Being lesser than the birds

Jeremiah 8:4-17 (New International Version)

Sin and Punishment

⁴ "Say to them, 'This is what the LORD says:
" 'When men fall down, do they not get up?
When a man turns away, does he not return?

⁵ Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;
they refuse to return.

⁶ I have listened attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
No one repents of his wickedness,
saying, "What have I done?"
Each pursues his own course
like a horse charging into battle.

⁷ Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know
the requirements of the LORD.

⁸ " 'How can you say, "We are wise,
for we have the law of the LORD,"
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?

⁹ The wise will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed and trapped.
Since they have rejected the word of the LORD,
what kind of wisdom do they have?

¹⁰ Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.

¹¹ They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
"Peace, peace," they say,
when there is no peace.

¹² Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush.
So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished,
says the LORD.

¹³ " 'I will take away their harvest,
declares the LORD.
There will be no grapes on the vine.
There will be no figs on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.
What I have given them
will be taken from them. ^[a] ' "

¹⁴ "Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities
and perish there!
For the LORD our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water to drink,
because we have sinned against him.

¹⁵ We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there was only terror.

¹⁶ The snorting of the enemy's horses
is heard from Dan;
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.
They have come to devour
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there."

¹⁷ "See, I will send venomous snakes among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,
and they will bite you,"
declares the LORD.

I. Main Content

1> God tells prophet Jeremiah that He sees the unrepentant people of Israel. (v.4-6)

2> The prophet Jeremiah describes the people of Israel as being lesser than the birds of the air. (v.7)

3> The people of Israel, especially the religious leaders, are self-righteous in thinking that they have wisdom but are rejected by God. (v.8-9)

4> Since the people are greedy, practice deceit and are not ashamed of their actions, God wants to punish them. (v.10-13)

5> The prophet Jeremiah proclaims and describes the “unavoidable” disaster. (v.14-17)

Theme:

1> Being lesser than the birds

2> Going against God’s plan

II. Who is God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit?

1> God who reveals and grants his Word to people (v.4)

2> God who looks at people’s actions and listens to their voices (v.6)

3> God who issues statutes, decrees and the law (v.7-8)

4> God whose Word was neglected (v.9)

5> God who is in control of everything (v.10, 14, 17)

6>God who punishes those who go against Him (v.12, 14-17)

III. What does the passage teach us (about commands, promises, examples, exhortations, and warnings?)

1> The unchanging people (v.4-5)

"Say to them, 'This is what the LORD says:
" 'When men fall down, do they not get up?
When a man turns away, does he not return?

Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;
they refuse to return. (v.4-5)

Normally people who make a mistake will learn from it. But what is unfortunate is that sometimes due to one’s stubbornness, one does not learn from his/her mistakes. Therefore, the prophet Jeremiah uses a tone of wonder to convey God’s message which is to ask: When men fall down, do they not get up? When a man turns away, does he not return? Why then have these people turned away? Why does Jerusalem always turn away? They cling to deceit; they refuse to return.

Reflection: There is a proverb that says ‘to make a mistake is human, to forgive, divine’. Am I stubborn or willing to learn and change when speaking about my attitude towards making a mistake?

2> Being lesser than the birds (v.6-7)

I have listened attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
No one repents of his wickedness,
saying, "What have I done?"
Each pursues his own course
like a horse charging into battle.

Even the stork in the sky
knows her appointed seasons,
and the dove, the swift and the thrush
observe the time of their migration.
But my people do not know
the requirements of the LORD. (v.6-7)

The prophet Jeremiah uses animals as examples to describe the people of Israel. Firstly, he uses the example of a horse charging into battle to describe the Israelites’ hard-headedness to follow one’s own way. Furthermore, he uses the example of birds to describe their mistake of knowing their mistakes but not changing. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But the chosen people of God do not understand the requirements of God. Once they sin and go in the wrong direction, they still do not know to turn back. In the eyes of the prophet, the people of Israel are lesser than the birds.

