Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Jeremiah 5:20-30
YHWH Asks His People Why In View Of His Clearly Revealed Power They Do Not Fear Him, And Concludes That It Is Because They Are Revolutionaries And Rebels, Caught Up In Sin (Jeremiah 5:20).
YHWH addresses His people as foolish and lacking in understanding, and as those who can neither see nor hear, and asks them whether or not they have considered His control of the mighty seas, and of the regular seasons. Do not these things awaken in them a reverent awe (‘fear'). Being unused to the sea it was something that most people in Israel feared, for they saw it as untamed and unreliable. And yet, YHWH points out, He is able to control it and keep it within bounds. But how different is the case with His people. Because they do not fear Him they are in contrast to the sea (which knows its Master) wholly uncontrollable and constantly stepping over their bounds. Nor do they stop and ask themselves Who controls the seasons that ensure good harvests? And this is because they are so steeped in their iniquities and their sins. But let them beware for He will not overlook what they are. He will visit them because of their openly revealed sinfulness, and will be avenged n them for their unfaithfulness.
‘Declare you this in the house of Jacob,
And publish it in Judah, saying,
Jeremiah and his small band of disciples must declare His message to all YHWH's people. The parallel of Jacob with Judah is a reminder of the fact that Judah now represents Israel, and indeed has many from the tribes of Israel living among them. In the prophet's eyes they are all one, all God's people. Alternately the idea of ‘house of' may be that it has also to be published among Israel in exile.
“Now hear this, O people,
Foolish and without understanding,
Who have eyes, and see not,
Who have ears, and hear not.”
He summarises the way in which He views them. They are foolish and lacking in understanding, and although they have eyes their vision is dimmed, and although they have ears their hearing is limited. That is because they have become so hardened, overlooking Who He is. This is a regular description of the unbelieving in Israel and Judah. Compare Isaiah 6:9; Ezekiel 12:2; Matthew 13:14. Note that He does not call them ‘My people', for they have become strangers to Him.
“Do you not fear ME?” says YHWH,
“Will you not tremble at my presence,
I who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea,
By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it,
And though its waves toss themselves,
Yet can they not prevail,
Though they roar,
Yet can they not pass over it.”
The question as to why they do not ‘fear Him' as they should (with ME being emphasised as being placed first) is asked twice in two different ways in terms of Himself and of His presence. Firstly it is as the controller of the mighty seas, (which did cause them to tremble), which could theoretically overwhelm them at any time, and secondly as the controller of the seasons on which their lives depended (Jeremiah 5:24). In other words they responded neither to His revealed power or His great provision. Paradoxically they trembled at the seas, but not at the Controller of the seas.
The people of Israel were unused to the sea and saw it mainly from a distance as a powerful uncontrollable force, ever seeking to break in on the land, but at the last moment always turned back. ‘Should they not then fear the One Who controls the sea, and fixes its bounds?' He asks. ‘Should they not tremble at the Presence of the One Who establishes its boundaries however much its waves may roar and toss?' For whatever commotion the sea may cause, it cannot pass over the limits that He puts upon it. They are unable to prevail against Him. But they should recognise the fact that were He to withdraw His hand the seas would rise and flood the land and they would all perish, as had happened so long ago in the days of Noah. It was only because of His firm covenant, guaranteed by the rainbow, that they could be sure it would not be so. Did this not give them pause for thought?
“But this people have a stubborn (revolting) and a rebellious heart,
They are filled with stubbornness and gone.”
But how different it is with ‘this people'. Unlike the sea their hearts are full of stubbornness as they constantly revolt against Him and rebel (compare Deuteronomy 21:18; Deuteronomy 21:20 where the same words are used), whilst they constantly step over the boundaries that He has set by ignoring His covenant. That is why as a result of their stubbornness they have turned away and gone from Him, forgetting how much they owe Him.
“Nor do they say in their heart,
‘Let us now fear YHWH our God, who gives rain,
Both the former and the latter, in its season,
Who preserves to us the appointed sevens of the harvest.' ”
Nor does His love, revealed in His control over the benefits that they receive, move them. They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us reverently love YHWH our God Who gives us rain in its season, and Who ensures for us the seven sevens of harvest, the period between Unleavened Bread and Pentecost (Sevens). They fail to recognise His loving provision for them and His preservation of the harvest pattern, with everything taking place in due order.
