In the previous chapter, Jeremiah asked the Lord for deliverance from persecution. He was concerned that the authorities would take him away to prison or execute him. They wanted to silence him for speaking prophetically about his nation’s demise. Here, the Lord wanting to spare Jeremiah from further sorrow, tells him not to marry and not to pursue having children.
“For thus says the Lord concerning the sons and daughters who are born in this place and concerning their mothers who bore them and their fathers who begot them in this land: they shall die gruesome deaths; they shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried, but they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, and their corpses shall be meat for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth.” Jeremiah 16:3-4
The Lord revealed to Jeremiah vivid details of what was to come. Gruesome deaths! No one left to bury or mourn them! Corpses like litter on the ground! Guant corpses from starvation! Horribly disfigured by swords! Nowadays, we have photographs and videos of the aftermath of war, but Jeremiah did not have access to such technology. People in his days received their news updates by word of mouth, and perhaps by pictures or written accounts.
“For thus says the Lord: do not enter the house of mourning, nor go to lament or bemoan them; for I have taken away My peace from this people, says the Lord, lovingkindness and mercies. Both the great and the small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried; neither shall men lament for them, cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them. Nor shall men break bread in mourning for them, to comfort them for the dead; nor shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or their mother.” Jeremiah 16:5-7
Like the receding ocean tide before a massive tsunami waves strikes, the Lord removed any sense of His peace, love and mercies from the people before tribulation broke out. Suddenly, it was upon them, and it was too late to thwart the tragedy.
The Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary explains that cutting oneself and cutting off the hair were Pagan customs, which God forbad His people to do. There is no mourning, no burials, no lamenting, no skin or hair cutting for the dead, and no meal or comforting drink after the funeral because no one will be available to make it happen.
“Also you shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and drink.” Jeremiah 16:8
God called Jeremiah to decline meal invitations. He was to remain distant from his people while they remained distant from God. The Lord wanted Jeremiah to use shock therapy to get their hearts beating once again for Him. Words were not enough.
1 Corinthians 5:11 says, “...You must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.” The idea here is to work in harmony with the Holy Spirit to convict the brother or sister of their sin, and to keep yourself and your fellowship from evil.
2 John 1:9-11 says, “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.” The Lord does not want us to greet or welcome false prophets or teachers to fellowship with us.
In Deuteronomy 13:1-5, God commanded Israel to worship Him alone and to be faithful to Him. He told them to execute false prophets. He commanded them to purge evil from their midst.
Jesus did not tell His disciples to put anyone to death, but He did urge them to discern who so-called prophets were by their fruits. Three of the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy and peace. If you have the Holy Spirit, you have His fruit. False prophets tend to want to control people for personal reasons. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” (Ephesians 5:11)
It is important to pray over any situation that arises in regard to the above matters. You have God’s Word, and you have God’s Holy Spirit if you are a believer. You have to assess each association with prayer and be led by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will not give you peace to do something if it is not of God. In such a case, it is best to wait on the Lord until He gives a definite leading to you. You can also consult with and pray with other Christlike believers about what to do in such cases. Sometimes to minimize my personal feelings about a situation, I pray, “Lord, please do what is best for all involved. Please be glorified Lord.”
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: behold, I will cause to cease from this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.” Jeremiah 16:9
When I lived and worked in China, some authorities spoke of freedom from religion as though they were more enlightened and less oppressed than me. In the USA, Hollywood has been promoting a lie since its inception, namely, that intimacy between couples without marriage is a wonderful freedom. I am very grateful to God that my parents brought me up in the Church and that they modeled for me marital faithfulness to one another. God, in His grace great mercy, blessed me with marriage. My wedding day was one of the best days of my life. I am glad that the devil did not scam my wife and me with his poison-laced false propaganda.
The breakdown of marriage and the family unit is actually a judgment of God. It is a sign that something is wrong with a society and that it needs God’s intervention.
Revelation 18:23 speaks of the absence of marriage ceremonies as a divine judgment. “The light of a lamp will never shine in you anymore. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you anymore...” It is a work of the devil to steal the marriage blessing from people.
“And it shall be, when you show this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great disaster against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because your fathers have forsaken Me, says the Lord; they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them and have forsaken Me and not kept My law. And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me. Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; and there you shall serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.’” Jeremiah 16:10-13
The people wanted to be gods unto themselves but were not designed to carry this burden. God did not bestow on people infinite knowledge, wisdom and understanding. For example, Israel is at its worse when as Judges 21:25 says, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” The Lord says in Psalm 84:11-12, “My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.” The Good Shepherd is willing to lead us when we are ready to follow. But if we forsake Him... remember! We live in His universe, breathe His air, and drink His water. He can share or withhold these blessings from us.
“The Lord God of Israel says: those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” (1 Samuel 2:30) God promised to cast them like a ball out of the Promised Land into a land where they would serve other gods day and night.
“Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that it shall no more be said, ‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but ‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.” Jeremiah 16:14-15
So severe shall be the Jews’ bondage in Babylon that their deliverance from it shall be a greater benefit than that when He delivered them from Egypt. The land of the north in the above passage is a reference to Babylon.
“Behold, I will send for many fishermen, says the Lord, and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.” Jeremiah 16:16
“Fishermen” is used in a bad sense. Babylon would catch them as fishermen catch fish. Hunters is used in a good sense. God would hunt, find and bring them back home.
“For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols.” Jeremiah 16:17-18
Nothing escaped God’s attention. He saw every detestable act they did.
1 Corinthians 4:5 says, “The Lord will bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts.” Hebrews 4:13 says, “All things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him.”
