PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1
Thomas Kelly Cheyne [1841-1915] · 535,674 words · 592 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 1 — Section 61
excuses to himself as being" his ways." Such repentance is no sllpcrficial emotion nr, sentiment of the hour stirred in the church only to be forgotten as soon as a. ~1au re-enters his worldly associations. It must be thorough, profound, overwhelming. Yet it is not to be measured by the nmnber of tears shedt out by its…
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include !" recognit.ion of (1) positive disobedience-" thou hast transgressed," otc. ; (2) the multitudinous variety of sins-" and hast scattered thy ways;" (3) the disrrgard of God's voice even when he has spoken in love and urged us to return. 3. This acknow- ledgment is sujficient, "Only acknowledge thine iniquit…
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this neecl not be regretted since with it the limitations and material conditions of tbo Divine visitations are gone also. II. THI!l POSI'l'IVE CllARAOTERISTICB OF THE BLESSINGS OF REDEMPTION. 1. The en;'oy- ment of God's full presence. God's throne is to be no longer the mercy-seat at the ark: (1) confined to one sma…
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Ver. 23.-Fromfalse t-0 true salvation. I. THE NEED OF SALVATION. This seems Mi be confessed before as much as nftel' repentance. In both conditions Israel must turn somewhere for deliverance. 1. 'l'he need is universal. Israel wils in national ,1anger; but socially and privately men felt a vague sense of unrest and …
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HOMILIES BY VA RIO US AUTHORS. Ver. 4.-..d call to the young. We need not hesitate so far to turn these words a.si,lo from t'tieir original meaning as to regard them as a Divine appeal to the young; especi- ally if we understand that the prophet is here calling on Judah to return to the fresh- ness of her" youth;" tha…
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Ver. 22.-" Backsliding Israel." "Backsliding" was the characteristic vice of the Jewish people throughout the whole course of their history. '!'heir career was one of perpetual sinning and repenting, until the great apostacy, the final "falling away." And in this we see what is too often a truthful reflection of the in…
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however, lies in this, that there was an ordained inability for tho wife to return to her first husband. The marriage tie, in spite of all the apparent facility of divorce, was not a thing to play fast and loose with. The way of departure might seem compara- tively easy, but the· way of return was altogether hedged …
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evidently is that Israel has learned to speak to God much in the same way that an Enp;lish child learns to say "papa" or "father" (Isa. viii. 4).. ll, .OBSERVE THE CONDUCT BY WHICH WlU.T IS GOOD IN THIS BECOGXIZED RELATION OF FATHER IB MANIFESTED, It ·was true that Jehovah had been Father to Israel; it was moreover…
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ris_es one ~nows not how, a~d presently subsides without man being able to do nny- thmg for its removal. Gods anger was as a fire, and the wickedness of the people was like dry and highly combustible fuel before the flame. 'fhe one thino- neerlfnl wns tll stop the fuel, and the fire would then very speedily btirn ou…
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which shall be raised to David, the King who shall reign and prosper and execute judgmcnt and _justice in the earth: he is the Governor who shall feed the Lord's people Israel (Matt. ii. 6); he is the Great Shepherd of the sheep brought again from the dead (Heb. xiii. 20); he who is also the Lamb in the midst of the th…
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borne the ark of the Lord God before David (1 Kings ii. 2G). But there can be no doubt that as generation sncceeded generation, the general feeling would become so mixed with super~tition as to do more harm than good. The people had said, "The ark of the covenant of the Lord," but their saying had not amounted to much.…
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love, all the glorious attributes of his eternal reign. 'fhe transactions at Jerusalem are incomparable. No transactions in any one nation, however much they may aITcct the career of that nu.tion, can rival the transactions at Jerusalem. The Englishman as an Englishman may feel his deep concern in Magna Charta and the …
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acting doubffully in the blaze of public life. If such have occasion to turn, they must turn in public. Any one who stands well out before his fellows had need take care what he says and does, for ho knows not ,vhat may be the force of circumstances, what revolutions there may be in his convictions. How much nations ha…
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that what seems likely to produce such ill, in fact does not? the answer is, that when tho sinner comes in contrition and faith to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, the new lifo, the gift of regeneration, which is ever in connection with the cross, is given to him. He is started on a new career, on which he is certai…
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fnrnishe<l ns this? Ilow clegnnt ! how tasteful I Just so: but men may bo damned ta 0 tcfully, and go to hell respectably,just as well as they cau in a vul"ar nnd debauched fashion." H7,enfvre do men thus act, Tiecause conscience has" been aroused by God's dealings with them, and it will not let them rest without do…
