Bible Commentaries
Jeremiah 16

Verses 1-2

Jer 16:1-2

Jeremiah 16:1-2

FAMILY, FUNERALS, AND FESTIVITIES -- FORBIDDEN TO JEREMIAH

The following chapter divisions were suggested by Henderson: (1) Jeremiah forbidden to marry and have a family (Jeremiah 16:1-2); (2) God’s explanation for this prohibition (Jeremiah 16:2-4); (3) funeral celebrations also forbidden (Jeremiah 16:5-7); (4) festival celebrations likewise prohibited (Jeremiah 16:8-9); (5) God’s further elaboration of the reasons for such penalties (Jeremiah 16:10-13); (6) a prophecy of Israel’s restoration (Jeremiah 16:14-15); (7) the metaphor of the hunters and the fishers (Jeremiah 16:16-18); (8) prophecy of the conversion of the Gentiles (Jeremiah 16:19-20); (9) a reiteration of the certainty of impending doom for Judah (Jeremiah 16:21).

First, we wish to notice a classical example of the critical fembu which radical critics offer instead of an exposition of this chapter.

John Philip Hyatt wrote: "The Deuteronomic editor of this chapter lived about 550 B.C.; he could look back upon the events which culminated in the Babylonian exile and interpret the prophet’s celibacy and austerity as a sign to the people of the coming destruction. It is doubtful if this was the prophet’s own motive for his manner of living. The true explanation is perhaps Jeremiah’s wholehearted devotion to his prophetic mission that did not leave him room for devotion to wife and family.

"There is not a single word of truth in such a comment. There was no Deuteronomic editor of this chapter; the introduction of such a fictitious, imaginative character is merely a convenient manner the radical critics have of saying that Jeremiah never wrote a word of the chapter, but that it was written a whole generation after Jeremiah died! If a scholar does not believe this is God’s Word, why does he bother us with any comments on it? If it is not God’s Word, it deserves no comment whatever.

"Note also the arrogant conceit of any person who will tell us what "the true" reason for Jeremiah’s not having a family actually was, thus denying what the scriptures flatly declare, namely, that he refrained from having a family because Jehovah had so commanded him. Now, who should believe such a comment as that of Mount Hyatt? The unequivocal answer which we wish to give to that question is: "Only those who prefer to accept that writer as God’s spokesman, instead of the sacred writers of the Holy Scriptures. This writer is unwilling to accept the Interpreter’s Bible as a substitute for Jeremiah; and we would have to know a lot more about Mount Hyatt than we know, before we could credit him with any credibility whatever in such extravagant and untruthful remarks."

The date when Jeremiah wrote the chapter is not definitely known; but Payne Smith suggested that, "It probably was written near the end of the reign of Jehoiachim."

Kuist mentioned the "patchwork construction of the chapter which puzzles readers and interpreters"; but this is no reflection whatever against the integrity and authenticity of what is written here. We have repeatedly noted that Biblical books are simply not organized after the patterns followed in our generation.

Jeremiah 16:1-2

GOD’S FORBIDDING MARRIAGE AND A FAMILY FOR JEREMIAH

The word of Jehovah came also unto me, saying, Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters, in this place.

"Undoubtedly the Lord’s command for Jeremiah not to marry was an emotional shock to him." Note that this very recent scholar acknowledges the scriptural truth that the Lord did command Jeremiah to "Behave in an eccentric manner to illustrate his message." This is exactly in keeping with God’s orders for Hosea to take "a wife of whoredoms", and for Isaiah to name one of his sons, "a remnant shall return." Thus in all three instances, the prophet’s life was enlisted as an additional proof of the truth of what he prophesied.

"Marriage was obligatory among the Jews; and the prohibition of it to Jeremiah was a sign that the impending calamity was so great as to override all ordinary duties."

God at once gave the reasons for such an unusual order to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 16:3-4

GOD’S EXPLANATION OF THIS PROHIBITION

For thus saith Jehovah concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land: They shall die grievous deaths: they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the ground; and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of the earth.

A warning such as this would have been appropriate before the invasion and captivity; but can any intelligent person suggest why some "Deuteronomic editor" could possibly have written such a message a whole generation after the invasion and captivity had already happened? There could have been no point whatever in such an endeavor.

Notice also that the text plainly declares that God Himself gave these reasons for his forbidding Jeremiah to marry.

