Introduction

‘If you, Israel, will return, then return to me,’ declares the LORD. ‘If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just, and righteous way you swear, ‘As surely as the LORD lives,’ then the nations will invoke blessings by him and in him they will boast.’ Jeremiah 4:1-2

This chapter begins with the conclusion of Jeremiah’s address to the Northern Kingdom, Israel. This shows what marvellous things could have happened to Israel if only she had repented and turned back to God. This promise came one-hundred years after they went into captivity, in Assyria.

But even then, God could have achieved wonders through them ‘if’, only, ‘if’, they had repented, Jeremiah 4:1. Of course, it was a vain hope, as there is absolutely no evidence that there was any intention on their part of returning to God.

God says, if they live in truth, Jeremiah 4:2, they will be guided by the truth. If they live in a truthful, just, and righteous way then they will be blessed by Him, Jeremiah 4:2.

If they glorify God and praise His name, then they will find glory in all things through Him, Jeremiah 4:2. In other words, if Israel would repent and turn to God, then other nations would want to come to God to be blessed by Him.

Cook, in his commentary, says the following.

‘Two great truths are taught in this verse: 1. that the Gentiles were to be members of the Church of the Messiah, and 2. that Israel’s peculiar office was to be God’s instrument in that great work. Thus Jeremiah is in exact accord with the evangelical teaching of Isaiah.’

‘This is what the LORD says to the people of Judah and to Jerusalem: ‘Break up your unploughed ground and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done—burn with no one to quench it.’ Jeremiah 4:3-4

Here God’s word is directed to Judah, the Southern kingdom, with a call for their true repentance and conversion, Jeremiah 4:3. God tell them to break up your unploughed ground and do not sow among thorns, Jeremiah 4:3. God wants their guilt and shame to cut their hearts. Their hearts had to be made right, and God doesn’t want mechanical service; He wants feeling behind it.

Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.

‘Fallow ground is either that which, having been once tilled, has lain long uncultivated or, ground slightly ploughed, in order to be ploughed again previously to its being sown.’

‘Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, Jeremiah 4:3 / Deuteronomy 10:16. The second part of this verse explains the first part. Circumcision was observed for all Jewish males, but the kind of circumcision that they needed was spiritual, not physical, Romans 2:28-29.

Circumcision of hearts meant removing from their thoughts and affections, all of the sinful indulgences to which they were addicted. If they prepare their hearts, all would be well; God’s wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil they have done, Jeremiah 4:4 / Matthew 25:41.

DISASTER FROM THE NORTH

‘Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’ Cry aloud and say: ‘Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!’ Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction.’ Jeremiah 4:5-6

These verses are a prophecy of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of Judah. Notice it is God who is bring this judgment upon Jerusalem, Jeremiah 4:5.

God tells them to cry aloud because the fierce anger of the Lord has not turned away from his people, Jeremiah 4:6. Raise the signal to go to Zion, Jeremiah 4:5. Some believe that this refers to road signs that should be set up pointing the way to the nearest fortified cities to which the people might flee to safety. We shouldn’t, however, believe that this is true safety.

The terrible judgment against Judah, like many of God’s judgments throughout history, against cities or nations, whose wickedness had reached a point of no return, is also typical of the final overthrow of man in the final judgment. This seems to be indicated by the words ‘in that day’ in Jeremiah 4:9.

‘A lion has come out of his lair; a destroyer of nations has set out. He has left his place to lay waste your land. Your towns will lie in ruins without inhabitant. So, put on sackcloth, lament, and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.’ Jeremiah 4:7-8

Here we read about the prophesied Babylonian invasion. This lion, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. was no ordinary beast, but a destroyer of nations, Jeremiah 4:7. This is the penalty for their sins, the savage lions of the Babylonians will destroy them. There is nothing left for Judah, except to weep and wail, Jeremiah 4:8.

