Cameron Jeffries – Box 1034
Jeremiah and Lamentations
Jeremiah 16:1-13
Opening and Context:
This passage in Jeremiah is a difficult command of God ushering in the day of disaster. Jeremiah is told to avoid marriage, bearing children, mourning for the dead, feasting, etc. His life has already been one of loneliness, social isolation, and proclaiming God’s word. By following this command from God, he would be further isolated from his society, becoming a symbol of the judgement God was about to bring in the land of Judah. After that discourse, the people are questioning why God would punish them, for they were blind to their sins. The Lord revealed that judgement was coming because of their forefathers’ sin of forgetting God, and their own sin, which was worse, carrying on the forgetfulness and turning to other gods for satisfaction. Many theological issues and questions are brought up, such as “Why would God command Jeremiah never to marry? Does God ever ask his people today to do such radical things to symbolize his messages?” These and other issues will be addressed as the passage is further analyzed throughout this paper.
Understanding the historical context of the passage being studied is essential in order to better interpret the passage as it should. Multiple factors affect the historical context such as the dates of the events taking place, events, kings, and various cultural norms for the time of the narrative description. There are no dates explicitly mentioned in the text, but there are some scholars who suggest dates based on context clues. According to Holladay, the “Most plausible context for vv. 1-4… is just after the burning of the first scroll (referring to Jehoiakim in 36:31), in December 601 or early in 600” (Holladay, 468). There are various cultural norms that impact the way we interact with this text such as the assumption that men will marry and have children early on in life and the fact that God is commanding Jeremiah not to do that, mourning rituals and practices, and the way people celebrate joyous times. Since God is bringing in a time of judgement and is commanding Jeremiah to refrain from all these things, it is important to understand the cultural context under which Jeremiah was living. Scholars generally agree on all the interpretations and implications that this text offers, so there is not much controversy as to how to interpret the text, since it is pretty straight-forward in nature.
There are literary components that impact the way this text should be read and understood. This section of text should be broken up into two parts, with verses 1-9 being noted as a sign act written as poetry and prose, while verses 10-13 should be viewed as a short lament and an oracle of judgement written as prose (Thompson). Other scholars agree with this view and affirm the truthfulness of this observation. Verses 1-9 are God’s words to Jeremiah, while 10-13 makes a shift in audience to the nation of Judah, engaging in a dialogue explaining why they are about to go through a time of extreme judgement.
Textual Analysis:
“In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet's calling involves profound engagement with the world, with God, and with the local community. Exclusive allegiance to and intimate experience of God propel the prophet into the world, become the fiery source of his passion, and make Jeremiah the model of survival for his devastated community” (O’Connor: 130).
Verse 1: “Then the word of the Lord came to me:” Right from the start of this passage, it is obvious that the Lord is speaking to Jeremiah. It is made very clear that the Lord is about to command Jeremiah to do something that is undoubtedly a word from Him. Verse 2 starts the string of commands which involve disengaging from the social and cultural norms and practices common to Jeremiah’s day: “You must not marry or have sons or daughters in this place.” This is an extreme command that would have absolutely shaken Jeremiah to the core. According to Huey, it would have caused him “inner turmoil (Huey, 166). We can see just how radical this command is by understanding the historical context from which Jeremiah came.
“The first command and its interpretation are the fundamental set, which will be supplemented in the other two sections. So, this prohibition of marriage is more radical than the other two commands to disengage from social activities” (Allen, 189).
In Jeremiah’s day, it was customary to marry young, in fact, the Talmud (a Jewish text) pronounces curses on young men who do not get married by age 20 (Huey). Because of the cultural expectations to marry young, and the fact that God is commanding Jeremiah here to refrain from marriage forever, would have been absolutely devastating for him. The prophet already felt isolated, as we have studied in class, but this command probably made him feel so out of place in his culture. Huey states that this is a permanent command, and not just something for the time being.