Halley paraphrased these verses thus: "What’s the use of raising a family just to be butchered in the frightful carnage about to be loosed upon the inhabitants of Judah?"

In this place. in this land .....

(Jeremiah 16:3). This is not a reference to Anathoth nor to Jerusalem, but to the whole land of Judah.

Jeremiah 16:5-7

FUNERAL CELEBRATIONS ALSO FORBIDDEN

For thus saith Jehovah, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament, neither bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith Jehovah, even lovingkindness and tender mercies. Both great and small shall die in this land; they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them; neither shall men break [bread] for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.

I have taken away my peace...

(Jeremiah 16:5). It is a serious and terrible thing indeed for God to remove his peace from any person or from any nation. Keil stated that, The consequences of the withdrawal of this peace is the death of great and small in such multitudes that they could neither be buried nor mourned for.

The natural emotion of pity and regret rises in the heart as one contemplates such terrible disasters in Judah; but, in this connection, one should recall the terrible manner in which God instructed Joshua to destroy in the most ruthless and complete manner the entire populations of ancient Canaan, which were thus displaced to make room for Israel. Now that Israel had become worse than Sodom and Gomorrah, the eternal justice required their removal also.

Nor cut themselves. nor make themselves bald .....

(Jeremiah 16:6). This is a reference to pagan customs which were strictly forbidden in Israel (Leviticus 19:28; Leviticus 2:5; Deuteronomy 14:1). However, it appears that such practices were widely prevalent anyway (Jeremiah 41:5; Jeremiah 47:5; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10; and Micah 1:16). But there would be no time for such behavior in the approaching calamity; and the very numbers of the dead would simply forbid it.

Neither... break bread for them...

(Jeremiah 16:7). This is a reference to a very ancient custom that is still followed by Christian people, namely, that of providing food upon the occasion of a funeral. Some commentators relate the custom of taking food to the bereaved after a funeral to the ritual uncleanness of a house after one died in it, making it improper to prepare food in such a house until it had been freed of the uncleanness.

The cup of consolation...

(Jeremiah 16:7). The cup of consolation was given to the mourners on the completion of their fast; and the significance of the statement here is that not even for father or mother were such rituals to be observed. In later Judaism, the consoling cup was a special cup of wine drank by the chief mourner.

Jeremiah 16:8-9

FESTIVAL CELEBRATIONS FORBIDDEN

And thou shalt not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and to drink. For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.

The significant thing about these prohibitions is that they removed practically all of the social duties that pertained to Jeremiah, emphatically denying Hyatt’s foolish explanation (discussed at the head of this chapter) of Jeremiah’s celibacy as being in any manner a result of his being "too busy" to marry and rear a family!

The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride...

(Jeremiah 16:9). The cessation of such joyful sounds as these not only marked God’s judgment of the First Israel, as indicated here; but the same thing shall also mark the termination of the day of probation for the Spiritual Israel (See Revelation 18:23).

Before your eyes and in your days...

(Jeremiah 16:9). The people were here warned to expect the termination of their nation in the near future, within their own times. As stated earlier, God was weary of repenting!

Jeremiah came through his personal crisis. He repented and God took him back. Now that the rebellious prophet was humble and contrite, God gives him further instructions concerning his personal conduct (Jeremiah 16:1-9) and his message (Jeremiah 16:10-13). God pulls back the curtain to reveal to His prophet the purpose and reason for the forthcoming judgment (Jeremiah 16:14-18). To all of this the prophet responds with a ringing affirmation of faith and vision (Jeremiah 16:19-21).

Directions to the Prophet Jeremiah 16:1-9

A minister must live a life that is consistent with the message he brings else he will be charged with hypocrisy and insincerity. Jeremiah had for the most part been preaching a message of doom and judgment. His life must reflect the gloomy prospects of the nation. A man preaches by what he does and does not do as well as by his words. There is a great deal of truth in the old adage what you are speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say. In order to bring the life of Jeremiah into harmony with the message he was to deliver, God laid down three prohibitions for His prophet.

