Jeremiah

Jeremiah 16:1-4

The idea of judgment by sword, famine and disease continue in this chapter.  Jeremiah was instructed not to get married and have a family.  He would become living lesson of the curses brought on them by obedience (Deut 28:26).  As part of their judgment, they would not be able to live normal lives by getting married and having families.  This would be taken from them as their lives would be completely disrupted as judgment. 

Jeremiah 16:5-7

As part of this lesson of judgment on the people, Jeremiah showed them life and family wouldn't be normal.  Now, he is instructed to show them that even in death, life would not be normal.  There would be no funeral meals, no funeral, no mourning of the dead.  The Lord had made it clear the dead would be scattered with no one to bury them or care.  The rest would be taken to captivity. 

Shaving the head or cutting themselves were a pagan customs of mourning forbidden by the Lord (Lev 19:8; 21:5). 

Jeremiah 16:8-9

As the house of mourning was taken from them, so would the house of feasting.  These were non-religious feasts held to celebrate joyous occasions like birthdays, weddings or visiting guests.  Their joy would be overwhelmed by judgment, the feasts and celebrations would end when the reasons for such things were stripped away. 

Jeremiah 16:10-13

The Lord provides the answer for the people when they ask Jeremiah why the Lord would bring such a great disaster.  What sin had they committed?  They aske these questions as if the judgment was previously unheard of, unexpected and completely undeserved. 

Their ancestors had failed and forsook the Lord; and this would be reason enough.  But, verse 12 says, they had behaved even worse.  They were more wicked by far.  As a result, the Lord was throwing them out.  They would go to another land and serve other gods, since that was what they were prone to do. 

Jeremiah 16:14-18

However, there was a better time coming.  People would not longer speak of the Lord bringing His people out of Egypt, they would then speak of Him redeeming them from Babylon, the land of the north.  He promised them a time He would restore them to the land. 

He would send fisherman to catch them.  He would send hunters to hunt them down.  They would be gathered up from the all the places they were scattered to and they would be brought home.  But first they would be judged for their wickedness and sin; primarily the defilement of the land with vile images and detestable idols.

Jeremiah 16:19-21

Jeremiah worshiped the Lord this restoration that is promised.  He declares the Lord as his strength and fortress.  This serves as further repentance and trust from Jeremiah's lamentation and complaint to the Lord (15:15-18). 

The Lord responds to the worship and trust of Jeremiah as his servant.  As Jeremiah acknowledges the failings of the people, without excuse, the Lord commits to teaching them. 

©2018 Doug Ford