July 29, 2025
God's people are guilty. A consequence is coming their way!
Jeremiah 5-7
Ben Stogner
Big Book Idea
Being a messenger of truth in a dark place can be challenging, but it is worth it.
Key Verse | Jeremiah 5:1
Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
look and take note!
Search her squares to see
if you can find a man,
one who does justice
and seeks truth,
that I may pardon her.
Jeremiah 5-7
Chapter 5
Jerusalem Refused to Repent
1
Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem,
look and take note!
Search her squares to see
if you can find a man,
one who does justice
and seeks truth,
that I may pardon her.
2
Though they say, “As the LORD lives,”
yet they swear falsely.
3
O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth?
You have struck them down,
but they felt no anguish;
you have consumed them,
but they refused to take correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
they have refused to repent.
4
Then I said, “These are only the poor;
they have no sense;
for they do not know the way of the LORD,
the justice of their God.
5
I will go to the great
and will speak to them,
for they know the way of the LORD,
the justice of their God.”
But they all alike had broken the yoke;
they had burst the bonds.
6
Therefore a lion from the forest shall strike them down;
a wolf from the desert shall devastate them.
A leopard is watching their cities;
everyone who goes out of them shall be torn in pieces,
because their transgressions are many,
their apostasies are great.
7
“How can I pardon you?
Your children have forsaken me
and have sworn by those who are no gods.
When I fed them to the full,
they committed adultery
and trooped to the houses of whores.
8
They were well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for his neighbor's wife.
9
Shall I not punish them for these things?
declares the LORD;
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?
10
Go up through her vine rows and destroy,
but make not a full end;
strip away her branches,
for they are not the LORD's.
11
For the house of Israel and the house of Judah
have been utterly treacherous to me,
declares the LORD.
12
They have spoken falsely of the LORD
and have said, ‘He will do nothing;
no disaster will come upon us,
nor shall we see sword or famine.
13
The prophets will become wind;
the word is not in them.
Thus shall it be done to them!’”
The LORD Proclaims Judgment
14
Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of hosts:
“Because you have spoken this word,
behold, I am making my words in your mouth a fire,
and this people wood, and the fire shall consume them.
15
Behold, I am bringing against you
a nation from afar, O house of Israel,
declares the LORD.
It is an enduring nation;
it is an ancient nation,
a nation whose language you do not know,
nor can you understand what they say.
16
Their quiver is like an open tomb;
they are all mighty warriors.
17
They shall eat up your harvest and your food;
they shall eat up your sons and your daughters;
they shall eat up your flocks and your herds;
they shall eat up your vines and your fig trees;
your fortified cities in which you trust
they shall beat down with the sword.”
18 “But even in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you. 19 And when your people say, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ you shall say to them, ‘As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.’”
20
Declare this in the house of Jacob;
proclaim it in Judah:
21
“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes, but see not,
who have ears, but hear not.
22
Do you not fear me? declares the LORD.
Do you not tremble before me?
I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea,
a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass;
though the waves toss, they cannot prevail;
though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
23
But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart;
they have turned aside and gone away.
24
They do not say in their hearts,
‘Let us fear the LORD our God,
who gives the rain in its season,
the autumn rain and the spring rain,
and keeps for us
the weeks appointed for the harvest.’
25
Your iniquities have turned these away,
and your sins have kept good from you.
26
For wicked men are found among my people;
they lurk like fowlers lying in wait.
1
5:26
The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
They set a trap;
they catch men.
27
Like a cage full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;
therefore they have become great and rich;
28
they have grown fat and sleek.
They know no bounds in deeds of evil;
they judge not with justice
the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper,
and they do not defend the rights of the needy.
29
Shall I not punish them for these things?
declares the LORD,
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?”
30
An appalling and horrible thing
has happened in the land:
31
the prophets prophesy falsely,
and the priests rule at their direction;
my people love to have it so,
but what will you do when the end comes?
Chapter 6
Impending Disaster for Jerusalem
1
Flee for safety, O people of Benjamin,
from the midst of Jerusalem!
Blow the trumpet in Tekoa,
and raise a signal on Beth-haccherem,
for disaster looms out of the north,
and great destruction.
2
The lovely and delicately bred I will destroy,
the daughter of Zion.
2
6:2
Or I have likened the daughter of Zion to the loveliest pasture
3
Shepherds with their flocks shall come against her;
they shall pitch their tents around her;
they shall pasture, each in his place.
4
“Prepare war against her;
arise, and let us attack at noon!
