PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 2
Thomas Kelly Cheyne, 1841–1915 · 355,481 words · 309 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Jeremiah — Volume 2 — Section 181
Vers, 43, 44. — No ultimate escape. I. There are temporary evasions of doom. As there are great varieties of wickedness, so there is also great variety in the conse- quences of it. Sometimes the visitation is sudden, quick, and terrible, as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira. But oftener men go on sinning with no b…
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Ver. 4. — The valleys ; i.e. long-extended plains, such as were suitable for corn-fields (Isa. xvii. 5; Ps. Ixv. 14), and such as characterized the territory of the Ammonites. Thy flowing valley. " Flowing ; " that is, abounding with rich crops. The meaning of the phrase, however, is only probable. Ver. 5. — The…
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Ver. 14. — ^I have heard a mmonr. In Obadiah it is "we have heard," i.e. the company of prophets (comp. Isa. liii. 1, " Who hath believed our report? " accord- ing to one interpretiition). Jeremiah, to justify his adoption of the outward form of his prophecy, declares that he is personally responsible for its su…
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Ver. 22.— Behold, he shall come up . . . Bozrah. Eepeated from ch. xlviii. 40, with the substitution of "Bozrah" for "Moab," and tlie adilitiou of " and he shall come up " from ver. 19. For " Bozrali," see on ver. 13. And at that day. Kepeated from oh. xlviii 41 (latter half), with the exception that « Edom " st…
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Ver. 31. — How easy is the expedition to which the Chaldean army is invited I — it is a mere holiday march. Resistance is im- possible, for an enemy has never been dreamed of. The tribes of Hazur are not, indeed, a wealthy nation, for they have but little wealth to tempt either the conqueror or the merchant ; th…
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Ver. l.—IgraePi hetr$. "Hath he no heir?" Most wonderful is the preseryatlon of the Jews as a distinct race amid the strangest vicissitudes of fortune and through centuries of exile — surviving the devastating deluge of the successive Oriental monarchies th« oaptiTity in Babylon, the cruelties of Antiochus Epiphaues…
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Ver. 11. — A promise for orphans and widows. I. Gk>D brinos some mitioation to THE SEVEREST CALAMITY. The mcrciful assurance of care for the helpless sufferers occurs in the midst of a stern denunciation of doom upon Edom, as a strange and startling relief to the terrible words that follow and precede. Here is a rif…
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L Its unlikelihood. At the time the prediction was uttered appearances were completely against it. The original promise seemed doomed to failure. The flower and hope of Israel was in exile, and the land lay desolate. Interlopers reaped the benefit of their misfortunes, and seized upon portions of the unoccupied land…
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III. It has failed to tnrDERSTAin) it. Had the Idumasans known the might c f a spiritual religion, they would not have leagued against Israel. Had the HerodUns known the wisdom of God, " they would not have crucified the Lord of glory " (1 Cor. ii. 8 ; Acts iii. 17 ; vii. 51). Had Borne known the power of the truth,…
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Ver. 8. — Desirable habitationi: a new year's sermon. "Dwell deep, inhabitants of Dedan." The prophet is foretelling the calamities that are to come on the different heathen nations who dwelt around the land of God's peo|ile, and from whom they, at various times, had received sore wrong and harm. The Edomites — the …
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Ver. 11. — Conmlation for afat'hei's dying bed. Perhaps there is no greater sorrow than is su-isested here — the husband and father leaving widow and helpless children apparently vithout a friend to support or aid them. If it were not for the beatific vision of God, the perfect persuasion of his wisdom and power and…
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Ver. 23. — Lessons from the sea. "There is sorrow on the sea ; It cannot he quiet." We must remember that the sea to the Jew of old time was an object of almost unmixed terror. Nearly all the allusions in the Bible tell of its power and peril, never of its prcciousness and value to man. The Jews were a non-seafaiing…
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II. Its mists and vapoubb — its clouds and exhalations — they also have their lessons. How common these mists are all who know the sea know well. But in and by them the sea renders up her strength, pays her tribute to the heavens. But how hountifully ihe is recompensed 1 How comes it that the sea abides wholesome, t…
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Ver, 24. — The fall of Damascus; or, the lovely and th» lovable lo»t. Here and in Isaiah and Amos we have predictions of the overthrow of Damascus. " The burden of Damascus," says Isaiah. " Behold ! Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap." Jeremiah likens the agitated minds of the m…
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III. This rule of God is not ABBiTRABr, but just and indispensable. For all that we have said may coexist along with the will alien from the will of God, the heart not yet trnly surrendered to him. It was so in that typical instance of this character to whom we have so often referred. For when brought to the test he…