In the first prohibition Jeremiah is commanded not to marry and father children (Jeremiah 16:2). Hosea was married as was Isaiah and Ezekiel. Probably most of the prophets had helpmates. But Jeremiah was denied wifely companionship. He had complained of his pain and loneliness and now a greater burden was laid upon him. But it was necessary that he abstain from marriage in order to get across to his contemporaries the message of how terribly desperate were the times. In Old Testament times marriage was regarded as the natural state. To remain unmarried would cause the people to realize how serious the times really were. Jeremiah’s non-marriage was a symbolic act with predictive overtones. Shortly the time would come when there would be no more marriage. Furthermore the nation was about to go through a period of brutal warfare. Children as well as their parents would die “painful deaths” (literally, deaths of sickness), including starvation (Jeremiah 16:3). Those who died of sword and famine would be left as dung upon the ground, their corpses being eaten by bird and beast alike (Jeremiah 16:4). This was no kind of a world in which to rear a child. While, therefore, it may seem harsh to disallow marriage for Jeremiah, the prohibition is fundamentally beneficent. Jeremiah was spared the added agony of seeing wife and little ones destroyed. One thinks immediately of the attitude of the Apostle Paul toward marriage in similar circumstances (1 Corinthians 7:26).

In the second prohibition Jeremiah is forbidden to attend funerals (Jeremiah 16:5). How difficult it must have been for the prophet to abstain from the customary extension of sympathy to the family of those who were near and dear to him. Again Jeremiah’s action would have predictive significance. His abstinence from the normal visitation to homes where there had been a death would provide an opportunity for him to describe the great slaughter which would shortly take place in Judah. So many would die in that day of famine, pestilence and warfare that the few survivors would not be able nor inclined to conduct the normal funeral service. Nobles and commoners will die but no one will bury them or take up a lament over them. The pagan rites of showing remorse by cutting oneself or shaving the head would not be performed (Jeremiah 16:6). Both of these latter customs were forbidden in the law of Moses (Deuteronomy 14:1; Leviticus 19:28; Leviticus 21:5). The funeral feast normally conducted in the home of the bereaved after the burial will be dispensed with (Jeremiah 16:7). This meal no doubt was accompanied by lamentation and prayers for comfort (cf. 2 Samuel 3:35; Ezekiel 24:17; Hosea 9:4). These formalities would have to be abandoned. Death would be so common that men could not participate in such observances even if they wanted to do so. All of this will befall Judah because God had withdrawn His peace, loving-kindness and compassion from the nation (Jeremiah 16:5). Judah is forsaken by her God. She is helpless and hopeless. A third prohibition forbade Jeremiah to attend joyous feasts and festivals as, for example, a wedding meal (Jeremiah 16:8). Jeremiah was no recluse. In fact in his previous prayer he complains that he has been excluded from the assemblies of merrymakers (Jeremiah 15:17). Again Jeremiah’s abstinence is to have a didactic purpose, it is intended to be an object lesson to the people of that generation. The nation was crumbling to destruction. This was no time for feasting and rejoicing. In the very near future all joyous activities would cease (cf. Jeremiah 7:34). When faced with extermination men would no longer think of feasting and banqueting (Jeremiah 16:9). While the prohibition had a valid and useful objective it nonetheless added to the burden which Jeremiah had to bear.

Verses 10-13

Jer 16:10-13

Jeremiah 16:10-13

MORE REASONS FOR SUCH PENALTIES

And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt show this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath Jehovah pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against Jehovah our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith Jehovah, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; and ye have done evil more than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the stubbornness of his evil heart, so that ye hearken not unto me: therefore will I cast you forth out of this land into the land that ye have not known, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; for I will show you no favor.

Ash noted that, "The verbs used here were part of the distinctive vocabulary used to describe the breach of the covenant." Significantly, however, it was not merely the breach of that holy covenant by the forefathers of Israel that led to their deportation from Canaan; but that current generation also had sinned even beyond the outrageous behavior of their ancestors.

There shall ye serve other gods day and night...

(Jeremiah 16:13). The form of the sentence here is ironical. A number of writers have attempted to convey the irony as follows: They will have the opportunity of indulging their desire for pagan worship day and night (continually), for God will ignore them. There you may serve those idols you are so mad about, even to satiety, and without intermission (day and night).

I will cast you forth out of this land...

(Jeremiah 16:13). Green pointed out that the word here for cast out is actually hurl out, and thus a clever play upon the name of Jeremiah. The kind of hurling mentioned here was that of placing a stone in a sling, releasing it after hurling it round and round. It was used here as a metaphor for the violent removal of God’s Once Chosen People from Palestine.