This command from God would be a sign act for Jeremiah, something that would give a message to the people around him. Huey states, “A symbolic act could cause a temporary inconvenience or embarrassment to a prophet in order to communicate the Lord’s message more effectively… (Huey, 166).” Holladay agrees when he points out the symbolic act of Hosea’s marriage to Gomer as a sign of God’s faithfulness to his people, he is suggesting that Jeremiah’s sign act, by not marrying anyone, that God is temporarily breaking away from Israel so they can have what they so desire, which is their idolatry. Longman comments that “this personal directive to Jeremiah is to be spoken to all the people and suggesting that this is probably the case with other personal words he has received” (Longman, 249).
Verses 3 and 4 provide a reason as to why God is commanding Jeremiah to refrain from the biblical command to marry.
“3 For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers: 4 “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like dung lying on the ground. They will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”
At least these verses could possibly give Jeremiah some peace about his situation. The prophet knew of the coming judgement and these verses explain that even if he did get married and have kids they would not be there for long, as sword and famine would be creeping up behind them. The Babylonians were about to invade and if anyone, let alone Jeremiah, had kids at this time, it would be utter disaster. In Pixley’s commentary, he states: “Children should not be brought into the world to die terrible deaths, which is what would happen to Jeremiah and his generation if they continued to have children… this is not a time for life, but a time for death” (Pixley, 54).
A necessary component to discuss are the cultural implications of this passage and the way the things described in this text would have been taken at the time of composition. The text mentions that there will be so much death, so fast that there will be no time to mourn or bury the dead, but instead they will lay on the ground like dung, becoming food for the wild animals, ironically, the animals and creatures that God gave humans dominion over in Genesis. “From a biblical ancient Near East mindset, [the fact that] these corpses will remain unburied, becoming food for beast and bird – [is] the ultimate disgrace and the worst possible fate imaginable” (Longman, 171). Interestingly, Longman also connects a New Testament text to this one, bringing the imagery of the pain and destruction depicted in Matthew 24:19 from the standpoint of the end times: “How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!” No one will want to be pregnant and/or nursing a child during times of sword, famine, and persecution because there will be no time to take care of the things that matter.
Referring back to the sign act that Jeremiah is performing, Lundbom makes a connection with this sign act and the one Ezekiel performed when the Lord told him his wife was going to die and he needed to refrain from the mourning process (Ezekiel 24:15-27) (Lundbom, 126). This further solidifies the fact that God uses his prophets to make statements to his people.
Verse 5 says, “For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity from this people,” declares the Lord.” Again, this is clearly a word from God to Jeremiah. He is not to attend funerals, mourn, show sympathy, etc. God has decided to withdraw his blessing from his people because they have abandoned him for false gods. They have followed the stubbornness of their own hearts. God is not withdrawing his love, mercy, etc. forever, although just a short time without his blessing, as can be seen, results in absolute disaster. This command seems harsh, especially to Christians who are commanded to love one another, take care of one another, mourn when others mourn, etc. We are called to be people of compassion, so why is God telling Jeremiah to withdraw his sympathies from the people of Judah? According to Longman, it is because it is pretty evident that the judgement has already begun. There is no turning back now. God has made up his mind; these people are going into exile. Longman also offers insight into the words used: God is removing his shalom, hesed, and rahim from his people. The people are getting what they deserve! Huey agrees with Longman when he states, “By showing no grief for the dead through a symbolic act, Jeremiah was saying that God was going to withdraw comfort from Jerusalem” (Huey, 167).
Verse 6 expands on verse 5 and also restates that there will be no mourning: “Both high and low will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut themselves or shave their head for the dead.” Most of the commentaries I read pointed out the obvious reference to pagan rituals as cutting and shaving heads for the deceased was a common practice when engaging in an idolatrous lifestyle. The Lord is saying that they won’t even be able to continue their pagan rituals because there will be so much death so quickly.
Verse 7 says, “No one will offer food to comfort those who mourn for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console them.” This gives insight into how hard and numb the people will get; all commentaries agreed that this is the result. Their sin has so enslaved them that they no longer have hearts of compassion for one another. Everyone will be so caught up in their own problems and mourning that they will no longer care for their neighbor. At this point, they are no longer loving God or others, the two greatest commands as is demonstrated in the Decalogue.
