandates and its authority brought with it the glory of security, honor, and respect. Its whole history had been one of growing luster and renown, and its influence had ever “made for righteousness.” The saved sinner breathed freely within its precincts, and the victories of Divine love were celebrated within its courts. Those who believe in Christ constitute a Church which is his abode and “the praise of his glory.” The distinction and eternal glory of God is that he is “just, and yet the Justifier of the ungodly.”
2. It is chosen from eternity. Although only for a few centuries the actual center of Divine rule in the earth, it was not by accident it had become so. From the beginning it was foreseen in God’s thought: “It was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the world was.” This was a conviction deeply fixed in the hearts of all true Israelites. The eternal purpose of God had not only determined upon Jerusalem as his dwelling-place, but, through Jerusalem, that purpose was being carried out in the redemption of mankind. And the Church of Christ must be regarded in like manner as the abode of God’s Spirit, chosen from eternity. It is a new dignity for the saints that they had been set apart for this long ere sin had desolated the world. It links the Church with celestial and eternal institutions, and precludes the possibility of its ever having originated in accident or human contrivance.M.
Jer 17:14-18
Divine prophecy and human impatience.
I. THE CREDIT OF THE PROPHET IS BOUND UP WITH HIS MESSAGE. He is conscious that this is the case. It is the test laid down by the Law (Deu 18:21, Deu 18:22), and that it should be so is beneficial. This is the universal law for all who declare the will of God. It is tried by human experience, by spiritual results. The prophet is expected to “heal.”
II. MEN TRY HIM BY CHALLENGING A SPEEDY FULFILLMENT. Just as in nature men, as Bacon says, would anticipate, so in grace. There is a lack of patience, or impatience is made a mask for unbelief. In either sign it is a lack of faith. So men manufacture tests for prayer, for reality of conscience.
III. HE FINDS REFUGE AND COMFORT.
1. In the answer of a good conscience toward God. It was not idleness, love of filthy lucre, or eagerness for pre-eminence that led him to the work, but a consciousness that he was speaking God’s own word, no man’s fancy or device.
2. In earnest prayer that God will make good his word. There are elements in this prayer from which we shrink. But should we? The fulfilling of evil prophecy may sometimes be a national benefit.
3. In the unshaken faith that what God willeth will be. He appears to be sore distressed. Perhaps personal perplexity enters into his grief. But there is no sign of lack of faith in its ultimate fulfillment. What a support is that to him who foretells or does the will of God! “In due season we shall reap if we faint not.” “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away.”M.
Jer 17:19-27
The Sabbath and its obligation.
I. IT WAS OF UNIVERSAL OBLIGATION. The prophet was to stand in “the gate of the children of the people” and “all the gates” to proclaim its sanctity. The laity and the priests, the princes and the people, were all bound to observe it, as one of the patriarchal and Mosaic institutions. It is expressly enjoined in one of the “ten words,” and without reservation of any class.
II. HOW IT SHOULD BE OBSERVED.
1. By rest. Labor was to cease as far as practicable. The body was to be set at liberty from its burden. Traffic was to cease. The constant stream which flowed out and in the gates of the temple might still go on, but for a different purpose. Care and worry were to be laid aside. The mind was to abstain from business.
2. By religious exercises. (Jer 17:26.) It is worthy of remark that this portion of the command is not spoken of as a binding duty like the other, or a merely negative one. It is referred to as part of the blessing that would ensue on thorough Sabbath observances; that they should have sacrifices to give, and be willing and eager to offer them. With the cessation of secular traffic the religious instincts of the people would recover themselves, and their natural channel would be filled. The true rest of man consists, not in mere abstinence from labor, but in the free play of his higher facultiesa change of occupation and interest. And the real wealth and success of man will show itself in his religious gifts. They are poor who have nothing to spare for God. Their conception of life is such that the true riches exist not for them, however they may have succeeded in accumulating material resources. The chief end of man is thus to be secured in the increase of Divine service and the hearty dedication of himself and his substance to Jehovah.
III. THE BLESSINGS THAT WOULD ATTEND UPON SABBATH OBSERVANCE.
1. National perpetuity. Jerusalem, the center of the theocracy, should remain forever. This indicates the essential and fundamental position occupied by the Sabbath amongst Mosaic institutions. It was in this way that the idea and authority of Jehovah were to be impressed upon the heart of Israel But to the preservation of this primitive revelation was due the strength of Israel within herself and against the heathen.
2. National prosperity. It is a goodly spectacle that is presented in this promise. There is no lack of gifts nor of willingness to give. Only a time of profound peace and of abounding harvests could furnish such a demonstration.
3. National unity. Jerusalem is the convergent point of many pilgrim trains: “from the places about from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south.” In this way the brotherhood and the solidarity of the people would be sealed.
4. National piety. This is the natural outcome even of rudimental religious observances. It is the tendency of true religion to increase upon itself. It cannot remain stationary. Therefore this outburst of enthusiasm and Divine service.
IV. HOW IT IS REPRESENTED IN EVANGELICAL TIMES. So far as it was a physical requirement for the health and efficiency of man, it must still be observed. This is a question for comparative physiology. But the essence of the Sabbath is rather in its religious observance. What becomes of that? The spirit of it is still preserved in the Lord’s day, although under new associations and under other obligations.M.
HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY
Jer 17:1
The sin of Judah.
That which the prophet has to say concerning it in this part of his prophecy is in answer to the question of Jer 16:10, Jer 16:11, where Judah inquires what their sin is. In reply, the prophet
I. RECITES THEIR INIQUITIES. (Jer 16:11, Jer 16:12.)
II. DENOUNCES GOD‘S JUDGMENTS. (Jer 16:13-18.)
III. CITES WITNESSES AGAINST THEM.C.
Jer 17:12
The place of our sanctuary.
Some four hundred years had passed between the date of these words and the marriage of Solomon with the daughter of the Egyptian king. But that remote event, fruitful of consequences as it was at the time, was fruitful also in results for generation after generation in the centuries to come. And it is to one of those results that this verse has reference, or rather was occasioned by it. Forever since that marriage there had been an Egyptian party in the court of Judah, which sought to sway the affairs of Judah in harmony with those of Egypt. On the other hand, there were the representatives of another near and mighty monarchy which sought to render Judah subservient to their interests. This was the Assyrian power. There was consequently a perpetual tendency on the part of Judah, when trouble came, to make alliance with one party or another. Now the Egyptian alliance was preferred, and now the AssyrianIsa 30:1-33. and the history of the reign of Josiah and his death are instances in proof. But the prophets of God were ever against these alliances, and lifted up their voices, though in vain, in protest. These verses, 5-12, are one of those despised utterances, denouncing the false trust and exhorting to the true. This twelfth verse
I. SPEARS OF THE TEMPLE AT JERUSALEM.
1. For that temple has a throne. It was the earthly throne of God. There was the mercy-seat and the cherubim bowing in profound homage over it, and between them was the visible presence of the glory of God, that Shechinah, that wondrous appearance so bright and awful that but one out of all Israel, and he only once a year, could look thereupon and live. “In Salem was his tabernacle, and his dwelling-place in Zion.”
2. And it was a glorious throne. By reason of its external magnificence; but more especially of the glorious manifestations of God which had been seen in connection with it.
3. And a high as well as a glorious throne. Not only because Jerusalem was a mountain-city, the loftiest in the world, so high and lifted up was the “mountain of the Lord’s house,” but also because of the spiritual gloryso far excelling all otherwhich belonged to it. The ancient psalmists and prophets were never tired of declaring and demonstrating how the Lord was “King above all gods.”
4. Venerable also: “from the beginning,” from the first days of their national life, God had chosen a place for his Namebeneath the rugged cliffs of Sinai then, and now in the magnificent temple, the place of their sanctuary. But
II. IS DESIGNED TO SUMMON GOD‘S PEOPLE TO TRUST IN HIM.
1. For to assert that the place of their sanctuary was a “throne,” was to assert that Jehovah was a King. Kings occupy thrones. The sovereignty of God is declared by the prophet’s words. And what a King! How glorious, let all the records of their race declare. How preeminent over all the gods of the nations, let the gods of Egypt, of Philistia, of Tyre, and others confess. And he was the eternal God. “From the beginning” his rule and majesty had been confessed. But the prophet reminds his countrymen of all this that they might see and own the folly of trusting in gods of the heathen as they were so prone to do.
2. And he reminds them of the nearness of God. For the place of their sanctuary was his court, his throne, his abode. Therefore to forsake such a God, and one so near, for idol-gods, and they afar off,what folly, what ingratitude, what sin that! But the same memory cherished concerning God, his glorious sovereignty, his all-superintending power and his nearness to us,how would this strengthen and cheer our hearts oftentimes! Our sins and sorrows, our faint-heartedness, our fears and dismay, are all largely owing to our forgetfulness of that glorious and precious truth which the prophet here declares. And
III. MAY BE TAKEN AS A SETTING FORTH OF WHAT OUR SANCTUARIES SHOULD BE.
1. For God should rule in them. A Christian Church, whether we speak of the fabric or the people, should be a throne of God. His Law supreme, his will the rule confessed of all. Human governance in any shape or form which will infringe on the Divine authority, is forbidden. Christ is the Head of the Church, and the “crown rights of the Redeemer” should be jealously maintained.
“Let Caesar’s dues be ever paid
To Caesar and his throne,
But consciences and souls were made
To be the Lord’s alone.”
2. And if our churches be the Lord’s throne, he will make it “a glorious high throne.” We should try to make our church buildings glorious outwardly, so far as we may, coveting what is splendid, majestic, beautiful, in architecture, music, adornment, to lay as a tribute at our Sovereign’s feet. Where, consistently with other claims, this may be done, it should be. But he himself will make our Churches his “glorious high throne,’: by coming into their midst. On how many a Sunday his people have known that he has been with them!
“The King himself comes near
And feasts his saints today.”
And by asserting his power over men’s hearts. This is his most glorious powerto sway the spirit, to lead the will, to bend the heart. And this, by his Spirit in connection with the proclamation of the Word of his grace, he will do, and so the Church will become “a glorious high throne” of the Lord.
3. And because of “the communion of saints,” and the consequent union of the Church of today with the Church of all the ages past, therefore the Church is God’s throne which has been “from the beginning.” The Church of today is in the honored succession of the Church of the first days, through its long line of patriarchs, prophets, martyrs, saints, and thus may claim to have been the “glorious high throne of the Lord from the beginning.” Let us cherish and seek to hand on this succession, and thus justify our claim to the august title con-rained in these words. But most of all these words
IV. REMIND US OF CHRIST AND HIS CROSS, THE TRUE SANCTUARY OF SOULS. The cross of the Lord Jesus Christtype of all ignominy and shame, though it washas become the Lord’s “glorious high throne.” From it and by it he has wielded a sovereignty so glorious, so wide, so holy, so enduring, that, far more than the mercy-seat, its ancient symbol, it deserves thus to be described. Whether we consider the number of his subjects, their character, the means by which his rule over them has been won and is sustained, or the nature of his rule,all justify the ascription to his cross and to him the supreme reference of these words. Let each one ask in conclusionIs the cross of Christ the place of our sanctuary, the place where we worship, the beloved retreat of our souls? God grant it may be!C.
Jer 17:17
Be not a terror unto me.
It is a common observation how all things are affected by the medium through which we view them. This is true in regard to the natural vision, but yet more true in regard to that which is mental and spiritual. Thus God, whom the prophet speaks of (Jer 17:13) as “the Hope of Israel,” the “Fountain of living waters,” and as the alone true Healer, he now prays not to be “a terror” unto him.
I. GOD IS SO TO THE UNGODLY. All his attributes are terrible to them. His holiness, for it condemns their sin. His justice, for it demands their punishment. His power, for it reveals the means whereby he can requite them. His love, for it makes their sin without excuse. His wisdom, for it renders them unable to deceive him. Hence it is that of the wicked it is said, “God is not in all his thoughts.” They like not to retain God in their knowledge. To think steadily of them must be a terror to their souls. But
II. HE SEEMS SO AT TIMES EVEN TO THE GODLY, God is to them what in their happier moments they delight to call himtheir Father, their Redeemer, their Strength, their Refuge (cf. Jer 16:19). But at times he seems to be “a terror” unto them. The causes of this are sometimes:
1. Morbid state of health.
2. Lack of submission to the Divine will.
3. Backsliding.
4. False theological teaching.
5. Dwelling too much on the darker and more mysterious aspects of the Divine providence.
6. Depression of spirits.
7. Prolonged affliction.
III. BUT TRUER AND BRIGHTER THOUGHTS OF GOD MAY BE REGAINED. Various means may be suggested.
1. Dwelling resolutely on the mercies and loving-kindnesses of God. This is why St. Paul bids the “careful,” those weighed down with care, to make known their requests to God, not only “by prayer and supplication,” but “with thanksgiving” also. And elsewhere he bids us “in everything give thanks.” For this compels us to, go over in our minds the happier circumstances of our lot, and when we do this we shall find-
“Our cheerful cry will oftener be,
‘See what the Lord hath done for me.'”
2. And, as the words of St. Paul teach, “prayer“ will help us. We
“Kneel and cast our load,
E’en while we pray, upon our God,
Then rise with lightened cheer.”
The public worship of God in his sanctuary, in union with his people,how often, like Hannah, the soul has come to God’s house burdened but gone away “lightened!”
3. And “supplication.” This tells of the more private, personal outpourings of the soul before God. Like the supplication in Gethsemane compared with the prayerthe Lord’s Prayergiven for the common united use of his people. Here, too, vast relief is found, and the cloud clears away between us and God, and his face shines upon us once more.
4. Careful conscientious obedience and perseverance therein.
5. Seeking to comfort others. We learn in teaching, and this is true of the love of God as well as of other truths.
6. Coming again to the cross of Christ as having nothing, but looking for all in him.C.
Jer 17:19-27
Sabbath sanctification.
I. IN WHAT IT CONSISTS. Not in the mere Judaic strictness of the Old Testament Law, or of that set forth in these verses. All that might be, and yet in its true sense the Sabbath be flagrantly violated and its purpose destroyed. But in:
1. Rest. This to be both of body and mind. The student may no more pursue his studies than the laborer his toil. Rest both of body and mind from their ordinary pursuits; rest, not mere slothfulness, but such as will recreate the exhausted limbs or brain.
2. Worship. Not that it is to absolve other days from worship or to sanction their unhallowed use, but to lead to the more religious regard of all our days, the one day in seven is specially set apart.
3. Charity. In works of mercy and love to our fellow-men. Proclaiming the gospel, teaching the young, visiting the sick, relieving the poor.
II. IT IS OF DIVINE COMMAND. It is coeval with the creation of man (Gen 1:31; Gen 2:1-3; Exo 20:8-11). And its embodiment in the moral Law seems to denote its permanence and abiding obligation.
III. ITS TRANSFER TO THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK DOES NOT ALTER ITS OBLIGATION. Our Lord taught us “the Sabbath was made for man,” and therefore, though for various reasons its observance was in substance transferred from the seventh day to the first, yet, because the need is permanent, the obligation is likewise.
IV. ALL GOD‘S LAWSAS WELL AS HIS WRITTEN LAWSANCTION IT. Those that are:
1. Physical. The body requires it, is blessed by it, harmed if deprived of it.
2. Religious Religion demands set times and observances. Without these it will die out. The Sabbath, therefore, is imperatively needed if religion is to be maintained amongst any people.
3. Moral Secular pursuits tend to absorb all the energies of the soul. Worldliness is dominant enough as it is in every man; but the break of the Sabbath does much to hold these mighty but malevolent forces in check, and gives opportunity for the exercise of other and counteracting ones.
4. Social. The indebtedness of happy family life, of prosperous national life, of friendship between man and man, to the weekly day of rest is unspeakable (cf. prize essay, ‘Workman’s Testimony to the Sabbath’).
5. Spiritual. What records have the Sabbaths of spiritual blessing gained on and through the holy observances of that day? Sinners won to God, burdened consciences blessed with peace, tempted souls strengthened, sad and troubled ones made joyful in God, believers helped forward in the heavenly road, etc. All these facts attest the graciousness and the obligation of the command to hallow God’s Sabbath. And, on the other hand, its disregard has ever been followed by moral and spiritual and often secular deterioration. It has been ill with those who have set at naught this sure law of God. Therefore let us each one do what we may to preserve to our land the unspeakable blessing of the weekly Sabbath. Better to err on the side of strictness in its observance than on the side of laxity. But let us not think that we have hallowed the Sabbath unless the ends for which it was desired have been secured by us. It is but a means, not the end, and, unless it have furthered in us love to God and man, each Sabbath as it returns is but a lost day.C.
HOMILIES BY J. WAITE
Jer 17:5-8
Trust: human and Divine.
The prophet here presents before us a vivid contrast between two types of human character. He does this by the use of suggestive images drawn from the realm of nature, as one accustomed to see the great lessons of man’s moral life and destiny reflected in visible forms in the sandy desert and sterile places of the wilderness, and in the fertile valleys and woody banks of the flowing river. The imagery is peculiarly Oriental We can all appreciate it in some measure, but those who have seen the scanty, stunted vegetable growths of the desert side by side with the rich foliage that clothes the moist ravines and the borders of the water-courses, can best understand the exquisite truth and fitness of the analogies. Consider these two opposite kinds of trust
(1) trust in man,
(2) trust in the Lord.
I. TRUST IN MAN. To “make flesh one’s arm” is suggestive of personal reliance on merely human and earthly resources, in neglect of the spiritual and Divine. It takes the form of undue self-confidenceconfidence in one’s own wisdom and strength, or confidence in our fellow-creatures, who are as ignorant and weak and fallible as ourselves, or confidence in that which is outward and circumstantialworldly riches, sensible gratifications, material guarantees. The features of such a trust are:
1. Vanity. Its hope is false and delusive. It has no sure foundation. It seeks life in the region of death. As the plant finds nothing to nourish it in the barren sand, so man can never draw the nutriment his being needs from mere human and earthly resources.
“Unless above himself he can erect himself,
How mean a thing is man!”
And how can that which is fleshly, and therefore perishable, ever satisfy the necessities of an immortal spirit?
2. Loss: “He shall not see when good cometh.” As the influences that come down upon it from the heaven above are lost upon the plant that is rooted in the desert ground, so this earthly trust robs a man of the power to use aright even the opportunities of higher good that are within his reach. Heavenly influences appeal to him in vain. He knows not the richer possibility of good that surrounds him, fails to apprehend it, cannot see when it cometh.
3. Fruitlessness. The “parched places in the wilderness’ yield no solid food. Labor bestowed on them is profitless. Such is the “curse” that rests upon the man who makes the “arm of flesh “his trusta vain hope, destitution of the good that might be his, a withered, wasted life.
II. TRUST IN THE LORD. Blessed is the man whose whole being is rooted and grounded in God. His is a life fed at the unseen and eternal fountains. “Your hearts shall live that seek God” (Psa 69:32). The image of the “tree planted by the waters” is suggestive of certain important aspects of that life.
1. Growth. As the trees by the mysterious prolific energy with which it is endowed, strikes its roots deeper, and spreads forth its branches over a wider space, so the freshness and force of Divine life in the soul manifests itself in ever-deepening, enlarging, heightening forms of moral and practical goodness. This is a matter both of Divine purpose and of natural organic tendency. Spirit-life, like plant-life, knows no stagnation. Where there is no growth there is decay.
2. Beauty. Of all the fair objects of nature, a well-grown tree is one of the fairest. The symmetry of its proportions, the blending in harmonious negligence of its forms and colors, the play of light and shade among its leaves and branches, all combine to make it the fitting type of moral dignity and loveliness. We cannot wonder at the graceful imagery of Hebrew poets and prophets when we remember how they dwelt in a land of olives and palm trees, of cedars and lime aloes and pomegranates. Godly character is supremely beautiful. The actual forms of religious life that one sometimes meets with are intensely displeasing. But these are caricatures, not just representations. Only as our piety is pleasing and attractive to men is it divinely true. “Whatsoever things are true,.; honest,” etc. (Php 4:8).
3. Strength. Here is the idea of a resistive force. The tree, in the vigor of its life, is able to resist the pressure of unfriendly climatic influences. It fears not the scorching heat, or the driving blast, or the rushing torrent. It is as though it “saw ‘ them not. All religious life is a conflict with difficulties. It flourishes just so far as it is able at once to appropriate the good and repel the evil that environs it. Christ gives “the spirit of power” to them that believe in himpower to overcome the most oppressive and the most seductive influences of a hostile world.
“Where is true faith, all change comes graciously,”
And neither providential trials nor the assaults of evil can shake the steadfastness of him whose heart is thoroughly “established with grace.”
4. Productiveness. “Neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (see also Psa 1:3; Psa 92:14). The fruit of the producing tree is the final development, the end and aim of its life. All religious thought and feeling, and all Divine methods of spiritual culture, point to this as their ultimate issuethe production of enduring forms of practical goodness. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit” (Joh 15:8). If Christ is our living root, there can be no limit to this process. The newborn soul knows no decay of its vital energies, but rather an eternal enlargement. “It gives, but still increases.” The more it gives the more it increases. “As the outward man perisheth, the inward man is renewed day by day.” And when death comes and cuts the body down and lays it in the dust, it only sets the spirit free to put forth the powers of its sanctified life in new forms of service in a nobler sphere, to bear fruit forever in the paradise of God.W.
HOMILIES BY D. YOUNG
Jer 17:1-4
The profound impression of Judah’s sin.
I. THERE IS IMPLIED JUDAH‘S OWN INDIFFERENCE TO ITS SIN. With supernatural clearness of vision, the prophet saw the sin of Judah; and he spoke concerning that sin with words which Jehovah had put into his mouth. And yet it is evident the people would not admit his representations as being correct and as needing urgent attention. The great bulk of them thought that he was inventing or at least exaggerating. They had lived so long amongst evils as to have become quite used to them; nay, more, they made a pleasure and a profit of them. And this is just one of the great difficulties in preaching the gospel and trying to persuade men to repentance. They cannot be brought to see that there is anything to repent of; that, as far as the east is from the west, so far are they from being in a right state.
II. Over against this evident indifference there must be set the prophet’s EMPHATIC STATEMENT OF THE HOLD WHICH SIN HAS UPON THE PEOPLE. That we do not see the evil of our life proves one of two thingseither that there is no evil to see or that we are spiritually blind and cannot see the evil which there is. Now, spiritual blindness has for its usual concomitant spiritual pride; and the man spiritually blind is the very last who will admit that he is so. If we are left to ourselves we shall never discover the original cause and fountain of all our troubles; something outside of ourselves must come in and lead to an altered view of the purposes and possibilities of life. This is not the place to speak of all that is required to produce that alteration of view; but it is very plain that statements such as that of the prophet here must be helpful to produce it. Is it not a great matter for preachers to be able to fall back upon the thorough going, uncompromising statements of the Word of God? For, though these may find no present practical response in the consciousness of the hearer, yet this very failure is a reason for repeating them over and over again, until in some critical hour the faculty is given of seeing ourselves as God sees us, which is a faculty much more to be desired than the one so often commended of seeing ourselves as others see us. Two things are here referred tothe inscribing instrument and the substance on which the inscription is made. There is a necessity for both in order to make a deep, abiding, noticeable impression. A pencil may make upon a stone a mark of some sort, but it is a mark very easily rubbed out; a pen of iron may write some great truth upon the sand of the seashore, but one wash of the rising wave sweeps it all away. But when you have the materials for a deep inscription, then something is produced which can only be destroyed by destroying that on which it is written. Little wonder was it that these people of Judah would not face the task of inspecting their hearts. Sin is so intimately mixed with the heart that you cannot get it away save by a process tantamount to the removal of the old inward life and the substitution of a new one. Hence the fitness of the petition, “Create in me a dean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” But there is something more to show the hold which sin has on these people, and that is the terrible effect upon their children. A great many details might have been heaped up to show the reality of Judah’s idolatry, but one crowning illustration was better still. Not even the most hostile to the prophet could well deny that the force which compelled them to inflict such cruelties on their children in the name of religion was a hideous force. Every evil, in default of ability immediately to see its real nature, must be measured by its worst visible effects. And this is just what the prophet does herd, when he puts in the front of his accusation the sufferings of the little ones of Judah. As if these little ones had not enough of unavoidable rain to suffer, without suffering being sought out for them.
III. THE EFFECT OF ALL THIS DEEPLY ROOTED EVIL AS SEEN IN JEHOVAH‘S CONSEQUENT INFLICTIONS. (Jer 17:3, Jer 17:4.) The people may cry, in professed amazement, “Why all these sufferings? What have we done that we should be treated in this way?” The answer is that all this spoiling, all this turning of the promised inheritance into a place not worth having, all this bitterness of exile, were not produced in some arbitrary, incomprehensible way. The prophet was not astonished at these judgments coming; he saw them approaching, and knew why they came. Great effects always have great and appropriate causes; and great causes, left to operate freely, will produce great and proper effects. Every human heart holds within it enough to make indescribable misery; and unless that greater cause which God offers to put in certain operation comes in with its counteracting force, we may be sure that indescribable misery will be produced. Wherefore let us pray that more and more we may have eyes to see and perceive, ears to hear and understand.Y.
Jer 17:6
The curse upon the man who trusts in man. In considering this passage it is important to bear in mind that two different Hebrew words ( and ) are rendered by the one word “man.” A recollection of this difference will bring much more meaning out of the passage.
I. There is suggested for consideration MAN IN HIS OPINION OF HIMSELF. He reckons himself as , the strong one. He likes to estimate his great resources and use them for his own aggrandizement. He is filled with the ambition of achieving greatness in many ways. It is by his strength that he builds Babel and the Pyramids and all the great structures of both ancient and modern times. He gathers Heat armies and makes extensive conquests. He leans to his own understanding and is wise in his own conceits. And it must be admitted that it is hard for a man in the full strength of body and mind to take in, as a practical check upon all his castle-building, the necessary weakness of human nature. The discovery of our weakness will always be a humiliating thing, at least in the first aspect of it. We do not like to relinquish the glory which comes from physical strength, intellectual skill, in short, from the employment of all those faculties enabling a man to achieve what is called a successful career. Genius is semi-deified, while the Spirit of God working through some common man, who would be nothing without that Spirit, is despised or neglected. Successful military and naval commanders are made into nobles with the general approval. Every fresh application of natural forces is hailed as a tribute to the glory of mankind. Even those who are not deceived by the coarser forms of human power are deceived readily enough by the finer ones.
II. MAN IN GOD‘S ESTIMATE OF HIM. This is set forth by a threefold indication of man’s folly and wickedness.
1. He trusts in man; man as set forth by the word . The strong man is assuredly no stronger than that upon which he leans. A building may be of substantial materials, but all its strength will avail nothing if the foundation be weak. Mark that it is not a question of trusting in sinful and fallen men. God does not find fault with us for trusting in bad men rather than good ones. He is speaking of all that essential defectibility, that susceptibility to temptation, which belonged to man even before he fell. We might put the matter thus: Cursed is the man who trusts in Adam, who forgets that he himself is beset with temptations, and that in a moment of heedlessness and vain self-confidence he may fall into shame, confusion, and perhaps despair.
2. He makes flesh his arm. All strength must act through an arm of some sort. A great deal of human power makes itself felt in a very literal way through the arm. Sheer strength in wielding the sword or the hammer; skill, as in holding the painter’s brush, the sculptor’s chisel, the musical instrument, and the innumerable tools of all sorts of handicraftsmen. Thus the arm becomes a great representative, showing all the varieties of human strength in action. Now, where man shows his folly is in thisthat wishing to get his own way, to work out his own pleasure and glory, he has no better instrument than flesh. What a poor, uncertain creature man is, if he has nothing better to depend upon than his natural faculties! The eye may lose its vision, the arm its strength, the hand its skill, and then where are the schemes and projects of the ingenious brain? The thing intended by God is that man should be as an arm to carry out into action the wise and loving projects of the Divine will. Then there is no failure, no disappointment. What cannot be done in one way will assuredly be done in another, if only the will and counsel of God stand supreme in our regard.
3. His heart departs from Jehovah. The great privilege given to Israel was that they had been brought near to Jehovah. Fallen Adam had been cast out of Eden, but believing Abraham had been drawn near to God. And his descendants in particular, the chosen nation in the wilderness, had been made to approach to Jehovah, the great I Am, the Source of whatsoever strength and energy are to be found in his universe. Thus, then, we see the peculiar folly of the children of Israel. All men are fools because they trust in man and make flesh their arm; but the Israelite is a fool more than others because his heart departs from Jehovah. He cannot depart altogether; he cannot get away from the constraints of the Omnipotent; he must go through all the sufferings that are coming upon the guilty land; and even when he departs to Babylon he will not leave Jehovah behind. What folly, then, that he does not make an instantaneous clearance of his miseries by cleaving with purpose of heart to Jehovah as Jehovah desires to cleave with fullness of blessing to him! And let us recollect that, however far from Jehovah our hearts may depart, from his judgments and penal visitations it is impossible for us to depart.
III. THE CURSE WHICH RESTS ON ALL THIS MISTAKEN SELF–CONFIDENCE. Though there seems some uncertainty as to the meaning of verse 6, it is best for practical purposes to take it in contrast with verse 8. If we plant ourselves down confidently among our own resources, deceived by the smiles and attractions of first appearances, we must not be astonished if in due time the appearances vanish and leave the cheerless realities of the wilderness. Where man by his natural vision sees the garden with all manner of rich possibilities, God teaches the believer to discern the desolation and barrenness that lie underneath. Gardens very soon become wildernesses if the heart of the cultivator departs from Jehovah. Men who in the days of their prosperity draw around them crowds of flatterers and dependents no sooner fall into adversity than they fall also into comparative solitude. The time is coming when, if we have nothing better than the help of man to trust to, we shall really have no help at all.Y.
Jer 17:7, Jer 17:8
The blessing on the man who trusts in Jehovah.
I. MAN‘S CLAIM TO BE RECKONED AS STRONG NEED NOT BE AN EMPTY ONE. He deserves the appellation of if only he will set the right way to obtain it. Weak as he appears from the point of view given, when his natural resources are fully opened up and tested, he may nevertheless become strong by the favor of Jehovah to perform the most extraordinary achievements. From one extreme where the strength of the godless is found to be but a mockery, we are taken all the way to another extreme, illustrated by the confident assertion of the apostle that he could do all things through Christ who gave him inward strength. We are every one of us meant to be strong with a strength which can meet the severest tests; and those who are the weakest in other respects often prove the strongest in spiritual life with what it requires both of activity and endurance. And it is of particular importance to be observed that the man weak of will, easily yielding to temptation, bound these many years by the chain of some dehumanizing habit, can be made strong enough to overcome his enemies and trample them under his feet. There is that in him which can be so renewed, so vivified, that he will become steadfast and energetic in attaining the Divine purpose of existence. Recollect the instance of the man who was above forty years old when his feet and ankle-bones received strength. Jesus of Nazareth did not bring this about merely for this man’s physical benefit; but chiefly that those who were inwardly lame should be stimulated to seek him, and have the feet and ankle-bones of the inward man strengthened for a holy and a truly manly service. God must needs pour contempt upon the boastings of the natural man, in order that, when he has effectually humbled him, he may then exalt him into the possession of true strength.
II. THE REQUISITE FOR THE ATTAINMENT OF TRUE STRENGTH IS POINTED OUT. Pointed out clearly and simply. He is the strong man who trusts in Jehovah, and he is strong just as far as he does trust. Notice how the requirement of trust is expressed twice over, first by a verb and then by a noun, both of which have the same root-letters. It is as if we first saw the man in the active exercise of trust, and then the habitual confidence of his nature. We see the man trusting and we also see the trusting man. “All things are possible to him that believeth.” When God speaks, the trustful hearer readily acts upon the strength of God meaning what he says. The statements of the gospel transcend human powers of discovery, and they can only be believed because God makes themhe whose regular and beneficent ways in nature prove him to be so true. Man by faith puts himself in the hands of God, his Maker, and then he can do things far beyond what he has hitherto imagined to be practicable. Look at the sublimest illustration of this ever given upon earth; when the man Christ Jesus believingly said, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Then, in a very few hours, the strength imparted even to the dead was revealed by the resurrection of Christ.
III. THE ILLUSTRATION OF HOW THE BLESSING COMES. Possibly there is here a reference to some regular practice of the foreseeing planter of trees. The necessity of planting trees near water-courses is not obvious to us, seeing that in our moist climate we often see noble umbrageous trees far enough from anything of the kind. The children of this world are wise in their generation. They bear in mindthey have to bear in mindthe scorching heat, the rainless, cloudless heavens, or, if clouds there be, too often waterless clouds, mocking, tantalizing beauties of the sky; and so they plant their trees where they may stretch out their thirsty roots to the passing stream. And yet these same children of this world, prudent for their trees, may yet be foolish for themselves, taking up a position in life admirable for the gaining of temporal ends, but leaving at a great distance the river that flows from “the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Thus there is here a lesson from the tree which cannot choose to the man who can choose. We all have our choice of the essentials of position. There are two sets of circumstancesthose we cannot choose and those we are bound to choose. It is in the power of us all to be planted by the waters. God’s gifts of grace flow through fixed and well-defined channels, and to these we must go. We are not allowed to make compromises. A very little seeming difference may, in reality, make all the difference between wisdom and folly in this matter. It did not need that the tree should be planted very far away from the water, a few yards more or less might determine the result. There is also in this illustration the notion of a hidden means of supply. To outward appearance there is no connection between the tree and the river; the connection is underneath, and it is real, increasing, and constant.Y.
Jer 17:9, Jer 17:10
The searching and knowing of the heart.
One is reminded here of the oft-quoted piece of advice, “Know thyself.” The prophet’s assertion places man before us as the victim of self-ignorance, self-confidence, and self-deception. He talks of truth when his mind is full of error, and thus he is prevented from taking the only real way by which he can attain to the knowledge of truth. In the prophet’s assertion and question, and the Divine answer given to the question, there is much which upon the first aspect may humiliate. But the humiliation will itself prove a cause for rejoicing if only it leads us to profit by God’s certain knowledge in matters when we are profoundly ignorant.
I. THINK OF THE VAST AND INCREASING EXTENT OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE. If a man be ignorant of his own heart it surely cannot be because he himself is unfitted for the knowledge. He may have become unfit, and the unfitness may, by neglect, become more pronounced, but he cannot be unfit by reason of his original constitution. One may say that God must have intended him to have sufficient knowledge to keep his inward life right. Otherwise we have this curious contradictionthat man has achieved an immense amount of knowledge with respect to his physical constitution, but is doomed to remain in uncertainty and bewilderment as to the laws of a healthy and a happy inward life. “Who can know the heart?” says the prophet. And yet even with the limited knowledge of his age there were many men, doubtless, who knew many things. We all have the powers of observation, comparison, and experiment, and it is the largest pleasure of some minds to exercise these powers. And yet it is just to minds that are most trained, most confident in the principles of science, and most stored with the results of it, that this question might be put. It is not a question for the child just beginning to learn or for the savage unaccustomed to think; let it be put to man m his highest civilization, and then the fact will be seen that the question is no vain and inappropriate one.
II. Thus we are led to notice THE DREADFUL IGNORANCE WHICH MAY PREVAIL IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS KNOWLEDGE. The progress of the world does not make the prophet’s question one whir less pressing. Nay, it becomes more pressing than ever. Other objects of knowledge have an ever-increasing light cast upon them, and by the very force of the contrast man’s inward life appears in still deeper darkness. Whatever the cause of the continued ignorance may be, that ignorance does continue, so far as man’s unaided effort to remove it is concerned. In one single mind we too often see exemplified vast intellectual knowledge and complete spiritual ignorance. He who seems to know everything does not know his own heart, and apparently does not care to know it; reminding one of the man who had traveled over the whole world and yet had never beheld a scene as wonderful as any which was visible from a point on his own estate. The time is coming when knowledge will vanish away. But the neglected heart will still remain to force itself, in a way which cannot be resisted, upon the thoughts of its long indifferent possessor.
III. THE CAUSE OF THIS IGNORANCE IS MADE PLAIN. It all lies in the deceitfulness and utter corruption of the human heart. And notice in particular that it is by the heart that the heart is to be known. Heart-knowledge is not like other kinds of knowledge; it depends on the character of him who knows. There is no essential contradiction between high intellectual acquirements and a hard, selfish, and perhaps even, in some instances, a profligate life. Men of refined tastes and great intellectual sensibilities may be thoroughly selfish, careless about the toil and suffering of the world, so long as these plant no thorn in their pillows, infuse no bitterness into their cup. But one who would know the heart must be very sure of his own motives, otherwise he may make human nature to appear better in some respects and worse in others than it really is. The description here may, therefore, be taken as applying even more forcibly to the heart that knows than to the heart that is to be known. Here the great difficulty and danger lie. For the deceitful and corrupt heart can be known, if not by any one else, at all events by Jehovah himself. But the deceitful and corrupt heart cannot know; it does not, in the fullest sense of the word, know anything at all. With hearts put right, what a wonderful increase of knowledge and of the profit and pleasure of knowledge will there be! But till then we are not unlike those who suffer from diseased intellects. They come into great contrast with sane people from the way in which their minds get filled with hallucinations and incongruities. And so, if we try to compare ourselves in our notions of things with Christ’s teaching, we shall see the difference between the view taken by a sincere sound heart, such as was that of our Lord, and the view taken by corrupt, deceitful hearts, which ours are and must be till we discover the need of a new and pure life to be put into them.