Instructions for the Prophet Jeremiah 16:10-13

Provoked by the strange anti-social behavior of the prophet the people become defiant. Two rhetorical questions are asked not for the sake of information but for protestation. “Why do you bring your message of doom? What sin have we committed?” (Jeremiah 16:10). As is frequent in the Book of Malachi the people are challenging the message of God’s prophet by means of questions. Either these people were self-righteous and totally blind to their iniquity or else they were attempting to bluff the prophet into silence by this brazen challenge. If the latter was their aim then they failed. Jeremiah had a ready answer. The history of Israel had been one continuous record of apostasy (Jeremiah 16:11). But the present generation is worse than their predecessors (Jeremiah 16:12). Contrary to the optimistic analyses of some historians one generation may be worse than another in the sight of God. The fathers who had sinned against God in the wilderness were denied access to Canaan. The apostate sons of the present generation would be denied the privilege of remaining in Canaan. The greater guilt of the present generation may lie in the fact that they had the advantage of greater revelation. They had been warned by countless prophets. They had seen the wrath of God poured out upon their sister kingdom to the north. Still they persisted in apostasy. For this reason God would hurl them from their land as a man hurls a javelin into the air. Sarcastically Jeremiah adds that there in that foreign land they can serve idols to their heart’s content. God will not show favor to His people by delivering them from the hand of their enemies (Jeremiah 16:13).

Verses 14-18

Jer 16:14-18

Jeremiah 16:14-15

ISRAEL’S RESTORATION PROPHESIED

Therefore, behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that it shall no more be said, As Jehovah liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, As Jehovah liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the countries whither he had driven them. And I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their fathers.

This wonderful promise of the restoration of Israel belongs right here where it stands in the Bible. We reject Ash’s statement that, "There is good reason to believe that this oracle was inserted by an editor." The alleged reason for this opinion was given as follows, "It is intrusive in subject matter and flow of thought"; but this is no sufficient reason for denying the authorship of Jeremiah in the giving of this prophecy.

As Dummelow pointed out, this device of throwing in a bright and encouraging prophecy right in the middle of very discouraging and gloomy prophecies corresponds exactly with Jeremiah’s pattern of writing throughout the prophecy. "See Jeremiah 3:14; Jeremiah 4:27; Jeremiah 5:10; Jeremiah 5:18; Jeremiah 27:22; Jeremiah 30:3; Jeremiah 32:27."

The thing that confuses some writers is the foolish critical rule that denies the authenticity of this sacred pattern; but the pattern is not only found throughout the Old Testament, but likewise in the New Testament, where Jesus prophesied heaven and hell in the same breath.

As the Dean of Canterbury put it, "There is no reason for regarding these verses as an interpolation."

Harrison likewise declared that it is not necessary to regard these verses as displaced. "All of the pre-exilic prophets interspersed their denunciations with expectations of a brighter future. See Joel 3:18-21; Amos 9:11-15, etc."

That brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north...

(Jeremiah 16:15). This implies that the second bringing up of Israel from captivity will outshine God’s bringing them up from Egypt. But just as this promised deliverance will excel the earlier one, so much greater will the affliction of Israel be in the projected second captivity.

That something more than a mere return of captives from Babylon is meant here was discerned by Jamieson: "Although the return from Babylon is primarily meant, the ’gathering from all lands’ shows that the return from Babylon was the salvation of Israel in only a limited sense." It appears to this writer that there are overtones in the passage of the conversion of the Gentiles. See under Jeremiah 16:20.

Jeremiah 16:16-18

METAPHOR OF THE FISHERS AND THE HUNTERS

Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith Jehovah, and they shall fish them up; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks. For mine eyes are upon all their ways; they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity concealed from mine eyes. And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable things, and have filled mine inheritance with their abominations.

The fishers and hunters in this passage are metaphors used to describe the thoroughness and completeness of the Babylonian destruction of apostate Israel. All of the sinful people will be flushed out of their hiding places, and none shall escape.

Explanation on Behalf of the Prophet Jeremiah 16:14-18

Jeremiah 16:14-15 plainly predict that God will in days to come bring His people home from the Exile into which He was about to hurl them. The new Exodus from Babylon would be of such magnitude and glory that it would eclipse the old Exodus from Egypt. When one used an epithet for God in an oath he would in the future make mention of this new manifestation of divine power. In the view of the Old Testament prophets the restoration from Babylon culminated in the work of the great liberator, the Messiah. When viewed in these broad terms the new Exodus did exceed the old in significance.

