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Commentary on Jeremiah 16 verses 14–21
There is a mixture of mercy and judgment in these verses, and it is hard to know to which to apply some of the passages here - they are so interwoven, and some seem to look as far forward as the times of the gospel.
I. God will certainly execute judgment upon them for their idolatries. Let them expect it, for the decree has gone forth. 1. God sees all their sins, though they commit them ever so secretly and palliate them ever so artfully (Jer 16:17): My eyes are upon all their ways. They have not their eye upon God, have no regard to him, stand in no awe of him; but he has his eye upon them; neither they nor their sins are hidden from his face, from his eyes. Note, None of the sins of sinners either can be concealed from God or shall be overlooked by him, Pro 5:21; Job 34:21; Psa 90:8. 2. God is highly displeased, particularly at their idolatries, Jer 16:18. As his omniscience convicts them, so his justice condemns them: I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double, not double to what it deserves, but double to what they expect and to what I have done formerly. Or I will recompense it abundantly; they shall now pay for their long reprieve and the divine patience they have abused. The sin for which God has a controversy with them is their having defiled God's land with their idolatries, and not only alienated that which he was entitled to as his inheritance, but polluted that which he dwelt in with delight as his inheritance, and made it offensive to him with the carcases of their detestable things, the gods themselves which they worshipped, the images of which, though they were of gold and silver, were as loathsome to God as the putrid carcases of men or beasts are to us. Idols are carcases of detestable things. God hates them, and so should we. Or he might refer to the sacrifices which they offered to these idols, with which the land was filled; for they had high places in all the coasts and corners of it. This was the sin which, above any other, incensed God against them. 3. He will find out and raise up instruments of his wrath, that shall cast them out of their land, according to the sentence passed upon them (Jer 16:16): I will send for many fishers and many hunters - the Chaldean army, that shall have many ways of ensnaring and destroying them, by fraud as fishers, by force as hunters. They shall find them out wherever they are, and shall chase and closely pursue them, to their ruin. They shall discover them wherever they are hid, in hills or mountains, or holes of the rocks, and shall drive them out. God has various ways of prosecuting a people with his judgments that avoid the convictions of his word. He has men at command fit for his purpose; he has them within call, and can send for them when he pleases. 4. Their bondage in Babylon shall be sorer and much more grievous than that in Egypt, their task-masters more cruel, and their lives made more bitter. This is implied in the promise (Jer 16:14, Jer 16:15), that their deliverance out of Babylon shall be more illustrious in itself, and more welcome to them, than that out of Egypt. Their slavery in Egypt came upon them gradually and almost insensibly; that in Babylon came upon them at once and with all the aggravating circumstances of terror. In Egypt they had a Goshen of their own, but none such in Babylon. In Egypt they were used as servants that were useful, in Babylon as captives that had been hateful. 5. They shall be warned, and God shall be glorified, by these judgments brought upon them. These judgments have a voice, and speak aloud, (1.) Instruction to them. When God chastens them he teaches them. By this rod God expostulates with them (Jer 16:20): "Shall a man make gods to himself? Will any man be so perfectly void of all reason and consideration as to think that a god of his own making can stand him in any stead? Will you ever again be such fools as you have been, to make to yourselves gods which are no gods, when you have a God whom you may call your own, who made you, and is himself the true and living God?" (2.) Honour to God; for he will be known by the judgments which he executes. He will first recompense their iniquity (Jer 16:18), and then he will this once (Jer 16:21) - this once for all, not by many interruptions of their peace, but this one desolation and destruction of it. "For this once, and no more, I will cause them to know my hand, the length and weight of my punishing hand, how far it can reach and how deeply it can wound. And they shall know that my name is Jehovah, a God with whom there is no contending, who gives being to threatenings and puts life into them as well as promises."
II. Yet he has mercy in store for them, intimations of which come in here for the encouragement of the prophet himself and of those few among them that tremble at God's word. It was said, with an air of severity (Jer 16:13), that God would banish them into a strange land; but, that thereby they might not be driven to despair, there follow immediately words of comfort.
