Jer 4 | TNotes | STEP | 4:1 The Lord saw that despite their lovely prayer, the people did not intend to throw away their idols or change their lifestyle (15:19 ; Joel 2:12 ).

4:1 ^a The Lord saw that despite their lovely prayer, the people did not intend to throw away their idols or change their lifestyle (15:19 ^b; Joel 2:12 ^c).
4:2 ^d As surely as the Lord lives: The correct attitude when offering a prayer of confession and making oaths reflects truth, justice, and righteousness. Truth means that the inner attitudes and thoughts of those praying match the words they utter. Justice means living by the laws of the Lord, who will judge the earth. Righteousness means that people relate to others in accordance with the Lord’s Spirit and the moral standards he has established. This kind of prayer requires a radical transformation of people’s inner lives and outer lifestyle (Gen 22:18 ^e; Deut 10:20 ^f; Ps 72:18 ^g; Isa 48:1 ^h; 1 Cor 1:31 ⁱ). If the Israelites returned to the Lord in this way, the people would be blessed, and their influence would flow out as a blessing to all the nations of the world. Their changed lives would cause people of the world to come and join in a chorus of praise to God’s name.
Summary for Jer 4:3-18: 4:3-18 ^j These verses bring the kingdom of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, to center stage in God’s courtroom. The Lord decreed that he would judge Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians. 4:3 ^k Sinners must intentionally face their rebellion and change their ways through confession and repentance (Hos 10:12 ^l; cp. Matt 13:1-9 ^m).
4:4 ⁿ To deal with their sin, the people needed to give up the pride and power that were so precious to them (Deut 10:16 ^o; 30:6 ^p; Amos 5:6 ^q; Mark 9:43 ^r; Rom 2:28 ^s; Col 2:11 ^t).

• surrender your pride and power: Literally circumcise yourselves. Circumcision was a covenant sign of submission to God.
Summary for Jer 4:5-6: 4:5-6 ^u God was opening the pot of boiling water (see 1:13-14 ^v) and pouring out a cruel army upon the people (8:14 ^w; 50:2 ^x; Josh 10:20 ^y; Isa 62:10 ^z).
4:7 ^aa The coming army of Babylonian soldiers was like a cruel and vicious lion (see 2:15 ^ab). With power and savagery, it would wipe out everything, leaving houses empty and in ruins (25:9 ^ac, 38 ^ad; 50:17 ^ae; 2 Kgs 24:1 ^af; Isa 1:7 ^ag; 6:11 ^ah; Ezek 26:7-10 ^ai; Dan 7:4 ^aj).
4:8 ^ak The Israelites were in trouble with the Lord and needed to make things right with him. Putting an army in the field or organizing guerrilla bands would be futile. Instead, Jeremiah called for the people to repent by mourning and by weeping with broken hearts (Isa 22:12 ^al). By using the pronoun us, the prophet seems to include himself in the need for repentance (see Jer 10:24 ^am).
4:9 ^an The impact of the foreign invasion would show Judah’s leaders that they were not as invincible as they believed (48:41 ^ao; Isa 22:3-5 ^ap).
4:10 ^aq Jeremiah was confused and offended because he and the people thought that God had promised peace for Jerusalem. However, these promises were false prophecies (6:14 ^ar; 14:13 ^as; 23:16-17 ^at).
Summary for Jer 4:11-12: 4:11-12 ^au The Lord’s people would soon feel the burning wind and roaring blast of God’s judgment (13:24 ^av; Hos 13:15 ^aw).
4:13 ^ax Like his countrymen, Jeremiah was fearful when he heard that the invasion from the north had begun (Deut 28:49 ^ay; Isa 5:28 ^az; Lam 4:19 ^ba; Hos 8:1 ^bb; Hab 1:8 ^bc).
Summary for Jer 4:14-15: 4:14-15 ^bd Jeremiah still hoped that his people would cleanse their heart, get rid of their evil thoughts, and make a clean break with idolatry. Otherwise, they would face God’s judgment (4:1 ^be; 6:19 ^bf; 13:27 ^bg; 50:17 ^bh; Prov 1:22 ^bi; Isa 1:16 ^bj; Jas 4:8 ^bk).
Summary for Jer 4:17-18: 4:17-18 ^bl The foreign armies already surrounded the capital city. The impending attack was due to the people’s rebellion against the Lord.
Summary for Jer 4:19-21: 4:19-21 ^bm When Jeremiah heard ... trumpets and the battle cries of the invaders who brought desolation, he realized that his own family and other people he knew were being killed or left homeless. Jeremiah could not escape the effects of God’s judgment even though he was faithfully serving the Lord (9:1 ^bn, 19 ^bo; 10:19-20 ^bp; 20:9 ^bq; 2 Kgs 25:11 ^br; 2 Chr 36:20 ^bs; Ps 42:7 ^bt; Isa 15:5 ^bu; 16:11 ^bv; 21:3 ^bw; 22:4 ^bx; Ezek 7:26 ^by).
Summary for Jer 4:23-26: 4:23-26 ^bz In Jeremiah’s vision, the Lord’s fierce anger took precedence over his creative love (10:10 ^ca; 12:4 ^cb; Isa 5:25 ^cc; 24:19 ^cd; Ezek 38:20 ^ce; Zeph 1:3 ^cf). He was undoing the order of creation (see Gen 1:2-3 ^cg).
4:28 ^ch At funerals in Hebrew society, it was customary for people to mourn and be draped in black (cp. Isa 5:30 ^ci; 50:3 ^cj). The Lord had determined the people’s guilt, and he promised to be true to his word (Jer 5:10 ^ck; 30:11 ^cl, 24 ^cm; Isa 5:30 ^cn; 46:10-11 ^co).
4:29 ^cp flee ... hide ... run: Panic gripped the people of Judah in reaction to the horrors of war. Their arrogance and smug confidence disappeared (see 6:23-24 ^cq).
4:30 ^cr Strangely, some people acted as if nothing serious were happening. They tried to ignore the enemy, but their future was bleak. The enemy would kill them (22:20 ^cs, 22 ^ct; 2 Kgs 9:30 ^cu; Isa 22:13 ^cv; Lam 1:2 ^cw, 19 ^cx; Ezek 23:9-10 ^cy, 22 ^cz, 40-42 ^da).
4:31 ^db The people in Jerusalem felt such intense anguish that Jeremiah likened their pain to the agony of a woman giving birth to her first child. Like such women, beautiful Jerusalem was desperate (13:21 ^dc; 23:23 ^dd; 30:6 ^de; Isa 1:15 ^df; 42:14 ^dg; Lam 1:17 ^dh).