How does Jeremiah 5:23 describe the Israelites' attitude toward God's commands? Key Verse “Yet this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away.” (Jeremiah 5:23) What the Verse Reveals • Stubbornness: The heart is set in its own way, unmoved by God’s commands. • Rebellion: Their attitude is not passive ignorance but active resistance. • Turning Aside: They deliberately veer off the path God laid out. • Departure: “Gone away” underscores continued distance—an ongoing pattern, not a momentary lapse. Key Words and Phrases • “Stubborn” – a will hardened against correction (cf. Deuteronomy 9:27). • “Rebellious” – open defiance, the same term used of Israel in Isaiah 30:1. • “Heart” – the seat of will and desire; the problem is internal, not merely behavioral. • “Turned aside” – a conscious choice to deviate (Psalm 14:3). • “Gone away” – a trajectory of persistent disobedience (Hosea 11:2). Supporting Scriptures • Exodus 32:9 – “I have seen this people, and indeed, it is a stiff-necked people.” • Deuteronomy 9:24 – “You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day I knew you.” • Isaiah 63:10 – “They rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit.” • Acts 7:51 – “You stiff-necked people…you always resist the Holy Spirit.” • Hebrews 3:8 – “Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” Summary Jeremiah 5:23 paints a vivid picture of Israel’s attitude: an entrenched, willful resistance to God’s directives. Their hearts are hardened, their choices deliberate, and their path one of continual departure from the Lord’s revealed will. |
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