“O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, ‘Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things.’” Jeremiah 16:19
The result of God’s judgments on Israel will be that both they and Gentiles shall acknowledge that they were wrong about God. This passage was fulfilled in part when they returned from Babylon. At that time, Israel renounced idols, and some Gentiles believed in the Lord.
In Revelation 7:4-14; 14:3-5, during the tribulation of the last days, 12,000 Israelites from each of the twelve tribes of Israel will be followers of Christ. 144,000 Israeli evangelists for Jesus Christ! John is shown an innumerable amount of people from every nation in heaven. They are glorifying God. An angel tells John that these people came out from the great tribulation.
Christ used twelve Israeli evangelists to start His Church movement. 144,000 of such will win many souls to Jesus. So even in regards to the tribulation events of the last days, the Lord works all things together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
“Will a man make gods for himself, which are not gods?” Jeremiah 16:20
A man creating his creator makes no sense on any level. The Vulgate translates this verse thus: “Shall man make gods, though men themselves are not gods?” Idol making and selling is a big industry. Even in America, manufacturers have made multimillions of dollar by selling superhero costumes at Halloween, and by selling Santa Claus and Easter Bunny images during the seasons of Christmas and Resurrection Day.
“Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; and they shall know that My Name is the Lord.” Jeremiah 16:21
The Lord provided great proof to people during the days of Jeremiah that He is God. He will also provide great proof during the end times that He is God. When He reveals His power to people, people tremble. Revelation 6:15-17 says, “The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”
Praise God for causing people to know that He is God. In Psalm 68:28, King David prayed, “Summon your power, God; show us Your strength, our God, as you have done before.” In Acts 4:29-30, the apostles prayed, “Lord... grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your Word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the Name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
Do you know God? If not, now, is the time to ask Him as David did in Psalm 51:10-12...
Revelation 18:23 speaks of the absence of marriage ceremonies as a divine judgment. “The light of a lamp will never shine in you anymore. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you anymore...” It is a work of the devil to steal the marriage blessing from people.
“And it shall be, when you show this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has the Lord pronounced all this great disaster against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God?’ then you shall say to them, ‘Because your fathers have forsaken Me, says the Lord; they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them and have forsaken Me and not kept My law. And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me. Therefore I will cast you out of this land into a land that you do not know, neither you nor your fathers; and there you shall serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor.’” Jeremiah 16:10-13
The people wanted to be gods unto themselves but were not designed to carry this burden. God did not bestow on people infinite knowledge, wisdom and understanding. For example, Israel is at its worse when as Judges 21:25 says, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” The Lord says in Psalm 84:11-12, “My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.” The Good Shepherd is willing to lead us when we are ready to follow. But if we forsake Him... remember! We live in His universe, breathe His air, and drink His water. He can share or withhold these blessings from us.
“The Lord God of Israel says: those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” (1 Samuel 2:30) God promised to cast them like a ball out of the Promised Land into a land where they would serve other gods day and night.
“Therefore behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that it shall no more be said, ‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but ‘The Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.” Jeremiah 16:14-15
So severe shall be the Jews’ bondage in Babylon that their deliverance from it shall be a greater benefit than that when He delivered them from Egypt. The land of the north in the above passage is a reference to Babylon.
“Behold, I will send for many fishermen, says the Lord, and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.” Jeremiah 16:16
“Fishermen” is used in a bad sense. Babylon would catch them as fishermen catch fish. Hunters is used in a good sense. God would hunt, find and bring them back home.
“For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes. And first I will repay double for their iniquity and their sin, because they have defiled My land; they have filled My inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable idols.” Jeremiah 16:17-18
Nothing escaped God’s attention. He saw every detestable act they did.
1 Corinthians 4:5 says, “The Lord will bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts.” Hebrews 4:13 says, “All things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him.”
“O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, ‘Surely our fathers have inherited lies, worthlessness and unprofitable things.’” Jeremiah 16:19
The result of God’s judgments on Israel will be that both they and Gentiles shall acknowledge that they were wrong about God. This passage was fulfilled in part when they returned from Babylon. At that time, Israel renounced idols, and some Gentiles believed in the Lord.
In Revelation 7:4-14; 14:3-5, during the tribulation of the last days, 12,000 Israelites from each of the twelve tribes of Israel will be followers of Christ. 144,000 Israeli evangelists for Jesus Christ! John is shown an innumerable amount of people from every nation in heaven. They are glorifying God. An angel tells John that these people came out from the great tribulation.
Christ used twelve Israeli evangelists to start His Church movement. 144,000 of such will win many souls to Jesus. So even in regards to the tribulation events of the last days, the Lord works all things together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
“Will a man make gods for himself, which are not gods?” Jeremiah 16:20
A man creating his creator makes no sense on any level. The Vulgate translates this verse thus: “Shall man make gods, though men themselves are not gods?” Idol making and selling is a big industry. Even in America, manufacturers have made multimillions of dollar by selling superhero costumes at Halloween, and by selling Santa Claus and Easter Bunny images during the seasons of Christmas and Resurrection Day.
“Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; and they shall know that My Name is the Lord.” Jeremiah 16:21
The Lord provided great proof to people during the days of Jeremiah that He is God. He will also provide great proof during the end times that He is God. When He reveals His power to people, people tremble. Revelation 6:15-17 says, “The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”
Praise God for causing people to know that He is God. In Psalm 68:28, King David prayed, “Summon your power, God; show us Your strength, our God, as you have done before.” In Acts 4:29-30, the apostles prayed, “Lord... grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your Word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the Name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
Do you know God? If not, now, is the time to ask Him as David did in Psalm 51:10-12...
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”
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