Jeremiah 7:24-28

B. Persistent Obstinacy Jeremiah 7:24-28

TRANSLATION

(24) But they would not hearken and they did not stretch out the ear but walked in the counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart and they went backwards and not forwards. (25) Even from the day when your fathers went out from the land of Egypt unto this day I sent unto them all My servants the prophets (urgently and persistently sending). (26) But they did not hearken unto Me nor did they incline their ears, but made hard the neck and committed evil more than their fathers. (27) When you speak unto them all these words they will not hearken unto you; when you call unto them they will not answer you. (28) Therefore you shall say unto them: This is the nation which will not hearken to the voice of the LORD their God nor will they accept correction. Faith has perished, it is cut off from their mouth.

COMMENTS

The people of Israel had a record of obstinacy. They had no desire to listen to the commandments of God. They followed instead the inclinations of their own evil hearts. In relationship to God they had gone backward and not forward (Jeremiah 7:24). In other words they had turned their back to God and not their faces. Religious experimentation always masquerades as progressive development. In the view of Jeremiah, to depart from the old paths of truth and fidelity was retrogressive.

From the days of the Exodus from Egypt God had continually and earnestly communicated with His people through prophets (Jeremiah 7:25). But the people paid no heed to these servants of the Lord. Rather than inclining their ears in the direction of these messengers of God they made their necks hard. Each generation seemed to become more sinful than the preceding one (Jeremiah 7:26). The people will not listen to Jeremiah any more than they listened to his predecessors in the prophetic ministry (Jeremiah 7:27). All he can do is publicly accuse them of obstinacy: This is the nation which will not hearken to the voice of the Lord their God nor accept correction. No other nation had been so blessed, so honored, so trained and guided. Yet this is the nation which refuses to heed the word of God. Faith or truth has vanished from their prayers and from their praise (Jeremiah 7:28).