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Vers, 1, 2. — A usurper in the inheritance. I. Actual possessiok is not the only THING TO BE CONSIDERED. Ammou is the actual present possessor of the territory of Gad. But every paisessor must be ready upon occasion to show his title. With respect to the most trifling article the possessor must be able to make clear…
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Ver. 23. — The perils of the lea. I. The feelino pboduobd by mabituib danqeb. Sorrow is far too vague a word for the feeling here referred to. Pear, anxiety, constant watchfulness against close and sudden and increasins; danger, a sense that utter destruc- tion may come at any moment, — these are the leelings going …
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tion, " Thus far are the words of Jeremiah," stood at the end of ver. 58. When the short narrative in vers. 59 - 64 (ending at " I will bring upon her ") was combined with ch. 1. 1 — li. 58, the declaration in question was removed from ver. 58 to ver. 64, and, by accident, the preceding word (in the He- brew) wa…
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(o) Ideas and "motives." (o) Figure of scattered flock, ch. 1. 6, 7 (Ezek. xxxiv.). (j3) Effects of the avenging Sword of Jeho- vah, ch. L 35—38 (Ezek. zxi 30 ; zxxiii. 1-6). (6) Word* and phrase*, (a) No word is more distinctly peculiar to Ezekiel than giUulim, idol-blocks, which occurs no less than thirty-nin…
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Ver. 7. — ^We offend not ; rather, we incur no guilt. As long as Israel lived a life con- secrated to Jehovah, "all that devoured him Incurred guilt " (ch. ii. 3). But now that he had wandered from Jehovah, and so forfeited his protection, his adversaries denied that they could be brought to aooonnt. Habitation …
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Ver. 21. — The land of Merathaim ; le. of double rebellion. Probably enough an actual geographical name may lie at the root of this singular expression ; but we are not able at present to say what it was. Tlie prophet has, at any rate, modified it in such a way as to convey a definite meaning, sym- bolic of the …
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Ver. 31. — thou most proud; rather, Pride! Just as in ver. 21 Babylon is called Mcralhaim, and as Egypt is, in Hebiew poetry, called Rahab, i.e. " boister- ousness " or " arrogance " (Isa. xxx. 7 ; li. 9 ; Job xxvi. 12 ; Ps. Ixxxvii. 4 ; Ixxxix. 10). Ver. 32.— The most proud; rather. Pride. Eaise him up. For the…
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Vers. 4, 5. — Betuming penitentt. This picture of the restoration of Israel Is interest- ing for the prominence given to the spiritual reformation of the people. It would \m vain for them to return to their land unless they also returned to tlieir God. The spiritual recovery that thus forms the centre of the Messian…
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Vet. 20. — Perfeet forgiveness, h In what it oonsists. When Gtod forgives a man he pardons him completely, as Christ thoroughly cured all the sick persons whom he healed in any way. There is no middle course here. Either the forgiveness is total or it is not accorded at all. 1. This is more than the remission of pen…
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and they must all be considered and fairly treated before redemption Is possible. But w« have^no weak Advocate, God has gone through the whole labour and sacrifice. He has paid" the price — even the gift of his Son to die for us. 2. The fruits. (1) Rut. " That he may give rest to the land." This was the greatest ble…
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I. It was coupletk. 1, They had wandered. The allurements of idolatry had led them on and on, and they had at length yielded to them. They had sought other pastures and acquired preferences for other worship. It is an evil sign when men lose taste for the simple services of a spiritual religion. God should be sought…
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III. The abuse of poweb will be terribly avenged. In the case of Babylon it involved it in complete destruction. The influence which had in part been a Divipe creation rapidly degenerated into a merely human and sinful one. 1. Because the con- sciousness of power tempts to greater arrogance and depravity} and: 2. Be…
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for the swine-feeding and the husks, light for darkness, life for death._ 8. Jt causes stick misery. See the picture in the verse. It is that of a hunteil, worried sheep. II that were the condition of such sheep, instead of heing led by the shepherd by green pastures and lying down there by the still waters, what wo…
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Iniquity of God's people is done malignanihj. The enemies of God rejoice when they can find a solitary blot or blemish in the character of God's children. What a yell of tnumph they raise when they light on such a discovery I Satan is " the accuser of the brethren." He is ever on the search for their iniquity. And t…
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II. But there is a God-like force which shall prove a mightieb hammeb still. The strong one shall be driven out by the stron<rer. For proof of this, see: 1. The progress of humanity. Surely he must be blind who will deny the improvement in the general condition, conduct, and character of men since Clirist lived and …