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better t-0 be Judah than Israel. There were possibilities, and these generally realized of greater blessedness in Judah than ooulcl be attained in Ismel. Compare the historie~ or the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, and see if the brightest and most numerous examples of sanctity, as well as the greatest displays of God's …
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aid of the ancient symbols of that presence, such as the ark of the covenant of the old dispensation. Yer. 17: and Jerusalem should be so filled with the Lord's presence that they should call the city "the throne of the Lord." And the "nations" should be convert.ed, and their wickedness be forsaken. Ver. 18: and Jud…
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men to this looking upon their sin as God looks upon it, as the Lord Jesus luoks uporr it, is the object of God's disciplines, of the pain and smart which so often accompany sin, and of so much of the teaching of the Bible and of God's providential government. And those who have tru8ted in Christ nre continually to be"…
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world, to be trie<l, tcmr,teJ, tronblcd, and at length to die, and we have also to resist even unto blooil, striving against sin; and therefore he himself also took part in the same, Then if this statemeut of the text be true- IIT. VAST co~'SEQUKNCES FOLLOW. 1. Forgetfulness or disregard of this relationship in whi…
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II. TnE TERRIDLE THWARTING AND BmDERINO OF 'l'HAT GRACIOUS PUTII'C,SE WHICH BAB TAKEN PLACE. "How shall I put theo," etc.? plainly denoting that there is some giant obstacle in the way. In the case of Israel the previous portions of this prophecy show clearly what this was. Ilut it is equally true of us all. And this …
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Ver, 20-ch. iv. 2.-God's way of restoration; or, the experiences of a young convert. In ver. 19 we have given us the expression of ~-he Divine perplexity in regard to lost Israel: "How shall I place thee among the children," etc.? Ilut ere the verse closes we behold the problem solved, the seeming impossibility accom…
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they are represented as walking; with such gentleness would he make them, as he in like manner makes all who truly turn to him, great.-C. Ver. 16.-Supercession of external religious ordinances and institutions. This is because of the necessarily temporary nature of these, and the spirituality to which they are intende…
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Vere. 21-25.-Typical pent'tence. It is difficult if not impossible to fix any historic elate for the fulfilment of this prophecy. Not a few competent scholars maintain tliat it is yet unfulfilled. But in any case it is a picture of the future, and may bo accepted as a description of the penitence that is well-pleasing…
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Ver. 3.-There is no occosion to sepnra!e that he vents himself in langnago such ~s the vcrs. s, 4, from the preceding prophecy. VI e last man might employ on the morro,v of lho hlive other instances of ns sud.den n tran- final judgment day (vers. 19-2G). And sition from the Isra.elites (in the narrower now, "lest wha…
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minaf.ion), but is not absolutely necessary, must supply the other term of the nnti- for the present is not the only passage in thesis from the context : "As they ho.ve which Jeremiah, under the influence of sinned against me, so will I also now hold bLrong emotion, charges Jehovah with a court of justioe upon them"…
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prophet may be the speaker in ver. 19, but degree the characteristic assonanoo of the eimply (as is the case with eo many of the origine.1-rohii va-bohii); more literally im- psahnists) as the representative of bis fel- mo11able and lifeless. It is the phrase \1Scrl Jow-beliovers, whom in ver. 20 ho brings on in Gen. i…
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HOMILETICS. Ver. 3.-Fallow ground. Fallow ground is land that has fallen out of cultivation, or that has never been cultivated, and this has its counterpart in tho broad fields of humanity, in the nations or individual men who are not under the influence of spiritual cultivation. I. FALLOW GROUND IS COMPARATIVELY …
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not only be cleared of weeds, it must be sonened, Tho plough must break up the fallow ground. V. IT IS OUR DUTY TO BBEAK UP THE FALLOW GROUND. Men must be prepared for receiving the gospel of Christ.. Wo are too ea.g~r to sow the seed. Hence the slight returns we have for so much effort aud expenditure. People are cal…
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Ver. 22.-Tliefolly of misdirected wisdom. I. WICKEDNESS 1s FOLLY. The" fool," according to Scripture, is both morally corrupt and intellectually imbecile (e g. Ps. cvii. 17). There is a truth underlying the sayin~ of Socrates, that " Virtue is know- ledge, and vice is'ignorance." It is apparent, indeed, that men may ha…
