Jeremiah 11: 1 – 23
The point of no return
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3 and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 that I may establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as it is this day.”? And I answered and said, “So be it, LORD.” 6 Then the LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them. 7 For I earnestly exhorted your fathers in the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, until this day, rising early and exhorting, saying, “Obey My voice.” 8 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone followed the dictates of his evil heart; therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but which they have not done.’?” 9 And the LORD said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” 11 Therefore thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble. 13 For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. 14 “So do not pray for this people or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble. 15 “What has My beloved to do in My house, having done lewd deeds with many? And the holy flesh has passed from you. When you do evil, then you rejoice. 16 The LORD called your name, green olive tree, lovely and of good fruit. With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, and its branches are broken. 17 “For the LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced doom against you for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal.” 18 Now the LORD gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings. 19 But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.” 20 But, O LORD of hosts, You who judge righteously, testing the mind and the heart, let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have revealed my cause. 21 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, ‘Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, lest you die by our hand’— 22 therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; 23 and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even the year of their punishment.’”
The point of no return is the point beyond which one must continue one’s current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible, or prohibitively expensive. The point of no return can be a calculated point during a continuous action.
In our bibles there are examples of this situation. For example, in the book of Genesis chapter 7, “1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.” 5 And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth. 7 So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, 9 two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— 14 they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.
Please notice two important facts here. The Lord shut the door of the ark after Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives were in along with the animals. Then what happened? There was a 7-day waiting period. This was a point of no return. For Noah and his family, they were now secure in God’s protection while those outside the ark made fun and mocked those in the ark. That is for a period of 7 days when the rain began. You know the results of this deluge.
Today we are going to read about and time when the citizens of Israel due to their never-ending sins had reached the point of no return. There was but one thing left to happen which was war, death, and expulsion from the land.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
Once again it is emphasized that Jeremiah receives ‘the word of YHWH’. And His word was not only for him but for all his fellow genuine prophets (like Huldah, Uriah and Barak). This is brought out using the plural ‘YOU’ which indicates that having heard it they are to proclaim it to Judah. And as we shall see this ‘word’ was a reminder to Judah of the curses of the covenant.
Now stop and think about this for a moment. Not only Jeremiah received this message from our Holy Adoni Yahweh but the other prophets ministering in the country received this message at the same time. To me this is awesome.
Note the continual distinction that is made between the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was regularly looked on as a separate city, standing on its own, being not strictly a city of Judah but the city of David.
3 and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 that I may establish the oath which I have sworn to your fathers, to give them ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as it is this day.”?’?” And I answered and said, “So be it, LORD.”
The word that was now to be emphasized to Judah and Jerusalem was the curse that backed up and underlined the covenant, referred to in Deuteronomy 27.16-26, and expanded on in Deuteronomy 28.15. ‘Cursed be the man --’ specifically reflects Deuteronomy 27.16.
The words in question were a solemn curse against those who were disobedient to the sacred words of the covenant and were accepted by the people saying ‘Amen’ (Deuteronomy 27.16-26). And the aim of its mention here was to bring out the fact that this curse was now coming into effect. Such curses were a regular feature of covenants, and indeed of many aspects of life.
It is made clear that it was ‘commanded to your fathers’ at the time when they were redeemed from Egypt, with the consequence being that ‘they would be His people and He would be their God’. That had been God’s intention. But it is now being made clear that they had forfeited it by their behavior.
The consequence of the covenant was that they should obey His voice and do all that He had commanded them, and their being His people is seen as depending on that fact. This would then result in His ‘establishing His oath’ which He had sworn to their fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey. That He had kept that promise is indicated by the words ‘as at this day’.
6 Then the LORD said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them.
Having underlined the importance of His words by reference to the covenant curses, YHWH now calls on Jeremiah and the other prophets to proclaim to Judah and Jerusalem that they ‘hear the words of this covenant and DO them’ (Deuteronomy 29.9). The emphasis is on the fact that there was no benefit to be obtained from hearing the words of the covenant if they did not DO them.
7 For I earnestly exhorted your fathers in the day I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, until this day, rising early and exhorting, saying, “Obey My voice.”
YHWH then brings out the stress that He had laid on the need to OBEY His commandments. He had ‘earnestly protested’ such obedience to their fathers in the day that He had brought them up out of the land of Egypt’ (as early as Exodus 15.26), and had continued doing so to this day, ‘rising early’ and protesting, saying ‘Obey My voice’. It had been YHWH’s incessant and constant plea in order that it might not be overlooked.
