Jeremiah
Chapter 11
The Terms of the Covenant
This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:
Say to the people of Jerusalem:
Cursed is anyone who does not heed the terms of this Covenant,
which I commanded for your ancestors the day I freed them from that cleansing furnace that Egypt is. I told them: ‘If you obey my voice and do all that I command you, you will be my people, and I will be your God.
Then I will fulfill the promise I made to your ancestors—to give you a land flowing with milk and honey,’ (as it is today). I replied: “Amen, Lord.”
The Lord told me: “Publish what I say in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, ‘Hear the terms of this Covenant and keep them.
When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, I solemnly warned them and have continued to tell them: ‘Obey me.’
But they did not listen to me or heed what I said; each one followed his stubborn heart. So I fulfilled against them all the words of this Covenant that I had commanded them, but which they did not follow.”
The Lord said to me: “There is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
They have returned to the sins of their ancestors who refused to obey me; they have followed and served foreign gods. The nation of Israel and the nation of Judah have broken the Covenant I made with their ancestors.”
That is why the Lord says to you, “I will bring upon them a disaster from which there will be no escape. When they cry to me, I will not listen.
Then the cities of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go crying to the gods they worship, but these will not help them in their trouble.
No Prayers, No Worship, No Choice
For you, Judah, have as many gods as there are cities; as numerous as the streets in Jerusalem are the altars you have built to Baal.
For your part, do not plead for this people or make any petitions, because I will not listen when they cry out to me in their distress.
What is my beloved doing in my house? She is plotting evil deeds. Will your vows and the meat of your victims cleanse you from your wickedness and allow you to rejoice? The Lord had called you
‘Beautiful Green Olive Tree —fair and fruitful!’ But with the storm’s roar, its foliage caught fire and its branches broke.
And the Lord, God of Hosts, who planted you, has condemned you to shame. Indeed, the nation of Israel and the nation of Jacob harmed themselves when they worshiped Baal and provoked my anger.
Jeremiah’s Confessions: The Beginning of Persecution
The Lord revealed it to me, so I know! And you allowed me to see their scheming: ( 12: 6) “Be cautious, even your relatives and family members are false with you; they openly criticize you behind your back. Don’t trust them when they act friendly.”
But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not realize it was against me that they were plotting: “Let us feed him with trials and remove him from the land of the living and let his name never be mentioned again.”
The Lord, God of Hosts, you who judge with justice and know everyone’s heart and intentions, let me see your vengeance on them, for I have entrusted my cause to you.
This is what the Lord says against the people of Anathoth, who threatened me with death and said: “Do not prophesy anymore in the name of the Lord, and we will spare your life.”
The Lord says to them: “This is how I will punish you: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and daughters shall die of hunger.
No one will survive when I bring disaster upon the people of Anathoth during their year of punishment.”
Commentaries
The Terms of the Covenant.
God reminds his people of the covenant’s terms, which they have failed to keep. This failure led the Deuteronomist school to suggest a return to the origins, as Israel had nearly completely strayed from the path set at Sinai when they left Egypt. This Deuteronomist idea was partly approved by King Josiah when he launched a religious reform in 622 B.C. (2 Kgs 23), which was triggered by the discovery of a scroll in the temple containing the original Law of Moses (cf. 2 Kgs 22:8). Israel was chosen from all nations and called to be and live as the people of the true God, the Lord (4). Their covenant obligation is to obey God (7). However, Israel ignored the Lord’s voice, choosing to follow other gods who never offered true life. God set out to be the source of life and the path to freedom for His people (4). Conversely, Israel followed other gods (10:12ff, 17) who do not bring life but drain it, leading the people to face the crossroads of death.
No Prayers, No Worship, No Choice.
These verses expand on the condemnation outlined earlier. Israel has betrayed the covenant by worshipping other deities, which, instead of helping them prosper, causes their decline and diverts them from the one God they had pledged to follow. What the prophet considers most serious is that, while worshipping other gods, sacrifices are also offered to the Lord, and people turn to Him as if nothing has changed.
Jeremiah’s Confessions: The Be-ginning of Persecution.
Jeremiah’s words are not well received by the people, his neighbors, or even his family, putting his life and the continuation of his ministry at risk. However, the prophet refuses to back down despite the threats; his mission, already described in 1:4-10, must continue. He believes this is the Lord’s cause, and he commits his whole life and ministry to Him. A key trait of a true prophet is that their message is not always pleasant; it can make people uncomfortable. This helps determine whether the prophet is speaking for himself or on behalf of God—that is, God’s cause.