Woe to us, for the day declines,
for the shadows of evening lengthen!
5
Arise, and let us attack by night
and destroy her palaces!”
6
For thus says the LORD of hosts:
“Cut down her trees;
cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem.
This is the city that must be punished;
there is nothing but oppression within her.
7
As a well keeps its water fresh,
so she keeps fresh her evil;
violence and destruction are heard within her;
sickness and wounds are ever before me.
8
Be warned, O Jerusalem,
lest I turn from you in disgust,
lest I make you a desolation,
an uninhabited land.”
9
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
“They shall glean thoroughly as a vine
the remnant of Israel;
like a grape gatherer pass your hand again
over its branches.”
10
To whom shall I speak and give warning,
that they may hear?
Behold, their ears are uncircumcised,
they cannot listen;
behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn;
they take no pleasure in it.
11
Therefore I am full of the wrath of the LORD;
I am weary of holding it in.
“Pour it out upon the children in the street,
and upon the gatherings of young men, also;
both husband and wife shall be taken,
the elderly and the very aged.
12
Their houses shall be turned over to others,
their fields and wives together,
for I will stretch out my hand
against the inhabitants of the land,”
declares the LORD.
13
“For from the least to the greatest of them,
everyone is greedy for unjust gain;
and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
14
They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace.
15
Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown,”
says the LORD.
16
Thus says the LORD:
“Stand by the roads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way is; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.
But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17
I set watchmen over you, saying,
‘Pay attention to the sound of the trumpet!’
But they said, ‘We will not pay attention.’
18
Therefore hear, O nations,
and know, O congregation, what will happen to them.
19
Hear, O earth; behold, I am bringing disaster upon this people,
the fruit of their devices,
because they have not paid attention to my words;
and as for my law, they have rejected it.
20
What use to me is frankincense that comes from Sheba,
or sweet cane from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable,
nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.
21
Therefore thus says the LORD:
‘Behold, I will lay before this people
stumbling blocks against which they shall stumble;
fathers and sons together,
neighbor and friend shall perish.’”
22
Thus says the LORD:
“Behold, a people is coming from the north country,
a great nation is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
23
They lay hold on bow and javelin;
they are cruel and have no mercy;
the sound of them is like the roaring sea;
they ride on horses,
set in array as a man for battle,
against you, O daughter of Zion!”
24
We have heard the report of it;
our hands fall helpless;
anguish has taken hold of us,
pain as of a woman in labor.
25
Go not out into the field,
nor walk on the road,
for the enemy has a sword;
terror is on every side.
26
O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth,
and roll in ashes;
make mourning as for an only son,
most bitter lamentation,
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.
27
“I have made you a tester of metals among my people,
that you may know and test their ways.
28
They are all stubbornly rebellious,
going about with slanders;
they are bronze and iron;
all of them act corruptly.
29
The bellows blow fiercely;
the lead is consumed by the fire;
in vain the refining goes on,
for the wicked are not removed.
30
Rejected silver they are called,
for the LORD has rejected them.”
Chapter 7
Evil in the Land
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 “Stand in the gate of the LORD's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the LORD. 3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’
5 For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.
8 Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD. 12 Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil of my people Israel. 13 And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and when I spoke to you persistently you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, 14 therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh. 15 And I will cast you out of my sight, as I cast out all your kinsmen, all the offspring of Ephraim.
16 As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. 17 Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. 19 Is it I whom they provoke? declares the LORD. Is it not themselves, to their own shame? 20 Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.”
21 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. 22 For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.’ 24 But they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward. 25 From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day. 26 Yet they did not listen to me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers.
27 So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. 28 And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the LORD their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.
29
‘Cut off your hair and cast it away;
raise a lamentation on the bare heights,
for the LORD has rejected and forsaken
the generation of his wrath.’
The Valley of Slaughter
30 For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the LORD. They have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 31 And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. 33 And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, and none will frighten them away. 34 And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Jeremiah
Timeline
Author and Date
Jeremiah was called to be a prophet c. 627 B.C., when he was young (1:6). He served for more than 40 years (1:2–3). Jeremiah had a difficult life. His messages of repentance delivered at the temple were not well received (7:1–8:3; 26:1–11). His hometown plotted against him (11:18–23), and he endured much persecution (20:1–6; 37:11–38:13; 43:1–7). At God’s command, he never married (16:1–4). Although he preached God’s word faithfully, he apparently had only two converts: Baruch, his scribe (32:12; 36:1–4; 45:1–5); and Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian eunuch who served the king (38:7–13; 39:15–18). Though the book does not reveal the time or place of Jeremiah’s death, he probably died in Egypt, where he had been taken by his countrymen against his will after the fall of Jerusalem (43:1–7). He most likely did not live to see the devastation he mentions in chs. 46–51.
