Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD, how completely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, 'You will have peace,' while a sword is at our throats." Then I saidThis phrase introduces a personal lament from the prophet Jeremiah. The Hebrew word for "said" is "אָמַר" (amar), which often conveys a deep, personal communication. Jeremiah is expressing a heartfelt cry, indicating the depth of his relationship with God and his role as an intermediary for the people. This reflects the intimate and often burdensome role of a prophet, who must convey God's messages even when they are difficult or misunderstood. Ah, Lord GOD
The exclamation "Ah" (Hebrew: "אֲהָהּ", ahah) is a cry of distress or lament. It reveals Jeremiah's emotional turmoil and the gravity of the situation. "Lord GOD" is a translation of "Adonai Yahweh," emphasizing both the sovereignty and the covenantal relationship of God with His people. This dual title underscores the tension between God's authority and His promises, which Jeremiah is grappling with. how completely You have deceived
The Hebrew root for "deceived" is "נָשָׁא" (nasha), which can mean to lead astray or to allow to be misled. This is a challenging phrase, as it seems to accuse God of deception. However, from a conservative Christian perspective, it is understood as Jeremiah expressing his confusion and anguish over the apparent contradiction between God's promises of peace and the reality of impending judgment. It highlights the complexity of divine providence and human perception. this people and Jerusalem
"People" refers to the nation of Israel, and "Jerusalem" is the capital city, representing the heart of the nation's spiritual and political life. Historically, Jerusalem was the center of worship and the location of the Temple, making it significant in God's covenant with Israel. The mention of both emphasizes the widespread impact of the perceived deception and the impending judgment. by saying, ‘You will have peace,’
The promise of "peace" (Hebrew: "שָׁלוֹם", shalom) is central to the covenantal blessings expected by Israel. Shalom encompasses not just the absence of conflict but also completeness, welfare, and harmony. The expectation of peace was based on the people's understanding of God's promises, yet their disobedience and idolatry had led them away from the conditions of those promises. when a sword is at our throats
The "sword" symbolizes imminent danger and judgment, often used in prophetic literature to denote warfare and destruction. The imagery of a sword "at our throats" conveys the urgency and severity of the threat facing Jerusalem. Historically, this refers to the Babylonian threat, which was a direct consequence of the nation's unfaithfulness. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of turning away from God's commands. Persons / Places / Events 1. JeremiahA prophet called by God to deliver messages of warning and hope to the people of Judah. He is known for his lamentations and deep emotional connection to his people. 2. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant God of Israel, who communicates His will and judgments through His prophets. 3. The People of JudahThe southern kingdom of Israel, who are being warned of impending judgment due to their unfaithfulness and idolatry. 4. JerusalemThe capital city of Judah, representing the spiritual and political heart of the nation, often a focal point in prophetic warnings. 5. The SwordSymbolic of impending judgment and destruction, often used in prophetic literature to denote war or divine retribution. Teaching Points The Danger of False AssuranceFalse prophets and leaders can lead people astray by promising peace when judgment is imminent. Believers must discern truth from deception by aligning with God's Word. The Role of Prophetic WarningProphets like Jeremiah serve as God's mouthpiece to call people back to righteousness. We should heed warnings in Scripture and be responsive to God's call for repentance. God's Sovereignty in JudgmentEven when circumstances seem dire, God remains sovereign. His judgments are just, and His ultimate purpose is to bring His people back to Himself. The Importance of Spiritual VigilanceBelievers must remain spiritually vigilant, not becoming complacent or lulled into a false sense of security by the world’s assurances. The Call to RepentanceThe message of impending judgment is also a call to repentance. God desires that His people turn back to Him and find true peace in His presence. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Jeremiah's lament in 4:10 reflect the tension between God's promises and the people's current reality? 2. In what ways can we discern between true and false assurances in our spiritual lives today? 3. How do the themes of judgment and repentance in Jeremiah 4:10 relate to the broader account of the Bible? 4. What role does spiritual vigilance play in maintaining a faithful walk with God, and how can we cultivate it? 5. How can we apply the lessons from Jeremiah 4:10 to our understanding of God's character and His expectations for His people? Connections to Other Scriptures Jeremiah 6:14This verse also addresses the false sense of peace proclaimed by the leaders, highlighting the theme of deceptive assurances. Ezekiel 13:10Similar to Jeremiah, Ezekiel condemns false prophets who proclaim peace when there is none, emphasizing the danger of misleading messages. 1 Thessalonians 5:3In the New Testament, Paul warns of sudden destruction coming upon those who are lulled into a false sense of security, echoing the themes found in Jeremiah. People Dan, JeremiahPlaces Dan, Jerusalem, Mount Ephraim, ZionTopics Ah, Alas, Completely, Deceived, Entirely, Forgotten, Greatly, Hast, Jerusalem, Peace, Reached, Reaches, Reacheth, Saying, Soul, Sovereign, Struck, Surely, Sword, Throat, Throats, Touches, Utterly, WhereasDictionary of Bible Themes Jeremiah 4:9 5916 pessimism Library The Wailing of Risca
You all know the story; it scarce needs that I should tell it to you. Last Saturday week some two hundred or more miners descended in health and strength to their usual work in the bowels of the earth. They had not been working long, their wives and their children had risen, and their little ones had gone to their schools, when suddenly there was heard a noise at the mouth of the pit;--it was an explosion,--all knew what it meant. Men's hearts failed them, for well they prophesied the horror which …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 7: 1861How those are to be Admonished who Sin from Sudden Impulse and those who Sin Deliberately.
