From Resonate Apologetics
Jeremiah 8
Punishment for Judah's Leaders
8 “How can you claim, ‘We are wise; the law of the Lord is with us’? In fact, the lying pen of scribes has produced falsehood.
9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and snared. They have rejected the word of the Lord, so what wisdom do they really have?
10 Therefore, I will give their wives to other men, their fields to new occupants, for from the least to the greatest, everyone is making profit dishonestly. From prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.
11 They have treated superficially the brokenness of My dear people, claiming, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they acted so abhorrently? They weren’t at all ashamed. They can no longer feel humiliation. Therefore, they will fall among the fallen. When I punish them, they will collapse,” says the LORD.
13 I will gather them and bring them to an end. This is the Lord’s declaration. There will be no grapes on the vine, no figs on the fig tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them.
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of the Lord,” when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies?
9 These wise teachers will fall into the trap of their own foolishness, for they have rejected the word of the Lord. Are they so wise after all?
10 I will give their wives to others and their farms to strangers. From the least to the greatest, their lives are ruled by greed. Yes, even my prophets and priests are like that. They are all frauds.
11 They offer superficial treatments for my people’s mortal wound. They give assurances of peace when there is no peace.
12 Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be brought down when I punish them, says the Lord.
13 I will surely consume them. There will be no more harvests of figs and grapes.Their fruit trees will all die. Whatever I gave them will soon be gone. I, the Lord, have spoken!’
8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?
9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.
11 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace.
12 Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct? No, they have no shame at all; they do not even know how to blush. So they will fall among the fallen; they will be brought down when they are punished, says the Lord.
13 “‘I will take away their harvest, declares the Lord. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, and their leaves will
wither. What I have given them will be taken from them.’”
8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?
10 Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.
11 For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the Lord.
13 I will surely consume them, saith the Lord: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.
God's People Unrepentent
Lament over Judah
18 My joy has flown away; grief has settled on me. My heart is sick.
19 Listen—the cry of my dear people from a far away land, “Is the Lord no longer in Zion, her King not within her?” Why have they provoked me to anger
with their carved images, with their worthless foreign idols?
20 Harvest has passed, summer has ended, but we have not been saved.
21 I am broken by the brokenness of my dear people. I mourn; horror has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? So why has the healing of my dear people not come about?
18 My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken.
19 Listen to the weeping of my people; it can be heard all across the land. “Has the Lord abandoned Jerusalem?” the people ask. “Is her King no longer there?” “Oh, why have they provoked my anger with their carved idols and their worthless foreign gods?” says the Lord.
20 “The harvest is finished, and the summer is gone,” the people cry, “yet we are not saved!”
21 I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief.
22 Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people?
18 You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me.
19 Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away: “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?” “Why have they aroused my anger with their images, with their worthless foreign idols?”
20 “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.”
21 Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?
18 When I would comfort myself against sorrow, my heart is faint in me.
19 Behold the voice of the cry of the daughter of my people because of them that dwell in a far country: Is not the Lord in Zion? is not her king in her? Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?
20 The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
Study Notes
Jeremiah 8:18-19
Jeremiah was pleading with God to save his people. His grief shows his compassion for those who rejected God. Do you have the same compassion for those who have turned away from God?
Jeremiah 8:20-22
These words vividly portray Jeremiah's emotion as he watched his people reject God. He responded with anguish to a world that is dying in sin. We watch that same world still dying in sin, still rejecting God. But how often do our hearts break for our lost friends and neighbors, our lost world? Only when we have Jeremiah's kind of passionate concern will we be moved to reach out. We must begin by asking God to break our hearts for the world He loves.
Jeremiah 8:22
Gilead was famous for its healing medicine. Jeremiah asks a rhetorical question. The obvious answer is yes - God could heal them - but Israel was not applying the medicine, they were not obeying the LORD. Although the people's spiritual sickness was still very deep, it could be healed. But the people refused the medicine. God could heal their self-inflicted wounds, but He would not force His healing on them.
