Extreme measures

 Jeremiah 16:19–21 (ESV)

19O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble, to you shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: “Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit.
20Can man make for himself gods? Such are not gods!”
21“Therefore, behold, I will make them know, this once I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the LORD.”

The only way God could change the rebellious attitude of the people was to drive them out of the Promised Land into the hands of the Babylonians who served gods made by human hands. The land of Israel was given to Abraham as the inheritance God wanted them to inhabit and enjoy. Losing the land and become captives of another nation was their punishment designed to bring grief and loss that would compel them to repent. It was an extreme measure that God used to get the attention of the people and cause them to turn away from the lies of the false prophets who led them astray. Israel was God's chosen people who were to declare his glory to the nations, but they failed to be the people he called them to be. Their failure was met with God's power and might that drove them out of their homes and land. The sacred nation was going to be a scattered nation. Many would never return to the Promised Land and would be scattered throughout the world. Only a remnant would return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city after 70 years of captivity.

Hardened by sin

 Jeremiah 13:23–24 (NRSV)

23Can Ethiopians change their skin or leopards their spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.
24I will scatter you like chaff driven by the wind from the desert.

The nation of Israel was a stubborn people who refused to change their ways. They were set on worshiping other gods, and nothing would cause them to repent and return to Jehovah. They were the nation that God would draw near to them and they in turn would cling to him out of love for him and what he had done for them. But they became attached to the false gods who could do nothing for them. The insanity of sin is seen in the vile behavior of people intent on doing evil. They become so corrupt that doing good is foreign to them. It will take extreme measures to bring about changes in the conduct of the people. For Israel this would mean captivity and destruction of the cities they inhabited. The land God had given to them was polluted by their sinfulness and God had to remove them from it. The nation would be scattered abroad and after 70 years of Babylonian captivity only a remnant would be permitted to return to Jerusalem. In spite of all of the warnings and demonstrations that Jeremiah would use to communicate the coming judgment, it had no effect. Sin had hardened their hearts, and change was impossible until the judgement fell and the people realized the gravity of their rebellion and were willing to repent.

Love and Hate

 Jeremiah 12:7–8 (ESV)

7“I have forsaken my house; I have abandoned my heritage; I have given the beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies.
8My heritage has become to me like a lion in the forest; she has lifted up her voice against me; therefore I hate her.

We are able to see two aspects of God's character as he describes his relationship with Israel and Judah. God chose this nation from among all the nations on the earth to enter into a special relationship with him. They were the beloved of God; he chose them because he loved them and they were his heritage which would endure forever. They belonged to him, yet they did not want to be in relationship with him and turned away to worship the false gods. As a result, God's anger was stirred against them, and he hated them for what they had done. Seldom do people want to acknowledge that God' character includes anger and hatred. We often hear God loves the sinner but hates the sin. Yet these verses do not say this but rather that God hates those who have violated his covenant and turned to follow false gods forsaking the relationship he wants with each person. When the judgment day comes God punishes the person who has never submitted to his Lordship and rejected Jesus as the Savior of the world. He does not send sin to the eternal hell but sends the person. The love of God is demonstrated while we were sinners, he sent Jesus to the world to be the sacrifice he demanded as the penalty and payment for sin. God has made a way for all sinners to be made righteous through Jesus but if the sinners do not accept what he has done they will experience his wrath and be condemned to hell.

God's Covenant

 Jeremiah 11:9–10 (ESV)

9Again the LORD said to me, “A conspiracy exists among the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words. They have gone after other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant that I made with their fathers.

God is a covenant maker and the covenant he made with Israel on Mount Sinai had very specific requirements of the people as well as the blessings and curses God would pour out on them if they kept the covenant or rejected it. God is always faithful to fulfill his part of the covenant, and his expectation is that his people will also be obedient to do what he has required of them. Israel and Judah broke the covenant and began to serve the gods of the heathen nations in direct defiance of God. The city of Jerusalem that was known as the city of the Great King and the joy of the whole earth was now polluted with idols on the streets and worshiping the false god of Baal. It was a slap on the face to God who had delivered the people from Egyptian bondage and brought them into the Promised Land that was flowing with milk and honey. As a result, God fulfilled the covenant he made with them by bringing the punishment that was also part of the covenant. Jeremiah's life was threatened by the people who did not want to listen to his warnings. They sought to kill him, but God intervened and saved him. The messengers who bring the word of God that is in opposition to the people are always under persecution. People lost in sin and are in rebellion against God do not want to hear the truth and do whatever they can to deny it and silence the messengers. Truth will always prevail, and God will justly judge all who have killed his messengers and tried to perpetuate the lies that lead people astray.

Stupidity

 Jeremiah 10:14–16 (NRSV)

14Everyone is stupid and without knowledge; goldsmiths are all put to shame by their idols; for their images are false, and there is no breath in them.
15They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16Not like these is the LORD, the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name.

Jeremiah does not hold back any words of opposition to those who make idols and worship them. He calls them stupid, lacking knowledge and understanding that these idols cannot do anything good. In contrast he gives praise to God who is the creator of all things. God cannot be created and to think that a wooden idol could be his equal is the height of stupidity. The false gods along with their idols will perish but God is the eternal God who always was and always will be. People who worship anything but the One True God are delusional. No one and nothing can compare to God and to worship anyone but God diminishes the value God has placed upon every human being he has created and given life. We find our worth, identity and purpose for living through our relationship with God.

Dark days ahead

 Jeremiah 9:11–14 (NRSV)

11I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a lair of jackals; and I will make the towns of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.
12Who is wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken, so that they may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through?
13And the LORD says: Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, or walked in accordance with it,
14but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.

Jeremiah had very strong words of the disaster that would soon befall the people of Judah. Their land would be ruined, their cities destroyed without people to live in them. Their punishment was a consequence of their forsaking the laws of God and following after Baal, the god of the heathen nations. God is righteous and just in all of his ways. He does not act in judgment without reason or justification. Truly the heart of man is deceitfully wicked and easily convinced that his own ways are better than God's ways. The laws God had given the nation were for their good and would separate them from the practices of the heathen nations. Following God's laws would produce peace and prosperity. God would be glorified in their obedience. Yet the people would not obey and made choices that brought about the horrible punishment that was predicted by Jeremiah. How difficult it must have been for him to declare the future to the people and not see them repent. His heart was broken as he knew exactly what was going to happen and the unwanted changes that would be experienced in the captivity of the nation. The nation would lose everything God had given them and lives would be taken by the invasion of the Babylonian forces.

Sick sinful people

 Jeremiah 8:22 (ESV)

22Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?

Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet. As he saw the fall of his people and the turning away from the God whom he served, he was distraught and concerned for the welfare of the people. He wanted them to be healed from their apostacy and once again live in the blessings of the Lord. His heart was broken by the sinful behavior of the people who refused to listen to him and continued in worshipping false gods. It was not a matter of ignorance of the commands of God but defiance of them. Their attitudes and actions provoked the anger of God which led to their captivity by the Babylonians. As we look at the situation in the world today our heart should be broken just as Jeremiah's heart was broken. It is sad to see the demise of the church that has abandoned the truth of the Word of God and embraced the desires of the culture that are in direct violation of what God has declared. There are pastors and leaders of the church who have violated the people they were called to serve and have been removed from their role. Sinful behavior is not rejected but embraced as normal and practices such as homosexuality, abortion and gender reassignment are acceptable among many who proclaim they are Christians. It is a sad day, a day of mourning for the church that has strayed from the ways of God and has led many into lives that are an abomination to God.