seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Jeremiah 11:1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— 4 the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today.”
I answered, “Amen, Lord.”
6 The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. 7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” 8 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’”
9 Then the Lord said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors. 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. 12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes. 13 You, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’
14 “Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.
15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple
as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
Can consecrated meat avert your punishment?
When you engage in your wickedness,
then you rejoice.[a]”
as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes?
Can consecrated meat avert your punishment?
When you engage in your wickedness,
then you rejoice.[a]”
16 The Lord called you a thriving olive tree
with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
he will set it on fire,
and its branches will be broken.
with fruit beautiful in form.
But with the roar of a mighty storm
he will set it on fire,
and its branches will be broken.
17 The Lord Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused my anger by burning incense to Baal.
18 Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.”
20 But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously
and test the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.”
20 But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously
and test the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth who are threatening to kill you, saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands”— 22 therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23 Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”
a. Jeremiah 11:15 Or Could consecrated meat avert your punishment? / Then you would rejoice
This seems to be about threats against Jeremiah. God chose the teenager, Jeremiah, to be a prophet. Jeremiah's mission was telling the people that God had had enough of their garbage. It appears that the people of Judah and Jerusalem were not receiving the message with open hearts. In fact Jeremiah seems to have figured out that they mean him physical harm. As I read it.... there were people in his home town threatening to kill him. God is going to take care of them though.... their day is definitely coming.
When I saw Anathoth..... Jeremiah, as I learned earlier.... was from the town of Anathoth. This was also the hometown of at least one of king David's mighty fighting men. So I googled it.....
Anathoth the name of one of the cities of refuge, in the tribe of Benjamin ( Joshua 21:18 ). The Jews, as a rule, did not change the names of the towns they found in Palestine; hence this town may be regarded as deriving its name from the goddess Anat. It was the native place of Abiezer, one of David's "thirty" ( 2 Samuel 23:27 ), and of Jehu, another of his mighty men ( 1 Chronicles 12:3 ). It is chiefly notable, however, as the birth-place and usual residence of Jeremiah.
This is from the easy English site. In 621 BC, Josiah was in his 18th year as king. The chief priest found a book in the Temple. Probably it was a part of Deuteronomy. It explained how the LORD's people should obey him. They had to carry out the covenant that the LORD had made between himself and the Israelites. He made it at Mount Sinai. Josiah had a meeting next to the Temple, where the people listened to the covenant. They promised to carry out the covenant (2 Chronicles 34:29-33). As long as Josiah was the king, the people did not worship the false gods. But really their attitude had not changed. When Jehoiakim became the king, they returned to their old habits. They worshipped the false gods of nature.
The LORD told Jeremiah to declare the message in the covenant. He had to declare it in the towns in Judah and in Jerusalem. Probably this ‘covenant' refers to both the covenant that Josiah had made and to the original covenant at Sinai. Bad things would happen if the people did not obey the LORD (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). So Jeremiah had to remind everyone about what would happen. He may have done that during Josiah's time as king. Or he may have done it during the early part of the time when Jehoiakim was the king. At that time, the people had gone back to their old pagan ways.
'The very hot room where people heat iron.’ This described how much the people had suffered in Egypt.
The LORD did not allow Jeremiah to pray for his people. The LORD loved the people in Judah. They thought that their sacrifices in the Temple would satisfy the LORD. But they were wrong. The LORD would punish them for their wicked behaviour. Ceremonies would not change his decision. They enjoyed their wrong actions. But they would not be happy when the LORD punished them.
The LORD warned Jeremiah that people wanted to kill him. Jeremiah had not been aware of his danger. An animal does not know that its owner plans to kill it. Jeremiah was like that animal. Isaiah, the prophet, said that Jesus would be like a young sheep. That young sheep was ready for people to kill it (Isaiah 53:7). That happened to Jesus. The men who hated him killed him. The people from Jeremiah's own village, called Anathoth, intended to kill Jeremiah. Jeremiah was not married and he did not have any children. So if he died, the name of his family would not continue. That was very sad for a person.
Jeremiah knew that the LORD is fair. The LORD understands people's reasons for their actions. Jeremiah asked the LORD to deal with his enemies. He wanted the LORD to be like a lawyer, who was acting on his behalf.
It was his own family at Anathoth who were plotting against Jeremiah. The reason why they did that is not clear. These are possible reasons:
1. Josiah had ordered people to worship in Jerusalem. Therefore, the priests in Anathoth lost their authority. They had to accept a less important rank in Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:8-9). Jeremiah’s family were priests. So they were angry that Jeremiah had agreed with Josiah's orders.
2. The people from Anathoth did not understand Jeremiah's messages against Israel's religious and social sins. He had blamed the whole nation because they did not obey the covenant. He had declared that the LORD would punish them. So they thought that Jeremiah had brought shame on their village.
3. Jeremiah had said that the LORD would use Babylon to punish his people. The people were angry with Jeremiah
The LORD would punish the people who wanted to kill his servant Jeremiah. An enemy would attack them so that the young men would die in battle. After the war, there would be a lack of food. So their sons and their daughters would die from hunger. There would be no people left. The LORD would punish the people in Anathoth at the time that he decided. Ezra 2:23 says that 128 men from Anathoth returned to Judah after the exile in Babylon.
I think the central idea of this chapter gets lost when the "lamb" is led to "slaughter". When I read those words.... my mind goes right to Jesus.... but this isn't about Jesus... this is about a death threat on Jeremiah. Jeremiah was young and naive. He was so busy belching out God's warning.... he didn't notice the humans over in the corner plotting his demise because he was threatening their livelihood.
Jeremiah's family had been the preachers, priests, and rabbis for the descendants of Jacob [Israel].... but along the way... the message Jeremiah's family was passing along to the descendants of Jacob [Israel] got warped completely out of shape. It appears that the Jeremiah's family had slowly moved from leading the people in the Worship of the Only Living God.... had turned to something totally different. The priest, preachers, or rabbis were preaching to the paycheck and the free housing. They were keeping the heads of the church happy rather than keeping God happy. They didn't like Jeremiah threatening their lifestyle..... and they were plotting to murder that loud mouthed, naive teen.... Jeremiah.
Now... back to the lamb part.... back in Jeremiah's day.... people kept lambs as pets. We have dogs and cats.... maybe even pot bellied pigs.... they had pet lambs. The lambs were so use to humans.... feeding them and caring for them.... that they would willingly walk right up to the butcher....never suspecting that the shiny thing in the butcher's hand would be their demise..... lambs trusted people.
Jeremiah was a teenage prophet.... he might not have been a bull frog..... but he was like a pet lamb.... and God had to look out for him because his own family.... the preachers, priests, or rabbis of the day.... didn't want his message to mess with their paychecks and free housing.
God told Jeremiah.... "don't beg for those people.... I am not listening anymore".