IV. GOD‘S PERFECT KNOWLEDGE STANDS IN THE PLACE OF OUR IGNORANCE AND ERROR. God knows us in all our motives, through all our concealments, and can set our secret sinsthe operation of destroying causes that lie even below our consciousnessin the light of his countenance. When once we discover how competent God is to search and try, we shall then see that it is vain for us to deny what he affirms, to excuse what he condemns, and to make out that we are not responsible when he lays evil at our doors. Jeremiah’s scornful audiences may have said to him, “How come you to know these things about us? How come you to be so uncharitable as to bring these dreadful charges?” But then we know that they were not the prophet’s own charges, but came from God himself. It was part of Jeremiah’s grief that, on Jehovah’s authority, he should have to believe things so bad of his nation. What God did to Israel was just; and more and more, as time went on, it was seen to be just. In all great exhibitions of Divine wrath we must be silent, recollecting that God knows what we cannot know, and perceives necessities where we can perceive none.Y.
Jer 17:11
Riches wrongly gotten, and the consequence.
Here is an instance of illustration which, so far as our knowledge is concerned, is more obscure than the thing to be illustrated. But there was, no doubt, with regard to some bird a popular opinion which made the prophet’s reference very suggestive to his hearers. The fact supposed is that some bird gathers the young of other birds, despoiling the nests of the real parents, only to find, when the young ones get sufficiently strong, that they can no longer be kept to its nurture and control. Whether there was a real fact corresponding matters very little. If we want a familiar and sufficiently corresponding instance, we may find it in the not infrequent one of a hen hatching a brood of ducklings, only to find how soon their alien nature is manifested when a pool of water comes within reach. Note
I. THERE IS A RIGHTFUL GETTING OF WEALTH. External property occupies a position of approval in the Old Testament which is denied to it in the New. All the way through the New Testament the perils and deceptions attaching to mere external wealth are strongly insisted on. If not condemned per se, which of course is not possible, it is yet put forward as a heavy burden and perpetual stumbling-block to the Christian who has it. But in the Old Testament that very wealth is magnified, doubtless as a symbol of those better riches which would appear in something of their proper glory and satisfying power through the energetic ministrations of Christ’s Spirit. God saw fit for a time to recognize ability, industry, and integrity in a way which would be plain to the most carnal of men. Take Job, for instance. And even in the New Testament a sharp line is drawn between wealth gotten honestly and that which came by extortion and cheating. There is a standard of integrity recognized by the natural man; and God also recognizes this standard, so far as it goes, Miserably short does it fall of his appointed height of perfection, but it is better than nothing. Those who fall short of even the moderate requirements of their fellow-men God will condemn. On them he will set an unmistakable mark. Bat in order to do this there must be some sort of modified approval of those who, in seeking wealth, strive to keep their integrity and refrain from doing that which may degrade and impoverish their fellow men.
II. THE PECULIAR UNCERTAINTY OF ILL–GOTTEN WEALTH. All external wealth is uncertain. “Riches take to themselves wings and flee away.” They furnish one of the most impressive testimonies to the instability of terrestrial society. But ill-gotten gains are peculiarly unstable. Every rich man is envied, and few such escape slander. But he who becomes rich by unscrupulous methods has to lay his account with hostility on the part of all whom he has spoiled. Methods of unjust gain cannot but provoke the resolute, persevering, and ultimately successful opposition of all who hate injustice. Recollect the sudden and complete loss which came to the slave-holders of America, when their slaves were freed as a matter of military necessity. It is true that unjust gains seem to be often as stable as just ones; but still the peculiar uncertainty remains. A Christian possessing external wealth hears in mind the uncertainty of it, just as he bears in mind the uncertainty of his own natural life; but the heaper-up of filthy lucre has to reckon, not only with the perils of all human life, but also with those inseparable from his own evil courses. In some great storm, fatally threatening the ship of state, such a one may have to be thrown overboard, Jonah-fashion, in order to secure the safety of the rest.Y.
Jer 17:12, Jer 17:13
An inspiring invocation.
We must take Jer 17:12 as invocatory rather than indicative. The prophet speaks suitably in the language of apostrophe as he refers to the throne of Jehovah and the holy heights where he dwells. “O throne of glory, height of beginning, place of our sanctuary!” It will be felt that this apostrophe is well fitted to make the Hope of Israel a source of real hope in the hearts of Israel.
I. THE THRONE OF GLORY. This may be taken as having, by contrast, a double reference. He who sits on this throne is the Deity, Jehovah; hence all the seats of the Gentile gods may in like manner be considered as thrones. And because he who sits on a throne is reckoned as a king, there is also a contrast with human kings. This reference to the throne of glory amounts, therefore, to a condemnation of all idol shrines and human thrones as places to be ashamed of. The shrines were richly decorated and regarded with the utmost veneration, but this did not make them glorious. The practices of those connected with the shrines and the character of the worshippers showed that instead of glory there was shame. It has been the mark of all who have turned from formal idolatry or from the equally real idolatry of a worldly spirit to the living God, the God of Sinai and the tabernacle, of Calvary and of Pentecost, that they have become more and more ashamed of their ungodly past. Its defilement and unworthiness have been seen in a new light and with new eyes. When the slave becomes a freeman, servitude is more and more seen to be inexpressibly degrading. And so with regard to the thrones of human kings: these are just the places where human selfishness and pride are most conspicuous. To see how base and fiendish a man can become, we have only to select from the occupants of thrones. It is not meant that kings have been worse than common men; but their elevated position has both enlarged their opportunities for mischief, and also exposed them to the gaze of all succeeding generations. A Tiberius or a Nero gets an immortality of infamy, whereas an obscure villain of the same age passes swiftly into oblivion. Those kings who have really glorified thrones did so only as far as they were viceroys to him who is the King of kings. Human thrones may or may not be thrones of glory so far as glory can belong to the creature. Jehovah’s throne must be glorious seeing that it is forever transfigured with the effulgence of him who sits thereon.
II. THE HEIGHT OF BEGINNING. “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.” It is man coming in afterwards who has misemployed and degraded what God fashioned with certain Divine and supremely beneficial ends in view. Out of that which God has made for his glory man raises up things to glorify himself. The proudest system of idolatry, the system most deeply rooted in the hearts of millions, is but of yesterday when compared with those heavens which are God’s throne and that earth which is his footstool. Measured against this height of beginning, the most ancient of human families is only an upstart. It is like the mushroom of a night when set over against some immemorial tree. The abode where and whence the glory of Jehovah is manifested is not a Babel edifice, which, however high it may rise, is humiliatingly conditioned by the unstable foundation on which it rests. Human power, at the summit of its splendor, has traversed and conquered large tracts of the earth; and so kings get the name of great; but the greatness is only a momentary, unsubstantial swelling. Their power, like that of the sudden torrent, swiftly passes away. One can imagine how the prophet, while he talked of this height of beginning, looked to the heavens, so unaffected by all the strife and pride of the generations which succeed one another in this lower world. Jehovah has not climbed through long struggles to his height of glory. There may be evolution and graduation among the creatures of his hand, but such conceptions of progress are nothing less than blasphemous when we try to apply them to him.
III. THE PLACE OF OUR SANCTUARY. The place which God had condescended to make holy in his special connection with Israelthe place where the Ark of the Covenant restedhad become also a place (the history of Israel being witness) where the people of Israel might have every confidence in God. The temples of idols had not an invariable connection with the triumphs of their worshippers; but just in proportion as Israel honored the Ark of the Covenant and the God of the ark, in the same proportion they were made to see the effect of their conduct in triumph over their enemies and success in their own affairs. It was because they forsook the ark that they themselves were forsaken in humiliation, adversity, and shame. Not, of course, that the prophet is thinking of the ark only here. The true place of sanctuary is also in his mindthe invisible abode of the invisible Jehovah.Y.
Jer 17:13
Written in the earth.
I. As INDICATION OF WHY MEN DEPART FROM GOD. “Those who depart from Jehovah,” says the prophet, “shall be written in the earth” Therefore we conclude that their aim is to be written in some more durable and trustworthy substance. When they are spoken of as departing from God, the description is one accommodated to our thoughts rather than exactly correspondent with reality. The connection has been real so far as mere opportunity and privilege were concerned, but nominal also, because the opportunity and privilege were never seized. God has drawn near to the man; the man has not been inclined to draw near to God. It has seemed to him that in drawing near there would be such a subordination of self as would amount to self-effacement. The lusts of the natural man are everywhere checked and contradicted by the commandments of God. Hence man strives to get away from God and into such relations with his fellow-men as will, he thinks, cause his name to be counted for more. It may be that it is self-glory he is seeking for; to have his name deeply graven on the world’s memorial tablets as one who has achieved much and stood out like a Hercules from the common crowd. It may be that he hopes for great power; to have his name written on the hearts of thousands whose interests will be bound up with his so that they cannot succeed if he fails. It is very gratifying to the pride of man to feel that others cannot do without him.
II. THE SURE RESULT OF DEPARTURE FROM GOD. Men go away from God expecting to have their names written in the marble, and a very short experience shows that they are written, as it were, on the most shifty of all materials. From a certain point of view, nothing seems more irregular than the preservation of what was written in ancient ages. Deep letters on hard stones are long faded away, whale characters written on parchment or even paper survive to this day, and are now watched with an attention which bids fair to preserve them for many a year to come. But every one can see that what is written in the earth must, in the very nature of things, be quickly obliterated. Such writing may be the amusement of a child; it could never be the serious occupation of a man. And yet it is just by this figure that the folly of apostates from God is set forth. They write their names on a spot exposed to the trampling crowd of their fellow-men; and in their own selfishness they forget of how little account they are to others as selfish as themselves. And yet, in spite of such a warning to those who depart from God, they go on complaining because men forget them. It is just the way in which they must expect to be treated. It is the way of the world. After all, we are but weak creatures, with very limited powers, and we may well be excused if we cannot keep constantly in our minds those who have some claim on our sympathy and help. It is no fault of earth that it is earth instead of adamant. The fault lies with those who allow their names to be written there instead of in the enduring place which God has provided for them.
III. THE EQUALLY SURE RESULT FROM CLEAVING TO GOD. Though not stated in so many words, it is cheeringly implied that those cleaving to God have their names written whence they can never be erased. For their names are indeed written, as it were, on the heart of God himself. He cannot either forget or forsake them. They are ever remembered in the wisdom of his thoughts and the resistless movements of his ways. The Best thing that can happen to us in purely human relations is to be written in the hearts of those who love us; when they remember us, not because it is their interest to do so, but out of an unselfish fullness of desire for our welfare and happiness. But how much Better is it to Be thus remembered by God, seeing that with him there abides a love inexpressibly deeper than any human affection, and, along with this love, a wisdom and power with which even the highest human wisdom and power are not for a moment to Be mentioned!Y.
Jer 17:14
He whom God heals is really healed.
I. THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF INDIVIDUAL NEED. The prayer is “heal me;” “deliver me.” The prophet shows how deep and pressing is his own need by the use of two figures. He feels the need of something being done internally and externally. Internally he is sick at heart, wounded and bruised in spirit. He needs healing from the state of mind produced through being despised and rejected by his fellow-countrymen. Still worse is the gnawing pain produced as he views the wickedness of the land and takes knowledge of the steadily advancing calamities. But we cannot doubt that beyond all this there was the consciousness of his own heart’s pollution and unworthiness. So far as natural constitution and natural tendencies were concerned, he who spoke was no better than those to whom he spoke. Thus, in trying to waken others from their lethargy, he became more thoroughly wakened to his own state. The word which God had put into his mouth was spoken, not only to the outside audience, but down to his own sinning and ignorant heart. God cannot take for prophets and apostles those who care little about their own spiritual need. Paul became a better apostle because he reckoned himself, in such sincerity, the chief of sinners. It ought to be no marvel that those to whom we speak are indifferent to their state, if we who speak to them are largely indifferent to our own.
II. THE VANITY OF SEEKING ELSEWHERE THAN TO GOD. The very confidence which Jeremiah expresses that, if only God heals him, he will Be truly healed, seems to indicate that he had some experience of other modes of healing, such as had looked very promising at first, but proved utterly vain in the end. As a general rule, we have to Be disappointed in human agencies of healing Before we can be satisfied with the Divine one. It cannot be said that the nature and depth of the disease are adequately discovered, until we discover, from experience, how vain human resources are against it. We may be able to mitigate symptoms, to deaden pain, to rouse into a temporary cheerfulness; but in the end the relapse is certain and more confirmed than ever. It was a great thing for the prophet to Be brought to feel, as he evidently was, that anywhere else he went would Be with the probability of failure. With God there is not only the certainty of success, that success is with him alone.
III. THE PROPHET‘S CONFIDENCE IN GOD AS A HEALER. The way in which he expresses this confidence is most worthy of notice. His confidence is, not that God will do something for him, but that whatever God does will be adequate for the end in view. It is much to feel that one may count upon Divine sympathy and effort; it is still more to feel that whatever help God gives will rise to the intensity of the need. He who gives the spirit of conviction, working deep in the natural heart and showing its diseased state and defiling, polluting activity, gives also the spirit of a real healing. The great ground of apprehension arises, not from the magnitude of the spiritual disease, but from the indifference of the sufferer and his indisposition to submit his heart to God’s searching, healing power. The moment we are willing to submit ourselves to the great Physician, that moment the worst disease becomes a manageable and a virtually conquered thing. The course of the healing process may be long, tedious, and painful; but what matter these, if the end be perfect healing and everlasting health?Y.
Jer 17:15
Where is the word of the Lord?
I. THE PRETEXT AND AIM OF THIS QUESTION. The prophet’s subsequent comment on the question shows with what bitter hatred to him it was asked. Sad, indeed, it is to reflect that these very words might be asked in a far different spirit; that they might come from the depths of an ignorant seeking heart, wandering long amid idolatries and human systems of philosophy, without hearing anything to serve as bread of heaven for the deep hunger within. There are people upon whom God’s Word has been pressed in every variety of appeal and representation. The Word has sought them out again and again; and yet in the end all they can do is to cast a scornful doubt on whether it is the Word of God at all. It may, indeed, be allowed that they did not mean to insult Jehovah; all they had in view was to express, in the most stinging way, their bitter hatred of this pertinacious, plain-spoken prophetthis man who had come as a comparative youth from little Anathoth, rebuking those who were high in rank, old in years, and looked up to by the bulk of the people. No fallacy infecting the regions of practical life is more pernicious than that which, professing to admit the authority of him who sends, yet discredits the status of his professed messenger. It is thus very easy to evade unpleasant, humiliating messages. So the Jews of our Lord’s time were fanatically solicitous to honor their conception of Jehovah, and, as part of this devotion, they ended by crucifying Jesus as a blasphemer. The very people who asked, “Where is the word of Jehovah?” may have been the first to frame plausible repudiations of any wish to blaspheme him. Their great aim and purpose was to put this upstart Jeremiah in his proper place. They probably thought that these scornful speeches might become at last as a gag in his mouth. The lesson is plain: do not reject truth, or in any wise try to evade it because it comes through some one you do not like. What Jeremiah said here, respecting the character and work of these men, was true; and they do not deny the truth. They simply ignore the charges, and by one scornful question hint that the threatenings connected with the charges are but as empty words.
II. THE WAYS IN WHICH THIS QUESTION MAY BE ANSWERED, Jeremiah, we perceive, has his own answer appropriate to his individual circumstances. He fails back on his integrity. God knows the fidelity and obedience of his heart. God had put into his mouth the words he had spoken. They did not rise out of his personal feeling; they were not the breathings of an egotist, a fanatic, a madman, an enemy of his country. But inasmuch as this question is ever being asked by a certain class who will not believe in a Divine plan of the worldpartly revealed in Scripture and the partial execution of which is shown in historyit is well to remember how Jehovah has honored his servants who have had in any way to fill the office of prophets. He who has gone forth to threaten the persistently impenitent has never been without some achieved judgment of God which he might adduce as an illustration. The shadows cast forward into the future have their correspondences in the substances belonging to the past. If we could only summon out of the invisible world the generation which perished in the Flood, the dwellers in the cities of the plain, Pharaoh and his army, those who were destroyed in the gainsaying of Korah, and many others, they would be able to give no uncertain answer to the question, “Where is the word of Jehovah?” The kingdom of God is not in word only; it has in it a power which can be manifested in all needful abundance, with all needful rapidity, and in whatever aspect may be proper to the occasion. God’s Word becomes a complete and plainly perceptible deed exactly when the time is ripe. Shall man be able to arrange a time-piece so that when the hour hand and minute hand together point to twelve there shall be the striking which signifies noon has arrived; and shall not God be able to order the mysteries and complexities of the world so as to bring out the intended results just when he wants them? It is not for us to know times and seasons; but most emphatically it is for us to believe that every word of God is true. These very scorners of Jeremiah were about to add, in the course of a few short years at most, an illustration as forcible as any that what God has spoken may be taken as already done. God’s calm advancing of his kingdom should do much to make his people calm. It is our fault if the sarcasms of the unbelieving become anything more than words; and mere words are best met by a silent, patient, and believing continuance in well-doing.Y.
Jer 17:16-18
The prophet’s consciousness of integrity.
We may take it that this one question, “Where is the word of Jehovah?” stands for a great deal in the way of taunt, The appeal to God, with which the prophet follows up the mention of this question, shows how much he felt the attacks made upon him. It would be too much to say that he did not expostulate with his enemies upon their injustice; but evidently his great resort was to the God who had sent him. If men perversely attributed to him daring imposture and bitter malignity, he could do nothing but fall back on God’s knowledge of his course and motives. Four points are noticeable.
I. HIS OFFICE AS A PROPHET WAS NOT THE RESULT OF DISCONTENT WITH A PREVIOUS OCCUPATION. He had not hastened from being a shepherd. He was perfectly willing to have continued as a shepherd at Anathoth. It was not he who, looking out on the larger world, had wished to become conspicuous on a busier scene. He left his sheep because God had called him, as he called Moses, David, and Amos. It is true that, if a prophet would do his work ex animo, he must choose it; but first of all he must be chosen. It must be made perfectly plain to him, in a sober, wakeful moment, when all the faculties of life are collected, that he, and not some other person, was called to this work; to this work, and not to some other work. The office of a prophet, with all its toils, sufferings, perils, and temptations, was assuredly not an office to be grasped at. It needed that one should count the cost. We are not told much of the earlier history of the prophets, but some of them, at least, must have known long periods of discipline. For Jeremiah to say that he had not hastened to be a prophet really means that he had gone into the work with great deliberation, slowly and steadily following where God slowly and steadily walked before him. There is no haste in God’s dealings, though in crises there may be suddenness and rapidity of action; and therefore there can be no haste with those who are the instruments and messengers of God’s dealings.
II. THE REPUDIATION OF EVERYTHING LIKE PERSONAL MALIGNITY. He was compelled to speak of a calamitous day, but he spoke as one whose inexpressibly painful duty it is to break bad news. Moreover, it was bad news which concerned him as much as every other member of the nation. He was’ not a mere outsider, looking on with pity at events which did not concern him individually. The calamities of his native land, although he might be free from their worst effects, could not leave him altogether unsmitten. Doubtless there were moments when he, like Paul, could have wished himself accursed for his brethren’s sake. His feelings when he had to speak of impending calamities would be of the same kind (not, of course, so pure and intense) as those which Jesus had when he apostrophized Jerusalem, rushing to its fall, and careless about the things which made for its peace. Terrible truth may be spoken very tenderly and beseechingly. Juries find verdicts condemning to death, and judges pass the corresponding sentences, which they would all of them gladly escape if fidelity to truth and duty left an open way. That tenderness which shirks duty because of present, pain and difficulty, often proves in the end to be the worst of cruelty.
III. THE WORDS OF THE PROPHECIES ARE EXPRESSLY ATTRIBUTED TO GOD. It is a natural course to hold a man responsible for all that comes from his lips. The prophet could not escape this responsibility. It was not his to complain that his auditors challenged him as the constructor of these unpalatable speeches. If they looked to him, he in turn did the wise thing, the only thing that could be donehe looked to God. He was able to do this because he had been faithful. He had not garbled or mutilated his message to make it more tolerable. He understood perfectly well what, nevertheless, many fail to understand, that truth depends, not on what men are able to understand, but on what God clearly reveals. The prophet was in no manner of doubt as to the authority by which he spoke. Looking back and reviewing his utterances, he was perfectly sure that he had not confused his own thoughts with the commanded words of Jehovah. If what God reveals for us to speak, we speak; and if what he reveals for us to believe and act upon, we do believe and act upon; then with the utmost confidence we can go to him for support and defense. What could Jeremiah have done in his extremity if he had not been conscious of his fidelity as a prophet of God?
IV. GOD KNEW THE TRUTH OF ALL THAT THE PROPHET WAS ASSERTING. “Thou knowest.” God knew his servants heart; knew the sincerity and simplicity of his service. It was of no use arguing with men. Either they were unable to discern how true and apposite were his words, or, discerning, they were not willing to make a corresponding acknowledgment. But where men were ignorant God had perfect knowledge; where men were indifferent God showed the deepest interest. Hence the prophet could look to him confidently for continued support and ample vindication. Rightly considered, there is nothing revengeful or merely personal in verse 18. We may well believe that the prophet’s great anxiety was that the truth of Jehovah should be honored, even though it might be by terrible judgments upon despisers and unbelievers.Y.
Jer 17:19-27
The hallowing of the Sabbath day.
I. THE PLACE FOR ANNOUNCING THE MESSAGE.
1. It was a place where the king, as much as the people, would hear. Whatever else may be signified by “the gate of the children of the people” it seems clear that it was a gate in which, at certain times, the king would be found. In his own house it might be impossible to gain access to him; but the gate was open to all; and there he could not choose but listen to a man who would speak earnestly and commandingly; because the word of Jehovah lodged in him, came from the depths of his concurring heart. The king, doubtless, by their own individual leadership and encouragement, were responsible for much of the evil of Sabbath-breaking. The state of Jerusalem in particular would be largely influenced by them. A corrupt court makes a corrupt capital, and a corrupt capital is not without effect towards the making of a corrupt nation.
2. It was the place for the greatest general publicity. One gate is specified, but not one of the gates was to be omitted. The king, with his peculiar responsibilities, was warned in a peculiar way; but there was no one in such a private and irresponsible position as to be without concern in the message. The ten commandments were commandments for every individual among the people; hence the need of a warning which, in the mode of giving it, should be likely to arrest the attention of all. It was Jehovah’s message delivered at least as many times as there were gates in Jerusalem. We may well believe that it was delivered over and over again. 1N note of time is given, but of course the prophet would choose the time when there were most passengers; nor would he omit to deliver the message upon the Sabbath day itself.
3. The message was given upon one of the most conspicuous scenes of transgression. If the prophet went to one of the most frequented gates on a Sabbath, there he found transgressors, crowds of them, in the very act of transgression. They could not deny the act, and all he needed to do was to adduce the commandment against it. God can always make it clear that he does not send forth his prophets without occasion.
II. THE MESSAGE ITSELF. This command with respect to the Sabbath day seems to come in very abruptly here. And yet no one who considers the prominence of Jehovah’s injunction to “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” will wonder at the definiteness and emphasis of the prophet’s message. The details of his message make it only too sadly evident how far the people had departed from the original commandment. Here we have one of two extremes of disobedience in which the practical attitude of Israel towards this commandment appears. The sacred day which God had hallowed both in word and deed was recklessly and shamelessly made into a common day. If a stranger went into the streets of Jerusalem on a Sabbath, he might have great difficulty in discerning by any external sign that it was a Sabbath. The people would be going into the city and coming out of it much as on any other day. The other extreme is seen in the reasonless and fanatical formalism of the Jews, who so often attacked our Lord. There is certainly a great difference externally between these two extremes. It is very wonderful to consider that such a transition should be possible from the careless crowding of the gates with burdens on the Sabbath, to the savage bigotry which attacked Jesus for healing sick folk on the same day. Yet underneath external differences there was the same unabated, worldly, ungodly spirit. Those whom Jesus had to denounce for their shameless trafficking in the holy precincts were the children of those whom Jeremiah had to denounce for doing their own selfish will and needless acts on God’s Sabbath. And so we see that this passage from the prophet needs to be considered along with those passages in the Gospels where Jesus deals with the sabbatarianism of his time. His painful experiences of such professed honorers of God, and his searching exposures of them, need w be complemented by this message of Jeremiah. We shall always find in Scripture something to check us from “the falsehood of extremes.” Sabbatarians twist a commandment; Sabbath-breakers trample it underfoot. The evil which Jeremiah deals with here is dealt with even more solemnly by Ezekiel (Eze 22:1-12, where in Eze 22:8 Sabbath-breaking is particularly referred to as one of many terrible transgressions. See also Neh 9:14; Neh 13:15-22; Isa 56:2; Eze 20:12-24; Eze 46:1-5).Y.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Jer 17:1. The sin of Judah is written This chapter is connected with the last thus: “I am now about to make my vengeance manifest upon Judah: their crimes are risen to the greatest height; they even glory in them. They have engraved them as an inscription upon their heart, upon the horns of their altars; as they engrave memorable actions, and the great exploits of heroes, upon stone and brass: so far from forgetting their impiety, they have erected monuments thereof in all places of their country.” The prophet seems to allude to a custom of the heathens, who used to suspend certain amulets upon their hearts, on which were engraven the names or symbols of their deities. In like manner the names of these idols were engraved on the horns of the altars: the prophet’s meaning is, that the fondness which the Jews had for idolatry was grown so inveterate, that it was scarcely possible to eradicate it, notwithstanding the calamities to which it would expose them. See Act 17:23 and Calmet.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Jeremiah 17
4. Refutation of the objection (Jer 16:10) that the people had not generally served idols
Jer 17:1-4
1The sin of Judah is written with an iron stylus,1
Graven with a diamond point on the tablet of their heart,
On the horns of their altars;
2As their children remember their altars,
And their images of Baal2 by3 the green trees, by the high hills.
3My mountain together with4 the fields,
Thy substance and all thy treasures will I give up to spoil,
Thy heights!for thy sin in all thy borders.
4And thou shalt withhold thy hand from the inheritance which I have given thee;
And I cause thee to serve thy enemies in a land that thou knowest not:
For ye have kindled a fire in my nostrils that shall burn forever.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
The denial of having sinned against Jehovah (Jer 16:10) must mean that the fact of idolatry is denied. Against such a bold and shameless assertion the prophet rises here with visibly increasing indignation. He says that the sin of Judah is certified, and as it were, recorded in the archives, viz. (a in their own conscience, in which the memory of their idolatrous abominations is fixed like an ineffaceable brand, and (b) externally, on the horns of the altars, where the blood of the slaughtered children adheres as an equally ineffaceable memorial (Jer 17:1). These two testimonies were just as deep and inextinguishable to them, the actors present, as to the children the impression of that horrible cult which had snatched away so many from their midst would remain unforgetable. And so deep was this impression, that the mere sight of green trees and high hills was sufficient to refresh it continually (Jer 17:2). On the basis of the facts thus certified, the prophet repeats the announcement of the divine punishments, which will consist in plunder of substance, desolation of the land, according to the analogy of the year of release, and deportation into an unknown land (Jer 17:3-4).
Jer 17:1; Jer 2:5 The sin of Judah high hills.Origen (Hom. XVI. ed. Lommatzsch., S. 301), Isid. Hisp. (De Pass. Dom., Jeremiah 22). Ghisler (ad h. l.) by Judah here understand Judas Iscariot.Iron stylus. Comp. Job 19:24.diamond point, , which occurs besides, in this sense, only in Eze 3:9; Zec 7:12, appears to designate especially the diamond, which serves as a pointed cutting instrument, since everywhere else (Isa 5:9; Isa 7:23-25; Isa 9:17; Isa 10:17; Isa 27:4) it is used in the meaning of thorn. Comp. Herzog, Real-Enc. III., S. 642; Winer, R.-W.-B. I., S. 284.On the tablet, etc. Passing momentary events make only a superficial impression. But whatever has exercised a long-continued and intensive activity is deeply graven. In opposition to the assertion (Jer 17:10) that Israel has not sinned against the Lord, the prophet points to the continuance of idolatry among the people, and the deep, inextinguishable traces, which it has left behind. These are double; of an external and internal sort. Internally is the conscience, the remembrance, the whole spiritual habitus, which keeps before Israel the fact of the long practised idolatry. Externally are the idol-altars, with the blood of the children offered upon them, crying towards heaven, which testify of the sin to all the world. It is therefore audacity on the part of the people to pretend that they have forgotten the fact. The expression write on the table of the heart is found also in Pro 3:3; Pro 7:3.horns of the altars. That the idol-altars are meant is evident 1, from the plural, for there was but a single altar of Jehovah (J. D. Michaelis); 2, from the connection, for Israels sin was to be read only on the idol-altars, not on the altar of the Lord,or on the latter only in so far as they had perhaps used it for idolatrous worship (comp. 2Ch 15:3; Winer, s. v. Brandopferaltar). The altars in Jer 17:2 are doubtless also those of the idols, and identical with those mentioned in Jer 17:1.On the horns of the altar of burnt offering and the sprinkling of these with the blood of the guilt offering, comp. Exo 27:2 (coll. Psa 118:27); Jer 29:12; Lev 4:18; Lev 4:25; Lev 4:30; Lev 4:34; Lev 8:15; Lev 9:9. That the idol-altars also had such horns is clear from Amo 3:14. Comp. Winer, R.-W.-B. s. v. Hrner.Their altars, lit., youraltars. On the change of person comp. rems. on Jer 5:14; Jer 12:13.remember. We may reject at the outset the ungrammatical explanations which either take = (so that their children remember, Luther, Zwingle, substantially Calvin) or understand God as the subject of remember (Seb. Schmidt, Clericus, Ch. B. Michaelis). All those interpretations are at least very harsh, which regard the Jews as the subject, (ut recordantur filiorum suorum ita altarium, etc., i.e., their altars are as dear to their hearts as their children, R. Salomo, D. Kimchi, Abarbanel, Diodatus, Maurer; remembering their children, they remember also the altars on which they offered them, Hitzig) or which take in the sense of because, if, (Jerome, Chald., Arab., and many later) or which find the apodosis in Jer 17:3 (Ewald, Umbreit). Since in Jer 17:1 there is evidently likewise the idea of a monumentum, a record assuring a perpetual remembrance, the reciprocal relation of Jer 17:1-2 is indicated at the outset. There is a third memorial of the sin denied by the Israelites, the testimony of which is the more unexceptionable as it proceeds from the mouth of children (Psa 8:3; Mat 21:16): the remembrance by the children of that horrible worship to which so many from their midst fell a sacrifice. The prophet points to an effect of that horrid ritual, which is not indeed elsewhere expressly testified, but is in itself entirely natural. Why should not Moloch have been the terror of the Israelitish children, when there was such real and sad ground for it, as is wanting in other bugbears which terrify the children of the present day?Their children is therefore the subject of remember, and the construction is as ex. gr., Jer 5:26; Jer 6:7. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 95, 2.Images, etc. The are the masculine images of Baal [not of Astarte, as Henderson.S. R. A.] (comp. 1Ki 14:23; 2Ki 17:10; 2Ki 23:14, etc.) as are primarily and in general the images corresponding to the female principle of Baal. What was their form is still undecided, also whether they had special relation to the service of Moloch. Should the latter not be the case, yet their relation to the murderous rites of child-sacrifice is beyond a doubt. For children were offered to Baal in all his forms, comp. Jer 7:31; Jer 19:5; Jer 32:35. Herzog, Real-Enc. I. S. 638; IX., S. 715.By the green trees, . Hitzig and Graf rightly take here in a causal sense connecting it with remember, not with altars. If the place was to be designated where the altars and images stood, we cannot conceive why the prophet should write on green trees, and deviate from the stereotyped form of under every green tree. It is accordingly more probable that it is to express that the mere sight of green trees and high hills awoke in the Israelite children the remembrance of those terrible altars and images. We can certainly show no passage in which is used, after a verb of remembrance, of that which occasioned the remembrance. But all those passages are analogous in which designates the occasioning circumstances in general, ex. gr., Gen 26:7; Gen 26:9; Ps. 44:32; 1Sa 4:13. Comp. , Jer 9:11; Job 13:14.
Jer 17:3. My mountain in all thy borders. The words are either connected with the preceding context in various ways (Jerome: Sacrificantes in agro; Syr.: in montibus et in deserto; Chald.: Super montes in agro; Arab.: in montibus et in agris;R. Salomo, Abarbanel, Kimchi: O mons mi, qui in agro es, as a designation of Jerusalem, to which the previous context is addressed; Zwingli: ut filii recordantur ararum collium, montium et agrorum;Ewald, Meier: as in apposition to ), or with the following, when it is either rendered as in the vocative, and Zion, as the high place of the country , or Israel as sacrificing on mountains, or fleeing to mountains (Calvin), is understood by it, or it is connected with thy heights (Luther), or as an accusative with thy substance (montem meum una cum agro dabo, Gesenius, Gaab, Rosenmueller, Umbreit). Hitzig calls attention to Jer 18:14; Jer 21:13, where Zion is designated as and . But here the connection is quite different. In this place the prophet would evidently say that all property, movable and immovable, divine and human, dedicated to the service of God and the service of idols will be given up to plunder on account of their intensive (Jer 17:1-2), as extensive and universally diffused sin (in all thy borders). For this reason also I do not believe that mountain is to be rendered as in the vocative. It is rather accusative, dependent on I will give, and the explanation already mentioned as that of Gesenius, Gaab, Rosenmueller and Umbreit, is the correct one. The mountain of the Lord also is desecrated; it therefore, in so far as it contains property that can be so treated, will also, like the fruitful field, be given up to plunder. The prophet says fields, because he wishes to designate only the land, which produces substance and treasures, or things that may be plundered. Thy substance and all, etc., is a more particular explanation of my mountain. It tells us how a mountain and fields can be plundered. Thy substance, thy treasures have primary reference to fields. But that also which the mountain contained belonged in a certain respect to the people, and they were likewise despoiled of it. On the subject comp. Jer 27:16; Jer 28:3; Jer 52:17 sqq.Thy heights is in antithesis to my mountain. Even the sanctuaries dedicated to the idols were to be objects of spoliation. It is clear that thy heights is governed by give, but its abrupt position is strange. If we could connect exclusively with for thy sin, this difficulty would be removed. But not only the high places, but all that has been previously mentioned is given up on account of their sin. Syrus and the Arabic (MS. Oxon), omit thy heights altogether. Hitzig translates for atonement, comparing Zec 14:17; Deu 29:11, and with respect to the construction, Deut. 21:29. But the expression in all thy borders would then be quite feeble and superfluous. Graf after Gesenius, De Wette and others:Thy heights with the sin cleaving thereto I give up. But was it necessary to guard against the thought that the Lord would give up the heights without the sin, or that He would omit the latter? How is such a separation of the heights and the sin even conceivable? Thy heights may then be regarded as an emphatic asyndeton.For thy sin. Comp. Mic 1:5; 2Ki 24:3.In all thy borders. This addition corresponds exactly to the previously stated extent of the punishment: Since the sin has been universally diffused, so all the possessions in the whole land will be made the means of punishment.
Jer 17:4. And thou shalt forever. In this verse causes the only difficulty. It has been either entirely passed over (Syrus, Arab., Luther), or explained in a more or less forced manner, as unfreely (Vatable), by thy iniquity, naked and bare, alone (so Jerome, on the ground of which Ewald would alter to ). But it is evident that Jeremiah had in view Deu 15:2-3. This has been recognized by many expositors. Some (ex. gr., Seb. Schmidt, Rosenm.) supply, therefore, from Deu 15:2. J. D. Michaelis was the first to suppose that alone should be read. Graf expresses this distinctly, and without doubt correctly. For on the one hand , however interpreted, yields no satisfactory meaning. On the other hand the expression , withhold thy hand, etc., corresponds perfectly to the connection. The year of release (comp. Deu 15:1-13), so called from the , the release of the debtor from the oppressive hand of the creditor, coincides with the Sabbatic year (comp. Exo 23:10-11; Lev 25:1-7), in which the land is to remain uncultivated (comp. Saalschuetz, Mos. Recht., S. 162 ff.; Herzog, R-Enc. XIII., S. 204 ff.). The state of desolation, in which the land will be in consequence of the destined exile of the people is in Lev 26:24-25 expressly compared with that Sabbatic year, or year of release, and is called the Sabbath-time of the land (). In 2Ch 36:21 (comp. 3 Esdr. 1:58) it is expressly set forth that the Babylonian captivity was the fulfilment of the divine word proclaimed by Jeremiah, according to which the land was promised its holiday (). But in no other place than this does Jeremiah intimate this thought. If now it is undoubted that this passage, with reference to Deu 15:2 coll. Lev 26:34-35, designates the exile as a period of release for the land, we cannot avoid perceiving in an altered form of the of Deuteronomy. On I cause thee to serve, vide supra, on Jer 15:14.For ye have kindled, etc. The words are a free quotation from Deu 32:22, while those in Jer 15:14, at least in their first part, agree verbatim with the original passage.