While rain came at different times in the winter months the former rains were the rains which came in October/November in order to prepare the ground for sowing, and the latter rains were those which came in March/April watering the harvest. This idea of the former and latter rains is taken from Deuteronomy 11:14. The period between the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Sevens was the period of harvesting and developing further crops. All this was necessary if they were to enjoy the full fruitfulness of the fields, and yet they had overlooked the fact that it was He Who had made such provision for them (and had instead imputed it to Baal and his wanton sister Anath).
So both His control of the raging seas, and His control of the seasons should have demonstrated to them Who and What He was, but it has not because they are blind in their sins.
“Your iniquities (what is twisted) have turned away these things,
And your sins (what misses the mark) have withheld good from you.”
And the reason that they were at this time suffering poor harvests was because of their iniquities and their sins, their twistedness and their failures to come up to scratch, which had turned away God's provision and had caused Him to withhold what was good from them.
“For among my people are found wicked men.
He watches, as fowlers lie in wait,
They set a trap,
They catch men.
As a cage is full of birds,
So are their houses full of deceit,
That is why they are become great,
And have grown rich.”
YHWH then expands in more detail about their sins. Among His people are wicked men who set traps and snares, lying in wait like fowlers (bird-catchers), setting traps and catching out innocent people. The idea includes businessmen who overcharge, or short change, or con people into buying what they do not need; investment advisers who are thinking only of their commission; local builders who do a shabby job, or persuade people to have unnecessary work done, or who grossly overcharge; and thieves and robbers who steal what they have no right to. All are known to God Who will repay. These are just a few examples of man's trickery and ‘inhumanity to man'. And as a result of their deceit they have become wealthy and important, for wealth buys a certain type of ‘greatness'.
‘He watches' brings out the individual responsibility of each one, ‘they set a trap' emphasises their combined responsibility.
The ‘cage full of birds' is of course the result of their successful snaring, bearing evidence to what they are. But it is really a cage full, not of success but of deceit. All their possessions in their houses cry out that they are dishonest cheats and evil men.
“They have grown fat, they shine,
Yes, they overpass in deeds of wickedness.
They do not plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper,
And they do not judge the right of the needy.”
As a result of their activities these people grow fat and sleek, and instead of shining with goodness and good works (Matthew 5:16) they ‘shine' with evil, their oiled locks and faces merely portraying their greed and dishonesty. They surpass each other in deeds of wickedness. They have no regard for those who have no protectors or those who are in greatest need. They are the very opposite of those whose concern is for the fatherless, and who do seek to ensure fairness and justice. The widow, and the fatherless, and the stranger were always of great concern to YHWH because of their helpless situation, and lack of compassion towards them, and especially cheating them, were always seen by Him as heinous crimes.
“Shall I not visit for these things?” says YHWH,
“Shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?”
The refrain from Jeremiah 5:9 is again repeated, doubly stressing its warning note. Do they not recognise that this is why YHWH is about to visit their land in judgment? Do they not realise that YHWH will be avenged for the way in which they have broken His covenant and abused the weak and helpless? Do they really think that such a nation will be allowed to get away with how they are behaving? There is in this a warning for us all. Because God is forgiving and merciful we too can begin to think that we can get away with our failures and our hypocrisy. But we never will, for while we may be forgiven there will always be a price to pay in one way or another. We will find that we need to be chastised, and we will lose much of the reward that could have been ours.
“A terrible and horrible thing,
Has come about in the land,
The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests bear rule by means of them,
And my people love to have it so,
And what will you do in its end?”
And these problems are not limited to a few. The whole of Judah is seen to be affected. For what seems to Jeremiah both terrible and horrible (a root used later in Jeremiah 29:17 of the state of rotting, inedible figs) is the fact that the prophets are prophesying falsely as men-pleasers (compare Jeremiah 6:14; Jeremiah 20:6; Jeremiah 23:25; Jeremiah 27:15; Jeremiah 29:9), the priests are going along with it because what the prophets are teaching is the basis on which their authority rests (compare 1 Chronicles 25:2 ff., 2 Chronicles 23:18), and the people love it because the prophets are prophesying what they want to hear (compare Amos 4:5). All are submitting to lies and ignoring the truth because in one way or another it suits them. But what they should be asking themselves is what they will do when the truth is revealed and judgment comes? That is a question that they have no answer to.