1.The days will come, the joyful days, when the same hand that dispersed them shall gather them again, Jer 16:14, Jer 16:15. They are cast out, but they are not cast off, they are not cast away. They shall be brought up from the land of the north, the land of their captivity, where they are held with a strong hand, and from all the lands whither they are driven, and where they seemed to be lost and buried in the crowd; nay, I will bring them again into their own land, and settle them there. As he foregoing threatenings agreed with what was written in this law, so does this promise. Yet will I not cast them away, Lev 26:44. Thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, Deu 30:4. And the following words (Jer 16:16) may be understood as a promise; God will send for fishers and hunters, the Medes and Persians, that shall find them out in the countries where they are scattered, and send them back to their own land; or Zerubbabel, and others of their own nation, who should fish them out and hunt after them, to persuade them to return; or whatever instruments the Spirit of God made use of to stir up their spirits to go up, which at first they were backward to do. They began to nestle in Babylon; but, as an eagle stirs up her nest and flutters over her young, so God did by them, Zac 2:7.
2.Their deliverance out of Babylon should, upon some accounts, be more illustrious and memorable than their deliverance out of Egypt was. Both were the Lord's doing and marvellous in their eyes; both were proofs that the Lord liveth and were to be kept in everlasting remembrance, to his honour, as the living God; but the fresh mercy shall be so surprising, so welcome, that it shall even abolish the memory of the former. Not but that new mercies should put us in mind of old ones, and give us occasion to renew our thanksgivings for them; yet because we are tempted to think that the former days were better than these, and to ask, Where are all the wonders that our fathers told us of? as if God's arm had waxed short, and to cry up the age of miracles above the later ages, when mercies are wrought in a way of common providence, therefore we are allowed here comparatively to forget the bringing of Israel out of Egypt as a deliverance outdone by that out of Babylon. That was done by might and power, this by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, Zac 4:6. In this there was more of pardoning mercy (the most glorious branch of divine mercy) than in that; for their captivity in Babylon had more in it of the punishment of sin than their bondage in Egypt; and therefore that which comforts Zion in her deliverance out of Babylon is this, that her iniquity is pardoned, Isa 40:2. Note, God glorifies himself, and we must glorify him, in those mercies that have no miracles in them, as well as in those that have. And, though the favours of God to our fathers must not be forgotten, yet those to ourselves in our own day we must especially give thanks for.
3.Their deliverance out of captivity shall be accompanied with a blessed reformation, and they shall return effectually cured of their inclination to idolatry, which will complete their deliverance and make it a mercy indeed. They had defiled their own land with their detestable things, Jer 16:18. But, when they have smarted for so doing, they shall come and humble themselves before God, Jer 16:19-21. (1.) They shall be brought to acknowledge that their God only is God indeed, for he is a God in need - "My strength to support and comfort me, my fortress to protect and shelter me, and my refuge to whom I may flee in the day of affliction." Note, Need drives many to God who had set themselves at a distance from him. Those that slighted him in the day of their prosperity will be glad to flee to him in the day of their affliction. (2.) They shall be quickened to return to him by the conversion of the Gentiles: The Gentiles shall come to thee from the ends of the earth; and therefore shall not we come? Or, "The Jews, who had by their idolatries made themselves as Gentiles (so I rather understand it), shall come to thee by repentance and reformation, shall return to their duty and allegiance, even from the ends of the earth, from all the countries whither they were driven." The prophet comforts himself with the hope of this, and in a transport of joy returns to God the notice he had given him of it: "O Lord! my strength and my fortress, I am now easy, since thou hast given me a prospect of multitudes that shall come to thee from the ends of the earth, both of Jewish converts and of Gentile proselytes." Note, Those that are brought to God themselves cannot but rejoice greatly to see others coming to him, coming back to him. (3.) They shall acknowledge the folly of their ancestors, which it becomes them to do, when they were smarting for the sins of their ancestors: "Surely our fathers have inherited, not the satisfaction they promised themselves and their children, but lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. We are now sensible that our fathers were cheated in their idolatrous worship; it did not prove what it promised, and therefore what have we to do any more with it?" Note, It were well if the disappointment which some have met with in the service of sin, and the pernicious consequences of it to them, might prevail to deter others from treading in their steps. (4.) They shall reason themselves out of their idolatry; and that reformation is likely to be sincere and durable which results from a rational conviction of the gross absurdity there is in sin. They shall argue thus with themselves (and it is well argued), Should a man be such a fool, so perfectly void of the reason of a man, as to make gods to himself, the creatures of his own fancy, the work of his own hands, when they are really no gods? Jer 16:20. Can a man be so besotted, so perfectly lost to human understanding, as to expect any divine blessing or favour from that which pretends to no divinity but what it first received from him? (5.) They shall herein give honour to God, and make it to appear that they know both his hand in his providence and his name in his word, and that they are brought to know his name by what they are made to know of his hand, Jer 16:21. This once, now at length, they shall be made to know that which they would not be brought to know by all the pains the prophets took with them. Note, So stupid are we that nothing less than the mighty hand of divine grace, known experimentally, can make us know rightly the name of God as it is revealed to us.