Footnotes:
[1]Jer 17:1.. This word, which occurs besides only in Deu 21:12 is the nail, unguis, but since the finger-nail cannot be used for the engraving of ineffaceable writing, the word must mean a sharp, cutting instrument in general, in correspondence with the fundamental meaning of the root (= incidere, insculpere. Comp. Aram. ).
[2]Jer 17:2.[A. V.: their groves; De Wette: their Astartes (but comp. Exeget. Notes).S. R. A.]
[3]Jer 17:2.Explanations which render as local = with, together with (, R. Sal.), or cumulative = una cum (Seb. Schmidt and others) are as unsatisfactory as the reading , which is found in the Chald., Syr., and in 16 Codd. of Kennicott and 9 of De Rossi.
[4]Jer 17:3. = in the midst, but in the sense of accompaniment, together with. Comp. Jer 11:19; Naegelsb. Gr., 112, 5, a.
[5] The LXX. does not contain verses 14. Without doubt Jerome is correct in saying, forsitan pepercerunt populo suo. Origen in the Hexapla gives under asterisks the following translation, which he found in other translators: Jer 17:1. , , , .
Jer 17:2. H, , .
Jer 17:3. , .
Jer 17:4. K (. ), (. ) , , , . . hus in Montfaucon, Hexapl. Tom. II., p. 210.Eusebius also, Dem. Ev. X. 5 (comp. Jer 2:25), communicates the words, remarking that he found them , . Drusius remarks that in nonnullis codd. grcis et in uno Vaticano leguntur sub asteriscis.
CONCLUSION (Jer 17:5-18)
1. Retrospective glance at the deep roots of the corruption
Jer 17:5-13
5Thus saith Jehovah: Cursed the man, who trusts in men,
And makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from Jehovah.
6He will be like one forsaken6 in the desert
And will not see when good comes,
And will dwell in the arid places in the wilderness,
In a land salt and uninhabited.
7Blessed the man who trusts in Jehovah,
And whose confidence Jehovah is!
8He is like a tree planted by water,
And which stretches forth7 its roots to8 the river,
And will not fear9 when the heat comes, and its leaf is green,
And in the year of drought it will not have care nor cease from fruit-bearing.
9The heart is more deceitful than anything
And profoundly corrupt Who can know it?
10I, Jehovah, search the heart, try the reins,
Even10 to give every one according to his way,
According to the fruit of his doings.
11A partridge, which fosters without having laid,
Is he who accumulates riches not by right.
In the half of his days he will leave them,
And at his end he will be a fool.
12O throne of glory, height11 of beginning, place of our sanctuary!
13Hope of Israel, Jehovah!
All who forsake thee are put to shame!
Those who depart12 from me must be written in the earth,
Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, Jehovah.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
This long discourse ends with a concluding address in two parts, the first of which relates to general, the second to personal matters. In the first (Jer 17:5-13) the prophet indicates the most inward and hidden roots of the spiritual and physical corruption of his people. He mentions three chief moral defects, attaching to each the corresponding punishment. At the head he places the perverse disposition, which regards not the Lord, but flesh as the source and treasure of all blessing (Jer 17:5). The punishment of this sin is mentioned in Jer 17:6, the shadow being further deepened in Jer 17:7-8 by the contrast there presented. The second radical defect, designated in Jer 17:9, is the perfidiousness of the heart in connection with its weakness. In consequence of this habitus, the human heart is unfathomable to human sight, yet the Lord is in a position to look through and to judge it (Jer 17:10). Avarice is designated as the third destructive root to which every means is right, to which, however, poverty and shame must follow as a just recompense (Jer 17:11).The last two verses express once more in a comprehensive manner, and after a solemn invocation of Jehovah, the judgment of destruction on all those who have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living water (Jer 17:12-13).
Jer 17:5-6. Thus saith Jehovah salt and uninhabited. The prophet had in the previous context repeatedly designated the Lord as his and Israels only safety: Jer 14:8; Jer 14:22; Jer 15:20-21; Jer 16:19. He, however, expressly intimated in Jer 16:19, that the Israel of those times was wanting in confidence in this Saviour. Here he renders this sin of unbelief strongly prominent, portraying it according to its positive and its negative side. He mentions the positive side first. Man and flesh designate the totality of all earthly visible forces in antithesis to the spiritual power of the invisible God. It is precisely their visibility which withdraws the carnal mind from the invisible things to be apprehended by faith alone. The mind is first taken captive by things visible. Then having gained a firm footing in these, it breaks loose from the Invisible. It was so in the Fall. This confidence in things visible, however, is idolatry (comp. Luthers explanation of the first commandment). Hence the curse may well be an allusion to Deu 27:15 coll. deut 11:28.Man and flesh. ( and ) synonymous also in Isa 31:3 coll. Job 10:4; Psa 56:5. [The Hebrew language, having three distinct words for man, has the advantage of our English in the finer shades of a passage like this, cursed is the man (strong man) who trusteth in man (frail man of the earth) who maketh flesh (mere weakness) his arm. Cowles.S. R. A.]His arm, , the organ for the exhibition of physical force. He who delivers over this function to another, i.e. makes him his arm, has him for his assistant, for protection and deliverance Comp. Isa 33:2; Psa 83:9.A land salt, etc. Comp. Job 39:6; Psa 107:34.Will dwell. intransitive, as in Jer 17:25; Jer 30:18; Jer 50:13; Jer 50:39; Isa 13:20.
Jer 17:7-8. Blessed the man fruit bearing. We might, suppose that these verses were so co-ordinate with the two preceding that the two pairs would constitute an independent, self-contained whole. But then the following verses would be entirely disconnected. I therefore think that verses 7 and 8 are to serve as a foil to the thought expressed in Jer 17:5-6, which is shown to be the main thought by its positionAs a tree. Comp. Psa 1:3.Drought. Comp. Jer 14:1.
Jer 17:9-10. The heart is more deceitful his doings. Were the hearts of men, and especially of the Israelites, upright and directed to the true and the good, they must agree in word and deed with that which the prophet has declared in Jer 17:5-8. But there is nothing in the world so deceitful as the human heart, which understands the art thoroughly of pursuing the evil under the appearance of wishing the right (comp. Jeremiah 5 and Jer 9:2-8). This deceitfulness is however only a symptom of the deep depravity, the incurable sickness by which the heart is possessed.Deceitful, . Comp. on Jer 9:3. The word occurs here only as an adjective with this meaning.Corrupt, . The meaning desperate is not contained in the word. It is everywhere = severely sick, incurable (Jer 15:18; Jer 30:12; Jer 30:15; Isa 17:11; Mic 1:9; Job 34:6), full of the deepest pain (Jer 17:16). No man is in a condition to see through the deceitful hypocrisy of the human heart, but the Lord can do it, and founds on this His knowledge, His strict and righteous judgment. Comp. Jer 11:20; Jer 12:3; Jer 20:12.Even to give. Separating the statement of the object from the fundamental declaration, the word even sets forth the independence of the latter. God is not omniscient merely for the purpose of judging, but in His essential nature. Comp. besides comm. on Jer 6:2.
Jer 17:11. A partridge be a fool. As the third root of spiritual and bodily corruption the prophet names avarice, which is the root of all evil (1Ti 6:10). The selfish inquire not about the right (comp. Jer 5:1; Jer 5:26 sqq.; Jer 6:6-7; Jer 13:8; Jer 13:10), therefore the blessing of God is also denied them. Lightly come lightly go. Forsaken and put to shame the unrighteous man is at last like the bird, of which it is said that it collects the young of others and fosters them, but is forsaken by them as soon as they perceive that a stranger has usurped a mothers rights over them. The form of comparison is like that in Pro 10:20; Pro 11:22; Pro 16:24, etc. It is doubtful what bird is to be understood by . The word is found besides only in 1Sa 16:20. The ancient translators and most of the Comm. understand the partridge, and the dialects also favor this rendering. Only natural history does not confirm this peculiarity of the partridge. Comp. Winer s. v. Rebhuhn. [The ancients believed that she stole the eggs of other birds and hatched them as her own. See Epiphan. Physiol. cap. 9.; Isid.Origg. Jer 12:7. Henderson.S. R. A.].Fosters. occurs besides only in Isa 34:15. It is there expressly distinguished from , to hatch, and can mean only the gathering together and cherishing by warmth of the newly hatched young. Winer quotes inter al. a passage from Olympiodorus: * * * , , . This agrees admirably with the sense and connection of the passage, though it must still remain undecided whether we have here a real popular opinion existing at the time of Jeremiah, or only one deduced from this passage.Shall leave them refers to the riches. On fool comp. Jer 10:8; Jer 10:14.
Jer 17:12-13. O throne of glory Jehovah. Comprehensive conclusion in the form of a brief but solemn invocation of Jehovah. From Hope of Israel it is evident that the words of the prophet were addressed in the last instance to the person of the Lord. But he mentions first the exteriora, which are the places and bearers of His glory: his throne, the place where His throne stands, the sanctuary which surrounds it, for he wishes to set forth distinctly how foolish and criminal it is to do that, which he has censured in Jer 17:5; Jer 17:9; Jer 17:11 and which he afterwards comprises in one word, forsake the Lord. Israel has given up the truly real and eternal sanctuaries for the miserable high-places of idolatry. I do not therefore hold the view that Jer 17:12 is addressed to Jehovah Himself, for the reason given by Graf, that the Lord cannot possibly be called place of sanctuary.O throne of glory. Comp. 1Sa 2:8; Isa 22:23; Jer 14:21. The Lords throne appears in the Old Test in three degrees. First, Jerusalem is thus named (Jer 3:17), second, the ark of the covenant (Exo 25:22; Psa 80:2; Psa 99:1), third, the proper, so to speak, and transcendent throne (Isa 6:1; Eze 1:26; Dan 7:9; Psa 9:5; Psa 11:3; Psa 47:9; Psa 110:1). These three degrees are however so connected, that he who forsakes one does the same to the other. The prophet has primarily in view here, as at any rate in Jer 14:21, the visible throne of the Lord.Height of beginning. The idea expressed by has also several gradations. 1. Mt. Zion is called , Eze 17:23; Eze 20:40 coll. Eze 34:14; Jer 31:12. 2. It is very often used to designate the transcendent abode of Jehovah, Isa 33:5; Isa 57:15; Mic 6:6; Jer 25:30; Psa 93:4; Psa 68:19, etc. The expression , which occurs here only (comp. , Pro 8:23) agrees with in both senses. For that transcendent abode is from the beginning, eternally existing (comp. Psa 93:2), and Zion also as chosen from eternity is in idea the eternal dwelling-place of God. (Comp. Psa 132:13-14 coll. Exo 15:17; Exo 20:24; Deu 5:12).Place of our sanctuary. Comp. Isa 60:13; Dan 8:11. Even the sanctuary of Israel () is a double one, an earthly and a heavenly. The former is made according to the type of the latter (Exo 25:8-9; Exo 25:40; Exo 26:30). Thus though the expression refers primarily to the earthly sanctuary the heavenly is not excluded. There is no objection to the impersonal rendering of these three substantives in the prophets addressing words of prayer to them. For what the prophet declares with respect to them: All who forsake thee are put to shame, would be quite unprejudicial even if Hope of Israel, etc., did not come between. But the three former are entirely sunk in this last conception, since it is only in and by Jehovah that they have any existence or meaning. Hence also the singular suffix in . The older commentators render throne of glory as nominative, either taking the first and the last three words together (solium glori excelsum, ab initio locus sanctuarii nostri, Calvin), or regarding throne (thronus, qui est altitudo ab terno, est locus sanctuarii, Seb. Schmidt), or height (a throne in glory is the height of beginning, the place of our sanctuary, Neumann) as the nominative. According to these renderings however it is scarcely possible to find a suitable connection.Hope of Israel. Comp. Jer 14:8; Jer 50:7.Written in the earth. In the earth (in the dust, Job 14:8), where what is written will be speedily effaced, shall those who depart from me be written. The antithesis on the one hand would be to Jer 17:1 (the sin in brass, the sinners in dust), on the other hand to the book of life (Exo 32:32; Psa 69:29; Dan 12:1; Mal 3:16; Luk 10:20; Php 4:3; Rev 3:5; Rev 13:8; Rev 17:8; Rev 21:27). Meier reads: they vanished away in the laud (Job 15:30), all who are recorded in it (Jer 17:1; Jer 22:30) that they have forsaken the fountain, etc. This exegesis also is exposed to several objections: 1. that must be taken in the sense of vanish away: 2. the imperf. I therefore prefer to adhere to the reading of the Chethibh. The rapid change of person forms no objection to this. Comp. on Jer 5:14; Jer 9:7; Jer 12:13; Jer 17:1. The Lord then continues in confirmation of the prophets address.Fountain, etc. Comp. Jer 2:13; Psa 36:10.
Footnotes:
[6]Jer 17:6.. The ancient translations all express here, doubtless on the ground of the antithesis in Jer 17:8, the name of a tree or shrub, while in Psalms 102 where alone the word occurs a second time, they all, in accordance with the context, express the idea of miser. Since now is formed after the analogy of , , , (), etc. (comp. Olsh. 189, a; Naegelsb. Gr., 42, a, S. 87), since, further, the corresponding verbal root is given by Jer 51:58 ( ) unquestionably with the meaning denudare (comp. Isa 23:13; Isa 32:11; Hab 3:9. nuditas, nudus, nudus, solitarius; Gen 15:2; Lev 20:20-21; Jer 22:30), the meaning of naked, destitute, wretched, is assured also in this passage. [Henderson: I acquiesce in the opinion of Dr. Robinson, that it is the same as the Arab. Arar, the juniper-tree which is found in the vicinity of the Arabah, or the Great Valley, to the south of the Dead Sea. See Bibl. Res. II., 506. Thus De Wette: Wacholderbaum. The same form of the word occurs Psa 102:18, where the idea conveyed is that of naked, destitute. The point of comparison in the two passages of our prophet is the forlorn appearance of a solitary juniper, deprived of all nourishment in the arid desert.Hitzig referring to the composition of Psalms 102, after the flight of Jonathan into the desert of Tekoa, and the connection with Jer 48:6, where also flight is spoken of, decides that the word designates one who has flet or been driven into the desert, or one who has come into misfortune as starved or perishing.S. R. A.]. On the words in Jer 48:6, , comp. rems. there.
[7]Jer 17:8.. . ., synonymous with , Isa 30:25; Isa 44:4.
[8]Jer 17:8. for as frequently in Jer. Comp. on Jer 10:1.
[9]Jer 17:8. . The Keri reads after Jer 17:6. The Chethibh should be punctuated (Imperf. from ), corresponding to , and is at any rate to be preferred; as also the ancient translations express it, with the exception of the Chaldee.
[10]Jer 17:10.. Comp. Jer 32:19. The Vau, which the ancient translations and many Codd. omit, is not so superfluous as Graf supposes.
[11]Jer 17:12. might grammatically be in the accusative, but as appears to be contrasted with (Jer 3:24; Jer 11:13), so does with .
[12]Jer 17:13.. The Chethibh would be formed like , ,, (Olsh. 212). The form as a noun, does not, however, occur elsewhere, and the sudden change of person is strange. The Keri reads . The meaning is the same (= those departing from me. Comp. , Jer 51:1); the form is likewise a rare one. (Yet comp. Jer 2:21; Isa 49:21; Olsh. 172, b.) Meier reads .
2. PETITION OF THE PROPHET FOR THE SAFETY OF HIS PERSON AND THE HONOR OF HIS OFFICIAL MINISTRATIONS
Jer 17:14-18
14Heal me, Jehovah, that I may be healed;
Deliver me that I may be delivered, for thou art my praise!
15Behold, they say to me: Where is the word of Jehovah? Let it come now.
16But I have not hastened away from being a pastor after thee;
And the calamitous day I have not desired, thou knowest.
That which went forth from my lips was from thee.
17Be not13 a terror to me, my refuge in the day of distress!
18My persecutors must be put to shame,
But I must not be put to shame;
They must be dismayed, but I must not be dismayed!
Bring14 upon them the day of calamity,
And doubly15 with destruction destroy them!
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
The second, personal half of the conclusion. The prophet prays for safety and deliverance for himself (Jer 17:14). In opposition to the scornful doubt in the fulfilment of his predictions, expressed in Jer 17:15, he prays on the ground of the fact that he had not hastened into the prophetic office, or declared his own inventions (Jer 17:16), that the Lord, his refuge, would not be a terror to him or suffer him to be put to shame, but his persecutors, and bring upon them the day of calamity and double destruction (Jer 17:17-18).
Jer 17:14. Heal me thou art my praise. The prophet begins with a prayer for safety and deliverance in general.Heal me. Deu 32:39; Psa 6:3; Psa 30:3.My praise, the object of my confident boasting. Comp. Deu 10:21;. Psa 71:6.
Jer 17:15-16. Behold, they say was from thee. The prophet resumes the thought in Jer 15:10; Jer 15:15-19 (coll. Jer 20:7-12).Where, etc. Comp. Isa 5:19; Eze 12:22 sqq. It is used ironically also in Psa 42:4; Psa 42:11; Psa 79:10; 2Ki 18:34, etc.On Let it come now, comp. Jer 28:8, Jeremiah 9 : Deu 18:21-22 coll. Jer 13:2.But I have not, etc. The prophet would deserve such scorn, if he had taken the word of the Lord into his mouth in his own strength, or deceitfully, as others did, Jer 14:14-15.But he is not a pseudo-prophet, but a prophet against his will. Comp. Jer 1:6 sqq.; Jer 20:7.The words I have not hastened ( ) have been variously explained. But all the commentators (when they do not alter the reading, as the Syr., which reads ) concur in understanding of the spiritual pastorate. The thought that he had not hastened from the pastoral office or spiritual pasture after Jehovah does not however suit the connection. For he can wish only to defend himself against the imputation of having hurried. It is very remarkable that not a single comm. has yet thought of taking in a physical sense; doubtless because the knowledge of Jeremiahs priestly descent has seemed to preclude the thought of his having been a shepherd. But why may not Jeremiah, who was called as a to the prophetic office, have previously tended his fathers sheep? The shepherds state was rendered sacred to the Israelites by the example of their fathers, and kings as well as prophets had proceeded from it (comp. Amo 1:1; Amo 7:14 coll. Exo 3:1). Moreover the [pasture, common], which was possessed by every priestly and levitical city (comp. Joshua 21. and 1 Chronicles 6.), was according to Num 35:4 expressly intended for the cattle. Anathoth also had its (Jos 21:18). Comp. Herzog, R.-Enc. VI. S. 150. How well now it suits the connection if Jer. says: They scorn me as a prophet and yet I did not hurry away from being a shepherd ( =. Comp. Jer 2:25; Jer 48:2; Psa 83:5; 1Sa 15:23; 1Sa 15:26) after thee. = to press, to haste:Exo 5:13; Jos 10:13; Pro 19:2; Pro 21:5; Pro 28:20.. Comp. Jer 2:2; Jer 3:19. Going after Jehovah is in antithesis to going after the flock (comp. 1Ch 17:7). [Hitzig: I have not hastened away not to keep after thee. In is the idea of wilfulness, following ones own impulse in any direction. I did not struggle away so that I should not be pasturing, etc. does not suit the usual rendering of as the trade of the shepherd, but leads to this, that Jahve is the shepherd, leader, and Jeremiah the lamb, Psa 23:1. Willingly following him (comp. 1Sa 7:2; Num 14:24) he allowed himself to be fed by Jahve (comp. Pro 10:21) with words of truth and with revelation Jer 15:16. Henderson appears to follow Hitzig in this rendering.Wordsworth: Rather, I have not hastened backward from being a shepherd (a prophet) after thee. When I was called by Thee, I did not withdraw myself hastily from Thy service (see Gesen. 23), but I obeyed Thy call without delay: and I did not desire the woful day.So also Cowles.S. R. A.]
And the calamitous day. Comp. rems. on Jer 17:9. From the connection the prophet can mean only the day of his entrance into the prophetic office. (Comp. Jer 20:7 sqq.; Jer 15:10-11). For he needed not to give the assurance that he did not desire the day of calamity for the whole people. He might indeed have been reproached with loving to prophesy evil, but there is nothing of this in the text.Thou knowest. Comp. Jer 15:15.That which went forth, etc. That which has gone forth from his lips, since he has been a prophet, God knows and approves, he has nothing then to fear from the criticism of men. Comp. Pro 5:21; Lam 2:19.
Jer 17:17-18. Be not a terror destroy them. The negative petition, comp. Jer 17:14.persecutors, pursuers. Comp. Jer 15:15; Jer 20:11.doubly with destruction. Comp. Jer 16:18.
Footnotes:
[13]Jer 17:17., comp. Ewald, 224 c; Naegelsb. Gr., 38, Anm. 2.
[14]Jer 17:18., a rare form instead of , but comp. 1Sa 20:40; Olsh., 256 b, S. 569.
[15]Jer 17:18. (not ) is accus. modi. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 70 g.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Jer 14:7. Medicina erranti confessio, qua de re Psa 32:3-4 et Ambrosius eleganter: Confessio verecunda suffragatur Deo, et pnam, quam defensione vitare non possumus, pudore revelamus (lib. de Joseph., c. 36), et alibi idem: Cessat vindicta divina, si confessio prcurat humana. Etsi enim confessio non est causa meritoria remissionis peccatorum, est tamen necessarium quoddam antecedens. Frster.
2. In earnest and hearty prayer there is a conflict between the spirit and the flesh. The flesh regards the greatness of the sins, and conceives of God as a severe Judge and morose being, who either will not help further or cannot. The spirit, on the other hand, adheres to the name of God, i. e., to His promise; he apprehends God by faith as his true comfort and aid, and depends upon Him. Cramer.
3. On Jer 14:9 a. Ideo non vult Deus cito dare, ut discas ardentius orare. Augustine.
4. On Jer 14:9 b. Quia in baptismo nomen Domini, i. e., totius SS. et individu Trinitatis super nos quoque invocatum est, eo et ipso nos in fdus Dei recepti sumus et inde populus Dei salutamur. Frster.
5. On Jer 14:10. So long as the sinner remains unchanged and uncontrite God cannot remove the punishment of the sin (Jer 26:13). Starke.Quotidie crescit pna, quia quotidie crescit et culpa. Augustine.
6. On Jer 14:11-12. [We further gather from this passage that fasting is not in itself a religious duty or exercise, but that it refers to another end. Except then they who fast have a regard to what is thereby intendedthat there may be a greater alacrity in prayerthat it may be an evidence of humility in confessing their sins,and that they may also strive to subdue all their lusts;except these things be regarded, fasting becomes a frivolous exercise, nay, a profanation of Gods worship, it being only superstitious. We hence see that fastings are not only without benefit except when prayers are added, and those objects which I have stated are regarded, but that they provoke the wrath of God as all superstitions do, for His worship is polluted. Calvin.S. R. A.] Unbelief is a mortal sin, so that by it the good is turned into evil. For fasting or praying is good; but when the man who does it has no faith it becomes sin (Psa 109:7). Cramer.
7. On Jer 14:14. He who would be a preacher must have a regular appointment. In like form for all parts of divine worship we must have Gods word and command for our support. If we have it not all is lost. Cramer.
8. On Jer 14:14 (I have not sent them). This does not come at all into the account now-a-days; and I do not know, whether to such a preacher, let him have obtained his office as he may, in preaching, absolution, marrying and exorcising, or on any other occasion, when he appeals to his calling before the congregation or against the devil, the thought once occurs, whether he is truly sent by God. Thus the example of the sons of Sceva (Act 19:14; Act 19:16) is no longer considered, and it appears that the devil is not yet disposed by such frightful occurrences to interrupt the atheistical carelessness of the teachers. Zinzendorf.
9. On Jer 14:15. The example of Pashur and others shortly afterwards confirms this discourse. This is an important point. One should however, with that modesty and prudence, which Dr. Wiesmann (Prof. of Theol. in Tbingen), who seems called of God to be a writer of church history, in his Introd. in Memorabilia histori sacr N. T. (1731 and 1745) which I could wish were in the hands of all teachers, repeatedly recommends, have regard to this also, when so-called judgments on the wicked are spoken of, that when the Lord in His wisdom and omnipotence exercises justice on such transgressors by temporal judgments, these are often a blessing to them and the yet remaining means of their salvation. It is related that a certain clergyman in a Saxon village, about the year 1730, felt such a judgment upon himself and his careless ministry, and after happy and humble preparation on a usual day of fasting and prayer, presented himself before his church as an example, and exercised on himself what is called church discipline, whereupon he is said to have fallen down dead with the words,
My sin is deep and very great,
And fills my heart with grief.
O for thy agony and death,
Grant me, I pray, relief.
He is no doubt more blessed, and his remembrance more honorable, than thousands of others, who are praised by their colleagues in funeral discourses as faithful pastors, and at the same time, or already before, are condemned in the first but invisible judgment as dumb dogs, wolves or hirelings. Zinzendorf.
10. On Jer 14:16. Although preachers lead their hearers astray, yet the hearers are not thus excused. But when they allow themselves to be led astray, the blind and those who guide them fall together into the ditch (Luk 6:39). Cramer. [When sinners are overwhelmed with trouble, they must in it see their own wickedness poured upon them. This refers to the wickedness both of the false prophets and the people; the blind lead the blind, and both fall together into the ditch, where they will be miserable comforters one to another. Henry.S. R. A.]
11. On Jer 14:19. Chrysostom refers to Rom 11:1 sqq., where the answer to the prophets question is to be found.
12. On Jer 14:21. Satan has his seat here and there (Rev 2:13). I should like to know why the Saviour may not also have His cathedral. Assuredly He has, and where one stands He knows how to maintain it, and to preserve the honor of the academy. Zinzendorf.
[Good men lay the credit of religion, and its profession in the world, nearer their hearts than any private interest or concern of their own; and those are powerful pleas in prayer which are fetched from thence, and great supports to faith. We may be sure that God will not disgrace the throne of His glory, on earth; nor will He eclipse the glory of His throne by one providence, without soon making it shine forth, and more brightly than before, by another. God will be no loser in His honor in the long run. Henry.S. R. A.]
13. On Jer 14:22. Testimony to the omnipotence of God, for His are both counsel and deed (Pro 8:14). Use it for consolation in every distress and for the true apodictica [demonstration] of all articles of Christian faith, however impossible they may appear. Cramer.[The sovereignty of God should engage, and His all-sufficiency encourage, our attendance on Him, and our expectations from Him, at all times. Henry.Hence may be learned a useful doctrinethat there is no reason why punishments, which are signs of Gods wrath, should discourage us so as to prevent us from venturing to seek pardon from Him; but on the contrary a form of prayer is here prescribed for us; for if we are convinced that we have been chastised by Gods hand, we are on this very account encouraged to hope for salvation; for it belongs to Him who wounds to heal, and to Him who kills to restore to life. Calvin.S. R. A.]
14. On Jer 15:1. On the part of the Catholics it is maintained that hoc loco refellitur hreticorum error orationes defunctorum sanctorum nihil prodesse vivis. Contrarium enim potius ex hisce arguendum suggeritur, nempe istiusmodi sanctorum mortuorum orationes et fieri coram Deo solere pro viventibus, et quando viventes ipsi non posuerint ex semet obicem, illas esse iis maxime proficuas. Ghisl. Tom. II. p. 296). To this it is replied on the part of the Protestants. 1. Enuntiatio isthc plane est hypothetica. 2. Eo tantum spectat, ut si Moses et Samuel in vivis adhuc essent, adeoque in his terris pro populo preces interponerent suas, perinde ut ille, Exodus 32. hic vero 1 Samuel 7. (Frster, S. 86). He also adds two testimonies of the fathers against the invocation of saints. One from Augustine, who (contra Maximin., L. 1), calls such invocation sacrilegium, the other from Epiphanius who (Hres 2) names it an error seductorum, and adds non sanctos colimus, sed sanctorum dominum.That the intercession of the living for each other is effective, Cramer testifies, saying Intercession is powerful, and is not without fruit, when he who prays and he for whom he prays are of like spirit. Comp. Rom 15:30; 2Co 1:11; Eph 6:18-19; 1Ti 2:1-2; 1Jn 5:16. [To the same effect also Calvin and Henry.S. R. A.]
15. On Jer 15:4 b. Scilicet in vulgus manant exempla regentum, utque ducum lituos, sic mores castra sequuntur.Non sic inflectere sensus humanos edicta valent ut vita regentum.Qualis rex talis grex. Frster.
16. God keeps an exact protocol [register] of sins, and visits them to the third and fourth generation. Cramer. [See what uncertain comforts children are; and let us therefore rejoice in them as though we rejoiced not. Henry.S. R. A]
17. On Jer 15:5. When God abandons us we are abandoned also by the holy angels, and all creatures. For as at court when two eyes are turned away the whole court turns away; so when the Lord turns away all His hosts turn away also. Cramer.
18. On Jer 15:7. God as a faithful husbandman has all kinds of instruments for cleaning His grain. He has two kinds of besoms and two kinds of winnowing-fan. With one He cleanses, winnows the grain and sweeps the floor, so that the chaff may be separated from the good wheat. This is done by the Fatherly cross. But if this does not avail He takes in hand the besom of destruction. Cramer.
19. On Jer 15:10. The witnesses of Jesus have the name among others of being hard and rough people, from whom they cannot escape without quarreling. It is not only a reproach which Ahab and such like make to Elijah, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? (1Ki 19:17). But even true-hearted people like Obadiah do not thoroughly trust to them; every one has the thought, if they would only behave more gently it would be just as well and make less noise. Meanwhile the poor Elijah is sitting there, knowing not what to do; a Jeremiah laments the day of his birth why am I then such a monster? Why such an apple of discord? What manner have I? How do I speak? For when I speak, they are for war (Psa 120:7). He does not at once remember that they called the master Beelzebub, and persecuted all the prophets before him; that his greatest sin is that he cares for the interests of Jesus in opposition to Satan. Zinzendorf. [Even those who are most quiet and peaceable, if they serve God faithfully, are often made men of strife. We can but follow peace; we have the making only of one side of the bargain, and therefore can but, as much as in us lies, live peaceably. Henry.S. R. A.]
20. On Jer 15:10 b. (I have neither lent nor borrowed at usury). My dear Jeremiah! Thou mightest have done that; that is according to the custom of the country, there would be no such noise about that. There is no instance of a preacher being persecuted because he cared for his household. But to take payment in such natural products as human souls, that is ground of distrust, that is going too far, that thou carriest too high, and thou must be more remiss therein, otherwise all will rise up against thee; thou wilt be suspended, removed, imprisoned or in some way made an end of, for that is pure disorder and innovation, that smacks of spiritual revolutionary movements. Zinzendorf.
21. On Jer 15:15 a. (Thou knowest that for thy sake I have suffered reproach). This is the only thing that a servant of the Lamb of God should care for, that he does indeed suffer not the least in that he has disguised and disfigured the doctrine of God and his Saviour. It might be wished that no servant of the Lord, especially in small cities and villages, would now and then make a quarrel to relieve the tedium, which will occupy the half of his life, and of which it may be said in the end: vinco vel vincor, semper ego maculor. Zinzendorf.
22. On Jer 15:16. The sovereign sign of a little flock depending on Christ is such a hearty, spiritual tender disposition towards the Holy Scriptures, that they find no greater pleasure than in their simple but heart-searching truths. I, poor child, if I but look into the Bible, am happy for several hours after. I know not what misery I could not alleviate at once with a little Scripture. Zinzendorf. [On Jer 17:17. It is the folly and infirmity of some good people that they lose much of the pleasantness of their religion by the fretfulness and uneasiness of their natural temper, which they humor and indulge instead of mortifying it. Henry.S. R. A.]
23. On Jer 15:19, a. (And thou shalt stand before me: [Luther: thou shalt remain my preacher]) Hear ye this, ye servants of the Lord! Ye may be suspended, removed, lose your income and your office, suffer loss of house and home, but ye will again be preachers. This is the word of promise. * * * And if one is dismissed from twelve places, and again gets a new place, he is a preacher to thirteen congregations. For in all the preceding his innocence, his cross, his faith preach more powerfully than if he himself were there. Zinzendorf.
Note.On this it may be remarked that in order to be the mouth of the Lord it is not necessary to have a church.
24. On Jer 15:19 b. (Before thou return to them) We can get no better comfort than this, that our faithful Lord Himself assures us against ourselves. I will make thee so steady, so discreet, so well-founded, so immovable, that, hard as the human heart is, and dead and opposed, yet it will be rather possible that they all yield to thee, than that thou shouldest be feeble or slack and go over to them. Zinzendorf.
25. On Jer 15:20. A preacher must be like a bone, outwardly hard, inwardly full of marrow. Frster. [Ministers must take those whom they see to be precious into their bosoms, and not sit alone, as Jeremiah did, but keep up conversation with those they do good to, and get good by. Henry.S. R. A.]
26. On Jer 16:2. It is well-known that in no condition is celibacy attended by so many evils as in that of the clergy and that this condition entails in a certain measure a present necessity of marrying. For if any one needs a helpmeet to be by his side, it is the man who must be sacrificed to so many different men of all classes. But all this must be arranged according to circumstances. Ye preachers! Is it made out that ye marry only for Jesus? that you have the church alone as your object? and that you subject yourselves to all the hardships of this condition with its tribulations only for the profit of many? First, then, examine maturely in your offices, whether there is no word of the Lord, whether circumstances do not show, whether there is not an exception from the rule in your case, that you are to take no wife; whether Paul does not call to you in spirit, I would that thou wert as I. May it not sometimes be said? Take no wife at this time or at this place! or Take not another! How does the matter look on closer examination? The rather, as it is known to the servants of Christ to be no hyperbolical speech, when it is said, The minister has slain his thousands, but the ministers wife her ten thousands. He that loves anything more than Christ is not worthy of Him. If it cannot be cured endure it. But see to it the more, that those who have wives be as those who have them not (1Co 7:29). Lead your wife in prayer diligently and plainly, as Moses with Zipporah (Exo 4:25, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me). If they would not have you dead they must leave you your Lord. I know not when anything was so pleasing to me as when I saw a certain ministers wife weeping sorely from apprehension that her husband would not endure a certain trial. She saw clearly that he would retain his charge, but she feared the Saviour would make it hard to him.Zinzendorf.
27. On Jer 16:2. Ridiculi sunt Papicol, qui ex hoc typo articulum religionis su de clibatu saceraotum exstruere conantur. Nam. 1. tota hc res fuit typica. Typica autem et symbolica theologia non est argumentativa juxta axioma Thom. 2. Non simpliciter interdicitur conjugium prophet in omni loco, sed tantum in hoc loco. Frster.
28. On Jer 16:7. This passage (as also Isa 58:7) is used by the Lutheran theologians to prove that panem frangere may be equivalent to panem distribuere, as also Luther translates: They will not distribute bread among them. This is admitted by the Reformed, who, however, remark that it does not follow from this that frangere et distribuere also in Sacramento quipollere, quod esset a particulari ad particulare argumentari. Comp. Turretin., Inst. Theol. Elencht. Tom. III., p. 499.
29. On Jer 16:8. When people are desperately bad and will not be told so, they must be regarded as heathen and publicans (Mat 17:18; Tit 3:10; 1Co 5:9). Cramer.
30. On Jer 16:19. The calling of the heathen is very consolatory. For as children are rejoiced at heart when they see that their parents are greatly honored and obtain renown and praise in all lands, so do all true children of God rejoice when they see that Gods name is honored and His glory more widely extended. Cramer.This passage is one of those which predict the extension of the true religion among all nations, and are therefore significant as giving impulse and comfort in the work of missions. Comp. Deu 32:21; Hos. 2:1, 25; Joe 3:5; Isa 49:6; Isa 65:1; Rom 10:12 sqq.
31. On Jer 16:21. Nothing can be learned from God without God. God instructs the people by His mouth and His hand, verbis et verberibus. Cramer.
32. On Jer 17:1. Scripta est et fides tua, scripta est et culpa tua, sicut Jeremias dixit: scripta est Juda culpa tua graphio ferreo et ungue adamantino. Et scripta est, inquit, in pectore et in corde tuo. Ibi igitur culpa est ubi gratia; sed culpa graphio scribitur, gratia spiritu designatur. Ambros. de Sp. s. III. 2.
33. On Jer 17:1. The devil is Gods ape. For when he sees that God by the writing of His prophets and apostles propagates His works and wonders to posterity, he sets his own pulpiteers to work, who labor with still greater zeal, and write not only with pens and ink, but also with diamonds, that such false religion may have the greater respect and not go down. Cramer.
34. On Jer 17:5.
O man in human help and favor
Trust not, for all is vanity,
The curse is on it,happy he,
Who trusts alone in Christ the Saviour.
[When water is blended with fire, both perish; so when one seeks in part to trust in God and in part to trust in men, it is the same as though he wished to mix heaven and earth together, and to throw all things into confusion. It is then to confound the order of nature, when men imagine that they have two objects of trust, and ascribe half their salvation to God and the other half to themselves or to other men. Calvin.S. R. A.]
35. On Jer 17:5. A teacher is commanded to be the first to honor the authorities, to pray for them and be subject to them as Gods servants But since the authorities, in all which pertains to the concerns of the soul, have part only as members, there is great occasion for this cursed dependence on flesh when one from the hope of good personal protection gives up the work of the Lord to the powers of the earth. It is true the church is to have foster-parents who are kings. But nevertheless neither kings nor princes are its tutelar deities, much less lords and commanders of the church, but one is our Master, one our Judge, one our King, the Crucified. Zinzendorf.
