Jeremiah : Caring About the Things of God

 

Importance: The Jewish people themselves thought Jeremiah was the most important prophetic book after Isaiah. In Jeremiah’s time there were a number of false prophets and corrupt priests. Jeremiah 8:11 says of the prophets and priests, “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” In the time of many successful and self-appointed excusers of God, one man was called by God to give an unpopular message nobody wanted to hear. It was a negative message of disaster for the ungodly people of the time; yet future believers would see within that message consolation and promises of hope. Strangely, despite all of the false prophets of God, Hananiah, Pashur, etc. who did not receive any revelations from God, the voice of one man, who was serious about God, rings clear over 1600 years later.

 

   A danger today is that the gospel message can be told in such a watered down fashion that its seriousness and urgency are lost, which dress the wounds of sin as though they were not serious. We can be so distracted by pop psychology, trends, and other things that we lose sight of the seriousness of counting the cost for Christ and we stop communicating the urgency of the Gospel.

 

   The land of Judah was all that was left after the Assyrians devastated the kingdom of Israel and carried off its inhabitants in 722 B.C. Jerusalem was miraculously saved, but would God save again against the Babylonians. The people needed an answer, and God provided it through Jeremiah: NO WAY. For those who have forsaken God and followed after their own creations, do not trust on where you go to church or what religion you belong to save you. God will allow formerly godly organizations, churches, and even His temples to be destroyed before ceasing to take rebellion seriously.

 

   Jeremiah was a prophet from about 627 B.C. to 582 B.C., about 45 years. We think he died around 570 B.C.. Jeremiah tells more about his own life than other prophets. Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet. Should we not get emotional? – Jeremiah was very emotional! He was forged by God as a combination of being both gently, tenderly passionate and an immovable, unbending man of steel. He poured his heart and persistence in warning the Jews of their impending destruction. As The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1123 well puts it, “…Jeremiah was the blazing torch who, along with Ezekiel in Babylon, exposed the darkness of Judah’s sin with the piercing brightness of God’s Word. He was a weeping prophet to a wayward people.” As The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.367 says, “A vein of sorrow and sadness runs throughout the book. Touch the work where you will, and it will weep.”

 

   We don’t know for sure how Jeremiah died. The Christian writers, Tertullian, Jerome, and Epiphanius of Salamis said that the Jews stoned him in Egypt. However, the Jewish Seder ol. Rabb. C.26 says that he and Baruch were carried from Egypt to Babylon and died there. See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.17 for more info.

 

   Jeremiah was a fairly common name; there are seven other people in the Old Testament named Jeremiah. The prophet Jeremiah himself is mentioned nine times outside of this book: 2 Chronicles 35:25; 36:12; 36:21,22; Ezra 1:1; Daniel 9:2; Matthew 2:17; 16:14; 27:9. He was of a priestly family from the Levite town of Anathoth, almost three miles north of Jerusalem. Traveling eastward, Anathoth is the last town before the barren desert bordering the Dead Sea. David had exiled the priest Abiathar to Anathoth in 1 Kings 2:26, and Jeremiah was probably descended from him.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.358-359, the MacArthur Bible Commentary p.844, Light Beyond the Darkness – A Study of Jeremiah p.6, and Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.24 for more info.

 

World Population in Jeremiah’s Time and Ours

Date

World

Egypt + Sudan

Mideast

% world

China

Indopak+ Afghan.

U.S.

600 B.C.

180 M

4 M

20 M

13 %

47 M

68 M

< 1 M

1 A.D.

260 M

5 M

24 M

11 %

71 M

100 M

< 1 M

1995

5,720 M

88 M

196 M

5 %

1195 M

1,119 M

266 M

2025

8,167 M

182 M

374 M

7 %

1,416 M

1,786 M

374 M

 

Major Events in Jeremiah’s World

Jeremiah lived during very troubled times. There were major power struggles between the collapsing Assyria, the ascendant Babylon, and opportunistic Egypt, with the Medes, Cimmerians, Lydians, on the periphery. Here are Major Middle Eastern events.

653 B.C.          Scythians dominate the Medes and kill Khshathrita the Mede

653 B.C.          Coup in Elam. Assyria and Elam were friendly before this.

653 B.C.          Assyria defeated Elam. Egypt is free form Assyria.

653 B.C.          Cimmerians defeat Lydia

652-643 B.C.  Assyrian Civil War. Shamash-shum-ukin tries to rebel against his brother Ashurbanipal.

c.650 B.C.       Messenian revolt against Spartans

650 B.C.          Scythians and Cimmerians combine to raid Palestine

648 B.C.          Assyrians sack Babylon

646 B.C.          Ashurbanipal the Assyrian exiles Elamites

642-639 B.C.  Assyrians attack Elam, sack Susa, and behead King Teumann

641 B.C.          The bad king Amon of Judah succeeds Manasseh, who was exiled to Babylon

640 B.C.          The good Reforming king Josiah (8 years old) began to reign over Judah

633 B.C.          Assyrian sack Thebes in central Egypt

632 B.C.          Kylon tried to take Athens from Megakles

c.631/627        Medes under Kyaxares besiege Nineveh

628-571 B.C.  Lydians fight Cimmerians

627 B.C.          Jeremiah called to be a prophet in Jeremiah 1

626 B.C.          Babylonians gain independence from Assyria

625 B.C.          Kyaxares the Mede gains independence from Scythians

622 B.C.          The Temple was repaired under King Josiah and the law was discovered

615 B.C.          Arrapkha in Assyria captured

614 B.C.          Medes capture Asshur and try to take Nineveh

612 B.C.          Medes conquer Armenia

612 B.C.          Medes sack Nineveh, Assyria’s capital (Babylonians arrive too late)

612-609 B.C.  Last of the Assyrian military annihilated.

611-605/604 B.C.       Babylonians sack Philistine town of Ashkelon

610-605 B.C.  Egyptian Pharaoh Necho II fights in Syria to support the Assyrians against Babylon

609 B.C.          Medes capture Tuspa, the Urartian capital.

609 B.C.          Egyptians attack Philistine town of Gaza.

609 B.C.          Josiah killed in battle against the Egyptians; Egyptians destroy Megiddo.

609 B.C.          Jehoahaz (23 years old) rules for three months. Taken captive to Egypt

609 B.C.          Jehoiakim (25 years old) rules 11 years. Drought in Jer 14. Taken captive to Babylon

609-608 B.C.  Babylonians raid northern Israel

605 B.C.          Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of Babylon.

604 B.C.          At Carchemish (in Syria) Babylonians plus Medes defeat Egyptians

603 B.C.          Babylonians sack Philistine town of Ekron

601 B.C.          Babylon fights Egypt just inside their border. They tie with heavy losses.

601 B.C.          Jehoiakim rebels against Nebuchadnezzar (bad move)

599-598 B.C.  Babylonians fight Arabs

598 B.C.          18-year old Jehoiachin succeeds Jehoiakim for three months then exiled

598 B.C.          Zedekiah (21 years old) king of Judah for 11 years until he rebels. 1.5 year siege

3/16/597 B.C. Babylonians capture Jerusalem but don’t destroy it.

596 B.C.          Babylonians fight the Elamites east of them

595-594 B.C.  Nebuchadnezzar II puts down revolt

593 B.C.          Egyptian Psamtik II + Greek, Phoenician, and Jewish mercenaries defeat Cushites in Sudan

591 B.C.          Egypt invades Nubia in the Sudan

589-587 B.C.  Jews rebel against the Babylonians. 30-month siege of Jerusalem.

587 B.C.          Jerusalem is destroyed. Part of Jews exiled. Gedaliah becomes governor

587 B.C.          Ishmael assassinates Gedaliah, Johanan son of Kereah takes Jews to Egypt

> 587 B.C.      Tradition says Jeremiah delivered one more message than the Jews could stand.

586/5-573 BC Babylonians besiege king Ethbaal II of Tyre.

585 B.C.          War ends between the Medes and Alyattes of Lydia with eclipse in 5/28/585 B.C.

584-573 B.C.  Nebuchadnezzar II besieges Tyre

582-581 B.C.  More Jews from Judah exiled to Babylon

570 B.C.          Greeks in Cyrene defeat Apries of Egypt

568-567 BC.   Babylonians and Apries conquer Egypt

561 B.C.          Jehoiachin (now 55 years old) is released from Babylonian imprisonment

…later

539 B.C.          Persians sack Babylon and add the Babylonian empire to their own

538 B.C.          As Jeremiah prophesied, the Jewish exiles are allowed to return home

 

Main themes

Jeremiah has the most Hebrew words of any book in the Old Testament, if you count 1, 2 Samuel, 1, 2 Kings, and 1, 2 Chronicles as two books each.

The Trumpet of God. Jeremiah 6:17

Disaster is coming from the north. Jeremiah 6:1,22; 10:22

Disaster in general. Jeremiah 45:5

Water Jeremiah 2:13,18; 6:7; (poisoned)9:15

They killed and oppressed the poor. Jeremiah 2:34; 5:26-28

They forgot God. Jeremiah 2:6,8,32; 3:21

They had no shame. Jeremiah 3:3; 6:15

They had no awe or fear of God. Jeremiah 2:19; 5:22,24; 3:8

Justified themselves. Jeremiah 2:23

The exiles will return.

Jeremiah alludes to 66 passages from Deuteronomy

Death during labor. Jeremiah 4:31

Sword, famine, and plague. Jeremiah 5:12,17; 44:12,27

Injury and sickness: Jeremiah 10:19

Lord of armies/hosts (82 times in Jeremiah)

Chapter 2 itself has a number of images.

…Slave/plunder 2:14,16,20

…Prey: 2:15, 2:30, 4:7; 5:6; 20:25

…Vine 2:21; 5:10; 6:9

…Dirty hands and heart 2:22; 4:14

…She-camel/donkey, stallions 2:23-25; 5:8

…Loose woman 2:20,21,22; 3:1-13; 4:30

…Wood consumed by fire. Jer 5:14

 

Verses relating to Jesus

According to Jay P. Green’s Literal Translation p.976, the following verses of Jeremiah are quoted or alluded to in the New Testament relating to Jesus.

Jer 6:21 1.c)    Mk 8:18

Jer 7:11           Mt 21:13; Mk 11:17; Lk 10:46

Jer 17:10         Rev 2:23

Jer 32:17         Mt 19:26

 

Here are the Christian Pre-Nicene Writers who refer to verses in Jeremiah. The underlined ones say by Jeremiah.

Epistle of Barnabas (c.70-130 A.D.)

Hippolytus (222-235/6 A.D.)

2 Clement (120-140 A.D.)

Origen (225-254 A.D.)

Shepherd of Hermas (115-155 A.D.) alludes to Jeremiah/Zechariah

Treatise Against Novatian (254-256 A.D.)

Justin Martyr (c.138-165 A.D.)

Cyprian of Carthage (c.246-258 A.D.)

Athenagoras (177 A.D.)

Adamantius (c.300 A.D.)

Melito/Meleto of Sardis (170-177/180 A.D.)

Victorinus of Petau (martyred 307 A.D.)

Hegesippus (170-180 A.D.)

Peter of Alexandria (306,285-311 A.D.) alludes to Jer 3:23

Theophilus of Antioch (168-181/188 A.D.)

Methodius (270-311/312 A.D.)

Irenaeus of Lyons (182-188 A.D.)

Lactantius (c.303-c.325 A.D.)

Clement of Alexandria (193-217/220 A.D.)

Eusebius of Caesarea (c.318-325 A.D.)

Tertullian (198-220 A.D.)

 

 

The rest of the Bible quotes from Jeremiah in seven places.

Verses quoting from Jeremiah

Verses in Jeremiah

Daniel 9:2

Jeremiah 25:11,12; 29:10

Matthew 2:18

Jeremiah 31:15

Matthew 27:9

Jeremiah 18:2; 19:2,11; 32:6-9

1 Corinthians 1:31

Jeremiah 9:24

2 Corinthians 10:17

Jeremiah 9:24

Hebrews 8:8-12

Jeremiah 31:33-34

Hebrews 10:6

Jeremiah 31:33-34

 

Here are the earliest manuscripts of Jeremiah.

