Jeremiah Chapter 6
Jeremiah 6
Full of the Fury of the LORD
Jeremiah 6:1-5, Disaster from the North
Jeremiah 6:1-5, “O ye children Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out the midst Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign fire in Bethhaccerem, for evil appeareth out the north, and great destruction. I have likened the daughter Zion to a comely and delicate woman. The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her, they shall pitch their tents against her round about, they shall feed every one in his place. Prepare ye war against her, arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows the evening are stretched out. Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.”
Jeremiah 6 begins with an urgent warning to the children of Benjamin. Jerusalem was associated with Judah, but geographically it was also connected with Benjamin, and Jeremiah himself came from the territory of Benjamin. The warning is therefore close to home. The prophet is not speaking coldly to strangers. He is warning his own people, his own region, and the covenant city that stood at the center of Judah’s life.
The command is, “gather yourselves to flee out the midst Jerusalem.” This is shocking because Jerusalem was supposed to be the place of refuge. It was the city of David. It was the location of the temple. It was the city where the LORD had placed His name. Yet now the warning is to flee from it. Religious history and sacred geography cannot protect a people who refuse the LORD.
The trumpet was to be blown in Tekoa, and a signal fire was to be set up in Bethhaccerem. These were warnings of military danger. The nation needed to know that disaster was coming from the north. This judgment would later be fulfilled through Babylon. Though Babylon was east of Judah, invasion routes typically came from the north because of the terrain and travel routes.
The LORD compares the daughter of Zion to “a comely and delicate woman.” Jerusalem thought of herself as beautiful, refined, and secure. But a delicate woman is no match for an invading army. The image exposes Jerusalem’s vulnerability. She may appear elegant, but she is defenseless before divine judgment.
The “shepherds with their flocks” picture invading commanders and their armies surrounding the city. They pitch their tents around her and feed in their places, as though Jerusalem has become pastureland for foreign forces. The city that should have been holy unto the LORD becomes territory occupied by enemies.
The invaders say, “Prepare ye war against her.” They are eager to attack. They are willing to go up at noon, and when the day fades, they are still willing to attack by night. This shows urgency, relentlessness, and certainty. The coming judgment will not be delayed because Jerusalem is unprepared. The enemies are ready to destroy her palaces.
Jeremiah 6:6-8, A Siege Against Jerusalem
Jeremiah 6:6-8, “For thus hath the LORD hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem, this is the city to be visited, she is wholly oppression in the midst her. As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness, violence and spoil is heard in her, before me continually is grief and wounds. Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee, lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.”
The judgment is not merely Babylon’s decision. “Thus hath the LORD hosts said.” The LORD of armies commands the siege. The Babylonians would be the human instruments, but the judgment comes from God. This is necessary to understand Jeremiah. Judah’s fall was not merely geopolitics. It was divine judgment against covenant rebellion.
The attackers are commanded to cut down trees and build a siege mound against Jerusalem. A siege mound allowed attackers to approach and breach fortified defenses. Jerusalem trusted in her walls, but the LORD Himself had authorized the siege. No wall can protect a city when God has become its Judge.
The city is described as “wholly oppression.” Jerusalem’s vertical rebellion against God had produced horizontal injustice among men. A people cannot truly love God while mistreating their neighbor. Oppression in the city showed that Jerusalem’s religion had become hollow.
The image of the fountain is powerful. “As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness.” A fountain continually produces water. Jerusalem continually produced wickedness. Evil was not occasional. It was constantly flowing from the heart of the city. Violence and spoil were heard in her. Before the LORD continually were grief and wounds. God saw the victims. He saw the injustice. He saw the damage done by Judah’s corruption.
Yet even here, there is an appeal, “Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem.” God is still warning. Judgment is announced, but the call to receive correction remains. The danger is severe, “lest my soul depart from thee, lest I make thee desolate.” The departure of God’s favor is worse than the arrival of Babylon’s army. If the LORD withdraws His protective presence, desolation follows.
Jeremiah 6:9-12, The Fullness of the Fury of the LORD
Jeremiah 6:9-12, “Thus saith the LORD hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant Israel as a vine, turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets. To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken, behold, the word the LORD is unto them a reproach, they have no delight in it. Therefore I am full the fury the LORD, I am weary with holding in, I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly young men together, for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full days. And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together, for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants the land, saith the LORD.”