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III. It is one bt which thet will sooneb ob lateb be destboted. 1. It is often so tit this life. Men will league themselves together against a liar as against a wild beast or serpent, to destroy it. In the hearts of all men there is a protest against lies. That protest cannot be stifled universally, or for long, or …
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OH.!.. 1—46.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 287 Vera. 6, 7. — The wolf excusing himself. These verses remind us of the well-kuown fable of the wolf and the Iamb. The wolf, acting according to its vrolfish nature, devours the lamb, but first of all it mates a pretence of having some shjw of reason to go npon. So…
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RE8T0UED? Bestoration by itself will do nothing. If the man comes back to his pos- sessions as he went away, then he can only misuse and squander as of old. The house swept and garnished only presented to the evil spirits a chance for greater riot and defilement than before. To the old land there comes back a new pe…
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Ver. 46. — Capital events in history. Capital events in history are of two kinds. 1, Those which by the magnitude of them arrest attention and deeply impress the imagination of the world. Such was the taking of Babylon. It was like the fall of a mighty building ; when the fall came, it could not but shake the earth.…
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vene it would leem that they are the varions foreigners who, whether by choice or force, have been resident in Babylon, and who haTeacqnired an interest in her &te. Hitzig thinks the foreign mercenaries (oh. 1. 37) or allies are specially referred to. Take balm for her pain (comp. oh. viiL 22; xItL 11). The imag…
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Ver. 25.— destroying mountain. The description evidently points to a volcano. (1) Jehovah says that he will roll the mountain down from the rooks, which can only be understood of the stones and lava harled down from the crater; (2) that he will make it a " mountain of biuraing," t.e. either to a burning, or, mor…
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Yer. 32. — And that the passages are stopped; rather, are seized (aa ch. xlviii. 41). Babylon, it should be remembered, was divided nearly in half by the Euphrates. It was guarded, says Professor Bawlinson, " by two walls of brick, which skirted them along their whole lengtli. In each of these walls were twenty-…
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The verse Is very difficult, Ewald and others render thus : " Not only must Ba- bylon fall, O ye slain ones of Israel, but slain ones of the whole earth have fallen because of Babylon." But why this address to the slain ones of Israel ? Besides, the an- tithesis indicated in the Hebrew is thereby destroyed, Keil…
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I. Praise is one of the most important elements of worship. Two faults may be observed in much of our worship — both arising from our centring it in ourselves. 1. It is too selfish. We are more earnest in prayer than in praise. In sore need we cry out with terrible anxiety ; but when the need is satisfied we return …
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III. The Christian's fliqht from the oitt of Destbitotiom uust bb BFiBTnTAL. Jews were to flee bodily from Babylon and Christians from Jerusalem. But the flight we need i^ wholly different in character. Monks and hermits thought to flee &om the world by hiding within still cloisters or far away among desert solitude…
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entered into covenant relations with Israel, he will not withdraw from them, even although their portion of the agreement has not been kept. He remains faithful, notwithstanding human unfaithfulness. The awful guilt of the elect nation cannot invalidate the obligations God has imposed upon himself. He is ready, ther…
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I. Who ABE TO ESCAPE. This word was not addressed to all. Many of God's people did " let Jerusalem come into their mind," and, as soon as ever opportunity was given them, they returned to their own land. But there were many who chose to stay. They had long dwelt in Bahyldn. They had got to like her rule, for they ha…
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his representative character, what is done by hitn is as done by us. " We thug judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead " (2 Cor. t. 14). There is nothing unreason- able in this. We are perpetually imputing to others what is not in tliem or but very faintly in them. We do so when we treat strangers with a…
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monotheistic faitli of Tsrael had, after their captivity, began its iconoclastic work. Orel large portions of the then civilized world that faith began to permeate and cleave its way. So that the old idolatries were in many places stricken with a mortal blow before even he was proclaimed who was to draw all men unto…
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Ver. 33. — Eairvests tf horror and threshings of wrath. The Bible continually makes use of the similitude of the harvest and its labours, but it is only by its qualifying words that we can know what kind of harvest is meant. Here we have the frequent metaphor, but it tells of no joy, of sorrow only. Similar language…