Dead Sea Scroll 4Q70 (=4QJer(a))

Theodotion the Jew’s OT Translation

Dead Sea Scroll 4Q71 (=4QJer(b))

Vaticanus (=B) (325-350 A.D.)

Dead Sea Scrolls 4Q72 (=4QJerC))

Sinaiticus (Si) (340-350 A.D.)

Dead Sea Scroll 4Q71a (=4QJer(d))

Alexandrinus (=A) (c.450 A.D.)

Dead Sea Scroll 4Q71b (=4QJer(e))

 

The Dead Sea Scrolls preserve 350 out of the 1363 verses of Jeremiah (25.7%). The Hebrew Masoretic and Greek Septuagint of Jeremiah differ more than any other Old Testament book: Jeremiah is about 1/8 shorter in the Septuagint.

 

An Outline of the Book of Jeremiah

 

 

Jeremiah is not in chronological order, but seems to be organized by themes. Here is an outline along with suggested dates.

 

God Watches and Warns : Jeremiah 1-10

   1 - When God Gets Serious - With You 625 B.C.

   2 Reasons for Wrath 625 B.C.

   3-4:4 Plea for the Faithless & Unfaithful 625 B.C.

   4:5-31 Disaster Descends 625 B.C.

   5 The Absence of the Upright 625 B.C.

   6 The Attack of Terror 625 B.C.

   7-9 The Temple Gate Sermon 606 B.C.

   10 Explanations and Lessons 606 B.C.

Broken Covenant, Ruined People : Jeremiah 11-19

   11-12  Jeremiah and the men of Anathoth 620 B.C.

   13 Jeremiah and the ruined shorts 598 B.C.

   14-17 God’s Judgment of the Drought 605 B.C.

   18-19 The Potter’s House and the Earthen Flask: Religion Gone to Pot 605 B.C.

Reactions of Man and God : Jeremiah 20-29

   20-22 Different Kinds of Evil 605 B.C., 597 B.C. 608 B.C., 598 B.C.

   23 The Righteous Branch & Bad Prophets 597 B.C.

   24 When the People Do Not Give a Fig 597 B.C.

   25-29 Seventy Years in Babylon & Bad Prophets 604 B.C., 608 B.C., 593 B.C.

 

The Book of Consolation : Jeremiah 30-33

   30-31 The Future Promise 596 B.C.

   32 The Field of Dreams 586 B.C.

   33 Promise of Restoration 586 B.C.

The Book of Personal Memoirs : Jeremiah 34-45

   34 The False Freedom of Sin 586 B.C.

   35 The Recabite Response 604 B.C.

   36 Jehoiakim burns God’s warning scroll 603-604 B.C.

   37 Jeremiah warns against trusting in Egypt and he is then imprisoned. 586 B.C.

   38 Jeremiah thrown into a cistern 585 B.C.

   39-44 The 587 Fall of Jerusalem 585 B.C.

   45 Message to Baruch 604 B.C.

The Book of Foreign Oracles: News for Nine Nations : Jeremiah 46-51

   46 About Egypt 604 B.C.

   47 About the Philistines 604 B.C.

   48 About Moab 604 B.C.

   49 About Five Other Nations 604 B.C., 595 B.C.

   50-51 About Babylon 590 B.C.

Review of the Destruction of Jerusalem 587 B.C. : Jeremiah 52

The estimated dates are from The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1126.

 

Jeremiah 1 – When God Gets Serious, with you

 

Memory verse: Jeremiah 1:18a “Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land….”

 

1. In Jer 1:1, was Jeremiah's father Hilkiah the high priest, who found the Torah in 2 Ki 22:?

 

 

2. In Jer 1:2-3, what is significant about the time Jeremiah prophesied?

 

 

3. Does Jer 1:5 show that Jeremiah was made a prophet before his birth?

 

 

4. In Jer 1:5, does this show that Jeremiah was a person between conception and birth?

 

 

5. In Jer 1:6, how can telling God you cannot do something be good?

 

 

6. In Jer 1:6, how can telling God you cannot do something be bad?

 

 

7. In Jer 1:8 and Jer 1:19, do you think Jeremiah would feel comforted or disturbed about these verses?

 

 

8. In Jer 1:9 and Isa 6:6-8, why did God need to have these prophets’ mouths touched?

 

 

9. In Jer 1:9, Isa 6:6-8, and Jms 3:5-12, how might you need to have God touch your mouth?

 

 

10. In Jer 1:9-10, how did this define Jeremiah’s ministry?

 

 

11. In Jer 1:10, should a believer be more of a builder or more of a destroyer?

 

 

12. In Jer 1:11-12, what is the connection here with the almond tree?

 

 

13. In Jer 1:13-16, what is the point of the boiling pot?

 

 

14. In Jer 1:17-19, what was God’s command, promise, and warning given to Jeremiah here?

Jeremiah 2 –From Honeymoon to Betrayal

 

1. In Jer 2:2-3, why did God remember the Israelites in the wilderness as devoted and loving Him, since most of them rebelled?

 

 

2. In Jer 2:5; 8:19; 10:3, and Jon 2:8, can worshipping idols be an imperfect way to worship the True God?

 

 

3. In Jer 2:5-8, how did a faithful people fall so far and betray their God?

 

 

4. In Jer 2:9-12, why is God “bringing charges” here?

 

 

5. In Jer 2:11,19,21, why does a predominantly godly/Christian nation turn away from God?

 

 

6. In Jer 2:13, in this metaphor, what exactly is wrong with having your own cistern (well)?

 

 

7. How does Jer 2:13 summarize the charges against God’s people back then?

 

 

8. In Jer 2:16, where were Noph and Tahpanes?

 

 

9. In Jer 2:20-25, what is God saying about these metaphors of the prostitute, the dromedary camel and the donkey?

 

 

10. In Jer 2:22, what is God saying about washing yourself with soap here?

 

 

11. In Jer 2:26, what is the one word here that you never hear in the news today about wrongdoing?

 

 

12. In Jer 2:26, how many thieves are cleverer than they think, and how many are less clever than they think?

 

13. In Jer 2:31-33, why is God saying Judah was forgetful?

 

 

14. What is Jer 2:36-37 say about their fickleness?

Jeremiah 3 – A Halfway Marriage

 

1. In Jer 3:1-2, how can God’s people prostitute themselves with many lovers, both then and today?

 

 

2. In Jer 3:2, what is the point of the “Arab in the Desert”?

 

 

3. In Jer 3:7, how were Israel and Judah like two sisters?

 

 

4. In Jer 3:11, why was Israel more righteous than Judah?

 

 

 

5. In Jer 3:12-14 and Hos 14:1-4, can someone who showed belief and Christ, and later leaves the faith, ever come back?

 

 

6. In Jer 3:14, why are just one or two mentioned to return?

 

 

7. In Jer 3:15, what is the promise about their leaders here?

 

 

8. In Jer 3:15-22, what is interesting about this literary style?

 

 

9. In Jer 3:20a, what is curious about this phrase?

 

 

10. In Jer 3:15-17, why would the Ark of the Covenant not be missed?

 

 

11. In Jer 3:15-17, how can Christian symbols today have a positive use?

 

 

12. In Jer 3:15-17, how can Christian symbols today have a negative use?

 

 

13. In Jer 3:16, what happened to the Ark of the Covenant?

 

 

14. In Jer 3:22, how does God cure people of backsliding?

 

Jeremiah 4 – If you will return … almost the last chance

 

1. In Jer 4:3 what does it mean to break up the unplowed (fallow) ground, and how should we do so today?

 

 

2. In Jer 4:4, why did God tell them to wash the evil from their heart, since washing would not help in Jer 2:22?

 

 

3. In Jer 4:4, what does the Bible say about God’s wrath?

A: Here is some of what the Bible says.

Slow to anger. Ex 34:6; Num 14:18; Neh 9:17; Ps 86:15; Ps 103:8; Ps 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3; 2 Peter 3:9

Not be slow to repay those who hate him. Dt 7:10

Fierce wrath/anger. Jer 6:4; 1 Sam 28:18; Lam 1:12

Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath. Mt 3:7; Lk 3:7

All without Jesus remain as objects of God's wrath. Rom 2:5-6;John 3:36; 5:9; 9:22; Eph 2:3;1Th1:10; Jn 3:36

Lord’s wrath remains upon him. Jn 3:36

Rom 2:5 storing up wrath

God bears with patience objects of His wrath. Rom 9:22

We are by nature objects of wrath. Eph 2:3

Rescues us from the coming wrath. 1 Th 1:10

God did not appoint us to suffer wrath. 1 Th 5:9

Save us from the wrath of the Lamb! Rev 6:16

The winepress of God’s wrath. Rev 14:19-20; 19:15; Isa 63:1-4; Lam 1:15; Joel 3:13

He has poured out His wrath like fire. Lam 2:4; Ps 50:3-6; Dt 29:20; 2 Sam 6:8

For the Son’s wrath can flare up in a moment. Ps 2:12

Stiff-necked after many rebukes will be destroyed suddenly. Prov 29:1

Drinking the wine of wrath. Job 21:20; Rev 16:19; 14:10; Jer 25:15; 51:7

God setting aside His wrath and fierce anger. Ps 85:3

“For my own sake I delay my wrath” Isa 48:9

Even God's wrath brings Him praise. Ps 76:10; Ex 9:16;~10:1-2;14-15; Jdg 5; Rom 9:17~Ex10:1-2

God does not delight in the death of the wicked, but rather desires that they turn from their wickedness and live. Ezek 18:23,32;33:11; 2 Pet 3:9; 1 Tim2:5; Mt 18:14

God is not slow in keeping His promises, but patient, not wanting any to perish. 2 Pet 3:9

 

4. In Jer 4:5-13, what threats is God making here?

 

 

5. In Jer 4:6 and Jer 11:11, how does God bring evil?

 

 

6. In Jer 4:6-7, could these invaders be the Scythians?

 

 

7. In Jer 4:9, how do the hearts of the political and religious leaders fail?

 

 

 

8. In Jer 4:10, who preached peace to these people?

 

 

 

9. In Jer 4:10, why does Jeremiah mention that “the sword touches the throat” here?

 

 

 

10. In Jer 4:11-12, how is God’s judgment going to be like a scorching wind?

 

 

 

11. In Jer 4:15 and Jer 8:16, what is the significance of armies from the region of Dan?

 

 

 

12. In Jer 4:19, could a faithful obedient believer ever have an uncontrolled panic attack?

 

 

 

13. In Jer 4:22, 8:16, how were the people of Judah foolish and like little kids without any sense?

 

 

 

14. In Jer 4:30-31, how do some people, like Judah, totally misread the situation today?

 

Jeremiah 5 – When you can’t find even one

 

1. In Jer 5:1, how does this “divine scavenger hunt” compare to Abraham’s pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah in Gen 18:20-33?

 

 

2. In Jer 5:1 and Gen 18:26-33, do these passages relate to Jer 15:1 and Ezek 14:14?

 

 

3. In Jer 5:2-3; 6:13, are there different degrees of dishonesty?

 

 

4. In Jer 5:4-5, what was the point of distinguishing between the poor and the great?

 

 

5. In Jer 5:10, the people were so far from God; so why didn’t God want to destroy them completely?

 

 

6. In Jer 5:12,20-22, how do many so-called Christians today not take God seriously?

 

 

7. In Jer 5:14, how were Jeremiah’s words like fire and the people like wood?

 

 

8. In Jer 5:15, could this ancient nations be the Scythians?

 

 

9. In Jer 5:21, how do people have eyes that see not and ears that hear not?

 

 

10. In Jer 5:22, what is the point of the sand?

 

 

11. In Jer 5:25, how do people’s sins keep good things from them?

 

 

12: In Jer 5:26-27, what is the point of fowlers catching birds?

 

 

 

13. In Jer 5:27, how are their houses full of deceit as a cage is full of birds?

 

 

 

14. In Jer 5:31f, why is this a good verse for counseling?

Jeremiah 6 – When you tell God you won’t listen, run for your life!