4.Their deliverance out of captivity shall be a type and figure of this great salvation to be wrought out by the Messiah, who shall gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. And this is that which so far outshines the deliverance out of Egypt as even to eclipse the lustre of it, and make it even to be forgotten. To this some apply that of the many fishers and hunters, the preachers of the gospel, who were fishers of men, to enclose souls with the gospel net, to find them out in every mountain and hill, and secure them for Christ. Then the Gentiles came to God, some from the ends of the earth, and turned to the worship of him from the service of dumb idols.
(Verse 19) Lord, you are my strength and my refuge in the day of trouble (or evil). All human strength, without the power of God, which is Christ, is considered weak and worthless. Therefore, we must turn to the Lord and say: Lord, you have become our refuge, from generation to generation (Psalm 89:1). And in another place: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). But this tribulation, or evil, is to be understood, of which the Apostle says: That he might deliver us from this present wicked world: And, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Gal. 1:4).
So the shepherds came from nearby to see, and the Magi came from far away to worship. This is the humility for which the wild olive deserved to be grafted into the olive tree and against nature to produce olives, because it deserved to change nature through grace. They come, you see, from the uttermost bounds of the earth, saying, according to Jeremiah, “Truly our fathers worshipped lies.” And they come, not just from one part of the world, but as the gospel according to Luke says, from East and West, from North and South, to sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
As in the provocation and in the day of temptation in the wilderness, when your ancestors put me to the test, let such no more be your ancestors: do not imi-tate them. They were your ancestors, but if you do not imitate them, they shall not be your ancestors. Yet as you were born of them, they were your ancestors. And if the heathen who came from the ends of the earth, in the words of Jeremiah, “To thee shall the nations come from the ends of the earth and say: ‘Our fathers have inherited nought but lies, worthless things in which there is no profit,’ ” if the heathen forsook their idols to come to the God of Israel, ought Israel, whom their own God led from Egypt through the Red Sea, in which he overwhelmed their pursuing foes, whom he led out into the wilderness, fed with manna, never took his rod from correcting them, never deprived them of the blessings of his mercy, ought they to desert their own God, when the heathen have come to him? - "Expositions of the Psalms 95.11"
Further, Jeremiah says of Christ, “Behold the days come, says the Lord, and I will raise up to David a just branch. A king shall reign and shall be wise. He shall execute justice and judgment in the earth. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell confidently. This is the name that they shall call him: The Lord our just one.” On the calling of the Gentiles that he foresaw and we today see as realized, the prophet had this to say: “O Lord, my might and my strength, and my refuge in the day of tribulation; to you the Gentiles shall come from the ends of the earth and shall say, ‘Surely our ancestors have possessed lies, a vanity that has not profited them.’ ”
Having been brought near, they make Christ their glorying. For again, God the Father has said of them, “And I will strengthen them in the Lord their God, and in his name shall they glory, says the Lord.” This also the blessed psalmist teaches, speaking as it were to Christ the Savior of all and saying, “Lord, they shall walk in the light of your countenance, and in your name shall they exult all the day, and in your righteousness shall they be exalted. For you are the glorying of their strength.” We shall find also the prophet Jeremiah calling out to God, “Lord, my strength and my help, and my refuge in the day of my evils, to You shall the heathen come from the ends of the earth, and say, ‘Our fathers took for themselves false idols, in which there is no help.’ ”
For I am very much God’s debtor, who gave me such great grace that many people were reborn in God through me and afterwards confirmed, and that clerics were ordained for them everywhere, for a people just coming to the faith, whom the Lord took from the utmost parts of the earth, as he once had promised through His prophets: “To you the Gentiles shall come from the ends of the earth and shall say, ‘How false are the idols that our ancestors got for themselves, and there is no profit in them.’ ” And again: “I have set you as a light among the Gentiles, that you may be for salvation unto the utmost part of the earth.”