36. On Jer 17:5. Reformed theologians, ex. gr., Lambertus Danus (ob. 1596) have applied this passage in the sense of Joh 6:63, in their controversies against the Lutheran doctrine of the Supper. But as Calvin declared, it is not the flesh of Christ, but only earthly flesh and that per contemtum which is here spoken of Comp. Frster, S. 97.
37. On Jer 17:7. Blessed are those teachers, who have betaken themselves, to His protection, who once promised His Church, that even the gates of hell should not prevail against it Who has ever been put to shame who trusted in Him? Zinzendorf.
38. On Jer 17:9. This is a spiritual anatomy of the heart. Examples: Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33.); Hezekiah (38:39); the children of Israel (Numbers 14.). Alii sumus dum ltamur et omnia in vita nobis secundo vento succedunt; alii vero in temporibus calamitosis, ubi quid prter sententiam acciderit. Comp. Ser. Jer 11:27. (MS. note in my copy of Cramers Bibel).
39. On Jer 17:9. . This applies with respect to ourselves and others. For the defiant it avails as an extinguisher (Rom 12:3); but the despairing may be reassured by it (1Jn 3:19-20).
40. On Jer 17:14. (Thou art my praise) When a teacher confines himself to the praise of the cross and lets all other matters of praise go, which might adorn a theologian of these times, and adheres immovably to this: I am determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ the crucified (1Co 2:2),amid all the shame of His cross He is victorious over the rest. Zinzendorf.
41. On Jer 17:16. (That which I have preached was right before thee). It is not difficult to know in these times what is right before the Lord. There is His word; he who adheres to this strictly, knows in thesi that he is right In all this it is the teachers chief maxim, not to make use of the application without need, but to make the truth so plain in his public discourse, that the hearers must necessarily make the application to themselves. Thus saying, thou reproachest us also, said the lawyer (Luk 11:45). Others went away convicted in their consciences. Zinzendorf.
42. On Jer 17:17. That is a period which straitens the hearts of witnesses, when their rock, their protection, their consolation, their trust is a terror to them. But under this we must bow and faithfully endure, and we shall have a peaceable fruit of righteousness. Discipline always ends gloriously. Zinzendorf.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
On Jer 14:7-9. Jeremiah a second Israel, who wrestles with the Lord in prayer. 1. In what the Lord is strong against the prophet: the sin of the people. 2. In what the prophet is strong against the Lord: the Name of the Lord (a) in itself. This compels him to show that He is not a desperate hero, or giant, who cannot help; (b) in that His name is borne by Israel. Thus the Lord is bound to show Himself as He who is in Israel (not a guest or stranger), and consequently the Comforter and Helper of Israel.Heim und Hoffmann, The Major Prophets (Winnenden, 1839). As Daniel (Jer 9:6) prayed, We have sinned and committed iniquity, etc., so Jeremiah took his share in the sin and guilt of his people.This is true penitence, when one no longer wishes to contend with God in tribulation, but confesses his sin and condemnation, when he sees that if God should treat us according to our misdeeds, He could find no ground for grace. But for His names sake He can show us favor. He Himself is the cause of the forgiveness of sin.Calwer Handbuch [Manual]. Notwithstanding the ungodliness of the people the prophet may still say, Thou art among us, because the temple of the Lord and His word were still in the land, and the pious have never all died out. [On Jer 14:7-9. Prayer hath within itself its own reward. The prayer of the prophet consists of confession and petition. 1. Confession fitly begins. It is the testimony of iniquity, and that this iniquity is against God. When we are to encounter any enemy or difficulty, it is sin weakens us. Now confession weakens it, takes off the power of accusation, etc. 2. Petition: For Thy names sake. This is the unfailing argument which abides always the same and hath always the same force. The children of God are much beholden to their troubles for clear experiences of themselves and God. Though thou art not clear in thy interest as a believer, yet plead thy interest as a sinner, which thou art sure of. Leighton.S. R. A.]
2. On Jer 14:13-16. Against false prophets. 1. They tell the world what it likes to hear (Jer 17:13); 2. The Lord denies them (Jer 17:14); 3. The Lord punishes them (Jer 17:15); 4. The Lord also punishes those who allow themselves to be deceived by them (Jer 17:16).Tb. Bibelw.: To enter the preachers office without divine calling, what an abomination is that! But mark this, ye hirelings! the sentence of condemnation is already pronounced over you (Jer 23:21; Mat 7:15).Osiander Bibl.: God avenges the deception of false teachers most severely, if not in this world in the next (Act 13:10-11).Starke: God punishes both deceivers and deceived, the latter cannot then lay all the guilt on the former (Jer 27:45).
3. On Jer 14:19-22. The churchs distress and consolation. 1. The distress is (a) outward (Jer 17:19), (b) inward (Jer 17:20, the reason of the outward, confession). 2. The consolation (a). The Lords Name, [] It is called and is One (Jer 17:22): [] His glory and that of the church (throne of glory) are one; (b) the Lords covenant (Jer 17:21).What in the present circumstances should be our position towards God? 1. The divine providence, in which we are at present: 2. Our confession, which we make before God: 3. Our petition, which we should address to Him. Voelter in Palmers Ev. Casual-Reden. [Occasional Discourses], 4th Ed., 1865.
4. On Jer 15:16. Sermon on a Reformation or Bible-Anniversary. The candlestick of the Gospel has been rejected by more than one church. We therefore pray: Preserve to us Thy word (Ps. 109:43). 1. Why we thus pray (Thy Word is our hearts joy and comfort); 2. Why we hope to be heard (for we are named by Thy name).
5. On Jer 15:19. Caspari (Installation-sermon at Munich, Adv., 1855). These words treat; 1, of the firm endurance; 2, of the holy zeal; 3, of the joyful confidence, with which a preacher of God must come to an evangelical church.
6. Homilies of Origen are extant on Jer 15:5-6; (Hom. XII., Ed. Lommatzsch); Jer 15:10-19 (Hom. XIV.); Jer 15:10; Jer 17:5 (Hom. XV.). [On Jer 15:20. I. Gods qualification to be an overseer of the church. The metaphor of a wall implies, (1) courage, (2) innocence and integrity, (3) authority. II. The opposition a church-governor will be sure to meet with, (1) by seditious preaching and praying, (2) by railing and libels; (3) perhaps by open force. III. The issue and success of such opposition (they shall not prevail). South.S. R. A.]
7. On Jer 16:19-21. Missionary Sermon. The true knowledge of God. 1. It is to be had in Christianity (Jer 17:19, a). 2. It will also make its way to the heathen, for (a) It is Gods will that they should be instructed (Jer 17:21); (b) they are ready to be instructed (Jer 17:19 b. 20).
8. On Jer 17:5-8. The blessing of faith and the curse of unbelief (comp. Ebal und Gerizim). 1. Why does the curse come upon the unbeliever? (He departs in his heart from the Lord). 2. Wherein this curse consists (Jer 17:6). 3. Why must blessing be the portion of the believer? (Jer 17:7). 4. Wherein this blessing consists (Jer 17:8).
9. On Jer 17:5-8, and Jer 18:7-10. Schleiermacher (Sermon on 28 Mar., 1813, in Berlin): We regard the great change (brought about by the events of the period) on the side of our worthiness before God. 1. What in this respect is its peculiar import and true nature. 2. To what we must then feel ourselves summoned.
10. On Jer 17:9-10. The human heart and its Judges 1. The antithesis in the human heart. 2. The impossibility of fathoming it with human eyes. 3. The omniscient God alone sees through it; and 4, judges it with justice. [The heart is deceitfulit always has some trick or other by which to shuffle off conviction. Henry.It is extremely difficult for sinners to know their hearts. I. What is implied in their knowing their own hearts. 1. It implies a knowledge of their selfishness. 2. Of their desperate incurable wickedness. 3. Of their extreme deceitfulness. II. Why it is so extremely difficult for them to know their own hearts. 1. They are unwilling to know them. 2. Because of the deceitfulness of sin. They love or hate, as they appear friendly or unfriendly to them: (a) God, (b) Christ, (c) good men, (d) one another, (e) the world, (f) their own hearts, (g) the means of grace, (h) their convictions, (i) heavenImprovement. The only way to know the heart is to inquire whether it loves God or not, etc. 2. Saints can more easily ascertain their true character than sinners Song of Solomon 3. All changes in life are trials of the heart, etc., etc. Emmons.I. The human heart exhibits great fraud and treachery. 1. We are changeable by that connection which the soul has with the body. 2. By its connection with external objects by our senses. 3. By its love of novelty and variety. 4. By its hasty resolutions. 5. By its self-love. II. Its excessive malice is seen in history and experience. III. Its deep dissimulation and hypocrisy render it inscrutable. Inferences: 1. We should entertain a sober diffidence of ourselves. 2. We should not be surprised when men use us ill or disappoint us. 3. We should take care and give good principles and a good example to those young persons under our guidance. 4. We should be ready to confess our offences to God. 5. We should bear in mind that we are under the inspection of one who searcheth the hearts, etc. Jortin.See also two Sermons by Jer. Taylor.S. R. A.].
11. Rud. Kgel (Court and Cathedral preacher at Berlin, 1865). Sermon on Jer 17:9; Jer 17:19, and Heb 13:9 : Two pictures: 1, the unregenerate; 2, the regenerate heart.
12. On Jer 17:12-13. Sermon for the dedication of a church, the anniversary of the Reformation, or on Whitsunday. The church of the Lord. 1. What it is in itself (place of sanctuary, throne of divine glory, house of Him, who is Israels hope). 2. What it will be (it will ever remain firm, Mat 16:18): 3. What they find who forsake it (Jer 17:19).
13. On Jer 17:14-18. Cry for help of a preacher tempted on account of the truth. 1. The temptation (Jer 17:15). 2. The demonstration of innocence (Jer 17:16). 3. The cry for help, (a) negative (Jer 17:17-18), (b) positive (Jer 17:19). [On Jer 17:14. The penitents prayer. 1. The words express an earnest desire for salvation. 2. He applies to Almighty God for it. 3. Through the medium of prayer. 4. With confidence that he will be heard. Dr. A. Thomson of Edinburgh.S. R. A.].
6. THE SIXTH DISCOURSE
(Jer 17:19-27.)
This short passage is closely connected neither with what precedes nor with what follows. Many commentators have, indeed, devised an extensive frame, so as to include this passage in it together with the previous or subsequent context, but these artificial expedients are not satisfactory. The previous discourse is, as shown above, complete in itself, and requires no further addition. The following passages are also as peculiar and independent as this. This forms a small but important and in form a finished whole. Why should not the prophet have addressed short speeches to the people?
As to the date, all is in favor of the reign of Jehoiakim. 1. The state still exists in unenfeebled independence; no trace betrays that the power of the Chaldeans had become predominant, or that they were immediately threatening. 2. The censure of the transgression of so important a command corresponds rather with the times of the godless Jehoiakim, than of the pious Josiah. The great similarity with Jer 22:1-5, which passage indubitably pertains to the reign of Jehoiakim, is in favor of referring this discourse to the same period. [Henderson: Eichhorn, Rosenmller and Maurer, are of opinion that this portion of the chapter belongs to the reign of Jehoiakim, who rapidly undid all the good which had been effected by Josiah, and among other evils encouraged the profanation of the Sabbath, with the due observance of which the prosperity of the State was bound up. The language of the prophet, however, is not objurgatory, as we should have expected, if the profanation in question had actually existed. It is rather that of caution and warning, with a promise of prosperity in case of obedience, and a threatening of destruction to the city in case of disobedience. It would seem, therefore, to belong to the time of Josiah, and to have been delivered in connection with or shortly after his reformation.Hitzig refers this passage together with chapter 18, to the period of Jeconiah, or that immediately following the death of Jehoiakim.S. R. A.]
Exhortation To Hallow The Sabbath
Jer 17:19-27
19Thus saith the Lord [Jehovah] unto me; Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people,16 whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they20go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; And say unto them, Hear ye the word of the Lord [Jehovah], ye kings of Judah and all Judah, and all the inhabitants21of Jerusalem that enter in by these gates: Thus saith the Lord [Jehovah]; Take heed ye to yourselves [Care with foresight for your souls],17 and bear no burden on 22the Sabbath-day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow23ye the Sabbath-day, as I commanded your fathers. But they obeyed [heard] not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear18 nor24receive instruction. And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord [Jehovah] to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath-day, but hallow the Sabbath day to do [by doing] no work therein;19 25then shall there enter into [through] the gates of this city kings and princes20 sitting upon [who sit on] 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 city26shall remain [be inhabited] forever. And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the places about [environs of] Jerusalem and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plains and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing [people who bring] burnt offerings and sacrifices and meat-offerings and incense, and bringing27sacrifices of praise unto the house of the Lord [Jehovah]. But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering [or enter] into the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath-day; then will I kindle a fire in the [your] gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and it shall not be quenched.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Jeremiah is to go under the gate of the city and there warn all the people from the king downwards against the desecration of the Sabbath by bearing burdens and laboring as their fathers had done (Jer 17:18-23). If they would sanctify the Sabbath, their city should remain forever, and their gate should be witnesses of a lively traffic, of importance to the kings house, the city and the temple (Jer 17:24-26). But if they should continue to desecrate the Sabbath, an inextinguishable fire should consume the gates and palaces of the city (Jer 17:27). Accordingly three parts may be distinguished in this passage.
Jer 17:19-23. Thus saith Jehovah nor receive instruction.Go, etc. Comp. Jer 2:2; Jer 3:12; Jer 19:1.Gate of the children of the people. This gate is mentioned here only. It is, therefore, difficult to determine its position with certainty, as according to Von Raumer (Palst., 4th Ed., S. 291), not two interpreters agree as to its position. The first question is whether it was a gate of the city or of the temple. Graf correctly remarks that, with respect to a gate of the city must stand first and last (comp. 2Ch 23:8). The name would also be a very strange one for a city gate. The expression occurs with three meanings. 1. It designates the difference between strangers and natives, although in this sense is found in the Old Testament not with the article, but only with suffixes: Gen 23:11; Jdg 14:16; Lev 19:18; Eze 3:11; Num 22:5; Lev 20:17.2. It designates a difference in rank among the people themselves, and in two degrees, the mass of the people in opposition to the king and the princes (2Ch 35:7 coll. 8), and again the commonalty in opposition to the more respectable classes (Jer 26:23; 2Ki 23:6).3. The expression designates the difference between priests and not priests, in which sense it corresponds to our term laity (2Ch 35:5; 2Ch 35:12-13). It occurs only in the passages cited. Since now nothing is known of a gate of the city through which strangers might not pass, or of one through which only the kings and the dregs of the people, or only the kings and the rest of their subjects to the exclusion of the priests might pass, it follows that the gate must have been a gate of the temple through which only the laity went in and out, since special entrances were reserved for the priests. What gate it was it is difficult to say. The expression was probably not one in general use, but employed only by the priests, since according to the second explanation it included a somewhat dishonorable side-meaning. The rarity of the expression also justifies the conclusion that it was a temporary expression, i. e., in use only in those times, since as is well-known the city gates of Jerusalem bore successively different names. Comp. RaumersPalst. S. 290, 1.When in 2Ch 23:5, the high-priest Jehoiada posted a third of his people at the , it is natural to suppose that this was the gate through which he expected Athaliah to pass. It is then further probable that this gate was identical with the one mentioned in our passage whereby the kings of Judah went in and out. [Henderson:The gate of the mass of the people was in all probability the gate of David, corresponding to what is now called the Jaffa Gate, and was called the peoples gate from the circumstance of its being the principal thorough fare for the tribes in the South, the West, and the North-West.S. R. A.] That this gate, even were it a gate of the temple, was adapted to the proclamation of this divine message, is evident if we reflect (a), that this gate also might by the purchase and sale of temple-necessaries (comp. Mat 21:12) be the scene of Sabbath-desecrating traffic; (b) that even if this was not the case, at any rate the gate was one which was much frequented, perhaps more than all the rest.Not do any work. Comp. Exo 12:16; Exo 20:8 sqq.; Deu 5:12 sqq.The Sabbath was the day of Jehovah (comp. the passages quoted) a monimentum temporale for his service, hence the observance of this day stood or fell with the worship of Jehovah.But they obeyed not. The first half of Jer 17:23 is taken verbatim from Jer 7:26.
Jer 17:23 is parenthetical, suggested by as I commanded, etc.
Jer 17:24-26. And it shall come Jehovah Sitting upon the throne. Comp. Jer 13:13; Jer 22:4.Shall remain. Comp. rems. on Jer 17:6.Men of Judah. Comp. Jer 32:44; Jer 33:13; coll. Jos 10:40; Jdg 1:9; Deu 1:7; Zec 7:7.The plains. is the low country between Joppa and Gaza, Jos 9:1; Jos 12:8; Jos 15:33 sqq.; 1Ki 10:27; Oba 1:19; Raumer, Palst. S. 51.South, is the southern, as the western, the eastern, the northern, parts of the tribe of Judah, separating the two last mentioned. Comp. Jos 15:55 sqq.; 2Sa 24:7.
Jer 17:27. But if ye will not not be quenched. The negation before to bear must also be referred to enter. Comp. Jer 17:21.Will I kindle. Comp. Jer 21:14; Jer 49:27; Amo 1:14.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Jer 17:30. It is no derogation to the sagacity of a teacher if he directs his public instructions, admonitions and warnings with some special adaptation to the rulers of the country. Only he must guard against offensive or abusive expressions, and see to it that he carefully distinguish between their office and their life, and be sure of his case, that he is not following the motions of nature, but the calling of the Lord. Act 23:3; 1Ki 14:7-8. Starke.
2. Man in this earthly life needs, besides work, rest also for body and soul. It would be inept to have one rest day for the body and another for the soul. It would be equally so to have more or fewer holidays than God has ordained by sanctification of the Seventh day, whereby He who is the creator of time has at the same time given us the fundamental principles of its division. As the rest of the body is both negative and positive (abstinence from labor and recuperation of forces) so also is that of the soul. The soul is from God, and must on its day of rest be freed from earthly cares and brought into the element of its heavenly origin, as it were into a cleansing and invigorating bath. The observance by Christians of the first, instead of the Seventh day, as a weekly holiday is well founded in the fact that the day of Christs resurrection is also a day of creation, and so much the more glorious as the new and imperishable world is more glorious than the old and perishable world.
3. Neglect not church going. For though the unbelieving heathen thought it a foolish course to spend the day in idleness, yet temporal subsistence will not therefore fail, but rather will the weekly work of other days flourish the more. Mat 6:33. Cramer.
4. [God did not regard the external rite only, but rather the end, of which He speaks in Exo 31:13, and in Eze 20:12. In both places He reminds us of the reason why He commanded the Jews to keep holy the Seventh day, and that was that it might be to them a symbol of sanctification. I have given My Sabbaths, He says, to you, that ye might know that I am your God who sanctifieth you. And it appears from other places that this command was typicalChrist being the substance. Col 2:16. Calvin.S. R. A.]
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
The weekly holiday as the day of Jehovah and as the day of the Lord. 1. What they have in common. The weekly holiday is in both cases (a) a monument of the loving care of our God (a) for our body () for our soul; (b) a right of God which forms on our part a holy obligation towards God, ourselves, and our neighbor. 2. The differences. (a) The day of Jehovah is founded on the creation of the perishable world; the day of the Lord is founded on the resurrection of Christ, as of a new, eternal world; (b) the observance of the day of Jehovah was only legal, i. e., (a) imposed by external compulsion, () by requirements to be fulfilled by outward observance;the observance of the day of the Lord is to be more and more an evangelical one, i. e. (a) a free, (b) a spiritually free one, i. e., satisfying the right as well as the obligation of personality.
[What blessings God has in store for those who make conscience of Sabbath sanctification. 1. The court shall flourish. The honor of the government is the joy of the kingdom, and the support of religion would contribute greatly to both. 2. The city shall flourish. Whatever supports religion tends to establish the civil interests of a land. 3. The country shall flourish. By this the flourishing of a country may be judged of. What does it do for the honor of God? Those who starve their religion either are poor, or are in a fair way to be Song of Solomon 4. The church shall flourish. It is a true observation which some have made, That the streams of all religion run either deep or shallow, according as the banks of the Sabbath, are kept up or neglected. Henry.S. R. A.]
Footnotes:
[16]Jer 17:19.[Hitzig: Of the common man]. The Chethibh reads , but this does not make any difference in the sense. If the absence of the article is not due to an oversight, it may be explained by the later, less exact use of language, of which we repeatedly find traces in Jeremiah (comp. Jer 3:2; Jer 6:16; Jer 14:18).
[17]Jer 17:21.. The construction is like Mal 2:15-16, . But is not = by, per, after verbs of petition or conjuration (by your life not. Vid. Gesen., Thes. III., S. 1443), or=for the sake of (Meier), but the Niphal involves the meaning of having regard to, observing, and depends on this. Comp. , 2Sa 18:12. That this is the sense of the connection follows plainly from 2Sa 20:10, took no heed to the sword; Deu 24:8, take heed to the plague. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 100, 3.
[18]Jer 17:23. [Chethibh, ] Hiller in Arcano Kri et Ktib, remarks that the Masoretes, when they wished to indicate the Scriptio plena, in order that the difference of their reading might be remarked, set the mater lectionis in another place in the word. So also in Jer 2:25; Jer 9:7; Jer 27:1; Jer 29:23; Jer 32:23. Comp. the Explicatio lectionum masoret. in the Hebrew Bible of Simonis, Halle, 1752.
[19]Jer 17:24.On the form . Comp. Ewald, 84, b; 247, d. Olsh. 96, c; 40, h.
[20]Jer 17:25. is strange. Graf not without reason, assumes an oversight, caused by the frequent juxtaposition of the two words. Comp. Jer 49:38; Hos 13:10; 2Sa 18:5; 1Ch 24:6; 2Ch 28:21; 2Ch 29:30; 2Ch 30:12; Est 1:16; Est 1:21, etc.
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
Much to the same purport, as the general scope of Jeremiah’s preaching, is the subject of this chapter. The folly and sin of carnal confidence; and the blessedness and security of the divine trust, are beautifully set forth. The Lord’s knowledge of the heart is strikingly insisted upon as an evidence of his sovereignty.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
What is here said of Judah’s sin, may be equally said of all men’s sins: they are cut in and formed in the very heart. Nothing short of a new heart, wrought by the Lord himself, can form a change. Eze 36:26 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 17:9
Pre Pacheu quotes the saying of the Comte de Maistre: ‘Whatever the conscience of a criminal may be, I know only the heart of an honest man, and it is a wretched and a fearful thing!’
A Bad Heart
Jer 17:9-10
I wish, firstly, to prove to you the truth of the words ‘the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked’; secondly, to remind you that God knows what is within you ‘I the Lord search the heart’; and, thirdly, the only remedy that can do you any good, if you would be saved.
I. As to the natural deceit and wickedness of every man, woman, and child that is born into the world, first and foremost what says the Scripture? You can hardly turn to a single part of Bible history in which this doctrine does not come uppermost. Look at the men before the flood! who would have thought, with Paradise as a witness before their eyes (for until the flood Paradise was on earth), who would have thought they could have turned their backs on God, and given themselves up to all manner of lusts and sin? And yet they did so, in spite of every warning, and God was obliged to drown the whole world, excepting eight persons. Look at the history of Israel, the chosen family itself. The Lord gave them judges and kings, and priests and prophets and ministers, and preachings and warnings; and yet their history, with a few exceptions, is a history of unbelief and backsliding and transgression and crime, down to the very day when they crucified the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
You can hardly turn to a single family, even of the best of God’s servants, in which the natural corruption of our hearts does not appear more or less in some one of the branches. You can hardly turn to a single character, among the holy men described in the Bible, who did not, to his own horror and dismay, fall at one time or another. Job thought he knew his heart, but affliction came and he found he did not. David thought he knew his heart, but he learned by bitter experience how woefully he was mistaken. Peter thought he knew his heart, and in a short time he was repenting in tears.
II. We read, ‘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’. There are two things written here: one is that, although you do not know your own hearts, the Lord God Almighty does, and keeps a close watch over them; the other is that He will one day call you to account, and judge you accordingly. And do you not observe here what the mind of the Spirit points to? Some men might say, God will not be extreme to mark what is amiss, I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart; but the prophet sweeps away these refuges of lies by warning us of searching and of judgment immediately after he has declared to us the deceitfulness of man’s heart.
III. ‘Who can be saved?’ All, I answer, who give up their iniquities, and grieve over them, and put their whole trust in Jesus Christ.
J. C. Ryle, The Christian Race, p. 1.
Reference. XVII. 9, 10. C. Holland, Gleanings from a Ministry of Fifty Years, p. 55.
Jesus Christ Our Sanctuary (Kedesh)
Jer 17:12
The name Kedesh means set apart, a sanctuary, a holy city.
I. The first thought connected with sanctuary is that it is a sacred or consecrated place. But the word sanctuary has a wider meaning. It is a sacred asylum or refuge, a place of protection.
II. Jesus Christ is the true Sanctuary. He fulfils all that the city of refuge suggested.. He is our Kedesh, our place of refuge, our sanctuary, our sacred place.
The altar was the meeting place between God and the transgressor, where the innocent victim was offered in the place of the guilty sinner. So Christ is the true altar, the meeting place between God and man, the one and only Priest, the one and only Sacrifice, the one and only Atonement for sin. To grasp the altar horns was to lay hold of God’s strength and to rest under the shadow of His protecting love. So Christ is at once our shelter and our strength. He surrounds the believer as with a temple wall, keeps him in safety from all enemies and in peace amidst all alarms.
The temple was God’s sanctuary of old. It represented God dwelling in the midst of Israel, and Israel drawing near to God in the appointed way. Christ is the true sanctuary. His Manhood, ‘The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,’ is the ‘tabernacle of meeting’ between man and God.
Kedesh, the city of the holy place of the sanctuary, points to Jesus the holy one of God, who is our one and only Refuge, the strong tower of the Lord in which we are safe for time and for eternity.
W. J. Armitage, The Cities of Refuge, p. 25.
References. XVII. 12. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Isaiah and Jeremiah, p. 311. XVII. 12-14. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxx. No. 1786. XVII. 13. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Isaiah and Jeremiah, p. 319- XVII. 14. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxviii. No. 1658.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
VII
THE BROKEN COVENANT OF JUDAH AND GOD’S DECREE TO PUNISH
Jeremiah 11-17
These prophecies were doubtless uttered during the reign of Jehoiakim, sometime between 608 and 603 B.C. They were written first by Baruch, as dictated by Jeremiah in 604 B.C., but cut to pieces and burned by Jehoiakim and then rewritten 603 B.C. They are also a report of Jeremiah’s preaching during the reign of this king, Jehoiakim.
The first two chapters (Jeremiah 11-12) deal with the broken covenant; Jer 13 , with the rotten girdle and the lessons drawn from it; the Jeremiah 14-15 set forth the prophecies relating to the drought that came upon the country at that time; Jer 16 gives the story of Jeremiah’s personal life and the lessons to be derived from it; Jer 17 deals with the impending evils that are threatened upon Jerusalem and exhorts them to keep the sabbath. This is the general outline of these chapters.
The occasion for the utterance of the prophecies of Jeremiah 11-12 was a lapse of the people from the reformation under Josiah into the sins under Jehoiakim. Under that wicked king they broke the covenant that they made with good King Josiah, and lapsed into idolatry again. In the opening words of chapter II the prophet pleads with them to remember their covenant and to suffer no backsliding. That was the real occasion. There had been a great reformation under Josiah; they had broken their covenant in going back into idolatry and the prophet pleads with them to remember their covenant so recently made. We know that Jeremiah helped Josiah and we also know that he preached during the reign of Jehoiakim.
He says, “The word of Jehovah came unto me saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and say thou unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Cursed be the man that heareth not the words of this covenant, which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God.”
We find almost these identical words in Deu 27:16-26 .
Jeremiah receives those words from the Lord and, like a true Israelite, he replies, Jer 11:5 , “Amen, O Jehovah.” That expression reminds us of the scene that was enacted soon after Israel entered Palestine when the nation was gathered together and the law was read, the blessings and curses, and the people all answered each time, “Amen.” Over and over again this is repeated. Here he hears the words of the covenant as uttered to him by Jehovah, and he answers, “Amen.” He answered for the people of Judah and Jerusalem, that is, he answered, “Amen,” and he wanted them to answer likewise. But they did not.
The charge against the people in Jer 11:6-8 is that of a violation of the covenant. He says, Jer 11:6 : “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant and do them. For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.” In these three mighty words Jeremiah sums up the substance of the great covenant made at Sinai: “Obey my voice.” “Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the stubbornness of their evil heart: therefore I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did them not.”
The people are charged with a conspiracy against the Lord, Jer 11:9-13 : “And the Lord said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers.” This statement shows the occasion of this prophecy. The people had had an understanding about this, and had agreed among themselves that they would not do as Josiah had commanded them to do; they would not worship Jehovah. Jeremiah calls that a conspiracy against God. They forsook Jehovah and made a covenant with other gods. The breaking of one covenant means the entering into another covenant with other gods.
The doom of the nation is indicated in the fact that Jeremiah is forbidden to pray for them Jer 11:14 : “Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me because of their trouble.” The nation is doomed. We have here a full description of the doom that is to come upon this nation, the details of which we need to study very carefully. Jer 11:15 presents a great difficulty for the textual critics. There are three ways it may be rendered: “What hath my beloved to do in my house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness?” The Septuagint renders this as in the margin: “Why hath my beloved wrought abominations in my house? Shall vows and holy flesh take away from thee thy wickedness, or shalt thou escape by these?” Ball, in the “Expositor’s Bible” renders it, “What hast my beloved to do in mine house? Shall her many altars and holy flesh take away her sin from her?” The text, as we have it, is obscure. We will pass it with the reminder that the general subject of the section is that the nation is doomed and woes are pronounced against her; that Judah cannot be saved by her formal religion.
The result was a plot against Jeremiah, who was commanded to stop prophesying or lose his life. This was the first crisis in Jeremiah’s life. He returned from Jerusalem to Anathoth and found that there was a conspiracy, a plot against him among his own friends. He must stop preaching or lose his life. This is how he puts it, Jer 11:18-20 : “And Jehovah gave me knowledge of it, and I knew it: then thou showedst me their doings. But I was like a gentle lamb that is led to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me.” That expression reminds us of Jesus’ words when he was plotted against and killed. He means to say, “I was Just doing my duty; I knew not that they were plotting against me; I knew not that they devised devices against me.” This is what they devised, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.” After that discovery the prophet commits his case to Jehovah for vengeance. This shows that he had risen to a high plane of abiding faith. Jeremiah says, “I shall see thy vengeance on them; for unto thee have I revealed my cause.” The next three verses (Jer 11:21-23 ) contain the record of what Jehovah said regarding the manner in which these wicked conspirators should be punished: that their sons and daughters should perish.
The prophet raises a question in Jer 12:1-4 and Jehovah answers it in Jer 12:5-6 . We studied this passage in the chapter on “The Personal Life of Jeremiah.” I will not go into details here. The occasion of this marvelous passage was the plot against Jeremiah. He saw that these men who plotted to destroy him were living in plenty and prospered while he suffered. So he raised the great question as to why it is possible for the wicked to prosper and the righteous to suffer. Then he received his answer: “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses?” That means, If you are going to give up before this little opposition that is but a trifle, what will you do when the great test and the real crisis comes?
The captivity is described. Here the prophet pictures these evils as having already taken place, Jer 12:7-13 : “I have forsaken my house, I have cast off my heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. My heritage is become unto me as a lion in the forest; . . . Is my heritage unto me as a speckled bird of prey? . . . Then go and assemble all the beasts of the field and come upon her to devour her.” Then he accuses the shepherds of destroying the vineyard: “They have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. . . They have sown wheat and have reaped thorns.” They must perish. In this we have a bare outline of the judgment to come. This is doubtless the substance of the sermons he preached.
Judah’s evil neighbors are referred to in Jer 12:14-17 . This doubtless means Edom, Ammon, and the enemies on the south. They harassed Judah in the time of Jehoiakim. What about these evil neighbors? Well, he says, “I will pluck them up from off their land, and I will pluck up the house of Judah; and after I pluck them up I will return and have compassion on them as I will have on Judah.” That reminds us of the magnificent prophecy of Isaiah: “All the nations shall come up to Jerusalem to worship; all the peoples shall flow to Mount Zion, for the word of Jehovah shall go forth from Zion.”
In Jer 13:1-7 the prophet employs a symbolic action, and the interpretation of it is found in Jer 13:8-11 . By a command of Jehovah he buys a beautiful girdle, a common element of clothing in the East, and wears it for a time. Then the Lord commands him to take it and go to the river Euphrates and hide it in the cleft of a rock. He does so, and after many days the Lord said to him, “Go thou to the river Euphrates and take the girdle which I commanded thee to hide there. And I did so and went and digged up the girdle and behold it was marred and good for nothing.” Now, that was an object lesson to the people. Thus he says, Jer 13:11 : “For as the girdle cleaves to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah that they might be unto me for a people, but they would not hear.” That is a remarkable figure. The Lord chose the people of Judah and Israel as a man chooses a girdle and wears it about him. Judah had been a girdle for Jehovah, and he desired that they remain as a beautiful girdle forever, but they would not.
The prophet uses another symbol, that of a bottle, Jer 13:12-14 : “Every bottle shall be filled with wine: . . . Do not we know that every bottle shall be filled with wine? Behold I will fill all the inhabitants of this land with drunkenness.” That bottle is a symbol of drunkenness, the drunkenness that is come upon the people. The symbol means that they shall be destroyed, as drunken men are destroyed.
There is an exhortation in Jer 13:15-17 , a command to the queen mother in Jer 13:18-19 , a curse announced in Jer 13:20-27 , and a great text in Jer 13:23 . In verse Jer 13:16 : “Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains,” is one of the most beautiful figures in all the Scriptures. That is like Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep. In Jer 13:18 , he speaks thus: “Say thus to the king and queen mother.” He probably refers to the wife of Josiah, whose son, Jehoiachim, sat upon the throne. He said to the queen mother and the king, “Humble yourselves.” Then he addresses the shepherds and the princes: “Where is the flock that I gave you, the beautiful flock?” Where is it, thou king, and queen mother, and ye princes and prophets? Where is my beautiful flock that I gave you to care for? Then comes that classic passage: “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Thus Jeremiah reaches the conclusion that man has to be changed before he can obey the word of God, and he cannot change himself.
A drought is pictured in Jer 14:1-6 . A drought in that land was terrible: “Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish, they sit in black upon the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up. And their nobles send their little ones to the waters: they come to the cisterns, and find no water; they return with their vessels empty.” That is a pathetic picture. We can almost see those children in their thirst and distress.
We have the prophet’s plea for the people in Jer 14:7-9 and Jehovah’s reply in Jer 14:10-12 . Here we have Jeremiah’s first intercession and its answer, Jer 14:7-17 . See how he pleads in verse Jer 14:7 : “Work thou for thy name’s sake, O Jehovah; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee, O thou hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a sojourner in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside for a night? Why shouldest thou be as a man affrighted, as a mighty man that cannot save? Yet thou, O Jehovah, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.” Sinners treat God as if he were a stranger, a sojourner, a man who is helpless to save. In verse Jer 14:11 : “Plead not for this people.” That is the answer to his prayer. “Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry. . . I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.” So it is possible for people to go so far that God himself must give them up.
Jeremiah assails the priests and the prophets (Jer 14:13-22 ). He says (Jer 14:13 ), “The prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, nor the famine.” Then the Lord said unto him, “These prophets are) liars. They shall perish. These people that believe them shall perish, too. There is no hope for them.” But he will not give up. He begs God to spare the city and the people. Verse Jer 14:19 : “Hast thou utterly rejected Judah? . . . Why hast thou smitten us, and is there no healing for us?” Thus he speaks for the people out of his heart: “We acknowledge, O Jehovah, our wickedness . . . we have sinned against thee. Do not abhor us, for thy names sake; do not disgrace the throne of thy glory.” It is said of Joseph Parker, the great preacher of London, that upon one occasion he prayed, “O Lord, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory.” Some of his stiff-backed hearers received a distinct shock when they heard it. One Presbyterian brother said, “Blasphemy!” but Dr. Parker was simply quoting Jeremiah. That shows that some preachers do not know everything in the Bible. “Do not disgrace the throne of thy glory,” that is, “do not disgrace Judah and Zion,” but he did; they were destroyed.
The impending danger is described in Jer 15:1-9 . We cannot go into detail here. It is not necessary. Read the passage. One point, verse Jer 15:9 : “Her sun is gone down while it was yet day.” That is another classical expression. Note also, verse Jer 15:1 : “Though Moses and Samuel plead for these people I could not save them.” Moses pleaded for the people when they broke the covenant at Sinai. He begged God to blot him out of the book rather than destroy the people. God did hear him and saved them. Samuel was a man of much prayer. Samuel saved Israel by his prayers in the time of Eli. “Though these mighty men of prayer, Moses and Samuel, were to pray to me I would not save these people.” How far can people wander away? There is a limit to God’s grace and mercy.
There are several thoughts in the paragraphs of Jer 15:10-21 . The prophet complains again and receives a reply. We had this in the chapter on “The Life and Character of Jeremiah,” and will not go into details here. It is sufficient to say that God answered him and maintained that the doom of the people was inevitable. Now we have the prophet’s last pleadings with God (Jer 15:15-21 ). We also studied this in the same chapter. Study carefully the text.