 

1. In Jer 6:1, what is the structure of this chapter?

 

 

2. In Jer 6:1, what is the point about fleeing from Jerusalem instead of to Jerusalem?

 

 

3. In Jer 6:1, why is Beth-Haccarem specifically mentioned here?

 

 

4. In Jer 6:3-4, who are the shepherds here?

 

 

5. In Jer 6:10, why is it wrong that they did not delight in the word of the Lord?

 

 

6. In Jer 6:13, what is so wrong with covetousness?

 

 

7. In Jer 6:14, Ezek 13:10, in what ways can people today say “peace, peace when there is no peace”?

 

 

8. In Jer 6:15, what are some ways today people can be lulled into having no shame about anything?

 

 

9. In Jer 6:17 and Ezek 33:1-20, what is a watchman?

 

 

10. In Jer 6:17, what were the consequences of them telling God, “we won’t listen”?

 

 

11. In Jer 6:17, what are some ways people today tell God, “we won’t listen”?

 

 

12. In Jer 6:20, 7:22-23, why did God not like their sacrifices here?

 

 

13. In Jer 6:27, how does God sometimes use Christians to test other people?

 

 

 

14. In Jer 6:30, how were some people’s lives like “scum silver” or the waste after silver refining?

Jeremiah 7 – When the balloon of religiousness is punctured

 

1. In Jer 7:1, when was this temple sermon given?

 

 

2. In Jer 7:4,8,10, what are some religious things people trust in today?

 

 

3. In Jer 7:12, when was Shiloh destroyed?

 

 

4. In Jer 7:16, Jer 11:14, and Jer 14:11, when should we not pray for something or somebody?

 

 

5. In Jer 7:22-23 is a day here just 24 hours?

 

 

 

6. In Jer 7:22-24, how did God not command them concerning burnt offerings?

 

 

 

7. In Jer 7:25, how did God daily send them visions?

 

 

 

8. In Jer 7:29, what was the point of Jeremiah prophesying the people would cut off their hair?

 

 

 

9. In Jer 7:30-31, what was so bad about Topheth?

 

 

 

10. In Jer 7:30-31, why did God command human sacrifice at Topheth? (An atheist mentioned this)

 

 

 

11. In Jer 7:31, what are things that do not enter God’s mind?

 

 

 

12. In Jer 7:33-34, Dt 28:26; and Isa 18:6 what is bad about having a body unburied and food for the birds and beasts?

 

Jeremiah 8 – When saying “I’m sorry” won’t escape destruction

 

1. In Jer 8:1-3, what is the point of the Babylonians digging up the dead?

 

 

 

2. In Jer 8:2, what is the point of the sun, moon, stars, and planets here?

 

 

 

3. In Jer 8:6-8, when do people do evil things fully and deliberately ignoring the consequences?

 

 

 

4. In Jer 8:7, what is the message of the analogy of the birds?

 

 

 

5. Even Jer 8:8 says that lying scribes [allegedly] corrupted the scriptures, so how can you trust the Bible?

 

 

 

6. In Jer 8:13, what is the significance of no grapes on the vine?

 

 

 

7. In Jer 8:13 and Hab 3:17, what is the significance of no figs on the fig tree?

 

 

 

8. In Jer 8:17, why does God send vipers, or poisonous snakes, here?

 

 

 

9. In Jer 8:20, what is the point of the harvest being over?

 

 

 

10. In Jer 8:22, what is the significance of no balm in Gilead?

 

 

Jeremiah 1 – When God Gets Serious, with you – Some brief answers

 

Memory verse: Jeremiah 1:18a “Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land….”

 

1. In Jer 1:1, was Jeremiah's father Hilkiah the high priest, who found the book of the law in 2 Ki 22:8?

A: Very likely not. Despite what Clement of Alexandria, Jerome, and some rabbis thought, it is very unlikely because Jeremiah was a priest from the village of Anathoth, not Jerusalem. Abiathar was the priest exiled to Anathoth in David’s time, and the high priests were from the line of Zadok, not Anathoth.

   See The Believer's Bible Commentary p.995, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.38, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1123,1129, and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.358-359 for more info.

 

2. In Jer 1:2-3, what is significant about the time Jeremiah prophesied?

A: Spiritually, Jeremiah lived in varied times. He started his prophetic career when the good king Josiah reigned. After that, the kings were bad, though in differing degrees.

Militarily, Jeremiah saw the Babylonians besiege Jerusalem for 30 months and exile the Jews.

   Jeremiah was a man with a message. His timeless message was as much for the Jews in exile and those who later returned as it was for the people of his own time.

 

3. Does Jer 1:5 show that Jeremiah was made a prophet before his birth?

A: It does not say Jeremiah was “made” a prophet. Rather, God appointed that Jeremiah would be a prophet, not only before his birth, but even before he was formed in the womb. Actually God ordained who prophets would be before the world we even created.

 

4. In Jer 1:5, does this show that Jeremiah was a person between conception and birth?

A: No. While it is tempting to say yes, actually the last half of Jeremiah 1:5 does not show that Jeremiah was a person then any more than the first half of Jeremiah 1:5 shows that Jeremiah existed as a person prior to conception.

 

5. In Jer 1:6, how can telling God you cannot do something be good?

A: Jeremiah was terrified, and he was actually correct here. Being 15 to 20 years old Jeremiah knew he had no experience and was ill-equipped. On his own power, Jeremiah was not capable of doing this, and it is good to recognize our own human limitations. Sometimes the people who are ill-equipped, and they know it such that they must rely on God, are the people God seeks to use.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1130 and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.363 for more info.

 

6. In Jer 1:6, how can telling God you cannot do something be bad?

A: It is only bad if you say that you cannot do it on your own ability, therefore you cannot do it at all. This assumes God is unwilling or unable to empower you to do His will. Instead of asking God, “How can I do this?”, a better question is: “What is your will for me to do, with your spirit empowering me?”

   See Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.26 and The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.848 for more info.

 

7. In Jer 1:8 and Jer 1:19, do you think Jeremiah would feel comforted or disturbed about these verses?

A: Did Jeremiah feel comfort in God’s promise to save him from harm? Or was Jeremiah wondering how he would get into situations where he would need to be rescued from harm? It is comforting to know that God will always be there. However, it might make Jeremiah pause to know that God’s intervention would be necessary to rescue him.

   Today, if it appears to us that everything we can do for God is easy to do within our own power, then our vision is too shortsighted. God does not work primarily for our ease, comfort, or even earthly happiness (just ask Job). God works primarily for His glory; but we do have the promise of great happiness, - in heaven.

 

8. In Jer 1:9 and Isa 6:6-8, why did God need to have these prophets’ mouths touched?

A: There are at least four possible reasons.

Cleansing: Their mouths would need to be cleansed of unhelpful, proud, or self-promoting speech.

God’s message: God put His words in them for them to speak.

God’s inerrant message: Combining the first two reasons, God not only gave them His message, but God ensured that when they were speaking as prophets, they would not say anything was from God that was not really from God.

Passion: God not only gave them the content to say, but God gave them His heart in determining how to say it.

 

9. In Jer 1:9, Isa 6:6-8, and Jms 3:5-12, what are some ways you might need to have God touch your mouth?

A: Like Jeremiah, we should not think that on our own, we will say the right things, not mix God’s truth with error, and saying the truth the proper way in love. There are three distinct parts. First we need to stop saying evil, mean, or otherwise ungodly things God does not want us to speak. This is regardless of how funny it might be, how good we think we might feel getting back at someone, or how much we want to say them. Second, we need to speak only godly, helpful things for building up others. Third, we need to speak less and not dilute our godly words with things that may not be so bad, but aren’t really helpful either.

 

10. In Jer 1:9-10, how did this define Jeremiah’s ministry?

A: God appointed Jeremiah such that God’s words spoken through Jeremiah would destroy many kingdoms and also build up God’s people. Jeremiah was given some powerful words!

   Many times a Christian will be given a verse that will be a dominate motif in their life, or God’s special purpose for them.

 

11. In Jer 1:10, should a believer be more of a builder or more of a destroyer?

A: Jeremiah was commanded to be both a destroyer and then a builder. In western culture we want to be only builders. But we can’t sow the seed to grow a crop if the soil is covered in concrete. Sometimes we have to be a destroyer first and then we can be a builder.

   See Light Beyond the Darkness – A Study of Jeremiah p.8 for more info.

 

12. In Jer 1:11-12, what is the connection here with the almond tree?

A: Almond trees are native to the Mideast and Anathoth had almond orchards. The words for almond and watching are shaqed and shaqad. The almond tree could be considered the “watchful tree”, because it “watched for spring” in that it blossomed in January towards the end of winter, before the other trees in Palestine that all blossomed in spring. In other words, this is a pun. Many times in the Bible God uses puns, such as in Micah 1:10-15. However, these are not used for humor but to drive home a point and make it easier to remember.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1131, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.385, Light Beyond the Darkness – A Study of Jeremiah p.9, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.42, The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.848, the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.999, Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.27, and The Tony Evan’s Bible Commentary p.682 for more info.

 

13. In Jer 1:13-16, what is the point of the boiling pot?

A: You do not want scalding water poured on you, and there was an obvious, visible disaster that was poised to happen.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1131, The Tony Evan’s Bible Commentary p.682, and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.385 for more info.

 

14. In Jer 1:17-19, what was God’s command, promise, and warning give to Jeremiah here?

A: Regardless, God is telling Jeremiah “I don’t want to hear you complain any more about your inabilities since I have not only prepared you, but also enabled you. You don’t have to wonder if it will be a tough fight with those who oppose you; - it will be. So put on your big boy pants and get to work!”

   Instead of just praying for easy lives of safety, pray for the faith, hope, and love for you and your family to be effectively used by God to glorify Him.

   See The Tony Evan’s Bible Commentary p.683, Light Beyond the Darkness – A Study of Jeremiah p.11, and the New International Bible Commentary p.768 for more info.

 

Jeremiah 2 –From Honeymoon to Betrayal – some brief answers

 

1. In Jer 2:2-3, why did God remember the Israelites in the wilderness as devoted and loving Him, since most of them rebelled?

A: God was remembering those who were devoted and sensitive to God. Jeremiah 2:2-3 does not mention coming out of Egypt. God likely meant the desert-born Israelites who did not rebel after the report of the ten spies. Jeremiah 2:1-3 is the explanatory background for the oracles after this to a wayward and insensitive people

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.387-388, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.522, The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.849, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.49-50,51 for more info.

 

2. In Jer 2:5; 8:19; 10:3, and Jon 2:8, can worshipping idols be an imperfect way to worship the True God?

A: Not at all! It is an abomination to God.

1. Idols are acknowledged as created (Romans 1:20-26).

2. It disobeys two of God’s ten commandments (Exodus 20:3-4, Deuteronomy 5:6-7).

3. Idols were distressing to Paul (Acts 17:16).

4. 1 Corinthians 10:20 says that sacrifices to idols are actually sacrifices to demons.

   Most unfortunately C.S. Lewis taught this false teaching in the last book of the series The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Last Battle p.163-165.

 

3. In Jer 2:5-8, how did a faithful people fall so far and betray their God?

A: Over time, as they continued to take things for granted, the object of their devotion was gradually changed from God to idols. Despite God providing for them, and bringing them into a good land, the Israelites were not satisfied, saying it is not enough. So they turned to idols. The idols did not help them, any more than the idols helped the Canaanites before them, or the Egyptians who opposed them. But the idols offered illusory promises of helping them.

   Beyond this, Jeremiah gives a four-part answer: in the people and their parents (2:5-7), in the priests (2:8a), the political leaders (2:8b), and in the prophets (2:8c), i.e. prophets of Baal. On one hand, you could blame their religious leaders, their priests and prophets, for turning them away. You could also blame the government leaders, who allowed the false prophets to flourish. But on the other hand, the sin lay with the people themselves, who were dissatisfied with God and were open to following other options.

   See Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.30, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1132, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.683, and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.388-389 for more info.

