Jeremiah 2:8

JEREMIAH—NOTE ON Jeremiah 2:8 Three groups (priests, shepherds, and prophets) bear heavy responsibility for this unfaithfulness. The priests handle the law but did not know God. Their lack of faith meant they could not teach the people the knowledge of God (Hosea 4:1). The shepherds, the nation’s rulers (see note on Jer. 3:15), rebelled against God’s rule. The prophets prophesied by Baal rather than by the Spirit of God, a clear contrast to the task of a true prophet (Jeremiah 1:17). Baal was a Canaanite storm god. Considered the source of fertility, he was thought to make both the earth and women reproduce. Such power was important in an agricultural economy. Worship practices included sexual activities for men and women at sacred shrines. Thus, people could worship sex and power and be considered righteous for doing so!