8 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but everyone followed the dictates of his evil heart; therefore, I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but which they have not done.’”
Despite all His efforts they had not obeyed, nor had they listened. Rather they had walked in ‘the stubbornness of their own evil heart’. That is why He was now bringing on them the curses of the covenant, because He had commanded them to ‘DO’ what He said, and they had not done it.
9 And the LORD said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
The way in which so many of the people had been involved in this disobedience indicated a kind of conspiracy. By their behavior and attitudes they had conspired together against His covenant.
10 They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers who refused to hear My words, and they have gone after other gods to serve them; the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.”
This was confirmed by the fact that one and all had turned back to the iniquities of their first forefathers, for they also had refused to hear His words and had gone after other gods and served them, both when they had fashioned the molten calf in the wilderness (Exodus 32), and during the period of the Judges (Judges 2.12-13), and the same had been regularly true at other times since.
Thus, by constant and protracted disobedience both the house of Israel and the house of Judah, the two component parts of Israel, had broken His covenant which He had made with their fathers at Sinai to such an extent that their position was now irrevocable.
11 Therefore thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will surely bring calamity on them which they will not be able to escape; and though they cry out to Me, I will not listen to them.
That is why YHWH had the firm intent to bring evil disasters on them (as warned about in the curses in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28), evil disasters which they would be unable to escape. And things had now gone so far that even though they cried to Him, He would not listen to them.
12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they offer incense, but they will not save them at all in the time of their trouble.
When they discovered that YHWH would no longer listen to them they would go and cry to the gods to which they offered their incense in the high places both in the mountains and in their streets, but they would soon find that they would not save them at all in the time of trouble. They were not gods at all but only man-made things.
13 For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal.
Then He derides them for their folly regarding their gods. They had a multiplicity of them. ‘According to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah’ and yet all banded together could do nothing for them. It was this very multiplicity of gods that brought them into certain condemnation (it provided plenty of evidence for their failure), along with the multiplicity of altars that they had in the streets of Jerusalem, where they had set up altars to burn incense to Baal, ‘the shameful thing’.
14 “So do not pray for this people or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.
Things had reached such a pass that Jeremiah was no longer to pray for them, or lift up a cry and prayer for them for YHWH would no longer hear them and respond in their time of trouble. They had gone beyond the point at which there could be a remedy. It was thus useless to pray for them. They had reached the point of no return.
15 “What has My beloved to do in My house, having done lewd deeds with many? And the holy flesh has passed from you. When you do evil, then you rejoice.
The reason why YHWH will not hear prayer concerning His people is now made clear. It is because ‘His beloved’ wife no longer has any genuine right of access to His house. His people have forfeited that right by their evil behavior which was taking place even while they were partaking of the holy portions of the sacrifices, ‘the holy flesh’ (Haggai 2.12). They indulged in their spiritual and physical adultery even while they passed out the holy portions which had been offered in accordance with the Law and were passed round to those present at their joyful feasts. So even while they did evil, they rejoiced.
The picture of Israel/Judah as a green olive tree is found elsewhere in Hosea 14.6 But he informs them that YHWH Who had planted them will now strip them of their fruitful branches and has pronounced evil against them, because of their evil behavior.
These words infuriate the men of Anathoth, Jeremiah’s home town, who determine that they too will ‘destroy the tree with its fruit’ (verse 19), but in this case they are referring to Jeremiah, against whom they have devised schemes of murder. Jeremiah, taken totally by surprise by these schemes (he was after all a prophet of YHWH and should have been respected and he felt that he was only ‘doing his job’), thus sees himself as like a pet household lamb which finds itself to its total surprise unexpectedly led out to the slaughter (verse 19). YHWH, however, assures Jeremiah that He will in the future punish them severely for their behavior. He is then remonstrated by Jeremiah on the very grounds that having planted them so that they have taken root and brought forth fruit, although only hypocritically, they are still being allowed by Him to continue in their hypocrisy, bringing devastation on the land and the life within it (12.2, 4). And he calls on Him to take them out as sheep for the slaughter (12.3), instead of the little pet lamb (11.19). In response to these words he is called on to be patient and is warned by YHWH that this hatred of him by his relatives is only a beginning. It is an indication that he will yet face even greater hardship than this.
16 The LORD called your name, green olive tree, lovely and of good fruit. With the noise of a great tumult He has kindled fire on it, and its branches are broken.
Israel had been officially named by YHWH as Zayith-ra‘anan-yephe-peri-to’ar (an olive tree green, beautiful and with luscious fruit) when He had called them by that Name as His elect people. But such had been their behavior that He was now setting fire to it and breaking off its branches, bringing evil on them because of their own evil behavior.