Then came the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah (Jer 16:1-9 ). We discussed that in a former chapter. Sufficient to say that he is commanded not to marry, not to have a family, not to mingle with merrymakers, not to have the joys or pleasures of social and family life. He is to be separated, a living example of warning to the people, for destruction is coming. No Jew would refuse to marry or have a family if there were not sufficient reasons for it.
Some questions are raised by the people in Jer 16:10-13 , viz: “Why are these calamities to come? What are the iniquities that we have done?” The answer is that they have forsaken Jehovah and walked after other gods.
There is a comparison in Jer 16:14-21 . The punishment of the captivity shall be most severe and terrible, therefore their return to their own land shall be even more wonderful than the deliverance from Egypt: “The day shall come that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth that brought the children of Israel up out of the land of Egypt.” That fact would sink into insignificance in the face of the evils that were to be when Israel was scattered, and when God would gather them again from among the nations; that would be more wonderful than bringing them up out of the land of Egypt. The deliverance would be great because the punishment would be so terrible.
The nature of Judah’s sin and punishment is indicated in Jer 17:1-4 . Their sins are deep and indelible and therefore their punishment is severe: “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, graven on their hearts and on the horns of their altars.” Spurgeon, in a sermon on this text, discussed how sin can be graven into the human heart and cannot be erased by human power. It is written with a pen of iron, written in the very soul and nature. No stronger figure could be used to show the permanent effects of sin. As a result, punishment is certain.
A striking contrast is found in Jer 17:5-11 . Faith in man leads to destruction; faith in God leads to security. Verse Jer 17:5 : “Cursed is the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from Jehovah.” In Jer 17:7-8 , we have the substance of Psa 1 : “Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah . . . he shall be as a tree planted by the waters; he shall not fear when the heat cometh, but his leaf shall be green; he shall not be careful in the year of drought, but his tree shall continue yielding fruit.” Jer 17:9 is one of the profoundest descriptions of the human heart to be found in the Scriptures. It came to Jeremiah out of his experience.
The import of Jer 17:12-18 is that Jehovah is a sure source of strength. Few remarks are needed on this passage. Jeremiah’s faith in God shines very brightly here. Some expressions are very rich and suggestive, such as Jer 17:12-14 ; Jer 17:17 .
The prophecy of Jer 17:19-27 is a prophecy concerning the keeping of the sabbath. This was the great problem of Nehemiah. He had to meet it, and here it is in Jeremiah’s day also: “Go, stand in the gate and say unto the people, Ye shall bear no burdens on the sabbath day.” Verse Jer 17:25 : “Then shall there enter into this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, . . . The men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall remain forever,” this is, if they keep the sabbath day. Then the text shows how the nations will come upon them if they do not keep the sabbath day: “If you will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day and not to bear burdens and enter into 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.” This is one of the most significant passages on the sabbath question in all the Bible. This paragraph furnishes the basis for God’s chastisement in the Babylonian captivity. It is specifically stated that this captivity was the penalty for the disregard of the sabbath law.
QUESTIONS
1. What the date of this group of prophecies?
2. Give a general outline of the group of chapters.
3. What the occasion of the prophecies of Jeremiah 11-12?
4. What the reply of the prophet to the words of Jehovah in Jer 11:1-5 and what the application?
5. What the charge against the people in Jer 11:6-8 ?
6. What the charge against the people in Jer 11:8-13 and what the result?
7. How is the doom of the nation indicated (Jer 11:14-17 ) and what the difficulties of the text?
8. What the result as it pertained to the prophet, how did he meet it and what Jehovah’s responses? (Jer 11:18-23 .)
9. What question does the prophet raise in Jer 12:1-4 and what Jehovah’s reply in Jer 12:5-6 ?
10. How is the captivity described in Jer 12:7-13 ?
11. Who Judah’s “evil neighbors” referred to in Jer 12:14-17 , what the threat against them and what hope held out to them?
12. What the symbolic action of Jer 13:1-7 , and what its interpretation (Jer 13:8-11 )?
13. What other symbol used by the prophet here (Jer 13:12-14 ) and what its interpretation?
14. What the exhortation in Jer 13:15-17 , what command to the queen mother in Jer 13:18-19 , what curse announced in Jer 13:20-27 , and what great text in Jer 13:23 ?
15. Describe the drought as pictured in Jer 14:1-6 .
16. What the prophet’s plea for the people in Jer 14:7-9 and what Jehovah’s reply in Jer 14:10-12 ?
17. What Jeremiah’s complaint and Jehovah’s reply in Jer 14:13-22 ?
18. Describe the impending danger (Jer 15:1-9 ).
19. What the thoughts in the paragraphs of Jer 15:10-21 ?
20. What the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah in Jer 16:1-9 , and what its lesson?
21. What questions are raised by the people in Jer 16:10-13 , and what the reply?
22. What the comparison in Jer 16:14-21 and what great hope is therein expressed?
23. How is the nature of Judah’s sin and punishment indicated in Jer 17:1-4 ?
24. What contrast in Jer 17:5-11 and in what other scripture do we find the same thought?
25. What the import of Jer 17:12-18 , and what suggestive passages in this paragraph?
26. What the prophecy of Jer 17:19-27 and what can you Bay of its importance?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
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;
Ver. 1. The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron. ] The four first verses of this chapter are left out by the Septuagint. Jerome saith they omitted them in gratiam et honorem papuli sui, in favour, and for the honour of their countrymen the Jews; but that was no just reason. “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven,” Psa 119:89 though there were not a Bible left on earth. These sinners against their own souls had their idolatry so deeply engraven on their hearts, that they could not get out the stamp, and the guilt thereof stuck so fast to their consciences, that they could hardly get off either the sting or the stain thereof.
It is graven upon the tables of their hearts.
And upon the horns of your altars,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jeremiah Chapter 17
What a rebuke to the Jews that the most distant Gentiles should yet come and be ashamed of their false gods, which nevertheless entangled the sons of Israel so often and long. It is by judgments that Jehovah’s name shall at length be known. But so much the more distressing was the present state of Judah. As the prophet says, “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: whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.” (Jer 17:1 , Jer 17:2 .) Hence, then judgment was inevitable; for the Lord shall judge His people. “You only have 1 known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for your iniquities.” (Amo 3 .) Bethel and Gilgal could be no cover for the transgressions of the chosen people, but rather made them more glaring and excuseless. Hence the word, “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. And thou, even thyself, shalt discontinue from thine heritage that I gave thee; and 1 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.” (Ver. 3, 4.)
Alas, the Jews were but men like the nations, but more guilty; for they departed from Him whom the others knew not. Therefore, “thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. 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. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. 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 not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” (Ver. 5-8.)
How then can it be that a people should be more indifferent to their God, the true God that loved them, than the most depraved to their idols? “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? 1 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. 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.” (Ver. 9 -11.) The ill-gotten flies away. Continuance is only in God even for what He gives. And in Israel’s case there was the less palliation; for God had done great things for them. “A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. 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. Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.” (Ver. 12-14.)
This accounts for all that follows: on the one hand, the mockers in Jerusalem, who dared the fulfilment of Jehovah’s word; on the other hand, the prophet’s confident appeal to Him who knew all, that his desire was far from the woeful day for the people. In Him only was his hope, and that He should be a terror to adversaries, not to him who spoke what was right before Himself. (Ver. 15-18.)
Nevertheless, as in Nineveh, so in Jerusalem, God delights in goodness and mercy; and a public message goes forth to prince and people at the gates of the city, that if they hearkened to the lord and hallowed His sabbath, all would be well for them in joy, and prosperity, and thankful praise before the Lord. But if not, He would kindle a fire to devour their palaces which would not be quenched. How soon and truly it came to pass!
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
Jeremiah
SIN’S WRITING AND ITS ERASURE
Jer 17:1
I have put these verses together because they all deal with substantially the same metaphor. The first is part of a prophet’s solemn appeal. It describes the sin of the nation as indelible. It is written in two places. First, on their hearts, which reminds us of the promise of the new covenant to be written on the heart. The ‘red-leaved tablets of the heart’ are like waxen tables on which an iron stylus makes a deep mark, an ineradicable scar. So Judah’s sin is, as it were, eaten into their heart, or, if we might so say, tattooed on it. It is also written on the stone horns of the altar, with a diamond which can cut the rock an illustration of ancient knowledge of the properties of the diamond. That sounds a strange place for the record of sin to appear, but the image has profound meaning, as we shall see presently.
Then the two New Testament passages deal with other applications of the same metaphor. Christ is, in the first, represented as writing on the hearts of the Corinthians, and in the second, as taking away ‘the handwriting contrary to us.’ The general thought drawn from all is that sin’s writing on men’s hearts is erased by Christ and a new inscription substituted.
I. The handwriting of sin.
‘The heart,’ of course, in Hebrew means more than merely the supposed seat of the affections. It is figuratively the centre of the spiritual life, just as physically it is the centre of the natural. Thoughts and affections, purposes and desires are all included, and out of it are ‘the issues of life,’ the whole outgoings of the being. It is the fountain and source of all the activity of the man, the central unity from which all comes. Taken in this wide sense it is really the whole inner self that is meant, or, as is said in one place, ‘the hidden man of the heart.’ And so the thought in this vigorous metaphor may be otherwise put, that all sin makes indelible marks on the whole inward nature of the man who does it.
Now to begin with, think for a moment of that truth that everything which we do reacts on us the doers.
We seldom think of this. Deeds are done, and we fancy that when done, they are done with . They pass, as far as outward seeming goes, and their distinguishable consequences in the outward world, in the vast majority of cases, soon apparently pass. All seems evanescent and irrecoverable as last year’s snows, or the water that flowed over the cataract a century ago. But there is nothing more certain than that all which we do leaves indelible traces on ourselves. The mightiest effect of a man’s actions is on his own inward life. The recoil of the gun is more powerful than the blow from its shot. Our actions strike inwards and there produce their most important effects. The river runs ceaselessly and its waters pass away, but they bring down soil, which is deposited and makes firm land, or perhaps they carry down grains of gold.
This is the true solemnity of life, that in all which we do we are carrying on a double process, influencing others indeed, but influencing ourselves far more.
Consider the illustrations of this law in regard to our sins.
Now the last thing people think of when they hear sermons about ‘sin’ is that what is meant is the things that they are doing every day. I can only ask you to try to remember, while I speak, that I mean those little acts of temper, or triflings with truth, or yieldings to passion or anger, or indulgence in sensuality, and above all, the living without God, to which we are all prone.
a All wrong-doing makes indelible marks on character. It makes its own repetition easier. Habit strengthens inclination. Peter found denying his Lord three times easier than doing it once. It weakens resistance. In going downhill the first step is the only one that needs an effort; gravity will do the rest.
It drags after it a tendency to other evil. All wrong things have so much in common that they lead on to one another. A man with only one vice is a rare phenomenon. Satan sends his apostles forth two by two. Sins hunt in couples, or more usually in packs, like wolves, only now and then do they prey alone like lions. Small thieves open windows for greater ones. It requires continually increasing draughts, like indulgence in stimulants. The palate demands cayenne tomorrow, if it has had black pepper to-day.
So, whatever else we do by our acts, we are making our own characters, either steadily depraving or steadily improving them. There will come a slight slow change, almost unnoticed but most certain, as a dim film will creep over the peach, robbing it of all its bloom, or some microscopic growth will steal across a clearly cut inscription, or a breath of mist will dim a polished steel mirror.
b All wrong-doing writes indelible records on the memory, that awful and mysterious power of recalling past things out of the oblivion in which they seem to lie. How solemn and miserable it is to defile it with the pictures of things evil! Many a man in his later years has tried to ‘turn over a new leaf,’ and has never been able to get the filth out of his memory, for it has been printed on the old page in such strong colours that it shines through. I beseech you all, and especially you young people, to keep yourselves ‘innocent of much transgression,’ and ‘simple concerning evil’-to make your memories like an illuminated missal with fair saints and calm angels bordering the holy words, and not an Illustrated Police News. Probably there is no real oblivion. Each act sinks in as if forgotten, gets overlaid with a multitude of others, but it is there, and memory will one day bring it to us.
And all sin pollutes the imagination. It is a miserable thing to have one’s mind full of ugly foul forms painted on the inner walls of our chamber of imagery, like the hideous figures in some heathen temple, where gods of lust and murder look out from every inch of space on the walls.
c All wrong-doing writes indelible records on the conscience. It does so partly by sophisticating it-the sensibility to right and wrong being weakened by every evil act, as a cold in the head takes away the sense of smell. It brings on colour-blindness to some extent. One does not know how far one may go towards ‘Evil! be thou my good’-or how far towards incapacity of distinguishing evil. But at all events the tendency of each sin is in that direction. So conscience may become seared, though perhaps never so completely as that there are no intervals when it speaks. It may long lie dormant, as Vesuvius did, till great trees grow on the floor of the crater, but all the while the communication with the central fires is open, and one day they will burst out.
The writing may be with invisible ink, but it will be legible one day. So, then, all this solemn writing on the heart is done by ourselves. What are you writing? There is a presumption in it of a future retribution, when you will have to read your autobiography, with clearer light and power of judging yourselves. At any rate there is retribution now, which is described by many metaphors, such as sowing and reaping, drinking as we have brewed, and others-but this one of indelible writing is not the least striking.
Sin is graven deep on sinful men’s worship.
The metaphor here is striking and not altogether clear. The question rises whether the altars are idolatrous altars, or Jehovah’s. If the former, the expression may mean simply that the Jews’ idolatry, which was their sin, was conspicuously displayed in these altars, and had, as it were, its most flagrant record in their sacrifices. The altar was the centre point of all heathen and Old Testament worship, and altars built by sinners were the most conspicuous evidences of their sins.
So the meaning would be that men’s sin shapes and culminates in their religion; and that is very true, and explains many of the profanations and abominations of heathenism, and much of the formal worship of so-called Christianity.
For instance, a popular religion which is a mere Deism, a kind of vague belief in a providence, and in a future state where everybody is happy, is but the product of men’s sin, striking out of Christianity all which their sin makes unwelcome in it. The justice of God, punishment, sinfulness of sin, high moral tone, are all gone. And the very horns of their altars are marked with the signs of the worshippers’ sin.
But the ‘altars’ may be God’s altars, and then another idea will come in. The horns of the altar were the places where the blood of the sacrifice was smeared, as token of its offering to God. They were then a part of the ritual of propitiation. They had, no doubt, the same meaning in the heathen ritual. And so regarded, the metaphor means that a sense of the reality of sin shapes sacrificial religion.
There can be no doubt that a very real conviction of sin lies at the foundation of much, if not all, of the system of sacrifices. And it is a question well worth considering whether a conviction so widespread is not valid, and whether we should not see in it the expression of a true human need which no mere culture, or the like, will supply.
At all events, altars stand as witnesses to the consciousness of sin. And the same thought may be applied to much of the popular religion of this day. It may be ineffectual and shallow but it bears witness to a consciousness of evil. So its existence may be used in order to urge profounder realisation of evil on men. You come to worship, you join in confessions, you say ‘miserable sinners’-do you mean anything by it? If all that be true, should it not produce a deeper impression on you?
But another way of regarding the metaphor is this. The horns of the altar were to be touched with the blood of propitiation. But look! the blood flows down, and after it has trickled away, there, deep carven on the horns, still appears the sin, i.e. the sin is not expiated by the sinner’s sacrifice. Jeremiah is then echoing Isaiah’s word, ‘Bring no more vain oblations.’ The picture gives very strikingly the hopelessness, so far as men are concerned, of any attempt to blot out this record. It is like the rock-cut cartouches of Egypt on which time seems to have no effect. There they abide deep for ever. Nothing that we can do can efface them. ‘What I have written, I have written.’ Pen-knives and detergents that we can use are all in vain.
II. Sin’s writing may be erased, and another put in its place.
a Its influence on conscience and the sense of guilt. The accusations of conscience are silenced. A red line is drawn across the indictment, or, as Colossians has it, it is ‘nailed to the cross.’ There is power in His death to set us free from the debt we owe.
b Its influence on memory. Christ does not bring oblivion, but yet takes away the remorse of remembrance. Faith in Christ makes memory no longer a record which we blush to turn over, or upon which we gloat with imaginative delight in guilty pleasures past, but a record of our shortcomings that humbles us with a penitence which is not pain, but serves as a beacon and warning for the time to come. He who has a clear beam of memory on his backward track, and a bright light of hope on his forward one, will steer right.
c Its influence on character.
We attain new hopes and tastes. ‘We become epistles of Christ known and read of all men,’ like palimpsests, Homer or Ovid written over with the New Testament gospels or epistles.
Christ’s work is twofold, erasure and rewriting. For the one, ‘I will blot out as a cloud their transgressions.’ None but He can remove these. For the other, ‘I will put My law into their minds and will write it on their hearts.’ He can impress all holy desires on, and can put His great love and His mighty spirit into, our hearts.
So give your hearts to Him. They are all scrawled over with hideous and wicked writing that has sunk deep into their substance. Graven as if on rock are your sins in your character. Your worship and sacrifices will not remove them, but Jesus Christ can. He died that you might be forgiven, He lives that you may be purified. Trust yourself to Him, and lean all your sinfulness on His atonement and sanctifying power, and the foul words and bad thoughts that have been scored so deep into your nature will be erased, and His own hand will trace on the page, poor and thin though it be, which has been whitened by His blood, the fair letters and shapes of His own likeness. Do not let your hearts be the devil’s copybooks for all evil things to scrawl their names there, as boys do on the walls, but spread them before Him, and ask Him to make them clean and write upon them His new name, indicating that you now belong to another, as a new owner writes his name on a book that he has bought.
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 17:1-4
1The sin of Judah is written down with an iron stylus;
With a diamond point it is engraved upon the tablet of their heart
And on the horns of their altars,
2As they remember their children,
So they remember their altars and their Asherim
By green trees on the high hills.
3O mountain of Mine in the countryside,
I will give over your wealth and all your treasures for booty,
Your high places for sin throughout your borders.
4And you will, even of yourself, let go of your inheritance
That I gave you;
And I will make you serve your enemies
In the land which you do not know;
For you have kindled a fire in My anger
Which will burn forever.
Jer 17:1-4 These verses are missing in the Septuagint.
Jer 17:1-2 This is an idiomatic way of asserting the unrepentant nature of Judah’s idolatry.
The three metaphors used are
1. engraved with an iron stylus with a diamond (BDB 1038) point no way to erase the message (cf. Job 19:24)
2. on the tablet of the heart the innermost thoughts and personality (cf. Pro 3:3; Pro 7:3); this was the place that the new covenant would abide (cf. Jer 31:31-34)
3. on the horns of their altars in Hebrew rituals this is an allusion to the altar of sacrifice (cf. Exo 27:2) and/or incense altar (cf. Exo 30:2) in the temple. Horns were a symbol of power. They lifted the sacrifice to YHWH. This was where the blood was smeared (cf. Lev 16:18).
Jer 17:2 shows that Jeremiah is using altars in an idolatrous sense. The fertility gods of Canaan were worshiped on hills, under trees, (cf. Jer 3:6), or on specially built stone platforms (see Special Topic: Fertility Worship in the ANE at Jer 2:20). The intensity of Judah’s devotion to Ba’al and Asherah is seen in the phrase as they remember their children.
Jer 17:3 O mountain of Mine in the countryside This refers to the temple. But it was not in the countryside, rather in the capital of Jerusalem. Jeremiah must be alluding to the future, complete destruction of the capital and temple (cf. Jer 9:11; Jer 26:18; Mic 3:12). What a shocking statement to these Judeans! Even the temple treasures will be taken (cf. Jer 15:13; Jer 20:5).
The alternate interpretation is that this refers to Ba’al worship on the high hills throughout Judah. Both interpretations are possible. However, Ba’al/Asherah platforms did not have horned altars, nor did their worshipers keep treasures at the rural sites.
Jer 17:3-4 These verses are similar to Jer 15:13-14.
Jer 17:4 Exile is surely coming (cf. Jer 15:14; Jer 27:12-13) because of their idolatry. YHWH is furious, jealous, and committed to judgment.
For fire (cf. Jer 15:14) see Special Topic: Fire .
The last line of Jer 17:4 is hyperbolic. Jeremiah’s hearers/readers understood this genre; moderns do not! See D. Brent Sandy, Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic.
forever See Special Topic: Forever (‘olam)
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
sin. Hebrew. chata’. App-44.
your. One MS. (Harley, 5720, British Museum), quotes other MSS. as reading “their” (vol, 240b). So in two early printed editions, Syriac, and Vulgate.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Chapter 17 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond ( Jer 17:1 ):
Interesting that they were using diamonds for pens in those days, isn’t it? Diamonds set in iron.
it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills. 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. 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. Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the LORD ( Jer 17:1-5 ).
And so God pronounces the curse upon those that would trust in an alliance in Egypt to deliver them from this Babylonian invasion. “Cursed be the man who puts his trust in man, and makes the flesh his arm, who has departed from the Lord.” That is, from trusting in the Lord.
For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited ( Jer 17:6 ).
In contrast to the, “Cursed be the man.”
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is ( Jer 17:7 ).
Or is the Lord.
For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat comes, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not worry in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit ( Jer 17:8 ).
So the cursing upon those that would trust in man, in the arm of flesh and not the Lord, but the blessing upon those that would trust in the Lord. Those who trust in man and the arm of flesh will be dried, withered, dead, uninhabited. Those that trust in the Lord will be like a tree planted by the waters that doesn’t even know when summer comes because of the freshness that it draws out from that water.
Now verse Jer 17:9 :
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? ( Jer 17:9 )
God’s talking about your heart and my heart. Socrates cried, “Man, know thyself.” But who really does know himself? The scripture says, “Thou, O Lord, searches the heart and the reins.” God knows my heart better than I know it. God knows what deception is there. And it is easy for us to become deceived. It’s easy for us to follow a vain philosophy. It’s easy for us to take that adage, “The end justifies the means.” And so our means become perverse, crooked.
Paul the apostle talks about those who say, “Well, our lies bring glory to God so God shouldn’t judge us for lying.” Or those who would say, “Well, if I sin I’m only proving that God is telling the truth when He said all have sinned. So how can God judge me for proving Him to be speaking the truth? I’m only helping prove the truth of God’s Word so God really can’t judge me because I’m only proving what He said is true.” And Paul speaks out against the perversity of such kind of logic and how God will judge all.
Now there are those who in the name of the Lord are doing crooked and perverse things. And if you talk to them about it, challenge them, they would be shocked. They would be disturbed. “My, brother! You know, you’re judging me.” The Bible says judge righteous judgment. I think that we’ve been put off a long time because we are afraid of people saying, “Well, you’re judging, you know.” The Bible says, “By their fruits ye shall know them” ( Mat 7:16 ). And it is wrong to use deceit and lies and gimmicks to try to extract funds from the people of God in order to support your program. I don’t care how righteous or good your program may be.
My wife told me not to get into this tonight. It’s right here in the scripture. It just came along. I just… I cannot understand men advertising their fasting and prayer when Jesus said, “When you fast, anoint your face. Wash yourself that you might look cheerful and all. That you don’t appear unto men to fast. And your Father which sees in secret, He’ll reward you. And when you pray, don’t go out on the street corner, but go into your closet and shut the door.” And when some guy sends letters out all over the country saying, “I’m going to spend some time fasting and praying, send me your requests with your fifty dollar check because I want to pray for you, too,” something’s wrong. Desperately wrong.
“The heart is deceitful, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” But God declares, “I the Lord search the heart. I try the reins.” That is, the motivations. “Even to give every man according to his ways.” Now Jesus tells us that we are to be careful that we don’t do our righteousness before men to be seen of men because we have our reward. Now Jesus plainly warns us about that. There is a way that I can do my righteousness so that people see me and they say, “Oh my, isn’t he spiritual?” And we’ve got to watch out for this, because it is such a deceiving, terrible thing. My old pride and my old flesh wants people to think that I am a spiritual man of God. I like people when I walk by to whisper, “Oh, isn’t he spiritual? Oh.” My flesh just really enjoys that. And so it’s easy for me to get little spiritual affectations that my mind isn’t really necessarily upon God. As I stand there, you lift your head upward and close your eyes because that looks more spiritual. I wonder if people are seeing me now. Surely they’ll know I’m very spiritual. I hope they’re watching. And then if you go up on your tiptoes it even looks a little more, you know, spiritual. But my mind, what am I thinking? Am I thinking, “I hope they’re watching. I hope they see. I hope they notice. I hope they realize how spiritual I am.” God said, “Look, I’m searching the heart. I’m trying the motives.”
Now the Bible tells us that one day all of our works are going to be judged by fire. And much of what we have done is going to go poof! It’s going to go up in smoke. “Wait a minute, Lord, did I not prophesy in Thy name? Didn’t I work miracles in Your name? Didn’t I heal the sick in Your name? Lord!”
I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins ( Jer 17:10 ),
All of your works are wood, hay and stubble. They were done to be seen of men. They were done for your own glory and to spread abroad your own name. You named your chapels and your universities and all after your own name. Sad. Sad. What a day of awakening it’s going to be.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” Now David realizing this, realizing that he didn’t even know his own heart because of the deceitfulness of the heart, said, “Thou O Lord hast searched me and You know me. You know my thoughts in their origin. Such knowledge,” he said, “is too great for me. I cannot attain it” ( Psa 139:1 , Psa 139:6 ). I cannot really attain the true knowledge of myself. But then he said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be some way of wickedness in me, and lead me in Your way eternal” ( Psa 139:23-24 ).
Now the man who understands and knows that his heart is deceitful and desperately wicked is the man who will join David’s prayer and say, “O God, You search my heart. You know. You try me. And God, if there’s something there that is wrong, is displeasing to You, reveal it to me, Lord.” I don’t want to be deceived. I don’t want to be deceiving myself. I don’t want to stand before God and suddenly find all that I’ve done wiped out in a puff of smoke as the fire consumes all of that work of wood, hay and stubble. Jesus said, “You’ve not chosen Me, but I’ve chosen you, and ordained you, that you should be My disciples, that you should bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain” ( Joh 15:16 ). That’s what I want, remaining fruit. So God help us. He’s searching our hearts. He tries the rein. And He’s going
to give to every man according to his ways ( Jer 17:10 )
What’s in my heart? Why did I do it? That’s what’s going to be judged. God is going to give to him
according to the fruit of his doings. As the partridge sits on eggs, and doesn’t hatch them; so is he that gets riches, and not by right ( Jer 17:10-11 ),
But by wrong means. He is accumulating wealth.
he shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end he shall be a fool. A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary ( Jer 17:11-12 ).
That place of our sanctuary is God’s glorious high throne.
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 ( Jer 17:13 ).
Takes us back to the first cry of God against Israel in that they have committed two evils: “They have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed out for themselves cisterns that can hold no water” ( Jer 2:13 ).
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the LORD? let it come now. 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 17:14-16 ).
He’s not rejoicing in the things that he is saying.
Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil. 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 ( Jer 17:17-18 ).
Now the Lord spoke to him concerning the gates where the king went in and went out, and He said, “Now go down to the gate and when the king comes in give him this message.”
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; 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: 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; 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 have commanded your fathers. But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear ( Jer 17:19-23 ),
Now that is, their fathers obeyed not. “I told your fathers not to do this,” God is saying, “but they didn’t obey Me. Neither did they incline their ear.”
but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction. 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; 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 17:23-25 ).
God is still holding out the opportunity of salvation and hope to them. Even at this late stage of their backsliding. Even when the judgment is hanging over their head. Even when Babylon is marching to destroy this place. God is still holding out to them a hope. “Just turn to Me, just obey Me, and the gates here, the kings and the princes will be passing through forever. You’ll never be destroyed or put out of the land.” God’s mercies just are so extensive. They’re right up until the moment a person dies. God extends His mercy. Oh, how merciful is our God!
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 ( Jer 17:26 ).
It can happen. It can happen to you. Just turn back to Me. Just obey My commandments.
But if you 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 ( Jer 17:27 ). “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Jer 17:1. The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond:
It is so ingrained in their very nature that you might as well try to erase an inscription that is written upon steel with the point of a diamond as hope to get this perversity out of the nation; it is graven upon the tablets of their heart. What is mere habit can be altered, but what is ingrained in the heart cannot be taken away except by a, miracle of grace. It was the heart that was wrong; the fountain-head was polluted, so what could the streams be but foul.
Jer 17:1. It is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;
Their holiest things were defiled. They wrote up the names of their idol gods even upon Gods altar, and so they bore a written testimony against themselves.
Jer 17:2. Whilst their children remember their altars and their groves by the green trees upon the high hills.
God forbade the setting up of altars. There was one altar at Jerusalem, and there were to be no more; but they selected spots where great trees had long grown, they chose the tops of the hills, and they built shrines for their idols there; and there God was angry with them. Oh, how readily we may turn anything into sin! How easily our choicest mercies may be made into occasions of iniquity!
Jer 17:3-8. 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. 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. Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 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. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 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.
Oh, the blessedness of confidence in God! You see it here set out in contrast with the misery of trusting in men. Drought comes even to this tree, and times of trouble some to the believer; but the drought does not affect the tree, for it has secret, underground sources from which it sucks up its life; it spreads out its roots by the river; and blessed is that man who has a secret life, a secret strength, a secret comfort which sustains him in the trying hour. The world cannot perceive it, but he drinks it in, and lives upon it.
Jer 17:9. The heart-
That is the principal matter, it was the heart of the nation which had gone astray from God: The heart-
Jer 17:9-11. Is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 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. As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not be right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
The prophet likens the man who gets riches by falsehood and oppression to a bird which has many eggs, too many for her to cover, and consequently, though she sits on them, there is such a heap of eggs that they are none of them hatched; they come to nothing. I think I know some men who are very like that partridge. It would be a great mercy for them if they had only half of the eggs that they have, for all they get is the care and trouble of covering them, but no living joy comes out of them; the eggs are addled. He that has not the grace of God in his heart is just like a bird sitting upon addled eggs. Poor soul! At his end he shall be a fool. He must therefore be something of a fool now, for he that pursues an end which shall end in folly is a fool to have such an end before him.
Jer 17:12-14. A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. 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. Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
This exposition consisted of readings from Jer 7:1-15; and Jer 17:1-14
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
Jer 17:1-4
Jer 17:1-4
JUDAH’S DESTRUCTION INEVITABLE
From Jer 17:15 it is clear that this chapter was written prior to the Babylonian conquest. “Attempts have been made to date the chapter, but they are generally unsatisfactory, because of the lack of chronological data.”
No pattern of any kind appears in the chapter; and it seems to be a collection of various important declarations of this great prophet. Kuist noted that, “It contains a variety of examples of prophetic preaching, namely, an indictment of Judah’s guilt (Jer 17:1-4), a psalm (Jer 17:5-8), two proverbs (Jer 17:9-10 and Jer 17:11), an invocation (Jer 17:12-13), a prayer (Jer 17:14-18), and a sabbath proclamation (Jer 17:19-27).”
The prayer (Jer 17:14-18) is also identified by many writers as “Jeremiah’s Third Personal Lament.” This distinction is not noted in the chapter headings of the KJV; but, aside from that, the following chapter divisions are noted: (1) Judah’s destruction due to sin (Jer 17:1-4), (2) trusting in men is cursed (Jer 17:5-8), (3) the deceitful heart unable to deceive God (Jer 17:9-11), (4) the salvation of God (Jer 17:12-13), (5) Jeremiah’s third personal lament (Jer 17:14-18), (6) regarding sabbath observance (Jer 17:19-23), (7) continued violation of God’s law ends in terminal punishment (Jer 17:24-27).
Jer 17:1-4
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, [and] with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the tablet of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars; whilst their children remember their altars and their Asherim by the green trees upon the high hills. O my mountain in the field, I will give thy substance and all thy treasures for a spoil, [and] thy high places, because of sin, throughout all thy borders. And thou, even of thyself, shalt discontinue from thy 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.
There are imperfections in the Hebrew text here which have made it difficult for scholars to determine the exact translation; but the broad thrust of the passage is clear enough.
Pen of iron. point of a diamond …..
(Jer 17:1). There are two things stressed here, (1) the permanence of the record of sin, and (2) the hardness of the heart of the people, the implication being that only a diamond-pointed stylus would be able to inscribe anything on the hearts of the Israelites!
“What is thus engraved upon the heart, though covered and closed for a time, can never be erased, but will be produced in evidence when the books are opened.”
Your altars. their altars …..
(Jer 17:1-2). There is uncertainty regarding which altars are meant by the first of these expressions. Some prefer to view them as the same as the pagan altars mentioned next; but Keil and Cheyne both pointed out that there were two altars in the temple and construed the first reference as pertaining to the true altars.
The broad meaning of the whole passage is clear enough. Back in Jer 16:10, the people demanded to know, “What is our iniquity, and what is our sin?” God answered their query there; but he did so again here. He indicted them with a charge of their heartless apostasy and proved it, pointing out that they had no excuse, and that, “They could plead no extenuating circumstances of their crime that could either arrest the judgment or result in the mitigation of the deserved punishment.”
Their children remember. their Asherim …..
(Jer 17:2). These were wooden pillars, or monuments, set up in honor of Ashteroth, or Astarte. Not much is known of these objects; but it is believed that many of them, at least, were phallic symbols. This writer saw more than a hundred of these in all sizes up to eight or ten feet tall in Japan in 1952. Such devices were used in the cultic worship of the fertility gods and goddesses of ancient Canaan, a pagan practice to which the Jews proved to be quite vulnerable.
It should be remembered that the sacred text here is damaged and that some questions remain about exact translations. As Thompson said, “It seems clear that we have here a reference to the prevalence of Canaanite worship with its altars, sacred poles, and other paraphernalia of the cult, a clear rejection of the sole sovereignty of God.”
“Jer 17:2-3 are difficult and can be rendered metrically (that is, as poetry) only by forcing.” This is a good place to observe that much of the “poetry” in some renditions of Old Testament books is obtained in the same manner. Also, there is the dictum of some of the critics that Jeremiah could not have written both prose and poetry, resulting in their denial of one or the other as authentic Jeremiahic prophecies. To be sure, there is no sense at all in such a dictum. The application of such a foolish rule would deny that Sir Walter Scott wrote The Lay of the Last Minstrel, or The Lady of the Lake, since he was also the author of Rob Roy, and The Talisman, being also the greatest prose writer of a thousand years!
O my mountain in the field…
(Jer 17:3) This is a reference to Jerusalem; and ‘the field’ signifies the surrounding country.
Thy substance and all thy treasures for a spoil…
(Jer 17:3). Again on Jer 17:3-4 the scholars warn of an impaired text; but it is a mistake to make too much of it. Despite specific problems, the overall idea is that sinfulness would cost Judah their wealth, their homeland, and their freedom.
Thou shalt discontinue from the heritage that I gave thee…
(Jer 17:4). Barnes tells us that the verb ‘discontinue’ as used here, Is the term for letting the land rest (Exo 23:11), and of releasing creditors (Deu 15:2) in the sabbatical year. The same author noted that:
As Judah had not kept those sabbatical years which God commanded, during her captivity, she would be forced to leave off tillage of the ground until the land had had its rest.
Thou, even of thyself, shall discontinue…
(Jer 17:4). The meaning of the expression ‘even of thyself’ may mean ‘through thyself,’ that is, ‘through your own fault.’
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Once again Jehovah declared His determination to deal with the people in judgment, because of the defiant definiteness of their sin. That sin was “written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond.” This declaration is followed by a contrast between the man who trusts in man and the “man who trusteth in Jehovah.” The first dwells in the midst of desert desolation. The second is rooted by the springs of fruitfulness. This is true notwithstanding contrary appearances. Jehovah is the Searcher of hearts, and ultimately the folly of such as do wickedly must be manifest. To these words of Jehovah the prophet replied in a great affirmation of faith, and an equally great appeal of need. In grave peril he was conscious of the place of sanctuary, namely, right relationship to the uplifted throne of Jehovah. To forsake Jehovah was to forsake the fountain of living waters.
Yet the sense of need was very great, and Jeremiah appealed to Jehovah to give him His word, and to vindicate him in the sight of the people. He was then commissioned to stand in the gate of the people, and offer them the test of the Sabbath, being commanded to warn them of how their fathers failed in this respect, and also to declare to them that if they refused to hearken, the judgment must fall.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Human and Divine Help Contrasted
Jer 17:1-14
The Jews were always seeking alliance either with Egypt or Babylon. What was true of them applies to us all; but we cannot depend upon human aid, without departing from the Lord. The heath is probably the juniper, a lonely tree, dwelling in arid wastes, unvisited by dew. The soul that rests on God is watered from His throne. The roots of such are fed from the hidden springs of Eternity. The heart is deceitful; it tends constantly to substitute the arm of flesh for the living God. Desperately wicked means incurably sick. It was the ancient notion that the partridge stole the eggs of other birds and hatched them as her own. The covetous man is sure to reap disappointment. He steals other peoples goods, but is driven off the nest before they hatch out for the benefit of himself. Gods glorious throne is a defense to all who trust Him; while those who depart from Him shall be forgotten, as a sentence written in the sand is obliterated by the next puff of wind. Contrast Job 19:23-24.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
“The sin of Judah,” they are told, “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 17:1).
