6:1 “Run for safety, people of Benjamin! Get out of Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Light the signal fires at Beth Hakkerem! For disaster lurks out of the north; it will bring great destruction.
Jeremiah was a Levite who lived in Jerusalem. King David took Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made it the capital of Israel. Jerusalem was in Benjamite territory. David was from the tribe of Judah. Although Jerusalem was in Benjamite territory, it was designated as a city of Judah. However, many Benjamites lived in the city.
Jeremiah was a Levitical priest who was responsible for the tribe of Benjamin. Jeremiah called for his own family tribe to leave Jerusalem. Tekoa was the city of Amos the prophet. Tekoa and Beth Hakkerem were south of Bethlehem. Jeremiah wanted his own family tribe to move south, because Babylon would come from the north and bring great destruction.
6:2 I will destroy Daughter Zion, who is as delicate and defenseless as a young maiden.
The “daughter of Zion” is Judah. Babylon would destroy Judah. Judah would be as defenseless as a delicate and young maiden who was about to be raped by an invading army.
6:3 Kings will come against it with their armies. They will encamp in siege all around it. Each of them will devastate the portion assigned to him.
Babylon would come against Jerusalem, siege it, and destroy it. She would clip the vegetation to the ground, just as a sheep clips the grass on the ground. This metaphor pointed to the complete destruction of Jerusalem.
6:4 They will say, ‘Prepare to do battle against it! Come on! Let’s attack it at noon!’ But later they will say, ‘Oh, oh! Too bad! The day is almost over and the shadows of evening are getting long.
Noon is siesta time, when soldiers rest during the hot part of the day. However, these Babylonian soldiers were so zealous to destroy Judah, that they would eagerly desire to attack at the hottest part of the day.
6:5 So come on, let’s go ahead and attack it by night and destroy all its fortified buildings.’
Most armies cease their attack at darkness. However, the Babylonian soldiers were so zealous to destroy Judah, that they eagerly desired to continue their fight even into the darkness.
6:6 All of this is because the Lord who rules over all has said: ‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem and build up a siege ramp against its walls. This is the city which is to be punished. Nothing but oppression happens in it.
God is sovereign over all armies. God commanded this siege, because Jerusalem was extremely wicked.
6:7 As a well continually pours out fresh water so it continually pours out wicked deeds. Sounds of violence and destruction echo throughout it. All I see are sick and wounded people.’
Just as a well dug deep in the ground pours out fresh water continually, so would Judah continually pour out evil deeds. The sounds of war would come from the city. Everyone in Jerusalem would become sick from famine or wounded from battle.
6:8 So take warning, Jerusalem, or I will abandon you in disgust and make you desolate, a place where no one can live.”
Jerusalem would become desolate and uninhabitable. The city would becomes so obliterated, that no one would live there.
6:9 This is what the Lord who rules over all said to me: “Those who remain in Israel will be like the grapes thoroughly gleaned from a vine. So go over them again, as though you were a grape harvester passing your hand over the branches one last time.”
After Babylon attacks and destroys Jerusalem, some Jews would run away and escape. They would hide in rocks and trees. However, the Babylonian army would walk through the land and glean all of the survivors like grapes.
6:10 I answered, “Who would listen if I spoke to them and warned them? Their ears are so closed that they cannot hear! Indeed, what the Lord says is offensive to them. They do not like it at all.
Jeremiah complained to Jehovah. His complaint was that he warned Jerusalem of the coming judgment, but the people would not listen to him. The people did not want to hear a message from God. They did not want to hear that the Babylonians were going to attack their city and destroy it. Messages of judgment were offensive to them.
It is important to note that liberals and skeptics do not want to hear a message of hell and damnation. They do not want to hear that if they reject the Lord Jesus Christ, then they will spend their eternity in the Lake of Fire. They will attempt to censor, eliminate, or ridicule this type of message. If the Bible is to be taught, then they do not want to hear about the eternal judgment that is predicted to come. They want a nice, friendly message where everyone is saved and everyone enters into heaven. They want a message that does not condemn their sin. They want a Grandpa God who will wink at their sins and allow everyone into heaven. Unbelievers and carnal Christians will find these kinds of message in seeker churches.
6:11 I am as full of anger as you are, Lord, I am tired of trying to hold it in.” The Lord answered, “Vent it, then, on the children who play in the street and on the young men who are gathered together. Husbands and wives are to be included, as well as the old and those who are advanced in years.
Jeremiah was no longer a weeping prophet. He possessed knowledge from God of what would happen to Jerusalem, but his message was rejected. His anger towards Judah was similar to the anger of Jehovah. Jehovah told him to vent his anger by giving out the Word of God to a hard-headed people. He was to give this hard message to people of all ages.
6:12 Their houses will be turned over to others as will their fields and their wives. For I will unleash my power against those who live in this land,” says the Lord.
Jehovah told Jeremiah that the houses and wives of Judah would be turned over to Babylon.
6:13 “That is because, from the least important to the most important of them, all of them are greedy for dishonest gain. Prophets and priests alike, all of them practice deceit.
Judgment would also fall on the leaders, because they were greedy and dishonest for personal gain. Even the prophets and priests were greedy. They were giving out and allowing false teaching for profit.
6:14 They offer only superficial help for the harm my people have suffered. They say, ‘Everything will be all right!’ But everything is not all right!
The sin of the leaders was that judgment was coming, but they were preaching and prophesying peace in order to tickle the ears of their people.