Jeremiah 16:14-15 serve a dual purpose in chapter 16. First, these verses provide confirmation of the coming judgment. That it is the intent of these verses to underscore the certainty of the coming judgment is indicated by the introductory word “therefore.” This word usually introduces a statement of judgment in the Old Testament. It is unnecessary then to follow most commentators in regarding Jeremiah 16:14-15 as an interpolation or even to regard these verses as a misplaced fragment intended to soften the threat of Jeremiah 16:11-13. While these verses do speak of restoration at the same time they underscore the fact that a total deportation of the Jews was imminent. The deportation will be so complete that the only people who will live in the promised land in the future will be those who have been brought from Babylon by God.

Jeremiah 16:14-15 have a second and no less important function. They are intended to console the prophet who was heartbroken over the ruin and destruction of his people. The deportation to Babylon while sure and certain would not be the final curtain in the history of Israel. God’s people would come home. While this promise is not entirely new to Jeremiah (cf. Jeremiah 3:18-19) it needed to be reiterated at this particular time.

In Jeremiah 16:16 the threat against Judah is continued. The Chaldeans are compared to fishermen and hunters who search every nook and cranny of the land to take captives (Jeremiah 16:16). The prophet Habakkuk also compared the Chaldeans to fishermen who drag in their nets full of helpless captives (Habakkuk 1:15). The ruthless fishing and hunting is punishment for the iniquity of the men of Judah of which God has been and is constantly aware (Jeremiah 16:17). Before He can restore the Jews to their homeland He must first recompense their iniquity “double.” God had on numerous occasions and by a variety of means punished his people in the past. They had experienced war, famine, pestilence, plague, and invasion before. But now to the horrors of war God will add the penalty of mass deportation to a foreign land. What else can God do with these people in view of the fact that they have profaned His land with their abominations and detestable things, i.e., their idols? Their lifeless images like dead carcasses pollute and defile the land (Jeremiah 16:18).

Verses 19-21

Jer 16:19-21

Jeremiah 16:19-20

THE FUTURE CONVERSION OF THE GENTILES

O Jehovah, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction, unto thee shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Our fathers have inherited nought but lies, [even] vanity and things wherein there is no profit. Shall a man make unto himself gods, which yet are no gods?

Here is a clear prophecy of the Gentiles coming unto the true God, and of their rejection of idolatry, clearly identifying this passage as a reference to the Messianic Age and the spread of Christianity throughout the world. We may be certain that neither Jeremiah nor the people who heard this message had any full understanding whatever of all that was prophetically revealed in such words. Adam Clarke was correct in labeling these verses, "Light in the midst of darkness." This, of course, makes it a parallel prophecy to Jeremiah 16:14-15; and as Clarke stated, "In such dismal accounts (as this chapter) there is need of some gracious promise relative to an amended state of the world." This need is, of course, exactly the reason this pattern of "light in the midst of darkness" is so generally followed throughout the Bible.

Lies... vanities. things wherein is no profit .....

. (Jeremiah 16:19). All of these are synonyms for idols. ^F27

Jeremiah 16:21

THE CERTAINTY OF IMPENDING DOOM

Therefore, behold, I will cause them to know, this once will I cause them to know my hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is Jehovah.

This final warning stresses the certainty of the destruction prophesied for Israel; and, as Jeremiah 16:9 stated it, that destruction was something they were to see, for it would occur in their times.

Regarding these last three verses, "They have been questioned because of the universalism." That is, they have been questioned because of the promise regarding the calling of the Gentiles from "all the nations." However all such challenges are based upon a priori bias of the challenger who has already made up his mind about what Jeremiah should have said and are unsupported by any factual or textual evidence whatever. Throughout the Bible, especially in Isaiah, there are many such promises of the calling of the Gentiles. See Rom. 9--11.

It is refreshing that Green, writing in the Broadman Commentary, gave his opinion of these verses thus: The passage swarms with Jeremiahic phrases, and its poetic structure and style are quite similar to those of Jeremiah. This writer believes the passage to be authentic.

