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Jeremiah 6

Jeremiah 6 describes the impending disaster awaiting Jerusalem as a result of the people’s continued sin and refusal to heed God’s warnings. The prophet calls the people to prepare for invasion, vividly depicting the siege and judgment coming upon the city. Despite repeated pleas to turn from wickedness, the people remain obstinate. The chapter emphasizes the consequences of spiritual blindness, pride, and rebellion against God, as well as His sorrow over their hardened hearts.

Jeremiah 6:1-10 (NKJV)
1 "O you children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee from the midst of Jerusalem! Blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a signal-fire in Beth Haccerem; for disaster appears out of the north, and great destruction.
2 I have likened the daughter of Zion to a lovely and delicate woman.
3 The shepherds with their flocks shall come to her. They shall pitch their tents against her all around. Each one shall pasture in his own place.
4 “Prepare war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe to us, for the day goes away, for the shadows of the evening are lengthening.
5 Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.”
6 For thus has the Lord of hosts said: “Cut down trees, and build a mound against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished. She is full of oppression in her midst.
7 As a fountain wells up with water, so she wells up with her wickedness. Violence and plundering are heard in her. Before Me continually are grief and wounds.
8 Be instructed, O Jerusalem, lest My soul depart from you; lest I make you desolate, a land not inhabited.”
9 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “They shall thoroughly glean as a vine the remnant of Israel; as a grape-gatherer, put your hand back into the branches.”
10 To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? Indeed their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot give heed. Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it."

God warns the people of Judah to flee, as the impending invasion comes swiftly from the north. Jeremiah uses vivid imagery, likening Jerusalem to a delicate woman besieged by shepherds — foreign invaders surrounding her like a flock. God’s command to build siege ramps signifies an unavoidable judgment on Jerusalem, which has become a place of oppression and violence. The Lord grieves as He calls for repentance, warning that only destruction awaits if they remain unresponsive. The people, however, are described as spiritually deaf, unwilling to hear God’s words, showing no delight in His message. Their resistance to correction leaves them vulnerable to total ruin.

Jeremiah 6:11-15 (NKJV)
11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord. I am weary of holding it in. “I will pour it out on the children outside, and on the assembly of young men together; for even the husband shall be taken with the wife, the aged with him who is full of days.
12 And their houses shall be turned over to others, fields and wives together; for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,” says the Lord.
13 “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely.
14 They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace.
15 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down,” says the Lord.

Jeremiah is overwhelmed with the wrath of the Lord, which he must now pour out upon all generations. This wrath will affect everyone indiscriminately — young and old alike. The people have betrayed God through widespread corruption, from leaders to ordinary citizens, prioritizing greed over truth. False prophets and priests have minimized the people's sins by declaring a false peace when no peace exists. Because they feel no shame for their wrongdoing, God will ensure their punishment, and they will face the consequences of their actions, falling alongside the unrighteous.

Jeremiah 6:16-21 (NKJV)
16 Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
17 Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’
18 Therefore hear, you nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.
19 Hear, O earth! Behold, I will certainly bring calamity on this people— the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not heeded My words nor My law, but rejected it.
20 For what purpose to Me comes frankincense from Sheba, and sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet to Me.”
21 Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will lay stumbling blocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall on them. The neighbor and his friend shall perish.”

God calls the people to seek the old, righteous path, promising rest if they obey. However, they openly refuse, ignoring both the Lord's guidance and His appointed watchmen. God therefore calls on the nations and all creation to witness the judgment He will bring. Their sacrifices mean nothing to God because they continue in disobedience. Rather than receiving their offerings, He will place obstacles before them, causing widespread calamity that will affect all — fathers, sons, friends, and neighbors alike, because they have collectively turned from Him.

Jeremiah 6:22-30 (NKJV)
22 Thus says the Lord: “Behold, a people comes from the north country, and a great nation will be raised from the farthest parts of the earth.
23 They will lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel and have no mercy; their voice roars like the sea; and they ride on horses, as men of war set in array against you, O daughter of Zion.”
24 We have heard the report of it; our hands grow feeble. Anguish has taken hold of us, pain as of a woman in labor.
25 Do not go out into the field, nor walk by the way. Because of the sword of the enemy, fear is on every side.
26 O daughter of my people, dress in sackcloth and roll about in ashes! Make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the plunderer will suddenly come upon us.
27 “I have set you as an assayer and a fortress among My people, that you may know and test their way.
28 They are all stubborn rebels, walking as slanderers. They are bronze and iron, they are all corrupters;
29 The bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed by the fire; the smelter refines in vain, for the wicked are not drawn off.
30 People will call them rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them.”

God warns of a fierce and merciless army coming from the north, armed and ready to attack Jerusalem. The city's inhabitants are gripped with terror, feeling helpless and in anguish, like a woman in labor. The fear surrounding them is inescapable, symbolized by mourning and sackcloth, as the invader approaches swiftly. God likens Jeremiah to a metal assayer, testing the people’s character, but finds them resistant to refinement, likened to impure metals. Despite His attempts to purify them, their rebellion and corruption make them unredeemable, leading to God’s rejection. They are like rejected silver, no longer of value due to their hardened disobedience.

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