The LORD says Judah will be thoroughly gleaned like a vine. After the main harvest, gleaners would go back through the branches to remove what remained. The image means that judgment would be thorough. The remnant of Israel in Judah would be picked clean by the invading army.
Jeremiah then cries, “To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear?” This is the sorrow of a faithful preacher speaking to deaf hearts. The problem is not that God has been silent. The problem is that the people refuse to hear.
“Their ear is uncircumcised.” Scripture often speaks of uncircumcised hearts, but here the ear itself is called uncircumcised. The people’s hearing was spiritually unclean, resistant, and covenantally unresponsive. They could physically hear Jeremiah’s words, but they could not receive them with obedience. Stephen later used similar language when rebuking the religious leaders of Israel.
Acts 7:51, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did, so do ye.”
The word of the LORD had become “a reproach” to them. They did not delight in it. This is a major sign of spiritual decay. When God’s people no longer delight in God’s word, they are in a dangerous place. The Scriptures that should have been their wisdom, joy, correction, and life had become something they despised.
Psalm 1:1-2, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel the ungodly, nor standeth in the way sinners, nor sitteth in the seat the scornful. But his delight is in the law the LORD, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Judah had become the opposite of the blessed man. They had no delight in the word of the LORD, and therefore judgment was near.
Jeremiah says, “Therefore I am full the fury the LORD, I am weary with holding in.” The prophet bears the burden of God’s anger against sin. He is not personally vindictive. He is carrying the divine message until he can no longer hold it in. God’s fury will be poured out on all levels of society, children outside, young men gathered together, husband and wife, the aged and those full of days. Houses, fields, and wives will be turned over to others. The judgment will touch family, property, inheritance, and society itself.
Jeremiah 6:13-15, The Sins of Prophets and Priests
Jeremiah 6:13-15, “For from the least them even unto the greatest them every one is given to covetousness, and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. They have healed also the hurt the daughter my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush, therefore they shall fall among them that fall, at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.”
The corruption of Judah was comprehensive. “From the least them even unto the greatest them every one is given to covetousness.” The poor and powerful, common and elite, were captured by greed. Covetousness is not a harmless desire for improvement. It is disordered desire, a refusal to be content with God’s provision, and a willingness to pursue gain without righteousness.
The prophet and priest were also corrupt. “Every one dealeth falsely.” Those who should have guarded truth were dealing in lies. The prophets should have spoken the word of the LORD. The priests should have taught the law and led the people in holy worship. Instead, they participated in deception.
“They have healed also the hurt the daughter my people slightly.” This is one of the clearest condemnations of shallow ministry in the Bible. Judah had a deep wound, but the prophets treated it like a minor injury. They offered surface comfort when radical repentance was needed. They gave religious pain relief instead of spiritual surgery.
Their message was, “Peace, peace,” but God says, “when there is no peace.” Peace is a beautiful word when it is true. But false peace is deadly. A preacher who declares peace to rebels when God is calling for repentance becomes a danger to the people. He makes sinners comfortable on the road to judgment.
Ezekiel 13:10, “Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace, and there was no peace, and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter.”
False prophets have always been willing to paint over a collapsing wall. They make things look stable while the structure is failing. Jeremiah’s generation had men who said soothing words, but they did not deal with sin.
The people were not ashamed. They had committed abomination, yet they could not blush. This is a terrifying condition. Shame, rightly ordered, is one of the mercies God gives to awaken conscience. When a people lose the ability to blush over sin, they are close to judgment.
Therefore they will fall among those who fall. At the time God visits them in judgment, they will be cast down. The prophets and priests who helped the people feel secure in rebellion will not be able to save themselves when judgment arrives.
Jeremiah 6:16-17, The Opportunity for Wisdom
Jeremiah 6:16-17, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.”
This is one of the great calls in Jeremiah. “Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths.” God gives Judah the opportunity to recover wisdom. They are not told to invent a new religion, follow cultural trends, or create a modernized morality. They are told to look back to the tried and true ways of God, the ancient paths of covenant truth, repentance, obedience, fear of the LORD, and faithful worship.
The old paths are not good merely because they are old. Some old ways are sinful. These old paths are good because they are God’s paths. They are the ways revealed in His law and confirmed by His faithful dealings with His people. The good way is the way of obedience to the LORD.
The instructions are practical. First, they must stand in the ways. That means they must stop their reckless movement and consider their direction. Second, they must see. They must examine the path before them. Third, they must ask for the old paths. They must desire instruction. Fourth, they must recognize the good way. Fifth, they must walk in it. Knowing the right path is not enough. The path must be obeyed.
