Jeremiah 1
Jeremiah 2
Jeremiah 3
Jeremiah 4
Jeremiah 5
Jeremiah 6
Jeremiah 7
Jeremiah 8
Jeremiah 9
Jeremiah 10
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1. Some suggest that at this point, the book of Jeremiah may shift from the days of Josiah (chaps. 1-10) to the reign of Jehoiakim after Josiah was killed in battle. Unlike Josiah, Jehoiakim did not serve Yahweh. He reversed Josiah's Yahwistic reforms.
Jehoiakim was placed on the throne by Pharoah Necho II. His brother Jehoahaz had initially ruled after Josiah's death, but Necho deposed him after only three months of ruling. After deposing him, Necho took Jehoahaz's brother Eliakim, renamed him "Jehoiakim," and put him on the throne. This suggests that Jehoiakim was more subservient to Necho's demands, perhaps almost a puppet in some ways.
2. Apart from the mention of the Ark of the Covenant in Jeremiah 3, the concept of God's covenant with Israel really appears first here in Jeremiah 11. Repeatedly in the chapter, Jeremiah warns Judah that they have broken the covenant. This warning would be all the more significant given that the Book of the Law had just recently been discovered in the temple (in 621BC) and Josiah had used Deuteronomy as the basis for widespread reform.
The covenant in view is specifically the one God made with Israel at Sinai (11:4). The terms of the covenant were that 1) Yahweh would be Israel's God. 2) Israel would be Yahweh's dedicated people. 3) There were the stipulations of the arrangement which, if Israel kept them, 4) they would find blessing in their land, "milk and honey" (11:5). These correlate to what James Dunn called the "four pillars" of Judaism. [1]
3. In verses 6-13, Yahweh then brings charges against his people. They have violated the covenant. They have not kept the terms of the agreement. God has repeatedly and tirelessly warned them (11:7). They haven't listened. This is why they have experienced hardships as God's punishment (11:8).
Instead, Israel has returned to the sins of their ancestors by worshiping other gods (11:10). They have as many gods as they have towns. They have as many altars to Ba'al as there are streets in Jerusalem (11:13). No doubt they will call on them when the approaching disaster strikes, but they won't answer. They may even call out to Yahweh when disaster strikes, but he won't answer either (11:11).
4. The last part of the chapter Yahweh speaks to Jeremiah himself. He tells Jeremiah to stop praying for the people (11:14). God won't answer that prayer.
The priests think, "Let's offer more sacrifices." That's what wayward priests often seem to do. Sacrifices don't make up for unrepentant deeds of evil (11:15). Israel was a blossoming olive tree. But it will burn to the ground (11:16).
The LORD told these things to Jeremiah. As a result, the people of his own village, Anathoth, plotted against him (11:21). At first, he was naive. He didn't realize they were plotting to blot his family out entirely (11:19). Like the imprecatory psalms, he asks Yahweh to bring retribution on them (11:20).
They said, "Do not prophesy in the name of Yahweh, or you will die at our hands" (11:21). Jeremiah responded with a prophecy that their young men would die in war. Their children would die in famine. Anathoth would be obliterated when the coming disaster comes (11:22-23).
5. People don't like being told they are in the wrong -- especially when they are in the wrong. Indeed, the reaction to being spoken prophetically against can often bring insight. Those who truly want to follow God and the truth often turn to self-examination when they are indicted as wrongdoers. But those who are truly guilty typically lash out not only in their own defense but sometimes with violent threats against the prophetic voice.
This is the difference between a heart of flesh and a heart of stone. The hardened heart is violent. It lashes out. It is vindictive. It is hateful. The heart of flesh is open. It is surrendered to God and truth that is greater than itself. It is submitted. It seeks peace and reconciliation.
[1] Using slightly anachronistic terms, he titled these monotheism, election, Torah, and temple.
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