Purpose
Jeremiah and Baruch left a record of the difficult times in which they lived, God’s message for those times, and God’s message for the future of Israel and the nations.
Key Themes
- God and humanity. God alone is a living God. God alone made the world. All other so-called gods are mere idols (10:1–16). This Creator God called Israel to a special relationship (chs. 2–6), gave her his holy word, and promised to bless her temple with his name and presence (7:1–8:3). God rules both the present and the future (1:4–16; 29:1–10), protects his chosen ones (1:17–19; 29:11–14; 39:15–18; 45:1–5), and saves those who turn to him (12:14–17). Because God is absolutely trustworthy and always keeps his promises, his grace triumphs over sin and judgment when people repent and turn to him.
The human heart is sick, and no one except God can cure it (17:9–10). The nations worship idols instead of their Creator (10:1–16). Israel, God’s covenant people, went after other gods (chs. 2–6), defiled the temple by their unwillingness to repent (7:1–8:3; 26:1–11), and oppressed one another (34:8–16). Since Israel and the nations have sinned against God (25:1–26), God the Creator is also the Judge of every nation on the earth he created (chs. 46–51).
- Old covenant, Messiah, and new covenant. God made a covenant with Israel, based on his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12–50). As time passed, God’s covenant with Israel included his promise to David of an eternal kingdom (2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17). God used Jeremiah to deliver the good news that, sometime in the future, God would “make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Jer. 31:31). This covenant would be different in one major way. The new covenant partners will not break the covenant, as most of the old partners did even though God was completely faithful (31:32). Instead, the new covenant partners will have the word of God so ingrained in their hearts through God’s power that they will know and follow God all their lives (31:33–34).
Thus, all the new covenant partners will be believers who are forgiven and empowered by God; he will “remember their sin no more” (31:34). Hebrews 8:8–12 quotes Jer. 31:31–34 as evidence that the new covenant has come through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The coming of Jesus the Messiah fulfills God’s promises to Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets.
Outline
- Introduction (1:1–19)
- Israel’s Covenantal Adultery (2:1–6:30)
- False Religion and an Idolatrous People (7:1–10:25)
- Jeremiah’s Struggles with God and Judah (11:1–20:18)
- Jeremiah’s Confrontations (21:1–29:32)
- Restoration for Judah and Israel (30:1–33:26)
- God Judges Judah (34:1–45:5)
- God’s Judgment on the Nations (46:1–51:64)
- Conclusion: The Fall of Jerusalem (52:1–34)
Israel and Judah at the Time of Jeremiah
c. 597 B.C.
The book of Jeremiah is set during the politically tumultuous times following the fall of the Assyrians and the rise of the Babylonians. During Jeremiah’s life, several groups of Judeans were deported to Babylon and the temple was destroyed. Though the precise boundaries of Judea and the surrounding regions during this period are difficult to determine, they likely resembled those that previously existed under Assyrian rule, with the exception that Edom (Idumea) was now the area formerly belonging to southern Judah.
Fact: Temple
Judah considered their temple a guarantee of God’s favor, despite their idolatry and wickedness. They accused Jeremiah of blasphemy when he prophesied against Jerusalem. Sadly, Judah’s corrupt worship and failure to repent would eventually lead to the destruction of the temple.
Fact: Ashes
Ashes were often used in the OT to express sorrow, humiliation, or feelings of worthlessness. In Ps. 102:9, they are a sign of mourning, as indicated by their mention along with tears. The prophet Jeremiah encouraged Israel to “roll in ashes” to mourn the destruction that would soon befall her (Jer. 6:26).
Fact: To eat of your own vine and fig tree
To eat of your own vine and fig tree was a traditional blessing found in both the historical and prophetic books of Israel (36:16; 1 Kings 4:25). It was a reward for trusting in the Lord. On the other hand, to lose those precious resources was a sign of God’s disfavor (Jer. 5:17).
Fact: Yokes
Yokes are made of wooden bars tied to animals by leather thongs around their necks. This ensured that the two animals would work together to pull a plow. Jeremiah uses the yoke in 5:5 as a symbol of God’s rule in his people’s lives.
