Go up to Lebanon and cry out; raise your voice in Bashan; cry out from Abarim, for all your lovers have been crushed. Go up to LebanonThe phrase "Go up to Lebanon" refers to a call to ascend to the mountainous region of Lebanon, known for its majestic cedar trees. In the Hebrew context, Lebanon often symbolizes strength and grandeur. The cedars of Lebanon were highly prized and used in the construction of significant buildings, including Solomon's Temple. This call to "go up" can be seen as a metaphor for seeking refuge or help from places of perceived strength and security. However, in the context of Jeremiah's prophecy, it is a futile endeavor, as no earthly power can provide true deliverance from God's judgment. and cry out
The instruction to "cry out" suggests a desperate plea or lamentation. In the Hebrew tradition, crying out often indicates a deep sense of distress or urgency. This phrase underscores the seriousness of the situation facing Judah. Despite their cries, the people are reminded that their appeals to foreign powers or idols will not save them from the consequences of their disobedience to God. let your voice be heard in Bashan
Bashan, a fertile region east of the Jordan River, was known for its rich pastures and strong bulls. The call to let one's voice be heard in Bashan implies reaching out to another area of strength and abundance. Historically, Bashan was a place of prosperity, yet Jeremiah's message indicates that even such prosperous regions cannot offer salvation from divine judgment. This highlights the futility of relying on material wealth or alliances for deliverance. Cry out from Abarim
Abarim refers to a mountain range east of the Jordan, often associated with the final journey of Moses before his death. The call to "cry out from Abarim" evokes a sense of finality and impending doom. It serves as a reminder of the transitory nature of human endeavors and the ultimate authority of God over all creation. The historical and scriptural context of Abarim emphasizes the need for repentance and submission to God's will. for all your lovers have been crushed
The term "lovers" in this context is metaphorical, referring to the foreign nations and alliances that Judah relied upon instead of trusting in God. The phrase "have been crushed" indicates the complete and utter defeat of these supposed allies. This serves as a powerful reminder of the futility of placing trust in human alliances and the inevitable downfall of those who turn away from God. The historical context of Judah's political alliances with surrounding nations underscores the prophetic warning that only God is a reliable refuge and source of strength. Persons / Places / Events 1. LebanonA region known for its majestic cedar trees, often symbolizing strength and pride. In this context, it represents a place of refuge or false security. 2. BashanA fertile region east of the Jordan River, known for its rich pastures and strong bulls. It symbolizes abundance and might, yet here it is a place where cries of despair are heard. 3. AbarimA mountain range east of the Jordan, often associated with the final journey of the Israelites before entering the Promised Land. It represents a vantage point from which to see the consequences of disobedience. 4. LoversA metaphor for the foreign alliances and idols that Judah pursued instead of trusting in God. These "lovers" are now powerless to help. 5. JeremiahThe prophet delivering God's message of judgment and calling for repentance. His role is to warn Judah of the impending consequences of their unfaithfulness. Teaching Points False SecurityTrusting in worldly powers or alliances instead of God leads to disappointment and destruction. We must evaluate where we place our trust and ensure it is in God alone. The Consequences of IdolatryIdolatry, whether in the form of literal idols or modern-day equivalents like wealth or status, leads to spiritual emptiness and judgment. We must guard our hearts against anything that takes God's rightful place. The Call to RepentanceGod's warnings through Jeremiah are a call to repentance. Even when we stray, God offers a path back to Him if we are willing to turn from our ways. The Role of the ProphetJeremiah's role as a prophet was to speak truth, even when it was unpopular. We are called to be voices of truth in our own contexts, standing firm in God's Word. Bible Study Questions 1. What are some modern-day "lovers" or idols that people might turn to instead of God, and how can we guard against them? 2. How does the imagery of Lebanon, Bashan, and Abarim enhance our understanding of the message in Jeremiah 22:20? 3. In what ways can we apply the lessons of Jeremiah's warnings to our personal lives and communities today? 4. How do the connections to other scriptures like Isaiah 57:13 and Hosea 2:5-7 deepen our understanding of the consequences of idolatry? 5. What steps can we take to ensure that our trust remains in God, especially in times of crisis or uncertainty? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 57:13This verse also speaks of the futility of relying on idols and foreign alliances, emphasizing that only those who trust in God will find deliverance. Ezekiel 23:22-23Similar imagery of "lovers" is used to describe the nations that Israel and Judah turned to for help, which ultimately led to their downfall. Hosea 2:5-7Hosea uses the metaphor of unfaithfulness in marriage to describe Israel's idolatry and the consequences of pursuing other "lovers." People Babylonians, Coniah, David, Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim, Jeremiah, Josiah, Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar, ShallumPlaces Abarim, Babylon, Bashan, Gilead, Jerusalem, LebanonTopics Abarim, Ab'arim, Allies, Bashan, Crushed, Cry, Crying, Destroyed, Destruction, Forth, Heights, Lebanon, Lift, Loud, Lovers, Loving, Passages, VoiceDictionary of Bible Themes Jeremiah 22:20-21 5205 alliance Library The Life of Mr. James Mitchel.
