So God's lament now and God's crying over this situation. a. For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly, ". He looks upon the case to be deplorable and past relief. Certainly it was not owing to God, but to themselves; it was not for want of balm and a physician, but because they would not admit the application nor submit to the methods of cure. LUTHER SEMINARY 2481 Como Ave St. Paul, MN 55108 651-641-3456. God is about ready to bring things to a climax. Sin is backsliding; it is going back from the way that leads to life, to Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. These were the two things that they had all along buoyed up themselves with and depended upon, (1.) For the health of the daughter of my Nor figs on the fig tree, Jeremiah 8:1. II. They seem to quarrel with God as if he had dealt hardly with them in putting them to silence, not permitting them to speak for themselves, and then telling them that it was because they had sinned against him. These remain alive (and that is all) in the many places whither they were driven by the judgments of God, some prisoners in the country of their enemies, others beggars in their neighbour's country, and others fugitives and vagabonds there and in their own country. They seem to quarrel with God as if he had dealt hardly with them in putting them to silence, not permitting them to speak for themselves, and then telling them that it was because they had sinned against him. God Pause for Monday: Jeremiah 28: 5-9 - inside.luthersem.edu Saying, Peace, peace! "Surely we shall do well enough, for have we not God among us?" For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (29-37) Commentary on Jeremiah 2:1-8 (Read Jeremiah 2:1-8) Those who begin well, but do not persevere, will justly be upbraided with their hopeful and promising beginnings. Read full chapter. in early autumn. These are the words, not of God, as Jerom; nor of Jerusalem, as the Targum; but of the prophet, as Kimchi observes, expressing his sympathy with the people in their affliction: and they may be rendered, "for the breach of the daughter of my people" o, which was made when the city was broken up and destroyed, Jeremiah 52:7. Now observe what it is that sinks them. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. This is a (2.) To what purpose is it to contend with our fate when God himself has become our enemy and fights against us? Jeremiah had prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, and, though the truth of his prophecy was questioned, yet he did not rejoice in the proof of the truth of his prophecy was questioned, yet he did not rejoice in the proof of the truth of it by the accomplishment of it, preferring the welfare of his country before his own reputation. To what purpose is it to contend with our fate when God himself has become our enemy and fights against us? Jeremiah 21:8 Commentaries: "You shall also say to this people, Proud member 13 I will surely consume them, saith the Lord: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them. Assemble yourselves, Or rather, (2.) If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. How can you say, We are wise, Everyone deals falsely. And, the interpretation of Matthew Henry fits such a rendition. Everyone is given to covetousness; from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely: Repeating words from Jeremiah 6:13-15, Jeremiah points out that selfish corruption had become so much a part of life in Judah that it could be said that everyone deals falsely and yet they were not at all ashamed. What is the Armor of God and How Can We Put it On Daily? His face is darkened, as one that mourns. No man in his wits will go on in a way that he knows will never bring him to his journey's end; why then has this people slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? v. 8. Yes, the most careful traveller may miss his way; but then, as soon as he is aware of it, will he not return? They are confounded and taken; all their wisdom has not served to keep them from those courses that tend to their ruin. b. The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. And will not Zion's God protect Zion's king and his kingdom? For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD. Of their indignation. (3.) He ruled from 597-587 BC. II. Jeremiah not only saw the hurt of his people in exile, but he also could see no help for them. Listen! Is there no balm in Gilead, is there no physician there? They shall be cast down, says the LORD. But here people, infinitely wiser than the animals, yet disobeying that inner conscience that God has placed in each man. The whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of His strong ones; Nay, there is a great deal of opportunity lost, the season of action is over and slipped, the summer and harvest are gone, and a cold and melancholy winter succeeds. Even the animals have certain instinctive knowledge. These are serpents of another nature, that are not so wrought upon, or they are as the deaf adder, that stops her ear, and will not hear the voice of the charmer. What could have been done more than had been done for their recovery? So what wisdom do they have? Jeremiah 9. Community Care. There was no medicine, there was no physician; all was sadness and mourning. This may be taken as the language, (1.) A gracious spirit will be a public spirit, a tender spirit, a mourning spirit. Nay, they stand in their own light, and put a bar in their own door, and are not saved because they are not ready for salvation. In other words, though they're going to be wiped out, the last of those that remain will choose to commit suicide rather than be taken captive. 2. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. We had better sit still than rise up and fall; better say nothing than say nothing to the purpose. We looked for peace, but no good came; But sometimes the sorrow is such that the more it is repressed the more strongly it recoils. "What" (say they) "has Zion neither a God nor a king to stand by her and help her, that she is thus run down and likely to be ruined?" c. They have rejected the word of the LORD; so what wisdom do they have? Jeremiah 8:21 1. Jeremiah 8:21 KJV - For the hurt of the daughter of my - Bible To this it is answered (v. 9): The wise men are ashamed, that is, they have reasons to be so, that they have not made a better use of their wisdom, and lived more up to it. 22 Is there no balm in Gilead, Is there no physician there? And they held by this when the trouble was breaking in upon them. Their corpses lie unburied in the streets and fields (20-22). Because we have sinned against the Lord, therefore we are brought to the plunge." Now the swallow returns every year to Capistrano. Community Care. With what face can they pretend to any thing of wisdom, when they do not understand themselves so well as the brute-creatures? He says at last, that he was astonished (233) The astonishment with which he was seized he no doubt sets down as being the opposite of the peoples torpor and insensibility, for they had no fear for themselves. And the law of the LORD is with us? The wise men are ashamed, God is hurt when I am walking out of fellowship with Him and thus am losing out on all that He wants to do for me. Of their convictions. God answered Jeremiahs question with questions of His own. (9-13) Guilt the cause of sufferings. At length they begin to see the hand of God lifted up against them, and stretched out in the calamities under which they are now groaning, and to own that they have provoked him to contend with them. reflects on living in a world of conflict. 22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? Harvest refers to the main cereal harvest, whilst summer refers to the vintage harvest (grapes, etc.) The deliverance did not come when they had long expected it (v. 20): The harvest is past, the summer is ended; that is, there is a great deal of time gone. Jeremiah 8:21 in all English translations. From a far country: He represents the judgments coming as so very terrible that death should appear so as most to be dreaded and yet should be desired, ver 1-3. In the foresight, much more in the sight, of them, he cries out, "My heart is faint in me, I sink, I die away at the consideration of it, v. 18. They were so far from repenting of their sins that they went on resolutely in their sins: Every one turned to his course, his wicked course, that course of sin which he had chosen and accustomed himself to, as the horse rushes into the battle, eager upon action, and scorning to be curbed. 14 Why do we sit still? is there no physician there? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities? If you have rejected Jesus Christ as your Saviour, God sent His Son to die in vain. Jeremiah had prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, and, though the truth of his prophecy was questioned, yet he did not rejoice in the proof of the truth of his prophecy was questioned, yet he did not rejoice in the proof of the truth of it by the accomplishment of it, preferring the welfare of his country before his own reputation. How these expectations were disappointed: They spoke not aright, as I thought they would have done. Enduring Word Bible Commentary Jeremiah Chapter 8 And nothing can heal the wounds of grief in Jeremiahs heart as he sees his people suffer (21-22).Jeremiah is unable to express the extent of his grief. WebJeremiah 2:1-8; Spiritual Apostasy: We must guard against taking God's love and grace for granted and bowing down to modern-day idols in our own cultural environment. What expectations there were from them, that they would bethink themselves: I hearkened and heard. 2. Employee Resources. WebHURT - literally, Because of the breaking broken. These are the words of the prophet, whose heart is crushed by the cry of his countrymen. Read todays devotion. The migratory birds show their wisdom by actually going to the sunny land. Employee Resources. There was no motion towards it, not the least sign or token of it. He tells us (Jeremiah 8:21; Jeremiah 8:21) what was the matter: "It is for the hurt of the daughter of my people that I am thus hurt; it is for their sin, and the miseries they have brought upon themselves by it; it is for this that I am black, that I look black, that I go in black as mourners do, and that astonishment has taken hold on me, so that I know not what to do nor which way to turn." It is this: Is not the Lord in Zion? They loved them. They spread them to be dried that they might carry them about in triumph, or might make fuel of them, or make some superstitious use of them. We need not wonder, then, that there are so many figurative terms used by the Prophet; for it was needful to set before them Gods judgment in various ways, that the people might be awakened out of their torpid state. In todays It is an instance of their sottishness that, though they are God's people, and therefore should readily understand his mind upon every intimation of it, yet they know not the judgment of the Lord; they apprehend not the meaning either of a mercy or an affliction, not how to accommodate themselves to either, nor to answer God's intention in either. 21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. They have come and devoured the land and all that is in it: Instead of peace, the Babylonian invaders came with snorting horses and an army so big that the whole land trembled. How can you say you're wise? Web1. Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works 12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? The voice, He wondered if God had left His own land; if He no longer reigned as a King in Zion. The harvest is almost over. Paul said, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand" ( Romans 13:12 ). There is no balm in Gilead that can cure the disease of sin, no physician there that can restore the health of a nation quite overrun by such a foreign army as that of the Chaldeans. The desolations made are irreparable, and the disease has presently come to such a height that there is no checking it. i. WebBible Commentaries Jeremiah 8:21 Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers (21) For the hurt . There was none of them that spoke aright, none that repented him of his wickedness. The pretenders to wisdom, who said, "We are wise and the law of the Lord is with us," were the priests and the false prophets; with them the prophet here deals plainly. They would find, to their great sorrow, that God had sent them serpents