Fact: A faithful prophet
A faithful prophet. Despite persistent rejection, Jeremiah proclaimed the word of God for at least 40 years. His ministry lasted from a time when Judah still had the opportunity to change its ways and avoid punishment, to the time when judgment finally came as Jerusalem was destroyed and the people went into exile (586 B.C.).
Israel and Judah at the Time of Jeremiah
c. 597 B.C.
The book of Jeremiah is set during the politically tumultuous times following the fall of the Assyrians and the rise of the Babylonians. During Jeremiah’s life, several groups of Judeans were deported to Babylon and the temple was destroyed. Though the precise boundaries of Judea and the surrounding regions during this period are difficult to determine, they likely resembled those that previously existed under Assyrian rule, with the exception that Edom (Idumea) was now the area formerly belonging to southern Judah.
Parallels between Jeremiah and Lamentations
| Jeremiah | Lamentations |
|---|---|
| I will make this house like Shiloh (chs. 7, 26) | The Lord has scorned . . . his sanctuary (2:7) |
| Let my eyes run down with tears (14:17–22) | my eyes flow with rivers of tears (3:48–51) |
| can I not do with you as this potter has done? (18:6) | regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands! (4:2) |
| eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters (19:9) | Should women eat the fruit of their womb? (2:20) |
| vain hopes (23:16) | Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions (2:14) |
Jer. 5:1 What Abraham discovered when pleading for Sodom (Gen. 18:23–32), Jeremiah discovers now. There is not a single just, faithful, and covenant-keeping person in Jerusalem for whose sake God would pardon the whole people.
Jer. 5:3 struck them down, but they felt no anguish. God’s discipline has not led to repentance; the people have merely become more hardened in their sin (see 2:14–19, 30; Amos 4:6–13).
Fact: Yokes
Yokes are made of wooden bars tied to animals by leather thongs around their necks. This ensured that the two animals would work together to pull a plow. Jeremiah uses the yoke in 5:5 as a symbol of God’s rule in his people’s lives.
Jer. 5:7 God cannot find a reason to pardon (see v. 1), for the Israelites swear by those who are no gods. They have committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores even though their divine Husband has met all their real needs (2:1–8; Hos. 2:1–13). This imagery depicts spiritual adultery committed through physically taking part in the pagan fertility rites of Baal worship (Jer. 2:8).
Jer. 5:14 God of hosts is a title often used to describe God as a judge (Isa. 3:1; 5:16). Jeremiah’s true and rejected words become a fire that will consume the people. God will thus use him to judge the nation (Jer. 1:9–10).
Jer. 5:15 The destroyer, Babylon, was indeed ancient and famous for literature, religion, and for its inclination to go to war.
Fact: To eat of your own vine and fig tree
To eat of your own vine and fig tree was a traditional blessing found in both the historical and prophetic books of Israel (36:16; 1 Kings 4:25). It was a reward for trusting in the Lord. On the other hand, to lose those precious resources was a sign of God’s disfavor (Jer. 5:17).
Jer. 5:18–19 Israel’s punishment will be for disciplinary purposes, to bring them to their senses (see Lev. 26:14–20) and to educate them.
Jer. 5:26–29 Wicked men grow fat and sleek through deeds of evil. The fatherless had no adult male in the family to protect and provide for them (see note on 7:6). The rulers did not protect their rights or the rights of the needy (see Isa. 1:16–23; Amos 2:6–7; 4:1–5). God must punish such oppression, just as he must punish constant spiritual and physical adultery (Jer. 5:9).
Jer. 5:30–31 The prophets and priests conspire to lie and oppress, rather than to teach God’s word and rule justly (2:8; 6:13; 14:14; 20:1–6). my people love to have it so. They crave such false teaching (compare 2 Tim. 4:3–4; 2 Pet. 2:1–3), but it will destroy them when the end comes (2 Kings 17:7–23; Jer. 39:1–10).
Jer. 6:4–5 Armies are ready to attack at noon or even by night. A night attack was rare and done only when victory was certain or when surprise was necessary (see Judg. 7:19–23).
Jer. 6:7 Jerusalem should repent of evil (harmful acts; see 4:14), but instead she keeps her evil as fresh as well water. violence and destruction. Constant brutality against others. sickness and wounds. This occurs because of discipline from God (Lev. 26:23; Jer. 31:18) and violence in the land.
Jer. 6:9 the remnant. Those who survive, not those who believe.
Jer. 6:10 To whom shall I speak? Every segment of society (1:15–19; 5:3–5) has rejected God’s warning. Their hearts (4:4) and ears are uncircumcised, rendering them unwilling and unable to obey the word of the LORD.