The olive tree was very suitable for the purpose. It was famous for its beauty and its leafy branches (Hosea 14.6), and was providing valuable commodities, being the source of oil for lighting, cooking, eating, medicinal purposes, and general anointing, as well as being a major source of exports (Hosea 12.1). It was a tree at the heart of their very lives. This description thus showed YHWH’s initial high view of Israel. The ‘goodly fruit’ may be indicating the fulfilling of works in accordance with the covenant, as an Israel obedient to YHWH, or as indicating the multiplying of Israel by a multiplicity of births until they were ‘as the sand by the seashore’.
But the point being made is that that beautiful tree with its spreading branches and abundance of fruit would sadly soon be caught up in the tumult of invading forces, with its trunk set alight and its branches broken off. Judah would produce no more fruit and blessing for the world for a long time to come.
17 “For the LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced doom against you for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal.”
YHWH, Who Is over all the hosts of heaven and earth, Was the One Who had planted them as a fruitful olive tree. But now He was pronouncing evil against them because of the evil of which they were guilty. None of either Israel or Judah would be safe, for they had wrought evil in that they had provoked YHWH to anger by offering incense to Baal. For they still crept into their mountain sanctuaries, and made their offerings, even in the time of Josiah when it would often be in sanctuaries known only to those in the know. For many would be natural rock formations, and the altar of incense would be a rock. But those who knew of them saw them as wholly sacred. By the time of Jehoiakim, of course, such secrecy would no longer be required.
18 Now the LORD gave me knowledge of it, and I know it; for You showed me their doings.
YHWH had made it known to him the doings of the people. In fact, he was so certain of his God-ordained ministry and his sanctity as a God-appointed prophet of YHWH that he did not even consider the effect that his words might have on the people. But as we now learn, they did not like it, and began to scheme his death.
19 But I was like a docile lamb brought to the slaughter; and I did not know that they had devised schemes against me, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”
The result was that he was completely taken by surprise when he learned, possibly from a disciple or a well-wisher, that they were plotting to get rid of him. He depicts this in a touching simile. Most families had a pet lamb who lived in the house with the family, beloved of the children and feeling perfectly secure, for it was common practice (2 Samuel 12.3). But at some stage this little petted lamb would be taken totally by surprise and find itself being led to the slaughter as the equivalent of the fatted calf. It would never have believed that it could come to this! And it was such surprise that Jeremiah felt. He had felt that at least in his own home town he would be appreciated for what he was.
But he discovered in one way or another that many in Anathoth were in fact plotting his death. They had taken up his picture of the destroyed olive tree and applied it to him. So, they asked each other, according to Jeremiah YHWH was going to destroy them like a fruitful olive tree was He? Well, let Jeremiah have some of his own medicine. He would now in his turn be destroyed like a tree with its fruit and be cut off from the land of the living so that his name was no more remembered. Let him see how he liked it.
20 But, O LORD of hosts, You who judge righteously, testing the mind and the heart, let me see Your vengeance on them, for to You I have revealed my cause.
Shaken and greatly disturbed Jeremiah was freshly awakened to just how sinful the people had become in that they would even destroy YHWH’s prophet (who were usually seen as sacrosanct in Judah), and calls on YHWH to judge the situation before Him. He ‘reveals his cause’ to Him and calls on Him to ‘try the heart and mind’, both of himself and of the people. He knows that there can be only one verdict. The people will be found guilty and will be suitably punished.
21 “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth who seek your life, saying, ‘Do not prophesy in the name of the LORD, lest you die by our hand’— 22 therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, I will punish them. The young men shall die by the sword, their sons and their daughters shall die by famine; 23 and there shall be no remnant of them, for I will bring catastrophe on the men of Anathoth, even the year of their punishment.’?”
YHWH’s response was to pronounce His verdict against the men of Anathoth who had threatened Jeremiah with death if he prophesied in the name of YHWH. The double repetition of ‘thus says YHWH’ confirms the emphasis and certainty of fulfilment of the verdict.
The sentence is one of death against the whole households of the would-be murderers. Their young men of fighting age would die by the sword, their other young men and women would die through famine, no remnant of them would remain. For the year when YHWH would visit His judgment on the men of Anathoth was coming, and it would take the form of evil being brought on them in the form of devastating invasion. Thus, the young men would die defending their homeland, and the famine would be at least partly the result of the marauding activities of the enemy, destroying them by fire after taking possession of such supplies of food as they required for their own use.
