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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
16:1-17:18 Jeremiah Renewed by God. Jeremiah responds positively to God's rebuke and undertakes new ministry. He preaches about the terrible times awaiting Judah (16:1-18) and the depths of human sin (16:19-17:11). He prays for and receives restoration (17:12-18).
16:2 As a symbol to the nation, Jeremiah is instructed not to marry. Such living messages were intended to shock the people into repentance (cf. 13:1-14), although it is a mercy for Jeremiah (16:3-4).
16:3-4 With sword, famine, and diseases coming as part of judgment (15:2-3), it will be better for Jeremiah not to have a wife or children to care for and not to have to watch them suffer and die (cf. 1 Cor. 7:29-32).
16:5 God commands Jeremiah not to attend funerals or mourn the dead, again as a testimony that God has taken away his peace. steadfast love. God's protection is based on his covenant relationship with Israel.
16:6-8 All mourning rituals such as burial, lamenting, and feasting will cease, because no one will be left to do them (cf. 7:33).
16:10-12 you have done worse. God's condemnation comes because of constant covenant breaking that exceeds that of previous generations.
16:13 hurl. Violently expel (10:18). a land. A place of exile (15:14). serve other gods. The ultimate punishment (Deut. 28:64). no favor. A reversal of Ex. 34:6-7.
16:14-15 God will restore Israel after exile. This renewal will be so astounding it will surpass the first exodus (32:37; Deut. 30:1-10).
16:16-17 fishers, hunters. These are either enemy soldiers who will catch all refugees (Ezek. 12:13; 29:4-5; Amos 4:2; 9:1-4; Hab. 1:14-17) or God's servants who will pluck people out of exile (cf. Matt. 4:19; Mark 1:17).
16:18 Prior to any renewal, Yahweh will punish the polluters of his inheritance, i.e., God's people and their land.
16:19-20 Jeremiah's confession of faith indicates he has repented, as 15:19-21 ordered. my strength. The one who delivers him (Ex. 15:2-3). my refuge. His place of protection (cf. Jer. 12:1-4; 15:10-12). The nations will come to Yahweh, rejecting their idols (10:1-16) and confessing that he alone is God and thus able to save. This is the OT expectation and the purpose of Israel's calling (Gen. 12:1-3).
16:21 I will make them know. All that will befall Judah and the nations will be for a redemptive purpose.
17:1-3 pen of iron . . . point of diamond. These were tools for carving on stone, which is what their heart has become. beside every green tree, on the high hills, on the mountains. Serving idols in every conceivable location is the sin engraved on their hearts.
17:4 serve your enemies. See 15:14 and Deut. 28:64. my anger. God's justifiable wrath at Judah's constant, baseless covenant breaking.
17:5 Cursed. Beset with negative consequences (Deut. 28:15-68). makes flesh his strength. He turns from God to seek help in man.
17:6 like a shrub in the desert. He will be alone and without resources when disaster comes.
17:7 Blessed. Filled with God-defined benefits. whose trust is the Lord. Only trust in God motivates confident obedience in times of crisis.
17:8 tree planted by water. Settled with resources no matter what happens. A perfect contrast to the "shrub in the desert" (v. 6; cf. Ps. 1:3).
17:9 heart. A metaphor for the human will and emotions (cf. vv. 5-7). deceitful. Tortuous, uneven, and crooked like a bad road. desperately sick. Medically incurable (15:18; 30:12, 15; Job 34:6; Isa. 17:11; Mic. 1:9). who can understand it? A rhetorical question expecting a negative answer. However, this strongly negative assessment of the human heart is not intended as a description of the heart of a believer under the new covenant, where God promises to write his law on people's hearts (Jer. 31:33; 32:40; cf. Ezek. 36:26; Rom. 5:5; 6:17; Heb. 10:22; 1 John 3:21).
17:10 heart and . . . mind. God understands (v. 9) the inner recesses of human motives, thinking, and decisions. to give every man. God is a just and merciful Judge.
17:11 Just as some birds hatch eggs not their own, some people take others' rights and riches.
17:12-13 glorious throne. The temple (14:21; Ps. 80:1). our sanctuary. A place of security when the people trust Yahweh, but a place of thieves when they do not (Jer. 7:1-15). hope of Israel. The one who secures the future of those who trust in him (14:8; 50:7; 1 Cor. 13:13). written in the earth. Those who turn away from God shall die and go to the dust ingloriously (Ps. 69:28). fountain of living water. Source of spiritual sustenance (Jer. 17:5-8; cf. note on 2:12-13).
17:14 Jeremiah prays for his own healing and salvation. my praise. That which he most values and speaks of with most joy.
