←Jeremiah 6→BSB

In This Chapter 3 people 12 places 41 terms

People

Israel 2 Jacob (Patriarch) Jeshurun (Israel)

Places

    Key Terms

    Deal With 6 Peace 3 Abomination 3 Burnt Offering 3 Delight 3 Unable to Hear 2 Word of the Lord 2 Slaughtering 2 Be Holy Holy Holy (Pure) Holy Thing Most Holy Place Holiness Holy (Devout) Hallow Sanctuary Woe (Grief) Appoint Abomination (Act) Instruction Offering Gift (Tribute) Sin Offering Peace Offering Offering Made by Fire Offering (Contribution) Drink-Offering Guilt-Offering Sacrifice (Offering) Wave-Offering Voluntary Offering Gift (Offering) Dedication (Ceremony) Offer Sacrifice Sacrifice (Act) Sacrifice (Ritual) Whole Burnt Offering Offering (Special) Offering (Voluntary) Sin Offering (Guilt Removal)

    Jerusalem’s Final Warning

    ⓘ The invasion from the north, likely by the...

    The invasion from the north, likely by the Babylonians in 605 BC, was approaching the kingdom of Judah. As the Lord's messenger, Jeremiah had the duty to warn the people so they could find shelter.
    1“Run for cover, O sons of Benjamin;flee from Jerusalem!Sound the ram’s horn in Tekoa;send up a signal over Beth-haccherem,for disaster looms from the north,even great destruction.
    ⓘ Jeremiah described the commanding officers of the invading...

    Jeremiah described the commanding officers of the invading army as shepherds leading their soldiers to camp around the city. The initial plan was to strike the city walls at noon, when the attackers could see their work. However, the people in the city were so weakened that a night attack was just as effective (see 2 Kings 25:1–4).
    2Though she is beautiful and delicate,I will destroy the Daughter of Zion.†3Shepherds and their flockswill come against her;they will pitch their tents all around her,each tending his own portion:4‘Prepare for battle against her;rise up, let us attack at noon.Woe to us, for the daylight is fading;the evening shadows grow long.5Rise up, let us attack by nightand destroy her fortresses!’”
    ⓘ The Lord directed the Babylonians' attack. He told...

    The Lord directed the Babylonians' attack. He told them to make battering rams to break through the walls and to build dirt ramps for easy access (Jeremiah 32:24).

    6For this is what the LORD of Hosts says:

    “Cut down the treesand raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem.This city must be punished;there is nothing but oppression in her midst.7As a well gushes its water,so she pours out her evil.Violence and destruction resound in her;sickness and wounds are ever before Me.8Be forewarned, O Jerusalem,or I will turn away from you;I will make you a desolation,a land without inhabitant.”

    9This is what the LORD of Hosts says:

    “Glean the remnant of Israelas thoroughly as a vine.Pass your hand once more like a grape gathererover the branches.”
    ⓘ Jeremiah, the messenger and prosecutor, used rhetorical questions...

    Jeremiah, the messenger and prosecutor, used rhetorical questions to show his love for the people. He was shocked when they responded with scorn. After showing evidence of sins by all levels of society, the prophet delivered a divine decree. The use of future tense in his indictment suggests he spoke before the invasion.
    10To whom can I give this warning?Who will listen to me?Look, their ears are closed,†so they cannot hear.See, the word of the LORD has become offensive to them;they find no pleasure in it.
    ⓘ Jeremiah felt the Lord's anger toward the people...

    Jeremiah felt the Lord's anger toward the people and could not hold back his emotions.
    11But I am full of the LORD’s wrath;I am tired of holding it back.
    “Pour it out on the children in the street,and on the young men gathered together.For both husband and wife will be captured,the old and the very old alike.12Their houses will be turned over to others,their fields and wives as well,for I will stretch out My handagainst the inhabitants of the land,”declares the LORD.13“For from the least of them to the greatest,all are greedy for gain;from prophet to priest,all practice deceit.14They dress the wound of My peoplewith very little care,saying, ‘Peace, peace,’when there is no peace at all.15Are they ashamed of the abomination they have committed?No, they have no shame at all;they do not even know how to blush.So they will fall among the fallen;when I punish them, they will collapse,”says the LORD.
    ⓘ The Lord urged the people to repent and...

    The Lord urged the people to repent and warned them about the terrible consequences if they did not.

    16This is what the LORD says:

    “Stand at the crossroads and look.Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.But they said, ‘We will not walk in it!’17I appointed watchmen over you and said,‘Listen for the sound of the ram’s horn.’But they answered, ‘We will not listen!’
    ⓘ All the nations would know that disaster had...

    All the nations would know that disaster had come to the Lord’s people because they rejected his word (Jeremiah 19:3; Proverbs 1:31; Isaiah 1:2).
    18Therefore hear, O nations,and learn, O congregations,what will happen to them.19Hear, O earth! I am bringing disaster on this people,the fruit of their own schemes,because they have paid no attention to My wordand have rejected My instruction.20What use to Me is frankincense from Shebaor sweet cane from a distant land?Your burnt offerings are not acceptable;your sacrifices do not please Me.”

    21Therefore this is what the LORD says:

    “I will lay stumbling blocks before this people;fathers and sons alike will be staggered;friends and neighbors will perish.”

    An Invasion from the North

    ⓘ The Lord reminded the people that the coming...

    • The Lord reminded the people that the coming invasion was real. The soldiers had actual bows and spears (Isaiah 13:18).

    • roars like the sea: The noise from thousands of soldiers with horses and chariots must have been terrifying (Isaiah 5:27–30).
    ⓘ This conversation between Jeremiah and the Lord likely...

    This conversation between Jeremiah and the Lord likely occurred at the start of the Babylonian invasion in 605 BC. In these three poems, Jeremiah shares the Lord’s message (Jeremiah 6:22–23), connects with his people's fear, and urges them to repent quickly (6:24–26). He then receives a heartfelt message from the Lord (Jeremiah 6:27–30).

    22This is what the LORD says:

    “Behold, an army is comingfrom the land of the north;a great nation is stirred upfrom the ends of the earth.23They grasp the bow and spear;†they are cruel and merciless.Their voice roars like the sea,and they ride upon horses,lined up like men in formationagainst you, O Daughter of Zion.”
    24We have heard the report;our hands hang limp.Anguish has gripped us,pain like that of a woman in labor.25Do not go out to the fields;do not walk the road.For the enemy has a sword;terror is on every side.26O daughter of my people,dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in ashes.Mourn with bitter wailing,as you would for an only son,for suddenly the destroyerwill come upon us.
    ⓘ The Lord stopped Jeremiah's lament and reminded him...

    The Lord stopped Jeremiah's lament and reminded him of his mission. God compared the prophet to a silversmith working with raw ore. The refining process would show that the silver content was too small to be valuable.
    27“I have appointed you to examine My people like ore,†so you may know and try their ways.28All are hardened rebels,walking around as slanderers.They are bronze and iron;all of them are corrupt.29The bellows blow fiercely,blasting away the lead with fire.The refining proceeds in vain,for the wicked are not purged.30They are called rejected silver,because the LORD has rejected them.”