6:15 Are they ashamed because they have done such shameful things? No, they are not at all ashamed. They do not even know how to blush! So they will die, just like others have died. They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,” says the Lord.
The priests and prophets were not ashamed of their false prophecies. Their consciences were seared. They could not even blush. Therefore, judgment must fall upon them to save others.
6:16 The Lord said to his people: “You are standing at the crossroads. So consider your path. Ask where the old, reliable paths are. Ask where the path is that leads to blessing and follow it. If you do, you will find rest for your souls.” But they said, “We will not follow it!”
Jehovah told the people that they were standing at a fork in the road. They must choose their own path. The wide path led to destruction. The narrow path led to life. The way of the narrow path was the same path which was taken by the ancients, such as the paths taken by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, and some of the other righteous saints. If they desired rest for their souls, then they must receive salvation. The way of salvation is through Christ. The bloody ritual sacrifices of Leviticus all pointed to Christ. This message of atonement was the path in which Judah was to follow.
6:17 The Lord said, “I appointed prophets as watchmen to warn you, saying: ‘Pay attention to the warning sound of the trumpet!’ ” But they said, “We will not pay attention!”
Watchman were military soldiers who stood in high towers and looked for enemies during their guard watch. When they saw an enemy approaching, then they would blow the trumpet to warn the people to prepare for war. The prophets were appointed by God to watch and warn Israel of enemy attacks. The prophets were blowing the trumpets, but no one was listening. They were not preparing for war.
6:18 So the Lord said, “Hear, you nations! Be witnesses and take note of what will happen to these people.
Jehovah called the Gentile nations to witness and execute the punishment which would come upon Judah.
6:19 Hear this, you peoples of the earth: ‘Take note! I am about to bring disaster on these people. It will come as punishment for their scheming. For they have paid no attention to what I have said, and they have rejected my law.
The Gentiles were called to see how God deals with His elect nation who rebelled against Him. Judah's sin was that she rejected the Mosaic Law. Instead of following the Mosaic Law, she chose to worship demons.
6:20 I take no delight when they offer up to me frankincense that comes from Sheba or sweet-smelling cane imported from a faraway land. I cannot accept the burnt offerings they bring me. I get no pleasure from the sacrifices they offer to me.’
Frankincense was burned in the Tabernacle to symbolize a sweet aroma to God. Sheba is modern day Yemen. The sweet smelling cane was an oil which was used to anoint the Levitical priests. The faraway country may have been India.
The temple sacrifices pointed to the Messiah to come. However, Judah was not interested in this message. They thought that the rituals were boring and unneeded. They were still offering the sacrifices, but they were not following the Mosaic Law. They were committing evil, but then expecting their offerings to cover their sin. They later began offering the worst from their flocks. Jehovah would accept only the best from their offerings.
6:21 So, this is what the Lord says: ‘I will assuredly make these people stumble to their doom. Parents and children will stumble and fall to their destruction. Friends and neighbors will die.’
Jehovah would place a stumbling block in front of Israel. They would trip over it to their death.
6:22 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Beware! An army is coming from a land in the north. A mighty nation is stirring into action in faraway parts of the earth.
The stumbling block is the northern army of Babylon. This nation was still not been named.
6:23 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears. They are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride forth on their horses. Lined up in formation like men going into battle to attack you, Daughter Zion.’ ”
Jeremiah described the military style of the Babylonians. They were experienced and well-trained soldiers.
6:24 The people cry out, “We have heard reports about them! We have become helpless with fear! Anguish grips us, agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby!
The people were paralyzed by fear of this coming invasion from the north. Jerusalem would experience terror on every side. The agony would be similar to a woman giving child birth.
6:25 Do not go out into the countryside. Do not travel on the roads. For the enemy is there with sword in hand. They are spreading terror everywhere.”
Jeremiah warned the people not to leave the city or travel on the roads. The enemy was out on the roads, looking to kill the Israelites.
6:26 So I said, “Oh, my dear people, put on sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn with painful sobs as though you had lost your only child. For any moment now that destructive army will come against us.”
The nation was called to sing a lament for themselves. A lament is a funeral song. Judah was about to die as a nation.
Losing a child is the most painful death that a parent can experience. An only child was one who was to become heir to the land. This was a very painful loss to a father and mother, because hey would have no descendants. Judah was to mourn for her death just as she would mourn for her only child.
It is important to note that Israel in the future would be asked once again to mourn in this way for her Messiah. She would mourn for her Messiah as one mourns the loss of her only son.
6:27 The Lord said to me, “I have made you like a metal assayer to test my people like ore. You are to observe them and evaluate how they behave.”
A metal assayer was a blacksmith. Jeremiah was appointed to be the blacksmith of Jerusalem. He was to test the character of the people of Judah just as a blacksmith tests metal. He was to watch them and see how they would act.
6:28 I reported, “All of them are the most stubborn of rebels! They are as hard as bronze or iron. They go about telling lies. They all deal corruptly.
Jeremiah tested the people of Judah and found out that they were stubborn and rebellious against God. They were as hard as metal or iron. They were good at telling lies. They were corrupt in their business practices.
6:29 The fiery bellows of judgment burn fiercely. But there is too much dross to be removed. The process of refining them has proved useless. The wicked have not been purged.
The people of Judah were bad and crusty metal with too much dross. They were beyond refinement.
6:30 They are regarded as ‘rejected silver’ because the Lord rejects them.”
Judah was a silver piece with so much dirty dross, that God had to reject her.