Глава 6

“Come out, sons of Benjamin, from the midst of Jerusalem... blow the trumpet loudly, and erect a banner over Bethakharm” (Jer. 6:1). The prophet calls on the sons of Benjamin, although the sons of Judah lived with them in Jerusalem, but he calls on the sons of Benjamin because they lived in the northern part of the city, and the Babylonians were about to come. from the north; therefore, the invasion of the Babylonians primarily threatened the sons of Benjamin. So, they and the neighboring inhabitants of Bethharm (Bethkarem) are encouraged by the prophet to gather troops for war with the Chaldeans, who will soon come to them. “You have become like a lustful and effeminate woman, O daughter of Zion” (Jer. 6:2), says the Lord to Jerusalem, which, in the midst of perfect peace and in complete pleasure, indulges in bliss. The Prophet shows that soon, instead of prosperity, disasters will come, that Jerusalem, instead of fun and entertainment during the war, will experience horror and oppression, and this will be especially difficult for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, because they are accustomed not to suffering, but to a pampered life. “For this saith the Lord of hosts: Sow the tree thereof, and set an ambush for Jerusalem, a visitation shall be upon her,” that is, he is given over to plunder and captivity, “All violence is in it!” (Jer.6:6). The reason why Jerusalem endures violence lies not in others, but in itself, and it accepts what is due to it, because the wickedness of its inhabitants testifies to their corrupt ways and shamelessness. In another sense, “all violence in it,” that is, the plunder of the city and the captivity of its inhabitants, is a consequence of the fact that the rich oppress and oppress the poor in the city without any reason and with impunity. This is consistent with what the prophet further says: “just as... a well collects its water, so it has gathered up its own evil within itself” (Jer. 6:7). This was the case in the last years of the reign of Solomon and under the kings who reigned in Jerusalem after him, especially during the time of Manasseh. The Jews and, mainly, the inhabitants of Jerusalem collected idols in their cities, revered by neighboring peoples, and worshiped them as their gods. “You were punished with weakness and a plague, O Jerusalem,” that is, with a slight weakness and a light plague sent down on you. “Let not My soul depart from you, lest I make you an unpassable land, an uninhabitable land” (Jer. 6:8). The Prophet exhorts the Jews, so that those admonished by the Babylonian captivity, when they are returned to their former state, should abhor the worship of alien deities, as the source of all disasters. And if the Jews do not come to their senses with this punishment, they will never see the promised land, and it will remain an uninhabited land. “To whom will I speak and (to whom) will I testify, and will he hear?” (Jer.6:10). The entire people of Judah indulge in luxury and are ungodly (engaged in lawlessness), princes and commoners, prophets and priests are tied to vile gains (income). “And I purpose the destruction of My people, humiliatingly” (Jer. 6:13). The prophet denounces false prophets and wicked priests who deceived the people with empty news about the world and the present state of affairs in order to remove from them the fear of threatening danger, and thereby mocked the common people. “For this reason they will fall with those who fall,” that is, the prophets who hope to heal the ulcers of My people and turn away from them the battles that threaten them. “And during their visit they will perish” (Jer. 6:15), that is, when they fulfill what is determined, the people and their deceivers, the false prophets, will together be punished with heavy captivity. “This says the Lord: stand on the way and see, and ask about the eternal paths of the Lord” (Jer. 6:16). Here Jeremiah repeats to the Jews the words spoken to them by Moses: “Remember the days of eternity, consider the years of generations: ask your father, and your elders will tell you, and they will tell you” (Deut. 32:7), that is, pay attention and delve into what blessings your God endowed the righteous in all generations, and with what blessed end he consoled them, as well as with what grave punishments struck the wicked, how hateful and vile was the end of their lives. Therefore, the prophet exhorts the Jews to imitate their righteous fathers, and not their wicked sons. “And you see,” he says, “which is the good way, and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls” (Jer. 6:16). “And I will set watchmen over you: hear the sound of the trumpets. And rekosha: we will not listen” (Jer. 6:17). The prophet calls the voice of the trumpet the preaching of the prophets, which the Jews rejected. “Hear those nations, understand the assembly that is in them” (Jer. 6:18). The prophet no longer appeals to the Jews and not to the remnants of the tribes of Israel, who were in captivity among the pagans for many years, but speaks to foreign nations, and at the same time to the Jews and the Church, hidden in them, and composed of them. And this Church convinces to hear and comprehend that strict judgment with which God will punish the Jews, and the final condemnation that will be determined for them after they have killed the Lord. This is similar to what the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians: “And this was done to us, that we should not be the lust of evil, as they also desired” (1 Cor. 10:6). “Your sacrifices do not please Me” (Jer. 6:20). Only external service is displeasing to me, and if internal service is not added to external service, there is no benefit for you; you hope in vain for your sacrifices. Jeremiah further repeats this, saying: “When they fast, I will not hear their petition, and even if they offer burnt offerings and sacrifices, I will not take pleasure in them” (Jer. 14:12). “Behold, a people is coming from the land of the north, and a great tongue will arise from the ends of the earth” (Jer. 6:22). Again he tells the Jews about the invasion of the Babylonians and frightens them with an attack from their enemies. “Their voice is like a roaring sea” (Jer. 6:23), that is, a sea tossed by storms, in which the waves rise and roar from strong winds, pressing against one another and emitting a terrible voice. “I have given you the tempter among my mighty people, so that you may hang... always tempt” (Jer. 6:27) their deeds, you will test their ways and discover their wickedness. This is consistent with what was said earlier, when God sent Jeremiah and commanded him to “uproot... and plant” (Jer. 1:10). “The fur is thin from the fire, the tin is rotten” (Jer. 6:29). The comparison continues. First it is said that Jeremiah was given to the Jews as a tempter; it now appears that this trial was of no use. The silversmith (smelter), when melting silver, puts tin in the crucible along with it, so that the fire directly touches the tin, and the silver does not burn, and so that the fusibility of tin facilitates the remelting of silver. For as soon as the tin burns out, the refining of silver ends. But when God wanted to melt the hearts of the Jews, he was not successful. “From the fire...their tin was destroyed,” that is, not from the fire that a skilled silversmith makes, but from their fire, from their wickedness, and therefore all the silver that was in them was lost, and nothing was left for the tempter; or the silver was so covered with dross that the tempter could no longer melt it. But for God nothing is impossible. The Lord in Isaiah says: “And I will lay down my hand.” I will mine mine against you, and I will kindle into purity those who rebel against you, and I will take away from you all those who transgress against you” (Is. 1:25). You might be interested in: