Jeremiah 18:17

I win scatter them;.. . I will shew them the back.

The sinner’s doom

I. The cause of the evil threatened.

1. Rejecting the Divine government.

2. Guilty of idolatry.

3. Rejecting the mercy of God.

4. Conduct characterised by the greatest folly.

5. A manifestation of basest ingratitude.

II. The nature of the evil threatened.

1. God sometimes shows His back in a way of mercy (Exodus 33:23; Job 25:2).

2. But this threat is expressive of Divine wrath.

3. The wrath of God is retributive.

4. A final departure.

III. The time when the evil shall be inflicted.

1. In the time of adversity.

2. In sickness.

3. When deserted by friends.

4. In old age.

5. In hour of death.

6. At last day. (Helps for the Pulpit.)

East winds

The east winds referred to by the prophets appear to be a violent form of sirocco. It was the east wind which brought the plague of locusts upon the Egyptians. It was by an east wind that the ships of Tarshish were broken (Psalms 48:7), and the ships of Tyre (Ezekiel 27:26). Jeremiah takes an east wind as the symbol of Jehovah’s punishment of His people, while references to its withering and scorching properties are numerous; from the seven thin ears of wheat of Pharaoh’s vision in Egypt to the sultry blast which helped to afflict Jonah outside the walls of Nineveh. The east wind still breaks at times with terrific violence upon the coasts of Palestine, and the records of victims tell of tents that have been blown away by its fury. (H. B. Freeman, M. A.)