6 And he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but he shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.
And the captain answered the man of God and said, Behold, if Jehovah should make windows in the heavens, would such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof. And so it happened to him; and the people trampled upon him in the gate, and he died.
Doth the papyrus shoot up without mire? doth the reed-grass grow without water? Whilst it is yet in its greenness [and] not cut down, it withereth before any [other] grass. So are the paths of all that forget ùGod; and the profane man's hope shall perish,
He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall dry up his branches; and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away. Let him not trust in vanity: he is deceived, for vanity shall be his recompense; It shall be complete before his day, and his branch shall not be green. He shall shake off his unripe grapes as a vine, and shall cast his flower as an olive. For the family of the ungodly shall be barren, and fire shall consume the tents of bribery.
Let them be as the grass upon the house-tops, which withereth before it is plucked up, Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand, nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom; Neither do the passers-by say, The blessing of Jehovah be upon you; we bless you in the name of Jehovah!
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Jeremiah 17
Commentary on Jeremiah 17 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 17
In this chapter,
Jer 17:1-4
The people had asked (ch. 16:10), What is our iniquity, and what is our sin? as if they could not be charged with any thing worth speaking of, for which God should enter into judgment with them; their challenge was answered there, but here we have a further reply to it, in which,
Jer 17:5-11
It is excellent doctrine that is preached in these verses, and of general concern and use to us all, and it does not appear to have any particular reference to the present state of Judah and Jerusalem. The prophet's sermons were not all prophetical, but some of them practical; yet this discourse, which probably we have here only the heads of, would be of singular use to them by way of caution not to misplace their confidence in the day of their distress. Let us all learn what we are taught here,
Jer 17:12-18
Here, as often before, we have the prophet retired for private meditation, and alone with God. Those ministers that would have comfort in their work must be much so. In his converse here with God and his own heart he takes the liberty which devout souls sometimes use in their soliloquies, to pass from one thing to another, without tying themselves too strictly to the laws of method and coherence.
Jer 17:19-27
These verses are a sermon concerning sabbath-sanctification. It is a word which the prophet received from the Lord, and was ordered to deliver in the most solemn and public manner to the people; for they were sent not only to reprove sin, and to press obedience, in general, but they must descend to particulars. This message concerning the sabbath was probably sent in the days of Josiah, for the furtherance of that work of reformation which he set on foot; for the promises here (v. 25, 26) are such as I think we scarcely find when things come nearer to the extremity. This message must be proclaimed in all the places of concourse, and therefore inthe gates, not only because through them people were continually passing and repassing, but because in them they kept their courts and laid up their stores. It must be proclaimed (as the king or queen is usually proclaimed) at the court-gate first, the gate by which the kings of Judah come in and go out, v. 19. Let them be told their duty first, particularly this duty; for, if sabbaths be not sanctified as they should be, the rulers of Judah are to be contended with (so they were, Neh. 13:17), for they are certainly wanting in their duty. He must also preach it in all the gates of Jerusalem. It is a matter of great and general concern; therefore let all take notice of it. Let the kings of Judah hear the word of the Lord (for, high as they are, he is above them), and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for, mean as they are, he takes notice of them, and of what they say and do on sabbath days. Observe,