Devotional Commentary on Jeremiah 3
Jeremiah was a real student of Deuteronomy and he knew
it well. Moses was his favorite. Rather than polarizing Moses and Jeremiah as
Fishbane 1989 did, it is better to keep perspective. In verse 1 Jeremiah is
expounding Moses with a paraphrase. His plan is not to rewrite the law of Moses
or to change it. He cites it to move into the spiritual sphere of the
relationship of God with Israel. Fishbane blames Jeremiah that he allows for a
return to God but in civil law in the case of a [palingamy] ‘again marry’
situation, it cannot be. Let us analyze:
Deuteronomy 24:1-4
[A-deut] If a man marries a woman who becomes
displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he
writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from
his house,
2 [B-deut]
and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, 3 and
her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives
it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies,
4 [C-deut] then her first
husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been
defiled. [The issue of palingamy = again marry].
[D-deut] ((That would be detestable in the eyes of
the Lord.)) Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is
giving you as an inheritance.
Jeremiah 3:1
(Paraphrasing Moses’ legal statement)
[A-jer] “If a man divorces his wife
[B-jer] and she leaves him and marries another man,
[C-jer] should he return to her again? [The question of palingamy is under
investigation here].
[D-jer] Would not the land be completely defiled?
((Applicational)):
But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers—
would you now return to me?” [Conversion]
declares the Lord.
M. Fishbane thought that although the lexical [word] and
topical [theme] components were the same there are still aggadic [storytelling
aspects] variations (Fishbane 1989: 308). The old law was a civil Rechtspraxis,
a real law for the court. Jeremiah, says Fishbane, recasted it in terms of
national and spiritual. But this is not true. Jeremiah brought out what Moses
packed into it whether explicitly or implicitly. The same Spirit helped Moses
formulate that helped Jeremiah. Moses included also the application spiritual
aspect that Fishbane missed and we have demonstrated it with ((…)) in Moses’
words from Deuteronomy. Does Jeremiah create an ambiguous situation here as
Fishbane is pushing for? God would be happy if the sinner returns to Him in
Moses as well as in Jeremiah’s text. Spiritually there is no difference between
them. Jeremiah did not create ‘a legal-religious paradox here in his aggadic
rhetoric spin’ (so Fishbane 310) for Fishbane missed the spiritual dimension
embedded in Moses. There are no contradictions as he is trying to explain and
it is not a case that Jeremiah is invoking the legal traditum in order to
introduce a theological exegesis of it. Both Moses and Jeremiah is theological
and both dealt with the same law and Jeremiah focus on the spiritual
consequences of the civil law that can explain our relationship on vertical
matters too.
In 629 BCE, the problem was that at Kuntillet `Ajrud
and Khirbet el-Kom nearby in the Negev they have waited on a hill for the
traders, Assyrian soldiers on their horses to provide comfort service for them
in fashion-shows and cultic theater and music displays of wine, woman and songs
(verse 2). In verse 2 the same thought as Moses in Deuteronomy 12:2 can be seen
with this difference, in Moses it was applied to the abomination of the nations
but in Jeremiah it was applied to Israel themselves since they have become
mixed with the customs of the Canaanites. Moses sat on the other side of the
Jordan and idealized the proper spiritual Israel actions and Jeremiah was
sitting on the opposite side of the Jordan in the land knowing their spiritual
decadence very well.
God punished them with drought but it did not help
(verse 3). They returned in sin and not from sin (verse 4). God wants them to
come clean (verse 5).
In the days of Josiah (629-624 BCE) the Lord showed
him the faithlessness of Israel (verse 6). Asherah worship was popular since
green trees were associated with the cult of Asherah. Israel did not return to
the Lord but the Lord thought that Judah would but they did not (verse 7).
The punishment for Israel was a divorce in the relationship
with God and that they would return but they did not and He hoped that Judah
would at least take note and return but they did neither (verse 8). With stones
and trees did they commit harlotry (verse 9). Judah remained deceived (verse
10.
In comparison to what Israel did and Judah, Judah was
worse than Israel (verse 11). The Lord asked faithless Israel to return (verse
12). They need to acknowledge their iniquity and that they have played the
harlot with Asherah cults under green trees (verse 13). The Lord will be
willing to take them one from a city and two from a family and bring them to
Zion (verse 14). At this Zion they will be educated to be Shepherds and these
Shepherds will be of high knowledge “who will feed you on knowledge and
understanding” (verse 15). In the Eschaton in mind here in verse 16 the ark
will not be necessary. When the Second Coming took place and the saved ones are
in Zion, then the New Jerusalem in heaven shall be called: “The Throne of the
Lord”. They will all be perfect: “nor shall they walk anymore after the stubbornness
of their evil heart” (verse 17).
In unity shall both Israel and Judah walk in those
days (verse 18). In verse 19 is the dream of God with humanity: to give them a
space of tranquility and make them sons and daughters of God so that they can
worship the Father.
But, they have dealt very bad with God (verse 20).
They perverted their way and forgot the Lord (verse 21).
Still God is holding out repentance as an way of
escape (verse 22). The Asherah hills are deception but God is salvation (verse
23). But the situation is serious for a long time (verse 24).
Jeremiah is pleading by including himself that they
should admit their shame, admit that they sinned and are thus humiliated, for a
long time already and that they have not obeyed the voice of the Lord (verse
25).
Dear Lord
What a God that is standing on the corners to run
after us. Keep grabbing us back Lord for that is what most of us need. Prevent
us from falling from You ever. Amen.