Mr. James Mitchel[152] was educated at the university of Edinburgh, and was, with some other of his fellow-students, made master of arts anno 1656. Mr. Robert Leighton (afterwards bishop Leighton), being then principal of that college, before the degree was conferred upon them, tendered to them the national and solemn league and covenant; which covenants, upon mature deliberation, he took, finding nothing in them but a short compend of the moral law, binding to our duty towards God and towards …
John Howie—Biographia Scoticana (Scots Worthies)Columban.
THE wild districts of Ireland were occupied with convents, after the example of Patrick, and cultivated by the hard labour of the monks. The Irish convents were distinguished by their strict Christian discipline, their diligence and their zeal in the study of the Scriptures, and of science in general, as far as they had the means of acquiring it. Irish monks brought learning from Britain and Gaul, they treasured up this learning and elaborated it in the solitude of the convent, and they are said …
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places "Hear the Word of the Lord, Ye Rulers of Sodom, Give Ear unto the Law of Our God, Ye People of Gomorrah,"
Isaiah i. 10, 11, &c.--"Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom, give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah," &c. It is strange to think what mercy is mixed with the most wrath like strokes and threatenings. There is no prophet whose office and commission is only for judgment, nay, to speak the truth, it is mercy that premises threatenings. The entering of the law, both in the commands and curses, is to make sin abound, that grace may superabound, so that both rods and threatenings …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning "If we Say that we have Fellowship with Him, and Walk in Darkness, we Lie,"
1 John i. 6.--"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie," &c. That which is the sum of religion, sincerity, and a correspondency between profession and practice, is confirmed by reason, and much strengthened by nature itself, so that religion, reason, and nature, conspire in one, to hold out the beauty and comeliness of sincerity, and to put a note and character of infamy and deformity upon all hypocrisy and deceit, especially in the matters of religion. There is …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Joy
'The fruit of the Spirit is joy.' Gal 5:52. The third fruit of justification, adoption, and sanctification, is joy in the Holy Ghost. Joy is setting the soul upon the top of a pinnacle - it is the cream of the sincere milk of the word. Spiritual joy is a sweet and delightful passion, arising from the apprehension and feeling of some good, whereby the soul is supported under present troubles, and fenced against future fear. I. It is a delightful passion. It is contrary to sorrow, which is a perturbation …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity The Two Classes.
"Two men went up into the temple to pray."--Luke xvii. 10. I now want to speak of two classes: First, those who do not feel their need of a Saviour who have not been convinced of sin by the Spirit; and Second, those who are convinced of sin and cry, "What must I do to be saved?" All inquirers can be ranged under two heads: they have either the spirit of the Pharisee, or the spirit of the publican. If a man having the spirit of the Pharisee comes into an after-meeting, I know of no better portion …
Dwight L. Moody—The Way to God and How to Find It A Discourse of the House and Forest of Lebanon
OF THE HOUSE OF THE FOREST OF LEBANON. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. That part of Palestine in which the celebrated mountains of Lebanon are situated, is the border country adjoining Syria, having Sidon for its seaport, and Land, nearly adjoining the city of Damascus, on the north. This metropolitan city of Syria, and capital of the kingdom of Damascus, was strongly fortified; and during the border conflicts it served as a cover to the Assyrian army. Bunyan, with great reason, supposes that, to keep …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 "To what Purpose is the Multitude of Your Sacrifices unto Me? Saith the Lord,"
Isaiah i. 11.--"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord," &c. This is the word he calls them to hear and a strange word. Isaiah asks, What mean your sacrifices? God will not have them. I think the people would say in their own hearts, What means the prophet? What would the Lord be at? Do we anything but what he commanded us? Is he angry at us for obeying him? What means this word? Is he not repealing the statute and ordinance he had made in Israel? If he had reproved …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Jewish Homes
It may be safely asserted, that the grand distinction, which divided all mankind into Jews and Gentiles, was not only religious, but also social. However near the cities of the heathen to those of Israel, however frequent and close the intercourse between the two parties, no one could have entered a Jewish town or village without feeling, so to speak, in quite another world. The aspect of the streets, the building and arrangement of the houses, the municipal and religious rule, the manners and customs …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Jeremiah 22:20 NIVJeremiah 22:20 NLTJeremiah 22:20 ESVJeremiah 22:20 NASBJeremiah 22:20 KJV
Jeremiah 22:20 Commentaries
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