Jeremiah 6 … Consider Him Who Reiterates His Warnings

Originally posted: 5/07/2021

“Be warned, O Jerusalem,
Or I shall be alienated from you,
And make you a desolation,
A land not inhabited,” (6:8).

I was a bit dumbfounded. His Warnings continue. And I couldn’t help but reflect on how exasperating it is to be ignored.

I thought back over my years in the classroom. The most aggravating times were not when students struggled with homework or tests, or when students found it difficult to understand the material presented, or even when students did not complete their assignments. The most maddening thing was when they simply did not pay attention, simply refused to listen. And in those times when I heard myself ask, “What did I just say?” frustration would mount and the temptation to throw up my hands and quit was substantial.

But oh, not the Lord God; so persistent in His calling His children to hear His Words, to listen to His Voice; so fervently tenacious in sending out the alarm as He Reiterates His Warnings.

Consider Him Who Reiterates His Warnings

• He Reiterates His Warnings to flee, blow the trumpet, and raise a signal that destruction was coming.
  • “Flee for safety, O sons of Benjamin,
    From the midst of Jerusalem!
    Now blow a trumpet in Tekoa
    And raise a signal over Beth-haccerem;
    For evil looks down from the north,
    And a great destruction,” (6:1).

• He Reiterates His Warnings though they persisted in arousing their passions, not for Him, but for wickedness.
  • “As a well keeps its waters fresh,
    So she keeps fresh her wickedness.
    Violence and destruction are heard in her;
    Sickness and wounds are ever before Me,” (6:7).

• He Reiterates His Warnings though they had closed their ears and repudiated His Word as worthless and unappealing.
  • To whom shall I speak and give warning
    That they may hear?
    Behold, their ears are closed
    And they cannot listen.
    Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them;
    They have no delight in it, (6:10).

• He Reiterates His Warnings though everyone was greedy for selfish gain.
  • “For from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
    Everyone is greedy for gain…” (6:13).

• He Reiterates His Warnings though the prophets and priests offered, and the people embraced, the lies, false hope, and superficial healing.
  • “…And from the prophet even to the priest
    Everyone deals falsely.
    ¹⁴ They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially,
    Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
    But there is no peace,” (6:13-14).

• He Reiterates His Warnings though there was no remorse or shame over sin.
  • “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done?
    They were not even ashamed at all;
    They did not even know how to blush…” (6:15).

• He Reiterates His Warnings though repeatedly rejected, so that all would be granted the opportunity to repent and be saved.
  • Thus says the Lord,
    “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths,
    Where the good way is, and walk in it;
    And you will find rest for your souls.
    But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
    ¹⁷ “And I set watchmen over you, saying,
    ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’
    But they said, ‘We will not listen,’” (6:16-17).

• And He Reiterates His Warnings though they persisted in their rebellion and refused His refining Work and Word.
  • “I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people,
    That you may know and assay their way.”
    ²⁸ All of them are stubbornly rebellious,
    Going about as a talebearer.
    They are bronze and iron;
    They, all of them, are corrupt.
    ²⁹ The bellows blow fiercely,
    The lead is consumed by the fire;
    In vain the refining goes on,
    But the wicked are not separated.
    ³⁰ They call them rejected silver,
    Because the Lord has rejected them, (6:27-30).

How do we respond to Him Who Reiterates His Warnings?

The answer is obvious; we must listen, pay attention, and heed His Warnings.

Through His prophet, Jeremiah, God had addressed the very cause of His people’s failure to respond to His Reiterated Warnings; their ears were closed so that they could not listen.

To whom shall I speak and give warning
That they may hear?
Behold, their ears are closed
And they cannot listen.
Behold, the word of the Lord has become a reproach to them;
They have no delight in it, (6:10).

But what had caused their ears to close? It will be more than helpful to consider the original language.

Closed: “6189. עָרֵל ʿārēl: A masculine adjective meaning uncircumcised… the term could be used metaphorically to describe the corrupted nature of certain body parts: uncircumcised lips denoted an inability to speak effectively… uncircumcised in heart represented a flawed character… and uncircumcised in the ear signified an inability to hear (Jer. 6:10).” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

The people of Jeremiah’s day were so busy performing the traditions and rituals of the Law, so convinced that in themselves their rote allegiance to the law would bear the fruit of His blessings, that they willfully resisted God’s Words.

“Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people,
The fruit of their plans,
Because they have not listened to My words,
And as for My law, they have rejected it also.
²⁰ “For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba
And the sweet cane from a distant land?
Your burnt offerings are not acceptable
And your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me,” (6:19-20).

And although they carried on religious service as usual, they had repeatedly closed their ears to Him Who Reiterates His Warnings; and in their hearing-impaired state they mistakenly deemed their worship as acceptable to Holy God.

In their refusal to surrender in humility and to allow the Lord God to do what only He can, unstop their ears to hear and soften their hearts to obey His Truth, their ears remained uncircumcised. And because of their inability to hear His commands, they missed Truth. For God does not desire our sacrifices, but our broken hearts. And through our brokenness, He will open our ears to hear and our hearts to desire His will.

Sacrifice and meal offering You have not desired;
My ears You have opened;
Burnt offering and sin offering You have not required.
⁷ Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
⁸ I delight to do Your will, O my God;
Your Law is within my heart,” (Psalm 40:6).

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.
¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise, (Psalm 51:16).

More than anything, let us respond with brokenness over sin, our own sin and the sin of our nation, that our ears would be opened to hear Him Who Reiterates His Warnings as He opens His ears to hear our prayers.

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry, (Psalm 34:15).

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us, (1 John 5:14).

Lord, please wake us and shakes us from adhering to the persuasive comforts of tradition rather than seeking and listening to Your Truth. Please unstop our ears to hear You that we would understand the times, be passionate for righteousness, honor and value Your Word, lay aside our selfish greed, reject a watered-down gospel, be broken and ashamed of our sin, accept Your refining Work, and diligently study Your Word that we would heed Your Reiterated Warnings in faith.

Lord, please strengthen us in our understanding of Your Truth and the assurance of Your Promises, that we would humbly respond to Your Reiterated Warnings, fully persuaded that You will bestow Your goodness to instruct and lead us in Your way.

Good and upright is the Lord;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
⁹ He leads the humble in justice,
And He teaches the humble His way, (Psalm 25:8-9).

Let’s Grow Together!