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II. To SUCH THIS threefold chakqe is addressed. 1. They are to "go away, etand not atiU." As Israel from Babylon that had enslaved them, so these from the sins which QoA has forgiven them. " Let him that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." Many Jews despised this charge, and stayed on in Babylon. Some …
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III. The woebt weabiness is that of sin. For a while the enjoyment which springs from sin may so intoxicate and dazzle the wrong-doer that he will laugh at the idea of weariness, and declare that his is the alone path of pleasure and good. But after a while that ceases, and then comes satiety and weariness. 1. The c…
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II. God's constant considebation for the individual. Masses of men have to sufifer because the great bulk of them will ever be heedless of the signs of danger. But every wise, foreseeing individual, in whose heart there are steady inclinings to the right, may escape. Certainly we cannot escape always involvement in …
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I. They are resources in Jehovah himself. It is from the very being of Jehovah that his works flow forth, whether those works be considered as illustrating his power, his wisdom, or his understanding. When a prophet of Jehovah has to speak of human resources, he speaks of things outside the man. Apart from the soil …
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i:.tt THE BOOK 08- THE PltOtHET JEREMIAH, [oh. u. 1— €4. world, tliey may communicate good everywhere. But if they form destroying purposes then their very eminence increases their destroying power. The mountain tljat by its very elevation helps to distribute pleasant and profitable waters over the face of the eart…
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Ver. 60. — A timely recollection amd iti pracHeal effect. Jehovah is making his severest judgments to fall on Babylon. How severe they are is indicated by the fact that two long chapters are occupied with denunciations upon her. But all the time Israel is in her midst. Israelites are domiciled and settled down. How …
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The opntents of this chapter prove that it is not an independent narrative, but the concluding part of a history of the kings of Judah. It agrees almost word for word with 2 Kings xxiv. 18 — xxv. 30, from which we are justified in inferring that it is taken bom the historical work which the editor of the Books o…
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Vers. 8 — 11. — The fate of Zedekiah. I. The causes which led to the fate o» Zedekiah. 1. The general calamity of his nation. The king suffers with his people. Unfortunately it too often happens that an innocent people is punished for the fault of its sovereign. We must not be surprised if the converse is sometimes …
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Ver. 16. — Sparing the poor. L The fact. Whilst the king, the nobles, the wealthy, and many others were carried into exile, certain of the poor were still left in the lami. We are accustomed to speak of the hanlships of poverty, but there are compensating advantages not a few. Many evils of the worst character only …
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II. They give risb to great difficulty. It is not difficult to understand that men should do wrong, or even the particular wrong which is charged against them and for which they are punished; but the difficulty is that the sin should be seemingly ascribed to God. And tho Jews seem to have believed that God did promp…
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VI. They cease not till their work is done. See this history. The heart o' the deceived evil-doer protests that God cannot deal so. But he has dealt so with ungodly men, not once nor twice alone ; and when lie declares that he will again, of what avail is man's mere protest that he will not ? Cf. ths whole Book of t…
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II. But famine is an unneobssakt and unnatubal thojo. For in our Father's house there is bread enough and to spare, and none need perish with liimger. The world contains ample store; the resources of nature are in no degree exhausted, and therefore it can only be by negligence of God's laws in nature that famine can…
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Ver. 8. — Zedehiah'i army stxtttored, Zedekiah's aim was to keep his army together, for as long as be could do that there was a chance of averting the evil day, and perhaps in the end escaping it altogether. But without his army he was utterly helpless. He could not bring himself to heed Jeremiah's counsels, doing t…
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CHAPTER XXXIIL An InTitation to Prayer ... mt 69 Forgiveness and Cleansing ... 70 The Church an Honour to God n. 71 Town and Country Life ... m< 71 ■< The Branch of Bighteousnesa" .» 72 Nature's Aids to Faith ... ... 73 Bevelation of God's Purpose to him who performs his Will ... ... 74 Perpetuation of tlw Kin…
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ation for his Servant ... ... S02 TMsm nsi Bamoh; or, the Young Beomit l^ heartened ... ... ... 203 Ambition prohibited ... ... 204 Counsel and Comfort for the Maa orercome with Bad Tidings m« SOS CHAPTEB XLVL The Judgment of Egypt .« .m 212 Incurable Diseases ... .m 213 The Heifer and the Gadfly]... ^ 213 T…
973 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Text from OCR of an original historical scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.