Affirmation by the Prophet Jeremiah 16:19-21

In his first prayer since the bitter complaint of Jeremiah 15:15-18 Jeremiah indicates how completely he has changed. His whining, complaining accusation against God has given way to triumphant faith. He realizes now that God is his strength, his fortress and his refuge. This soldier is ready to get back on the firing line. He is ready to face insurmountable odds and attempt impossible feats because he knows that God is with him. He is ready to perform whatever duty God might lay before him. As God has reminded him that restoration will follow deportation Jeremiah is able to place the whole matter of national judgment in proper perspective. He comes to realize that the destruction of old Israel is but a prelude to the founding of new Israel. Suddenly he remembers the wonderful promise which God had made concerning the conversion of the Gentiles (Jeremiah 12:15-16). His mind leaps forward to that glorious day when chastened and redeemed Israel will be joined by peoples from distant lands who renounce forever their ancient attachment to idolatry. Those converted Gentiles realize that they have inherited nothing from their fathers religiously speaking but false and vain gods which are utterly worthless (Jeremiah 16:19). These Gentiles are amazed that anyone could ever have thought that the work of their own hands was deity (Jeremiah 16:20).

God responds to the prophet’s prayer of faith by revealing a little more of His grand purpose to him. Just as the forefathers of Israel had learned the significance of the name Yahweh (American Standard, Jehovah) when they were delivered from Egypt, so in the deliverance from Babylon they would come again to learn the significance of that name. God’s power and might in watching over, blessing and preserving His people in a foreign land would prove that He was universal sovereign and also a God of love.

Day of Disaster - Jeremiah 16:1 to Jeremiah 17:27

Open It

1. For what have you relied on someone else who then turned out to be unreliable?

2. Under what circumstances does participation in routine activities not make sense?

3. What have you discovered about the importance of rest to your life?

4. What do you most like to do for relaxation?

Explore It

5. What routine practices did God forbid for Jeremiah as a sign to the people? (Jeremiah 16:1-9)

6. How did Jeremiah’s boycott of marriages and funerals convey his prediction about Israel’s future? (Jeremiah 16:5-9)

7. How was Jeremiah to answer the question "What wrong have we done"? (Jeremiah 16:10-13)

8. What great event in Israel’s past did God say would be exceeded by His eventual deliverance? (Jeremiah 16:14-15)

9. What was Israel going to lose because of their sin? (Jeremiah 17:3-4)

10. What is the outcome of trusting in people? (Jeremiah 17:5-6)

11. What is promised to the person who trusts God? (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

12. What was Jeremiah’s, and God’s, perspective on the human heart? (Jeremiah 17:9)

13. What did God say would become of the person who used unjust means to gain riches? (Jeremiah 17:11)

14. What were the people saying to Jeremiah? (Jeremiah 17:15)

15. How did Jeremiah ask God to prove him right? (Jeremiah 17:14-18)

16. Where did God tell Jeremiah to deliver his message about obedience? (Jeremiah 17:19)

17. What was God’s original command to His people concerning the Sabbath? (Jeremiah 17:20-22)

18. How did God promise to bless Jeremiah’s generation if they would observe the Sabbath laws? (Jeremiah 17:24-26)

19. How did God intend to act toward Israel if they disobeyed as their ancestors had? (Jeremiah 17:27)

Get It

20. In your experience, what do we lose when we disobey God?

21. Who is the most trustworthy person you have known, and why do you consider that person trustworthy?

22. In what way is it good news, bad news, or both that God is always watching us?

23. When have you been guilty of downplaying or disregarding God’s commands?

24. How have you personally witnessed that the human heart is "deceitful above all things"?

25. In what ways do people fool themselves?

26. How has God proven Himself trustworthy in your life?

27. In what sense is respect for the Sabbath also respect for God?

28. What does it mean to honor the Sabbath?

29. How can we use days of rest to restore our well-being?

Apply It

30. How can you observe the Sabbath this week in a way that will help you rest, as God intended?

31. What action can you take this week to evaluate the spiritual condition of your heart?

Questions On Jeremiah Chapter Sixteen

By Brent Kercheville

1 What is God’s command to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 16:1-4)?

Why does God restrict Jeremiah in this way?

What is the message?

2 What is Jeremiah instructed not to do during this calamity (Jeremiah 16:5-13)? Why does God command

Jeremiah not to do this?

3 What does God promise (Jeremiah 16:14-16)? What do we learn about God?

4 Before God does what he promised in Jeremiah 16:14-15, what must he do first (Jeremiah 16:17-18)?

5 What does Jeremiah pray (Jeremiah 16:19-20)?

6 What does God promise to do (Jeremiah 16:21)? How would God do this?

TRANSFORMATION:

How does this relationship change your relationship with God?

What did you learn about him?

What will you do differently in your life?