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Commentary on Jeremiah 15 verses 1–9
We scarcely find any where more pathetic expressions of divine wrath against a provoking people than we have here in these verses. The prophet had prayed earnestly for them, and found some among them to join with him; and yet not so much as a reprieve was gained, nor the least mitigation of the judgment; but this answer is given to the prophet's prayers, that the decree had gone forth, was irreversible, and would shortly be executed. Observe here,
I. What the sin was upon which this severe sentence was grounded. 1. It is in remembrance of a former iniquity; it is because of Manasseh, for that which he did in Jerusalem, Jer 15:4. What that was we are told, and that it was for it that Jerusalem was destroyed, Kg2 24:3, Kg2 24:4. It was for his idolatry, and the innocent blood which he shed, which the Lord would not pardon. He is called the son of Hezekiah because his relation to so good a father was a great aggravation of his sin, so far was it from being an excuse of it. The greatest part of a generation was worn off since Manasseh's time, yet his sin is brought into the account; as in Jerusalem's last ruin God brought upon it all the righteous blood shed on the earth, to show how heavy the guilt of blood will light and lie somewhere, sooner or later, and that reprieves are not pardons. 2. It is in consideration of their present impenitence. See how their sin is described (Jer 15:6): "Thou hast forsaken me, my service and thy duty to me; thou hast gone backward into the ways of contradiction, art become the reverse of what thou shouldst have been and of what God by his law would have led thee forward to." See how the impenitence is described (Jer 15:7): They return not from their ways, the ways of their own hearts, into the ways of God's commandments again. There is mercy for those who have turned aside if they will return; but what favour can those expect that persist in their apostasy?
II. What the sentence is. It is such as denotes no less than an utter ruin.
1.God himself abandons and abhors them: My mind cannot be towards them. How can it be thought that the holy God should have any remaining complacency in those that have such a rooted antipathy to him? It is not in a passion, but with a just and holy indignation, that he says, "Cast them out of my sight, as that which is in the highest degree odious and offensive, and let them go forth, for I will be troubled with them no more."
2.He will not admit any intercession to be made for them (Jer 15:1): "Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, by prayer or sacrifice to reconcile me to them, yet I could not be prevailed with to admit them into favour." Moses and Samuel were two as great favourites of Heaven as ever were the blessings of this earth, and were particularly famed for the success of their mediation between God and his offending people; many a time they would have been destroyed if Moses had not stood before him in the breach; and to Samuel's prayers they owed their lives (Sa1 12:19); yet even their intercessions should not prevail, no, not though they were now in a state of perfection, much less Jeremiah's who was now a man subject to like passions as others. The putting of this as a case, Though they should stand before me, supposes that they do not, and is an intimation that saints in heaven are not intercessors for saints on earth. It is the prerogative of the Eternal Word to be the only Mediator in the other world, whatever Moses, and Samuel, and others were in this.
3.He condemns them all to one destroying judgment or other. When God casts them out of his presence, whither shall they go forth? Jer 15:2. Certainly nowhere to be safe or easy, but to be met by one judgment while they are pursued by another, till they find themselves surrounded with mischiefs on all hands, so that they cannot escape; Such as are for death to death. By death here is meant the pestilence (Rev 6:8), for it is death without visible means. Such as are for death to death, or for the sword to the sword; every man shall perish in that way that God has appointed: the law that appoints the malefactor's death determines what death he shall die. Or, He that is by his own choice for this judgment, let him take it, or for that, let him take it, but by the one or the other they shall all fall and none shall escape. It is a choice like that which David was put to, and was thereby put into a great strait, Sa2 24:14. Captivity is mentioned last, some think, because the sorest judgment of all, it being both a complication and continuance of miseries. That of the sword is again repeated (Jer 15:3), and is made the first of another four frightful set of destroyers, which God will appoint over them, as officers over the soldiers, to do what they please with them. As those that escape the sword shall be cut off by pestilence, famine, or captivity, so those that fall by the sword shall be cut off by divine vengeance, which pursues sinners on the other side death; there shall be dogs to tear in the field to devour. And, if there be any that think to outrun justice, they shall be made the most public monuments of it: They shall be removed into all kingdoms of the earth (Jer 15:4), like Cain, who, that he might be made a spectacle of horror to all, became a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth.
