Jeremiah 15:5
Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Who will mourn for you? Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem?
This phrase reflects the dire situation of Jerusalem during the time of Jeremiah. The city is facing impending judgment due to its persistent sin and rebellion against God. Historically, Jerusalem was the center of Jewish worship and identity, yet it had turned away from God, leading to its desolation. The rhetorical question emphasizes the lack of compassion from surrounding nations, who often viewed Jerusalem as an adversary. This can be connected to Lamentations 1:12, where Jerusalem laments its own suffering and the absence of comforters. The phrase also foreshadows the ultimate compassion found in Christ, who weeps over Jerusalem in Luke 19:41, showing divine pity and love.

Who will mourn for you?
Mourning in ancient Israel was a significant cultural practice, often involving public displays of grief. The absence of mourners signifies complete abandonment and isolation. This reflects the severity of Jerusalem's situation, as even its allies and neighbors would not lament its downfall. The lack of mourning can be seen as a consequence of the city's own actions, having broken covenant with God and ignored prophetic warnings. This phrase echoes the sentiment found in Isaiah 51:19, where desolation and destruction leave none to console. It also points to the future mourning over the rejection of the Messiah, as seen in Zechariah 12:10, where the inhabitants of Jerusalem will mourn for the one they pierced.

Who will turn aside to ask about your welfare?
Turning aside implies a deliberate action to show concern or interest. In the context of Jeremiah, it highlights the complete neglect and disregard for Jerusalem's plight. This neglect is a result of the city's own spiritual adultery and idolatry, leading to its alienation from God and man. The phrase suggests a lack of intercessors or advocates, contrasting with the role of Christ as the ultimate intercessor who cares for the welfare of His people (Hebrews 7:25). It also serves as a reminder of the importance of community and compassion, as seen in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33), where true neighborly love is demonstrated by those who turn aside to help the afflicted.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A prophet called by God to deliver messages of judgment and hope to the people of Judah. His ministry was marked by deep personal struggle and opposition.

2. Jerusalem
The capital city of Judah, central to Jewish identity and worship. At this time, it was facing impending judgment due to the people's persistent sin and rebellion against God.

3. God's Judgment
The context of this verse is God's pronouncement of judgment on Jerusalem for its unfaithfulness. The city is personified as a forsaken entity, highlighting the severity of its situation.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Sin
Sin leads to separation from God and others. Jerusalem's plight is a direct result of its persistent rebellion against God.

The Importance of Repentance
God desires repentance and a return to Him. The absence of comforters for Jerusalem underscores the need for genuine repentance to restore relationship with God.

God's Faithfulness Amidst Judgment
Even in judgment, God remains faithful to His covenant. His ultimate goal is restoration, not destruction.

Empathy and Compassion
The rhetorical questions in the verse challenge us to consider our own responses to those in distress. Are we willing to show compassion and concern for others?

The Role of the Prophet
Jeremiah's role as a prophet was to speak truth, even when it was difficult. We are called to be faithful in delivering God's message, regardless of the response.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the context of Jeremiah 15:5 help us understand the seriousness of Jerusalem's situation?

2. In what ways can we see the consequences of sin in our own lives and communities, similar to Jerusalem's experience?

3. How do other scriptures, like Lamentations 1:12 and Isaiah 51:19, deepen our understanding of Jerusalem's desolation?

4. What practical steps can we take to ensure we are showing empathy and compassion to those who are suffering?

5. How can we be faithful in delivering God's message in our own lives, following the example of Jeremiah?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Lamentations 1:12
This verse echoes the theme of Jerusalem's desolation and the lack of comforters, emphasizing the city's suffering and abandonment.

Isaiah 51:19
Similar themes of desolation and lack of comfort are present, where God speaks of the calamities that have befallen Jerusalem.