This tells the awful tale in a very pronounced way. Their sin was written down where the blood of atonement should have, been. This was why there must be unsparing judgment. GOD had ordained that for the sin of a priest, or of the whole congregation, the sacrificial blood should be put upon the horns of the golden altar, the altar of sweet incense, to make atonement for it, that their fellowship with Himself might be maintained. (See Lev 4:7; Lev 4:18).
If a ruler, or one of the common people, sinned, the blood was to be put upon the horns of the brazen altar, the altar of burnt offering, that all might know the sin had not caused the Lord to give up the sinner, but to provide a righteous ground to forgive him. (See Lev 4:25; Lev 4:30).
Alas! in the times of Jeremiah, while the offerings of the Lord were neglected, the offerings of the false gods of the nations were smoking under almost every green tree. Therefore His holy eye sees – not the blood that was ordained to speak of the sacrifice of His beloved Son, but sees the sin of guilty Israel graven upon their hearts and upon the horns of their altars! Therefore the Lord’s “Mountain in the field” (Jer 17:3) – Jerusalem – where He had set His Name, the place where His honor dwelt, should be given, with all its treasures, for a spoil and a prey to their enemies, while their high places should be given up to sin in all their borders (Jer 17:3).
It was not that He delighted in judgment, but that they had themselves given up all title to their inheritance. By turning aside from the commandments of the Lord and ignoring the appointed offerings and the sprinkling of blood, they had forfeited all claim to their land. They must be carried away to a country wherein they should be strangers; for He could say, “Ye have kindled a fire in Mine anger, which shall burn forever” (Jer 17:4).
Such is ever man’s history when placed in a position of responsibility.
From Adam in Eden, to a world blessed under Messiah in the Millennium, one word gives his story – failure.
He cannot be depended upon. “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. 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” (Jer 17:5-6).
Israel’s history, as well as that of all the race, should surely teach one the important lesson of “no confidence in the flesh.” (Php 3:3) But alas with most, one at least is considered trustworthy, even one’s self.
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. 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” (Jer 17:7-8).
This is the blessed man of the first Psalm – the man whose food is the Word of GOD, whose confidence is in the Lord alone – the perfect example of which is our Lord Himself. How little do we, who know Him as our Saviour, practically follow Him in this! When all goes well it is easy to deceive ourselves and think that we are trusting in the Lord, when in reality we are resting on an arm of flesh. The time of trial proves where our confidence really is. “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” (Pro 24:10)
But “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;” (Jer 17:9) and GOD Himself asks, “Who can know it?” He answers it by saying, “I the Lord search the heart. I try the reins” (Jer 17:9-10). The deceitful heart is what all men have by nature – the depravity resultant upon the fall. In Isa 44:20 we read that “a deceived heart hath turned him aside;” and in Deu 11:16 Moses warns against the heart being deceived. In these passages, however, it is not the condition of man by nature, but the result rather of listening to the suggestions of the devil – the arch-deceiver. All have a deceitful heart: those only have deceived hearts who are not subject to the Word of GOD. He who tries the reins and searches the heart is going to give to every man according to the fruit of his doings. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Gal 6:7) It is vain to fight against the government of GOD, for “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” (Jer 17:11).
The Lord’s throne is high and glorious; yea, He is the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity. All men are but as the small dust of the balance before Him. “They that depart from Me,” He says, “shall be written in the earth” (Jer 17:13). What a vivid light this casts upon the striking scene in the eighth of John! There, when the scribes and Pharisees brought to JESUS the poor woman taken in adultery, He stooped down and wrote upon the ground. In their lofty pride they pressed Him for judgment. He, looking into man’s heart, bade the one without sin among them cast the first stone, and once more stooped down to write them in the earth – the sentence of death is upon them all! Feeling the exposure of His Word, they went forth from the convicting light of His presence one by one, leaving the sinner alone with the Saviour.
In Psa 22:15 the Lord says, “Thou hast brought Me into the dust of death.” “Death,” says the apostle, “passed upon all men because all have sinned” (Rom 5:12). The Lord in grace stooped to the dust of death to save all who turn to GOD in repentance. Those who refuse His grace must be “written in the earth;” that is, they are appointed to death from which they might have been saved had they but accepted the Lord JESUS as their Deliverer from the wrath to come. He is “the fountain of living waters,” (Jer 17:13) where all who will may drink and have life forevermore.
Jer 17:14 is the prophet’s cry, voicing their need of GOD’s salvation – Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for Thou art My praise.”
Alas, they only scoff and cry, “Where is the word of the Lord? let it come now” (Jer 17:15). It is the taunt of skepticism. As for Jeremiah, he has no unholy anxiety to see his prophecies of doom fulfilled. He had not desired the woeful day. His own inclinations had not led him assume the role of a prophet, but GOD was witness that what he had given utterance to had been in sincerity as it was revealed to him.
The Lord was his hope in the day of evil, when his adversaries would be confounded and dismayed.
It may seem, at first sight, like a break chain of thought as we pass from what has just been claiming our attention to the paragraph relative to the Sabbath with which this portion of the prophecy is concluded. It should be remembered, however, that the Sabbath was the weekly memorial of Israel’s covenant relation with the Lord. It was to be kept sacred as a perpetual reminder of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage (Deu 5:15); and it pointed forward to the final rest, when, all man’s labor ended, the redeemed should enter into the undisturbed bliss of the new creation (Lev 23:3). Therefore the state of the people was ever manifested by the estimation in which they held the Lord’s holy day. If they “called the Sabbath a delight,” (Isa 58:13) and rejoiced in its privileges, there was good evidence that their hearts were true to Himself. If on that day they did their own pleasure and neglected the ordinances of the law relative thereto, no further proof need be sought as to their wretched state.
In order to bring this out beyond controversy, Jeremiah is bidden to go and stand in the gate (the place of judgment) and cry in the hearing of the king and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as they passed in or out of the city, “Hear ye the Word of the Lord . . . Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 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 17:19-22).
This summons as to the Sabbath would be a reminder of GOD’s past deliverance and future promise. But man prefers his useless labor. “They obeyed not, neither inclined their ear,” (Jer 17:23) but deliberately turned away from hearing the message and refused the instruction.
Even at this late day they were promised a continuance of the divine favor if they thus returned to GOD, and manifested their subjection to Him by hallowing the seventh day. From all the cities of Judah and Benjamin the people should throng to Jerusalem as in the days of old, and once more sacrifices and offerings should be accepted by the Lord at their hands. But if they persisted in their refusal to hearken unto Him, then the city, with all its palaces, should be utterly consumed. Surely never were a people more tenderly entreated or more faithfully warned; but the “evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God,” (Heb 3:12) was in them. Entreaties and commands alike had but fallen on ears willfully closed-bent, as it were, on their own destruction!
It is easy enough to censure them; but oh, reader, let us examine our own ways, and ask ourselves whether we too may not be refusing Him who now speaks to us both by their example and by His Word. Departure from GOD and coldness of heart are the order of the day. The last great apostasy is fast hastening on. The Scriptures of truth are being readily surrendered at the behests of a host of veneered infidels who, parading as Christian ministers, are decrying every fundamental truth of the Bible.
~ end of chapter 8 ~
Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
Jer 17:11
I. The Bible has nothing to say against a man’s getting rich by just and honourable means. The need of money, and a moderate desire for it, form a most valuable incentive to industry. We would not be assured that the blessing of the Lord maketh rich, if wealth were necessarily an evil. To be altogether indifferent to material profit, so far from being a recommendation, betokens an unmanly and defective character. You ought to wish to increase your substance, if God will give you grace to use it well.
II. We learn from the text that riches unrighteously gotten are no blessing. It is our Maker’s design that wealth should be begotten of industry: real hard work. There is no royal road to opulence; and, as Solomon said nearly three thousand years ago, “he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” To make money rapidly, even by honest means, is perilous; how much more so by questionable methods?
III. As the text teaches, the penalty on the acquisition of unrighteous gain generally follows even in this life. Perhaps this does not hold so markedly in our times as under the Old Dispensation, because immortality with its just retribution is now more clearly revealed. Still, no thoughtful person can fail to see how often a terrible Nemesis pursues the fraudulent man even in “the midst of his day,” and how, at his end, even the world styles him a fool. Some unexpected time comes, some monetary crisis, some commercial disaster, and all his hoarded gains take wing and fly away; the unprincipled man is left, like the silly partridge, to sit disconsolate in an empty nest.
J. Thain Davidson, Forewarned-Forearmed, p. 61.
References: Jer 17:12-14.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxx., No. 1786. Jer 17:14.-G. Brooks, Outlines of Sermons, p. 26; Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxviii., No. 1658.
Jer 17:12
I. Man’s Refuge. No creature so much needs the shelter and defence of a safe hiding-place as man. His sources of danger are more than can be numbered, and with an infected nature he travels an infested road. Beset with foes, he is in constant need of shelter, and often cries out for deliverance.
II. Man’s refuge is a sanctuary. A refuge is no place to rest or abide in. A place which is only a refuge furnishes but a temporary shelter. But a refuge, which is also a sanctuary, a Divine house, affords not only shelter, but rest, repose, and satisfaction for all we need or can desire. The house of God may well be a home for man. And he who enters such a refuge soon discovers that it will be to him all his desire.
III. Man’s refuge is not only sacred, but royal. “A glorious high throne.” The house of God is also the seat and source of all rule, authority, and power. It is a throne. From which we learn that the house of God, which is man’s refuge and home, is its own defence. A throne incapable of its own defence is no longer a throne.
IV. This sanctuary-refuge-throne is spoken of as an exalted throne. Man needs a high defence. Our refuge towers above all, not only covering the need of our present station, but of all its future possibilities of growth.
V. And this exalted throne is glorious in the history of its exaltation. Its exaltation has not been by might but by right. That the throne became a refuge has given a hallowed joy to the universe. The refuge crowns the throne.
VI. Our refuge has been set up from the beginning. The provision for the requirements of man’s fallen nature was no after-thought, but a forethought. His refuge-sanctuary-throne was “set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.”
VII. Note the personality of the refuge. (1) An impersonal refuge could never afford shelter and defence for man against his personal foes. (2) An impersonal refuge could never afford rest to, nor become a home for, man. Man needs man, a human security, a human joy, a human home, a warm maternal bosom on which to rest; not even God as God, but God as man.
W. Pulsford, Trinity Church Sermons, p. 161.
References: Jer 17:14.-Spurgeon, Evening by Evening, p. 245. Jer 17:17.-Ibid., Morning by Morning, p. 120. Jer 18:1-4.-Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxv., p. 152.
Jer 18:1-6
Consider what Jeremiah’s business was, and how the potter might help him in understanding and performing it.
I. Jeremiah sees a man engaged in a task to which he is devoting all his thoughts. He designs to make some clay into a vessel of a certain shape; the form or pattern is present to his mind; he is fully resolved that the material with which he is working shall come forth in that form and no other. But apparently it disappoints him. One piece of clay after another is marred in his hands; he has to break his vessel again and again; he goes on perseveringly till he has done the thing which he intended to do. If there is any force or worth in the analogy at all, it must mean that there is a form according to which God is seeking to mould men and nations. It must imply that He is patiently, continually, working for the accomplishment of this purpose. Here, then, was the mystery of a people’s repentance. If they acknowledged the will which was working upon them, if at any time they yielded to it and desired to be formed by it, this was that conversation and inward change which He was seeking to produce.
II. The prophet looks upon this symbol as teaching him the principle of God’s government of a people. I apprehend that we shall learn some day that the call to individual repentance and the promise of individual reformation has been feeble at one time; productive of turbulent, violent, transitory effects at another; because it has not been part of a call to national repentance, because it has not been connected with a promise of national reformation. We must speak again the ancient language that God has made a covenant with the nation, and that all citizens are subjects of an unseen and righteous King, if we would have a hearty, inward repentance which will really bring us back to God.
III. Jeremiah could not bring the image of the potter’s work to bear with its proper force upon Israelites at that moment if he confined the purpose of God within the limits which they had fixed for it As he gazed on the potter and saw how one piece of clay after another was marred, and yet how the thing he designed was at last done; it came with an awful vision of what was preparing for his land, with a bright vision of what must ultimately follow from every judgment. That which seemed now compact, and yet which consisted of elements that were always ready to separate from each other, might split into fragments: but the vessel must be made: not after some different type, but after the original and perfect type which dwelt not in the dead matter but in the living mind of Him who was shaping it.
F. D. Maurice, Prophets and Kings of the Old Testament, p. 395.
Reference: Jer 18:1-10.-E. H. Plumptre, Expositor, 1st series, vol. iv., p. 469.
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
CHAPTER 17
1. Judahs sin (Jer 17:1-4)
2. The curse and the blessing (Jer 17:5-11)
3. The worship of Jeremiah (Jer 17:12-18)
4. Concerning the Sabbath (Jer 17:19-27)
Jer 17:1-4. The sin of Judah was idolatry, engraven with a pen of iron, the point of a diamond, upon their heart (from whence it proceeded) and upon the horns of their altars. They had destroyed but a few years before the asherim (translated groves, a kind of sacred post), and now their children turned back to the abominable heathen cults. His anger and judgment must now be their portion.
Jer 17:5-11. A curse is pronounced upon him who trusteth in man, who departeth from the Lord. For such a one there is no hope; he shall not see good; he must be an outcast, like the heath in the desert. And such is the natural condition of man, his heart is departed from the Lord, he trusteth in himself, making flesh his arm to defend and to uphold. But blessing is for the man who trusteth in the Lord, whose hope the Lord is. Jer 17:8 contains the same truth as Psa 1:3. It is a description of the God-fearing in Israel, who knew the Lord, trusted and hoped in Him. He had called them to this place of blessing; He had encouraged them to trust in Him; He had manifested His glory and His power in their midst. But they turned away from Him, they leaned not on Him, but on the arm of flesh, on Egypt. The heart is the source of it, deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. The question, Who can know it? is answered, I the LORD search the heart. He has sounded the depths of it and in His omniscience knew the shameful history of Israel, and all their backsliding. So He knew and knows what we are, yet in sovereign love and grace He has loved us and bears with His own.
Jer 17:12-18. The worship of the prophet stands here also for the worship and soul exercise of the godly remnant of the Lords people. The sanctuary of the godly is the glorious high throne, that throne which we know as the throne of grace. In Jer 17:14 there is expressed by the prophet in behalf of the God-fearing the need of His salvation. They mocked the prophet, Where is the Word of the LORD? Let it come. So they will hate the remnant of the future Isa 66:5. And we know the prediction in Peters second Epistle 2Pe 3:1-18. Jer 17:18 corresponds to the imprecatory psalms. What Jeremiah prays, was fulfilled upon that evil generation; and some day the imprecatory psalms will be fulfilled when the Lord deals again in judgment with the nation.
Jer 17:19-27. Kuenen and other critics deny the Jeremianic authorship of this passage. It is not out of keeping with the message of the prophet. The Sabbath of which he is commanded to speak is the standard of Israels spiritual condition, for it is the weekly reminder of Israels covenant relation with Jehovah. If they neglected the divine command, as they always did in their departure from the Lord, it was the outward evidence that they had broken the covenant. If they really returned to the Lord they would show it by keeping the solemn Sabbaths and the Lord would bless them. But they obeyed not. This passage as well as others is used by the pernicious Seventh Day Adventistic cult, which denies grace and turns back to the law. But the Sabbath has nothing to do with the Church, nor has the Church anything to do with the Sabbath. The Sabbath is an institution of the law in connection with Israel. The great documents addressed to the church, the Epistles, never mention the Sabbath once, nor is there anywhere in the Epistles an exhortation to keep the Sabbath.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
The Lord
Or, JEHOVAH. Psa 83:18.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
written: Job 19:23, Job 19:24
point: Heb. nail
graven: Pro 3:3, Pro 7:3, 2Co 3:3
and upon: Lev 4:17, Lev 4:18, Lev 4:25, Hos 12:11
Reciprocal: Gen 18:21 – see Exo 28:18 – diamond 1Ki 16:33 – made a grove Jer 2:22 – yet thine iniquity Eze 14:3 – these men Amo 8:7 – I will Luk 1:63 – a
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 17:1. The writing instruments are used figuratively to illustrate the permanency of the record. It is another form of declaring that nothing in the power or plans of man could erase the guilt of the national sin. God only is able to alter the situation, which he is going to do by means of the captivity. Horns of your altars is a reference to the altars erected for the worship of the false gods. Graven upon the heart is literal in the sense that the love of idolatry was imbedded in their minds.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 17:1-2. The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron Many of the Jews, though living in the habitual commission of the grossest crimes, were, nevertheless, self-righteous, and thought they did not deserve that God should enter into judgment with them in any such way as Jeremiah foretold he would do. Wherefore, said they, hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is our sin? chap. Jer 16:10. Here the prophet tells them their sin was too plain to be denied, and too bad to be excused: that it was written in indelible characters, not only before God, to whose omniscience it lay continually open, but in their own hearts and consciences; as if written with a pen of iron, or an engraving instrument, or the point of a diamond; instruments employed to make durable inscriptions on hard substances. As if he had said, Their sins are as manifest, and the remembrance of them as durable, as the memorable actions which have been engraven on pillars of stone, or tablets of brass, to give them notoriety, and preserve them from oblivion. The expression, it is graven upon the table of their hearts, may also be intended to signify the rooted affection which they had to sin, especially to the sin of idolatry; that it was woven into their very nature, and was as dear to them as that is to us, of which we say, It is engraven on our hearts. In like manner, their idolatrous altars and other monuments of their heathenish superstitions, were undeniable tokens of the corrupt inclinations of their hearts, which were altogether estranged from God and his true worship. Or their sin might be said to be engraven on the horns of their altars, because the blood of the sacrifices which they offered to their idols was sprinkled there, or because their altars had some inscription upon them, declaring to what idol each altar was consecrated. Whilst their children remember their altars This shows how inveterate they were in this sin of idolatry, that they taught it to their children.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 17:1. The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron. Yea, it is deeply written on the heart, as the diamond will write on polished stones, on tablets of brass, or on the brazen altars of Baal. The word altars being plural indicates that idolatrous altars are understood, for the Lord allowed but of one altar.
Jer 17:3. Oh my mountain in the field. The temple was situate on a mountain, and is called the holy mountain, and the mountain of the Lords house. It here stands for Jerusalem and Judea, the land of the worshippers.
Jer 17:5. Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm. This last word refers to the military power of Egypt, whose armies were men, and not God; and whose horses were flesh, and not spirit. Isa 31:3. Sending an embassy to Egypt in the day of trouble, was leaving the ancient road of Moses, of Joshua, of Samuel, and all the Judges. And when did David ask the Egyptians to save him? It was despising all the perfections of God, and honouring the Egyptians above their Maker. So they sinned, trusting in Egypt, till their temple was in flames.
Jer 17:9. The heart is deceitful, in every form of prevarication, beyond all comparison. Who could have believed that the princes of Judah would have sworn at the great passover to keep the covenant of the Lord, when they had secreted their idols at home! Impartial justice however requires, that human nature should be contemplated under a double aspect; first, the grandeur, and secondly, the baseness of man. We fully admit the intellectual glory of man, the noble and virtuous actions which have emanated from the clouds of his character; but for these we are indebted to the grace of the new covenant. On the other hand, what is the character of man, but that of a serpent to destroy the earth by his deadly sting? Here the desperate wickedness of the heart appears: he gives the shouts of havoc against a vanquished foe.What then is this heart but an empoisoned fountain? What are the crimes of man in the crisis of strong temptation? What is his cunning to overreach his neighbor, and to cover his crimes? What are those codes of criminal law, those testamentary bequests by which a dying father does not dare to trust his own children? What are those loud complaints of delinquency in the sacred trusts of lands given for the support of the aged poor, and the endowment of schools? What is the paternal and virtuous public, which suffers these trusts to be thus perverted, but a nation of evil-doers? If the unitarian cannot see original sin developed in the character of man, he must be so blinded by the substitution of philosophy for revelation that he cannot see wood for the trees. Above all, why were Jeremiah and all good men persecuted, and even to an army of martyrs, but because they were good, and because the unregenerate heart is earthly, sensual, and devilish. It is full of coils and tortures, like the crooked serpent.
And desperately wicked; who can know it. nash, denotes severe fines for desperate wickedness, as beating a pregnant woman, so as to cause abortion. Exo 21:22-27. Deu 22:19, 2Ch 36:3. Pro 19:19; Pro 27:12, 2Ki 23:33. Let the reader consult those passages for himself. Mr. Parkhurst says, that this text is badly translated, as nash is never used in scripture to denote wickedness of any kind! Though Mr. Parkhurst, with socinian laxity, may believe in the goodness of mans heart, yet he must admit that the metonymy is a figure of speech which puts one thing for another, as the author for his books: they have Moses and the prophets. As Mars for war, Mercury for eloquence, Venus for love. So in the above texts, nash is put for murder and rebellion. Exo 21:22, 2Ch 36:3. How then would Mr. Parkhurst improve the translation?
Jer 17:10. I the Lord search the heart. Here the Lord gives the answer to the question, who can know it? The rulers of Jerusalem cannot deceive me. I know their hypocrisy, worshipping me in the temple, and Baal on the hills; and after having filled Jerusalem with iniquity and sin, they look to Egypt for aid, being afraid to look to me.
Jer 17:11. As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not, the young running away with the shell on their head; so those rulers who wrested the lands of the poor, should soon be divested both of lands and of children. Many critics defend the LXX in translating korai by perdix, a partridge. David says that he was hunted as a partridge on the mountains, 1Sa 26:20, which the fowlers at night drive into the nets, and take the whole covey.
Jer 17:12. A glorious high throne was established in paradise, where the fiery sword of the cherubim kept fallen man from the tree of life. The holy patriarchs had altars where they approached the throne of God. The mercyseat was established in the tabernacle and in the temple, towards which Daniel opened his window and prayed. From this throne the Lord gave sentence against the Assyrian army, and at all times made his throne a refuge for his people. This glorious throne, the throne of grace, now fills the christian church. Isaiah 2, 6, 60. Zec 6:12-13.
REFLECTIONS.
We have here the indelible characters of Judahs sin,the sin of idolatry, and all its consequences. On going to their groves and altars, they often engraved their names on the horns of those altars. Though God had denounced death against the crime, yet they so far dared his justice as to leave there a lasting mark of their sin. But however legibly the sin was written on brass, it was more deeply written on the heart or conscience of the offender.
God pities the errors of man, and long forbears before he strikes. Oh my mountain,the temple, and the people of Judah. Oh how shall I change thy glory to shame, and all thy beauty to desolation. The nature and extent of divine compassion afford the greatest encouragement for the worst of sinners to repent.
The consequence of forsaking God was reliance on Egypt for help. Now, in his eyes, this was a most provoking sin; for he had delivered Israel a hundred times, and by prodigies unknown in any nation. Cursed then be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm. We must never place confidence in health, in riches, or in medicine, but in a view subservient to the divine pleasure. They who do so soon wither, their name being written in the earth; while he who trusts in the Lord shall be as a tree planted beside the rivers of water. He shall not see, or rather as the Vulgate reads, he shall not be solicitous when the heat cometh.
In regard to Judahs apostasy, and their reliance on an arm of flesh, it is said the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. The human heart, corrupted by nature and confirmed in sin by habit, deceives by seeking happiness in vain objects and sensual joy. It deceives in the procrastination of repentance, and fails in its vows of reformation. In prosperity it is elated, and rests in transient good. In adversity, it is all despondency and gloom. In intercourse with man, it deceives by selfish passions; and often commits crimes which, in another man, it would abhor and detest as the last of abhorrent deeds. So it is with men who seduce innocence, and with those who get rich, but not by right. Hence the human heart must be made new, and simple, and holy, or it cannot be approved of God.
The last consequence arising from a deceitful and wicked heart, is contempt of the Lords word. Where is now, said these rebels, the word of the Lord? Let it now come, oh infatuated prophet. None of thy terrific predictions have come to pass; therefore we have a just right to stone thee. When men are thus hardened against moral sentiments, and against visitations of providence which might be obviously inferred from the perfections of God, it is a sad sign of their being given up to a reprobate mind.
The last prophecy, Jer 17:19, respecting the hallowing of the sabbathday, is a new revelation, which marks the great weight and importance of the subject. It is addressed to the kings, or rather the chief magistrates of Judah, because they were entrusted with the law, and required to enforce obedience. The punishment denounced against the sin is, that they who profaned the day, and defiled the country, should forfeit both the sabbath and the country. The Lord would cut off both the prince and the people. The arguments apply with equal force to the christian church. The men who obstinately defile the sabbath, and thereby insult the worship of their Maker, shall have neither place nor lot in the city and inheritance of the Lord.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 16:1 to Jer 17:18. The Coming Distress a Penalty for Sin.The prophet is forbidden to found a family, because of the coming sorrows (cf. 1Co 7:29 ff.), in which death will be too common even for due mourning and burial. He is to stand aloof from the ordinary expressions of grief (Jer 16:5-7) or social joy (Jer 16:8 f.; cf. Jer 7:34), as a sign that Yahweh will make both to cease in the universal disaster. The reason for this great suffering is the sin of disloyalty to Yahweh, who will fling out His people (like a javelin, 1Sa 20:33) to a land of other gods (Jer 16:13; cf. 1Sa 26:19). The two following verses (Jer 16:14 f.), which promise a future restoration, are inserted from Jer 23:7 f., and interrupt the present context. The fishers and the hunters whom Yahweh will send, to net in shoals or hunt down singly, are Judahs invaders, from whom there is no escape. The heavy penalty (double as in Isa 40:2) has been provoked by the peculiar insult to Yahweh of the sin of idolatry (Jer 16:18). The prophet breaks off to anticipate the day when Yahweh shall be known by all the peoples, who will abandon their no-gods (Jer 16:19-21). Judahs sin is ineffaceably written on her heart; the projections at the corner of their (mg.) altars (Exo 27:2) bear the blood of heathen sacrifice; therefore shall Judah be spoiled and her people become exiles (Jer 17:1-4). The rest of this section (Jer 17:5-18) is an editorial collection of more or less disconnected sayings, probably by Jeremiah. The fine contrast in Jer 17:5-8 is probably the source of Psalms 13 f. The confession of inner weakness in Jer 17:9 may belong to the prophets prayer for healing in Jer 17:14 ff. (with Jer 17:10 cf. Jer 11:20, Jer 32:19). Jer 17:11 is a proverb based on the alleged habits of the partridge, the point being that the adopted brood at last forsakes its pretended mother. Unbroken confidence in Yahweh is expressed in Jer 17:12 f., and the prophet prays that he be not forsaken in his prophetic task; he disclaims any malicious joy in his prophecies of evil, but asks to be justified (Jer 17:14-18).
Jer 16:5. On mourning the dead, see p. 110, HDB, Mourning, EBi., Mourning Customs, and cf. Jer 41:5, Jer 47:5, Deu 14:1, etc.
Jer 16:13. For such tacit recognition of heathen deities, combined with practical monotheism, see the contemporary Deu 6:4; Deu 6:14.
Jer 16:18. carcases: a term of contempt for idols; omit first with LXX.
Jer 17:1. pen of iron: i.e. an iron instrument used for carving on rock; cf. Job 19:24.
Jer 17:2. whilst . . . Asherim: probably a gloss, after which we should proceed, upon the spreading (green) trees, upon the high hills, the mountain in the field. As it stands, the last phrase must be taken as a title of Jerusalem (but see on Jer 21:13).
Jer 17:3 f.: partly found as an insertion, Jer 15:13 f.
Jer 17:4. thou . . . discontinue is not the Hebrew; a slight emendation gives, Thou shalt let thy hand fall.
Jer 17:6. heath: supposed to be the dwarf juniper tree.
Jer 17:11. fool: denoting moral rather than intellectual inferiority.
Jer 17:12, hardly likely to be Jeremiahs, refers to the Temple.
Jer 17:13. written in earth: i.e. transient, in contrast with what is carved on rock.living waters: Jer 2:13.
Jer 17:15. cf. Isa 5:19.
Jer 16:16. A slight vowel change (with some VSS) would turn from being a shepherd into because of evil, a parallel to the following clause.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
17:1 The sin of Judah [is] {a} written with a pen of iron, [and] with the point of a diamond: [it is] graven upon the {b} tablet of their heart, and upon the horns of your {c} altars;
(a) The remembrance of their contempt of God cannot pass, although for a time he defers the punishment, for it will be revealed to men and angels.
(b) Instead of the law of God, they have written idolatry and all abomination in their heart.
(c) Your sins appear in all the altars that you have erected to idols.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Judah’s indelible sin and sin’s deceitfulness 17:1-18
The next five sections (Jer 17:1-18) continue the theme of Judah’s guilt from the previous chapter. These pericopes have obvious connections with one another, but they were evidently originally separate prophecies. Jer 17:1-4 are particularly ironic.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The indictment against Judah for her deeply ingrained sins was written permanently on the people’s hearts (cf. Job 19:24). It stood etched there and, also figuratively, on their most prominent places of worship, the pagan altars throughout the land. Sins engraved on the heart pictures the chief characteristic that marked the inner life of the people, which was indelible sin. When Yahweh had given Israel the covenant at Mount Sinai, He inscribed it on tablets of stone (Exo 24:12; Exo 31:18). But now, what was authoritative for the people was sin, that they had inscribed on tablets of flesh.
Rather than blood, on the horns of the brazen altar in the temple courtyard, testifying to the people’s commitment to Him, the Lord saw their sins staining the horns of their pagan altars (cf. Jer 7:21-26; Amo 4:4-5). The brazen altar was a place of sacrifice where their sins could be removed, but the horns of their altars had become places of sacrilege where their sins stood recorded.
". . . the people’s heart has guilt not only written all over it but etched into it, engraved . . . beyond erasure." [Note: Kidner, p. 71.]
In the future, God promised to write His law on His people’s hearts (Jer 31:31-34), but until then their sins were what marked their hearts. Then He would remember their sins no more, but now they remained recorded and unforgiven.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
CHAPTER IX
THE DROUGHT AND ITS MORAL IMPLICATIONS
Jer 14:1-22; Jer 15:1-21 (17?)
VARIOUS opinions have been expressed about the division of these chapters. They have been cut up into short sections, supposed to be more or less independent of each other; and they have been regarded as constituting a well-organised whole, at least so far as the eighteenth verse of chapter 17. The truth may lie between these extremes. Chapters 14, 15 certainly hang together; for in them the prophet represents himself as twice interceding with Iahvah on behalf of the people, and twice receiving a refusal of his petition, {Jer 14:1-22; Jer 15:1-4} the latter reply being sterner and more decisive than the first. The occasion was a long period of drought, involving much privation for man and beast. The connection between the parts of this first portion of the discourse is clear enough. The prophet prays for his people, and God answers that He has rejected them, and that intercession is futile. Thereupon, Jeremiah throws the blame of the national sins upon the false prophets; and the answer is that both the people and their false guides will perish. The prophet then soliloquises upon his own hard fate as a herald of evil tidings, and receives directions for his own personal guidance in this crisis of affairs. {Jer 15:10-21; Jer 16:1-9} There is a pause, but no real break, at the end of chapter 15. The next chapter resumes the subject of directions personally affecting the prophet himself; and the discourse is then continuous so far as Jer 17:18, although, naturally enough, it is broken here and there by pauses of considerable duration, marking transitions of thought, and progress in the argument. The heading of the entire piece is marked in the original by a peculiar inversion of terms, which meets us again, Jer 46:1; Jer 47:1; Jer 49:34, but which, in spite of this recurrence, wears a rather suspicious look. We might render it thus: “What fell as a word of Iahvah to Jeremiah, on account of the droughts” (the plural is intensive, or it signifies the long continuance of the trouble-as if one rainless period followed upon another). Whether or not the singular order of the words be authentic, the recurrence at Jer 17:8 of the remarkable term for “drought” (Hebrews baccoreth of which baccaroth here is plur.) favours the view that that chapter is an integral portion of the present discourse. The exordium {Jer 14:1-9} is a poetical sketch of the miseries of man and beast, closing with a beautiful prayer. It has been said that this is not “a word of Iahvah to Jeremiah,” but rather the reverse. If we stick to the letter, this no doubt is the case; but, as we have seen in former discourses, the phrase “Iahvahs word” meant in prophetic use very much more than a direct message from God, or a prediction uttered at the Divine instigation. Here, as elsewhere, the prophet evidently regards the course of his own religious reflection as guided by Him who “fashioneth the hearts of men,” and “knoweth their thoughts long before”; and if the question had suggested itself, he would certainly have referred his own poetic powers-the tenderness of his pity, the vividness of his apprehension, the force of his passion, -to the inspiration of the Lord who had called and consecrated him from the birth, to speak in His Name.
There lies at the heart of many of us a feeling, which has lurked there, more or less without our cognisance, ever since the childish days when the Old Testament was read at the mothers knee, and explained and understood in a manner proportioned to the faculties of childhood. When we hear the phrase “The Lord spake,” we instinctively think, if we think at all, of an actual voice knocking sensibly at the door of the outward ear. It was not so; nor did the sacred writer mean it so. A knowledge of Hebrew idiom-the modes of expression usual and possible in that ancient speech-assures us that this Statement, so startlingly direct in its unadorned simplicity, was the accepted mode of conveying a meaning which we, in our more complex and artificial idioms, would convey by the use of a multitude of words, in terms far more abstract, in language destitute of all that colour of life and reality which stamps the idiom of the Bible. It is as though the Divine lay farther off from us moderns; as though the marvellous progress of all that new knowledge of the measureless magnitude of the world, of the power and complexity of its machinery, of the surpassing subtlety and the matchless perfection of its laws and processes, had become an impassable barrier, at least an impenetrable veil, between our minds and God. We have lost the sense of His nearness, of His immediacy, so to speak; because we have gained, and are ever intensifying, a sense of the nearness of the world with which He environs us. Hence, when we speak of Him, we naturally cast about either for poetical phrases and figures, which must always be more or less vague and undefined, or for highly abstract expressions, which may suggest scientific exactness, but are, in truth, scholastic formulae, dry as the dust of the desert, untouched by the breath of life; and even if they affirm a Person, destitute of all those living characters by which we instinctively and without effort recognise Personality. We make only a conventional use of the language of the sacred writers, of the prophets and prophetic historians, of the psalmists, and the legalists, of the Old Testament; the language which is the native expression of a peculiar intensity of religious faith, realising the Unseen as the Actual and, in truth, the only Real.
“Judah mourneth and the gates thereof languish,
They are clad in black down to the ground;
And the cry of Jerusalem hath gone up.
And their nobles have sent their lesser folk for water;
They have been to the pits, and found no water:
Their vessels have come back empty;
Ashamed and confounded, they have covered their heads.”
“Because the ground is chapt, for there hath not been rain in the land,
The ploughmen are ashamed, they have covered their heads.
For even the hind in the field hath yeaned and forsaken her fawn,
For there is no grass.
And the wild asses stand on the bare fells
They snuff the wind like jackals
Their eyes fall, for there is no pasturage.”
“If our sins have answered against us,
Iahweh, act for Thine own Name sake;
For our relapses are many:
Against Thee have we trespassed.”
“Hope of Israel, that savest him in time of trouble,
Wherefore wilt Thou be as a stranger in the land,
And as a traveller that leaveth the road but for the night?
Wherefore wilt Thou be as a man oerpowered with sleep,
As a warrior that cannot rescue?”
“Sith Thou art in our midst, O Iahvah,
And Thy Name upon us hath been called;
Cast us not down!”
How beautiful both plaint and prayer! The simple description of the effects of the drought is as lifelike and impressive as a good picture. The whole country is stricken; the city gates, the place of common resort, where the citizens meet for business and for conversation, are gloomy with knots of mourners robed in black from head to foot, or, as the Hebrew may also imply, sitting on the ground, in the garb and posture of desolation. {Lam 2:10; Lam 3:28} The magnates of Jerusalem send out their retainers to find water; and we see them returning with empty vessels, their heads muffled in their cloaks, in sign of grief at the failure of their errand. {1Ki 18:5-6} The parched ground everywhere gapes with fissures; the yeomen go about with covered heads in deepest dejection. The distress is universal, and affects not man only, but the brute creation. Even the gentle hind, that proverb of maternal tenderness, is driven by sorest need to forsake the fruit of her hard travail; her starved dugs are dry, and she flies from her helpless offspring. The wild asses of the desert, fleet, beautiful, and keen-eyed creatures, scan the withered landscape from the naked cliffs, and snuff the wind, like jackals scenting prey; but neither sight nor smell suggests relief. There is no moisture in the air, no glimpse of pasture in the wide sultry land.
The prayer is a humble confession of sin, an unreserved admission that the woes of man evince the righteousness of God. Unlike certain modern poets, who bewail the sorrows of the world as the mere infliction of a harsh and arbitrary and inevitable Destiny, Jeremiah makes no doubt that human sufferings are due to the working of Divine justice. “Our sins have answered against our pleas at Thy judgment seat; our relapses are many; against Thee have we trespassed,” against Thee, the sovereign Disposer of events, the Source of all that happens and all that is. If this be so, what plea is left? None, but that appeal to the Name of Iahvah, with which the prayer begins and ends. “Act for Thine own Name sake.” “Thy Name upon us hath been called.” Act for Thine own honour, that is, for the honour of Mercy, Compassion, Truth, Goodness; which Thou hast revealed Thyself to be, and which are parts of Thy glorious Name. {Exo 34:6} Pity the wretched, and pardon the guilty: for so will Thy glory increase amongst men; so will man learn that the relentings of love are diviner affections than the ruthlessness of wrath and the cravings of vengeance.
