16:1-17:18This section portrays the coming day of disaster. It begins by showing Jeremiah’s loneliness. He is a social outcast because of his harsh messages and his celibate life- Style. He must not marry, have children, or take part in funerals Or festivals. The section concludes with another appeal to avoid judgment by turning to God. The people did not heed Jeremiah’s words, however, and the first wave of destruction came almost immediately, in 605 B.C. (2 Kings 24:8-12). The second wave came in 597 B.C., and Judah was completely destroyed in 586 B.C.
Life Application Study BibleJeremiahChapter 16
Jeremiah 16
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1231, 1232
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16Jeremiah 16
Jeremiah Forbidden to Marry
1The LORD gave me another message. He said, 2“Do not get married or have children in this place. 3For this is what the LORD says about the children born here in this city and about their mothers and fathers: 4They will die from terrible diseases. No one will mourn for them or bury them, and they will lie scattered on the ground like manure. They will die from war and famine, and their bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.”
Judah’s Coming Punishment
55 This is what the LORD says: “Do not go to funerals to mourn and show sympathy for these people, for I have removed my protection and peace from them. I have taken away my unfailing love and my mercy. 6Both the great and the lowly will die in this land. No one will bury them or mourn for them. Their friends will not cut themselves in sorrow or shave their heads in sadness. 7No one will offer a meal to comfort those who mourn at the dead—not even at the death of a mother or father. No one will send a cup of wine to console them. 8“And do not go to their feasts and parties. Do not eat and drink with them at all. 9For this is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: In your own lifetime, before your very eyes, I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in this land. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard. *0“When you tell the people all these things, they will ask, 10Why has the LORD decreed such terrible things against us? What have we done to deserve such treatment? What is our sin against the LORD our God?’ 11Then you will give them the LORD’s reply: ‘It is because your ancestors were unfaithful to me. They worshiped other gods and served them. They abandoned me and did not obey my word. 12And you are even worse than your ancestors! You stubbornly follow your own evil desires and refuse to listen to me. 13SoI will throw you out of this land and send you into a foreign land where you and your ancestors have never been. There you can worship idols day and night—and I will grant you no favors!’ Hope despite the Disaster 14“But the time is coming,” says the LORD, “when people who are taking an oath will no longer Say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’ 15Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’ For I will bring them back to this land that I gave their ancestors. 16“But now Lam sending for many fishermen who will catch them,” says the LORD. “I am sending for hunters who will hunt them down in the mountains, hills, and caves. *7I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me. 18I will double their punishment for all their sins, because they have defiled my land with lifeless images of their detestable gods and have filled my territory with their evil deeds.”
Jeremiah’s Prayer of Confidence
1919 LORD, you are my strength and fortress,my refuge in the day of trouble!Nations from around the worldwill come to you and say,“Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage,for they worshiped worthless idols.
20Can people make their own gods?These are not real gods at all!”
21The LORD says,“Now I will show them my power;now I will show them my might.At last they will know and understandthat I am the LORD.
Judah's Sin and Punishment
1 7 1*“The sin of Judahis inscribed with an iron chisel—engraved with a diamond point on their stony hearts
Life Application Notes 6 notes
16:5-7In Jeremiah’s culture, it was unthinkable not to show grief publicly. The absence of mourning showed the people how complete their devastation would be. So many people would die that it would be impossible to carry out customary mourning rituals for all of them.
16:8-13Jeremiah was also told not to participate in parties or other joyful events to show how seriously God took the nation’s sins. In both cases (no public grief or joy), Jeremiah’s life was to be an attention getter and an illustration of God’s truth. Sometimes we think that the only way to communicate is through speaking or teaching, but God can use a wide variety of means to bring his message. Use your creativity.
16:14,15The book of Exodus records God’s miraculous rescue of his people from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 1-15). The people’s return from exile would be so momentous that it would overshadow even the exodus from Egypt. Even though his people had been so stubborn, God would once again show his great mercy.
16:17Small children think that if they can’t see you, then you can’t see them. The people of Israel may have wished that hiding from God were as simple as closing their eyes. Although they closed their eyes to their sinful ways, their sins certainly weren't hidden from God. He who sees everything cannot be deceived. Do you have a sinful attitude or activity that you hope God won't notice? He knows about it. The first step of repentance is to acknowledge that God knows about your sins.
16:19In this prayer, Jeremiah approached God with three descriptive names: strength, fortress, and refuge. Each name gives a slightly different glimpse of how Jeremiah experienced God's presence, and each is a picture of security and protection. Let God be your strength when you feet weak, your fortress when enemies come against you, and your refuge when you need to retreat from life’s pressures.