and charge even your descendants,
declares the Lord
Jeremiah's prophecy is, at its core, concerned about the spiritual tragedy of Judah's forsaking of its history and its God. This forsaking spreads like a cancer throughout every part of society.
Jeremiah criticizes the fall of the moral fabric of the nation. He chided the priests wayward leadership. Jeremiah's critique is also intensely political. He does not shy away from bashing the political decisions of the monarchy.
But, he does all of this with vibrant and intense poetry. At times, the Message is a tragic opera - laced with drama and metaphor. It is important to understand what Jeremiah is so intensely lamenting.
Amnesia
Jeremiah accuses the nation of amnesia. Don't you know where you came from? Don't you know what I brought you from? Don't you remember what happened to the Northern Kingdom? How could you pursue this direction?
The nation's political path was leading them into bed with the Egyptians, but this was contrary to the course of history. God led them out of Egypt - not into Egypt.
For hundreds of years, God had cultivated the nation. He had worked to develop the nation into a beacon of hope and truth. Like the Promised Land - the nation had gone from wild and untamed to domesticated and productive. Now, they were undoing all that and returning to the useless Wild.
Prostitution
In strong language, the Prophet accuses the nation of laying down under any tree, with whomever comes along. Everyone, that is, except for the one who loves them the most.
On every high hill and under every lush tree,
you have acted like a prostitute
How can you say,
“I’m not dirty;
I haven’t gone after Baals.”
Look what you have done in the valley;
consider what you have done there.
You are like a frenzied young camel,
racing around,
a wild donkey in the wilderness,
lustfully sniffing the wind.
Who can restrain such passion?
Those who desire her need not give up;
with little effort they will find her in heat
Misplaced Loyalty
The Prophet accuses the priests, especially, of investing in "broken wells." God, himself is a spring of living water, but they had no interest in that. When the nation veered in the wrong direction, the priests went along with it. They never tried to correct things. Intstead, they led the people to the broken, empty wells. There was no water. There was no way to quench the people's thirst.
Amnesia
Jeremiah accuses the nation of amnesia. Don't you know where you came from? Don't you know what I brought you from? Don't you remember what happened to the Northern Kingdom? How could you pursue this direction?
The nation's political path was leading them into bed with the Egyptians, but this was contrary to the course of history. God led them out of Egypt - not into Egypt.
For hundreds of years, God had cultivated the nation. He had worked to develop the nation into a beacon of hope and truth. Like the Promised Land - the nation had gone from wild and untamed to domesticated and productive. Now, they were undoing all that and returning to the useless Wild.
Prostitution
In strong language, the Prophet accuses the nation of laying down under any tree, with whomever comes along. Everyone, that is, except for the one who loves them the most.
On every high hill and under every lush tree,
you have acted like a prostitute
How can you say,
“I’m not dirty;
I haven’t gone after Baals.”
Look what you have done in the valley;
consider what you have done there.
You are like a frenzied young camel,
racing around,
a wild donkey in the wilderness,
lustfully sniffing the wind.
Who can restrain such passion?
Those who desire her need not give up;
with little effort they will find her in heat
Misplaced Loyalty
The Prophet accuses the priests, especially, of investing in "broken wells." God, himself is a spring of living water, but they had no interest in that. When the nation veered in the wrong direction, the priests went along with it. They never tried to correct things. Intstead, they led the people to the broken, empty wells. There was no water. There was no way to quench the people's thirst.
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