God Limits Jeremiah

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Watch the video for this lesson

As we consider Jeremiah 16-17, we note, that unlike Hosea, Jeremiah was commanded by God to never marry or raise children, which signifies God’s sovereignty over His children. The will for one believer is not usually the same for another. “Bachelors were so rare in Israel that there is no word for “bachelor” in the Hebrew language. As an unmarried man, Jeremiah would have been the object of much derision and scorn.” (Constable)

The Reasons for God’s command (vv3-4)
God knew what He was sending to Israel. There was coming an invasion that would kill many people, brutally. God was saving Jeremiah from that type of heartache. In being single, Jeremiah portrayed God’s severing His relationship with the people of Judah. We can all imagine Jeremiah’s grief if he had seen his wife and/or children cut down by the Babylonians.

No Mourning Allowed (vv5-7)
God told Jeremiah he could not mourn for the people and the reason is due to God removing His peace from the people of Judah. God would remove His lovingkindness and compassion from the Judahites because this is apparently what they wanted. They would not only die in the Land but they would not be buried; no one would lament or mourn for them. Jeremiah’s life of being single was to remind the people of God’s separation from them.

No Merriment (vv8-9)
Interestingly enough, life for many in Judah would go on as normal. They did not believe that God would destroy them as a nation. They did not believe that judgment was coming. This is very reminiscent of the days of Noah. His very act of building an ark over a 125 year period should have told the people something bad was on its way. God gave them 125 years to repent but in the end, the rains and floods came and killed them all except the eight people on the ark. During that 125 years, life went on normally for those people, including marrying and being given in marriage.

Jeremiah was told not to attend any joyful feasts including weddings. This would have caused him to be seen as an outcast because of his lack of participation. The reason Jeremiah should refrain? The feasting and merriment would all soon end by God’s will via the Babylonian invasion. Jeremiah’s withdrawal from village life mirrored God’s withdrawal from the people of Judah.

God Explains Why (vv10-13)
The people will inevitably ask “What is the reason for this coming great disaster?” This is in spite of how many things and times Jeremiah had told them what they had done wrong. Jeremiah was to explain once again it was due to the way their forefathers had forsaken God and how that carried down to that current generation.

The people had continually worshiped false gods and followed them. They had turned away from the one true God deliberately. They had not kept God’s Law. Everyone did what they thought was right in their evil hearts and ended up doing worse than their fathers!

God Promises Restoration (vv14-21)
God would bring them back from captivity in Babylon as He did from Egypt (vv14-15). That was His promise. This is really their second “Exodus” from captivity, the first of course, being in Egypt. The Lord promises to bring them back to the Promised Land He gave them. This has not fully happened yet in all of human history. While God did release them from captivity under Cyrus, the reality is that many Jews simply did not return to Judah.

However, this will occur at the end of the Tribulation leading to their entry into the Millennial Kingdom and will take place after Jewish people alive then fully repent. They will make up the final remnant of Jewish believers who go into the Millennial Kingdom as the final nation of Israel.

Fishermen and Hunters
God refers to Babylonian soldiers as fisherman and hunters (v16). They will seek and hunt down the Jewish people and bring them to captivity (if they are not killed). Notice how Jesus uses the metaphor of fishermen and turns it on its head so that the disciples seek the lost (Mark 1:17; Matthew 4:19).

God saw everything and everyone. No one could hide from Him (v17). God would make the people pay double for their iniquity (v18).

Jeremiah’s Song (vv19-20)
Jeremiah composes a song to God. The prophet notes that the Gentiles will come to God. They would confess how futile their lives were. They would admit the worthlessness and lies of their forefathers. This is a note that highlights the fact that Gentiles will gain salvation through faith in God.

In verse 21, God promises that the nations would seek Him out. He would convince them of His power and they would come to know Yahweh was the only true God.

Sin of Judah (vv1-4)
Jeremiah asks God to remember him and to take vengeance on those who persecuted him. Jeremiah “ate up” God’s Word, unlike those who rejected it out of hand. Jeremiah asks why his pain for Judah continues?

God promises to heal his pain (vv19-21). God promises to save Jeremiah and make him unformidable against his enemies and God would deliver Jeremiah from the wicked.

Cursed and Blessed (vv15-18)
In this section, God warns that those who trust other men are cursed. Those who trust God are blessed. God says we cannot know our hearts (v9) because it is so deceitful, yet we are too often led by it. God knows each heart – He sees the truth. The Judahites continued to ask “Where is the fulfillment of God’s Word? (v15).  Jeremiah asks God to bring shame to those who persecute him (v18).

Sabbath Observance (vv19-27)
Jeremiah again warns the people of Judah to observe the Sabbath with the promise of blessing for the obedient, and threat of judgment for the disobedient. God had promised the people that if they obeyed the Law He would give them more kings like David (vv24-25). God also promises if they did not obey the Law, He would destroy Jerusalem with fire. This was fulfilled with Nebuchadnezzar.

Application
God always follows through on His promises. While we may have to wait, He will fulfill. Though believers are not under the Law, we still have an obligation to do what God commands. We still need to live by His principles and calling and that is done through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Following His commands brings blessing and growth. Not following His commands brings discipline. God’s commands are for our benefit, not our harm.

We must work in conjunction with God to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12)

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Source: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2025/11/18/god-limits-jeremiah/