Verses 8 and 9 switches from talking about death to discussing false celebration: 8 “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink. 9 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days, I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place.” As Longman points out, there is a time frame given. This judgement is going to happen in Jeremiah’s day. The time has come for judgement, and although the people are celebrating their idolatry now, God will soon bring that to a halt. The next three verses explain why God is bringing this judgement upon the people.
Verses 10-13 say,
“10 “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’
This oracle explains why all this judgement is coming on the people of Judah. As Longman points out, verses 11-12 repeat a common refrain (see 7:24; 9:14; 11:8; 13:10; 18:12; 23:17) (Longman, 250). Holladay, among other commentators discuss the sad reality that the people really seemed to be ignorant of their sins. Their hearts were so hardened to their idolatry, they were genuinely wondering why God would punish them.
Conclusion:
This text is very informative as to the reason for God’s judgement and the implications and appropriate reactions to that judgement. The people should not be surprised that they are being judged, because they have long forgotten God in the process of their daily lives. As a result, God will punish them, bringing a day of disaster where there will be sword and famine, death everywhere, people will not have time to bury their dead, there will be no more joy and laughter, for all they have known will be destroyed and they will be carried off into a distant land. Jeremiah is to refrain from marriage and having children, mourning the dead, showing sympathy to the people of Judah, and entering places of celebration, to symbolize the distance that God is about to put between himself and the nation. Thankfully, this is not where it is left off. God does have a plan for the nation and will eventually bring them back, but at this point in the text, it is only appropriate to understand the implications of staying in a constant state of unrepentance.
Application:
All scripture contains truth that we, as Christians, can take from each text to apply to our own lives. While some are obvious, others require a bit more digging and analyzation, such as this passage. How can we apply God’s command to Jeremiah to our lives? Does this mean he wants none of us to marry, mourn the dead, have times of celebration? Absolutely not. This command was for Jeremiah because of his role as prophet and the impact he would have through his sign act. Since this is not a direct command to Christians, how can we apply it? Huey offers a great modern application for this text when he says, referring to Jeremiah, “His life also serves as a reminder that it may be necessary to abandon out plans and desires if God’s purposes are to be accomplished through us (see Proverbs 16:0; 19:21)” (Huey, 167). This is an awesome way to interpret this passage, as we all are called to obey and serve God. No, God may not be calling us to a life without marriage, children, etc., but God desires our willingness to obey him when he asks us to do things for His Kingdom. What does the Lord ask of you? The Lord could be asking you many things, but the question is, are you, like Jeremiah, willing to let your life be shaped and guided by Jesus wherever he leads you? This is such a hard question to answer, as we, in our western culture, learn values that seem to glorify self, when we should really be glorifying God; the only one who deserves glorification. Are you willing to be a servant of God, and possibly abandon your dreams in response to his call on your life? It may not be easy, but I can guarantee, it will be worth it, whether the benefits are seen in this life or the next.
Source List
Allen, Leslie C. Jeremiah: A Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.
Holladay, William Lee., and Paul D. Hanson. Jeremiah 1: A Commentary on the Book of the
Prophet Jeremiah, Chapters 1-25. Fortress Press, 1986.
Huey, F. B. Jeremiah, Lamentations – The New American Commentary. Broadman Press, 1993.
Longman, Tremper, and David E. Garland. The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Jeremiah –
Ezekiel . Zondervan, 2005.
Lundbom, Jack R. Jeremiah Among the Prophets. Cascade Books, 2012.
O'Connor, Kathleen M. “The Prophet Jeremiah and Exclusive Loyalty to God.” Interpretation,
vol. 59, no. 2, Apr. 2005, pp. 130–140. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials,
EBSCOhost
Pixley, Jorge V. Jeremiah. Chalice Press, 2004.
Thompson, John Arthur. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Book of
Jeremiah. Eerdmans, 1980.