Jeremiah (1-31) 14:10 Commentary and Bible Study

Jeremiah now receives a solemn word from the Lord. The people of Judah, like the people of Israel before them, have gone too far; Jeremiah is not to pray for them. This is the third time that the Lord has said this to Jeremiah (see also Jeremiah 7:16 and 11:14), and he will say so again (Jeremiah 15:1). The reason is given: ‘Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet’, that is, to wander from the paths of the Lord. There is a perverseness in their hearts that will not be restrained. No amount of pleading or warning or threatening has any effect; they are determined to go their own way. The time has therefore come for the nation to receive this severe discipline. God will visit their sins, and remember all the past opportunities which they failed to take advantage of. It will be as it later was when Christ said, ‘That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation’ (Luke 11:50-51).‘Pray not for this people for their good. When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.’ Judgment begins with the house of God, and Judah is going to be judged before Babylon, though Babylon’s time will also come. How precious is the opportunity to appeal to God’s mercy, and how few take advantage of it. Yet all the time it is there, and all who will may come – ‘Let him that is athirst come’ (Revelation 22:17). What could be more terrible than to have our access to the Lord taken away? ‘To whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life’, as Peter said (John 6:68). If we cannot go to God, then there is no other who can help us. God will not hear their prayers; he will not take notice of their fasting; he will reject their sacrifices. Why? Because they have proven their insincerity too many times before. Each time there has been an attempt to seek the Lord’s help, it has been insincere, self-interested. The Lord knows it is not going to get any better. They are only seeking his face because they are in trouble, and the moment the danger is gone, they will forget him, together with any pledges they made to him. God himself ‘will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.’ This is what they will receive rather than an answer to their cries. But if so, why then does the book not stop here? Why is Jeremiah sent to say anything else to the people? Because though the nation is judged, God still has a remnant, and the elect among the people will respond to Jeremiah’s pleadings. In their case, the severity of these words and the fear of being cast off, will rouse them to earnestly call upon the name of the Lord. They will dispense with idols, and be ready to abandon the world and their sins. So what is a judgment to many will to a few be a warning leading to recovery.