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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Jeremiah Chapter 11

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Jeremiah
Date Penned: (627-586 BC)
Overview: To Urge God's People to Turn from Sin to God (c 1-52)
Theme: God's Judgement on Judah (c 1-45)
Message: Jeremiah Prophesies Judgement (v 1-23)

Jeremiah 11 Commentary 

(11:1) The Broken Covenant - This section concerns the broken covenant and contains a rebuke for those who returned to idols after Josiah's reform. Jeremiah's rebuke prompted a threat against his life by his own countrymen. As Jeremiah suffered, he pondered the prosperity of the wicked. As he brought this message to a close, he used a marred linen girdle (or loincloth) and filled bottles of wine as object lessons of God's coming judgment (see the note on 13:1-11). 

(11:1-8) History - God told Jeremiah to remind the people of their history--specifically, what God had done for them as a result of their obedience or disobedience to his covenant. Choosing obedience to God's Word is like finding a safe passageway through treacherous waters. Disobedience is like crashing onto hidden rocks, bringing disaster. We have the freedom to obey God and find the refuge he has waiting for us, but we also have the freedom to journey any other direction into disaster. The choice is ours. What have you chosen to do? 

(11:14) A Unrepentant People - At first glance this command is shocking: God tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people and says he won't listen to them if they pray. A time comes when God must dispense justice. Sin brings its own bitter reward. If the people were unrepentant and continued in their sin, neither their prayers nor Jeremiah's would prevent God's judgment. Their only hope was true repentance-sorrow for sin, turning from it, and turning to God. What good is it to pray for God's help if we haven't committed our lives to him? 

(11:18-23) Jeremiah's Enemies - To Jeremiah's surprise, the people of Anathoth, his hometown, were plotting to kill him. They wanted to silence his message for several reasons: (1) economic--his condemnation of idol worship would hurt the business of the idol makers; (2) religious--his message condemned the idolatry of the people and contradicted the messages of the false prophets; (3) political--he openly rebuked the hypocrisy of the leaders; and (4) personal--the people hated him for showing them that they were wrong, and his messages made them feel depressed and guilty. Jeremiah had two options: run and hide, or call on God. Jeremiah called, and God answered. Like Jeremiah, we can either run and hide when we face threats because of our faithfulness to God, or we can call on God for help. Hiding compromises our message; calling on God lets him enforce it.

 


Dave Burnette's Life Application


Remembering God's Word

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue in the Book of Jeremiah with chapter 11. In our text today, Jeremiah prophesied the Destruction coming to the people of God by remembering the covenant of God's Word and learning from the history of past obedience. Jeremiah learned to listen, trust, and obey the Word of God to see Him deliver His People. In making application, we know this truth alive and well today. If we follow God's Word and learn from the history of the past, we will see the Lord direct and deliver us today. How about you? Do you remember God's Word when you make your daily decisions? Let us learn from our text today to Remember the Bible in all daily decisions.

 

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Jeremiah 11

Jeremiah 11

 1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying,

 2Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;

 3And say thou unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant,

 4Which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:

 5That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.

 6Then the LORD said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.

 7For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.

 8Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do: but they did them not.

 9And the LORD said unto me, A conspiracy is found among the men of Judah, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

 10They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which refused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them: the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant which I made with their fathers.

 11Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them.

 12Then shall the cities of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem go, and cry unto the gods unto whom they offer incense: but they shall not save them at all in the time of their trouble.

 13For according to the number of thy cities were thy gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem have ye set up altars to that shameful thing, even altars to burn incense unto Baal.

 14Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them: for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble.

 15What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoicest.

 16The LORD called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.

 17For the LORD of hosts, that planted thee, hath pronounced evil against thee, for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke me to anger in offering incense unto Baal.

 18And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.

 19But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I knew not that they had devised devices against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered.

 20But, O LORD of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I revealed my cause.

 21Therefore thus saith the LORD of the men of Anathoth, that seek thy life, saying, Prophesy not in the name of the LORD, that thou die not by our hand:

 22Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine:

 23And there shall be no remnant of them: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.