 

4. In Jer 2:9-12, why is God “bringing charges” here?

A: The purpose of a human court is supposed to be to find out the truth of the charges and set any punishment. God uses this metaphor as He brings to light the evil they have done, and why the impending punishment is appropriate. He even points out that other people’s have not changed their gods, only Israel. The thought here is similar to an earlier prophecy in Isaiah 3:13-15.

   A person does not have the guilt of their parents according to Ezekiel 18. However, if a person follows in the footsteps of their parents, including the same sins, then they have the same guilt.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1132, Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.31, and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.390 for more info.

 

5. In Jer 2:11,19,21, why does a predominantly godly/Christian nation turn away from God?

A: Remember, nations do not go to Heaven, people do. Often the issue is not individuals turning away from God en masse, but parents losing the next generation, due to other enticements, their own shortcomings, or other factors. Of course, no one comes to God without God’s grace, but as God desires that all come to Him, the responsibility of someone not coming to God is his or her own.

 

6. In Jer 2:13, in this metaphor, what exactly is wrong with having your own cistern (well)?

A: Palestine has a west and dry season, and it is important to store some of the abundance in the wet season for the dry season. Archaeologists have found numerous cisterns. A cistern is a pit or container that can hold a large amount of rainwater. However, if the cistern develops a crack or a hole, or if part of the cistern is material water can drain through, then the cistern is useless, no matter how large it is.

   They gave up the fresh spring for the stale cistern water, and the cistern was not usable at that. After a few months the stagnant water in the cistern would look brownish and tasted like the dirt or plaster holding it. You would give up fresh spring water for this?

   Everybody feels the need for water. If they turn away from living waters then they will seek out their own water. In a similar way, if they turn away from the Living God, they will seek out idols to fill the void. 1 John 2:16 says that we have at least three classes of temptations: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

   Likewise the reason many people turn away from God is that they think the soon to be dry cistern they have found is a better alternative.

   See 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.174, The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.849, Light beyond the Darkness – A Study of Jeremiah p.13, Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.31-32, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.391, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1132 for more info.

 

7. How does Jer 2:13 summarize the charges against God’s people back then?

A: Like many people today, they only did two things wrong. In their words, actions, and hearts, They turned away from God and what was right, and they turned to their own substitutes and things that were wrong.

 

8. In Jer 2:16, where were Noph and Tahpanes?

A: These were two prominent Egyptian cities; Tahpanes was the city the Greeks called Daphnai/Daphne. The NIV Study Bible p.1122 and the skeptical Asimov's Guide to the Bible p.559 say that the ruins of Tahpanes are under the mound called Tel Defneh/Defenneh just south of Lake Menzaleh in the eastern Nile Delta region.

   Noph is known to us today as the ruins of the ancient capital city of Memphis. Originally the name Memphis meant “enduring and beautiful”. It is about 20 miles (32 km) south of Cairo. It is in lower (northern) Egypt, but close to upper (southern) Egypt.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.391, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis,_Egypt, the New International Bible Commentary p.768 and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.523 for more info.

 

9. In Jer 2:20-25, what is God saying about these metaphors of the prostitute, the dromedary camel and the donkey?

A: God is bringing to light that they are committing spiritual adultery. You can’t have love if you are just following the money, or following your lust. The prostitute sets her affection on whoever has money. But if you appear to love every man who has money, you really love no one, except yourself and money, your idol. Similarly  if a person just follows their lust, they are not really loving anybody.

   According to the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.67 the wild, untamable donkey was a symbol of the boundless love of freedom.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1133 and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.393-394 for more info.

 

10. In Jer 2:22, what is God saying about washing yourself with soap here?

A: In ancient times they made a form of soap using lye (very alkaline, like dilute Drano) boiled with animal fat. If you did not use enough animal fat then it could be more effective than soap today, if you don’t mind the caustic dissolving the outer layer of your skin. But God is saying that no matter how you wash yourselves with soap on the outside, you cannot get rid of your sinful desires on the inside.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.393-394 for more info.

 

11. In Jer 2:26, what is the one word here that you never hear in the news today about wrongdoing?

A: Given the previous section about a prostitute, camel, and wild donkey, plus the caught thief here, the point God is highlighting is the shame of sin. Judah will be put to shame, by Egypt just like they were by Assyria.

   Today in the news, no matter what scandal your hear about, or what massive frauds have occurred, the news never mentions the word “shame”. You hear that it is wrong, they should be sued or go to jail, but they don’t ever seem to say the wrong-doers are “shameful”. It seems our society has lost all sense of shame. It might have been getting that way in Jeremiah’s time too.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.394 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.70 for more info.

 

12. In Jer 2:26, how many thieves are cleverer than they think, and how many are less clever than they think?

A: It is always the second way. Few thieves think they are going to get caught and it turns out they are not; they would not have tried to steal if that was the case. On the other hand, most thieves that are caught thought they were clever enough not to get caught. What is true for stealing here is true of sin in general.

   See Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.33 for more info.

 

13. In Jer 2:31-33, why is God saying Judah was forgetful?

A: God is not saying there is a physical problem with their memory. Rather, they are not remembering, or rather choosing not to remember their past relationship with God. Today people can “forget” things they have not forgotten. Rather, they willingly choose to ignore what was done for them in the past, when it is convenient for them to do so.

 

14. What is Jer 2:36-37 say about their fickleness?

A: First Judah “loved” Assyria, and then they “loved” Assyria’s enemy Egypt. The only consistent factor was that they “loved” what seemed to be the winner at the time. They neglected to consider that both Assyria (whose mascot was the lion Jeremiah 2:15) and Egypt (whose mascot was the crocodile) could see through that.

   When people act fickle in their loyalty today, there can be an underlying, consistent factor. It might be that they are trying to follow what appears to be the most successful for them now, not considering how the people they claim to be loyal to will treat them since they can see through their vacillating unfaithfulness.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1133 for more info.

Jeremiah 3 – A Halfway Marriage – some brief answers

 

1. In Jer 3:1-2, how can God’s people prostitute themselves with many lovers, both then and today?

A: They were comfortable being called God’s people, but they were also comfortable worshipping other gods, and engaging in wicked practices. A man would not be impressed with a potential wife who insisted that she had to still see other men after marriage. If a husband asks his wife if she was unfaithful with another man, and she responds with “which one” that is not a good sign. But that is what Judah did. If a wife is unfaithful, then there is a divorce, and then she marries someone else, the husband cannot go back to her again according to Deuteronomy 24:1-4. But what about when Israel has not just committed spiritual adultery with Baal, but now she is even married to Baal? In some respects, being God’s people is similar to being spiritually married to God. But the people took it as a marriage only when convenient. A problem is that when forgiveness is free, sometimes people can be prone to take it for granted. Some people are moral, nice, and appear loving, only when convenient. Character means commitment to stay the course, even when something appearing better comes around.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1134, the New International Bible Commentary p.769, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.683-684, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.523, Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.35, The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.849, the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1000, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.79 for more info.

 

2. In Jer 3:2, what is the point of the “Arab in the Desert”?

A: Even in ancient time Arab bedouins were known for ambushing travelers according to Diodorus Siculus’ Bibliotheca Historica 2.48 (60-30 B.C.) and Pliny the Elder’s Natural History 6.28 (-77 A.D.).

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.80 for more info.

 

3. In Jer 3:7, how were Israel and Judah like two sisters?

A: They had common parentage; but there is also more than that. They knew each other very well, and the path that one of them would take the other would likely follow. Of course, nothing says that sisters necessarily get along.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.97-98 for more info.

 

4. In Jer 3:11, why was Israel more righteous than Judah?

A: A key word in this chapter is “faithless”. While Israel was worse, in the sense of completely turning away from God, at least they were honest about it, and did not follow God in pretense, as Judah did. If you are going to commit to turning away from God, at least don’t hypocritically pretend to be faithful to God. As Jeremiah 3:13, Israel was faithless, similar to a woman leaving her husband. Judah was unfaithful, like a woman cheating on her husband. Also, Judah had the additional advantage of being able to learn from the example of Israel, but sadly they did not.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.400, Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.35-36, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1136, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.684 for more info.

 

5. In Jer 3:12-14 and Hos 14:1-4, can someone who showed belief and Christ, and later leaves the faith, ever come back?

A: Yes, I have known a number of cases where a person was an evangelical Christians, left and became a ______, and later repented and came back to Christ.
I have personally seen “blank” filled in with Mormon, Muslim, and skeptic.

   Jeremiah 3:12-14 and Hosea 14:1-4 are not pleas to those who have no knowledge of God. As pleas to those who know about God, they are not so much pleas to come to God as pleas to come back to God. See 1001 Bible Questions Answered p.436-437 for more info.

 

6. In Jer 3:14, why are just one or two mentioned to return?

A: The thought here is that even if only one or two return from a family or a village, God will restore even those few. Don’t ever think that so many people turn away from God there is no point for me to follow him either.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.91 for more info.

 

7. In Jer 3:15, what is the promise about their leaders here?

A: Shepherds after God’s own heart does not mean leaders who never make mistakes and don’t have any shortcomings. But rather, like David, they have God’s heart to glorify Him, and God’s heart for the people. They will feed the people with knowledge and wisdom.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.92 for more info.

 

8. In Jer 3:15-22, what is interesting about this literary style?

A: The first part of the chapter is accusatory about what Judah has done. But in Jeremiah 3:15-19 there is an abrupt change to a pleasant image, about the good things in store for them, even now, if they return and repent. But then Jeremiah 3:20-22 is a very abrupt change about what Judah will become if she does not change.

 

9. In Jer 3:20a, what is curious about this phrase?

A: You might expect it to say a woman treacherously leaves her husband, but no it says treacherously leave her lover. She was already treacherous towards her husband, but now she would be treacherous towards her lover too. It is amazing is easily people can think that if someone is treacherous towards someone else, they won’t be treacherous towards them.

 

10. In Jer 3:15-17, why would the Ark of the Covenant not be missed?

A: There are two reasons.

1. Those who turned away from God would not miss anything related to the worship of God.

2. In New Testament times, believers have the Holy Spirit inside of them. They do not need the ark of God’s presence, as one could think of us having the ark of God’s presence inside our hearts.

 

11. In Jer 3:15-17, how can Christian symbols today have a positive use?

A: They can be a reminder to pray and to continue practicing the presence of God. It can be an encouragement to see others that are believers, too.

 

12. In Jer 3:15-17, how can Christian symbols today have a negative use?

A: They can have a bad use if:

1. People think they contain any magic.

2. People think using a symbol will make God more pleased with them.

3. They pray to it, or worship or venerate the symbol instead of God.

 

13. In Jer 3:16, what happened to the Ark of the Covenant?

A: First two observations, and then two possible answers.

The Babylonians took all the gold and furnishings they found in Solomon's Temple.

The ark appeared in Heaven in John's vision in Revelation 11:19.

Answers: Either there was only one ark, and God carried it up to Heaven (perhaps as God's glory left the Temple in Ezekiel 10), or the earthly ark was a copy of the Heavenly one, as many items in earthly worship were copies of Heavenly things according to Hebrews 8:5.

 

14. In Jer 3:22, how does God cure people of backsliding?

A: In extreme cases, God cures backsliding by death, as He did for Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11. In most cases, it appears God gives us all a responsibility to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) persevere (Hebrews 10:23,26) and to watch and test others, especially leaders (Revelation 2:2,20; Matthew 7:15-20; 2 Corinthians 11:2-6,13-5).

 

Jeremiah 4 – If you will return … almost the last chance – some brief answers

 

1. In Jer 4:3 what does it mean to break up the unplowed (fallow) ground, and how should we do so today?

A: Land was extremely valuable back then. With effort, farmland would return a good crop, and the land would be available for the same each and every year after that. But if the land is not planted, then no crop and there is no benefit to having the land that year.

   Metaphorically we might have time, gifts, and skills that theoretically would be useful in God’s service, but they are not useful because we are not choosing to put them into action. “Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boasts of gifts never given.” Proverbs 25:14 (Berean Bible)

   However, as the rest of this verse shows, even if you do decide to sow on the uncultivated ground, it still might not do any good. If you sow on the hard ground without breaking it up first, the seeds do not grow but are just eaten by birds as Jesus said in the parable of the soils (Mark 4:3-20). Also, if this ground is filled with thorns they choke out the good plants. So step 1 is to desire to sow on the unplowed ground, step 2 ot use the plow of repentance and obedience to break up the hard ground, and finally in step 3 you sow.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.405,  The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1135, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.524, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.684, and The MacArthur Study Bible p.850 for more info.

