What is the meaning of Jeremiah 11:3? You must tell them Jeremiah is commanded to speak, not to stay silent. The prophet’s responsibility underlines the urgency of the message. God places the same weight on every messenger He appoints. • God calls individuals to be faithful heralds: “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from My mouth, give them a warning from Me” (Ezekiel 3:17). • Failure to deliver God’s word would be disobedience in itself (cf. Acts 20:27, where Paul insists he proclaimed “the whole will of God”). • We are reminded that communicating divine truth is not optional; it is a sacred trust (2 Timothy 4:2). this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says The statement anchors the coming warning in God’s own authority. Jeremiah is not voicing personal opinion; he speaks for the covenant-making God. • Scripture continually highlights God’s self-identification as Israel’s covenant Lord (Exodus 3:15). • Because the speaker is the Lord, His words carry absolute weight: “When you received the word of God, you accepted it not as the word of men but as the word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). • The phrase reminds us that covenant obligations arise from divine authority, not social contract (Isaiah 45:22). Cursed is the man The declaration of a curse is solemn and final. Blessing and curse were built into the Sinai covenant; rejecting God’s word invokes real consequences. • Deuteronomy 27:26 announces the same verdict: “Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” • The apostle Paul applies that principle universally: “All who rely on works of the law are under a curse” (Galatians 3:10). • The curse is not arbitrary; it is the righteous response of a holy God toward rebellion (Romans 6:23). who does not obey the words of this covenant The issue is obedience. God had graciously set Israel apart, but covenant privilege demanded covenant faithfulness. • Disobedience triggers covenant curses listed in Deuteronomy 28:15-68; blessing comes with obedience (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). • Obedience is the outward mark of genuine relationship: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). • The New Testament echoes the call to act on God’s word: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). • The phrase “the words of this covenant” underscores that every divine command deserves allegiance, not selective obedience (Psalm 119:4). summary Jeremiah 11:3 is a covenant reminder with teeth. God instructs Jeremiah to declare—on His own authority—that anyone who refuses to obey His covenant stands under a real, divine curse. The verse affirms: God’s messengers must speak, God’s authority is supreme, covenant disobedience brings judgment, and only wholehearted obedience avoids the curse. |
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