Jeremiah 2:2
"Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: 'I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem
This phrase begins with a divine command to the prophet Jeremiah. The Hebrew word for "go" (הלך, halak) implies movement with purpose, indicating that Jeremiah is to take deliberate action. "Proclaim" (קרא, qara) suggests a public announcement, often used for declarations of significant importance. The "hearing of Jerusalem" signifies that this message is directed to the heart of the nation, the city that represents the spiritual and political center of Israel. Historically, Jerusalem was the site of the Temple, the dwelling place of God's presence, making it a fitting location for such a proclamation.

that this is what the LORD says
The phrase underscores the authority of the message. "LORD" (יהוה, Yahweh) is the covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal, self-existent nature and His relationship with Israel. This is not Jeremiah's message but a divine oracle, carrying the weight and authority of God Himself. The phrase "this is what the LORD says" is a common prophetic formula, ensuring the audience understands the divine origin of the message.

I remember the devotion of your youth
"Remember" (זכר, zakar) in Hebrew conveys more than mere recollection; it implies an active consideration or bringing to mind with intent. "Devotion" (חסד, chesed) is a rich term often translated as loving-kindness or steadfast love, reflecting a deep, covenantal loyalty. "Youth" (נעורים, ne'urim) refers to the early days of Israel's relationship with God, particularly during the Exodus and the wilderness period, a time of initial fervor and commitment.

your love as a bride
The imagery of "love" (אהבה, ahavah) and "bride" (כלה, kallah) evokes the intimate and exclusive relationship between God and Israel. This metaphor of marriage is frequently used in Scripture to describe the covenant relationship, highlighting themes of fidelity, passion, and commitment. Historically, this reflects the period when Israel was newly delivered from Egypt and wholly dependent on God, akin to a bride's reliance on her husband.

how you followed Me in the wilderness
"Followed" (הלך, halak) here is the same root as "go" earlier, indicating a journey or walk with God. The "wilderness" (מדבר, midbar) represents both a physical and spiritual landscape. It was a place of testing and reliance on God, where Israel learned to trust in His provision and guidance. This period is often idealized as a time of purity and dependence, despite the challenges faced.

in a land not sown
The phrase "a land not sown" (ארץ לא זרועה, eretz lo zeruah) emphasizes the barrenness and desolation of the wilderness. It was a place without agriculture or permanent settlement, underscoring Israel's reliance on God's miraculous provision of manna and water. This setting serves as a backdrop for Israel's faith journey, highlighting the contrast between their initial trust and later disobedience.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the people of Judah. Known for his lamentations and warnings of impending judgment.

2. Jerusalem
The capital city of Judah, representing the heart of the nation and its spiritual center. It is the primary audience of Jeremiah's message.

3. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who speaks through Jeremiah, reminding the people of their past devotion and love.

4. The Wilderness
Refers to the period of Israel's history when they wandered in the desert after the Exodus from Egypt, a time of reliance on God.

5. The Bride
Symbolizes Israel's early relationship with God, characterized by love and faithfulness, akin to a bride's devotion to her husband.
Teaching Points
Remembering Our First Love
Just as God recalls Israel's early devotion, Christians are encouraged to remember their initial passion and commitment to Christ. Reflect on the fervor of your early faith and seek to rekindle that love.

Faithfulness in the Wilderness
The wilderness represents times of trial and testing. Like Israel, believers are called to follow God faithfully even when the path is uncertain and the land is "not sown."

Covenant Relationship
The imagery of a bride highlights the covenant relationship between God and His people. Christians are reminded of their covenant through Christ and the call to live in faithfulness and love.

God's Unchanging Love
Despite Israel's later unfaithfulness, God's remembrance of their early devotion shows His enduring love. Believers can find comfort in God's steadfast love and His desire for reconciliation.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of a bride in Jeremiah 2:2 enhance our understanding of Israel's relationship with God?