 

2. In Jer 4:4, why did God tell them to wash the evil from their heart, since washing would not help in Jer 2:22?

A: Jeremiah 2:22 says they would use soda, but they needed to clean up their actions in Jeremiah 2:23-28 They were not clean on the inside, and they had the responsibility to “circumcise their hearts” and ask God to change them. See When Critics Ask p.275 for more info.

 

3. In Jer 4:4, what does the Bible say about God’s wrath?

A: Here is some of what the Bible says.

God is slow to anger. Ex 34:6; Num 14:18; Neh 9:17; Ps 86:15; Ps 103:8; Ps 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3; 2 Peter 3:9

God will not be slow to repay those who hate him. Dt 7:10

Fierce wrath/anger. Jer 6:4; 1 Sam 28:18; Lam 1:12

Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath. Mt 3:7; Lk 3:7

All without Jesus remain as objects of God's wrath. Rom 2:5-6;John 3:36; 5:9; 9:22; Eph 2:3;1Th1:10; Jn 3:36

Lord’s wrath remains upon him. Jn 3:36

Some people are storing up God’s wrath. Rom 2:5

God bears with patience objects of His wrath. Rom 9:22

We are by nature objects of wrath. Eph 2:3

Jesus rescues us from the coming wrath. 1 Th 1:10

God did not appoint us to suffer wrath. 1 Th 5:9

Save us from the wrath of the Lamb! Rev 6:16

The winepress of God’s wrath. Rev 14:19-20; 19:15; Isa 63:1-4; Lam 1:15; Joel 3:13

He has poured out His wrath like fire. Lam 2:4; Ps 50:3-6; Dt 29:20; 2 Sam 6:8

For the Son’s wrath can flare up in a moment. Ps 2:12

People who are stiff-necked after many rebukes will be destroyed suddenly. Prov 29:1

Drinking the wine of wrath. Job 21:20; Rev 16:19; 14:10; Jer 25:15; 51:7

God setting aside His wrath and fierce anger. Ps 85:3

“For my own sake I delay my wrath” Isa 48:9

Even God's wrath brings Him praise. Ps 76:10; Ex 9:16;~10:1-2;14-15; Jdg 5; Rom 9:17~Ex10:1-2

God does not delight in the death of the wicked, but rather desires that they turn from their wickedness and live. Ezek 18:23,32;33:11; 2 Pet 3:9; 1 Tim2:5; Mt 18:14

God is not slow in keeping His promises, but patient, not wanting any to perish. 2 Pet 3:9

 

4. In Jer 4:5-13, what threats is God making here?

A: If they do not repent, God is promising to send that Babylonians as a lion, a hot dry wind, clouds, a whirlwind, and eagles.

   See the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1001 for more info.

 

5. In Jer 4:6 and Jer 11:11, how does God bring evil?

A: God causes evil in the sense of the “physical evil” of catastrophes, but He does not do moral evil. However, this does not completely answer all the issues this verse raises.

   Even knowing how evil the Babylonians were, God deliberately planned that they would come to power and conquer Judah. The Bible shows both that God never does evil Himself, but God even uses evil people and demons as He wishes, as a part of His ultimate plan. See the discussion on Habakkuk 1:13 for more on God not only permitting, but also using the moral evil of others.

 

6. In Jer 4:6-7, could these invaders be the Scythians?

A: No. While the Scythians were attacking Anatolia and the Medes in Iran, and they went down the Philistine Coast to plunder a Philistine temple in Ashkelon according to Herodotus’ History book 1 p.104-106. However, there is no record that they fought against Judah. The Scythians had cavalry, no chariots in Jeremiah 4:13 and they did not know how to do city sieges in Jeremiahs 4:16. It also says it is the Babylonians in Jeremiah 20:4.

    See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.105-107 (footnotes), Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.38-39, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.406, and The MacArthur Study Bible p.850 for more info.

 

7. In Jer 4:9, how do the hearts of the political and religious leaders fail?

A: The immediate context is the prophecy that they will shudder with fear as an invading army spells their impending doom. We can read a firsthand account of this in the Lachish Letters we have preserved right before Lachish fell around 588 B.C.

   But in another sense, their hearts failed long before this when they turned away from God and their hearts refused to repent.

   See the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.525, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.407, and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1135 for more info.

 

8. In Jer 4:10, who preached peace to these people?

A: There is no record that Jeremiah himself every preached that the rebellious people will have peace. But Jeremiah is lamenting because God allowed the people to heard peace preached to them by prophets claiming to bring a message from God. These were false prophets, but the people chose to believe the false prophets. Even today, there are many people, who all claim to be Christians saying many different things.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1136, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.407, and New International Bible Commentary p.769 for more info.

 

9. In Jer 4:10, why does Jeremiah mention that “the sword touches the throat” here?

A: Throat (and what comes out of it) is a synonym for breath, as it is in Ugaritic literature. Throat is also mentioned in Isaiah 5:14. Jeremiah is poetic here; he is saying the sword will be pressed against the very same throats that uttered these false prophecies.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.407 for more info.

 

10. In Jer 4:11-12, how is God’s judgment going to be like a scorching wind?

A: Wind was often a good and useful thing; it brought moisture in the dew. A farmer could throw up a mixture of good wheat and chaff, and the light breeze would blow the chaff away. – but not this wind. This was a very strong dry wind from the desert. Imagine trying to separate wheat from chaff in a desert sandstorm. This would blow away the wheat as well as the chaff. A whirlwind could be a desert “dust devil” all the way up to a tornado. In Jeremiah 4:13, the God’s judgment again evildoers is not to provide discipline and correction, but rather to ruin.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1136, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.407, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.110, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.684-685 for more info.

 

11. In Jer 4:15 and Jer 8:16, what is the significance of armies from the region of Dan?

A: Dan was the northernmost tribe, and an invasion from the north would pass through Dan first.

   In addition, dispensationalists see this as implying the Antichrist will be a Jew descended from the tribe of Dan. However, the only other support for this is that Dan is not mentioned as one of the 12 tribes the 144,000 comes from in Revelation 7:5-8. This interpretation of Jeremiah 4:15; 8:16 goes all the way back to Irenaeus of Lyons (wrote 182-188 A.D.) in Against Heresies book 3 chapter 30.

 

12. In Jer 4:19, could a faithful obedient believer ever have an uncontrolled panic attack?

A: Yes, it sounds like Jeremiah did in Jeremiah 4:19. He was panicked not because he was not looking to God, but rather because he was looking to god and Jeremiah a panicked about what God showed him. It should have been the people of Judah who were panicking, not just Jeremiah.

   See Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.38-39 for more info.

 

13. In Jer 4:22, 8:16, how were the people of Judah foolish and like little kids without any sense?

A: Hebrew does not have a word for fool; it actually has five words (including a slothful person). The word for fool here, ‘ewil, is not for a naïve simple fool, and it is not for a hardened unredeemable fool. It is sort of in between, a morally evil fool without common sense. They were smart in knowing all about evil, but not very smart in knowing about the good.

   Little children have no sense of how important danger might be. They might be afraid of lightning they can hear, but not of an invading army that cannot yet see. Little kids have no perspective of history based on the past. They have little experience to judge things.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1136, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.116, and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.409 for more info.

 

14. In Jer 4:30-31, how do some people, like Judah, totally misread the situation today?

A: Women would use makeup with antimony to make their eyes look larger with dark “eyeshadow” to try to look more attractive. She thinks looking attractive and desirable will help her win over those she considers her lovers. In fact, they do desire her; they desire to destroy her. Sometimes in a difficult situation a person takes certain actions to try to help, but the actions have the opposite effect. But when a person is not following God, often they cannot even tell up from down.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.411, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.525 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1137 for more info.

 

Jeremiah 5 – When you can’t find even one – some brief answers

 

1. In Jer 5:1, how does this “divine scavenger hunt” compare to Abraham’s pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah in Gen 18:20-33?

A: God did not see even ten righteous people among the pagan towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is sad that in this time, Jeremiah could not find even one righteous man walking the streets of this city of the Lord. God is asking the question: “then why should I forgive you?” in Jeremiah 5:7.

   This does not just mean that a lot of evil occurred. Rather, evil was so normalized that a whole generation grew up being taught that “everybody does it” for things that God said were evil and no one should do. For example, Jeremiah 5:3,6,7 says that everybody was dishonest, swears by pagan gods, go to prostitute’s houses and their neighbor’s houses to commit adultery. To top it off, Jeremiah 5:31 says that the people loved it this way.

   But contrary to that, 1 Peter 1:14 says, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (NASB 2020)

   See the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1001, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1137, The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.851, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.685-686, and Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.43 for more info.

 

2. In Jer 5:1 and Gen 18:26-33, do these passages relate to Jer 15:1 and Ezek 14:14?

A: No. Jeremiah 15:1 and Ezekiel 14:14 says that not even men as righteous as Moses, Samuel, Noah, Daniel, and Job would be righteous enough to save another.

   In Jeremiah 5:1, Jeremiah is not looking for some one to give righteousness to another, but rather seeing if he can find enough honest people so that God would not destroy everyone in the city. Similarly, in Genesis 18:26-33 Abraham pleads with God to spare Sodom if he can find ten to fifty righteous people.

   Thus, God would avert or postpone the destruction if he found enough godly people, but a godly person cannot save another, because none of us are God, and none of us are sinlessly perfect.

 

3. In Jer 5:2-3; 6:13, are there different degrees of dishonesty?

A: Yes. Some people believe the slogan “honesty is the best policy”. It is OK to keep secrets sometimes, but Christians should not lie but be known for having words that can be trusted. Christians are to tell the truth, even when it hurts. The only qualification is that we are to speak the truth in love in Ephesians 4:15. Other people might be generally honest, but they will lie when they can have an advantage in doing so.

   Jeremiah 5:2 specifically mentions people who swear falsely by God’s name, contrary to Leviticus 19:12.

   But there is another level, and I have met at least two people who were like this. When you can be honest or dishonest about anything, they would choose dishonesty, even if there is very little advantage in doing so. The people around them don’t say anything, except perhaps think it is funny, so they keep on doing it. It is not that they tell lies. Rather, their very inner being is a productive “lie-factory” and they normalize lying as what you have to do to get by in business and in life. If someone is that way, and they have lied to others, but you have not seen them lie to you yet, that just means you have not observed them very thoroughly. Don’t trust people like that at all.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Bible vol.8 part 1 p.121 for more info.

 

4. In Jer 5:4-5, what was the point of distinguishing between the poor and the great?

A: Sometimes there are very different social and cultural dynamics between the poor and wealthy. The poor are often less educated, and they are more concerned about daily necessities than the rich. The rich have more education and more time to ponder things. Jeremiah saw that the poor had all abandoned God to pursue their own selfish ends. Jeremiah thought that that was just the poor; the rich would be different. Jeremiah reports that he was mistaken though; the rich and poor here were all the same in abandoning God.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1137 for more info.

 

5. In Jer 5:10, the people were so far from God; so why didn’t God want to destroy them completely?

A: There are many once powerful, but now lost and forgotten nations: the Elamites, Minni, Mitanni/Hurrians, Pechenegs, Sarmatians, Scythians, and Urartu. The people of Israel and Judah were deserving of going the way of other once powerful but now lost and forgotten nations. But God promised Abraham that he would a lasting nation with descendents as the stars of the sky. God keeps His promises, even when people break theirs. See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.414 for more info.

 

6. In Jer 5:12,20-22, how do many so-called Christians today not take God seriously?

A: They did not make any changes in their lives based on what the prophets said. We want enough of God to make us feel cozy and comfortable, but not enough to challenge us. We want God to help us in this life, but we don’t want to serve Him. We even want to give God gifts (like Cain), but not give Him our love and obedience. We want God to lead us to heaven, but we refuse to follow Him now. Som some people are halfway serious about God, but that really Is not being any more serious about God than about a vending machine.

