"And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant." And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubbleThis phrase signifies the impending judgment and destruction that God will bring upon Jerusalem due to the people's persistent disobedience and idolatry. Historically, this prophecy was fulfilled during the Babylonian siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The imagery of a "heap of rubble" underscores the total devastation that would leave the city in ruins, a stark contrast to its former glory as the center of worship and the dwelling place of God. This serves as a warning and a call to repentance, emphasizing the consequences of turning away from God. a haunt for jackals
The mention of jackals, animals known to inhabit desolate and abandoned places, highlights the extent of Jerusalem's desolation. In ancient Near Eastern culture, jackals were often associated with desolation and ruin. This imagery reinforces the idea that the city, once bustling with life and activity, would become so deserted that only wild animals would dwell there. This desolation is a direct result of the people's sin and rebellion against God. and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation
The judgment is not limited to Jerusalem but extends to the entire region of Judah. The cities of Judah, once thriving communities, would face the same fate of destruction and abandonment. This reflects the comprehensive nature of God's judgment due to the widespread unfaithfulness of the people. The desolation of these cities serves as a testament to the seriousness of God's warnings through the prophets and the inevitable consequences of ignoring them. without inhabitant
The phrase "without inhabitant" emphasizes the complete and utter abandonment that would follow the destruction. This desolation is a fulfillment of the covenant curses outlined in Deuteronomy 28, where God warned that disobedience would lead to the land becoming desolate and its people scattered. The absence of inhabitants signifies not only physical destruction but also the spiritual and communal breakdown of the nation. This foreshadows the exile and the scattering of the people, yet it also sets the stage for future restoration and hope, as God promises to eventually bring His people back and restore the land. Persons / Places / Events 1. JeremiahA prophet called by God to deliver messages of warning and hope to the people of Judah. His ministry spanned the reigns of several kings and was marked by themes of judgment and restoration. 2. JerusalemThe capital city of Judah, central to Jewish worship and identity. It was the location of the Temple and a symbol of God's presence among His people. 3. JudahThe southern kingdom of Israel, consisting of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. It was the focus of Jeremiah's prophetic ministry and faced impending judgment due to its disobedience. 4. JackalsOften used in the Bible to symbolize desolation and abandonment. Their presence indicates a place that has been deserted and left to the wild. 5. DesolationA state of emptiness and ruin, often used in prophetic literature to describe the consequences of turning away from God. Teaching Points The Consequences of DisobedienceJeremiah 9:11 serves as a stark reminder that turning away from God leads to destruction and desolation. It calls believers to examine their lives and ensure they are walking in obedience to God's commands. God's Sovereignty in JudgmentThe prophecy underscores God's control over nations and cities. Believers can trust that God's judgments are just and purposeful, even when they result in hardship. Hope Beyond DesolationWhile the verse speaks of destruction, it is part of a larger account that includes restoration. Believers can find hope in God's promises of renewal and redemption, even in the midst of judgment. The Importance of RepentanceThe desolation of Jerusalem serves as a call to repentance. Believers are encouraged to turn from sin and seek God's forgiveness to avoid spiritual desolation. The Role of ProphetsJeremiah's role as a prophet highlights the importance of listening to God's messengers. Believers should be attentive to those who speak God's truth and be willing to respond to their warnings. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the imagery of desolation in Jeremiah 9:11 challenge your understanding of God's judgment? 2. In what ways can the desolation of Jerusalem serve as a warning for modern believers and communities? 3. How do the themes of judgment and restoration in Jeremiah 9:11 relate to the broader account of the Bible? 4. What steps can you take to ensure that your life is aligned with God's will, avoiding the spiritual desolation described in this passage? 