Tyndale Open Study NotesJeremiah 17

The families of Judah were devoted to Baal worship. The Lord listed their sins to justify their judgment.

• A stone mason used an iron chisel or a diamond point to carve images and texts on stones permanently. Idol worship had so hardened the people's thoughts, emotions, and will that change seemed impossible.

• In Old Testament times, the corners of altars had projections called “horns” (for example, Exodus 27:1–2). According to covenant rules, when offering an animal sacrifice, they applied blood to these horns. How Baal worshipers treated them is unknown.

People cut Asherah poles from trees and placed them near altars for Baal, the Canaanite storm god. Asherah was the Canaanite goddess of fertility, representing the moist ground that helped crops grow. People performed ritual sex near these altars to encourage rain, seed sprouting, and plant growth. A tree near an altar could also symbolize this fertility goddess. The people of Judah were so morally corrupt that parents encouraged their children to join these rituals.

The Lord's holy mountain was the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where people stored wealth and treasures.

The wonderful possession, the Promised Land, would be lost by Judah when the people were taken captive to Babylon.

This meditation contrasts the foolishness of trusting in humans with the wisdom of trusting in the Lord.

Trust is a mindset that leads to obedience (see Jeremiah 11:4; Deuteronomy 27:15–26).

The people of Judah would be completely helpless during disasters because they trusted human abilities instead of the Lord. They would be like desert shrubs that are stunted due to a lack of water.

• Those who trust in the Lord, like trees planted along a riverbank, will have plenty of resources and be ready for life's changes.

• Water symbolizes the law of the Lord (compare Psalm 1; Ezekiel 47:1–12; Revelation 2:1–2).

By nature, the human heart can be deceitful and very wicked. Only the Lord truly understands its depth.

Jeremiah praised the Lord's faithfulness to his people, unlike the fate of those who turned away from the Lord.

Jeremiah said he learned this lesson and truly trusted in the Lord.

Jeremiah mentioned a general principle (see Psalm 73) that was not always true (Job 21:27–33): People who gain wealth unfairly eventually lose it.

God's loyal followers worship the all-powerful Lord, not money.

Jeremiah asked the Lord to rescue him from his enemies because he had been faithful. He also asked for healing, salvation, and justice.

Only the Lord can heal and save, so we should praise him alone.

The people mocked Jeremiah because his predictions had not come true. They might have even called him a false prophet (see Deuteronomy 18:21–22).

Jeremiah asked the Lord to prove his innocence because he was faithful.

Jeremiah was naturally afraid of the upcoming national disaster, so he asked the Lord for protection.

Jeremiah wanted those who persecuted him to feel the shame and dismay he felt (Jeremiah 17:15).

The Lord told Jeremiah to go to each gate where people did business. He was to confront the wrongdoers directly, starting with the king.

Driven by greed, the people of Jerusalem were disrespecting the Sabbath day (see Exodus 20:8–11; Deuteronomy 5:12–15). By observing the Sabbath, they would miss out on trade income. The Lord explained why they should keep the Sabbath holy.

Trading on the Sabbath was wrong and needed to stop. The Sabbath was not for buying and selling. It was established in the Sinai covenant as a holy day (Exodus 29:8–11; 31:12–17). On this day, the people of Israel were to rest and honor the Lord.

they...would not listen or receive My discipline: The people likely thought observing the Sabbath was too costly, so they ignored or overlooked its rules.

• The Lord wanted to give the people a chance to change their behavior. By choosing to obey God, the people could enjoy lasting peace and the continuation of the kingdom and the city of Jerusalem.

• The promise of chariots and horses symbolized the Lord’s blessing.

• If the people repented, the Lord’s blessings would reach the towns of Judah and Benjamin.

• The western foothills extended north and south between the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea and the hill country, where Jerusalem was located.

• The Negev was the desert that extended from Beersheba southward to the Gulf of Aqaba. People from all these areas would bring their offerings to worship the Lord in his Temple.

I will kindle an unquenchable fire in its gates: This happened in 586 BC (2 Kings 25:9).