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spiritu:il qualification; and (2) let us all beware of attaching too much wei 6ht to tl,o religious motives of people who may be able business men, clever literary critics and even profound students of science, and yet in moral regions "blind leaders of th~ blind." III. MISDIRECTED WISDOM 18 THE HEIGHT 011' FOLLY. The…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. 'Vcrs.1-4.-The duty of reality in religious profession. The reformations of Jehu and Josiah were superficial and short-lived. Something more thorough was required. A real, immediate return to Jehovah was demanded. I. 'l'HE SIGNS OF UNnEALITY. 1. Retention of the memorials and symbols of t…
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Jercmiah'e, and if they would not heed his counsels, ho was helpless. To be "before the age" in euch a sense is not eo enviable as we ILigM imagine. III. THE BESEBVE THAT MARKS THE COMMUNJOATJON OF TRUTII. Partly necessitated by limitation of human nature; partly due to the subordination of the prophet, teacher, etc.,…
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weedy, thorny desolation. To be ruined, to sink into a state of utter poverty and ba1Tcnncss and destitution of all satisfying good, the souls of men only nee,l to be left alone. "\Vhile men sleep the enemy sows tares." "What shall it profit a man," etc.? (l\Iark viii. 36). Our Lord speaks of the soul as being "lost" s…
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for us to regulate our habitual mental conditions. It is given to us by watchful, prayerful self-discipline, especially by occupying the mind with higher and nobler things, to secure that the main drift of our thinking shall be in the right direction. We can choose our own fields of daily contemplation. Those thoughts …
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Free fn,m gross external fault, morally fair, decent, and reputable. Not thou,,htlees 0 nnd trifling, ns the wayside hearers (cf. Matt. xiii.). Not obstinately self-willed, ns the stony-ground hearers, who are represented by the emblem of n superficial soil having stretched beneath it a hard, pavement-like rock, th…
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Vers. 6-31.-Tlie proclamation qf woe. Such is the character of this entire section and we observe upon this proclamation- ' I. THAT, LIKE ALL BU0H, IT 18 MWMPTED BY DIVINE LOVE. The most fearful judgments contained in the whole Bible are those denounced by our Lord Jesus Christ. The most awful words ever spoken are th…
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that none but the infatuated could possibly disregard it. Now, it is the testimony of the Word of God that such blindness is judicial, is from God. God hardened Pharnoh'd heart. Onr Lord refers more often than to any other Old Testament Scripture, to that word of Isaiah's which tells of the Divine will, that "seeing…
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hearts. If we knew of one who, when we were prostrate with disease, out of love cai"Ge to us, despising all risk of contagion, and watched over us night and day, on the akn at every tum and stage of the dread foe that was threatening oar life, who in every "a,,. showed himself heedless of his own comfort or safety, …
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he dcmanc1ec1, an,1 with which alone he would or ever will be content. 4. And this we must do. Had we been told that the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ can alono do this, or had we been bid,len pray like David, " Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me,and I shall be whiter than snow." "Wash me thl'Oughly f…
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vigorous, and continuous work for Christ; so shall vain thoughts quit their hold and homo in thy heart, and lodge there no more. v. THEY ARE OIIIEVOUB 1N THE SIGHT OF GoD. Note the pathos and pleading of the appeal. "0 Jerusalem, .. , How long?" Men take cognizance only of words an,\ deeds, and are content if these be…
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c-ra dawned. But yet ·not a full end. The material for the new creation was there and it took new form and order according to the creative word. All had become deso~ late, but out of that God brought forth a new condition of thinas, which he himself ?eclarcd to be" very good." And wha_t i~ this doctrine o.( evolut!o…
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But he never makes a full end. False hope and trust ha.ve to go, but trust tha.t is true, hope that is of God, come under the law of his reserve of mercy-they are the spared remnant, and whilst an end is made of all the rest, these survive. 5. And what will death itself be but our last experience of this law? Heart an…
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holier, and every way better lifo. For they were hampered, entangled, ensnared, thwarted, and hindered at every turn by the hideous mass of moral wreckage by which they were surrounded. They could hardly move for it. There must, therefore, be a clearance made if God's people were to enter upon, as he was determined …
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heart? Oh, if it be so, and the life of prayer, of obedience, of self-surren,ler be ours now, thon wo can, with humble but strong confidence, predict that when 'the last destroyer comes, even Death, whilst he will be permitted to make an curl of much ll,"t hero we rejoice in, yet he shall by no means make" a full end''…
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thing may seem to be slipping away from them. And then, oh how true our text is of them then l And the approach of death, with the "fearful looking for of judgmcnt." And should none of these have succeeded in this life to shatter their false trust, how will the dread solemnities of God's fudgment day certainly do th…
