Jeremiah (1-31) 7:12 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Jeremiah (1-31) 7:12

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in verse 12 the argument changes again just a little, and here is a section which is really about history. ‘Be warned;’ Jeremiah seems to say, ‘Look at how God always acts. You think that because you are Jews, this can't happen to you. But look at your history, the history of our nation. It has happened repeatedly: a great judgment upon the people.‘Go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.’ You say, ‘We have got the temple in Jerusalem. That is God's dwelling place. He is not going to let the enemies of Israel do any damage to his name, to his testimony. Jerusalem cannot possibly fall, and so we are safe as a people.’ But Jeremiah answers, What about Shiloh? Before the house of God was constructed in Jerusalem, it was in Shiloh. When they first came into Canaan that was the place God chose. That was the place for offerings and for the national worship, the one place where they were to go. But because of their idolatry and their hypocrisy, what happened to Shiloh? God's hand of protection was taken away and, horror of horrors, Shiloh lost the ark, and was subsequently destroyed by enemies. This has happened before, Jeremiah warns them, and it will happen again. Don’t comfort yourselves with the idea that God’s hands are somehow tied, and that he cannot punish you, because you are too inextricably bound up with his own glory. He would never do anything to harm his own good name. You are wrong; you have seriously miscalculated, and history is going to repeat itself.For the lost religious there's a place for that in our reasoning. The record of Scripture is how God has always dealt with, even those who were named as his people, outwardly. If they disobey, and if they refused all appeals, and if they sinned against him, then eventually their place and they themselves were destroyed. It's the recurring history with only remnants being saved. So Jeremiah mines that seam, as it were, of reasoning. It's one volley after another of reasoning that he employs to persuade the people.Then in verse 13 we see two different streams almost running together. ‘And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking,’ – and he is going to repeat this kind of language – ‘but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not.’ What does the Lord mean when he says, I got up early in the morning? Again, he is using speech figuratively. That is what the diligent do; that is what the conscientious do. They get up early in the morning. The two things are associated. Early rising is associated with rushing off to studies or to work or some other task with great diligence. Lying in bed is associated with the opposite. So the figurative language is simply God saying, ‘Haven’t I sent many prophets, and spoken to you perpetually, continuously, and appealed to you, and appealed to you with every kind of demonstration and persuasion?’ It's a way of putting across the vigour with which God has directed his appeals to the hearts of the people. ‘Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.’ The argument moves back to history. You have given the same kind of provocation that they gave before, and so I will judge you with the very same type of judgment that I inflicted on them. Do you learn nothing from history?And then even more history: ‘And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.’ That is Israel, the ten northern tribes. Samaria has long since fallen. Samaria and Shiloh, and, of course, we can now add to that Jerusalem. The history of God's word tells us that after a long and patient period, he acts on his warnings. Jeremiah was remonstrating with a people who tried to convince themselves that they were religious enough. But God will not always strive with them. There will be an end to his appeals, and there will come a time when he will appeal to them no more. Then their fate will be sealed. They have resisted too long. So we come to verse 16, a direction to Jeremiah, and possibly to us: ‘Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee.’ It is sealed; it is too late. They have gone too far. That is the solemn warning that we have to give.

Application

We can reason in this way sometimes. We can say, God cannot judge me, because if he does he will bring disrepute on his own good name. My fortunes are so bound up with his honour that I have a free pass to sin without the possibility of any consequences. But God cannot be cornered; he cannot be trapped. He knows perfectly well what are the deceitful ways in which human beings. He never puts himself in a position where his creatures can force him to act against his will. Satan has tried this at the highest level, and his experience will be to be eternally tormented for his efforts. He has tried to tie God’s hands by forcing him to apply his own law against his own chosen ones, and to be unable of forgiving them, because his justice stands in the way. But this will not cunning strategy will be overturned by a deeper wisdom which Satan could not foresee and does not really understand. Grace is beyond his comprehension. Light has come into the world but the world did not comprehend it.

We too have to give this solemn warning to the unbelieving mass of mankind: that there is a limit to God’s patience. They go on ignoring him at their peril. They reason perhaps, that if there is a God, they are his creatures, and he is never going to destroy what he has made. Has he not given enough warnings, and enough examples to show that is not the case.

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Jeremiah (1-31) 7:12 Commentary and Bible Study