2. In what ways can we, as modern believers, identify with the "wilderness" experience mentioned in this verse?

3. Reflect on a time when your faith was particularly strong. What factors contributed to that devotion, and how can you cultivate it again?

4. How does the concept of covenant in the Old Testament relate to the New Covenant established through Jesus Christ?

5. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your love for God remains vibrant and does not grow cold, as warned in Revelation 2:4?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 19:4-6
This passage describes God's covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, where He calls them a "kingdom of priests" and a "holy nation," reflecting the intimate relationship likened to a marriage.

Hosea 2:14-15
Hosea uses the metaphor of Israel as God's unfaithful wife, yet God promises to allure her back, similar to the imagery in Jeremiah 2:2.

Revelation 2:4
The church in Ephesus is admonished for abandoning its first love, paralleling Israel's forgotten devotion in Jeremiah.
God's Estimation of His People's LoveA.F. Muir Jeremiah 2:2
Backsliding ReprovedW. Jay.Jeremiah 2:1-3
Changed Moral ConditionsA. Hampden Lee.Jeremiah 2:1-3
FailuresW. Jay.Jeremiah 2:1-3
God's Remembrance of Our Covenant with HimJob Orton.Jeremiah 2:1-3
Thy First LoveJeremiah 2:1-3
Youthful ReligionR. Winter, D. D.Jeremiah 2:1-3
Israel's Desertion of Jehovah Viewed in the Light of the PastD. Young Jeremiah 2:1-8
A Sweet Remembrance EmbitteredS. Conway Jeremiah 2:1-14
First Love to GodA.F. Muir Jeremiah 2:2, 3
People
Gad, Jacob, Jeremiah, Kedar, Kittim, Kittites
Places
Assyria, Cyprus, Egypt, Euphrates River, Jerusalem, Kedar, Memphis, Nile River, Tahpanhes
Topics
Bride, Cry, Desert, Devotion, Ears, Followed, Hearing, Jerusalem, Kindness, Love, Loved, Remember, Saying, Says, Sown, Thus, Weddings, Wilderness, Youth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 2:2

     1346   covenants, nature of
     1349   covenant, at Sinai
     5712   marriage, God and his people
     5732   polygamy
     5744   wife
     5746   youth
     6232   rejection of God, results
     7021   church, OT anticipations
     7031   unity, God's goal
     8136   knowing God, effects
     8251   faithfulness, to God
     8304   loyalty

Jeremiah 2:1-2

     7241   Jerusalem, significance

Jeremiah 2:1-3

     4442   firstfruits

Jeremiah 2:1-4

     7740   missionaries, call

Jeremiah 2:1-11

     5838   disrespect

Jeremiah 2:2-3

     4816   drought, physical
     4909   beginning
     5659   bride
     5717   monogamy

Library
Stiff-Necked Idolaters and Pliable Christians
'Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods? but My people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit.'--JER. ii. 11. The obstinacy of the adherents of idolatry is in striking contrast with Israel's continual tendency to forsake Jehovah. It reads a scarcely less forcible lesson to many nominal and even to some real Christians. I. That contrast carries with it a disclosure of the respective origins of the two kinds of Religion. The strangeness of the contrasted conduct is
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Forsaking Jehovah
'Know therefore, and see, that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that My fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.'--JER. ii. 19. Of course the original reference is to national apostasy, which was aggravated by the national covenant, and avenged by national disasters, which are interpreted and urged by the prophet as God's merciful pleading with men. But the text is true in reference to individuals. I. The universal indictment. This is not so
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Balak's Inquiries Relative to the Service of God, and Balaam's Answer, Briefly Considered.
"Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with, thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first born for my transgression; the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?--He hath shewed thee, 0 man, what is good: And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" As mankind are
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

"He is the Rock, his Work is Perfect, for all his Ways are Judgment, a God of Truth, and Without Iniquity, Just and Right is He.
Deut. xxxii. 4, 5.--"He is the Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are judgment, a God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children," &c. There are none can behold their own vileness as it is, but in the sight of God's glorious holiness. Sin is darkness, and neither sees itself, nor any thing else, therefore must his light shine to discover this darkness. If we abide within ourselves, and men like ourselves,
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

