Commentary on Jeremiah Volume 1 John Calvin (continued)
COMMENTARY ON JEREMIAH
We must then observe this difference, --- that God's children have their roots in his eternal election, respecting which there can be no repentance and no change.
But the external state of the Church is also compared to a planting: yet they who flourish for a time and are full of leaves and seem also to produce some fruit, are rooted up by God's hand, when they become degenerate. And this mode of speaking is to be taken sometimes still more generally, according to what we shall see in the next chapter, and also in other parts of Scripture.
The Prophet says that God had spoken concerning the wickedness of Israel This refers to what had been taught: for though the Jews had already in part felt the just judgment of God, yet they still continued in safety. He then says that ruin was nigh them, for God had announced it by his servants. And he adds, that it was on account of the wickedness 304 of both kingdoms; and this was said in order to dissipate all their complaints; for we know that men are ever ready to clamor whenever God chastises them, as though they wished to contend with him. But the Prophet shews here, that God would deal thus severely with the Jews, because they had never ceased to provoke his wrath by their evil deeds. Hence he says, that they had done it for themselves Some render the words, ``And it shall therefore happen to them.''
But there seems to be much more force in the Prophet's words, when we say, that they had done evil for themselves, that is, to their own ruin. He adds, To provoke me, that is, their object; is to provoke me. In short, God intimates, that he would justly punish the Jews, because they had procured evil for themselves; and at the same time he points out the fountain of evil, for they had designedly provoked God by offering incense to Baal It follows ---
Jeremiah 11:18
18. And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.
18. Et Jehova ostendit mihi (cognoscere me fecit) et cognovi; tunc patefecisti mihi opera (vel, instituta) ipsorum.
We know that they were all very wicked; and though they were proved guilty, yet they were not wining to yield, to acknowledge and confess their fault; but they raged against God and rose up against the prophets. And as they dared not to vomit forth their blasphemies against God, they assailed his servants and wished to appear as though their contest was with them. And this is not the vice only of one age, but we find that it prevails at this day; for when we boldly reprove hidden vices, immediately the profane make a clamor and say, ``What! these divine; but who has made these things known to them? Have they this oracle from heaven?'' As though, indeed, neither the word of God nor his Spirit can shew their power, except when children become judges! But the ungodly rise up against God's servants for this end, that 304It is literally "evil." There is here a striking instance of the same word used in two different senses — the evil of punishment and the evil of sin. The verse is thus, — And Jehovah of hosts, who hath planted thee, Hath spoken against thee an evil, For the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah · Which they have done for themselves, By provoking me in burning incense to Baal. "For the evil," etc., is unintelligibly rendered by Blayney, "In prosecution of the evil," etc.; {{בגללis a preposition, and is so rendered in all the early versions and the Targum: it is also so found in many other parts of Scripture. ``Which they have done? etc., may be rendered, Which they have procured for themselves; for the verb
{}עשהmay sometimes be thus rendered. See Genesis 12:5; Genesis 31:1. But ``which'' refers to the first ``evil,'' of which God had spoken, the evil of punishment --- Ed.