1 Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
2 Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
3 And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.
4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6 Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.
7 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?
8 Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
9 Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
10 For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
12 Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
13 And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;
14 But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:
15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
16 I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.
17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:
18 And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.
19 For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.
20 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.
21 For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.
22 Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
25 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
26 Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.
The ninth chapter of the book of Jeremiah in the King James Version of the Bible is a poignant and powerful passage. It is a lamentation, a mournful outpouring of grief and sorrow, and a divine pronouncement of judgment on the nation of Judah for their persistent sins. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of disobedience and unfaithfulness to God's commands and covenant.
Jeremiah, often referred to as the "weeping prophet", was a man of deep sensitivity and compassion. His heartfelt sorrow over the spiritual and moral decay of his people is unmistakable in this chapter. He laments the rampant deceit, treachery, and ungodliness that had become the norm in Judah, expressing his profound grief and distress over the imminent disaster that such behavior would inevitably bring upon the nation.
The chapter begins with Jeremiah expressing a desire to leave his people and dwell in the desert, due to their sinfulness (Jeremiah 9:2). He describes the land of Judah as a place of habitual deceit, where neighbors cannot trust each other, and truth is scarce. This is not merely a critique of societal behavior, but a profound spiritual indictment. The people of Judah had turned from God, and their actions reflected a heart hardened by sin and rebellion.
Jeremiah's sorrow is not just for the people's behavior, but for the inevitable judgment it would bring upon them. Jeremiah foresaw the coming destruction and exile of his people by the Babylonians, a direct result of their disobedience to God's covenant. His lamentation is an expression of his deep love for his people and his anguish over their impending doom.
In verses 9 to 16, God's voice takes over. The Lord questions whether He should not punish such a nation for their deeds (Jeremiah 9:9). He then proceeds to detail the consequences of Judah's disobedience. The land will be laid waste, and the cities of Judah will be desolate, without inhabitants. The people will be scattered among other nations, and they will serve other gods, day and night. This is a direct consequence of their persistent disobedience and unfaithfulness to God.
God's judgment is not arbitrary or capricious, but a necessary response to Judah's sin. The people had broken their covenant with God, and justice demanded a response. However, God's punishment was also an act of love, designed to bring His people back to Him. By experiencing the consequences of their sin, they might realize their need for God and return to Him in repentance and faith.
In verses 17 to 22, God calls the people to lament over the coming destruction. He instructs them to call for the mourning women, that they may come and wail over the desolation that is to come (Jeremiah 9:17-20). The imagery used here is vivid and poignant, reflecting the immense scale of the tragedy that is about to befall Judah. The call to lament is a call to recognize the seriousness of their sin and the dire consequences it has brought upon them.
In the concluding verses of the chapter, God provides a powerful contrast to the sin and folly of Judah. He states that the wise should not boast of their wisdom, the strong should not boast of their strength, and the rich should not boast of their riches. Instead, the one who boasts should boast about understanding and knowing God, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
This serves as a profound reminder of what truly matters. In a world that often values power, wealth, and intellectual prowess, God's word reminds us that true wisdom and value lie in knowing and understanding Him. It is a call to humility, to recognize our dependence on God, and to value His character and His ways above all else.
The final verses of the chapter return to the theme of judgment. God declares that the days are coming when He will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh (Jeremiah 9:25). This is a condemnation of those who relied on external signs of their covenant with God, such as circumcision, but whose hearts were far from Him. It reinforces the central message of the chapter – that true obedience to God involves not just outward conformity to religious rituals, but a heartfelt commitment to live according to His commands.
Jeremiah 9, though written thousands of years ago, remains profoundly relevant today. It serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of turning away from God and living in disobedience to His commands. It calls us to examine our own lives, to consider whether we are living in true obedience to God, or merely paying lip service to Him while our hearts are far from Him.
In our world today, we see many of the same sins that Jeremiah lamented – deceit, treachery, ungodliness. Like Jeremiah, we are called to mourn over these sins, not just because they are wrong, but because of the destruction they bring in their wake. We are called to stand against such behavior and to live in a way that reflects God's character and commands.
At the same time, Jeremiah 9 reminds us of the hope that is found in God. Despite the bleakness of the situation, the chapter ends with a call to understand and know God, who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness. This is the true basis of boasting, the true source of wisdom and value. It is a call to turn from our sin and to find our hope and joy in knowing God, in understanding His ways, and in living in obedience to His commands.
In conclusion, Jeremiah 9 is a powerful and poignant chapter that speaks to us today as much as it did to the people of Judah thousands of years ago. It is a call to lament over our sins, to recognize the consequences of our disobedience, and to turn to God in repentance and faith. It is a call to find our true worth not in worldly wisdom, strength, or riches, but in understanding and knowing God. And it is a reminder that God's judgment is not only an act of justice, but also an act of love, designed to bring us back to Him.
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