The Broken Covenant
Jer 11:1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
Jer 11:2 “Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem.
Jer 11:3 Tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant—
Jer 11:4 the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God.
Jer 11:5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today.” I answered, “Amen, LORD.”
Jer 11:6 The LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them.
Jer 11:7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.”
Jer 11:8 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.'”
Jer 11:9 Then the LORD said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem.
Jer 11:10 They have returned to the sins of their ancestors, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both Israel and Judah have broken the covenant I made with their ancestors.
Jer 11:11 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.
Jer 11:12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes.
Jer 11:13 You, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’
Jer 11:14 “Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.
Jer 11:15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your punishment? When you engage in your wickedness, then you rejoice.”
Jer 11:16 The LORD called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form. But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken.
Jer 11:17 The LORD Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused my anger by burning incense to Baal.
Jer 11:18 Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing.
Jer 11:19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.”
Jer 11:20 But you, LORD Almighty, who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.
Jer 11:21 Therefore this is what the LORD says about the people of Anathoth who are threatening to kill you, saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD or you will die by our hands”—
Jer 11:22 therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine.
Jer 11:23 Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”
1 Jeremiah proclaims God’s covenant, 8 rebukes the Jews’ disobeying thereof, 11 prophesies evils to come upon them, 18 and upon the men of Anathoth, for conspiring to kill Jeremiah.
The Broken Covenant
Jer 11:1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
This chapter contains a portion of the message given in “the Temple Discourse” (see on ch. 7:1; cf. PK 414). This message was later repeated throughout the whole land of Judah (see ch. 11:6).
Jer 11:2 “Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem.
Terms of this covenant. Because of the discovery in Josiah’s reign of “the book of the law,” the expression “this covenant” assumes a special meaning here (see 2 Kings 22:8 to 23:8). The portion of Holy Scripture that had for many years been lost was presumably the book of Deuteronomy, or at least a portion of it (see PK 392, 393).
The book Deuteronomy contained “the book of covenant” (PK 392). Jeremiah’s instruction called repeated attention to the counsels given in Deuteronomy (PK 411). The covenant itself was the one entered into at Sinai (Jer. 11:4; cf. Ex. 19:5; Lev. 26:12). The book of Deuteronomy contained a detailed summary of the conditions of this covenant. It was the work of Jeremiah to direct the attention of the people to the neglected precepts of this book (PK 414).
Jer 11:3 Tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant—
Jer 11:4 the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God.
Iron-smelting furnace. This figure, denoting the harsh servitude of Israel in Egypt, is another reflection of the book of the covenant (see Deut. 4:20).
Obey my voice. See Deut. 11:27; 28:2–14.
Jer 11:5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today.” I answered, “Amen, LORD.”
The oath. For an explanation see Lev. 26:3–13; Deut. 7:8; 8:18.
Flowing with milk and honey. A proverbial expression indicating the plenty of the land of Palestine (see on Ex. 3:8; cf. Deut. 6:3).
Amen. Common expression in Hebrew worship (see Neh. 8:6; Ps. 41:13; 106:48). Our English word “amen” is derived from this root.
Jer 11:6 The LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them.
It appears that Jeremiah went from city to city stressing the importance of heeding “the words of this covenant” (see PK 414).
Jer 11:7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.”
Jer 11:8 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.'”
Jer 11:9 Then the LORD said to me, “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem.
9. Conspiracy. Heb. qesher, emphasizing a binding together. It appears the people with one heart followed a course of spiritual apostasy. The apparently salutary effects of Josiah’s wholehearted endeavor to stamp out idolatry were short-lived.
5Jer 11:11 Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.
I will not listen to them. This does not mean that the Lord would be totally oblivious of the prayers of His people. But when the people would cry for release from the predicted trouble, God would not remove the chastisement.
The Lord knew what was best for His people. The discipline was designed to be salutary. Though there was no escape from threatened national calamity, the Lord was as ready and willing to hear any prayer of personal repentance and to grant any plea for individual forgiveness as He had always been. The iniquity of Judah is indicated in vs. 9, 10.
Jer 11:12 The towns of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when disaster strikes.
Cry out to the gods. Compare the experience of King Saul. When, because of apostasy, the Lord refused to answer the king’s inquiry concerning the outcome of the impending battle, Saul turned to the witch of Endor (see on 1 Sam. 28:6, 7).
That the nation was unrepentant is clearly indicated by the readiness with which the people turned to their false gods.
Jer 11:14 “Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress.
They had shown no spirit of repentance, and their cry was nothing more than the expression of their desire to escape chastisement (see on v. 11).
Jer 11:15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your punishment? When you engage in your wickedness, then you rejoice.”
“Why has my beloved wrought abomination in my house? Will prayers and holy offerings take away your wickedness, or shall you thou escape by these things?”
Jer 11:16 The LORD called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form. But with the roar of a mighty storm he will set it on fire, and its branches will be broken.
The word translated “green” denotes luxuriance and abundance of foliage.
Jer 11:17 The LORD Almighty, who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the people of both Israel and Judah have done evil and aroused my anger by burning incense to Baal.
The one who plants a tree has the right to remove it if it proves unproductive. God had a special plan for ancient Israel. When the people failed in their divine mission, God removed from them their special rights and privileges (see Matt. 21:33–43; cf. Isa. 5:1–7; Jer. 2:21).
Jer 11:18 Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing.
Turning from the sins of Judah and Israel in general, the prophet directs his attention in the rest of the chapter to the “doings” of his own townsmen of Anathoth and their plots to take his life.
Jer 11:19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.”
Jer 11:20 But you, LORD Almighty, who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.
Jeremiah appeals to God for justice. Some have felt that his language is somewhat vindictive, but this is not necessarily the case. Jeremiah was conscious of the fact that he was doing the work of the Lord. Any interference with his work was therefore an attack against God.
Jer 11:21 Therefore this is what the LORD says about the people of Anathoth who are threatening to kill you, saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD or you will die by our hands”—
Anathoth had been assigned to the priests (Joshua 21:18) and was the home of Jeremiah (Jer. 1:1). The “men of Anathoth” were therefore priests; even more, they were close relatives of Jeremiah (see ch. 12:6). It had been difficult for Jeremiah to realize the depth of Judah’s apostasy (ch. 11:9–11; see on ch. 10:19).
Now, God warns Jeremiah of the secret plot on his life (ch. 11:18, 19, 21), and as the prophet learns of their conspiracy against him personally, he begins to understand their attitude toward God (v. 20; see chs. 12:1; 17:18).
Prophesy not. Compare the experience of Amos (Amos 7:10–13), of Jesus (Luke 4:16–30), and of Paul (Acts 9:23; 23:12).
Jer 11:22 therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine.
That is, men of military age, as shown by the fact that they would die “by the sword.”
Jer 11:23 Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.”
The fact that Anathoth was near Jerusalem would bring upon it the full force of the Babylonian invasion.
Punishment. The purpose of the visitation is punishment (see on Ps. 8:4; 59:5). Jeremiah employs this expression characteristically to refer to the time divinely appointed for chastisement of the apostates (see Jer. 8:12; 10:15; 23:12; 46:21; 48:44; 50:27; 51:18).