4.They shall fall without being relieved. Who can do any thing to help them? for (1.) God, even their own God (so he had been) appears against them: I will stretch out my hand against thee, which denotes a deliberate determined stroke, which will reach far and wound deeply. I am weary with repenting (Jer 15:6); it is a strange expression; they had behaved so provokingly, especially by their treacherous professions of repentance, that they had put even infinite patience itself to the stretch. God had often turned away his wrath when it was ready to break forth against them; but now he will grant no more reprieves. Miserable is the case of those who have sinned so long against God's mercy that at length they have sinned it away. (2.) Their own country expels them, and is ready to spue them out, as it had done the Canaanites that were before them; for so it was threatened (Lev 18:28): I will fan them with a fan in the gates of the land, in their own gates, through which they shall be scattered, or into the gates of the earth, into the cities of all the nations about them, Jer 15:7. (3.) Their own children, that should assist them when they speak with the enemy in the gate, shall be cut off from them: I will bereave them of children, so that they shall have little hopes that the next generation will retrieve their affairs, for I will destroy my people; and, when the inhabitants are slain, the land will soon be desolate. This melancholy article is enlarged upon, Jer 15:8, Jer 15:9, where we have, [1.] The destroyer brought upon them. When God has bloody work to do he will find out bloody instruments to do it with. Nebuchadnezzar is here called a spoiler at noon-day, not a thief in the night, that is afraid of being discovered, but one that without fear shall break through and destroy all the fences of rights and properties, and this in the face of the sun and in defiance of its light: I have brought against the mother a young man, a spoiler (so some read it); for Nebuchadnezzar, when he first invaded Judah, was but a young man, in the first year of his reign. We read it, I have brought upon them, even against the mother of the young men, a spoiler, that is, against Jerusalem, a mother city, that had a very numerous family of young men: or that invasion was in a particular manner terrible to those mothers who had many sons fit for war, who must now hazard their lives in the high places of the field, and, being an unequal match for the enemy, would be likely to fall there, to the inexpressible grief of their poor mothers, who had nursed them up with a great deal of tenderness. The same God that brought the spoiler upon them caused him to fall upon it, that is, upon the spoil delivered to him, suddenly and by surprise; and then terrors came upon the city. the original is very abrupt - the city and terrors. O the city! what a consternation will it then be in! O the terrors that shall then seize it! Then the city and terrors shall be brought together, that seemed at a distance from each other. I will cause to fall suddenly upon her (upon Jerusalem) a watcher and terrors; so Mr. Gataker reads it, for the word is used for a watcher (Dan 4:13, Dan 4:23), and the Chaldean soldiers were called watchers, Jer 4:16. [2.] The destruction made by this destroyer. A dreadful slaughter is here described. First, The wives are deprived of their husbands: Their widows are increased above the sand of the seas, so numerous have they now grown. It was promised that the men of Israel (for those only were numbered) should be as the sand of the sea for multitude; but now they shall be all cut off, and their widows shall be so. But observe, God says, They are increased to me. Though the husbands were cut off by the sword of his justice, their poor widows were gathered in the arms of his mercy, who has taken it among the titles of his honour to be the God of the widows. Widows are said to be taken into the number, the number of those whom God has a particular compassion and concern for. Secondly, The parents are deprived of their children: She that has borne seven sons, whom she expected to be the support and joy of her age, now languishes, when she has seen them all cut off by the sword in one day, who had been many years her burden and care. She that had many children has waxed feeble, Sa1 2:5. See what uncertain comforts children are; and let us therefore rejoice in them as though we rejoiced not. When the children are slain the mother gives up the ghost, for her life was bound up in theirs: Her sun has gone down while it was yet day; she is bereaved of all her comforts just when she thought herself in the midst of the enjoyment of them. She is now ashamed and confounded to think how proud she was of her sons, how fond of them, and how much she promised herself from them. Some understand, by this languishing mother, Jerusalem lamenting the death of her inhabitants as passionately as ever poor mother bewailed her children. Many are cut off already, and the residue of them, who have yet escaped, and, as was hoped, were reserved to be the seed of another generation, even these will I deliver to the sword before their enemies (as the condemned malefactor is delivered to the sheriff to be executed), saith the Lord, the Judge of heaven and earth, who, we are sure, herein judges according to truth, though the judgment seem severe.
