Jer 2:1-3:5 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Jer 2:1-13: 2:1-13 Jeremiah used images of marriage, infidelity, and divorce to represent Judah’s spiritual apostasy.

Summary for Jer 2:1-13: 2:1-13 ^a Jeremiah used images of marriage, infidelity, and divorce to represent Judah’s spiritual apostasy.
2:2 ^b This is what the Lord says: This and similar statements were equivalent to an official seal or a stamp of authority on a document. In many inscriptions of royal messages from the ancient Near East, the ruler stated that the message came from him and carried his authority.

• The image of Israel as a bride had been used since the days of Hosea (about 760–722 BC; Hos 2:2-19 ^c; see also Isa 54:6-8 ^d; 62:5 ^e). The concept is later applied to the redeemed community in heaven (Rev 19:7 ^f; 21:2 ^g, 9 ^h).

• long ago: Following the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites were symbolically married to God when they agreed to a covenant relationship (Exod 19:8 ⁱ; 24:7 ^j, 8 ^k; Deut 5:27 ^l; Ezek 16:8 ^m).

• eager ... to please (Hebrew khesed): The Israelites made a commitment of loyalty to the covenant Lord (see Deut 5:29 ⁿ).
2:3 ^o Israel was holy because the Lord had separated her from other nations to be his special people and reflect his character (Exod 19:5-6 ^p; Lev 19 ^q; 22:31-33 ^r).

• first of his children: Literally the firstfruits of his harvest. Mosaic law required the people to offer the first portion of every harvest to the Lord (Exod 23:16 ^s, 19 ^t; 34:22 ^u, 26 ^v; Lev 2:12 ^w, 14 ^x; 23:10 ^y, 17 ^z, 20 ^aa; Num 18:12 ^ab; 28:26 ^ac; Deut 18:4 ^ad; 26:10 ^ae; Zech 14:20 ^af). The people who made the covenant with God at Mount Sinai pledged their full commitment to the one true God. In return, the Lord protected them and punished their enemies during their journey to Canaan.
2:5 ^ag The Israelites worshiped worthless idols, so their lives were ruled by delusions.
2:6 ^ah By not seeking the Lord, Israel’s ancestors showed that they had lost interest in their history. To them, the God of Israel was a delusion. They were only interested in the sensual excitement of the moment.
2:7 ^ai defiled ... corrupted: See Deut 4:25-28 ^aj.
2:8 ^ak Instead of teaching the people about the Lord, the leaders taught them about Baal.
2:9 ^al Therefore often indicates that the Lord was about to issue a decree (e.g., 5:14 ^am; 6:21 ^an).

• The Hebrew word translated bring my case can mean “strive” or “contend.” In addition, it might indicate combat, as in a fight or a battle, a verbal quarrel, or a legal argument in court. Because the leaders of the nation (2:8 ^ao) failed to direct the people to him, the Lord was going to present his case against them. He was setting up a court in which he would be the plaintiff and the all-powerful Judge (Ezek 20:35 ^ap, 36 ^aq; Mic 6:2 ^ar). Jeremiah was a messenger, prosecutor, and advocate for the plaintiff.
2:10 ^as Kedar, an Arabic tribe descended from Ishmael, lived in the desert area east of the Jordan River Valley (see 49:28-33 ^at; Isa 21:16 ^au).
2:11 ^av No pagan nation traded its gods for those of another nation. Although the pagan nations generally worshiped the same nature deities (by different names), each nation essentially remained loyal to its own gods. Israel’s disloyalty is thus highlighted.
2:12 ^aw The heavens and the earth are often portrayed as witnesses to events among humans (see 51:48 ^ax; Deut 32:1 ^ay, 43 ^az; 1 Chr 16:31 ^ba; Ps 96:11 ^bb; Isa 1:2 ^bc; 44:23 ^bd; 49:13 ^be).
2:13 ^bf The Israelites foolishly did two evil things: They abandoned the Lord, their true source of life, and they began to worship false gods that could not help them.

• A fountain of living [i.e., running] water that flows throughout the year, even in drought, is a rare treasure (Ps 36:9 ^bg; John 4:14 ^bh).

• The cisterns the Israelites dug after they entered Canaan were holes in the ground that were lined with plaster. These crude tanks collected water that drained from roofs in wet weather and provided water through the dry summers. The water could become putrid and dangerous to drink, and the plaster often cracked, letting the water drain out.
Summary for Jer 2:14-22: 2:14-22 ^bi This historical review of Israel’s sin further emphasizes the folly, violence, arrogance, and despair of turning away from the true God to worship false pagan gods. 2:14 ^bj The Israelites had been rescued from slavery in Egypt, but they became slaves again in Jeremiah’s time through their covenants with Egypt and Assyria (2:18 ^bk).
2:15 ^bl Jeremiah portrays the Assyrians who destroyed the northern kingdom (2 Kgs 17:5-23 ^bm; Nah 2:11-12 ^bn) as lions.
2:16 ^bo Another enemy, the Egyptians, invaded from the south to pick up the pieces (50:17 ^bp; 2 Kgs 23:29-37 ^bq).