Jer. 6:13–15 Greed always leads to seeking unjust gain. prophet . . . priest. These religious leaders are as greedy as the people. Thus, they promise peace rather than the punishment of war, because that’s what the people want to hear (see 5:30–31). They feel no shame over their abomination (that is, spiritual perversion; Lev. 18:27). They must fall when the city falls.
Jer. 6:16 the ancient paths. The way of faithfulness revealed to Moses and the earlier prophets.
Jer. 6:17 watchmen. Moses and the prophets (2 Kings 17:7–18). trumpet. Blown to warn cities of danger (Jer. 4:5, 19, 21; 6:1). Here it refers to God’s word of warning.
Jer. 6:18–19 The nations, congregation, and earth are all called to hear God’s testimony against this people (Judah and Israel).
Jer. 6:20 Performing religious rituals, without faith and obedience, is unacceptable to God (Isa. 1:10–19; Amos 5:21–24; Mic. 6:6–8).
Jer. 6:22–23 great nation. Babylon. the farthest parts of the earth. Babylon’s army had outposts all over the ancient world. This army has no mercy. Its horses are so numerous that their thundering hoofs sound like the roaring sea (4:13, 29).
Jer. 6:25 Jerusalemites dare not leave the city for fear of capture (Lam. 4:18–19). terror is on every side. A common phrase in Jeremiah describing the experience of invasion (Jer. 20:10; 46:5; 49:29; Lam. 2:22).
Jer. 6:26 daughter. Jerusalem represents the whole nation (see 4:31). As for an only son describes mourning for a unique and irreplaceable person (see Amos 8:10).
Fact: Ashes
Ashes were often used in the OT to express sorrow, humiliation, or feelings of worthlessness. In Ps. 102:9, they are a sign of mourning, as indicated by their mention along with tears. The prophet Jeremiah encouraged Israel to “roll in ashes” to mourn the destruction that would soon befall her (Jer. 6:26).
Jer. 6:27–29 tester of metals. Jeremiah’s task is to assess how much impurity remains in a people called to be pure. The ancient refining process used heated lead to draw out ore from silver. Despite Jeremiah’s words being like a bellows and like lead used to purify silver, all is in vain, for the impurity (the wicked) remains in the metal (the land).
2:1–6:30 Israel’s Covenantal Adultery. These five related messages were probably delivered during Josiah’s reign (3:6). Jeremiah declares that God’s chosen people commit spiritual adultery by loving idols more than the living God. Thus, they have broken their covenant vows and made themselves ripe for judgment. Jeremiah says that Israel is a faithless spouse (2:1–3:5); Israel can and should repent (3:6–4:4); disaster is coming (4:5–31); there are consequences for Judah’s unwillingness to repent (ch. 5); and God has rejected his people (ch. 6).
Fact: A faithful prophet
A faithful prophet. Despite persistent rejection, Jeremiah proclaimed the word of God for at least 40 years. His ministry lasted from a time when Judah still had the opportunity to change its ways and avoid punishment, to the time when judgment finally came as Jerusalem was destroyed and the people went into exile (586 B.C.).
Jer. 7:1–2 Jeremiah takes God’s message to the temple-going public.
Jer. 7:4 temple of the LORD. Apparently the Israelites either believed the temple would never be destroyed or thought swearing by the temple kept them safe.
Jer. 7:6 sojourner. A resident alien living in Judah. fatherless. Either through death, desertion, or irresponsible sexual acts. widow. Either through death or desertion. These three groups lack social protection and so are given special care (Deut. 24:19–21).
Jer. 7:10 go on doing. The people feel justified in sinning, as they did before they came to “worship.”
Jer. 7:12–14 Shiloh. This was the central sanctuary (about 19 miles [31 km] north of Jerusalem) prior to the monarchy (Judg. 21:19; 1 Sam. 1:3). because of the evil of my people. Constant sin caused God to shut down this old site. What happened to Shiloh will happen to Jerusalem. Judah’s trust in a physical site is misplaced.
Jer. 7:15 cast you out. To foreign lands (Deut. 28:64–68). Ephraim is another name for Israel, the northern kingdom, and also the area where Shiloh was located.
Jer. 7:16 do not pray . . . do not intercede. This is an unusual command for a dire situation. After many warnings, God has made the decision to punish, and he will not hear (respond to) further pleas from Jeremiah. This is a decisive change on God’s part; previously (e.g., Ex. 32:10–14), he would accept intercession.