There is also a touching appeal to the past. The very name by which Israel was sometimes designated as “the people of Iahvah,” just as Moab was known by the name of its god as “the people of Chemosh,” {Num 21:29} is alleged as proof that the nation has an interest in the compassion of Him whose name it bears; and it is implied that, since the world knows Israel as Iahvahs people, it will not be for Iahvahs honour that this people should be suffered to perish in their sins. Israel had thus, from the outset of its history, been associated and identified with Iahvah; however ill the true nature of the tie has been understood, however unworthily the relation has been conceived by the popular mind, however little the obligations involved in the call of their fathers have been recognised and appreciated. God must be true, though man be false. There is no weakness, no caprice, no vacillation in God. In bygone “times of trouble” the “Hope of Israel” had saved Israel over and over again; it was a truth admitted by all-even by the prophets enemies. Surely then He will save His people once again, and vindicate His Name of Saviour. Surely He who has dwelt in their midst so many changeful centuries, will not now behold their trouble with the lukewarm feeling of an alien dwelling amongst them for a time, but unconnected with them by ties of blood and kin and common country; or with the indifference of the traveller who is but coldly affected by the calamities of a place where he has only lodged one night. Surely the entire past shows that it would be utterly inconsistent for Iahvah to appear now as a man so buried in sleep that He cannot be roused to save His friends from imminent destruction. {cf. 1Ki 18:27, St. Mar 4:38} He who had borne Israel and carried him as a tender nursling all the days of old (Isa 63:9) could hardly without changing His own unchangeable Name, His character and purposes, cast down His people and forsake them at last.
Such is the drift of the prophets first prayer. To this apparently unanswerable argument his religious meditation upon the present distress has brought him. But presently the thought returns with added force, with a sense of utmost certitude, with a conviction that it is Iahvahs Word, that the people have wrought out their own affliction, that misery is the hire of sin.
“Thus hath Iahvah said of this people:
Even so have they loved to wander,
Their feet they have not refrained;
And as for Iahvah, He accepteth them not”;
“He now remembereth their guilt,
And visiteth their trespasses.
And Iahvah said unto me,
Intercede thou not for this people for good!
If they fast, I will not hearken unto their cry;
And if they offer whole offering and oblation,
I will not accept their persons;
But by the sword, the famine, and the plague, will I consume them.”
“And I said, Ah, Lord Iahvah!
Behold the prophets say to them,
Ye shall not see sword,
And famine shall not befall you
For peace and permanence will I give you in this place.”
“And Iahvah said unto me:
Falsehood it is that the prophets prophesy in My Name.
I sent them not, and I charged them not, and I spake not unto them.
A vision of falsehood and jugglery and nothingness, and the guile of their own heart,
They, for their part, prophesy you.”
“Therefore thus said Iahvah:
Concerning the prophets who prophesy in My Name, albeit I sent them not,
And of themselves say
Sword and famine there shall not be in this land;
By the sword and by the famine shall those prophets be fordone.
And the people to whom they prophesy shall lie thrown out in the streets of Jerusalem,
Because of the famine and the sword,
With none to bury them,”-
“Themselves, their wives, and their sons and their daughters:
And I will pour upon them their own evil.
And thou shalt say unto them this word:
Let mine eyes run down with tears, night and day,
And let them not tire;
For with mighty breach is broken
The virgin daughter of my people-
With a very grievous blow.
If I go forth into the field,
Then behold! the slain of the sword;
And if I enter the city,
Then behold! the pinings of famine:
For both prophet and priest go trafficking about the land,
And understand not.”
It has been supposed that this whole section is misplaced, and that it would properly follow the close of chapter 13. The supposition is due to a misapprehension of the force of the pregnant particle which introduces the reply of Iahvah to the prophets intercession. “Even so have they loved to wander”; even so, as is naturally implied by the severity of the punishment of which thou complainest. The dearth is prolonged; the distress is widespread and grievous. So prolonged, so grievous, so universal, has been their rebellion against Me. The penalty corresponds to the offence. It is really “their own evil” that is being poured out upon their guilty heads (Jer 14:16; cf. Jer 4:18). Iahvah cannot accept them in their sin; the long drought is a token that their guilt is before His mind, unrepented, unatoned. Neither the supplications of another, nor their own fasts and sacrifices, avail to avert the visitation. So long as the disposition of the heart remains unaltered; so long as man hates, not his darling sins, but the penalties they entail, it is idle to seek to propitiate Heaven by such means as these. And not only so. The droughts are but a foretaste of worse evils to come; “by the sword, the famine, and the plague will I consume them.” The condition is understood, If they repent and amend not. This is implied by the prophets seeking to palliate the national guilt, as he proceeds to do, by the suggestion that the people are more sinned against than sinning, deluded as they are by false prophets; as also by the renewal of his intercession (Jer 14:19). Had he been aware in his inmost heart that an irreversible sentence had gone forth against his people, would he have been likely to think either excuses or intercessions availing? Indeed, however absolute the threats of the prophetic preachers may sound, they must, as a rule, be qualified by this limitation, which, whether expressed or not, is inseparable from the object of their discourses, which was the moral amendment of those who heard them.
Of the “false,” that is, the common run of prophets, who were in league with the venal priesthood of the time, and no less worldly and self-seeking than their allies, we note that, as usual, they foretell what the people wishes to hear; “Peace (Prosperity), and Permanence,” is the burden of their oracles. They knew that invectives against prevailing vices, and denunciations of national follies, and forecasts of approaching ruin, were unlikely means of winning popularity and a substantial harvest of offerings. At the same time, like other false teachers, they knew how to veil their errors under the mask of truth; or rather, they were themselves deluded by their own greed, and blinded by their covetousness to the plain teaching of events. They might base their doctrine of “Peace and Permanence in this place!” upon those utterances of the great Isaiah, which had been so signally verified in the lifetime of the seer himself; but their keen pursuit of selfish ends, their moral degradation, caused them to shut their eyes to everything else in his teachings, and, like his contemporaries, they “regarded not the work of Iahvah, nor the operation of His hand.” Jeremiah accuses them of “lying visions”; visions, as he explains, which were the outcome of magical ceremonies, by aid of which, perhaps, they partially deluded themselves, before deluding others, but which were none the less, “things of naught,” devoid of all substance, and mere fictions of a deceitful and self-deceiving mind (Jer 14:14). He expressly declares that they have no mission: in other words, their action is not due to the overpowering sense of a higher call, but is inspired by purely ulterior considerations of worldly gain and policy. They prophesy to order; to the order of man, not of God. If they visit the country districts, it is with no spiritual end in view; priest and prophet alike make a trade of their sacred profession, and, immersed in their sordid pursuits, have no eye for truth, and no perception of the dangers hovering over their country. Their misconduct and misdirection of affairs are certain to bring destruction upon themselves and upon those whom they mislead. War and its attendant famine will devour them all.
But the day of grace being past, nothing is left for the prophet himself but to bewail the ruin of his people (Jer 14:17). He will betake himself to weeping, since praying and preaching are vain. The words which announce this resolve may portray a sorrowful experience, or they may depict the future as though it were already present (Jer 14:17-18). The latter interpretation would suit Jer 14:17, but hardly the following verse, with its references to “going forth into the field,” and “entering into the city.” The way in which these specific actions are mentioned seems to imply some present or recent calamity; and there is apparently no reason why we may not suppose that the passage was written at the disastrous close of the reign of Josiah, in the troublous interval of three months, when Jehoahaz was nominal king in Jerusalem, but the Egyptian arms were probably ravaging the country, and striking terror into the hearts of the people. In such a time of confusion and bloodshed, tillage would be neglected, and famine would naturally follow; and these evils would be greatly aggravated by drought. The only other period which suits is the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim; but the former seems rather to be indicated by Jer 15:6-9.
Heartbroken at the sight of the miseries of his country, the prophet once more approaches the eternal throne. His despairing mood is not so deep and dark as to drown his faith in God. He refuses to believe the utter rejection of Judah, the revocation of the covenant. (The measure is Pentameter).
“Hast Thou indeed cast off Judah?
Hath Thy soul revolted from Sion?
Why hast Thou smitten us past healing?
Waiting for peace, and no good came,
For a time of healing, and behold terror!”
“We know, Iahvah, our wickedness, our fathers guilt;
For we have trespassed toward Thee.
Scorn Thou not, for Thy Name sake
Disgrace not Thy glorious throne!
Remember, break not, Thy covenant with us!”
“Are there, in sooth, among the
Nothings of the nations senders of rain?
And is it the heavens that bestow the showers?
Is it not Thou, Iahvah our God?
And we wait for Thee,
For Thou it was that madest the world.”
To all this the Divine answer is stern and decisive. “And Iahvah said unto me: If Moses and Samuel were to stand” (pleading) “before Me, My mind would not be towards this people: send them away from before Me” (dismiss them from My Presence), “that they may go forth!” After ages remembered Jeremiah as a mighty intercessor, and the brave Maccabeus could see him in his dream as a grey-haired man “exceeding glorious” and “of a wonderful and excellent majesty” who “prayed much for the people and for the holy city” (2Ma 15:14). And the beauty of the prayers which lie like scattered pearls of faith and love among the prophets soliloquies is evident at a glance. But here Jeremiah himself is conscious that his prayers are unavailing; and that the office to which God has called him is rather that of pronouncing judgment than of interceding for mercy. Even a Moses or a Samuel, the mighty intercessors of the old heroic times, whose pleadings had been irresistible with God, would now plead in vain Exo 17:11 sqq., Exo 32:11 sqq.; Num 14:13 sqq. for Moses; 1Sa 7:9 sqq., 1Sa 12:16 sqq.; Psa 99:6; Sir 46:16 sqq. for Samuel. The day of grace has gone, and the day of doom is come. His sad function is to “send them away” or “let them go” from Iahvahs Presence; to pronounce the decree of their banishment from the holy land where His temple is, and where they have been wont to “see His face.” The main part of his commission was “to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to overthrow” (Jer 1:10). “And if they say unto thee, Whither are we to go forth? Thou shalt say uno them, thus hath Iahvah said: They that belong to the Death” (i.e., the Plague; as the Black Death was spoken of in mediaeval Europe) “to death; and they that belong to the Sword, to the sword; and they that belong to the Famine, to famine: and they that belong to Captivity, to captivity!” The people were to “go forth” out of their own land, which was, as it were, the Presence chamber of Iahvah, just as they had at the outset of their history gone forth out of Egypt, to take possession of it. The words convey a sentence of exile, though they do not indicate the place of banishment. The menace of woe is as general in its terms as that lurid passage of the Book of the Law upon which it appears to be founded. {Deu 28:21-26} The time for the accomplishment of those terrible threatenings “is nigh, even at the doors.”
On the other hand, Ezekiels “four sore judgments” {Eze 14:21} were suggested by this passage of Jeremiah.
The prophet avoids naming the actual destination of the captive people, because captivity is only one element in their punishment. The horrors of war-sieges and slaughters and pestilence and famine-must come first. In what follows, the intensity of these horrors is realised in a single touch. The slain are left unburied, a prey to the birds and beasts. The elaborate care of the ancients in the provision of honourable resting places for the dead is a measure of the extremity, thus indicated. In accordance with the feeling of his age, the prophet ranks the dogs and vultures and hyenas that drag and disfigure and devour the corpses of the slain, as three “kinds” of evil equally appalling with the sword that slays. The same feeling led our Spenser to write:
“To spoil the dead of weed
Is sacrilege, and doth all sins exceed.”
And the destruction of Moab is decreed by the earlier prophet Amos, “because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime,” thus violating a law universally recognised as binding upon the conscience of nations. {Amo 2:1} Cf. also Gen 23:1-20.
Thus death itself was not to be a sufficient expiation for the inveterate guilt of the nation. Judgment was to pursue them even after death. But the prophets vision does not penetrate beyond this present scene. With the visible world, so far as he is aware, the punishment terminated. He gives no hint here, nor elsewhere, of any further penalties awaiting individual sinners in the unseen world. The scope of his prophecy indeed is almost purely national, and limited to the present life. It is one of the recognized conditions of Old Testament religious thought.
And the ruin of the people is the retribution reserved for what Manasseh did in Jerusalem. To the prophet, as to the author of the book of Kings, who wrote doubtless under the influence of his words, the guilt contracted by Judah trader that wicked king was unpardonable But it would convey a false impression if we left the matter here: for the whole course of his after preaching-his exhortations and promises, as well as his threats-prove that Jeremiah did not suppose that the nation could not be saved by genuine repentance and permanent amendment. What he intends rather to affirm is that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon children who are partakers of their sins. It is the doctrine of St. Mat 23:29 sqq.; a doctrine which is not merely a theological opinion, but a matter of historical observation.
“And I will set over them four kinds-It is an oracle of Iahvah-the sword to slay, and the dogs to hale, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and to destroy. And I will make them a sport for all the realms of earth; on account of Manasseh ben Hezekiah king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.”
Jerusalem!-the mention of that magical name touches another chord in the prophets soul; and the fierce tones of his oracle of doom change into a dirge-like strain of pity without hope.
“For who will have compassion on Thee, O Jerusalem? And who will yield thee comfort? And who will turn aside to ask of thy welfare? Twas thou that rejectedst Me (it is Iahvahs word); Backward wouldst thou wend: So I stretched forth My hand against thee and destroyed thee; I wearied of relenting. And I winnowed them with a fan in the gates of the land; I bereaved, I undid My people: Yet they returned not from their own ways. His widows outnumbered before Me the sand of seas: I brought them against the Mother of Warriors a harrier at high noon; I threw upon her suddenly anguish and horrors. She that had borne seven sons did pine away; She breathed out her soul. Her sun did set, while it yet was day; He blushed and paled. But their remnant will I give to the sword Before their foes: (It is Iahvahs word).”
The fate of Jerusalem would strike the nations dumb with horror; it would not inspire pity, for man would recognise that it was absolutely just. Or perhaps the thought rather is, In proving false to Me, thou wert false to thine only friend: Me thou hast estranged by thy faithlessness; and from the envious rivals, who beset thee on every side, thou canst expect nothing but rejoicing at thy downfall. {Psa 136:1-26; Lam 2:15-17; Oba 1:10 sqq.} The peculiar solitariness of Israel among the nations {Num 23:9} aggravated the anguish of her overthrow.
In what follows, the dreadful past appears as a prophecy of the yet more terrible future. The poet-seers pathetic monody moralises the lost battle of Megiddo-that fatal day when the sun of Judah set in what seemed the high day of her prosperity, and all the glory and the promise of good king Josiah vanished like a dream in sudden darkness. Men might think-doubtless Jeremiah thought, in the first moments of despair, when the news of that overwhelming disaster was brought to Jerusalem, with the corpse of the good king, the dead hope of the nation-that this crushing blow was proof that Iahvah had rejected His people, in the exercise of a sovereign caprice, and without reference to their own attitude towards Him. But, says or chants the prophet, in solemn rhythmic utterance,
“Twas thou that rejectedst Me;
Backward wouldst thou wend:
So I stretched forth My hand against thee, and wrought thee hurt;
I wearied of relenting.”
The cup of national iniquity was full, and its baleful contents overflowed in a devastating flood. “In the gates of the land”-the point on the northwest frontier where the armies met-Iahvah doomed to fall from those who were to survive, as the winnowing fan separates the chaff from the wheat in the threshing floor. There He “bereaved” the nation of their dearest hope, “the breath of their nostrils, the Lords Anointed”; {Lam 4:20} there He multiplied their widows. And after the lost battle He brought the victor in hot haste against the “Mother” of the fallen warriors, the ill-fated city, Jerusalem, to wreak vengeance upon her for her ill-timed opposition. But, for all this bitter fruit of their evil doings, the people “turned not back from their own ways”; and therefore the strophe of lamentation closes with a threat of utter extermination: “Their remnant”-the poor survival of these fierce storms” Their remnant will I give to the sword before their foes.”
If the thirteenth and fourteenth verses be not a mere interpolation in this chapter, {see Jer 17:3-4} their proper place would seem to be here, as continuing and amplifying the sentence upon the residue of the people. The text is unquestionably corrupt, and must be amended by help of the other passage, where it is partially repeated. The twelfth verse may be read thus:
“Thy wealth and thy treasures will I make a prey,
For the sin of thine high places in all thy borders.”
Then the fourteenth verse follows, naturally enough, with an announcement of the Exile:
“And I will enthral thee to thy foes
In a land thou knowest not:
For a fire is kindled in Mine anger,
That shall burn for evermore!”
The prophet has now fulfilled his function of judge by pronouncing upon his people the extreme penalty of the law. His strong perception of the national guilt and of the righteousness of God has left him no choice in the matter. But how little this duty of condemnation accorded with his own individual feeling as a man and a citizen is clear from the passionate outbreak of the succeeding strophe.
“Woes me, my mother,” he exclaims, “that thou barest me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to all the country!
Neither lender nor borrower have I been;
Yet all of them do curse me.”
A desperately bitter tone, evincing the anguish of a man wounded to the heart by the sense of fruitless endeavour and unjust hatred. He had done his utmost to save his country, and his reward was universal detestation. His innocence and integrity were requited with the odium of the pitiless creditor who enslaves his helpless victim, and appropriates his all; or the fraudulent borrower who repays a too ready confidence with ruin.
The next two verses answer this burst of grief and despair:
“Said Iahvah, Thine oppression shall be for good;
I will make the foe thy suppliant in time of evil and in time of distress.
Can one break iron,
Iron from the north, and brass?”
In other words, faith counsels patience, and assures the prophet that all things work together for good to them that love God. The wrongs and bitter treatment which he now endures will only enchance his triumph when the truth of his testimony is at last confirmed by events, and they who now scoff at his message come humbly to beseech his prayers. The closing lines refer, with grave irony, to that unflinching firmness, that inflexible resolution, which, as a messenger of God, he was called upon to maintain. He is reminded of what he had undertaken at the outset of his career, and of the Divine Word which made him “a pillar of iron and walls of brass against all the land”. {Jer 1:18} Is it possible that the pillar of iron can be broken, and the walls of brass beaten down by the present assault?
There is a pause, and then the prophet vehemently pleads his own cause with Iahvah. Smarting with the sense of personal wrong, he urges that his suffering is for the Lords own sake; that consciousness of the Divine calling has dominated his entire life, ever since his dedication to the prophetic office; and that the honour of Iahvah requires his vindication upon his heartless and hardened adversaries.
Thou knowest, Iahvah!
Remember me, and visit me, and avenge me on my persecutors.
Take me not away in thy long suffering;
Regard my bearing of reproach for Thee.
Thy words were found and I did eat them,
And it became to me a joy and mine hearts gladness;
For I was called by Thy Name, O Iahvah, God of Sabaoth!
I sate not in the gathering of the mirthful, nor rejoiced;
Because of Thine hand I sate solitary,
For with indignation Thou didst fill me.
“Why hath my pain become perpetual,
And my stroke malignant, incurable?
Wilt Thou indeed become to me like a delusive stream,
Like waters which are not lasting?”
The pregnant expression, “Thou knowest, Iahvah!” does not refer specially to anything that has been already said; but rather lays the whole case before God in a single word. The Thou is emphatic; Thou, Who knowest all things, knowest my heinous wrongs: Thou knowest and seest it all, though the whole world beside be blind with passion and self-regard and sin. {Psa 10:11-14} Thou knowest how pressing is my need; therefore “Take me not away in Thy long suffering”: sacrifice not the life of Thy servant to the claims of forbearance with his enemies and Thine. The petition shows how great was the peril in which the prophet perceived himself to stand: he believes that if God delay to strike down his adversaries, that longsuffering will be fatal to his own life.
The strength of his case is that he is persecuted because he is faithful; he bears reproach for God. He has not abused his high calling for the sake of worldly advantage; he has not prostituted the name of prophet to the vile ends of pleasing the people, and satisfying personal covetousness. He has not feigned smooth prophecies, misleading his hearers with flattering falsehood; but he has considered the privilege of being called a prophet of Iahvah as in itself an all-sufficient reward; and when the Divine Word came to him, he has eagerly received, and fed his inmost soul upon that spiritual aliment, which was at once his sustenance and his deepest joy. Other joys, for the Lords sake, he has abjured. He has withdrawn himself even from harmless mirth, that in silence and solitude he might listen intently to the inward Voice, and reflect with indignant sorrow upon the revelation of his peoples corruption. “Because of Thine Hand”-under Thy influence; conscious of the impulse and operation of thy informing Spirit; -“I sate solitary; for with indignation Thou didst fill me.” The man whose eye has caught a glimpse of eternal Truth, is apt to be dissatisfied with the shows of things; and the lighthearted merriment of the world rings hollow upon the ear that listens for the Voice of God. And the revelation of sin-the discovery of all that ghastly evil which lurks beneath the surface of smooth society-the appalling vision of the grim skeleton hiding its noisome decay behind the mask of smiles and gaiety; the perception of the hideous incongruity of revelling over a grave; has driven others, besides Jeremiah, to retire into themselves, and to avoid a world from whose evil they revolted, and whose foreseen destruction they deplored.
The whole passage is an assertion of the prophets integrity and consistency, with which, it is suggested, that the failure which has attended his efforts, and the serious peril in which he stands, are morally inconsistent, and paradoxical in view of the Divine disposal of events. Here, in fact, as elsewhere, Jeremiah has freely opened his heart, and allowed us to see the whole process of his spiritual conflict in the agony of his moments of doubt and despair. It is an argument of his own perfect sincerity; and, at the same time, it enables us to assimilate the lesson of his experience, and to profit by the heavenly guidance he received, far more effectually than if he had left us ignorant of the painful struggles at the cost of which that guidance was won.
The seeming injustice or indifference of Providence is a problem which recurs to thoughtful minds in all generations of men.
“O, goddes cruel, that governe
This world with byndyng of your word eterne
What governance is in youre prescience
That gilteles tormenteth innocence?
Alas! I see a serpent or a theif,
That many a trewe man hath doon mescheif,
Gon at his large, and wher him luste may turne;
But I moste be in prisoun.”
That such apparent anomalies are but a passing trial, from which persistent faith will emerge victorious in the present life, is the general answer of the Old Testament to the doubts which they suggest. The only sufficient explanation was reserved, to be revealed by Him, who, in the fulness of time, “brought life and immortality to light.”
The thought which restored the failing confidence and courage of Jeremiah was the reflection that such complaints were unworthy of one called to be a spokesman for the Highest; that the supposition of the possibility of the Fountain of Living Waters failing like a winter torrent, that runs dry in the summer heats, was an act of unfaithfulness that merited reproof; and that the true God could not fail to protect His messenger, and to secure the triumph of truth in the end.
To this Iahvah said thus:
If thou come again, I will make thee again to stand before Me;
And if thou utter that is precious rather than that is vile,
As My mouth shalt thou become:
They shall return unto thee,
But Thou shalt not return unto them.
“And I will make thee to this people an embattled wall of brass;
And they shall fight against thee, but not overcome thee,
For I will be with thee to help thee and to save thee;
It is Iahvahs word.
And I will save thee out of the grasp of the wicked,
And will ransom thee out of the hand of the terrible.”
In the former strophe, the inspired poet set forth the claims of the psychic man, and poured out his heart before God. Now he recognises a Word of God in the protest of his better feeling. He sees that where he remains true to himself, he will also stand near to his God. Hence springs the hope, which he cannot renounce, that God will protect His accepted servant in the execution of the Divine commands. Thus the discords are resolved; and the prophets spirit attains to peace, after struggling through the storm.
It was an outcome of earnest prayer, of an unreserved exposure of his inmost heart before God. What a marvel it is-that instinct of prayer. To think that a being whose visible life has its beginning and its end, a being who manifestly shares possession of this earth with the brute creation, and breathes the same air, and partakes of the same elements with them for the sustenance of his body; who is organised upon the same general plan as they, has the same principal members discharging the same essential functions in the economy of his bodily system; a being who is born and eats and drinks and sleeps and dies like all other animals; -that this being and this being only of all the multitudinous kinds of animated creatures, should have and exercise a faculty of looking off and above the visible which appears to be the sole realm of actual existence, and of holding communion with the Unseen! That, following what seems to be an original impulse of his nature, he should stand in greater awe of this Invisible than any power that is palpable to sense; should seek to win its favour, crave its help in times of pain and conflict and peril; should professedly live, not according to the bent of common nature and the appetites inseparable from his bodily structure, but according to the will and guidance of that Unseen Power! Surely there is here a consummate marvel. And the wonder of it does not diminish when it is remembered that this instinct of turning to an unseen Guide and Arbiter of events is not peculiar to any particular section of the human race. Wide and manifold as are the differences which characterise and divide the families of man, all races possess in common the apprehension of the Unseen and the instinct of prayer. The oldest records of humanity bear witness to its primitive activity, and whatever is known of human history combines with what is known of the character and workings of the human mind to teach us that as prayer has never been unknown, so it is never likely to become obsolete. May we not recognise in this great fact of human nature a sure index of a great corresponding truth? Can we avoid taking it as a clear token of the reality of revelation; as a kind of immediate and spontaneous evidence on the part of nature that there is and always has been in this lower world some positive knowledge of that which far transcends it, some real apprehension of the mystery that enfolds the universe? a knowledge and an apprehension which, however imperfect and fragmentary, however fitful and fluctuating, however blurred in outline and lost in infinite shadow, is yet incomparably more and better than none at all. Are we not, in short, morally driven upon the conviction that this powerful instinct of our nature is neither blind nor aimless; that its Object is a true, substantive Being; and that this Being has discovered, and yet discovers, some precious glimpses of Himself and His essential character to the spirit of mortal man? It must be so, unless we admit that the souls dearest desires are a mocking illusion, that her aspirations towards a truth and a goodness of superhuman perfection are moonshine and madness. It cannot be nothingness that avails to evoke the deepest and purest emotions of our nature; not mere vacuity and chaos, wearing the semblance of an azure heaven. It is not into a measureless waste of outer darkness that we reach forth trembling hands.
Surely the spirit of denial is the spirit that fell from heaven, and the best and highest of mans thoughts aim at and affirm something positive, something that is, and the soul thirsts after God, the Living God.
We hear much in these days of our physical nature. The microscopic investigations of science leave nothing unexamined, nothing unexplored, so far as the visible organism is concerned. Rays from many distinct sources converge to throw an ever-increasing light upon the mysteries of our bodily constitution. In all this, science presents to the devout mind a valuable subsidiary revelation of the power and goodness of the Creator. But science cannot advance alone one step beyond the things of time and sense; her facts belong exclusively to the. material order of existence; her cognition is limited to the various modes and conditions of force that constitute the realm of sight and touch; she cannot climb above these to a higher plane of being. And small blame it is to science that she thus lacks the power of overstepping her natural boundaries. The evil begins when the men of science venture, in her much-abused name, to ignore and deny realities not amenable to scientific tests, and immeasurably transcending all merely physical standards and methods.
Neither the natural history nor the physiology of man, nor both together, are competent to give a complete account of his marvellous and many-sided being. Yet some thinkers appear to imagine that when a place has been assigned him in the animal kingdom, and his close relationship to forms below him in the scale of life has been demonstrated: when every tissue and structure has been analysed, and every organ described and its function ascertained; then the last word has been spoken, and the subject exhausted. Those unique and distinguishing faculties by which all this amazing work of observation, comparison, reasoning, has been accomplished, appear either to be left out of the account altogether, or to be handled with a meagre inadequacy of treatment that contrasts in the strongest manner with the fulness and the elaboration which mark the other discussion. And the more this physical aspect of our composite nature is emphasised; the more urgently it is insisted that, somehow or other, all that is in man and all that comes of man may be explained on the assumption that he is the natural climax of the animal creation, a kind of educated and glorified brute-that and nothing more; -the harder it becomes to give any rational account of those facts of his nature which are commonly recognised as spiritual, and among them of this instinct of prayer and its Object.
Under these discouraging circumstances, men are fatally prone to seek escape from their self-involved dilemma by a hardy denial of what their methods have failed to discover and their favourite theories to explain. The soul and God are treated as mere metaphysical expressions, or as popular designations of the unknown causes of phenomena; and prayer is declared to be an act of foolish superstition which persons of culture have long since outgrown. Sad and strange this result is; but it is also the natural outcome of an initial error, which is none the less real because unperceived. Men “seek the living among the dead”; they expect to find the soul by post mortem examination, or to see God by help of an improved telescope. They fail and are disappointed, though they have little right to be so, for “spiritual things are discerned spiritually,” and not otherwise.
In speculating on the reason of this lamentable issue, we must not forget that there is such a thing as an unpurified intellect as well as a corrupt and unregenerate heart. Sin is not restricted to the affections of the lower nature; it has also invaded the realm of thought and reason. The very pursuit of knowledge, noble and elevating as it is commonly esteemed, is not without its dangers of self-delusion and sin. Wherever the love of self is paramount, wherever the object really sought is the delight, the satisfaction, the indulgence of self, no matter in which of the many departments of human life and action, there is sin. It is certain that the intellectual consciousness has its own peculiar pleasures, and those of the keenest and most transporting character; certain that the incessant pursuit of such pleasures may come to absorb the entire energies of a man, so that no room is left for the culture of humility or love or worship. Everything is sacrificed to what is called the pursuit of truth, but is in sober fact a passionate prosecution of private pleasure. It is not truth that is so highly valued; it is the keen excitement of the race, and not seldom the plaudits of the spectators when the goal is won. Such a career may be as thoroughly selfish and sinful and alienated from God as a career of common wickedness. And thus employed or enthralled, no intellectual gifts, however splendid, can bring a man to the discernment of spiritual truth. Not self-pleasing and foolish vanity and arrogant self-assertion, but a self-renouncing humility, an inward purity from idols of every kind, a reverence of truth as divine, are indispensable conditions of the perception of things spiritual.
The representation which is often given is a mere travesty. Believers in God do not want to alter His laws by their prayers-neither His laws physical, nor His laws moral and spiritual. It is their chief desire to be brought into submission or perfect obedience to the sum of His laws. They ask their Father in heaven to lead and teach them, to supply their wants in His own way, because He is their Father; because “It is He that made us, and His we are.” Surely, a reasonable request, and grounded in reason.
To a plain man, seeking for arguments to justify prayer may well seem like seeking a justification of breathing or eating and drinking and sleeping, or any other natural function. Our Lord never does anything of the kind, because His teaching takes for granted the ultimate prevalence of common sense, in spite of all the subtleties and airspun perplexities in which a speculative mind delights to lose itself. So long as man has other wants than those which he can himself supply, prayer will be their natural expression.
If there be a spiritual as distinct from a material world, the difficulty to the ordinary mind is not to conceive of their contact but of their absolute isolation from each other. This is surely the inevitable result of our own individual experience, of the intimate though not indissoluble union of body and spirit in every living person.
How, it may be asked, can we really think of his Maker being cut off from man, or man from his Maker? God were not God, if He left man to himself. But not only are His wisdom, justice, and love manifested forth in the beneficent arrangements of the world in which we find ourselves; not only is He “kind to the unjust and the unthankful.” In pain and loss lie quickens our sense of Himself. {cf. Jer 14:19-22} Even in the first moments of angry surprise and revolt, that sense is quickened; we rebel, not against an inanimate world or an impersonal law, but against a Living and Personal Being, whom we acknowledge as the Arbiter of our destinies, and whose wisdom and love and power we affect for the time to question, but cannot really gainsay. The whole of our experience tends to this end-to the continual rousing of our spiritual consciousness. There is no interference, no isolated and capricious interposition or interruption of order within or without us. Within and without us, His Will is always energising, always manifesting forth His Being, encouraging our confidence, demanding our obedience and homage.
Thus prayer has its Divine as well as its human side; it is the Holy Spirit drawing the soul, as well as the soul drawing nigh unto God. The case is like the action and reaction of the magnet and the steel. And so prayer is not a foolish act of unauthorised presumption, not a rash effort to approach unapproachable and absolutely isolated Majesty. Whenever man truly prays, his Divine King has already extended the sceptre of His mercy, and bidden him speak.
Jer 16:1-21; Jer 17:1-27
After the renewal of the promise there is a natural pause, marked by the formula with which the present section opens. When the prophet had recovered his firmness, through the inspired and inspiring reflections which took possession of his soul after he had laid bare his inmost heart before God (Jer 15:20-21), he was in a position to receive further guidance from above. What now lies before us is the direction, which came to him as certainly Divine, for the regulation of his own future behaviour as the chosen minister of Iahvah at this crisis in the history of his people. “And there fell a word of Iahvah unto me, saying: Thou shalt not take thee a wife: that thou get not sons and daughters in this place.” Such a prohibition reveals, with the utmost possible clearness and emphasis, the gravity of the existing situation. It implies that the “peace and permanence,” so glibly predicted by Jeremiahs opponents, will never more be known by that sinful generation. “This place,” the holy place which Iahvah had “chosen, to establish His name there,” as the Book of the Law so often describes it; “this place,” which had been inviolable to the fierce hosts of the Assyrian in the time of Isaiah, {Isa 37:33} was now no more a sure refuge, but doomed to utter and speedy destruction. To beget sons and daughters there was to prepare more victims for the tooth of famine, and the pangs of pestilence, and the devouring sword of a merciless conqueror. It was to fatten the soil with unburied carcases, and to spread a hideous banquet for birds and beasts of prey. Children and parents were doomed to perish together; and Iahvahs witness was to keep himself unencumbered by the sweet cares of husband and father, that he might be wholly free for his solemn duties of menace and warning, and be ready for every emergency.
For thus hath Iahvah said:
Concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place,
And concerning their mothers that bear them,
And concerning their fathers that beget them, in this land:
By deaths of agony shall they die;
“They shall not be mourned nor buried;
For dung on the face of the ground shall they serve;
And by the sword and by the famine shall they be for done:
And their carcase shall serve for food
To the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the earth.” {Jer 16:3-4}
The “deaths of agony” seem to indicate the pestilence, which always ensued upon the scarcity and vile quality of food, and the confinement of multitudes within the narrow bounds of a besieged city (see Josephus well known account of the last siege of Jerusalem).
The attitude of solitary watchfulness and strict separation, which the prophet thus perceived to be required by circumstances, was calculated to be a warning of the utmost significance, among a people who attached the highest importance to marriage and the permanence of the family.
It proclaimed more loudly than words could do, the prophets absolute conviction that offspring was no pledge of permanence; that universal death was hanging over a condemned nation. But not only this. It marks a point of progress in the prophets spiritual life. The crisis, through which we have seen him pass, has purged his mental vision. He no longer repines at his dark lot; no longer half envies the false prophets, who may win the popular love by pleasing oracles of peace and well-being; no longer complains of the Divine Will, which has laid such a burden upon him. He sees now that his part is to refuse even natural and innocent pleasures for the Lords sake; to foresee calamity and ruin; to denounce unceasingly the sin he sees around him; to sacrifice a tender and affectionate heart to a life of rigid asceticism; and he manfully accepts his part. He knows that he stands alone-the last fortress of truth in a world of falsehood; and that for truth it becomes a man to surrender his all.
That which follows tends to complete the prophets social isolation. He is to give no sign of sympathy in the common joys and sorrows of his kind.
For thus hath Iahvah said:
Enter thou not into the house of mourning,
Nor go to lament, nor comfort thou them:
For I have taken away My friendship from this people (Tis Iahvahs utterance!)
The lovingkindness and the compassion;
And old and young shall die in this land,
They shall not be buried, and men shall not wail for them;
Nor shall a man cut himself, nor make himself bald, for them:
Neither shall men deal out bread to them in mourning,
To comfort a man over the dead;
Nor shall they give them to drink the cup of consolation,
Over a mans father and over his mother.
“And the house of feasting thou shalt not enter,
To sit with them to eat and to drink.
For thus hath Iahvah Sabaoth, the God of Israel, said:
Lo, I am about to make to cease from this place,
Before your own eyes and in your own days,
Voice of mirth and voice of gladness,
The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.”
Acting as prophet, that is, as one whose public actions were symbolical of a Divine intent, Jeremiah is henceforth to stand aloof, on occasions when natural feeling would suggest participation in the outward life of his friends and acquaintance. He is to quell the inward stirrings of affection and sympathy, and to abstain from playing his part in those demonstrative lamentations over the dead, which the immemorial custom and sentiment of his country regarded as obligatory; and this, in order to signify unmistakably that what thus appeared to be the state of his own feelings, was really the aspect under which God would shortly appear to a nation perishing in its guilt. “Enter not into the house of mourning for I have taken away My friendship from this people, the lovingkindness and the compassion.” An estranged and alienated God would view the coming catastrophe with the cold indifference of exact justice. And the consequence of the Divine aversion would be a calamity so overwhelming that the dead would be left without those rites of burial which the feeling and conscience of all races of mankind have always been careful to perform. There should be no burial, much less ceremonial lamentation, and those more serious modes of evincing grief by disfigurement of the person, which, like tearing the hair and rending the garments, are natural tokens of the first distraction of bereavement. Not for wife or child, {me: Gen 23:3} nor for father or mother should the funeral feast be held; for mens hearts would grow hard at the daily spectacle of death, and at last there would be no survivors.
