Jeremiah 2

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Jeremiah is a child, even though God did not want that to be an excuse for him to not follow his directions.  God heard Jeremiah making an excuse, just as Moses made an excuse.  When the hand of God is upon us, He wants us to be silent and let his voice be heard.  Don't say who you are or what you think is wrong with you to carry out God's assignment through you.

The prophet Samuel and the prophet King David were children when God separated them to Himself.  Samuel was afraid when he first heard the voice of God, but he learned over time when God was speaking to him, and he led Israel with only the words spoken to him by God throughout his entire life.  David as a lad volunteered to kill Goliath.  Although he was young he did not consider or speak of his age when he had an opportunity to knock that giant down.  David was hand-picked by God.  David represented the Word of God and Goliath still today roars in the form of religion.  The solid rock in David's hand still destroys all religions and their evil practices.  Jeremiah's age is not mentioned but he admitted he was young and God said that does not matter, and that has nothing to do with how I am going to use you.  It is God's desire to make sure we understand in order to be used by Him we must always depend on him as a child.  When we refuse to stay humble in our assignment, God will not use us to carry out His Will.  If God has to wait to use someone, He will give birth and wait until that child is old enough to begin his ministry of letting him use his mouth when He, God has something to say.

Jeremiah 2:1-37 (KJV) 

1 Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 

2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land [that was] not sown. 3 Israel [was] holiness unto the LORD, [and] the firstfruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD. 

God told Jeremiah to go and speak to his people and tell them how things used to be when they obeyed him. Things were good.  The children of God responded to His Word appropriately and what they gave him as an offering was acceptable.  Anyone who harmed Israel felt the wrath of God.

4 Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel:

Listen, my people!

 5 Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? 

What have I done to make you not trust me?

6 Neither said they, Where [is] the LORD that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought, and of the shadow of death, through a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt? 

You never asked me about our old times together.

7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination. 

I brought you into a good land.  When you start enjoying the goods, you turned your back on me.

8 The priests said not, Where [is] the LORD? and they that handle the law knew me not: the pastors also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after [things that] do not profit. 

The priest did not tell the truth.

The judges did wrong.

The pastors sinned over and over again.

The prophets lied and told you nonsense.

9 Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children's children will I plead. 

I will judge your children for the wrong done.

10 For pass over the isles of Chittim, and see; and send unto Kedar, and consider diligently, and see if there be such a thing. 

Go somewhere else and see how they worship a god that is no god at all.

11 Hath a nation changed [their] gods, which [are] yet no gods? but my people have changed their glory for [that which] doth not profit. 

But I am God and you do not listen to me.

12 Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD. 

Be afraid of what will happen because of your behavior.

13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, [and] hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. 

You left me and drink from vessels that are broken and will never quench your thirst.

14 [Is] Israel a servant? [is] he a homeborn [slave]? why is he spoiled? 

Why do you like being slaves?  Why are you as a child for someone’s house?  Why have you lost who you are and they consider you nothing?

15 The young lions roared upon him, [and] yelled, and they made his land waste: his cities are burned without inhabitant. 

The young lion roared and you ran.

16 Also the children of Noph and Tahapanes have broken the crown of thy head. 

Your enemies have a hold on you.

17 Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when he led thee by the way? 

You brought this upon yourself.

18 And now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor? or what hast thou to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the waters of the river? 

Why do you trade good water for bitter waters?

19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that [it is] an evil [thing] and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear [is] not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. 

You will learn from your own choices of evil you brought upon yourselves.

20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke, [and] burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest, playing the harlot. 

You did not keep your word.  Every time you wanted to sin you did.

21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? 

I made you the head and now you are the tail.

22 For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, [yet] thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD. 

Nothing you can do to make yourselves clean, you are dirty before me.

23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: [thou art] a swift dromedary traversing her ways; 

You say to me you have done no wrong.  Roll the tape… look at your path… you rode a fast camel going in your own ways.

24 A wild ass used to the wilderness, [that] snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves; in her month they shall find her. 

You wanted sexual pleasure so much so that you threw yourselves on men and the men recognized what you wanted and when they were ready for you they knew where to find you.

25 Withhold thy foot from being unshod, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidst, There is no hope: no; for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go. 

Stop running and losing your shoes trying to get into sinful acts, why are you running into sin so fast that your throat is dry?  Yet you say, I cannot hope in God, I love my religious ways and I will continue to do what I am doing.

26 As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, 

A good nation now lives in embarrassment.

27 Saying to a stock, Thou [art] my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned [their] back unto me, and not [their] face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. 

You called things your gods.

28 But where [are] thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for [according to] the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah. 

The gods you serve, tell them to save you when you get yourselves in trouble.

29 Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD. 

You say I am wrong?  I am not.  You are in the wrong.

30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion. 

I chastised your children but they did not change.  You killed those I sent to you to warn you.

31 O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee? 

Look at my Word! I have treated you right.  I’ve done nothing but good to you.

32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, [or] a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number. 

How can you forget someone who is good to you?

33 Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways. 

Why do you cheapen or make your selves beautiful on the outside to seek love?  Now the wicked have learned your religious ways and have copied your behaviors.

34 Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these. 

You will be held guilty of the lives you have taught your evil ways.  You advertise your evil ways and they are easy to spot and your evil doings are all over the place.

35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned. 

You will say you are not wrong and say I will not judge you.  I beg you to stop because you say you are not wrong.

36 Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria. 

Why are you not stable in your choices?  Egypt will make you shame just like Assyria has made your brothers shame.

37 Yea, thou shalt go forth from him, and thine hands upon thine head: for the LORD hath rejected thy confidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them.

You will become slaves because you refuse to change.  Some of you will not see good days for a long time.