5. How can the role of prophets like Jeremiah inspire you to be a voice for truth and repentance in your own community? Connections to Other Scriptures Lamentations 1:1-4This passage describes the desolation of Jerusalem, echoing the prophecy in Jeremiah 9:11. It highlights the city's loneliness and the absence of its people, reinforcing the theme of judgment. Isaiah 34:13Similar imagery of desolation and jackals is used to describe the judgment on Edom, showing a pattern of divine retribution for sin. Ezekiel 33:28-29God speaks of making the land desolate due to the people's sins, emphasizing the consequences of disobedience and the need for repentance. People JeremiahPlaces Ammon, Edom, Egypt, Gilead, Jerusalem, Moab, ZionTopics Broken, Cities, Den, Desolate, Desolation, Dragons, Dwelling, Dwelling-place, Habitation, Haunt, Heap, Heaps, Inhabitant, Jackals, Jerusalem, Judah, Lair, Lay, Living-place, Mass, Ruins, Stones, Towns, WasteDictionary of Bible Themes Jeremiah 9:11 5508 ruins Library India's Ills and England's Sorrows
It would seem as if some men had been sent into this world for the very purpose of being the world's weepers. God's great house is thoroughly furnished with everything, everything that can express the thoughts and the emotions of the inhabitant, God hath made. I find in nature, plants to be everlasting weepers. There by the lonely brook, where the maiden cast away her life, the willow weeps for ever; and there in the grave yard where men lie slumbering till the trumpet of the archangel shall awaken …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857"Boast not Thyself of To-Morrow, for Thou Knowest not what a Day May Bring Forth. "
Prov. xxvii. 1.--"Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." There are some peculiar gifts that God hath given to man in his first creation, and endued his nature with, beyond other living creatures, which being rightly ordered and improved towards the right objects, do advance the soul of man to a wonderful height of happiness, that no other sublunary creature is capable of. But by reason of man's fall into sin, these are quite disordered and turned out of …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Characters and Names of Messiah
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. S uch was the triumphant exultation of the Old Testament Church! Their noblest hopes were founded upon the promise of MESSIAH; their most sublime songs were derived from the prospect of His Advent. By faith, which is the substance of things hoped for, they considered the gracious declarations …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 How the Simple and the Crafty are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 12.) Differently to be admonished are the simple and the insincere. The simple are to be praised for studying never to say what is false, but to be admonished to know how sometimes to be silent about what is true. For, as falsehood has always harmed him that speaks it, so sometimes the hearing of truth has done harm to some. Wherefore the Lord before His disciples, tempering His speech with silence, says, I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now (Joh. xvi. 12). …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great 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 A Sermon on Isaiah xxvi. By John Knox.
[In the Prospectus of our Publication it was stated, that one discourse, at least, would be given in each number. A strict adherence to this arrangement, however, it is found, would exclude from our pages some of the most talented discourses of our early Divines; and it is therefore deemed expedient to depart from it as occasion may require. The following Sermon will occupy two numbers, and we hope, that from its intrinsic value, its historical interest, and the illustrious name of its author, it …
John Knox—The Pulpit Of The Reformation, Nos. 1, 2 and 3. Thoughts Upon Worldly-Riches. Sect. Ii.
TIMOTHY after his Conversion to the Christian Faith, being found to be a Man of great Parts, Learning, and Piety, and so every way qualified for the work of the Ministry, St. Paul who had planted a Church at Ephesus the Metropolis or chief City of all Asia, left him to dress and propagate it, after his departure from it, giving him Power to ordain Elders or Priests, and to visit and exercise Jurisdiction over them, to see they did not teach false Doctrines, 1 Tim. i. 3. That they be unblameable in …
William Beveridge—Private Thoughts Upon a Christian Life The Knowledge of God
'The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.' I Sam 2:2. Glorious things are spoken of God; he transcends our thoughts, and the praises of angels. God's glory lies chiefly in his attributes, which are the several beams by which the divine nature shines forth. Among other of his orient excellencies, this is not the least, The Lord is a God of knowledge; or as the Hebrew word is, A God of knowledges.' Through the bright mirror of his own essence, he has a full idea and cognisance …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity 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 9:11 NIVJeremiah 9:11 NLTJeremiah 9:11 ESVJeremiah 9:11 NASBJeremiah 9:11 KJV
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