Jeremiah 35:17
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Therefore this is what the LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will bring to Judah and to all the residents of Jerusalem all the disaster I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them but they have not obeyed, and I have called to them but they have not answered.’”
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
A variety of methods is tried, and every stone turned, to awaken the Jews to a sense of their sin and to bring them to repentance and reformation. The scope and tendency of many of the prophet's sermons was to frighten them out of their disobedience, by setting before them what would be the end thereof if they persisted in it. The scope of this sermon, in this chapter, is to shame them out of their disobedience if they had any sense of honour left in them for a discourse of this nature to fasten upon. I. He sets before them the obedience of the family of the Rechabites to the commands which were left them by Jonadab their ancestor, and how they persevered in that obedience and would not be tempted from it (Jer 35:1-11). II. With this he aggravates the disobedience of the Jews to God and their contempt of his precepts (Jer 35:12-15). III. He foretels the judgments of God upon the Jews for their impious disobedience to God (Jer 35:16, Jer 35:17). IV. He assures the Rechabites of the blessing of God upon them for their pious obedience to their father (Jer 35:18, Jer 35:19).
Open source ↗35:17-19 The Lord pronounced punishment on Judah’s sin.
Open source ↗Cross-references
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So I will choose their punishment and I will bring terror upon them, because I called and no one answered, I spoke and no one listened. But they did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.”
I will destine you for the sword, and you will all kneel down to be slaughtered, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not listen; you did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.”
But as for Israel he says: “All day long I have held out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”
And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and because I have spoken to you again and again but you would not listen, and I have called to you but you would not answer,
All a man’s ways are pure in his own eyes, but his motives are weighed out by the LORD.
Yet they would not obey or incline their ears, but each one followed the stubbornness of his evil heart. So I brought on them all the curses of this covenant I had commanded them to follow but they did not keep.”
They have turned their backs to Me and not their faces. Though I taught them again and again, they would not listen or respond to discipline.
Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold, My rebuke dries up the sea; I turn the rivers into a desert; the fish rot for lack of water and die of thirst.
He who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.
and if you do not listen to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I have sent you again and again even though you did not listen,