   One frequent characteristic of the New Age Movement is a desire for spirituality without any obligation or responsibility.

   See Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.44,46 and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.414 for more info.

 

7. In Jer 5:14, how were Jeremiah’s words like fire and the people like wood?

A: God would fulfill the words of judgment He spoke through Jeremiah. This would lead to the destruction of the Israelites, such that only a remnant would be left.

 

8. In Jer 5:15, could this ancient nations be the Scythians?

A: No, because according to the Greek historian Herodotus History book 4 ch.5 the Scythians said that theirs is the youngest of nations. Rather, this nations would be the Babylonians, who reached dominate about 1500 B.C., and came from Amorites plus Sumerians who were about 1,500 years before Abraham.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.416 for more info.

 

9. In Jer 5:21, how do people have eyes that see not and ears that hear not?

A: Physically, blind and deaf people still have eyes and ears. people with vision have both the ability to see and the responsibility not to bump into others and use their sight wisely. Likewise, the people had both the ability and responsibility to choose right over wrong and follow God.

   They were ignorant. Sometimes ignorance is a valid excuse for unintentional things, but not here. This was willful ignorance.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1137 for more info.

 

10. In Jer 5:22, what is the point of the sand?

A: There are two points actually. First, why sand? A handful of sand cannot stop anything, but less water. But have a bit more sand and you can make a sandbag to defend against flooding. But a whole lot of sand, on a beach with dunes, can stop the flow of seawater. Second, God has the power to stop even the raging sea, and God can even do it by the unlikeliest of means: sand.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.417 for more info.

 

11. In Jer 5:25, how do people’s sins keep good things from them?

A: God does not give them the blessings or the good things they would otherwise receive, for at least four of reasons.

Discipline for a believer

Example for others

Punishment and just consequences for a reprobate unbeliever.

Protection from the sins they would commit if they had the resources of more material blessings.

 

12: In Jer 5:26-27, what is the point of fowlers catching birds?

A: Instead of killing birds for food, these fowlers catch birds to imprison them as pets. They would have a cage with tame birds, and when the wild birds would come into or near the tame birds, they could be caught. In a similar way, we can be deceived into entering a spiritually dangerous place by seeing people already there who seem to be doing OK.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.418 for more info.

 

13. In Jer 5:27, how are their houses full of deceit as a cage is full of birds?

A: In verse 26, the birds represent those caught by deceit. A cage holds a bird-catchers work, livelihood, and in what he takes pride. Are there any “trophies” or things you take pride in that are not good?

 

14. In Jer 5:31f, why is this a good verse for counseling?

A: Chuck Swindoll, in counseling many situations where a marriage partner was unfaithful to another, was struck by one common denominator; they did not fully consider the future repercussions of their actions. Besides recalling the past history, and looking at the present situation, a key part of making wise decisions is foreseeing (as best we can) what the consequences will be, or the consequences when someone is caught. And then they can ask themselves; is it worth taking the chance?

 

 

Jeremiah 6 – When you tell God you won’t listen, run for your life! – some brief answers

 

1. In Jer 6:1, what is the structure of this chapter?

A: This chapter have five related focal points, each one starting with This is what the Lord says. These are in verses 6, 9, 16, 21,22.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.419 for more info.

 

2. In Jer 6:1, what is the point about fleeing from Jerusalem instead of to Jerusalem?

A: Fleeing to Jerusalem would seems to make more sense. Jerusalem was high up on a mountain, with strong walls, and hard to capture. But Jeremiah is prophesying that the role of Jerusalem, as well as their confidence, will change. It will change from becoming a shelter to becoming a trap. People from Benjamin, north of Jerusalem, should flee through Jerusalem as far as Tekoa, about 12 miles south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Tekoa for a straight line, north to south. Tekoa is the last town before the desert begins.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1138, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.419, and Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.45 for more info.

 

3. In Jer 6:1, why is Beth-Haccarem specifically mentioned here?

A: This small village was on the highest hill between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. A watch fire on the hill could signal when Jerusalem has fallen. Tekoa was twelve miles south of Jerusalem and the verses says they should flee Jerusalem and retreat to there.

   See the New International Bible Commentary p.770 and The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1138 for more info.

 

4. In Jer 6:3-4, who are the shepherds here?

A: These are attacking commanders who have Judah and Jerusalem in their sights.

   See The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.851 for more info.

 

5. In Jer 6:10, why is it wrong that they did not delight in the word of the Lord?

A: Psalm 119 shows the attitude and feeling they (and we) are supposed to have toward God’s word. For many, God’s word is either offensive, because it tells them not to do things they want to do, and it reminds them of their guilt and future punishment. For others, God’s knowledge and commands are irrelevant to people who do not want to know God or obey him. See also the discussion on Jeremiah 6:27 for more info.

   Isaiah 61:10-11 shows one reason we can delight in the Lord is because of our hope in God's promise of what He is going to do.

 

6. In Jer 6:13, what is so wrong with covetousness?

A: Besides the fact that it is displeasing and disobedient to God (Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 6:21), it is harmful to us, too. Jealousy of others can eat away at a person’s happiness. Discontent at what they do not have can rob people of the simple joys of what they do have.

 

7. In Jer 6:14, Ezek 13:10, in what ways can people today say “peace, peace when there is no peace”?

A: I’m OK You’re OK is the title of a well-known pop psychology book. In response, one T-shirt a Christian wore showed Christ in agony on the cross and the words, “If I‘m OK and you’re OK, who did this?” If you want to say that people are OK without God, just realize that your teaching is diametrically opposed to God’s Word.

   There is a common, deep-felt desire for people who claim to speak with spiritual authority saying you are OK just as you are, and there is no need to change anything. Unfortunately, I have heard the message to “take it easy” even in a couple of Christian songs. God loves us where we are, but God loves us too much to keep us where we are. Instead of saying that Jesus already won the fight, so we don’t need to fight, because we are saved by  the love of God we should say with Paul, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:6-7), or “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12), and “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize. Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable. Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air. No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) Quotes are from the Berean Bible.

   John White wrote a good book about the Christian Life called “the Fight”. See also The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.852 for more info.

 

8. In Jer 6:15, what are some ways today people can be lulled into having no shame about anything?

A: Like the proverbial story of the frog in the gradually oiling water never jumping out, people can gradually become more and more accustomed to accepting more and more. This also happens to criminals who commit a little fraud and get away with it, and then commit more and more fraud until they are stopped by the law.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.422 for more info.

 

9. In Jer 6:17 and Ezek 33:1-20, what is a watchman?

A: A watchman would stand guard on the city wall and warn when an enemy was approaching. Jeremiah and Ezekiel served as watchmen for spiritual dangers attacking God’s people.

 

10. In Jer 6:17, what were the consequences of them telling God, “we won’t listen”?

A: Their sacrifices to God would be unacceptable. God would not listen to their prayers or cries for help. The abandoned God, so God would abandon them.

   See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.686 for more info.

 

11. In Jer 6:17, what are some ways people today tell God, “we won’t listen”?

A: One way is for people can consciously and deliberately tell God and others they refuse to do things God’s way. A quieter way to rebel is to not tell anybody anything, but just refuse to do what God says.

 

12. In Jer 6:20, 7:22-23, why did God not like their sacrifices here?

A: Wicked people who sacrifice to God, but deliberately still choose to continue in their wickedness should not think God is pleased with their sacrifice. See the discussion on Isaiah 1:11-17 for more info.

 

13. In Jer 6:27, how does God sometimes use Christians to test other people?

A: As we share the Gospel, people will respond, one way or another. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 says that to some we smell of life, and to others we smell of death. 2 Peter 2:20-22 says that it would have been better for a person not to have known the way of truth, then to know it and turn their back to it.

 

14. In Jer 6:30, how were some people’s lives like “scum silver” or the waste after silver refining?

A: Silver in nature is usually mixed with lead. When you heat up the mixture to a liquid , the lead oxidizes and the other material besides the silver stays with the lead. Only pure silver is left. But this verse refers to the waste that is left after silver is refined. It still has small quantities of silver in it, but it is not available. This valuable metal, diluted in this form, is worthless to others. As people reject worthless highly diluted silver, so God will reject them and their “diluted” obedience.

   See Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.47, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.425, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.686, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1139, and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.526 for more info.

 

 

Jeremiah 7 – When the balloon of religiousness is punctured – some brief answers

 

1. In Jer 7:1, when was this temple sermon given?

A: This sermon, before a 300 year-old gate might have been given shortly after Josiah died in battle in 608 B.C., based on Jeremiah 26:1-2,12-15, except that Jeremiah 26 might be a similar but different sermon. However, Jeremiah might have spoken similar things on several occasions during his long ministry..

   See The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.852, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.527, The NIV Study Bible p.1132, and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.426 for more info.

 

2. In Jer 7:4,8,10, what are some religious things people trust in today?

A: Jeremiah was dashing their false hope; sometimes, for the benefit of the person, we need to dash a person’s false hopes today. Some trust in idols or sacred books of false religions. However, within some Christian churches, people devote their lives to venerating icons, or Mary and other saints., sort of like a magic charm One time when the defenders of Constantinople withstood a siege, they attributed it to carrying around an image of the Virgin Mary.

   Within the false religion of Islam, some groups devote themselves to tombs of Shi’ite “saints” and other sacred objects, so they combine both errors.

   Within Christianity, some even trust in God’s word, yet do not follow God, as the Pharisees in John 5:39-40.

   People were treating the temple like robbers treated their hideouts. They could go forth and do evil things, knowing they could always retreat to their hideout for safety.

   Jesus quoted this verse of Jeremiah when he drove out the moneychangers in Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; and Luke 19:46.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.156, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.428, the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1003, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.687 for more info.

 

3. In Jer 7:12, when was Shiloh destroyed?

A: Shiloh, 18 miles north of Jerusalem, was where the tabernacle and ark were kept until the time of Saul. However the Philistines totally destroyed Shiloh after the battle of Aphek when Eli’s two sons were killed in 1 Samuel 4:1-11. (The ark and tabernacle were not destroyed then according to 1 Chronicles 221:29; 2 Chronicles 1:3,5.) The destruction of the city of Shiloh was around 1050 B.C.. Shiloh was not rebuilt until around 300 B.C., long after Jeremiah’s time.

   So if they had a city holding the ark, and God allowed it to be destroyed when the people lapsed into idolatry, then why should they think that Jerusalem will be spared when the people again lapse into idolatry?

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.429, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.157, the New International bible Commentary p.771, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.687, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1139-1140, and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.527 for more info.

 

4. In Jer 7:16, Jer 11:14, and Jer 14:11, when should we not pray for something or somebody?

A: Normally we should pray for everyone, including other Christians (Philippians 1:4,19; Acts 9:40), the lost (Acts 7:60; Romans 10:1; Acts 25:29), and even our enemies (Luke 6:27-28; Matthew 5:43-44). However, God specifically told Jeremiah not to pray for these people, because they would not turn and their wound was incurable. When you pray that a wicked people have peace, prosperity, and contentment, without repentance, you are essentially praying that God not discipline them or bring them back to Himself. In New Testament times, we are not told to pray for those committing a sin that leads unto death (1 John 5:16-17), which is interpreted to be blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32).

   See The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.852, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.430, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1140, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.687, and the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1005 for more info.

 

5. In Jer 7:22-23 is a day here just 24 hours?

A: No, the Hebrew word for “day” here, yom, can mean a space of time as well as a 24-hour day, according to Strong's Concordance. The context of Jeremiah means the time period when they came out of Egypt, which certainly would include Mt. Sinai.

 

6. In Jer 7:22-24, how did God not command them concerning burnt offerings?

A: Everyone understood that sacrifices were a part of the Mosaic Law. However, the people seemed to forget that God did not speak to them only about offerings, but about more fundamentally obeying Him. If you are performing a ritual that God said to do, but you are not doing it out of obedience to Him, it should be no surprise that God does not want us to do that until we want to obey Him. If someone will not obey God, more sacrifices will not make up for it.