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I. TnEm NATUTIE. 1. The eight of the constant dishonour done to God. This wag part of our Lord's suffering. Living amongst men at all involved it. It has been said truly that, if the Son of God became incarnate, he must be a "man of sorrows." But if it be a pain and outrage to an affectionate son to hear his father, wh…
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exceJ,;ing; bitter cry from out the darkness," My God, my God, ,vhy hast thou forsaken me?" And, in J-iis measure aud degree, Jeremiah had t-hc fellowship of t.his su!Tering also. It is the sorrow of sorrows to him that there was no alternative; God must vunish sin like that of his countrymen. How glad would he have…
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Wealth. "Though thou clotbest thyself with crimson" (vcr. 30). The garb of tbo rich, telling_ haw Jerusalem had won some of her professed friends. 2. Splendour. "Deckcst thee with ornaments of gold." Jerusalem could make a grand show, put on much pomp by which the eyes of men were dazzled and deceived. And outward s…
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Y or. 1.-Tl,e kind of return which Jehovah requires. In eh. iii. there has been much spoken concerning return. There is the impossibility pointed out of a d,vorced wife relurning to her husband; yet J ehovah's own people, whose conduct has been even worse, he presses to return. The fact is mentioned that Israel hnd bee…
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cleanse. He himself must be besought to direct affections, purposes, imaainations, towards things pure, holy, and Divine. Remember, then, that a thing may~ out of man's sight and yet right over against the eyes of God. Even that which mas, not at present disturb your conscience may yet be very offensive to him. Thus it…
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nnd to attract the hitherto worshippers of idols. They say that a man is known by his friends. If the man be one not yet seen, living nt a distance, he can only be juilged or by those professing to be his friends, with whom we come into actual inter- course. If those whom we see be upright, generous, magnanimous, lovin…
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Ver. 9.-Despair among the leaders in Israel. Let us consider how Jehovah leads tbo /Jrophet up to the emphaUc, and what we may call consummating, announcement of t 1is verse. One severe sentence comes on another, until at last the prophet himself, crushed nnd overwhelmed, gives utterance to the sense he feels of con…
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would be an utter collapse of all kingly dignity and pl'etension. It is not the mero con- quest of territory and the desolation of it that can turn the supreme master into a complete slave. Complete subjection is only achieved when body and mind are aliko in bonda~e. Many a captive has shown himself nobler than his …
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Ver. 14.-The unwashed heart and the vain purposes cherished in it. There are here nn exhortation and a question which, taken together, pierce very deep, and suggest onco more the true cause of all the terrible calamities which are to befall Israel; for though Jerusalem is addressed, the repentance and remedy for all …
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profoundly penitent David. prays that God ,voulu wash him from his iniquity, and ngain to wash him so that he should be whiter than snow (Ps. Ii,). And so here we have another instance of the unremitting thoroughness which marks this chapter. It b the hea1·t that is to be cleansed, and that by the most vigorous kind…
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different. llenco the importance of early training and direction, so far as one will can alter the course of another. Every individual whose faculties are diverted fmm good purposes is so much gain to tho powers of evil. 'l'here is no neutral ground to which to retire. 'l'o go out of the one path is to go into the othe…
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Ver. 30.-Departed c'harms t'hat cannot be restored. The figure here is of a woman, once beautiful and attractive. There is thus a return to the theme of eh. ii., where the idolatrous land is set forth as a wife departing from her husband. In the days of her beauty she has fascinated many lovers ; but now the beauty …
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EXPOSITION. CHAPTER V. which means (I) obedience, (2) a religion, (3) a statute or ordinance, (4) a. system Is the punishment thought too eevere? of usages, rites, and ceremonies" (Lane's Then Jet the moral condition of Jerusalem • Lexicon,' s.v.). "Judgment" is, therefore, be inquired into. Must not such trans- her…
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Hebrew text, though somewhat more diffi- lative unbelievers, like men of the world cu It, is yet perfectly cnpnble of explanntion; in genernl. trnd, alight as t.hc difference is in the rending . Ver: 13.--And the prophets, etc. A con- adopted by Ewald (it involves o mere shndo tmuation of the speech of tho nnbcliovi…
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thy <laughters. In tho other clauses of the the fielth" (' Biblical Ilesearchcs,' iii. 03). verso tile verb is iu the siogular, the subject Ha reserveth unto us, etc. ; Ii tcrn.11 y, he beiog the hostile 011,tion. They sh11,ll im- 1reepelh for us the weeks-the statute, of poverish, etc. ; mther, it shall batter . . .…
1,067 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.