(Admonition 33.). Differently to be admonished are those who are overcome by sudden passion and those who are bound in guilt of set purpose. For those whom sudden passion overcomes are to be admonished to regard themselves as daily set in the warfare of the present life, and to protect the heart, which cannot foresee wounds, with the shield of anxious fear; to dread the hidden darts of the ambushed foe, and, in so dark a contest, to guard with continual attention the inward camp of the soul. For, …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Prevailing Prayer.
Text.--The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.--James v. 16. THE last lecture referred principally to the confession of sin. To-night my remarks will be chiefly confined to the subject of intercession, or prayer. There are two kinds of means requisite to promote a revival; one to influence men, the other to influence God. The truth is employed to influence men, and prayer to move God. When I speak of moving God, I do not mean that God's mind is changed by prayer, or that his …
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion How to Make Use of Christ for Cleansing of us from Our Daily Spots.
Having spoken of the way of making use of Christ for removing the guilt of our daily transgressions, we come to speak of the way of making use of Christ, for taking away the guilt that cleaveth to the soul, through daily transgressions; "for every sin defileth the man," Matt. xv. 20; and the best are said to have their spots, and to need washing, which presupposeth filthiness and defilement, Eph. v. 27. John xiii. 8-10. Hence we are so oft called to this duty of washing and making us clean. Isa. …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life "For they that are after the Flesh do Mind the Things of the Flesh,",
Rom. viii. 5.--"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh,", &c. Though sin hath taken up the principal and inmost cabinet of the heart of man--though it hath fixed its imperial throne in the spirit of man, and makes use of all the powers and faculties in the soul to accomplish its accursed desires and fulfil its boundless lusts, yet it is not without good reason expressed in scripture, ordinarily under the name of "flesh," and a "body of death," and men dead in sins, are …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning "Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the Flesh,"
Rom. viii. 4, 5.--"Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh," &c. If there were nothing else to engage our hearts to religion, I think this might do it, that there is so much reason in it. Truly it is the most rational thing in the world, except some revealed mysteries of faith, which are far above reason, but not contrary to it. There is nothing besides in it, but that which is the purest reason. Even that part of it which is most difficult to man, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning "If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ, He is None of His. "
Rom. viii. 9.--"If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?" 2 Chron. vi. 18. It was the wonder of one of the wisest of men, and indeed, considering his infinite highness above the height of heavens, his immense and incomprehensible greatness, that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, and then the baseness, emptiness, and worthlessness of man, it may be a wonder to the …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning The Acceptable Sacrifice;
OR, THE EXCELLENCY OF A BROKEN HEART: SHOWING THE NATURE, SIGNS, AND PROPER EFFECTS OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT. BEING THE LAST WORKS OF THAT EMINENT PREACHER AND FAITHFUL MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST, MR. JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. WITH A PREFACE PREFIXED THEREUNTO BY AN EMINENT MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IN LONDON. London: Sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgates, 1692. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The very excellent preface to this treatise, written by George Cokayn, will inform the reader of …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Original Sin
Q-16: DID ALL MANKIND FALL IN ADAM'S FIRST TRANSGRESSION? A: The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him, by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression. 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,' &c. Rom 5:12. Adam being a representative person, while he stood, we stood; when he fell, we fell, We sinned in Adam; so it is in the text, In whom all have sinned.' Adam was the head …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Repentance
Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.' Acts 11: 18. Repentance seems to be a bitter pill to take, but it is to purge out the bad humour of sin. By some Antinomian spirits it is cried down as a legal doctrine; but Christ himself preached it. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent,' &c. Matt 4: 17. In his last farewell, when he was ascending to heaven, he commanded that Repentance should be preached in his name.' Luke 24: 47. Repentance is a pure gospel grace. …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Directions to Awakened Sinners.
Acts ix. 6. Acts ix. 6. And he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do. THESE are the words of Saul, who also is called Paul, (Acts xiii. 9,) when he was stricken to the ground as he was going to Damascus; and any one who had looked upon him in his present circumstances and knew nothing more of him than that view, in comparison with his past life, could have given, would have imagined him one of the most miserable creatures that ever lived upon earth, and would have expected …
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Jesus Attends the First Passover of his Ministry.
(Jerusalem, April 9, a.d. 27.) Subdivision B. Jesus Talks with Nicodemus. ^D John III. 1-21. ^d 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. [Nicodemus is mentioned only by John. His character is marked by a prudence amounting almost to timidity. At John vii. 50-52 he defends Jesus, but without committing himself as in any way interested in him: at John xix. 38, 39 he brought spices for the body of Jesus, but only after Joseph of Arimathæa had secured the body. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel 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 Links Jeremiah 4:10 NIVJeremiah 4:10 NLTJeremiah 4:10 ESVJeremiah 4:10 NASBJeremiah 4:10 KJV
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