• Memphis and Tahpanhes, Egypt’s major cities near the mouth of the Nile, were famous for their wealth.
2:18 ^br Israel’s alliances with Egypt and covenants with Assyria (2 Kgs 15:19–19:37 ^bs) provided no benefits, only sorrow. Neither the Nile in Egypt nor the Euphrates in Assyria ever helped Israel (Isa 30:1-3 ^bt; Hos 5:13 ^bu).
2:19 ^bv The decision to abandon the Lord brought further punishment and shame on Israel’s people (Isa 3:9 ^bw; Hos 5:5 ^bx).
Summary for Jer 2:20-21: 2:20-21 ^by Long ago: Lessons from Israel’s history concerning the Israelites’ rescue from slavery in Egypt had little effect, and the people of Israel defiantly refused to serve God (Exod 19:8 ^bz; 34:15 ^ca; Lev 26:13 ^cb; Deut 12:2 ^cc; Josh 24:16 ^cd; Judg 10:16 ^ce; Isa 57:5 ^cf, 7 ^cg).

• you have prostituted yourselves: This metaphor was especially apt regarding the Israelites’ bowing down to idols. The Israelites backed their defiant words with rebellious behavior. They repeatedly worshiped fertility deities in hopes of good crops and green pastures. Their rituals were useless because the Lord is the one who had planted the Israelites in Canaan, and he creates life and fertility.
2:22 ^ch The metaphor changes from a planted vine to a dirty cloth that soap or lye cannot wash clean. However hard the Israelites scrubbed, their guilt was still apparent (cp. Isa 1:18 ^ci).
Summary for Jer 2:23-3:5: 2:23–3:5 ^cj Instead of acting like a faithful wife, Israel behaved like a wild animal in heat (2:23-25 ^ck), a thief (2:26-30 ^cl), and a prostitute (2:31–3:5 ^cm). 2:23 ^cn The people protested that it was not true that they were Baal worshipers (cp. 2:25 ^co). Archaeologists have found small plaques showing an Asherah (female goddess) and a male god resembling Baal, but their inscriptions bear the name of the Lord (Yahweh). Baal worship was apparently sometimes disguised as worship of Israel’s God.
2:25 ^cp The Israelites confessed to the Baal worship that they had earlier denied (2:23 ^cq), thus revealing the true state of their hearts.
2:26 ^cr Israel’s leaders felt no shame for the evil they did; any contrition they expressed in the face of God’s punishment stemmed from selfishness, not repentance (Ps 78:34-37 ^cs).
2:27 ^ct These idols of a father and mother probably represented Baal and Asherah.

• in times of trouble they cry out: See, e.g., Judg 10:10 ^cu; Isa 26:16 ^cv; Hos 5:15 ^cw.
2:28 ^cx The Israelites were foolishly devoted to many gods (11:13 ^cy; Deut 32:37 ^cz; Judg 10:14 ^da; 2 Kgs 17:30-31 ^db), who were all powerless to help them.

• Jeremiah addressed the individual tribe of Judah, the people standing before him.
2:30 ^dc killed your prophets: See 26:20-23 ^dd.
2:31 ^de The Lord’s anger turned to an appeal. He questioned why the Israelites considered life in obedience to him a desert of death and deprivation (Num 21:5 ^df), full of the evil and terror of darkness (Job 24:17 ^dg; 1 Jn 1:5-6 ^dh).
2:32 ^di For centuries, the Israelites had forgotten the Lord, their husband (13:25 ^dj; Ps 106:21 ^dk; Hos 8:14 ^dl).
Summary for Jer 2:33-34: 2:33-34 ^dm The Israelites would plot and scheme with their lovers, their neighbors with powerful armies, by making treaties to gain the protection that the Lord had already promised them. God considered this an act of prostitution that left a stain of blood on Israel’s character. Like their pagan neighbors, Israel now crushed its own innocent and poor (7:6 ^dn; 2 Kgs 21:16 ^do; 24:4 ^dp).
2:35 ^dq Israel’s sinful condition was evident in the people’s arrogant retort. They claimed that they were innocent, and that God was needlesslyhad needless angry with them. God responded to the people’s denial of guilt by decreeing that he would be severe in his punishment and that he would not tolerate their denial of wrongdoing (Prov 23:13 ^dr; Mal 2:17 ^ds; 3:8 ^dt; 1 Jn 1:8 ^du, 10 ^dv).
2:36 ^dw Judah, in its unfaithfulness to the Lord, chose unreliable and unfaithful allies. The leaders sought political help from neighbors such as Egypt—as false a friend as Assyria had been a century before.

‏ Jeremiah 3:1-5

Summary for Jer 3:1-5: 3:1-5 ^dx Adultery was solid grounds for divorce (Deut 24:1-2 ^dy; Hos 2:1-5 ^dz; 9:1 ^ea). Judah committed spiritual adultery, smugly assuming that God would have no objections (Ezek 16:26 ^eb; Zech 1:3 ^ec). 3:1 ^ed The law prohibited a man from marrying a woman he had previously divorced who had then married another man (Deut 24:1-4 ^ee). A woman who had many lovers was even less likely to be received back.
3:2 ^ef As the Lord’s bride (see 2:2 ^eg), Israel was not supposed to commit adultery with other gods.
3:3 ^eh 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 ^ei; Lev 26:19 ^ej; Zeph 3:5 ^ek).
Summary for Jer 3:4-5: 3:4-5 ^el 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 ^em; Isa 57:16 ^en; Mal 1:6 ^eo), though he promised to vent his wrath (Jer 4:7 ^ep).