◄ Jeremiah 17:13 ►
O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away will be written in the dust, for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.
Study Bible
O LORD, the hope of Israel,

Israel’s true security rested not in kings, alliances, wealth, or military strength, but in the LORD who chose the nation and bound Himself to it by covenant. Jeremiah ministered while Judah looked increasingly to foreign powers for rescue, yet the God of Israel remained the only sure object of trust. The LORD had repeatedly delivered His people, supplied their needs, and preserved them despite their rebellion. Psalm 71:5 likewise identifies the Lord GOD as the believer’s hope from youth.

Jer 14:8 O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress,…
Psa 71:5 For You are my hope, O Lord GOD, my confidence…
Psa 130:7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD…

all who abandon You will be put to shame.

Those who forsake the LORD eventually discover the emptiness of every substitute. Shame includes the exposure of false confidence and the public collapse of those who trusted idols, political powers, or human wisdom rather than God. Judah’s coming defeat by Babylon would reveal the justice of the covenant curses announced in Deuteronomy 28. God’s judgment does not fail because His people bear His name; their covenant privilege increases their accountability.

Jer 2:26 As the thief is ashamed when he is caught,…
2Ch 12:5 Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam…
Psa 25:3 Surely none who wait for You will be put to shame;…

All who turn away will be written in the dust,

Their names, unlike those preserved by the Lord, will have no enduring honor or security. Dust recalls humanity’s mortality and frailty: people return to the ground from which they were formed. What is written in dust is easily swept away, portraying the transience of lives built in defiance of God. The warning stands in sharp contrast to the lasting inheritance promised to those who fear the LORD.

Jhn 8:6-8 They said this to test Him, in order to have a basis…
Psa 78:57 They turned back and were faithless like their fathers,…
Gen 3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread,…

for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.

The LORD is the inexhaustible source of life, refreshment, cleansing, and spiritual renewal. Earlier, Jeremiah condemned Judah for forsaking the fountain of living waters and digging broken cisterns that could hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13). Jesus fulfilled this imagery by offering living water that becomes eternal life within all who believe in Him (John 4:10–14; 7:37–39). To abandon God is not merely to reject duty; it is to turn away from the only source of spiritual life and salvation.

Jer 2:13 For My people have committed two evils:……
Jhn 4:10-14 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God”…
Jhn 7:37-38 On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who is described as the hope and source of life for His people.

2. Israel
The nation chosen by God, often depicted as turning away from Him despite His faithfulness.

3. Jeremiah
The prophet who delivers God's message, warning of the consequences of forsaking the LORD.

4. The Forsakers
Those who abandon their faith in God, leading to their shame and downfall.

5. The Spring of Living Water
A metaphor for God as the source of spiritual sustenance and life.
Teaching Points
The Hope of Israel
God is the ultimate hope and foundation for His people. Trusting in Him brings security and fulfillment.

Consequences of Forsaking God
Turning away from God leads to shame and spiritual desolation. It is a reminder of the importance of steadfast faith.

The Symbolism of Dust
Being "written in the dust" signifies impermanence and judgment. It serves as a warning to remain faithful to God.

God as the Source of Life
Just as water is essential for physical life, God is essential for spiritual life. Seeking Him is vital for spiritual well-being.

Repentance and Restoration
While the passage warns of consequences, it also implies the possibility of returning to God, who is always ready to restore.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God as "the hope of Israel" influence your personal faith and trust in Him?

2. In what ways can we ensure that we do not "forsake" God in our daily lives?

3. How does the imagery of God as the "spring of living water" enhance your understanding of His role in your spiritual life?

4. Reflect on a time when you felt spiritually dry. How did returning to God as your source of life change your situation?

5. How can the concept of being "written in the dust" serve as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a strong relationship with God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
John 4:10-14
Jesus speaks of the "living water" He offers, connecting to the idea of God as the source of life.

Psalm 36:9
Describes God as the fountain of life, reinforcing the imagery of God as a life-giving source.

John 8:6-8
Jesus writes in the dust, possibly alluding to the idea of judgment and the transient nature of those who forsake God.

Proverbs 14:27
The fear of the LORD is described as a fountain of life, echoing the theme of God as a life-giving source.