That it is not Lawful for the Well Affected Subjects to Concur in Such an Engagement in War, and Associate with the Malignant Party.
That It Is Not Lawful For The Well Affected Subjects To Concur In Such An Engagement In War, And Associate With The Malignant Party. Some convinced of the unlawfulness of the public resolutions and proceedings, in reference to the employing of the malignant party, yet do not find such clearness and satisfaction in their own consciences as to forbid the subjects to concur in this war, and associate with the army so constituted. Therefore it is needful to speak something to this point, That it is
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

A Book for Boys and Girls Or, Temporal Things Spritualized.
by John Bunyan, Licensed and entered according to order. London: Printed for, and sold by, R. Tookey, at his Printing House in St. Christopher's Court, in Threadneedle Street, behind the Royal Exchange, 1701. Advertisement by the Editor. Some degree of mystery hangs over these Divine Emblems for children, and many years' diligent researches have not enabled me completely to solve it. That they were written by Bunyan, there cannot be the slightest doubt. 'Manner and matter, too, are all his own.'[1]
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

'The God of the Amen'
'He who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth.'--ISAIAH lxv. 16. The full beauty and significance of these remarkable words are only reached when we attend to the literal rendering of a part of them which is obscured in our version. As they stand in the original they have, in both cases, instead of the vague expression, 'The God of truth,' the singularly picturesque one, 'The God of the Amen.' I. Note
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

"All Our Righteousnesses are as Filthy Rags, and we all do Fade as a Leaf, and Our Iniquities, Like the Wind, have Taken us Away. "
Isaiah lxiv. 6, 7.--"All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Not only are the direct breaches of the command uncleanness, and men originally and actually unclean, but even our holy actions, our commanded duties. Take a man's civility, religion, and all his universal inherent righteousness,--all are filthy rags. And here the church confesseth nothing but what God accuseth her of, Isa. lxvi. 8, and chap. i. ver.
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

How Christ is the Way in General, "I am the Way. "
We come now to speak more particularly to the words; and, first, Of his being a way. Our design being to point at the way of use-making of Christ in all our necessities, straits, and difficulties which are in our way to heaven; and particularly to point out the way how believers should make use of Christ in all their particular exigencies; and so live by faith in him, walk in him, grow up in him, advance and march forward toward glory in him. It will not be amiss to speak of this fulness of Christ
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

All Mankind Guilty; Or, Every Man Knows More than He Practises.
ROMANS i. 24.--"When they knew God, they glorified him not as God." The idea of God is the most important and comprehensive of all the ideas of which the human mind is possessed. It is the foundation of religion; of all right doctrine, and all right conduct. A correct intuition of it leads to correct religious theories and practice; while any erroneous or defective view of the Supreme Being will pervade the whole province of religion, and exert a most pernicious influence upon the entire character
William G.T. Shedd—Sermons to the Natural Man

A Short and Easy Method of Prayer
CHAPTER I The Universal Call to Prayer What a dreadful delusion hath prevailed over the greater part of mankind, in supposing that they are not called to a state of prayer! whereas all are capable of prayer, and are called thereto, as all are called to and are capable of salvation. Prayer is the application of the heart to God, and the internal exercise of love. S. Paul hath enjoined us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. v 17), and our Lord saith, "I say unto you all, watch and pray" (Mark xiii.
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

All are Commanded to Pray --Prayer the Great Means of Salvation
CHAPTER I. ALL ARE COMMANDED TO PRAY--PRAYER THE GREAT MEANS OF SALVATION, AND POSSIBLE AT ALL TIMES BY THE MOST SIMPLE. Prayer is nothing else but the application of the heart to God, and the interior exercise of love. St Paul commands us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. v. 17). Our Lord says: "Take ye heed, watch and pray." "And what I say unto you, I say unto all" (Mark xiii. 33, 37). All, then, are capable of prayer, and it is the duty of all to engage in it. But I do not think that all are
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