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SUMMARY
Jeremiah 16:19 powerfully articulates the prophet's unwavering reliance on the LORD as his ultimate source of strength, security, and sanctuary amidst profound national and personal distress. This deeply personal confession seamlessly transitions into a remarkable and expansive prophecy: a future vision where Gentile nations, from the farthest reaches of the earth, will turn to the God of Israel, unequivocally acknowledging the utter futility, deceit, and inherent worthlessness of their ancestral idols and false traditions. The verse thus masterfully intertwines the prophet's individual faith with God's grand, universal redemptive plan for all humanity.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Jeremiah 16:19 is profoundly rich in literary devices that amplify its theological impact and emotional resonance. The verse commences with a direct address to God, an Apostrophe, "O LORD," which immediately establishes a personal, intimate, and reverent tone, contrasting sharply with the broader prophetic pronouncements of judgment. The subsequent descriptions of God as "my strength," "my fortress," and "my refuge" are powerful Metaphors, portraying abstract divine attributes in concrete, tangible terms that evoke feelings of unwavering security, impregnable protection, and ultimate sanctuary. The entire verse is masterfully structured around a profound Contrast: Jeremiah's unwavering trust in the true God stands in stark and absolute opposition to the "lies, vanity, and no profit" of the idols and false traditions worshipped by the Gentile fathers. This contrast powerfully highlights the inherent worthlessness and spiritual barrenness of false worship versus the enduring efficacy, truth, and life-giving power of the LORD. The phrase "from the ends of the earth" employs Hyperbole to emphasize the vast, global, and comprehensive reach of the future Gentile conversion, signifying a universal and unprecedented turning to God.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Jeremiah 16:19 stands as a cornerstone verse, revealing God's ultimate redemptive purpose that extends far beyond the immediate judgment upon Israel. It profoundly affirms that despite human sin, rebellion, and national discipline, God's plan for salvation is universal, encompassing all nations and peoples. The Gentiles' future confession underscores the inherent futility, emptiness, and spiritual barrenness of any spiritual path or object of worship that is not the one true God, YHWH. This remarkable prophecy anticipates the New Covenant era, where the gospel would indeed go forth to all peoples, demonstrating that God's desire is for all humanity to come to a knowledge of His truth and renounce the empty promises and deceptive allure of the world. It speaks powerfully to God's unwavering faithfulness, His sovereign ability to draw all peoples to Himself, and the eventual triumph of His kingdom.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeremiah 16:19 offers profound and timeless lessons for contemporary believers navigating a complex and often turbulent world. In an age fraught with uncertainty, personal trials, and societal upheaval, the prophet's declaration, "O LORD, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction," serves as a timeless and unshakeable anchor for our souls. It compels us to deeply examine where our ultimate trust and security truly lie: Is it in fleeting human systems, the accumulation of material possessions, our own limited capabilities, or the shifting sands of cultural trends, all of which are ultimately "vanity" and offer "no profit"? Or do we, like Jeremiah, find our secure dwelling, our impregnable defense, and our unfailing help in the unchangeable character and sovereign power of God? Furthermore, the astonishing prophecy of the Gentiles coming from "the ends of the earth" is a powerful and urgent reminder of God's global heart and the ongoing, vital mission of the church. It challenges us to actively participate in sharing the gospel, recognizing that God is indeed drawing people from every nation, tribe, and tongue to Himself. We are called to discern, expose, and courageously renounce the "lies" and "vanities" of our own age—whether they manifest as secular ideologies, self-worship, deceptive cultural narratives, or any form of idolatry—and to wholeheartedly embrace the liberating truth of God's Word, which alone offers true and lasting profit for our souls and eternal life.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Jeremiah pivot so suddenly from judgment to Gentile inclusion in this verse?