Revelation 21:6
God offers the water of life freely, emphasizing His role as the eternal source of spiritual nourishment.
Sermons
Two Lists of NamesAlexander MaclarenJeremiah 17:13
Written in the EarthD. Young Jeremiah 17:13
An Inspiring InvocationD. Young Jeremiah 17:12, 13
The Saint's RefugeA.F. Muir Jeremiah 17:12, 13
A Backslider Ashamed of His ConductJeremiah 17:12-14
Adoring Exclamations of a Soul Gazing on GodA. Maclaren, D. D.Jeremiah 17:12-14
God Our SanctuaryJames Foster, B. A.Jeremiah 17:12-14
Man's Refuge -- a Glorious High ThroneJ. Pulsford, D. D.Jeremiah 17:12-14
Our SanctuaryJeremiah 17:12-14
Where is Our Name Being WrittenJohn Trapp.Jeremiah 17:12-14
People
Benjamin, David, Jeremiah
Places
Jerusalem, Negeb, People's Gate, Shephelah
Topics
Apostates, Ashamed, Cut, Depart, Disappointed, Dust, Forsake, Forsaken, Forsaking, Fountain, Hope, O, Shame, Spring, Turn, Waters, Written
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 17:13

     1205   God, titles of
     4278   spring of water
     4293   water
     4296   wells
     5770   abandonment
     8705   apostasy, in OT
     9613   hope, as confidence

Library
Sin's Writing and Its Erasure
'The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars.'--JER. xvii. 1. 'Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.'-2 COR. iii. 3. 'Blotting out the handwriting that was against us.'---COL .ii. 14. I have put these verses together because they …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Soul Gazing on God
'A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.'--JER. xvii. 12. I must begin by a word or two of explanation as to the language of this passage. The word 'is' is a supplement, and most probably it ought to be omitted, and the verse treated as being, not a statement, but a series of exclamations. The next verse runs thus, 'O Lord! the hope of Israel, all that forsake Thee shall be ashamed'; and the most natural and forcible understanding of the words of my text is reached …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Two Lists of Names
'They that depart from Me shall be written in the earth'--JER. xvii. 13. 'Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.'--LUKE x. 20. A name written on earth implies that the bearer of the name belongs to earth, and it also secondarily suggests that the inscription lasts but for a little while. Contrariwise, a name written in heaven implies that its bearer belongs to heaven, and that the inscription will abide. We find running throughout Scripture the metaphor of books in which men's names are …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Heath in the Desert and the Tree by the River
'He shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited...He shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.'--JER. xvii. 6, 8. The prophet here puts before us two highly finished pictures. In the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Nation's Duty in a War for Freedom.
(Preached March 28th, 1813.) TEXT: JEREMIAH xvii. 5-8, AND xviii. 7-10. MY devout hearers! Through an extraordinary occurrence we find the order of our discourses on the suffering Saviour interrupted, and our to-day's meeting devoted to a very different subject. How deeply have we all been moved by the events of the last weeks! We saw march forth from our gates the army of a people nominally allied to us, but our feeling was not that of parting with friends; with thankful joy did we feel at last …
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

"The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God for it is not Subject to the Law of God, Neither Indeed Can Be. So Then they that Are
Rom. viii. s 7, 8.--"The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is not the least of man's evils, that he knows not how evil he is, therefore the Searcher of the heart of man gives the most perfect account of it, Jer. xvii. 12. "The heart is deceitful above all things," as well as "desperately wicked," two things superlative and excessive in it, bordering upon an infiniteness, such …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Severinus in Germany.
As the Lord ever sends his angels when there is most need of help, so in the midst of the desolation and destruction which ensued on that irruption of the barbarians by which the Roman empire was broken in pieces after the death of Attila, the great desolator and exterminator, (A. D. 453,) He sent to the aid of the oppressed people of Germany, on the banks of the Danube, in their sore need, a man endowed with an extraordinary energy of love. His whole appearance has in it something enigmatical. As …
Augustus Neander—Light in the Dark Places

Trust of the Wicked, and the Righteous Compared. Jer 17:5-8
 …
John Newton—Olney Hymns

But in Order that we Fall not Away from Continence...
10. But in order that we fall not away from Continence, we ought to watch specially against those snares of the suggestions of the devil, that we presume not of our own strength. For, "Cursed is every one that setteth his hope in man." [1838] And who is he, but man? We cannot therefore truly say that he setteth not his hope in man, who setteth it in himself. For this also, to "live after man," what is it but to "live after the flesh?" Whoso therefore is tempted by such a suggestion, let him hear, …
St. Augustine—On Continence

Epistle i. To the Roman Citizens.
To the Roman Citizens. Gregory, servant of the servants of God, to his most beloved sons the Roman citizens. It has come to my ears that certain men of perverse spirit have sown among you some things that are wrong and opposed to the holy faith, so as to forbid any work being done on the Sabbath day. What else can I call these but preachers of Antichrist, who, when he comes, will cause the Sabbath day as well as the Lord's day to be kept free from all work. For, because he pretends to die and rise …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

