Read chapters 9-12 as we present some thoughts…
On one hand, Jeremiah wept for his people because of their sin, on the other hand, Jeremiah did not want to associate with them because of their adulteries, unfaithfulness, who “shoot lies” from their tongues like arrows. God is going to refine Israel (9:7) in the fire of judgment (cf. 6:27-30).
Jeremiah calls on Israel to consider just who is speaking the truth!? The fact is (vs 13), they have forsaken the law of the Lord and refused to obey the word from God’s mouth. God’s principles should have prevailed to produce a holy nation, but it was not mixed with faith.
Once Babylon invades, there will be so many dead, there will not be enough “professional” mourners; moms will have to teach their daughters how to wail. Death, personified (vs 21), had entered the houses of Israel, just as death had entered the houses of the Egyptians during the final plague of the exodus. There will be no place of refuge from Babylon.
The verb to “hear” is found 40 times in the preaching of Jeremiah. Fundamentally, he’s got to get Israel to hear God’s message, to listen to God’s message. We cannot be saved if we do not first hear the word (chapter 10)!
There is no god like Jehovah God! Remember, these people had the exodus behind them and, I have no doubt, they had the written record of that event as well (Exodus). There was no excuse for them not trusting and obeying the God of heaven!
Man must submit to God and follow His ways (10:23). Man walks in vain if he does not submit to God’s guidance in order to receive God’s blessings. We must have a word from God in order to be right with God, in order to obey the truth from God.
There are a few reasons why God brings up the exodus (11:1-5). Primarily, it’s because that’s when God gave Israel the covenant at Mount Sinai, which the nation of Israel swore to uphold. It was the basis on which God could have a relationship with Israel. Secondly, since Israel was contemplating signing a treaty with Egypt against Babylon, then it was necessary to remind Israel what God did to Egypt 1,000 years before! God was no fan or supporter of the pagans in Egypt. Why do they think they’ll escape the wrath of God by fleeing to Egypt?!
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There is a focus on the idolatry of Israel in this paragraph (11:11-13). They violated the first two commandments of the Ten and God is not obligated to fulfill His part of the agreement anymore. He will, but with the nation as a whole, not with this generation of ingrates.
Beginning in 11:18, we see that Jeremiah’s hometown folks have been setting a plot to kill Jeremiah. God will protect Jeremiah but God will not stop Jeremiah from suffering physically.
Why do the wicked prosper (12:1-4)? That’s the question of the book of Job and we often hear the same question posed today. It’s nothing new. When things are going well, when the economy is going well, it’s hard to get people convinced that God is not happy with their behavior. The deception of wealth, a healthy bank account, is that we interpret that as proof that God is happy with our behavior or with our teachings. Instead, we always have to compare our behavior and our teachings with Jesus Christ and His word – that is the standard of righteousness, to see if we are pleasing to God or not.
If Jeremiah cannot stand up to the taunts of his fellow countrymen (12:5-6), how is his faith going to hold up when Israel is invaded by Babylon? Everyone must count the cost of serving God (Luke 9:62).
Israel has turned her back on God, so God is turning His back on Israel. God has forsaken His house (the temple in Jerusalem), His inheritance, His people and delivered them into the hands of His enemies. They put on a show, they act like they are high and mighty, spiritually minded and all; like the speckled bird, God is going to feed them to the predators, that is, to Babylon. The fierce anger of the Lord is going to be unleashed against them.
Finally, God promises that He will bring Israel back from exile. He will bring them back. He has a plan to fulfill.
Paul Holland