The promise is, “ye shall find rest your souls.” This rest is not laziness or escape. It is covenant peace, spiritual stability, and the settled blessing of walking in God’s way. The Lord Jesus later used this language when calling sinners to Himself.
Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
The rest promised through the old paths ultimately finds its fullness in Christ. He is the perfect revelation of God’s way and the only true rest for the soul.
But Judah’s response was blunt rebellion, “We will not walk therein.” God set watchmen over them, calling them to hear the sound of the trumpet, but they said, “We will not hearken.” This is not ignorance. This is refusal. The tragedy of Jeremiah 6 is that wisdom was available, but wisdom was rejected.
Jeremiah 6:18-20, The Result of Rejecting Wisdom
Jeremiah 6:18-20, “Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. Hear, O earth, behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it. To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.”
God now calls the nations and the earth to hear. Judah’s judgment becomes a public lesson. The whole world is summoned to witness what happens when God’s covenant people reject His word.
The coming calamity is called “the fruit their thoughts.” This is a vital statement. Judgment grows from the seeds of sinful thinking. Judah’s outward rebellion began in inward thoughts that rejected God. Their minds had become corrupt because they did not heed His words or His law.
Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he, Eat and drink, saith he to thee, but his heart is not with thee.”
A people’s thoughts eventually become a people’s character, and character eventually produces consequences. Judah’s calamity would be the harvest of their own thinking.
God then rejects their religious offerings. They brought incense from Sheba and sweet cane from a far country. These were expensive and impressive offerings. They continued the ceremonies, sacrifices, and religious acts. But God says, “your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.”
This is because religious ceremony cannot compensate for rejection of God’s word. Sacrifice without obedience is offensive to God.
1 Samuel 15:22, “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat rams.”
Judah wanted worship without obedience. God rejected it. No amount of incense, sacrifice, music, ritual, or temple activity can cover a heart that rejects the word of God.
Jeremiah 6:21, The Stumbling Blocks
Jeremiah 6:21, “Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them, the neighbour and his friend shall perish.”
Because Judah rejected the LORD’s word and law, God says He will lay stumbling blocks before them. The coming judgment is not accidental. Babylon’s invasion would not merely be a political event. It would be a stumbling block placed by God against a rebellious people.
The fathers and sons together will fall. The neighbor and friend will perish. Judgment will not be confined to one age group, one household, or one social class. The entire covenant community will feel the consequences of its rebellion.
This verse also reminds the reader of another biblical theme. Those who reject what God provides for salvation often stumble over it. The Messiah Himself is described as a stone over which the disobedient stumble.
1 Peter 2:7-8, “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head the corner, And a stone stumbling, and a rock offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed.”
Jeremiah’s immediate context concerns Babylon as an instrument of judgment, but the principle remains, rejection of God’s word makes men stumble.
Jeremiah 6:22-26, The Terror of Coming Judgment
Jeremiah 6:22-26, “Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides the earth. They shall lay hold on bow and spear, they are cruel, and have no mercy, their voice roareth like the sea, and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter Zion. We have heard the fame thereof, our hands wax feeble, anguish hath taken hold us, and pain, as of a woman in travail. Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way, for the sword the enemy and fear is on every side. O daughter my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes, make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation, for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.”
God again announces the invasion from the north. A great nation will be raised from the far parts of the earth. This refers to Babylon as the chosen instrument of judgment. Their military power is described with bow, spear, horses, and organized warfare.
“They are cruel, and have no mercy.” Judah had shown no true repentance, and the invading army would show no compassion. Their voice roars like the sea, overwhelming, terrifying, and unstoppable. They are set in array as men of war against the daughter of Zion.
The response is terror. “Our hands wax feeble.” Strength disappears. “Anguish hath taken hold us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.” This image appeared earlier in Jeremiah 4. The coming judgment will bring helpless agony. Judah, pictured as the daughter of Zion, is like a woman overtaken by labor pains she cannot stop.
The people are warned not to go into the field or walk by the way because the sword of the enemy and fear are on every side. Ordinary life becomes impossible under judgment. Fields, roads, travel, labor, and commerce become dangerous. Fear surrounds them.
The proper response is mourning, “gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes.” They are to mourn as for an only son. This is the most bitter lamentation, because the loss is devastating and irreplaceable. The spoiler will suddenly come. The word “suddenly” shows the shock of judgment when it finally arrives. They had ignored warnings for years, but when judgment comes, it will feel sudden.
