At the very beginning of our studies, I said that this book was not in chronological order. Because of this, there have been many attempts to date this chapter, and they have been unsatisfactory.
However, Jeremiah 17:15 shows us that this chapter was written before the Babylonian conquest, ‘let it be fulfilled now.’ There doesn’t seem to be any pattern to this chapter, just a collection of important items by Jeremiah.
Judah’s sin has become such a part of their lives that they are described as being engraved, inscribed on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars, Jeremiah 17:1.
Henry, in his commentary, says the following.
‘What is thus engraved upon the heart, though covered and closed for a time, can never be erased but will be produced in evidence when the books are opened.’
Even their children remember the idolatrous places of worship, Jeremiah 17:2.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Even the rising generation have their imagination stocked with idol images, and their memories with the frantic rites and ceremonies which they saw their parents observe in this abominable worship.’
In other words, Judah’s sin was engraved on their hearts, and God knows what is happening in their hearts. They were supposed to have God’s Word in their hearts, Deuteronomy 6:6 / Deuteronomy 11:18 / Proverbs 3:3.
What is written upon the heart cannot be wiped out and so, because of this, God is going to punish them, Jeremiah 17:3. Their places of idol worship will be removed, Jeremiah 17:3, and they can blame no one but themselves for being taken into captivity, Jeremiah 17:4.
The meaning of this section is pretty clear. In the last chapter, Jeremiah 16:10, the people demanded to know, ‘What wrong have we committed against the Lord?’ God answered their questions then, and He does so again here.
Their heartless wickedness proved it, and they had no excuse. They could plead with Him that they had done nothing wrong that deserved any kind of punishment, but God said, oh yes, you have, Jeremiah 17:4 / Isaiah 55.
God says the heart is cursed and the heart trusts in itself and its own strength, Jeremiah 17:5. It is blind and does not prosper, Jeremiah 17:6. This is a picture of living in a desert and not being able to enjoy anything. There is parched desert land and salt land, meaning they have been totally removed from the blessings of God, Jeremiah 17:6.
But the heart that is directed to the Lord is blessed, Jeremiah 17:7. If a person keeps the covenant, they are blessed, but if they don’t, they are cursed, Deuteronomy 28-29 / Leviticus 26:3-16.
It is God who sustains us if we trust in Him, Jeremiah 17:8. This is the heart of the wise, who is at peace, Jeremiah 17:8, and is also very productive, Jeremiah 17:8. The contracts written here are similar to what we read in Psalms 1.
But these people, those who have hearts full of deceit, are beyond cure, and no one can understand why, Jeremiah 17:9 / Ephesians 4:17-18. Only God knows what’s in people’s hearts as He can search the heart and examine the mind, Hebrews 4:12-13 / Acts 1:24, and reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve, Jeremiah 17:10 / Romans 2:6-9.
The mention of a partridge sitting on eggs that she didn’t lay is interesting, Jeremiah 17:11. There is an old proverb that says that it is not true that a partridge could hatch eggs that she had not laid. Whether or not that is true, Jeremiah used this as an illustration here.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘There is no need to charge Jeremiah with believing the saying, not only that, but the species of the bird also mentioned here is not clear. So there may have been some kind of bird, unknown to us, to which this old saying was true.’
The message is, however, clear, and that is, riches that are acquired unlawfully are an unsafe possession, Jeremiah 17:11. There is a beautiful contrast here between the wicked man, Jeremiah 17:11, and the righteous man, Jeremiah 17:7-8, which is applicable to all generations, but this is a special message of warning to Judah.
The question that arises here is, if a righteous man who serves God has a better life than the unrighteous man, why do men not trust in God? I suppose the answer is because man’s deceitful heart doesn’t allow him to see things that are straightforward.
These verses show Jeremiah’s trust in God and his confidence in God’s justice. Jeremiah says a glorious throne, exalted from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary, Jeremiah 17:12. He says God is the hope of Israel, and everyone who forsakes Him will be shamed, Jeremiah 17:13.
Those who forsake God, the spring of living water, John 7:37-39, will be written in the dust, Jeremiah 17:13 / Job 19:24. Those who obey God will have their names written in the Book of Life, Philippians 4:3 / Revelation 3:5 / Revelation 21:27. God basically gives His people two options: submission or shame.
Jeremiah prays for God to heal him, and he prays for God to save him so that he will be saved from his wicked heart, Jeremiah 17:14. The idea in this section is that Jeremiah is not going to abandon his prophetic ministry just because the people didn’t believe it and persecuted him.
Instead, he prayed for grace to continue to hold up against the opposition until the truth of God’s words was fulfilled, Jeremiah 17:14-15. ‘Where is the word of the Lord? Let it now be fulfilled?’ Jeremiah 17:15. I don’t know the Hebrew language, but I am told that the idea here, in Hebrew, is of sniggering, laughing at God’s word.
They are laughing at Jeremiah, who brings nothing but bad news. But God is fixing to wipe the smile from their faces. Let it come, the people say, but God will have the last laugh.
There is a statement of respect and reliance on God by the prophet in Jeremiah 17:16-18. Jeremiah 17:16 is considered to be a bad translation. The Hebrew thought is that they have laughed at your word, but I haven’t, Lord. Jeremiah says he hasn’t stopped feeding the people with God’s words, Jeremiah 17:16.
Jeremiah relied on God for his message and protection, Jeremiah 17:17. On the day of disaster, Jeremiah wants God to destroy them with double destruction, Jeremiah 17:14 / Revelation 18:6.
In God’s eyes, Jeremiah was successful even though he never had one convert. He spoke God’s word regardless of what others thought. Sometimes we fail to understand that our responsibility is to tell the message and that our responsibility ends there, 1 Corinthians 3:6. We cannot force people to become Christians, Acts 2:47.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘There have been some differences of opinion as to which of the gates is referred to as ‘the gate of the people,’ Jeremiah 17:19, but it seems that the passage doesn’t refer to any specific gate. Jeremiah was to stand at the entrance and preach, wherever the people happened to be, Jeremiah 17:20.’
Feinberg, in his commentary, says the following.
‘It seems that the people who lived in the fields around Jeremiah, who worked in them during the week, decided that the best time to bring their produce into the city was on a Sabbath, Jeremiah 17:21. So, the people within the city would bring out their goods and materials from their houses and exchange them for the countryside produce. This was against the express commandment of God in the Law of Moses.’
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘From this and the following verses, we find the ruin of the Jews attributed to the breach of the Sabbath, as this led to a neglect of sacrifice, the ordinances of religion, and all public worship, so it necessarily brought with it all immorality. This breach of the Sabbath was that which let in upon them all the waters of God’s wrath.’
The people were so intent on personal wealth and gain that they weren’t keeping this day holy, Jeremiah 17:22. His people stubbornly refused to listen and obey God’s commands, Jeremiah 17:23.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘There is an amazing promise in this section. If only Judah had obeyed the word of God and had turned back to God with all of their hearts, He would have, even at this late stage, turned aside all of these dangers. He would have established Judah forever, Jeremiah 17:24-26. But they refused to do so.’
God says princes will sit on David’s throne and the city will be inhabited forever but if they refuse to listen then fire will come on the city that will not be quenched, Jeremiah 17:27.
Due to their continued rejection and their persistence in worshipping idols, God would destroy them, Jeremiah 17:27. He would destroy Judah, and He would destroy their temple, Jeremiah 17:27.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Their sin lay at their own back door, and they had received warning after warning, but they rejected the messages of God, the messages delivered through Jeremiah.’