What is the meaning of Jeremiah 13:15? Listen Jeremiah opens with a single, urgent word: “Listen…” (Jeremiah 13:15a). That call is more than an invitation; it is a command. God’s people had ignored repeated warnings, and now He presses on their ears again. • Listening is the first act of obedience. Israel’s historic confession begins, “Hear, O Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5). Authentic faith always starts by tuning our hearts to God’s voice. • When we refuse to listen, the Word becomes “an object of scorn; they take no delight in it” (Jeremiah 6:10). • Jesus echoes the same imperative: “My sheep listen to My voice” (John 10:27). • The wise “increase in learning” by listening (Proverbs 1:5), while fools plug their ears. God still speaks through His written Word, and every reading of Scripture places this same command before us. Give heed “…and give heed.” Listening must mature into attentive obedience. The phrase pictures leaning forward, careful to absorb and act on what is heard. • Moses told Israel, “Take to heart all the words I testify to you today” (Deuteronomy 32:46). • The writer of Hebrews warns, “We must pay the most careful attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away” (Hebrews 2:1). • Joshua prospered because he meditated on and obeyed the Book of the Law (Joshua 1:7–8). What giving heed looks like: – examining our lives in light of Scripture, – adjusting attitudes immediately, – stepping out in obedient action, – passing the message on to others (2 Timothy 2:2). Do not be arrogant “Do not be arrogant…” Pride blocks both ears and heart. Judah’s leaders believed they were secure, but their self-reliance blinded them to looming judgment. • Just a few verses earlier God vows, “In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah” (Jeremiah 13:9). • “Pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18), and “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). • Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way that “the Most High is sovereign” (Daniel 4:34–37). Signs of arrogance: – shrugging off conviction, – critiquing Scripture rather than submitting to it, – trusting pedigree, position, or past victories, – chasing applause instead of God’s approval. Humility, by contrast, keeps the ears open and the path clear for blessing. For the LORD has spoken “…for the LORD has spoken.” The command carries absolute authority because its source is the covenant God Himself. • “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). • His Word is living, active, and “will not return to Me empty” (Isaiah 55:11). • “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). Implications: – We cannot plead ignorance; the message is clear. – We cannot debate its validity; divine speech is final. – We can trust its promises and tremble at its warnings alike. When the Lord speaks, the only sane response is immediate, humble obedience. summary Jeremiah 13:15 calls us to hear God, pay close attention, reject pride, and remember that every word carries divine authority. Blessed are those who listen, heed, and humbly walk in the light of what the LORD has spoken. |
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