You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts. You planted them, and they have taken root.This phrase reflects God's sovereign role in establishing the people of Judah. The imagery of planting and taking root is common in Scripture, symbolizing stability and growth ( Psalm 1:3; Isaiah 5:1-7). It suggests that God has given the people a firm foundation, much like a gardener who plants and nurtures a tree. Historically, this can be seen in how God brought the Israelites into the Promised Land, establishing them as a nation. Theologically, it underscores God's providence and care, even when the people are unfaithful. They have grown and produced fruit.
Here, the growth and fruitfulness symbolize the prosperity and success that the people of Judah experienced. In biblical terms, fruitfulness often represents the outcomes of one's actions or spiritual state (Galatians 5:22-23). Despite their spiritual waywardness, the people have experienced material and societal growth. This can be seen as a fulfillment of God's promises to bless His people (Deuteronomy 28:1-14), yet it also sets the stage for a critique of their spiritual condition. You are ever on their lips, but far from their hearts.
This phrase highlights the hypocrisy of the people, who speak of God but do not truly honor Him in their hearts. It echoes the prophetic critique found in Isaiah 29:13, where God condemns those who honor Him with their lips while their hearts are far from Him. This disconnect between outward expression and inward reality is a recurring theme in the prophets and is a call to genuine repentance and faithfulness. It also foreshadows Jesus' teachings in the New Testament, where He emphasizes the importance of the heart in true worship (Matthew 15:8-9). The phrase serves as a warning against superficial religiosity and calls for a heartfelt relationship with God. Persons / Places / Events 1. JeremiahA prophet called by God to deliver messages of warning and hope to the people of Judah. He is known for his lamentations and deep emotional connection to the plight of his people. 2. The People of JudahThe primary audience of Jeremiah's prophecies. They were often rebellious and idolatrous, leading to God's judgment upon them. 3. GodThe sovereign Lord who plants and uproots nations. He is the one who discerns the true intentions of the heart. 4. The Land of JudahThe geographical setting where these events and prophecies take place. It is a land that was once fruitful but faced desolation due to the people's disobedience. 5. The FruitSymbolic of the outward success and prosperity of the people, which contrasts with their inner spiritual barrenness. Teaching Points The Danger of Superficial FaithIt's possible to appear spiritually fruitful while being spiritually barren. True faith must engage both the lips and the heart. God's Sovereignty in Planting and UprootingGod is the one who plants and allows growth. We must recognize His authority and align our hearts with His will. The Importance of Heartfelt WorshipWorship should be a reflection of our inner devotion to God, not just an outward ritual. We must examine our hearts to ensure they are aligned with our words. Self-Examination and RepentanceRegularly assess your spiritual condition. Are you merely going through the motions, or is your heart truly engaged with God? The Consequences of HypocrisyHypocrisy leads to spiritual decay and eventual judgment. We must strive for integrity in our relationship with God. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Jeremiah 12:2 challenge us to examine the authenticity of our faith and worship? 2. In what ways can we ensure that our hearts are as engaged in worship as our lips are? 3. How does the imagery of planting and uprooting in Jeremiah 12:2 relate to other biblical teachings on spiritual growth and judgment? 4. What practical steps can we take to avoid the pitfalls of superficial faith as described in Jeremiah 12:2? 5. How can we apply the lessons from Jeremiah 12:2 to our understanding of God's sovereignty and our response to His authority in our lives? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 29:13This verse echoes the theme of people honoring God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him, highlighting the issue of superficial worship. Matthew 15:8-9Jesus quotes Isaiah, addressing the Pharisees and teachers of the law, emphasizing the importance of genuine worship over mere tradition. Psalm 1:3-4Contrasts the righteous, who are like trees planted by streams of water, with the wicked, who are like chaff. This highlights the difference between true spiritual vitality and mere outward appearance. People JeremiahPlaces Anathoth, Jerusalem, Jordan RiverTopics Advance, Always, Bear, Bring, Forth, Fruit, Grow, Hast, Heart, Hearts, Lips, Mind, Mouth, Mouths, Planted, Plantest, Produced, Reins, Root, Thoughts, Yea, YesDictionary of Bible Themes Jeremiah 12:2 4504 roots
5017 heart, renewal
5164 lips
5166 liver and kidneys
8767 hypocrisy
8784 nominal religion Jeremiah 12:1-4 5265 complaints Library Calms and Crises
'If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and though in a land of peace thou art secure, yet how wilt thou do in the pride of Jordan?'--JER. xii. 5, R.V. The prophet has been complaining of his persecutors. The divine answer is here, reproving his impatience, and giving him to understand that harder trials are in store for him. Both clauses mean substantially the same thing, and are of a parabolic nature. The one adduces the metaphor …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureAre You Prepared to Die?
"There is a land of pure delight, Where saints immortal reign; Infinite day excludes the night, And pleasures banish pain." There everlasting spring abides, And never-withering flowers; Death, like a narrow sea, divides This heavenly land from ours." Taking "the swelling of Jordan" to represent the precise time of death, the question really is, what shall we do when we come to die? "How wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?" I. We notice, in the first place, that this is an EXCEEDINGLY PRACTICAL …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 11: 1865 Synagogues: their Origin, Structure and Outward Arrangements
It was a beautiful saying of Rabbi Jochanan (Jer. Ber. v. 1), that he who prays in his house surrounds and fortifies it, so to speak, with a wall of iron. Nevertheless, it seems immediately contradicted by what follows. For it is explained that this only holds good where a man is alone, but that where there is a community prayer should be offered in the synagogue. We can readily understand how, after the destruction of the Temple, and the cessation of its symbolical worship, the excessive value attached …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life The Roman Pilgrimage: the Miracles which were Wrought in It.
[Sidenote: 1139] 33. (20). It seemed to him, however, that one could not go on doing these things with sufficient security without the authority of the Apostolic See; and for that reason he determined to set out for Rome, and most of all because the metropolitan see still lacked, and from the beginning had lacked, the use of the pall, which is the fullness of honour.[507] And it seemed good in his eyes[508] that the church for which he had laboured so much[509] should acquire, by his zeal and labour, …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh Of the Trinity and a Christian, and of the Law and a Christian.
EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. These two short treatises were found among Mr. Bunyan's papers after his decease. They probably were intended for publication, like his 'Prison Meditations' and his 'Map of Salvation,' on a single page each, in the form of a broadside, or handbill. This was the popular mode in which tracts were distributed; and when posted against a wall, or framed and hung up in a room, they excited notice, and were extensively read. They might also have afforded some trifling profit to aid …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Jeremiah, a Lesson for the Disappointed.
"Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord."--Jeremiah i. 8. The Prophets were ever ungratefully treated by the Israelites, they were resisted, their warnings neglected, their good services forgotten. But there was this difference between the earlier and the later Prophets; the earlier lived and died in honour among their people,--in outward honour; though hated and thwarted by the wicked, they were exalted to high places, and ruled in the congregation. …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII The Justice of God
The next attribute is God's justice. All God's attributes are identical, and are the same with his essence. Though he has several attributes whereby he is made known to us, yet he has but one essence. A cedar tree may have several branches, yet it is but one cedar. So there are several attributes of God whereby we conceive of him, but only one entire essence. Well, then, concerning God's justice. Deut 32:4. Just and right is he.' Job 37:23. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity 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 12:2 NIVJeremiah 12:2 NLTJeremiah 12:2 ESVJeremiah 12:2 NASBJeremiah 12:2 KJV
Jeremiah 12:2 Commentaries
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