‘In that day,’ declares the LORD, ‘the king and the officials will lose heart, the priests will be horrified, and the prophets will be appalled.’ Then I said, ‘Alas, Sovereign LORD! How completely you have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ when the sword is at our throats!’ At that time, this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; a wind too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments against them.’ Look! He advances like the clouds, his chariots come like a whirlwind, his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! We are ruined!’ Jeremiah 4:9-13

Kings and officials will lose heart when they see ‘in that day’ the Babylonians destroying Jerusalem, Jeremiah 4:9. Priests will be horrified, Jeremiah 4:9, and would probably ask, How can God do this to us? Isn’t the Holy Temple God’s? Are we not God’s?

God won’t allow His holy temple to be destroyed. He says that we are His people, so He will always look after us. The prophets were appalled, Jeremiah 4:9, because they were deceitful and they prophesied for gain. What can happen to us, the Lord is ours?

But just because God has chosen you doesn’t mean that He will protect you when you turn your back on Him, Matthew 7:21-23. It’s an eternal message; God expected this of man from the day man was created. He will expect it of man until the day the world ends.

I said earlier that Jeremiah 4:10 was the most difficult verse in this chapter. Why? Because of the way that it is written, we find it difficult to believe or interpret. They believed that everything that happens is actually accomplished by God.

Some commentators take this view, but another view is that this is really the way that Jeremiah felt about it because of his discouragement. But we cannot believe that a view like this ever belonged to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah says, ‘What a plan!’ You told me to speak to the people to save them, and you are going to destroy everything? Paul told the Thessalonians that the Israelites perished and that all people alike will perish, ‘if they refuse to love the truth and so be saved, 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11. God doesn’t deceive anyone; we deceive ourselves. God permits some things but He doesn’t like doing so.

Back in 2 Thessalonians, Paul says that ‘for this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie,’ 2 Thessalonians 2:11. Don’t we do the same today? Doesn’t the majority of the world’s population today believe the lie because they have no trust in God?

These people were condemning themselves. God, time and time again, tried to warn them, but they didn’t heed the warning. Eventually, they will be destroyed from the north.

Cheyne, in his commentary, says the following.

‘Jehovah’s judgment of his people here is similar to that of Isaiah 24, where the judgment of the enemies of Israel is interwoven with the judgment upon the earth.’

Jeremiah 4:11-12 is another description of the coming of the Babylonians. It’s like a bank of threatening clouds, a wind, not a helpful wind like the one used for winnowing, that is, exposing grain to the wind by tossing it in the air so that the wind can separate the grain from the chaff but a violent and destructive wind, Isaiah 21:1.

The swift chariots will descend upon the helpless people, swifter than an eagle attacks its prey, Jeremiah 4:13. There will be no hope for Judah. She must drink the bitter cup because this came upon her because of her own terrible wickedness.

‘Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbour wicked thoughts? A voice is announcing from Dan, proclaiming disaster from the hills of Ephraim. ‘Tell this to the nations, proclaim concerning Jerusalem: ‘A besieging army is coming from a distant land, raising a war cry against the cities of Judah. They surround her like men guarding a field, because she has rebelled against me,’ declares the LORD. ‘Your own conduct and actions have brought this on you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart!’ Jeremiah 4:14-18

Wash your evil hearts, God tells Jerusalem, Jeremiah 4:14. Get rid of your wicked thoughts, Jeremiah 4:14. Outward things that can be seen can appear to be more detestable, but we cannot see the heart. Get rid of your evil thoughts.

Sometimes we condemn young Christians because they still smoke. We condemn them because we can see them doing something we think they shouldn’t do. Look at your own heart and consider God, Matthew 7:4-5.

God is patient; look how patient He has been with the Israelites. We should strive to have patience like God. To help the young Christian, lift him up.

How long will these things go on? Jeremiah 4:14. Judah can do nothing of itself. Today, we can do nothing without Jesus, but we still have to do our part. God is always ready to forgive and forget, but they had to do their part, repent, and turn back to Him. Man, today hasn’t changed, hasn’t learned anything from the past.

Clarke, in his commentary, says the following concerning Jeremiah 4:15.

