Day 207: Jeremiah’s second message

Jeremiah wants to confront the complacency of Judah. His tactic seems to be as insulting as possible.

Israel better than Judah
Jeremiah 3:6-11
Pardon is promised
Jeremiah 3:12-20
Israel’s repentance
Jeremiah 3:21-25
A call to repentance
Jeremiah 4:1-4
Judah is threatened
Jeremiah 4:5-12
Judah is surrounded
Jeremiah 4:5-18
Jeremiah’s sorrow
Jeremiah 4:19-22
His vision
Jeremiah 4:23-31
Jerusalem’s sin
Jeremiah 5:1-11
Israel’s enemies
Jeremiah 5:12-19
God’s warning
Jeremiah 5:20-31

Jeremiah compares Israel and Judah to two wayward sisters. The people of Judah had got used to despising Israel, who fell to the Assyrians. So for Jeremiah to say that Judah is worse was a real slap in the face. The trouble with insulting people is that it doesn’t incline them to listen to you.
It’s not too late, Jeremiah wants to tell them. Make your repentance genuine, and you will be safe. trouble is stirring in the north, another empire is on the rise. The problem is that the people have seen off Assyria and think they’ve got nothing to fear. They may be turning their backs on their idols, but they are still practising injustice. Where’s the genuine repentance that God seeks?