What are Consequences of Backsliding in Heart.
The text says, that "the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways." 1. He shall be filled with his own works. But these are dead works, they are not works of faith and love, which are acceptable to God, but are the filthy rags of his own righteousness. If they are performed as religious services, they are but loathsome hypocrisy, and an abomination to God; there is no heart in them. To such a person God says: "Who hath required this at your hand?" (Isaiah 1:12). "Ye are they which justify
Charles G. Finney—The Backslider in Heart

Backsliding.
"I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away."--Hosea xiv. 4. There are two kinds of backsliders. Some have never been converted: they have gone through the form of joining a Christian community and claim to be backsliders; but they never have, if I may use the expression, "slid forward." They may talk of backsliding; but they have never really been born again. They need to be treated differently from real back-sliders--those who have been born of the incorruptible
Dwight L. Moody—The Way to God and How to Find It

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8

That the Unskilful Venture not to Approach an Office of Authority.
No one presumes to teach an art till he has first, with intent meditation, learnt it. What rashness is it, then, for the unskilful to assume pastoral authority, since the government of souls is the art of arts! For who can be ignorant that the sores of the thoughts of men are more occult than the sores of the bowels? And yet how often do men who have no knowledge whatever of spiritual precepts fearlessly profess themselves physicians of the heart, though those who are ignorant of the effect of
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

"So Then they that are in the Flesh Cannot Please God. "
Rom. viii. 8.--"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is a kind of happiness to men, to please them upon whom they depend, and upon whose favour their well-being hangs. It is the servant's happiness to please his master, the courtier's to please his prince; and so generally, whosoever they be that are joined in mutual relations, and depend one upon another; that which makes all pleasant, is this, to please one another. Now, certainly, all the dependencies of creatures one upon
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters,
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Or, a Brief Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ, to his Poor Servant, John Bunyan
In this my relation of the merciful working of God upon my soul, it will not be amiss, if in the first place, I do in a few words give you a hint of my pedigree, and manner of bringing up; that thereby the goodness and bounty of God towards me, may be the more advanced and magnified before the sons of men. 2. For my descent then, it was, as is well known by many, of a low and inconsiderable generation; my father's house being of that rank that is meanest, and most despised of all the families in
John Bunyan—Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

"He is the Rock, his Work is Perfect. For all his Ways are Judgment. A God of Truth, and Without Iniquity, Just and Right is He.
Deut. xxxii. 4, 5.--"He is the rock, his work is perfect. For all his ways are judgment. A God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he. They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children. They are a perverse and crooked generation." "All his ways are judgment," both the ways of his commandments and the ways of his providence, both his word which he hath given as a lantern to men's paths, and his works among men. And this were the blessedness of men, to be found
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

1 to Pray Does not Imply that Without Prayer God Would not Give us Anything...
1. To pray does not imply that without prayer God would not give us anything or that He would be unaware of our needs, but it has this great advantage, that in the attitude of prayer the soul is best fitted to receive the Giver of blessing as well as those blessings He desires to bestow. Thus it was that the fullness of the Spirit was not poured out upon the Apostles on the first day, but after ten days of special preparation. If a blessing were conferred upon one without a special readiness for
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The River of Egypt, Rhinocorura. The Lake of Sirbon.
Pliny writes, "From Pelusium are the intrenchments of Chabrias: mount Casius: the temple of Jupiter Casius: the tomb of Pompey the Great: Ostracine: Arabia is bounded sixty-five miles from Pelusium: soon after begins Idumea and Palestine from the rising up of the Sirbon lake." Either my eyes deceive me, while I read these things,--or mount Casius lies nearer Pelusium, than the lake of Sirbon. The maps have ill placed the Sirbon between mount Casius and Pelusium. Sirbon implies burning; the name of
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

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