   Even today, God does not want our meaningless offerings, only our sincere ones. Furthermore, Jesus gave the example in Matthew 5:23-24 that if someone is about to offer a gift, but they remember that their brother has something against them, leave the gift, reconcile with the brother, and then offer the gift.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.161 and The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.431 for more info.

 

7. In Jer 7:25, how did God daily send them visions?

A: This means that day after day, God sent them prophets with his message.

 

8. In Jer 7:29, what was the point of Jeremiah prophesying the people would cut off their hair?

A: First what is not the answer, and then the answer.

Not the answer: When a victorious army captured people to make as slaves, they often cut off their hari as a sign of domination that they could do whatever they wanted with them. However, in Jeremiah 7:29 they would be cutting off their own hair.

The answer: This is a prophecy that they would cut off their own hair, including beards, as a sign of mourning, both for the fall of the country and the deaths and enslavement of the people. Cutting off your hair was a sign of morning in Job 1:20; Isaiah 15:2-3; Jeremiah 48:36-38; and Ezekiel 7:18. People also shaved their head when they were ceremonially unclean.

Ezekiel 5:1-4 also uses a metaphor of cutting off of Ezekiel’s hair. Here is represented what would happen to the people. With both Jeremiah and Ezekiel we can see this is a mourning of God abandoning is disobedient, unrepentant people.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1140, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.433, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.687, and The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.853 for more info.

 

9. In Jer 7:30-31, what was so bad about Topheth?

A: Topheth was a nice, grassy area where Canaanites and ungodly Israelites practiced child sacrifice by burning little kids to death. Phoenicians and Carthaginians also practiced this. This cruel, ugly practice close by the temple at Jerusalem is not much different from today, where abortion clinics and churches are in the same city.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1140, 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.175, and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.527 for more info.

 

10. In Jer 7:30-31, why did God command human sacrifice at Topheth? (An atheist mentioned this)

A: It is an error to think that God commanded this. A reading of Jeremiah 7, that is not careless, shows God is rebuking Israel because they followed the idolatrous Canaanite practice of infant sacrifice.

 

11. In Jer 7:31, what are things that do not enter God’s mind?

A: This means that God did not desire this. It never came into God’s mind for God to command this. See the discussion on Jeremiah 19:5 for the answer.

 

12. In Jer 7:33-34, Dt 28:26; and Isa 18:6 what is bad about having a body unburied and food for the birds and beasts?

A: The state of our body after death has no effect on anything; look at the things the Roman pagans did to Christian martyrs. But this is a humiliation, that there were not even any family members who could safely bury the bodies.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.433 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.170 for more info.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeremiah 8 – When saying “I’m sorry” won’t escape destruction – some brief answers

 

1. In Jer 8:1-3, what is the point of the Babylonians digging up the dead?

A: Even the honor of the dead would not escape. The main point of people doing this is to disrespect the bones of the Israelites kings, leaders, priests, and prophets and indirectly to belittle the ancestry of the captive or soon-to-be-captive Israelites. The king of Moab burned the bones of the king of Edom in Amos 2:1. A secondary point would be to collect any treasures that might have been buried with them.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1140, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.434, the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1002-1003, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.170, The MacArthur bible Commentary p.853, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.687 for more info.

 

2. In Jer 8:2, what is the point of the sun, moon, stars, and planets here?

A: The people refused to give up worshipping the heavenly bodies. As the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.528 says, the picture is that when they are killed, their bones will be scattered on the ground, such that the things they had worshipped will look coldly and helplessly on.

 

3. In Jer 8:6-8, when do people do evil things fully and deliberately ignoring the consequences?

A: In this time, the people of Judah appeared to love their idols more than themselves, regardless of the consequences. They could not picture themselves renouncing their idols, regardless of the cost. Today people can love something, such as pleasure, or what they are told is patriotism, not only more than themselves, but even more than God. They can even love their religion more than knowing the true God.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.435 for more info.

 

4. In Jer 8:7, what is the message of the analogy of the birds?

A: Even simple birds see the seasons, and they know when to leave off what they are doing and migrate? But God’s people are not even as wise as birds? They don’t see that God judgment coming and know to stop what they are doing.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1141 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.171 for more info.

 

5. Even Jer 8:8 says that lying scribes [allegedly] corrupted the scriptures, so how can you trust the Bible?

A: Jeremiah 8:8 does not say all our Bibles are corrupted. It only says that some lying scribes handled the law of the LORD falsely. As an aside, though some liberal scholars claim there was no written law at this time, they are wrong because there had to be a written law for the scribes to copy it. This verse could also means that commentaries written on God’s word did not honestly interpret it. If somebody made a few changed or corrupt copies of a book, and people recognized it, that does that mean that the true text of the book is lost. Muslims sometimes try to use Jeremiah 8:l8 to claim that all Bibles were corrupted, but false scribes corrupting a few scribes does not mean all copies were corrupted. If that were true, then what would that say about the Qur’an? Here are three examples of changes in the Qur’an.

   Ibn Shanabudh was a Muslim scribe who wrote a copy of the Qur’an that had variants. “It is said that he [Ibn Shanabudh] confessed all of this [variation]. Then he was moved to repentance and used his handwriting in contrition, so that he wrote: ‘Thus saith Muhammed ibn Ahmad ibn Ayyub [Ibn Shanabudh]: I used to read expressions differing from the version of ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan…” [Since ‘Uthman threatened those who had different versions, this confession likely had an element of coercion in it.] The Fihrist p.72. Now a Muslim might argue that since his changes were recognized right away, and they did not become an official part of the Qur’an, his attempts did nothing to corrupt the Qur’an, - and the Muslim would be correct. That is exactly the same point with the lying scribes caught by Jeremiah.

   On the other hand, a Muslim might argue that people today are not sure of the correct exact words for many Bible manuscript variants. However, we are sure of the meaning, and the situation is the same with the Qur’an.

   Suras 1, 113, and 114 were absent in Ibn Mas’ud version (The Fihrist p.57). Ibn Mas’ud was a personal secretary of Mohammed’s. Mohammed told other people to learn the Qur’an from Ibn Mas’ud and three others. (Bukhari vol.6 book 60 no.521 p.486-487) The omission was not accidental. It is reported that Ibn Mas’ud said, “The two charm-Suras [113, 114] are not of the Book of God!” [www.Answering-islam.org/Quran/Text/distortion.html]

   ‘Ubai bin Ka’b, one of Mohammed’s secretaries, has extra suras, and omits about 12 suras in the Qur’an today. (The Fihrist p.61 footnotes 43-48) Abu Musa, of Basra, also had a text that was the same as ‘Ubai’s. (Suyuti, Itqan I, p. 65; Ibn Abi Dawud, Masahif, pp. 180-181, also Noeldeke, Geschichte des Qur’an's, pp. 33-38.)

   God promised His people that His words would not depart from their mouths in Isaiah 59:21. But it is not the vowels and consonants, mindlessly recited that are important, but rather the meaning that God communicated.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.436 and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.175 for more info.

 

6. In Jer 8:13, what is the significance of no grapes on the vine?

A: Grapes are fruit, and this image represents no godly fruit. Fruit can be a legacy of children, personal character, or leading other people to God. Regardless, God was seeing very little fruit among the people of Judah.

 

7. In Jer 8:13 and Hab 3:17, what is the significance of no figs on the fig tree?

A: Many people see the fig tree as representing the Jewish nation, and this means that they were not bearing fruit for God. This also explains the significance of Jesus cursing the fig tree in Matthew 21:19-21 and Mark 11:13-14,20-21.

 

8. In Jer 8:17, why does God send vipers, or poisonous snakes, here?

A: The people who were given God’s land refused to obey God. People would still worship God, but that was useless because they did not worship God alone. So God would have poisonous snakes, pother iteral and metaphorically, because they people were so bad they no longer belonged in this land of blessing.

   The viper here is probably serpens regulus, called a basilisk, a small but very poisonous snake. The trouble with vipers is that they don’t attack you because you are consciously annoying them. An unlike cobras in India, they cannot be charmed. A snake will strike you even if you don’t know it is there at all. If you defiantly turn your back on back, then watch out for vipers, because Satan, the great serpent, can have his way with oppressing you.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.180 for more info.

 

9. In Jer 8:20, what is the point of the harvest being over?

A: In Palestine they harvested barley, wheat and spelt in April, May, and June. They harvested figs, grapes, and pomegranates in August and September, and olives in October. But if the crops and fields were destroyed by an invade, even if the invader then left there would be no harvest. Likewise drought would destroy hopes of harvest.

   The point God is communicating here is there is a “harvest-time” for repentance such that God will mercifully let you escape many of the consequences of their sins. But at some point harvest-time is over, and regardless of what you subsequently say or do, there is no escape. The scary thing is that here the people disobedience had reached that point.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.438,  the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.528, and the New International Bible Commentary p.772 for more info.

 

10. In Jer 8:22, what is the significance of no balm in Gilead?

A: The town of Gilead was known for a healing balm. However, the balm good for healing infected wounds was inadequate for healing a wicked people.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.181-182 for more info.

 

 

 

Jeremiah 12 – Serving God can be just plain tough – some brief answers

 

Q: In Jer 12:1, do the wicked prosper, or does evil pursue and kill the wicked as Prov 13:21 and Ps 34:21 show?

A: Both occur. Some of the wicked are partially punished in this life; many are not. All will be punished appropriately at the judgment. See When Critics Ask p.276 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 12:1-6, do Jeremiah’s times of depression show him to be unspiritual?

A: Not at all. In fact, as believers we are typically more sensitive to evil and sin, and more likely to lament that than an unaware non-believer. Believers are not to always strive to be cheerful; rather believers should strive to share God’s heart and concerns. See 735 Baffling Bible Questions Answered p.176 for a complementary answer.

 

Q: In Jer 12:5, what is God telling Jeremiah about foot soldiers and horses?

A: If you are tired running with infantryman, how will you do running against horses. In other words, God is telling Jeremiah that he should not be too concerned about this plot, because a lot worse is going to happen to him.

   Something we can learn here about the way God works is that he often first trains us in smaller things before giving us bigger things.

   See the New International Bible Commentary p.773, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.458, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1145, The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.855, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.531, and the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.219,222 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 12:8, how did God’s inheritance roar like a lion against Him?

A: The people that God rescued out of Egypt not only ignored Him, they were against Him and seeking idols.

 

Q: In Jer 13:1-11, what was the point of the “role-play” of the linen shorts (or girdle)?

A: The linen belt (actually shorts hung at the waist and reaching to the knees, was something that was good, clean, and useful. However, unlike leather, linen would spoil easily if it was left dirty and damp. After it was buried in idolatry in a foreign land, the belt was ruined, rotten, and useless. Nevertheless, a few good threads remained.

   See the New International Bible Commentary p.773 , The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1145-1146, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.232-233, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.462, The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.856, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.690 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 13:1-7, was this belt buried at the Euphrates River or the Wadi Farah?

A: The Hebrew word, peratah, can mean “to [the] Euphrates”, or “to Parah/Farah” so it could be either way. The Euphrates River was about 350 miles northwest. The Wadi Farah is just a few miles north of Jerusalem and three miles northeast of Anathoth according to Aquila. Also, there are rocks (mentioned in Jeremiah 13:1-7) as Waid Farah, and there are no rock in the middle or lower Euphrates River.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.462, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1146, the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1005-1006, The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.690, the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary p.65, the New International Dictionary of the Bible p.46, and the New International Bible Commentary p.773-774 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 13:10, how do people walk in imagination after their heart?

A: The first part of the verse provides the answer. The people refused to hear God's words. They substituted their own false views of security for security in God.

 

Q: In Jer 13:11, why would God fill them with darkness?

A: There is a judicial hardening, which is a stubbornness to follow what is right. There also is a judicial darkening, which is being unable or unwilling to see what is right. See the discussion on Romans 9:18 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 13:12-14, why would Jeremiah say every wine jar should be filled with wine?

A: Wine jars were large, about ten gallons. Just as inanimate jars are filled with what they were made to be filled, people are filled with what they want to be filled. For people who habitually get drunk, they basically have chosen to be no different than the wine jars they are using. Paul also speaks of us as vessels in 2 Timothy 2:20-21.

