Jeremiah 7:16-20

II. PAGAN WORSHIP Jeremiah 7:16-20

The worship in Jerusalem was so corrupt that God instructs Jeremiah to cease interceding for the apostates (Jeremiah 7:16). The depravity of the nation is further described (Jeremiah 7:17-19) and again the prophet announces that judgment will be poured out on the nation (Jeremiah 7:20).

TRANSLATION

(16) Now as for you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up entreaty, nor make supplication; and do not plead with Me on their behalf for I will not hear you. (17) Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? (18) The children gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire and the wives knead dough to make sacrificial cakes to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to provoke Me. (19) Is it Me they are provoking (oracle of the LORD)? Is it not themselves to the shame of their faces? (20) Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, My anger and My wrath are about to be poured out upon this placeupon man, cattle, the tree of the field, and the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn and shall not be quenched.

COMMENTS

A prophet not only represented God to the people, he also represented the people before God through intercessory prayer. Abraham prayed for Sodom (Genesis 18:23-32); Moses prayed for Israel (Exodus 32:11-14; Exodus 17:11; Numbers 14:13-20) as did Samuel (1 Samuel 7:9-10; 1 Samuel 12:17-18; 1 Samuel 12:23). Jeremiah here is told that conditions in Judah were so bad that such prayer was useless. Still Jeremiah prayed and one of his great intercessory prayers is recorded in Jeremiah 14:19-22.

Four words for prayer are used in Jeremiah 7:16. The first Hebrew word, translated pray, means to intercede on behalf of someone. God told Abimelech that Abraham would pray for him (Genesis 20:7). In Numbers 21:7 the people ask Moses to intercede on their behalf. Moses interceded on behalf of Aaron (Deuteronomy 9:20). Samuel assured the people that he would not cease to intercede on their behalf (1 Samuel 12:23). The second Hebrew word carries the idea of entreaty or supplication. It is sometimes used of a ringing cry of praise to the Lord. In the present context the word would convey the idea of a loud, vehement prayer.[175] The third word, translated supplication, is often used synonymously with the preceding word. The fourth word, translated plead, literally means to meet, or encounter with request or entreaty. Ruth said to Naomi, Entreat me not to leave you (Ruth 1:16). Abraham asked the children of Heth to intercede for him with Ephron that he might sell a cave (Genesis 23:8).

[175] Psalms 17:1; Psalms 88:2; Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:12.

Jeremiah 7:17-19 indicate the reason why intercessory prayer on the part of the prophet would be useless. In view of the open and flagrant practice of idolatry in the cities of Judah the prohibition of intercession is justified (Jeremiah 7:17). The entire population is engaged in the service of the false gods. The children gather the wood for the cooking fires; the men kindle the fire and the women bake some kind of sacrificial cakes. The queen of heaven in whose honor all this frenzied activity takes place is probably to be identified with the pagan goddess Astarte or Ashtoreth. This goddess was the Canaanite version of the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, the planet Venus. Statuettes of Astarte have been found all over Palestine indicating how wide spread her cult was. The exact nature of the cakes which were baked is unknown as the word used here is found elsewhere only in Jeremiah 44:19. Apparently they were made in the likeness of the goddess Astarte or in the shape of a star which was her symbol. With these pastries liquid refreshment was also served. An ivory carving dating to the eighth century B.C. suggests that the whole ceremony was performed to accompaniment of music played entirely by women.[176]

[176] Benjamin Mazar (ed.), The Illustrated World of the Bible Library (New York: McGraw Hill, 1961), III, pp. 102-103.

Jeremiah viewed such open idolatry as deliberate provocation of the Lord. To him it was inconceivable that men could really believe that an object of wood or stone was a god. The only plausible explanation of idolatry was that the people were attempting in some way to hurt God, to provoke Him[177] (Jeremiah 7:18). Though they knew that their idolatry would eventually call forth the wrath of God, they continued to engage in the practice. Like a youngster who engages in all manner of lawlessness in order to show hostility towards his parents, they were really hurting no one but themselves (Jeremiah 7:19). God's burning wrath is about to be poured forth upon Judah and no one will be able to extinguish it. The cattle, trees and crops will be consumed as well as the wicked apostates of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 7:20). scripture emphasizes over and over again that all creation suffers because of the sin of mankind (cf. Isaiah 24:4); Hosea 4:3).

[177] Provoke, one of the Characteristic Words of Jeremiah, is used here for the first time.