Jeremiah 6:27-30, God’s People Tested Like Metal
Jeremiah 6:27-30, “I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way. They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders, they are brass and iron, they are all corrupters. The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed the fire, the founder melteth in vain, for the wicked are not plucked away. Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.”
The chapter ends with the image of metal testing and refining. God sets Jeremiah as a tower and fortress among His people so that he may know and try their way. The prophet is like an assayer who tests metal to see whether it is precious or worthless. Jeremiah’s preaching exposed the true condition of Judah.
The verdict is severe, “They are all grievous revolters.” They are rebels of the worst sort. They walk with slanders, showing corruption in speech and conduct. Instead of being precious metal like silver or gold, they are brass and iron. They are hard, base, and resistant to refining.
The refining process is described. The bellows burn. The fire is intense. The lead, used in the refining process, is consumed. The founder, or smelter, works in vain because the wicked are not removed. The image shows that every means of correction has failed. Prophetic warning, discipline, instruction, and judgment have not produced repentance.
This is a terrifying spiritual condition. The fire that should purify instead proves that the metal is worthless. Judah claimed to be precious, but testing revealed corruption. They were not silver with removable impurities. They were rejected silver, metal that failed the test.
“Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.” The rejection here refers to judgment. Judah had rejected the word of the LORD, and now the LORD rejects their false claim to covenant faithfulness. They are not rejected because God is unfaithful. They are rejected because they are stubborn rebels who will not be refined.
Doctrinal and Practical Notes
Jeremiah 6 teaches that sacred location cannot protect a rebellious people. Jerusalem had the temple and covenant history, yet God warned people to flee from it. A church building, religious heritage, denomination, family tradition, or national history cannot shield rebellion from the judgment of God.
Jeremiah 6 teaches that sin flows from the heart like a fountain. Jerusalem continually cast out wickedness. The problem was not merely isolated acts. The city’s moral life was diseased at the source.
Jeremiah 6 teaches that rejecting God’s word is a mark of coming judgment. The people had uncircumcised ears. The word of the LORD was a reproach to them. They had no delight in it. When a people no longer delight in Scripture, they will soon accept lies.
Jeremiah 6 teaches the danger of shallow healing. The false prophets healed the hurt of God’s people slightly. They said, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace. False comfort is one of the cruelest forms of spiritual leadership because it leaves people unprepared for God.
Jeremiah 6 teaches the value of the old paths. God called Judah to ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it. The old paths are the faithful ways of God’s revealed truth, not human nostalgia. They lead to rest for the soul.
Jeremiah 6 teaches that religious ceremony without obedience is unacceptable to God. Judah brought costly incense and sacrifices, but God rejected them because the people rejected His word. Worship cannot be separated from obedience.
Jeremiah 6 teaches that God’s judgment is not accidental. He laid stumbling blocks before the people. He raised up the invader from the north. Babylon was the instrument, but the LORD was the Judge.
Jeremiah 6 teaches that repeated refining can be resisted. Judah went through the fire, but the wicked were not drawn off. The problem was not that God failed to warn them. The problem was that they refused to be purified.
Jeremiah 6 ultimately points to the need for a true inward work of God. Judah could not be purified by external ritual, national reform, or shallow religious optimism. The heart had to be changed. This prepares the reader for the later promise of the New Covenant, where God writes His law inwardly.
Jeremiah 31:33, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house Israel, After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Summary
Jeremiah 6 continues the warnings of coming judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem. The children of Benjamin are warned to flee. The trumpet is blown. Disaster comes from the north. Jerusalem is pictured as a delicate woman who cannot stand before the invading army. The siege is commanded by the LORD of hosts because the city is full of oppression, violence, spoil, grief, and wounds.
The people refuse to hear because their ears are uncircumcised, and the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them. The prophets and priests deal falsely, healing the wound of the people slightly and saying, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. The people have lost the ability to blush.
God offers wisdom through the old paths, but Judah says, “We will not walk therein.” He sends watchmen, but they say, “We will not hearken.” Therefore, God calls the nations and the earth to witness the calamity that will come, the fruit of Judah’s own thoughts. Their offerings are rejected because they have rejected God’s word.
The chapter ends with the terror of Babylonian judgment and the image of Judah as metal tested in the fire. The refining process fails because the wicked are not removed. Therefore, they are called reprobate silver, because the LORD has rejected them.