   See the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1006. The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.690, the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.234, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1146, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.463, the New International Bible Commentary p.774, and the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.531 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 13:14, what is the significance of the pots being smashed against each other?

A: The means of destruction of these pots were each other. While Babylon, an external power, militarily destroyed Judah, spiritually they mutually destroyed each other with their encouragement to sin.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.236 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 13:23, what does Jeremiah mean by the color of skin or fur?

A: Someone can change some things, but other things, like skin color cannot be. The people due to their persistence in sin, have lost the freedom to do good because they are too accustomed to doing evil.

   See The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.466 for more info.

 

 

Jeremiah 14 – Jeremiah loses heart – some brief answers

 

Q: In Jer 14:1, what is the significance of droughts in Israel?

A: Droughts (plural here), would make is much harder for them to store up food for the coming siege. Also, having rains and plenty, was a sign of God’s covenant and favor with the Israelites in Deuteronomy 29:23-24, or no rain as sign of disfavor in Leviticus 26:18-19. But now God said He would especially bring drought. Deuteronomy 29:2-324 had been fulfilled in part in the drought under Ahab in 1 Kings 17:1.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1147, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.468, the New International Bible Commentary p.774, the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1006, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.690 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 14:4 what is this calling the ground?

A: It literally means the ground is cracked as the NASB 95, NIV, and NKJV translate it. But it ultimately means the ground has cracks fro being dry with not rain.

   See the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1006 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 14:8 why is God asking if the Lord is just travelling though?

A: Jeremiah, in a moment of doubt, is asking if God is like a stranger just passing though another land. A traveler, or nomad on the move, pitches his tent for one night, and then next day leaves as if he was never there.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.246 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 14:10, why do some people greatly love to wander, while others do not?

A: Contentment is a gift for which we should be thankful. While God does foreknow who will wander and people are predestined; it is wrong to use that to excuse people of their responsibility to choose not to wander.

People can choose to wander for one or both of these reasons:

Discontent with what God has provided: Some are not happy with what God has given to them.

Enticement of following another path: Some are happy with what God has, but they yield to a temptation to try to get more.

   Also, the main motivation to start someone wandering is not necessarily the motivation that keeps them wandering. For example, a smoker might remain a smoker because of an addiction to nicotine. However, nobody takes the first puff because of an addiction to nicotine.

 

Q: In Jer 14:11, when should we not pray for something or someone?

A: In general, we should always pray for people. However, in this case, the people had already made their choice, they were not going to change, and God told Jeremiah there was no point in praying for these people. Jeremiah's message to them primarily was not for their sake, but for the sake of the Jews who remained faithful to God during the exile.

  In general, if someone is praying to God, but at the same time they are rejecting God, then they should not expect God to answer their prayers. This can be true even if they ask someone else to pray for them.

   See The MacArthur Bible Commentary p.854 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 14:14 and Jer 28:9, why did God permit false prophets to prophesy lies in God’s name?

A: God permits people to affect others, good or bad, spiritually as well as physically. However, people generally can find the deception if they choose to look, and so they often have a choice on how much a bad influence affects them. When they do not have any opportunity to avoid deception, God is just. God does not punish sin where there is no law (Romans 4:15; 5:12). On the other hand, if people reject the truth they already had, God is under no obligation to give them an opportunity for further truth.

 

Q: In Jer 14:17, why did Jeremiah cry so much?

A: First of all; Jeremiah might have been puzzled. God called him to be a prophet at a young age, a teenager, and in his picture of what life would be like as an honored prophet, he probably had no idea at all that things would turn out this way. We might cry too, for that reason alone, at how different life had become versus what had been expected.

   Jeremiah even saw that he was questioned if he was even competent as a prophet. After all, in Jeremiah 14:14 there were many other prophets too, actually false prophets, who prophesied something very different. Nevertheless, near the end of Jeremiah’s life Jeremiah would finally be vindicated.

   But Jeremiah also had a much greater reason to cry. Jeremiah did not just deliver God’s message; he also shared God’s heart. Some see Jeremiah as the supreme patriot, because of his deep love for his people. Even though telling the Jews to surrender to the Babylonians does not look very patriotic on the surface, Jeremiah did not care how things looked, he only cared for God and his people.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1148,1149 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 14:19 (KJV), what does “lothed” mean?

A: This is an older spelling of “loathed”, which means to greatly despise.

 

Q: In Jer 14:22 (KJV), what are vanities of the Gentiles?

A: This refers to the worthless pagan idols.

 

Q: In Jer 15:1, since Moses and Samuel could not persuade God to relent, why did God look for someone to stand in the gap in Ezek 13:5 and Ezek 22:31?

A: These are two different situations. Perhaps an analogy will help here. In battle, if there is a narrow pass or a gap in the wall, defenders take their stand there to protect others. On the other hand, nobody needs to defend that spot if the attackers have already conquered the city. Unlike the naïve, undecided, and children, many of the people Jeremiah spoke to had already decided, in effect, to be the enemy.

   There are three points we can conclude.

1. In all situations, people stand before God for their own sins. God could forgive their sin through Jesus' death on the cross, but no sinful man can take our sins upon himself.

2. In most situations we should stand in the gap, pray for others, and be a witness to lead people to God.

3. In a few situations, such as Jeremiah faced, there was no longer any point in praying for these individuals. Jeremiah was still a witness, but a witness of judgment, and his message would be heeded by future generations.

   See the Believer’s Bible Commentary p.1007, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.532, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.472-473, and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.691 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 15:4, why would God punish Judah for the actions of Manasseh, since Manasseh was already dead, and before he died he also repented in 2 Chr 33:12-20?

A: Manasseh committed some horrendous sins, as 2 Kings 21:9-11 and 2 Chronicles 33:9 show. While Manasseh repented, most of the people did not. Since they choose to continue in Manasseh's sin and idolatry, God would punish them for their actions.

   There is a lesson to learn here. If someone turns away from the true God, and leads others with him, even if he repents, the ones who followed him are still in sin, unless they repent too. For example, I know an ex-Mormon missionary who after he became a Christian wanted to contact all the people he had previously converted to Mormonism and tell them about the real Jesus instead.

 

Q: In Jer 15:6, does God repent?

A: In one sense no, and in another sense yes. While God foreknew all, and never needs to change His plan, His revealed will and actions to someone can change when their heart changes. God is greater than time, outside of time, and God's plan is changeless. However, God also operates inside of time, and God is responsive to people. See also When Critics Ask p.276 and the discussion on Genesis 20:3-6; Exodus 33:5-6; Dt 20:17; Jonah 3-4; Jonah 3:10; and Jonah 4:1-2 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 15:6 how can God get weary, since Isa 40:28 says He does not get weary?

A: In Hebrew, the words for weary in Jeremiah 15:6 and Isaiah 40:28 are very different. In Jeremiah 15:6 (la’ah Strong’s 3811) means to tire or be (or make) disgusted – faint, grieve, loathe, etc. The words for faint and weary in Isaiah 40:42 are ye’aph (Strong’s 3287) for fatigued, exhausted, and (yagor Strong’s 3025) which means to fear, but is related to words for exhaustion or being tired. However, it actually is not necessary to know they are different Hebrew words to answer the question.

   God always wants people to sincerely call to Him, and God never gets weary. Being Almighty, He never gets physically sick or tired. However, metaphorically God does get sick and tired of people insincerely sacrificing or praying to Him. God is love, but if we think we can ignore the rest of God’s Word after learning that phrase, we miss out on knowing the character of God. It might be a surprise to many that there are “limits”.

People can heap up sins up to the limit in 1 Thessalonians 2:16. Jeremiah 15:6 also refers to God no longer forgiving them or showing compassion. Here are various ways God says we can “weary” Him?

The sins and offenses of people who sacrifice to God burden Him according to Isaiah 43:24.

Hypocritical people’s religious festivals are a burden to God, which He hates according to Isaiah 1:14.

The unbelief of Ahaz in particular and the ruling House of David in general, tried the patience of God in Isaiah 7:14.

When people say good is evil and evil is good, or where is the God of justice, they just weary God with their words in Malachi 2:17.

Honoring God with the lips but their heart being far from Him wearies God in Isaiah 29:13 and Matthew 15:8-9.

 

Q: In Jer 15:10, why did Jeremiah regret his birth?

A: As a teenager called to be a prophet by God, Jeremiah might have had high hopes of everyone listening to him, and seeing the difference he would make immediately. However, as that did not work out that way, and others questioned if Jeremiah was a real prophet at all perhaps Jeremiah started having doubts too. Jeremiah did not choose this fight, God hose Jeremiah. Jeremiah was getting tired of being in a fight that he looked like he was losing and could never win, and might have just wished he had never been in the fight in the first place.

   See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.691-692 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 15:10, what can you say to someone who regrets ever being born?

A: First and foremost, look to God. God created you for a purpose, and even though it might be hard, God is with you to be successful I your purpose. God also gives you a glorious hope, with Him in Heaven. Second, look outside yourself; at the people who might need you and that you were able to help and protect.

   See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.691-692 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 15:10, how should you respond when others curse and revile you for your speaking about your faith?

A: Three points to consider in the answer.

1. Carefully notice that they did not persecute Jeremiah because of his faith; they persecuted him because he spoke up about his faith.

2. Jeremiah did not go out of his way to make enemies, but Jeremiah did not alter in the least bit his message for God to placate his enemies, and Jeremiah's enemies came to him.

3. Jesus said in Luke that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

 

Q: In Jer 15:19, who is God telling to repent here?

A: God told Jeremiah to repent in this verse. Jeremiahs does not want to fight for God anymore here. Everything around Jeremiah was going to be destroyed because of disobedience to God, and Jeremiah doubted himself and was having a “pity party” just for himself.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1149, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary vol.6 p.477-478, the Evangelical Commentary on the Bible p.532 and The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.692 for more info.

 

Q: In Jer 15:20, what is the significance of a bronze wall here?

A: Usually a bronze wall was not solid bronze, but rock underneath protected by a bronze surface. The rock give the wall great strength you could not get through bronze. But you could not start to chip away at the rock until you got through the protective coating of bronze first.

   God is saying that He will make Jeremiah a bronze wall here. Jeremiah will be attacked, but God is promising that the attackers will not prevail.

   See The Tony Evans Bible Commentary p.692 for more info.

 

 

 

 

Q: In Jer, what were the idols the people worshipped?

A: The Jews provoked God with their images and idols in Jeremiah 8:19. Here are some of them.

Queen of Heaven (Ashtarte). Jeremiah 7:18, 44:17-19,25

Heavenly bodies. Jeremiah 8:2

Baals. Jeremiah 9:14

Wood idols Jeremiah 2:27; 10:3-9

Stones. Jeremiah 2:27

As many gods as towns. Jeremiah 11:13

 

Jeremiah 52 is nearly identical to 2 Kings 24:18-25:30, written after 561 B.C.

See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1123 for more info.

 

Jehoiakim was a political chameleon.

   See The Bible Knowledge Commentary : Old Testament p.1127 for more info.

 

The name Manasseh (Menasi) is on an Assyrian treaty table in 672 B.C., where each vassal king swore to treat the Assyrian god Asshur as his own god. ANET p.288.

   See Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.14 for more info.

 

No attitudes had changed; only opportunities.

Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.17

 

The prophet Uriah was killed.

Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.18

 

Josiah the reformer, Jehoiakim the tyrant, and Zedekiah the chameleon.

Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.23

 

Zedeiah was a puppet; in fact, he was everybody’s puppet.

Derek Kidner’s The Message of Jeremiah p.19

 

God commanded Jeremiah not to marry. Jeremiah 16:1-4

 

2 Maccabees 2:4 ff says that when Jerusalem was destroyed Jeremiah hid the ark, the holy fire, and the incense, its altar, and tabernacle, in a cave of the mountain where Moses saw the land. This might be why in Matthew 16:14 some thought Jeremiah will appear before the Messiah comes.

   See the Keil-Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament vol.8 part 1 p.18 for more info on this theory.

 

Not living their destiny.