Jeremiah 11:5 Komentář

In this chapter, I. God by the prophet puts the people in mind of the covenant he had made with their fathers, and how much he had insisted upon it, as the condition of the covenant, that they should be obedient to him (Jer 11:1-7). II. He charges it upon them that they, in succession to their fathers, and in confederacy among themselves, had obstinately refused to obey him (Jer 11:8-10). III. He threatens to punish them with utter ruin for their disobedience, especially for their idolatry (Jer 11:11, Jer 11:13), and tells them that their idols should not save them (Jer 11:12), that their prophets should not pray for them (Jer 11:14); he also justifies his proceedings herein, they having brought all this mischief upon themselves by their own folly and wilfulness (Jer 11:15-17). IV. Here is an account of a conspiracy formed against Jeremiah by his fellow-citizens, the men of Anathoth; God's discovery of it to him (Jer 11:18, Jer 11:19), his prayer against them (Jer 11:20), and a prediction of God's judgments upon them for it (Jer 11:21-23).

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 11 This chapter gives an account of the covenant God had made with the people of the Jews; their breach of it; and the evils threatened them on that account; and particularly against the men of Anathoth, for their ill treatment of the prophet. It begins with the order to Jeremiah to rehearse the words of the covenant in the ears of the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Jer 11:1, which covenant is described by the sanction of it; a curse in case of disobedience; and a promise of being their God, and bringing them into the good land, in case of obedience; and by the time when it was made, when the Israelites were brought out of Egypt, Jer 10:3, which order, the prophet agreeing to, is repeated, Jer 10:5 declaring the earnest protestation and exhortation of God to obey it, which they not observing, were threatened with the curses of it, Jer 11:7, the present Jews doing as their forefathers had done, breaking the covenant, particularly by their idolatry, are threatened also with punishment they should not escape, Jer 11:9 which is aggravated by a resolution to show no regard to their cries, Jer 11:11, by the impotence of their idols to save them, though so numerous, Jer 11:12, by forbidding the prophet to pray for them, Jer 11:14, by their having no longer a place and protection in the house of God, because of their wickedness, Jer 11:15, by comparing their former and present state together, having been as a beautiful and fruitful olive tree, but now burnt, and its branches broken, Jer 11:16, next follows an account of a design of the men of Anathoth against the prophet, to take away his life, which he was ignorant of, till the Lord gave him knowledge of it, Jer 11:17, when he imprecates vengeance on them, Jer 11:20, and, under a spirit of prophecy from the Lord, foretells their utter ruin and destruction, Jer 11:21.

Then the Lord said unto me,.... Again; for this is a repetition of the above order: proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: with a loud voice, and openly, that all may hear: saying, hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them; which their forefathers promised, when the covenant was made with them, Exo 24:7, but did not perform; hearing without doing is of little avail; not the hearers, but the doers of the law are justified; wherefore men should not be content with hearing only, Rom 2:13.

Not only did God send Jeremiah into Egypt, but also Ezekiel into Babylon. They did not refuse to go. When they found their Master loved the people exceedingly, they continued themselves to do so as well. It is as if a right-minded servant were to take compassion on an intractable son when he saw the father grieving and lamenting about him. What was there that they did not suffer for them? They were sawn asunder, they were driven out, they were reproached, they were stoned, and they underwent numberless grievances. After all of this, they would run back to them.… For the people of the Jews, Jeremiah has composed Lamentations in writing. And when the general of the Persians had given him liberty to dwell securely and with perfect freedom, wherever he pleased, he preferred the affliction of the people and their hard endurance in a strange land above living at home.

(Verse 5.) In order to fulfill the oath that I swore to your fathers, I will give them a land flowing with milk and honey, just as it is on this day. The fathers seem to receive, as the sons receive; and the promise to Abraham is fulfilled in his descendants. However, we must understand the land flowing with milk and honey metaphorically as representing the abundance of all things, as Virgil says in Eclogue III. Let honey flow for them, let the rough bramble bear cinnamon. And again: And everywhere he restrained the wines flowing in the rivers. Or certainly, tropologically, let us perceive the Church of Christ as the land flowing with milk and honey, in which we are nurtured as infants and sucklings through faith, so that we may be able to receive solid food. And I answered and said, Amen, Lord. For which reason the Seventy translated 'Fiat, Domine' as 'Amen' (for this is what 'amen' signifies). The Lord had said, 'I have sworn to give to your fathers a land flowing with milk and honey,' as is confirmed today by the very things themselves (Exod. III). The diligent prophet takes up the voice of the Lord for his people and desires to be true and to endure forever what has been given. Therefore he says, 'Truly, Lord, you have fulfilled what you promised; whether it be done, Lord, or whether it endure forever, this is what you have given.'

EPITOME OF THE COVENANT FOUND IN THE TEMPLE IN JOSIAH'S REIGN. JUDAH'S REVOLT FROM IT, AND GOD'S CONSEQUENT WRATH. (Jer. 11:1-23) this covenant--alluding to the book of the law (Deu 31:26) found in the temple by Hilkiah the high priest, five years after Jeremiah's call to the prophetic office (2Ki. 22:8-23:25). Hear ye--Others besides Jeremiah were to promulgate God's will to the people; it was the duty of the priests to read the law to them (Mal 2:7).

oath-- (Psa 105:9-10). a land flowing with milk and honey--(See on Num 14:8). as it is this day--These are the concluding words of God to the Israelites when formerly brought out of Egypt, "Obey . . . that I may at this time make good the promise I made to your fathers, to give," &c. [MAURER]. English Version makes the words apply to Jeremiah's time, "As ye know at this time, that God's promise has been fulfilled," namely, in Israel's acquisition of Canaan. So be it--Hebrew, Amen. Taken from Deu 27:15-26. Jeremiah hereby solemnly concurs in the justice of the curses pronounced there (see Jer 11:3).