Answer: The sudden pivot in Jeremiah 16:19 serves several profound theological purposes within the broader narrative of Jeremiah's prophecy. Firstly, it highlights God's ultimate redemptive plan and unwavering faithfulness even amidst severe and deserved judgment. While Israel faces discipline for its persistent unfaithfulness, God's broader purpose for humanity, which includes the salvation of all nations, remains intact and will ultimately be realized. Secondly, it powerfully underscores the universal scope of God's sovereignty and salvation. The explicit inclusion of Gentiles demonstrates that God's covenant promises and His desire for worship extend far beyond a single nation, profoundly foreshadowing the New Covenant era. Finally, this unexpected shift provides a crucial beacon of hope, reminding Jeremiah and all future readers that God's faithfulness endures, and His kingdom will ultimately encompass all who turn to Him, renouncing the futility of false gods and embracing His truth. This striking contrast serves to emphasize the glory of God's future work against the bleak backdrop of present despair and impending judgment.
What are "lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit" in a contemporary context?
Answer: In a contemporary context, "lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit" can refer to anything that promises ultimate fulfillment, security, meaning, or salvation apart from the one true God, but ultimately delivers only emptiness, disappointment, and spiritual barrenness. This broad category includes: Materialism, which promises happiness and contentment through the accumulation of possessions and wealth but often leads to spiritual emptiness and insatiable desire; Self-worship and radical individualism, which elevate human autonomy, desires, and self-expression above divine authority, leading to isolation, moral relativism, and a lack of ultimate purpose; the Idolatry of success or achievement, where one's inherent worth and identity are mistakenly tied to external accomplishments, career status, or public recognition rather than intrinsic value as a beloved child of God; False ideologies or political systems that claim to offer ultimate solutions to human problems without acknowledging spiritual realities, human sinfulness, or God's sovereign plan; and even Religious practices that are devoid of genuine faith, reducing spirituality to empty rituals, self-serving doctrines, or a means to manipulate divine favor rather than a sincere relationship with God. Any pursuit, belief system, or object of devotion that distracts from or replaces the worship of the true God is ultimately "vanity" and offers "no profit" for the eternal soul.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeremiah 16:19 finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He is the very embodiment of the "strength," "fortress," and "refuge" that Jeremiah proclaimed. In Him, believers find unwavering security, impregnable protection, and eternal sanctuary "in the day of affliction," for He has definitively overcome the world, sin, and death, declaring, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world!" The astonishing prophecy that "the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth" is profoundly realized through Christ's atoning sacrifice and the subsequent, Spirit-empowered expansion of His Church. Jesus' Great Commission, as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20, explicitly commands His followers to make disciples of "all nations," directly fulfilling this ancient promise. The apostle Paul, uniquely called as the "apostle to the Gentiles," tirelessly proclaimed the gospel, bringing countless non-Jews into the family of God, demonstrating that in Christ, "there is neither Jew nor Gentile". Furthermore, Jesus perfectly exposes the "lies, vanity, and [things] wherein [there is] no profit" of all false gods, worldly systems, and human endeavors apart from Him. He declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me", revealing the absolute emptiness and spiritual barrenness of anything apart from Him. Through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection, He offers true and eternal "profit"—reconciliation with God, abundant life (I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly), and a secure inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled (To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you). Thus, Jeremiah's prophetic vision of universal worship and the global renunciation of idolatry culminates in the person and saving work of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and draws all people to Himself (And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me).