5.They shall fall without being pitied (Jer 15:5): "For who shall have pity on thee, O Jerusalem? When thy God has cast thee out of his sight, and his compassions fail and are shut up from thee, neither thy enemies nor thy friends shall have any compassion for thee. They shall have no sympathy with thee; they shall not bemoan thee nor be sorry for thee; they shall have no concern for thee, shall not go a step out of their way to ask how thou dost." For, (1.) Their friends, who were expected to do these friendly offices, were all involved with them in the calamities, and had enough to do to bemoan themselves. (2.) It was plain to all their neighbours that they had brought all this misery upon themselves by their obstinacy in sin, and that they might easily have prevented it by repentance and reformation, which they were often in vain called to; and therefore who can pity them? O Israel! thou hast destroyed thyself. Those will perish for ever unpitied that might have been saved upon such easy terms and would not. (3.) God will thus complete their misery. He will set their acquaintance, as he did Job's at a distance from them; and his hand, his righteous hand, is to be acknowledged in all the unkindnesses of our friends, as well as in all the injuries done us by our foes.
(Verses 2, 3.) But if they say to you: Where shall we go out? You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: He who is for death, to death; and he who is for the sword, to the sword; and he who is for famine, to famine; and he who is for captivity, to captivity. And I will visit upon them four kinds, says the Lord: the sword for killing, and dogs for tearing, and birds of the sky and beasts of the earth for devouring and scattering. The four plagues by which the people of the Jews were handed over, as the prophecy of Ezekiel also shows, are the sword, pestilence, famine, beasts, and captivity (Ezek. 14). Among the beasts, dogs and birds are also understood, to whom bodies were given to be torn apart, devoured, and scattered. For it was not possible for the whole creation to rise up against sinners without the Creator being neglected.
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 15:3 presents a chilling divine decree of comprehensive judgment upon unrepentant Judah, detailing the specific, brutal agents the LORD will employ to execute His wrath. This verse underscores God's absolute sovereignty over creation, as He commissions the sword, scavenging dogs, birds of prey, and wild beasts to bring about a complete and utterly undignified end for a nation that has persistently rebelled against His covenant and spurned His warnings.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 15:3 employs powerful Imagery to paint a vivid and horrifying picture of divine judgment. The graphic description of bodies being consumed by swords, dogs, birds, and beasts creates a visceral and deeply disturbing scene that would have profoundly impacted the original audience. This stark imagery serves to underscore the severity, totality, and inescapable nature of God's wrath against Judah's persistent sin. The passage also utilizes Personification, as the "sword," "dogs," "fowls," and "beasts" are presented not merely as natural occurrences but as active, commissioned agents of the LORD, executing His precise will. This imbues them with a sense of divine purpose and intentionality, highlighting God's sovereign control over even the most base elements of creation. Furthermore, the explicit enumeration of multiple, distinct categories of destructive agents ("four kinds") functions as a form of Merism or comprehensive enumeration, implying that the judgment will be all-encompassing, affecting every aspect of life and death, leaving no escape or reprieve. The cumulative effect of these agents also creates a sense of Hyperbole, emphasizing the extreme and inescapable nature of the impending devastation.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse profoundly articulates the theological principle of divine justice and the dire consequences of unrepentant sin. It reveals a God who is not only merciful and patient but also holy, righteous, and just, utterly unable to tolerate persistent rebellion against His covenant. The "four kinds" of destruction echo the curses outlined in the Mosaic Law, particularly in Deuteronomy 28, where God warns of famine, disease, war, and being consumed by wild beasts as direct consequences of disobedience. This passage thus serves as a grim fulfillment of those ancient warnings, demonstrating God's unwavering faithfulness to His word, both in blessing and in judgment. It also highlights God's absolute sovereignty, asserting His control over all aspects of creation, even using the natural world and human conflict as instruments of His righteous judgment. The desecration of bodies by scavengers was a particularly severe form of punishment in the ancient world, signifying utter rejection and a lack of peace even in death, emphasizing the depth of God's displeasure with Judah's profound apostasy.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 15:3 stands as a sobering and stark reminder of the gravity of sin and the certainty of God's judgment when His abundant grace is continually spurned. While the specific historical context is ancient Judah, the underlying principles are timeless and universally applicable: God is holy, righteous, and just, and He will not forever tolerate persistent rebellion against His perfect will. This verse compels us, both individually and corporately, to seriously consider the profound consequences of our own disobedience and the immense seriousness with which God views sin. It should cultivate in us a healthy, reverent fear of the LORD and a deep, abiding appreciation for the path of genuine repentance and humble obedience. Rather than leading to despair, however, understanding the severity of God's justice in such passages should paradoxically heighten our gratitude for the immeasurable mercy and transformative grace offered through Jesus Christ. It underscores the incredible depth of God's love that He would provide a way of escape from such deserved judgment, transforming our fear into reverent worship and our brokenness into humble submission to His perfect will.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "four kinds" refer to in this verse?
