Jer 3 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Jer 3:1-5: 3:1-5 Adultery was solid grounds for divorce (Deut 24:1-2 ; Hos 2:1-5 ; 9:1 ). Judah committed spiritual adultery, smugly assuming that God would have no objections (Ezek 16:26 ; Zech 1:3 ). 3:1 The law prohibited a man from marrying a woman he had previously divorced who had then married another man (Deut 24:1-4 ). A woman who had many lovers was even less likely to be received back.

Summary for Jer 3:1-5: 3:1-5 ^a Adultery was solid grounds for divorce (Deut 24:1-2 ^b; Hos 2:1-5 ^c; 9:1 ^d). Judah committed spiritual adultery, smugly assuming that God would have no objections (Ezek 16:26 ^e; Zech 1:3 ^f). 3:1 ^g The law prohibited a man from marrying a woman he had previously divorced who had then married another man (Deut 24:1-4 ^h). A woman who had many lovers was even less likely to be received back.
3:2 ⁱ As the Lord’s bride (see 2:2 ^j), Israel was not supposed to commit adultery with other gods.
3:3 ^k The Lord did not condone the shameless behavior of the people. He had already brought on a drought, and their sexual rituals had no effect against it (14:3-6 ^l; Lev 26:19 ^m; Zeph 3:5 ⁿ).
Summary for Jer 3:4-5: 3:4-5 ^o Instead of confessing their sins, the people tried to cover them over with sweet talk. However, God saw through their deception. They were inadvertently correct that he would not be angry forever (Ps 103:9 ^p; Isa 57:16 ^q; Mal 1:6 ^r), though he promised to vent his wrath (Jer 4:7 ^s).
Summary for Jer 3:6-10: 3:6-10 ^t The Lord had been addressing the kingdom of Judah as “Israel” (2:1–3:5 ^u), emphasizing their identity as his people. Now the Lord distinguishes between Israel, the northern kingdom that had been destroyed (2 Kgs 17 ^v), and the kingdom of Judah. Since the people of the southern kingdom had learned nothing from the fate of the northern kingdom, they were doomed to experience the same fate.

• Josiah (640–609 BC) promoted a return to historic faith and practice in 621 BC (2 Chr 34:29-33 ^w).
Summary for Jer 3:7-8: 3:7-8 ^x King Josiah’s reforms failed to reach many of the common people. The love of idol worship common in northern Israel also continued among the farmers and shepherds of Judah. They failed to learn from the fate of the northern tribes, and even surpassed their practice of adultery (see Ezek 16:47-48 ^y).
3:8 ^z divorced: See 2 Kgs 17:23 ^aa.
3:9 ^ab land has been polluted: As a result of Israel’s apostasy, fertile fields no longer produced crops and sheep did not graze on green grass (Isa 57:6 ^ac).
3:10 ^ad Like the northern tribes of Israel, the people of Judah did not see anything immoral about idol worship; they treated the Lord’s objections lightly. The people did not really repent, but pretended to do so under the pressure of Josiah’s authority (2 Chr 34:32 ^ae). Their religion was tainted with deception (Jer 12:2 ^af; Hos 7:14 ^ag).
Summary for Jer 3:11-4:2: 3:11–4:2 ^ah The Lord appealed to Israel to repent, return, and be reconciled to him (contrast 2:1–3:10 ^ai). Israel had sinned and had received its punishment. Now the people of Judah were sinning even more brazenly than their northern kin, and they ignored the lesson the Lord had taught Israel (Ezek 16:51-52 ^aj). But it was still not too late to repent and become the blessing to the nations (Jer 4:1-2 ^ak) that God intended them to be (Gen 12:3 ^al).
3:12 ^am In this decree, the Lord calls the survivors of the faithless Israel of a century before to come home. God’s solid, underlying character is merciful, and he desires to extend salvation and restoration (12:15 ^an; 31:20 ^ao; 33:26 ^ap; 2 Kgs 17:6 ^aq; Ps 86:15 ^ar).
3:13 ^as acknowledge your guilt ... Admit that you rebelled ... Confess that you refused to listen: Through these three elements of repentance, the people could demonstrate their willingness to receive the Lord’s salvation and restoration (Lev 26:40 ^at; Deut 30:1-5 ^au).
3:14 ^av Return home: The Lord had spoken to all Israel as a husband to an adulterous wife, but now he refers to Israel as wayward children. The Lord would bring selected exiles back to the Promised Land (31:6 ^aw, 32 ^ax; Hos 2:19-20 ^ay; Rom 11:5 ^az).

• to the land of Israel: Hebrew to Zion.
3:15 ^ba If the people of Israel repented, the Lord wanted to give them more than just the land. He also promised to provide leaders (shepherds) who would guide them with knowledge and understanding (23:4 ^bb, 31 ^bc; Ezek 34:11 ^bd; Acts 20:28 ^be; Eph 4:11 ^bf).
3:16 ^bg When Judah was decimated and Jerusalem was destroyed, the land was nearly empty of people. But in the future, the devastated land would once more be filled with people. Its inhabitants would not dwell on the past or need the Ark to remind them of God’s presence (23:3 ^bh; Isa 49:19 ^bi; 65:17 ^bj).
3:17 ^bk In the future, the city of Jerusalem would be a global center of worship called The Throne of the Lord, and people from nations around the earth would renounce their rebellion (7:24 ^bl; Deut 29:19 ^bm; Isa 60:9 ^bn).
3:18 ^bo Judah and Israel would be among the people flowing to Jerusalem. The Lord would mercifully bring them from exile and once again settle them in the Promised Land (31:8 ^bp; Isa 11:13 ^bq; Ezek 37:16-22 ^br; Hos 1:11 ^bs; Amos 9:15 ^bt).
Summary for Jer 3:19-20: 3:19-20 ^bu But: This transitional word emphasizes the contrast between what the Lord wanted and the actual situation. The Lord would love to treat his people as his precious children, but he could not. The covenant marriage between God and his people had been ruptured by the faithless wife. The Lord could not overlook this sin (Isa 48:8 ^bv).
Summary for Jer 3:21-4:2: 3:21–4:2 ^bw The people, held captive in Assyria, cried out that they had repented of their sins. However, their words were insincere, and the Lord rejected their plea. God was telling his people that if they were really going to turn back to him, they had to abandon the altars on the hills where they had worshiped idols and purge their religion of every trace of idolatry.
Summary for Jer 3:22-24: 3:22-24 ^bx The Lord heard the touching prayer of devotion; the people affirmed their acceptance of the Lord as their God (31:7 ^by; Pss 38:18 ^bz; 121:1-2 ^ca).

• The people even confessed that they had worshiped idols and engaged in religious orgies. They admitted that all this was a delusion (Jer 11:13 ^cb; 14:20 ^cc; Hos 9:10 ^cd) and acknowledged that salvation is found only in the Lord. Their ancestors had squandered their wealth by killing their animals and children in honor of Baal. 3:22 ^ce The Lord did not forget his children. Out of the depths of his being, he called them to come back so that he could heal them. He desired to set aside his anger and pour forth his love (30:17 ^cf; 33:6 ^cg; Hos 6:1 ^ch; 14:4 ^ci).