‘Dan was a city in the tribe of Dan, north of Jerusalem; the first city in Palestine, which occurs on the way from Babylon to Jerusalem. Between Dan and Jerusalem are the mountains of Ephraim. These would be the first places attacked by the Chaldeans; and the rumour from thence would show that the land was invaded.’

God is sending His judgment, Jeremiah 4:15-16, because they have rebelled against God, Jeremiah 4:17. Notice whose fault this was; it was their own fault, they brought judgment upon themselves because of their sinfulness, Jeremiah 4:18.

‘Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me; I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry. Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant, my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment. How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? ‘My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.’ I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger. This is what the LORD says: ‘The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely. Therefore, the earth will mourn, and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back.’ At the sound of horsemen and archers, every town takes to flight. Some go into the thickets; some climb up among the rocks. All the towns are deserted; no one lives in them. What are you doing, you devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why highlight your eyes with makeup? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they want to kill you. I hear a cry as of a woman in labour, a groan as of one bearing her first child—the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands and saying, ‘Alas! I am fainting; my life is given over to murderers.’ Jeremiah 4:19-31

In Jeremiah 4:19-21, we have what you could call a ‘personified’ Judah bewailing her fate. This is Jeremiah’s reaction after the warning, ‘My anguish, my anguish!’ Jeremiah 4:19. He can’t keep silent; he hears the trumpet, the warning, Jeremiah 4:19. Being of a priestly family, he knows how God feels.

The sound of war will always stir a person’s heart. He sees the shame of God’s people. No one understands. They are all foolish. They have no knowledge of God.

The Hebrew words for the land becoming desolate, Jeremiah 4:19, are the same words as in Genesis, ‘without form’. It’s going to be as though nothing existed. True, the sick and lame were left by Nebuchadnezzar in Jerusalem, but they couldn’t do anything.

‘I hear a cry’, Jeremiah 4:19, but it’s a cry of agony. A tragic picture of the pitiful end of a nation. We see the sorrowful emotions of a tearful Jeremiah, Jeremiah 4:20-21. This is similar to the deep emotion experienced by Jesus when He wept for His city, Luke 19:41-44.

God’s answer and the cause of their misery are related in Jeremiah 4:22. God says that His people don’t know Him, they have no understanding, and they are only skilled in doing one thing, and that is evil, Jeremiah 4:22. We read of a prophecy concerning the awful extent of the destruction. Everything is ruined by sin, Jeremiah 4:23-26 / Zephaniah 1:3.

Coffman, in his commentary, says the following concerning Jeremiah 4:23-26.

‘The terminology here clearly points to the final judgment, Zephaniah 1:1-4 / Revelation 6:12-17. The lesson would appear to be that the judgment of God repeatedly executed throughout history upon rebellious cities and nations is all typical of the ultimate Judgment of the Final Day.’

Notice that God will not completely destroy these people, that is, Judah, Jeremiah 4:27. Here we have God’s promise that He will not make a ‘complete end’ of Judah.

Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.

‘It was absolutely necessary that Jeremiah should have mentioned this hope in this verse, that Judah would not be completely destroyed. As you know, Isaiah preceded Jeremiah, and he had named one of his sons Shear-Jashub, which means, ‘a remnant will return’, Isaiah 7:3, and Isaiah 10:21. Why is this important? God would, at last, fulfil all of the glorious promises to the patriarchs. And it would have been criminal to have left it out of the context in which we find it.’

We must note that God says three times that Judah wouldn’t come to a complete end, Jeremiah 4:27 / Jeremiah 5:10 / Jeremiah 5:18. However, no one is going to be able to escape God’s coming judgment, Jeremiah 4:29-31.

Clarke, in his commentary, says the following concerning Jeremiah 4:31.

‘In such a case, the fear, danger, and pain were naturally the greatest. The gesture indicated by nature to signify distress and implore help. We have met with this figure in other parts, and among the classic writers it is frequent.’

God’s mind is made up, and the people’s minds are made up, but because the mind of the people conflicts with the mind of God, someone is going to suffer. And it’s not going to be God. Judah is weak and sick, and things are in a real mess because of her behaviour in courting lovers. Judah became tainted.

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