Jer 3:11-4:2 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Jer 3:11-4:2: 3:11–4:2 The Lord appealed to Israel to repent, return, and be reconciled to him (contrast 2:1–3:10 ). 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 ). But it was still not too late to repent and become the blessing to the nations (Jer 4:1-2 ) that God intended them to be (Gen 12:3 ).

Summary for Jer 3:11-4:2: 3:11–4:2 ^a The Lord appealed to Israel to repent, return, and be reconciled to him (contrast 2:1–3:10 ^b). 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 ^c). But it was still not too late to repent and become the blessing to the nations (Jer 4:1-2 ^d) that God intended them to be (Gen 12:3 ^e).
3:12 ^f 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 ^g; 31:20 ^h; 33:26 ⁱ; 2 Kgs 17:6 ^j; Ps 86:15 ^k).
3:13 ^l 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 ^m; Deut 30:1-5 ⁿ).
3:14 ^o 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 ^p, 32 ^q; Hos 2:19-20 ^r; Rom 11:5 ^s).

• to the land of Israel: Hebrew to Zion.
3:15 ^t 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 ^u, 31 ^v; Ezek 34:11 ^w; Acts 20:28 ^x; Eph 4:11 ^y).
3:16 ^z 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 ^aa; Isa 49:19 ^ab; 65:17 ^ac).
3:17 ^ad 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 ^ae; Deut 29:19 ^af; Isa 60:9 ^ag).
3:18 ^ah 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 ^ai; Isa 11:13 ^aj; Ezek 37:16-22 ^ak; Hos 1:11 ^al; Amos 9:15 ^am).
Summary for Jer 3:19-20: 3:19-20 ^an 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 ^ao).
Summary for Jer 3:21-4:2: 3:21–4:2 ^ap 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 ^aq The Lord heard the touching prayer of devotion; the people affirmed their acceptance of the Lord as their God (31:7 ^ar; Pss 38:18 ^as; 121:1-2 ^at).

• 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 ^au; 14:20 ^av; Hos 9:10 ^aw) 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 ^ax 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 ^ay; 33:6 ^az; Hos 6:1 ^ba; 14:4 ^bb).

‏ Jeremiah 4:1-2

4:1 ^bc The Lord saw that despite their lovely prayer, the people did not intend to throw away their idols or change their lifestyle (15:19 ^bd; Joel 2:12 ^be).
4:2 ^bf 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 ^bg; Deut 10:20 ^bh; Ps 72:18 ^bi; Isa 48:1 ^bj; 1 Cor 1:31 ^bk). 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.