which cannot be charmed. They fret themselves, and curse their king and their God (Isa 8 21), when it is their own sin that separates between them and God (Isa 59 2); they feared not the Lord, and then what can a king do for them? The trouble came when they little expected it (Jeremiah 8:15; Jeremiah 8:15): We looked for peace, the continuance of our peace, but no good came, no good news from abroad; we looked for a time of health and prosperity to our nation, but, behold, trouble, the alarms of war; for, as it follows (Jeremiah 8:16; Jeremiah 8:16), the noise of the enemies' horses was heard from Dan. is not her king in her? We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. Why then has this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? They cannot think themselves safe in the open villages: Why do we sit still here? God threatening the destruction of a sinful people. When it was made to appear how basely they prevaricated they were not at all ashamed of it, but rather gloried in it, (v. 12): They could not blush, so perfectly lost were they to all sense of virtue and honour. And so that was the final residue of those that remained prior to the dispersion by the Roman government. The blood of Christ is balm in Gilead, his Spirit is the physician there, both sufficient, all-sufficient, so that they might have been healed, but would not. Psalm 38:6; Joshua 5:11.) Lo, certainly in vain [he gave it or] he made it; the pen of the scribes is in vain. You can check these in your browser security settings. Commentary Jeremiah And their fields to those who will inherit them; They are soon apprehensive that it is to no purpose to make head against such a mighty force; they and their people are quite dispirited; and, when the courage of a nation is gone, their numbers will stand them in little stead. But, when it grew to an extremity, it was an aggravation of their misery that they had thus flattered themselves. Now, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but the people know not the judgment of the LORD ( Jeremiah 8:5-7 ). Salem Media Group. The city and those who dwell in it. The excuses they make for their sins are deceits, and so are all their hopes of impunity; yet they hold fast these, and will not be undeceived, and therefore they refuse to return. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer. They know not that way of duty which God had prescribed them, though it be written both in their hearts and in their books. Note, The miseries of our country ought to be very much the grief of our souls. Think not, then, that thou canst gain any favor with us, for we are contented with our lot. Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. Of their convictions. Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD; It is this: Is not the Lord in Zion? They quarrel with God as if he had dealt unkindly by them in forsaking them, whereas they by their idolatry had driven him from them; they have withdrawn from their allegiance to him, and so have thrown themselves out of this protection. Yes, certainly there is; God is able to help and heal them, there is a sufficiency in him to redress all their grievances. Thus then was the Prophet derided; but yet he warns the obstinate people, that they might be less excusable: he says, that he was rendered black; for sorrow brings blackness with it, and makes dark the face of man: it is a metaphorical expression. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. New WebI would weep day and night. He looks upon the case to be deplorable and past relief. Note, Sooner or later God will bring the most obstinate to acknowledge both his providence and his justice in all the troubles they are brought into, to see and say both that it is his hand and that he is righteous. (14-19) The sins of Judah. The prophet foresees the desolation in Judah, with its cities ruined, its pasture lands destroyed, and its people either killed or taken captive to a foreign land (10-11).If anyone asks why the land has been desolated (12), the answer is that the people have turned away from Yahweh and followed heathen gods. Season had come that there should be abundance in the land, yet there was not. 17 For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord. 15 We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble! Weba lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people. In rejecting Gods word, they rejected wisdom. He tells us (v. 21) what was the matter: "It is for the hurt of the daughter of my people that I am thus hurt; it is for their sin, and the miseries they have brought upon themselves by it; it is for this that I am black, that I look black, that I go in black as mourners do, and that astonishment has taken hold on me, so that I know not what to do nor which way to turn." These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience. Surely he will; but why does he not? b. From the mention of the sun, moon, and stars, which should be the unconcerned spectators of this tragedy, the prophet takes occasion to show how they had idolized them, and paid those respects to them which they should have paid to God only, that it might be observed how little they got by worshipping the creature, for the creatures they worshipped when they were in distress saw it, but regarded it not, nor gave them any relief, but were rather pleased to see those abused in being vilified by whom they had been abused in being deified. In amazement, Jeremiah wondered how his people ended up in exile. Is there no physician thereno skilful faithful hand to apply the medicine?" For they have come and devoured the land and all that is in it, Jeremiah 8:8 Commentaries: "How can you say, 'We are wise, They are soon apprehensive that it is to no purpose to make head against such a mighty force; they and their people are quite dispirited; and, when the courage of a nation is gone, their numbers will stand them in little stead. Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities? The Supreme Court on Monday set up a fresh five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to hear four cases from July 12. When they were convicted of the grossest forgeries they would justify what they had done, and laugh at those whom they had imposed upon.