Psalm 137:1
Reflects the sorrow and mourning of the Israelites in exile, longing for Jerusalem, which ties into the emotional weight of Jeremiah 15:5.
Fearful Aspects of the Divine CharacterS. Conway Jeremiah 15:1-9
People
Hezekiah, Jeremiah, Manasseh, Samuel
Places
Jerusalem, Zion
Topics
Aside, Bemoan, Doest, Indeed, Jerusalem, Mourn, O, Pity, Sorrow, Stop, Turn, Turneth, Welfare
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 15:5

     7241   Jerusalem, significance

Jeremiah 15:5-9

     5890   insecurity

Library
The Northern Iron and the Steel
That being the literal meaning, we shall draw from our text a general principle. It is a proverbial expression, no doubt, and applicable to many other matters besides that of the prophet and the Jews; it is clearly meant to show, that in order to achieve a purpose, there must be a sufficient force. The weaker cannot overcome the stronger. In a general clash the firmest will win. There must be sufficient firmness in the instrument or the work cannot be done. You cannot cut granite with a pen-knife,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Hidden Manna
He was eminently the man that had seen affliction, and yet in the midst of a wilderness of woe he discovered fountains of joy. Like that Blessed One, who was "the man of sorrows" and the acquaintance of grief, he sometimes rejoiced in spirit and blessed the name of the Lord. It will be both interesting and profitable to note the root of the joy which grew up in Jeremiah's heart, like a lone palm tree in the desert. Here was its substance. It was an intense delight to him to have been chosen to the
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be Moral.
1. Because all the reasons of this commandment are moral and perpetual; and God has bound us to the obedience of this commandment with more forcible reasons than to any of the rest--First, because he foresaw that irreligious men would either more carelessly neglect, or more boldly break this commandment than any other; secondly, because that in the practice of this commandment the keeping of all the other consists; which makes God so often complain that all his worship is neglected or overthrown,
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Sins of Communities Noted and Punished.
"Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation." This is predicated of the judgments of God on those who had shed the blood of his saints. The Savior declares that all the righteous blood which had been shed on the earth from that of Abel down to the gospel day, should come on that generation! But is not this unreasonable and contrary to the Scriptures? "Far be wickedness from God and iniquity from the Almighty. For the work of man shall be render unto him, and cause every
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

General Notes by the American Editor
1. The whole subject of the Apocalypse is so treated, [2318] in the Speaker's Commentary, as to elucidate many questions suggested by the primitive commentators of this series, and to furnish the latest judgments of critics on the subject. It is so immense a matter, however, as to render annotations on patristic specialties impossible in a work like this. Every reader must feel how apposite is the sententious saying of Augustine: "Apocalypsis Joannis tot sacramenta quot verba." 2. The seven spirits,
Victorinus—Commentary on the Apocolypse of the Blessed John

How those who Fear Scourges and those who Contemn them are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 14.) Differently to be admonished are those who fear scourges, and on that account live innocently, and those who have grown so hard in wickedness as not to be corrected even by scourges. For those who fear scourges are to be told by no means to desire temporal goods as being of great account, seeing that bad men also have them, and by no means to shun present evils as intolerable, seeing they are not ignorant how for the most part good men also are touched by them. They are to be admonished
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

What the Scriptures Principally Teach: the Ruin and Recovery of Man. Faith and Love Towards Christ.
2 Tim. i. 13.--"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." Here is the sum of religion. Here you have a compend of the doctrine of the Scriptures. All divine truths may be reduced to these two heads,--faith and love; what we ought to believe, and what we ought to do. This is all the Scriptures teach, and this is all we have to learn. What have we to know, but what God hath revealed of himself to us? And what have we to do, but what
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Word
The third way to escape the wrath and curse of God, and obtain the benefit of redemption by Christ, is the diligent use of ordinances, in particular, the word, sacraments, and prayer.' I begin with the best of these ordinances. The word . . . which effectually worketh in you that believe.' 1 Thess 2:13. What is meant by the word's working effectually? The word of God is said to work effectually when it has the good effect upon us for which it was appointed by God; when it works powerful illumination
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

An Analysis of Augustin's Writings against the Donatists.
The object of this chapter is to present a rudimentary outline and summary of all that Augustin penned or spoke against those traditional North African Christians whom he was pleased to regard as schismatics. It will be arranged, so far as may be, in chronological order, following the dates suggested by the Benedictine edition. The necessary brevity precludes anything but a very meagre treatment of so considerable a theme. The writer takes no responsibility for the ecclesiological tenets of the
St. Augustine—writings in connection with the donatist controversy.

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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