Answer: The "four kinds" (or "four families" in Hebrew, arba mishpachot) refer to the distinct categories of agents God will "appoint" or commission to bring about judgment upon Judah. These are explicitly listed: the sword (representing death by warfare), dogs (representing desecration of bodies by scavenging animals), fowls of the heaven (birds of prey, also for desecration), and beasts of the earth (wild animals, further desecration). This comprehensive list emphasizes the totality and multi-faceted nature of the impending destruction and the lack of dignified burial for the dead, which was a severe curse and profound dishonor in ancient Near Eastern culture.
Why does God use such violent and gruesome imagery to describe His judgment?
Answer: The violent and gruesome imagery is employed to convey the extreme seriousness of Judah's sin and the severity of God's righteous judgment. It serves as a stark prophetic warning, designed to evoke terror and underscore the dire consequences of persistent rebellion against the covenant. Such vivid descriptions were common in prophetic literature to shock the audience into repentance and to demonstrate that God's justice is not abstract but has real, devastating outcomes. It also highlights God's absolute sovereignty over all creation, even over the most base elements, in executing His divine will, as seen in passages like Deuteronomy 28:26.
Is this prophecy still relevant for believers today, given God's grace in the New Testament?
Answer: While the specific prophecy in Jeremiah 15:3 was directed at ancient Judah, the underlying theological principles remain profoundly relevant for believers today. It teaches us about God's unchanging holiness, justice, and the serious consequences of sin. It reminds us that God is not indifferent to evil and that there are indeed dire outcomes for unrepentant rebellion. For believers today, this verse deepens our appreciation for the immense grace found in Jesus Christ, who bore the full weight of God's wrath against sin on the cross, thereby delivering those who believe from such judgment. It underscores the preciousness of the Gospel and the urgency of living in repentance and obedience, recognizing the holiness of the God we serve, as highlighted in Romans 6:23.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 15:3, with its stark portrayal of divine judgment and the gruesome consequences of sin, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment not in the direct application of such wrath to believers, but in the profound reality of Christ's substitutionary atonement. The "four kinds" of destruction appointed by the LORD for unrepentant Judah—the sword, dogs, fowls, and beasts—represent the comprehensive and inescapable nature of God's righteous wrath against sin. Yet, for those who believe, this wrath was fully absorbed and satisfied by Jesus Christ on the cross. He, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, became the object of divine judgment, enduring the ultimate "devour and destroy" so that we might be spared. The curses of the law, including the horrific fate of being consumed by scavengers (as explicitly referenced in Deuteronomy 28:26 and fulfilled in Christ's redemption in Galatians 3:13), were laid upon Him. Through His perfect sacrifice, believers are delivered from the condemnation that leads to such destruction, entering into a new covenant of grace where God's mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). Thus, Jeremiah 15:3, while terrifying in its original context, ultimately magnifies the immeasurable love and grace of God revealed in Christ, who bore our judgment so that we might receive eternal life and reconciliation (Romans 5:8-9).