Jer. 7:22–23 Acceptable sacrifices are based on a right relationship created by faith in the God who delivers (Ex. 19:3–8). Only those who believe will obey; only those who walk in all God’s ways because of their faith can be God’s people.
Jer. 7:25–26 Starting with Moses (Deut. 34:10–12), God sent his servants the prophets to instruct, encourage, and warn Israel. With few exceptions (e.g., Josh. 24:31), each generation did worse than their fathers.
Jer. 7:29 the generation of his wrath. The generation that experienced loss of the Promised Land.
Jer. 7:31 high places of Topheth . . . Hinnom. See 2 Kings 23:10; Isa. 30:33; Jer. 19:6–14. Children were burned alive at these places as sacrifices to Molech and other gods, even though human sacrifice was banned in the law (Lev. 20:2–5). God hated this practice. Child sacrifice was practiced by Canaanites and Phoenicians. The offering of children, especially the firstborn, was seen as a means of manipulating their false deities.
Jer. 7:34 I will silence . . . the voice of the bridegroom. Normal joy will end, so weddings will not occur (16:9; 25:10). The land shall become a waste—another consequence of covenantal disobedience (Lev. 26:31, 33).
Parallels between Jeremiah and Lamentations
| Jeremiah | Lamentations |
|---|---|
| I will make this house like Shiloh (chs. 7, 26) | The Lord has scorned . . . his sanctuary (2:7) |
| Let my eyes run down with tears (14:17–22) | my eyes flow with rivers of tears (3:48–51) |
| can I not do with you as this potter has done? (18:6) | regarded as earthen pots, the work of a potter’s hands! (4:2) |
| eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters (19:9) | Should women eat the fruit of their womb? (2:20) |
| vain hopes (23:16) | Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions (2:14) |
Fact: Temple
Judah considered their temple a guarantee of God’s favor, despite their idolatry and wickedness. They accused Jeremiah of blasphemy when he prophesied against Jerusalem. Sadly, Judah’s corrupt worship and failure to repent would eventually lead to the destruction of the temple.
Listen to the Podcast
Listen NowDive Deeper | Jeremiah 5-7
As we're quickly learning in the story of Jeremiah, the spiritual condition of Israel is found to be in an unhealthy and dark place. To put it simply, God's people have forsaken God. It's so bad, in fact, that there isn't anyone in the whole city of Jerusalem who "does justice and seeks truth" (Jeremiah 5:1-2).
Jeremiah is a messenger of God's judgment to Israel. But equally true, and maybe not so obvious, Jeremiah is also a messenger of God's grace to the people. Through his words, we're informed of pending destruction of Israel because of the sinful condition of the nation and the overwhelming unrepentance of the people found within the walls of the city. But woven through these declarations are threads of hope: that this destruction would not be total or final and that it would accomplish God's refining purpose (Jeremiah 5:10, 18). Even in heavy words like these and a dark time in the nation of Israel, the light of God's promise and faithfulness shines through as we remember that sin does not have the final word in God's narrative.
God is a Refiner and a Shepherd. Part of the sin and darkness seen in these chapters is the people's lack of submission to God's refining work (Jeremiah 6:28-29). They refuse to let go of their wickedness, and their hearts and lives are left just as stained with sin as when God started his work.
But let's remember, "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God." (Romans 3:10-11) Sin wasn't just a problem for Israel. It affects all of us. God desires to remove sin from our lives as well. He offers to do that ultimately through the death of Jesus and continually through the sanctifying work of his Spirit. In addition to removing sin from us, God invites us to walk with and follow him as Shepherd so that we might avoid sin and walk in his ways (Jeremiah 6:16; Psalm 23:3). Walking with God, we get to proclaim this truth to a dark world, offering hope of God's saving work.
This month's memory verse
"But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
– Isaiah 53:5-6
Discussion Questions
1. The opening verses of Jeremiah 5 tell us that God would have pardoned Israel if someone in the city had been found righteous, but no one was found. Can you think of an example in Scripture when an entire group of people were saved from God's judgment because of the obedience of one man to "do justice and seek truth" (Jeremiah 5:1; Romans 5:18-19)?
2. What does the magnitude of Israel's judgment teach us about the gravity of sin in God's eyes?
3. What areas of your heart may God be trying to refine in you to make you look more like himself? Are you allowing yourself to be refined?
4. In what ways have you seen God guide and shepherd you through temptation, trouble, or life in general?