In like manner, the prophet is forbidden to enter as guest “the house of feasting.” He is not to be seen at the marriage feast, -that occasion of highest rejoicing, the very type and example of innocent and holy mirth; to testify by his abstention that the day of judgment was swiftly approaching, which would desolate all homes, and silence for evermore all sounds of joy and gladness in the ruined city. And it is expressly added that the blow will fall “before your own eyes and in your own days”; showing that the hour of doom was very near, and would no more be delayed.
In all this, it is noticeable that the Divine answer appears to bear special reference to the peculiar terms of the prophets complaint. In depairing tones he had cried, {Jer 15:10} “Woes me, my mother, that thou didst bear me!” and now he is himself warned not to take a wife and seek the blessing of children. The outward connection here may be: “Let it not be that thy children speak of thee, as thou hast spoken of thy mother!” But the inner link of thought may rather be this, that the prophets temporary unfaithfulness evinced in his outcry against God and his lament that ever he was born is punished by the denial to him of the joys of fatherhood-a penalty which would be severe to a loving, yearning nature like his, but which was doubtless necessary to the purification of his spirit from all worldly taint, and to the discipline of his natural impatience and tendency to repine under the hand of God. His punishment, like that of Moses, may appear disproportionate to his offence; but Gods dealings with man are not regulated by any mechanical calculation of less and more, but by His perfect knowledge of the needs of the case; and it is often in truest mercy that His hand strike hard. “As gold in the furnace doth He try them”; and the purest metal comes out of the hottest fire.
Further, it is not the least prominent, but the leading part of a mans nature that most requires this heavenly discipline, if the best is to be made of it that can be made. The strongest element, that which is most characteristic of the person, that which constitutes his individuality, is the chosen field of Divine influence and operation; for here lies the greatest need. In Jeremiah this master element was an almost feminine tenderness; a warmly affectionate disposition, craving the love and sympathy of his fellows, and recoiling almost in agony from the spectacle of pain and suffering. And therefore it was that the Divine discipline was specially applied to this element in the prophets personality. In him, as in all other men, the good was mingled with evil, which, if not purged away, might spread until it spoiled his whole nature. It is not virtue to indulge our own bent, merely because it pleases us to do so; nor is the exercise of affection any great matter to an affectionate nature. The involved strain of selfishness must be separated, if any naturally good gift is to be elevated to moral worth, to become acceptable in the sight of God. And so it was precisely here, in his most susceptible point, that the sword of trial pierced the prophet through. He was saved from all hazard of becoming satisfied with the love of wife and children, and forgetting in that earthly satisfaction the love of his God. He was saved from absorption in the pleasures of friendly intercourse with neighbours, from passing his days in an agreeable round of social amenities; at a time when ruin was impending over his country, and well-nigh ready to fall. And the means which God chose for the accomplishment of this result were precisely those of which the prophet had complained; {Jer 15:17} his social isolation, which though in part a matter of choice, was partly forced upon him by the irritation and ill will of his acquaintance. It is now declared that this trial is to continue. The Lord does not necessarily remove a trouble when entreated to do it. He manifests His love by giving strength to bear it, until the work of chastening be perfected.
An interruption is now supposed, such as may often have occurred in the course of Jeremiahs public utterances. The audience demands to know why all this evil is ordained to fall upon them. “What is our guilt and what our trespass, that we have trespassed against Iahvah our God?” The answer is a twofold accusation. Their fathers were faithless to Iahvah, and they have outdone their fathers sin; and the penalty will be expulsion and a foreign servitude.
“Because your fathers forsook Me (It is Iahvahs word!)
And went after other gods, and served them, and bowed down to them,
And Me they forsook, and My teaching they observed not:
And ye yourselves (or, as for you) have done worse than your fathers;
And lo, ye walk each after the stubbornness of his evil heart,
So as not to hearken unto Me.
Therefore will I hurl you from off this land,
On to the land that ye and your fathers knew not;
And ye may serve there other gods, day and night,
Since I will not grant you grace.”
The damning sin laid to Israels charge is idolatry, with all the moral consequences involved in that prime transgression. That is to say, the offence consisted not barely in recognising and honouring the gods of the nations along with their own God, though that were fault enough, as an act of treason against the sole majesty of Heaven; but it was aggravated enormously by the moral declension and depravity which accompanied this apostasy. They and their fathers forsook Iahvah “and kept not His teaching”; a reference to the Book of the Law, considered not only as a collection of ritual and ceremonial precepts for the regulation of external religion, but as a guide of life and conduct. And there had been a progress in evil; the nation had gone from bad to worse with fearful rapidity: so that now it could be said of the existing generation that it paid no heed at all to the monitions which Iahvah uttered by the mouth of His prophet, but walked simply in stubborn self-will and the indulgence of every corrupt inclination. And here too, as in so many other cases, the sin is to be its own punishment. The Book of the Law had declared that revolt from Iahvah should be punished by enforced service of strange gods in a strange land; {Deu 4:28; Deu 28:36; Deu 28:64} and Jeremiah repeats this threat, with the addition of a tone of ironical concession: there, in your bitter banishment, you may have your wish to the full; you may serve the foreign gods, and that without intermission (implying that the service would be a slavery).
The whole theory of Divine punishment is implicit in these few words of the prophet. They who sin persistently against light and knowledge are at last given over to their own hearts lust, to do as they please, without the gracious check of Gods inward voice. And then there comes a strong delusion, so that they believe a lie, and take evil for good and good for evil, and hold themselves innocent before God, when their guilt has reached its climax; so that, like Jeremiahs hearers, if their evil be denounced, they can ask in astonishment: “What is our iniquity? or what is our trespass?”
They are so ripe in sin that they retain no knowledge of it as sin, but hold it virtue.
“And they, so perfect is their misery,
Not once perceive their foul disfigurement,
But boast themselves more comely than before.”
And not only do we find in this passage a striking instance of judicial blindness as the penalty of sin. We may see also in the penalty predicted for the Jews a plain analogy to the doctrine that the permanence of the sinful state in a life to come is the penalty of sin in the present life. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still!” and know himself to be what he is.
The prophets dark horizon is here apparently lit up for a moment by a gleam of hope. The fourteenth and fifteenth verses (Jer 16:14-15), however, with their beautiful promise of restoration, really belong to another oracle, whose prevailing tones are quite different from the present gloomy forecast of retribution. {Jer 23:7 sqq.} Here they interrupt the sense, and make a cleavage in the connection of thought, which can only be bridged over artificially, by the suggestion that the import of the two verses is primarily not consolatory but minatory; that is to say, that they threaten Exile rather than promise Return; a mode of understanding the two verses which does manifest violence to the whole form of expression, and, above all, to their obvious force in the original passage from which they have been transferred hither. Probably some transcriber of the text wrote them in the margin of his copy, by way of palliating the otherwise unbroken gloom of this oracle of coming woe. Then, at some later time, another copyist, supposing the marginal note indicated an omission, incorporated the two verses in his transcription of the text, where they have remained ever since. {See on Jer 23:7-8}
After plainly announcing in the language of Deuteronomy the expulsion of Judah from the land which they had desecrated by idolatry, the prophet develops the idea in his own poetic fashion; representing the punishment as universal, and insisting that it is a punishment, and not an unmerited misfortune.
“Lo, I am about to send many fishers (It is Iahvahs word!)
And they shall fish them;
And afterwards will I send many hunters,
And they shall hunt them,
From off every mountain,
And from off every hill,
And out of the clefts of the rocks.”
Like silly fish, crowding helplessly one over another into the net, when the fated moment arrives, Judah will fall an easy prey to the destroyer. And “afterwards,” to ensure completeness, those who have survived this first disaster will be hunted like wild beasts, out of all the dens and caves in the mountains, the Adullams and Engedis, where they have found a refuge from the invader.
There is clearly reference to two distinct visitations of wrath, the latter more deadly than the former; else why the use of the emphatic note of time “afterwards”? If we understand by the “fishing” of the country the so-called first captivity, the carrying away of the boy-king Jehoiachin and his mother and his nobles and ten thousand principal citizens, by Nebuchadrezzar to Babylon; {2Ki 24:10 sqq.} and by the “hunting” the final catastrophe in the time of Zedekiah; we get, as we shall see, a probable explanation of a difficult expression in the eighteenth verse, which cannot otherwise be satisfactorily accounted for. The next words (Jer 16:17) refute an assumption, implied in the popular demand to know wherein the guilt of the nation consists, that Iahvah is not really cognisant of their acts of apostasy.
For Mine eyes are upon all their ways,
They are not hidden away from before My face
Nor is their guilt kept secret from before Mine eyes.
The verse is thus an indirect reply to the questions of Jer 16:10; questions which in some mouths might indicate that unconsciousness of guilt which is the token of sin finished and perfected; in others, the presence of that unbelief which doubts whether God can, or at least whether He does regard human conduct. But “He that planted the ear, can He not hear? He that formed the eye, can He not see?”. {Psa 94:9} It is really an utterly irrational thought, that sight, and hearing, and the higher faculties of reflection and consciousness, had their origin in a blind and deaf a senseless and unconscious source such as inorganic matter, whether we consider it in the atom or in the enormous mass of an embryo system of stars.
The measure of the penalty is now assigned.
“And I will repay first the double of their guilt and their trespass
For that they profaned My land with the carcases of their loathly offerings,
And their abominations filled Mine heritage.”
“I will repay first.” The term “first,” which has occasioned much perplexity to expositors, means “the first time,” {Gen 38:28; Dan 11:29} and refers, if I am not mistaken, to the first great blow, the captivity of Jehoiachin, of which I spoke just now; an occasion which is designated again (Jer 16:21), by the expression “this once” or rather “at this time.” And when it is said “I will repay the double of their guilt and of their trespass,” we are to understand that the Divine justice is not satisfied with half measures; the punishment of sin is proportioned to the offence, and the cup of self-entailed misery has to be drained to the dregs. Even penitence does not abolish the physical and temporal consequences of sin; in ourselves and in others whom we have influenced they continue-a terrible and ineffaceable record of the past. The ancient law required that the man who had wronged his neighbour by theft or fraud should restore double; {Exo 22:4; Exo 22:7; Exo 22:9} and thus this expression would appear to denote that the impending chastisement would be in strict accordance with the recognised rule of law and justice, and that Judah must repay to the Lord in suffering the legal equivalent for her offence. In a like strain, towards the end of the Exile, the great prophet of the captivity comforts Jerusalem with the announcement that “her hard service is accomplished, her punishment is held sufficient; for she hath received of Iahvahs hand twofold for all her trespasses”. {Isa 40:2} The Divine severity is, in fact, truest mercy. Only thus does mankind learn to realise “the exceeding sinfulness of sin,” only as Judah learned the heinousness of desecrating the Holy Land with “loathly offerings” to the vile Nature gods, and with the symbols in wood and stone of the cruel and obscene deities of Canaan; viz. by the fearful issue of transgression, the lesson of a calamitous experience, confirming the forecasts of its inspired prophets.
Iahvah my strength and my stronghold and my refuge in the day of distress!
Unto Thee the very heathen will come from the ends of the earth, and will say:
Mere fraud did oar fathers receive as their own,
Mere breath, and beings among whom is no helper.
Should man make him gods,
When such things are not gods?
“Therefore, behold I am about to let them know-
And this time will I let them know My hand and My might,
And they shall know that my name is Iahvah!”
In the opening words Jeremiah passionately recoils from the very mention of the hateful idols, the loathly creations, the lifeless “carcases,” which his people have put in the place of the Living God. An overmastering access of faith lifts him off the low ground where these dead things lie in their helplessness, and bears him in spirit to Iahvah, the really and eternally existing, Who is his “strength and stronghold and refuge in the day of distress.” From this height he takes an eagle glance into the dim future, and discerns-O marvel of victorious faith!-that the very heathen, who have never so much as known the Name of Iahvah. must one day be brought to acknowledge the impotence of their hereditary gods, and the sole deity of the Mighty One of Jacob. He enjoys a glimpse of Isaiahs and Micahs glorious vision of the latter days, when “the mountain of the Lords House shall be exalted as chief of mountains, and all nations shall flow unto it.”
In the light of this revelation, the sin and folly of Israel in dishonouring the One only God, by associating Him with idols and their symbols, becomes glaringly visible. The very heathen (the term is emphatic by position), will at last grope their way out of the night of traditional ignorance, and will own the absurdity of manufactured gods. Israel, on the other hand, has for centuries sinned against knowledge and reason. They had “Moses and the prophets”; yet they hated warning and despised reproof. They resisted the Divine teachings, because they loved to walk in their own ways, after the imaginings of their own evil hearts. And so they soon fell into that strange blindness. which suffered them to see no sin in giving companions to Iahvah, and neglecting His severer worship for the sensuous rites of Canaan.
A rude awakening awaits them. Once more will Iahvah interpose to save them from their infatuation. “This time” they shall be taught to know the nothingness of idols, not by the voice of prophetic pleadings, not by the fervid teachings of the Book of the Law, but by the sword of the enemy, by the rapine and ruin, in which the resistless might of Iahvah will be manifested against His rebellious people. Then, when the warnings which they have ridiculed find fearful accomplishment, then will they know that the name of the One God is IAHVAH-He Who alone was and is and shall be for evermore. In the shock of overthrow, in the sorrows of captivity, they will realise the enormity of assimilating the Supreme Source of events, the Fountain of all being and power, to the miserable phantoms of a darkened and perverted imagination.
Jer 17:1-18. Jeremiah, speaking for God, returns to the affirmation of Judahs guiltiness. He has answered the popular question (Jer 16:10), so far as it implied that it was no mortal sin to associate the worship of alien gods with the worship of Iahvah. He now proceeds to answer it with an indignant contradiction, so far as it suggested that Judah was no longer guilty of the grossest forms of idolatry.
Jer 17:1-2. “The trespass of Judah,” he affirms, “is written with pen of iron, with point of adamant; Graven upon the tablet of their heart, And upon the horns of their altars: Even as their sons remember their altars, And their sacred poles by the evergreen trees, Upon the high hills.”
Jer 17:3-4. O My mountain in the field! Thy wealth and all thy treasures will I give for a spoil, For the trespass of thine high places in all thy borders. And thou shalt drop thine hand from thy demesne which I gave thee; And I will enslave thee to thine enemies, In the land that thou knowest not; For a fire have ye kindled in Mine anger; It shall burn for evermore.”
It is clear from the first strophe that the outward forms of idolatry were no longer openly practised in the country. Where otherwise would be the point of affirming that the national sin was “written with pen of iron, and point of adamant”-that it was “graven upon the tablet of the peoples heart?” Where would be the point of alluding to the childrens memory of the altars and sacred poles, which were the visible adjuncts of idolatry? Plainly it is implied that the hideous rites, which sometimes involved the sacrifice of children, are a thing of the past; yet not of the distant past, for the young of the present generation remember them; those terrible scenes are burnt in upon their memories, as a haunting recollection which can no more be effaced, than the guilt contracted by their parents as agents in those abhorrent rites can be done away. The indelible characters of sin are graven deeply upon their hearts; no need for a prophet to remind them of facts to which their own consciences, their own inward sense of outraged affections, and of nature sacrificed to a dark and bloody superstition, bears irrefragable witness. Rivers of water cannot cleanse the stain of innocent blood from their polluted altars. The crimes of the past are unatoned for, and beyond reach of atonement; they cry to heaven for vengeance, and the vengeance will surely fall. {Jer 15:4}
Hitzig rather prosaically remarks that Josiah had destroyed the altars. But the stains of which the poet-seer speaks are not palpable to sense; he contemplates unseen realities.
“Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand?
No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red.”
The second strophe declares the nature of the punishment. The tender, yearning, hopeless love of the cry with which Iahvah resigns His earthly seat to profanation and plunder and red-handed ruin, enhances the awful impression wrought by the slow, deliberate enunciation of the details of the sentence-the utter spoliation of temple and palaces; the accumulated hordes of generations-all that represented the wealth and culture and glory of the time-carried away forever; the enforced surrender of home and country; the harsh servitude to strangers in a far off land.
It is difficult to fix the date of this short lyrical outpouring, if it be assumed, with Hitzig, that it is an independent whole. He refers it to the year B.C. 602, after Jehoiakim had revolted from Babylon-“a proceeding which made a future captivity well nigh certain, and made it plain that the sin of Judah remained still to be punished.” Moreover, the preceding year (B.C. 603) was what was known to the Law as a Year of Release or Remission (shenath shemittah); and the phrase “thou shalt drop thine hand,” i.e., “loose thine hold of” the land, {Jer 17:4} appears to allude to the peculiar usages of that year, in which the debtor was released from his obligations, and the corn lands and vineyards were allowed to lie fallow. The Year of Release was also called the Year of Rest; {shenath shabbathon, Lev 25:5} and both in the present passage of Jeremiah, and in the book of Leviticus, the time to be spent by the Jews in exile is regarded as a period of rest for the desolate land, which would then “make good her sabbaths”. {Lev 26:34-35; Lev 26:43} The Chronicler indeed seems to refer to this very phrase of Jeremiah; at all events, nothing else is to be found in the extant works of the prophet with which his language corresponds. {2Ch 36:21}
If the rendering of the second verse, which we find in both our English versions, and which I have adopted above, be correct, there arises an obvious objection to the date assigned by Hitzig; and the same objection lies against the view of Naegelsbach, who translates:
“As their children remember their altars,
And their images of Baal by (i.e., at the sight of) the green trees, by the high hills.”
For in what sense could this have been written “not long before the fourth year of Jehoiakim,” which is the date suggested by this commentator for the whole group of chapters, Jer 14:1-22; Jer 15:1-21; Jer 16:1-21; Jer 17:1-27; Jer 18:1-23? The entire reign of Josiah had intervened between the atrocities of Manasseh and this period; and it is not easy to suppose that any sacrifice of children had occurred in the three months reign of Jehoahaz, or in the early years of Jehoiakim. Had it been so, Jeremiah, who denounces the latter king severely enough, would certainly have placed the horrible fact in the forefront of his invective; and instead of specifying Manasseh as the king whose offences Iahvah would not pardon, would have thus branded Jehoiakim, his own contemporary. This difficulty appears to be avoided by Hitzig, who explains the passage thus: “When they (the Jews) think of their children, they remember, and cannot but remember, the altars to whose horns the blood of their immolated children cleaves. In the same way, by a green tree on the hills, i.e., when they come upon any such, their Asherim are brought to mind, which were trees of that sort.” And since it is perhaps possible to translate the Hebrew as this suggests, “When they remember their sons, their altars, and their sacred poles, by” (i.e., by means of) “the evergreen trees” (collective term) “upon the high hills,” and this translation agrees well with the statement that the sin of Judah is “graven upon the tablet of their heart,” his view deserves further consideration. The same objection, however, presses again, though with somewhat diminished force. For if the date of the section be 602, the eighth year of Jehoiakim, more than forty years must have elapsed between the time of Manassehs bloody rites and the utterance of this oracle. Would many who were parents then, and surrendered their children for sacrifice, be still living at the supposed date? And if not, where is the appropriateness of the words “When they remember their sons, their altars, and their Asherim?”
There seems no way out of the difficulty, but either to date the piece much earlier, assigning it, e.g., to the time of the prophets earnest preaching in connection with the reforming movement of Josiah, when the living generation would certainly remember the human sacrifices under Manasseh; or else to construe the passage in a very different sense, as follows. The first verse declares that the sin of Judah is graven upon the tablet of their heart, and upon the horns of their altars. The pronouns evidently show that it is the guilt of the nation, not of a particular generation, that is asserted. The subsequent words agree with this view. The expression, “Their sons” is to be understood in the same way as the expressions “their heart,” “their altars.” It is equivalent to the “sons of Judah” (bene Jehudah), and means simply the people of Judah, as now existing, the present generation. Now it does not appear that image worship and the cultus of the high places revived after their abolition by Josiah. Accordingly, the symbols of impure worship mentioned in this passage are not high places and images, but altars and Asherim, i.e., the wooden poles which were the emblems of the reproductive principle of Nature. What the passage therefore intends to say would seem to be this: “The guilt of the nation remains, so long as its children are mindful of their altars and Asherim erected beside the evergreen trees on the high hills”; i.e., so long as they remain attached to the modified idolatry of the day.
The general force of the words remains the same, whether they accuse the existing generation of serving sun pillars (macceboth) and sacred poles (asherim), or merely of hankering after the old, forbidden rites. For so long as the popular heart was wedded to the former superstitions, it could not be said that any external abolition of idolatry was a sufficient proof of national repentance. The longing to indulge in sin is sin; and sinful it is not to hate sin. The guilt of the nation remained, therefore, and would remain, until blotted out by the tears of a genuine repentance towards Iahvah.
But understood thus, the passage suits the time of Jehoiachin, as well as any other period.
“Why,” asks Naegelsbach, “should not Moloch have been the terror of the Israelitish children, when there was such real and sad ground for it, as is wanting in other bugbears which terrify the children of the present day?” To this we may reply,
(1) Moloch is not mentioned at all, but simply altars and, asherim;
(2) would the word “remember” be appropriate in this case?
The beautiful strophes which follow (Jer 17:5-13) are not obviously connected with the preceding text. They wear a look of self-completeness, which suggests that here and in many other places Jeremiah has left us, not whole discourses, written down substantially in the form in which they were delivered, but rather his more finished fragments; pieces which being more rhythmical in form, and more striking in thought, had imprinted themselves more deeply upon his memory.
Thus hath Iahvah said:
Cursed is the man that trusteth in human kind,
And maketh flesh his arm,
And whose heart swerveth from Iahvah!
And he shall become like a leafless tree in the desert,
And shall not see when good cometh;
And shall dwell in parched places in the steppe,
A salt land and uninhabited.
“Blessed is the man that trusteth in Iahvah,
And whose trust Iahvah becometh!
And he shall become like a tree planted by water,
That spreadeth its roots by a stream,
And is not afraid when heat cometh,
And its leaf is evergreen;
And in the year of drought it feareth not,
Nor leaveth off from making fruit.”
The form of the thought expressed in these two octostichs, the curse and the blessing, may have been suggested by the curses and blessings of that Book of the Law of which Jeremiah had been so faithful an interpreter; {Deu 27:15-26; Deu 28:1-20} while both the thought and the form of the second stanza are imitated by the anonymous poet of the first psalm.
The mention of “the year of drought” in the penultimate line may be taken, perhaps, as a link of connection between this brief section and the whole of what precedes it so far as chapter 14, which is headed “Concerning the droughts.” If, however, the group of chapters thus marked out really constitute a single discourse, as Naegelsbach assumes, one can only say that the style is episodical rather than continuous; that the prophet has often recorded detached thoughts, worked up to a certain degree of literary form, but hanging together as loosely as pearls on a string. Indeed, unless we suppose that he had kept full notes of his discourses and soliloquies, or that, like certain professional lecturers of our own day, he had been in the habit of indefinitely repeating to different audiences the same carefully elaborated compositions, it is difficult to understand how he would be able without the aid of a special miracle, to write down in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the numerous utterances of the previous three and twenty years. Neither of these suppositions appears probable. But if the prophet wrote from memory, so long after the original delivery of many of his utterances, the looseness of internal connection, which marks so much of his book, is readily understood.
The internal evidence of the fragment before us, so far as any such is traceable, appears to point to the same period as what precedes, the time immediately subsequent to the death of Jehoiakim. The curse pronounced upon trusting in man may be an allusion to that kings confidence in the Egyptian alliance, which probably induced him to revolt from Nebuchadrezzar, and so precipitate the final catastrophe of his country. He owed his throne to the Pharaohs appointment, {2Ki 23:34} and may perhaps have regarded this as an additional reason for defection from Babylon. But the chastisement of Egypt preceded that of Judah; and when the day came for the latter, the king of Egypt durst no longer go to the help of his too trustful allies. {2Ki 24:7} Jehoiakim had died, but his son and successor was carried captive to Babylon. In the brief interval between those two events, the prophet may have penned these two stanzas, contrasting the issues of confidence in man and confidence in God. On the other hand, they may also be referred to some time not long before the fourth year of Jehoiakim, when that king, egged on by Egypt, was meditating rebellion against his suzerain; an act of which the fatal consequences might easily be foreseen by any thoughtful observer, who was not blinded by fanatical passion and prejudice, and which might itself be regarded as an index of the kindling of Divine wrath against the country.
“Deep is the heart above all things else:
And sore diseased it is: who can know it?
I, Iahvah, search the heart, I try the reins,
And that, to give to a man according to his own ways,
According to the fruit of his own doings.”
“A partridge that gathereth young which are not hers,
Is he that maketh wealth not by right.
In the middle of his days it will leave him,
And in his end he shall prove a fool.”
“A throne of glory, a high seat from of old,
Is the place of our sanctuary.
Hope of Israel, Iahvah!
All that leave Thee shall be ashamed;
Mine apostates shall be written in earth;
For they left the Well of Living Waters, even Iahvah.”
“Heal Thou me, Iahvah, and I shall be healed,
Save Thou me, and I shall be saved,
For Thou art my praise.”
“Lo, they say unto me,
Where is the Word of Iahvah?
Prithee, let it come!
Yet I, I hasted not from being a shepherd after Thee,
And woeful day I desired not-
Thou knowest;
The issue of my lips, before Thy face it fell.”
“Become not a terror to me!
Thou art my refuge in the day of evil.
Let my pursuers be ashamed, and let not me be ashamed!
Let them be dismayed, and let not me be dismayed;
Let Thou come upon them a day of evil,
And doubly with breaking break Thou them!”
In the first of these stanzas, the word “heart” is the connecting link with the previous reflections. The curse and the blessing had there been pronounced not upon any outward and visible distinctions, but upon a certain inward bent and spirit. He is called accursed, whose confidence is placed in changeable, perishable man, and “whose heart swerveth from Iahvah.” And he is blessed, who pins his faith to nothing visible; who looks for help and stay not to the seen, which is temporal, but to the Unseen, which is eternal.
The thought now occurs that this matter of inward trust, being a matter of the heart, and not merely of the outward bearing, is a hidden matter, a secret which baffles all ordinary judgment. Who shall take upon him to say whether this or that man, this or that prince confided or not confided in Iahvah? The human heart is a sea, whose depths are beyond human search; or it is a shifty Proteus, transforming itself from moment to moment under the pressure of changing circumstances, at the magic touch of impulse, under the spell of new perceptions and new phases of its world. And besides, its very life is tainted with a subtle disease, whose hereditary influence is ever interfering with the will and affections, ever tampering with the conscience and the judgment, and making difficult a clear perception, much more a wise decision. Nay, where so many motives press, so many plausible suggestions of good, so many palliations of evil, present themselves upon the eve of action; when the colours of good and evil mingle and gleam together in such rich profusion before the dazzled sight that the mind is bewildered by the confused medley of appearances, and wholly at a loss to discern and disentangle them one from another; is it wonderful, if in such a case the heart should take refuge in the comfortable illusion of self-deceit, and seek, with too great success, to persuade itself into contentment with something which it calls not positive evil but merely a less sublime good?
It is not for man, who cannot see the heart, to pronounce upon the degree of his fellows guilt. All sins, all crimes, are in this respect relative to the intensity of passion, the force of circumstances, the nature of surroundings, the comparative stress of temptation. Murder and adultery are absolute crimes in the eye of human law, and subject as such to fixed penalties; but the Unseen Judge takes cognisance of a thousand considerations, which, though they abolish not the exceeding sinfulness of these hideous results of a depraved nature, yet modify to a vast extent the degree of guilt evinced in particular cases by the same outward acts. In the sight of God a life socially correct may be stained with a deeper dye than that of profligacy or bloodshed; and nothing so glaringly shows the folly of inquiring what is the unpardonable sin as the reflection that any sin whatever may become such in an individual case.
Before God, human justice is often the liveliest injustice. And how many flagrant wrongs, how many monstrous acts of cruelty and oppression, how many wicked frauds and perjuries, how many of those vile deeds of seduction and corruption, which are, in truth, the murder of immortal souls; how many of those fearful sins, which make a sorrow-laden hell beneath the smiling surface of this pleasure-wooing world, are left unheeded, unavenged by any earthly tribunal! But all these things are noted in the eternal record of Him who searches the heart, and penetrates mans inmost being, not from a motive of mere curiosity, but with fixed intent to award a righteous recompense for all choice and all conduct.
The calamities which marked the last years of Jehoiakim, and his ignominious end, were a signal instance of Divine retribution. Here that kings lawless avarice is branded as not only wicked, but foolish. He is compared to the partridge, which gathers and hatches the eggs of other birds, only to be deserted at once by her stolen brood. “In the middle of his days, it shall leave him” (or “it may leave him,” for in Hebrew one form has to do duty for both shades of meaning). The uncertainty of possession, the certainty of absolute surrender within a few short years, this is the point which demonstrates the unreason of making riches the chief end of ones earthly activity. “Truly man walketh in a vain shadow, and disquieteth himself in vain: he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them.” It is the point which is put with such terrible force in the parable of the Rich Fool. “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for thyself for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” “And the Lord said unto him, Thou fool! this night shall thy soul be required of thee.”
The covetousness, oppression, and bloodthirstiness of Jehoiakim are condemned in a striking prophecy, {Jer 22:13-19} which we shall have to consider hereafter. A vivid light is thrown upon the words, “In the middle of his days it shall leave him,” by the fact recorded in Kings, {2Ki 23:36} that he died in the thirty-sixth year of his age; when, that is, he had fulfilled but half of the threescore years and ten allotted to the ordinary life of man. We are reminded of that other psalm which declares that “bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days.” {Psa 55:23}
Apart indeed from all consideration of the future, and apart from all reference to that loyalty to the Unseen Ruler which is mans inevitable duty, a life devoted to Mammon is essentially irrational. The man is mostly a “fool”-that is, one who fails to understand his own nature, one who has not attained to even a tolerable working hypothesis as to the needs of life, and the way to win a due share of happiness; -who has not discovered that
“riches have their proper stint
In the contented mind, not mint”;
and that
“those who have the itch
Of craving more, are never rich”;
and who has missed all apprehension of the grand secret that
“Wealth cannot make a life, but love.”
From the vanity of earthly thrones, whether of Egypt or of Judah, thrones whose glory is transitory, and whose power to help and succour is so ill-assured, the prophet lifts his eyes to the one throne whose glory is everlasting, and whose power and permanence are an eternal refuge.
“Thou Throne of Glory,
High Seat from of old,
Place of our Sanctuary,
Hope of Israel, Iahvah!
All who leave Thee blush for shame:
Mine apostates are written in earth;
For they have forsaken the Well of Living Water, even Iahvah!”
It is his concluding reflection upon the unblest, unhonoured end of the apostate Jehoiakim. If Isaiah could speak of Shebna as a “throne of glory,” i.e., the honoured support and mainstay of his family, there seems no reason why Lahvah might not be so addressed, as the supporting power and sovereign of the world.
The terms “Throne of Glory” “Place of our Sanctuary” seem to be used much as we use the expressions, “the Crown.” “the Court,” “the Throne,” when we mean the actual ruler with whom these things are associated. And when the prophet declares “Mine apostates are written in earth,” he asserts that oblivion is the portion of those of his people, high or low, who forsake Iahvah for another god. Their names are not written in the Book of Exo 32:32; Psa 69:28, but in the sand whence they are soon effaced. The prophets do not attempt to expose
“The sweet strange mystery
Of what beyond these things may lie.”
They do not in express terms promise eternal life to the individual believer.
But how often do their words imply that comfortable doctrine! They who forsake Iahvah must perish, for there is neither permanence nor stay apart from IAHVAH, whose very Name denotes “He who Is,” the sole Principle of Being and Fountain of Life. If they-nations and persons-who revolt from Him must die, the implication, the truth necessary to complete this affirmation, is that they who trust in Him, and make Him their arm, will live; for union with Him is eternal life.
In this Fountain of Living Water Jeremiah now seeks healing for himself. The malady that afflicts him is the apparent failure of his oracles. He suffers as a prophet whose word seems idle to the multitude. He is hurt with their scorn, and wounded to the heart with their scoffing. On all sides men press the mocking question, “Where is the word of Iahvah? Prithee, let it come to pass!” His threats of national overthrow had not been speedily realised; and men made a mock of the delays of Divine mercy. Conscious of his own integrity, and keenly sensitive to the ridicule of his triumphant adversaries, and scarcely able to endure longer his intolerable position, he pours out a prayer for healing and help. “Heal me,” he cries, “and I shall be healed, Save me and I shall be saved” (really and truly saved, as the form of the Hebrew verb implies); “for Thou art my praise,” my boast and nay glory, as the Book of the Law affirms. {Deu 10:21} I have not trusted in man, but in God; and if this my sole glory be taken away, if events prove me a false prophet, as my friends allege, applying the very test of the sacred Law, {Deu 18:21 sq.} then shall I be of all men most forsaken and forlorn. The bitterness of his woe is intensified by the consciousness that he has not thrust himself without call into the prophetic office, like the false prophets whose aim was to traffic in sacred things; {Jer 14:14-15} for then the consciousness of guilt might have made the punishment more tolerable, and the facts would have justified the jeers of his persecutors. But the case was far otherwise. He had been most unwilling to assume the function of prophet; and it was only in obedience to the stress of repeated calls that he had yielded. “But as for me,” he protests, “I hasted not from being a shepherd to follow Thee.” It would seem, if this be the correct, as it certainly is the simplest rendering of his words, that, at the time when he first became aware of his true vocation, the young prophet was engaged in tending the flocks that grazed in the priestly pasture grounds of Anathoth. In that case, we are reminded of David, who was summoned from the sheepfold to camp and court, and of Amos, the prophet herdsman of Tekoa. But the Hebrew term translated “from being a shepherd” is probably a disguise of some other original expression; and it would involve no very violent change to read “I made no haste to follow after Thee fully” or “entirely” {Deu 1:36} a reading which is partially supported by the oldest version. Or it may have been better, as involving a mere change in the punctuation, to amend the text thus: “But as for me, I made no haste, in following Thee,” more literally, “in accompanying Thee”. {Jdg 14:20} This, however, is a point of textual criticism, which leaves the general sense the same in any case.
When the prophet adds: “and the ill day I desired not,” some think that he means the day when he surrendered to the Divine calling, and accepted his mission. But it seems to suit the context better, if we understand by the “ill day” the day of wrath whose coming was the burden of his preaching; the day referred to in the taunts of his enemies, when they asked, “Where is the word of Iahvah?” adding with biting sarcasm: “Prithee, let it come to pass.” They sneered at Jeremiah as one who seized every occasion to predict evil, as one who longed to witness the ruin of his country. The utter injustice of the charge, in view of the frequent cries of anguish which interrupt his melancholy forecasts, is no proof that it was not made. In all ages, Gods representatives have been called upon to endure false accusations. Hence the prophet appeals from mans unrighteous judgment to God the Searcher of hearts. “Thou knowest; the utterance of my lips” {Deu 23:24} “before Thy face it fell”: as if to say, No word of mine, spoken in Thy name, was a figment of my own fancy, uttered for my own purposes, without regard of Thee. I have always spoken as in Thy presence, or rather, in Thy presence. Thou, who hearest all, didst hear each utterance of mine; and therefore knowest that all I said was truthful and honest and in perfect accord with my commission.
If only we who, like Jeremiah, are called upon to speak for God, could always remember that every word we say is uttered in that Presence, what a sense of responsibility would lie upon us; with what labour and prayers should we not make our preparation! Too often alas! it is to be feared that our perception of the presence of man banishes all sense of any higher presence; and the anticipation of a fallible and frivolous criticism makes us forget for the time the judgment of God. And yet “by our words we shall be justified, and by our words we shall be condemned.”
In continuing his prayer, Jeremiah adds the remarkable petition, “Become not Thou to me a cause of dismay!” He prays to be delivered from that overwhelming perplexity, which threatens to swallow him up, unless God should verify by events that which His own Spirit has prompted him to utter. He prays that Iahvah, his only “refuge in the day of evil,” will not bemock him with vain expectations; will not falsify His own guidance; will not suffer His messenger to be “ashamed,” disappointed and put to the blush by the failure of his predictions. And then once again, in the spirit of his time, he implores vengeance upon his unbelieving and cruel persecutors: “Let them be ashamed,” disappointed in their expectation of immunity, “let them be dismayed,” crushed in spirit and utterly overcome by the fulfilment of his dark presages of evil. “Let Thou come upon them a day of evil, And doubly with breaking break Thou them!” This indeed asks no more than that what has been spoken before in the way of prophecy-“I will repay the double of their guilt and their trespass” {Jer 16:18} -may be forthwith accomplished. And the provocation was, beyond all question, immense. The hatred that burned in the taunt “where is the word of Iahvah? Prithee, let it come to pass!” was doubtless of like kind with that which at a later stage of Jewish history expressed itself in the words “He trusted in God, let Him deliver Him!” “If He be the Son of God, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on Him!”
And how much fierce hostility that one term “my pursuers” may cover, it is easy to infer from the narratives of the prophets evil experience in chapters 20, 26, and 38. But allowing for all this, we can at best only affirm that the prophets imprecations on his foes are natural and human; we cannot pretend that they are evangelical and Christ-like. Besides, the latter would be a gratuitous anachronism, which no intelligent interpreter of Scripture is called upon to perpetrate. It is neither necessary to the proper vindication of the prophets writings as truly inspired of God, nor helpful to a right conception of the method of revelation.