"And if any Man Sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,",
1 John ii. 1.--"And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,", &c. There is here a sad supposition, but too certain, that any man may sin, yea, that all men will sin, even those who have most communion with God, and interest in the blood of Christ. Yet they are not altogether exempted from this fatal lot of mankind. It is incident even to them to sin, and too frequently incident, but yet we have a happy and sweet provision, for indemnity from the hazard of sin,--"we have an advocate …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"For what the Law could not Do, in that it was Weak through the Flesh, God Sending his Own Son in the Likeness of Sinful Flesh,
Rom. viii. 3.--"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh." For what purpose do we meet thus together? I would we knew it,--then it might be to some better purpose. In all other things we are rational, and do nothing of moment without some end and purpose. But, alas! in this matter of greatest moment, our going about divine ordinances, we have scarce any distinct or deliberate …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Appendix xvii. The Ordinances and Law of the Sabbath as Laid Down in the Mishnah and the Jerusalem Talmud.
The terribly exaggerated views of the Rabbis, and their endless, burdensome rules about the Sabbath may best be learned from a brief analysis of the Mishnah, as further explained and enlarged in the Jerusalem Talmud. [6476] For this purpose a brief analysis of what is, confessedly, one of the most difficult tractates may here be given. The Mishnic tractate Sabbath stands at the head of twelve tractates which together from the second of the six sections into which the Mishnah is divided, and which …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Fourth Commandment
Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed it. Exod 20: 8-11. This …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The First Part
Of the Apocalyptical Commentaries, according to the Rule of the Apocalyptical Key, on the First Prophecy which is contained in the Seals and Trumpets; with an Introduction concerning the Scene of the Apocalypse. As it is my design to investigate the meaning of the Apocalyptical visions, it is requisite for me to treat, in the first place, of that celestial theatre to which John was called, in order to behold them, exhibited as on a stage, and afterwards of the prophecies in succession, examined by …
Joseph Mede—A Key to the Apocalypse

Moral Depravity.
In discussing the subject of human depravity, I shall,-- I. Define the term depravity. The word is derived from the Latin de and pravus. Pravus means "crooked." De is intensive. Depravatus literally and primarily means "very crooked," not in the sense of original or constitutional crookedness, but in the sense of having become crooked. The term does not imply original mal-conformation, but lapsed, fallen, departed from right or straight. It always implies deterioration, or fall from a former state …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Inward Witness to the Truth of the Gospel.
"I have more understanding than my teachers, for Thy testimonies are my study; I am wiser than the aged, because I keep Thy commandments."--Psalm cxix. 99, 100. In these words the Psalmist declares, that in consequence of having obeyed God's commandments he had obtained more wisdom and understanding than those who had first enlightened his ignorance, and were once more enlightened than he. As if he said, "When I was a child, I was instructed in religious knowledge by kind and pious friends, who …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
Now the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things--First, In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life; Secondly, In consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. For the First. 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Exod. xxxi. 12, 13, 15, &c.) More particularly-- First, From all the works of our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

But Concerning True Patience, Worthy of the Name of this virtue...
12. But concerning true patience, worthy of the name of this virtue, whence it is to be had, must now be inquired. For there are some [2650] who attribute it to the strength of the human will, not which it hath by Divine assistance, but which it hath of free-will. Now this error is a proud one: for it is the error of them which abound, of whom it is said in the Psalm, "A scornful reproof to them which abound, and a despising to the proud." [2651] It is not therefore that "patience of the poor" which …
St. Augustine—On Patience

What the Scriptures Principally Teach: the Ruin and Recovery of Man. Faith and Love Towards Christ.
2 Tim. i. 13.--"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." Here is the sum of religion. Here you have a compend of the doctrine of the Scriptures. All divine truths may be reduced to these two heads,--faith and love; what we ought to believe, and what we ought to do. This is all the Scriptures teach, and this is all we have to learn. What have we to know, but what God hath revealed of himself to us? And what have we to do, but what …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Jewish views on Trade, Tradesmen, and Trades' Guilds
We read in the Mishnah (Kidd. iv. 14) as follows: "Rabbi Meir said: Let a man always teach his son a cleanly and a light trade; and let him pray to Him whose are wealth and riches; for there is no trade which has not both poverty and riches, and neither does poverty come from the trade nor yet riches, but everything according to one's deserving (merit). Rabbi Simeon, the son of Eleazer, said: Hast thou all thy life long seen a beast or a bird which has a trade? Still they are nourished, and that …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Secret of Its Greatness
[Illustration: (drop cap G) The Great Pyramid] God always chooses the right kind of people to do His work. Not only so, He always gives to those whom He chooses just the sort of life which will best prepare them for the work He will one day call them to do. That is why God put it into the heart of Pharaoh's daughter to bring up Moses as her own son in the Egyptian palace. The most important part of Moses' training was that his heart should be right with God, and therefore he was allowed to remain …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Division of Actual Grace
Actual grace may be divided according to: (1) the difference existing between the faculties of the human soul, and (2) in reference to the freedom of the will. Considered in its relation to the different faculties of the soul, actual grace is either of the intellect, or of the will, or of the sensitive faculties. With regard to the free consent of the will, it is either (1) prevenient, also called cooeperating, or (2) efficacious or merely sufficient. 1. THE ILLUMINATING GRACE OF THE INTELLECT.--Actual …
Joseph Pohle—Grace, Actual and Habitual

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