Reflection: Are we lesser than the birds who know when to migrate or the animal offspring who know to kneel to receive milk from their parents?

3>Religious leaders’ condemnation (v.8-9, 10b-12a)

" 'How can you say, "We are wise,
for we have the law of the LORD,"
when actually the lying pen of the scribes
has handled it falsely?

The wise will be put to shame;
they will be dismayed and trapped.
Since they have rejected the word of the LORD,
what kind of wisdom do they have? (v.8-9)

From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit.

They dress the wound of my people
as though it were not serious.
"Peace, peace," they say,
when there is no peace.

Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct?
No, they have no shame at all;
they do not even know how to blush. (v.10b-12a)

The prophet Jeremiah continues on to state the condemnations of the religious leaders. Amongst them include the scribes handling the pen falsely, changing the law. From the least to the greatest, even the prophets and priests practice deceit. The sins that the people of Israel have committed have caused a lot of wound and are very serious but nonetheless they think it’s okay. Also, having done so many evil things, supposedly they should feel ashamed of themselves. However, not only do they have no shame at all but they do not even know how to blush.

Reflection: During the time, the religious leaders of Israel misinterpreted God’s law, were greedy, practiced deceit, took a serious matter as being light, and didn’t feel ashamed. Has this ever happened in my life?

4> The consequence of going against God (v.10, 12b-13)

Therefore I will give their wives to other men
and their fields to new owners.
From the least to the greatest,
all are greedy for gain;
prophets and priests alike,
all practice deceit. (v.10)

So they will fall among the fallen;
they will be brought down when they are punished,
says the LORD.

" 'I will take away their harvest,
declares the LORD.
There will be no grapes on the vine.
There will be no figs on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.
What I have given them
will be taken from them. ^[a] ' " (v.12b-13)

The prophet Jeremiah mentions that the consequence of going against God is to have to withstand a lot of shame. This is accomplished by giving their wives to other men and their fields to new owners, meaning that whatever they have will be taken away from them and given to others.

On top of that, they will fall among the fallen. Once God’s punishment arrives, they will be unable to recover. Although God wants to gather His people, like harvesting a crop, they do not know how to be like a vine that bears grapes. But on the other hand they are like a fig tree that doesn’t bear fruit, with leaves that are withered. Therefore, God not only allows the Gentiles to come take over their land, He also allows the Gentiles to kidnap them.

Reflection: Going against God will lead to defeat. Have I truly understood this law? How do I keep myself from going against Him?

5> The unavoidable disaster (v.13-17)

" 'I will take away their harvest,
declares the LORD.
There will be no grapes on the vine.
There will be no figs on the tree,
and their leaves will wither.
What I have given them
will be taken from them. ^[a] ' "

"Why are we sitting here?
Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities
and perish there!
For the LORD our God has doomed us to perish
and given us poisoned water to drink,
because we have sinned against him.

We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there was only terror.

The snorting of the enemy's horses
is heard from Dan;
at the neighing of their stallions
the whole land trembles.
They have come to devour
the land and everything in it,
the city and all who live there."

"See, I will send venomous snakes among you,
vipers that cannot be charmed,
and they will bite you,"
declares the LORD. (v.13-17)

God, through the prophet Jeremiah, announces that the trial is near, saying: I will doom them to perish. In other words, He already convicted them to a death penalty (v.13) or that He will send venomous snakes among you (v.17).

Therefore, when the trial comes, the people still very hurriedly runs to the firmest refuge that they have constructed, thinking that they can avoid the trial. Yet, in reality they cannot avoid it. As a result, they remind one another saying: "Why are we sitting here? Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there!” At that moment, they had only one way to go which was to wait and accept their unavoidable destruction.

Reflection: Facing God’s trial, have I grasped hold of the last chance to repent?

IV. My prayer / Life Application

Translated by: Timothy Tsay