◄ Jeremiah 18:11 ►
Now therefore, tell the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: 'Behold, I am planning a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways, and correct your ways and deeds.'
Study Bible
Now therefore, tell the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem
This phrase addresses the people of Judah and Jerusalem, the southern kingdom of Israel. Historically, this period is marked by political instability and spiritual decline. The people had turned to idolatry and forsaken the covenant with God. Jerusalem, the capital, was the center of religious and political life, making it significant that the message is directed here. The prophet Jeremiah is tasked with delivering God's message, emphasizing the role of prophets as God's mouthpieces.

that this is what the LORD says:
This phrase underscores the authority of the message. It is not Jeremiah's own words but a divine pronouncement. The use of "LORD" (YHWH) highlights the covenantal relationship between God and Israel. This phrase is a common prophetic formula, indicating that the message carries divine weight and should be heeded.

‘Behold, I am planning a disaster for you and devising a plan against you.
Here, God reveals His intention to bring judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem due to their persistent sin. The "disaster" refers to the impending Babylonian invasion and exile, a historical event that fulfilled this prophecy. The language of "planning" and "devising" suggests deliberate action, reflecting God's sovereignty and justice. This echoes other prophetic warnings, such as those in Isaiah and Ezekiel, where God uses foreign nations as instruments of judgment.

Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways,
This call to repentance is central to the prophetic message. It emphasizes individual responsibility ("each of you") in turning away from sin. The "evil ways" refer to idolatry, injustice, and moral corruption prevalent in Judah. Repentance is a recurring theme in Scripture, seen in the ministries of prophets like Jonah and later John the Baptist, who called people to turn back to God.

and correct your ways and deeds.’
The phrase calls for a transformation of behavior, not just a change of heart. "Correct" implies a return to the standards set by God's law. The emphasis on "ways and deeds" highlights that true repentance involves both belief and action. This aligns with the biblical teaching that faith without works is dead, as seen in the New Testament epistle of James. The call to correct one's ways is a call to align with God's righteousness, a theme fulfilled in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who embodies perfect obedience to God's will.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Known for his messages of warning and calls for repentance.

2. Men of Judah
The inhabitants of the southern kingdom of Judah, who were often warned by prophets like Jeremiah to turn from their sinful ways.

3. Residents of Jerusalem
The people living in Jerusalem, the capital city of Judah, who were central to the religious and political life of the nation.

4. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who communicates His will and intentions through His prophets.

5. Disaster
The impending judgment and calamity that God is planning as a consequence of the people's persistent sinfulness.
Teaching Points
Call to Repentance
God’s message through Jeremiah emphasizes the need for genuine repentance. This involves a heartfelt turning away from sin and a commitment to righteous living.

God’s Sovereignty and Justice
The passage highlights God's sovereign right to judge His people. His plans are just, and His warnings are opportunities for repentance.

Personal Responsibility
Each individual is called to examine their own ways and deeds. Personal accountability is crucial in the eyes of God.

Hope in Repentance
Despite the warning of disaster, there is hope. God’s call to correct one’s ways implies that change is possible and that God is willing to relent if the people repent.

Urgency of the Message
The immediacy of the call to "turn now" underscores the urgency of responding to God’s warnings without delay.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does this passage reveal about God’s character, particularly in terms of justice and mercy?

2. How does the call to repentance in Jeremiah 18:11 compare to other biblical calls for repentance, such as in the book of Jonah?

3. In what ways can we apply the principle of personal responsibility for our actions in our daily lives?

4. How does understanding the historical context of Judah and Jerusalem enhance our comprehension of this passage?

5. Reflect on a time when you felt God calling you to change your ways. How did you respond, and what was the outcome?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 1:16-20
This passage also calls for repentance and promises blessings for obedience, similar to Jeremiah's message.

Ezekiel 18:30-32
Echoes the call for repentance and turning from evil ways, emphasizing God's desire for the wicked to live.

2 Chronicles 7:14
Highlights the importance of humility, prayer, and turning from wicked ways for healing and forgiveness.

Jonah 3:4-10
Illustrates the power of repentance, as the people of Nineveh turned from their evil ways and were spared from disaster.
Sermons
Repentance Useless Without AmendmentJ. Palmer.Jeremiah 18:11
Return! Return!Jeremiah 18:11
Returning from Evil WaysJoseph Mede.Jeremiah 18:11
A Never-To-Be-Forgotten Principle of InterpretationS. Conway Jeremiah 18:8-12
The Fatalism of the WickedA.F. Muir Jeremiah 18:11, 12
People
Jeremiah
Places
Jerusalem, Lebanon, Sirion
Topics
Actions, Behold, Device, Devise, Devising, Disaster, Evil, Frame, Inhabitants, Jerusalem, Judah, Plan, Preparing, Reform, Return, Saying, Says, Speak, Thus, Turn
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 18:11

     6627   conversion, nature of
     8466   reformation

Jeremiah 18:1-12

     6639   election, to salvation

Jeremiah 18:5-12

     5917   plans

Jeremiah 18:11-12

     8126   guidance, need for
     9614   hope, results of absence

Library
The Sins of Communities Noted and Punished.
"Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation." This is predicated of the judgments of God on those who had shed the blood of his saints. The Savior declares that all the righteous blood which had been shed on the earth from that of Abel down to the gospel day, should come on that generation! But is not this unreasonable and contrary to the Scriptures? "Far be wickedness from God and iniquity from the Almighty. For the work of man shall be render unto him, and cause every …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

The Hebrew Sages and their Proverbs
[Sidenote: Role of the sages in Israel's life] In the days of Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jer. xviii. 18; Ezek. vii. 26) three distinct classes of religious teachers were recognized by the people: the prophets, the priests, and the wise men or sages. From their lips and pens have come practically all the writings of the Old Testament. Of these three classes the wise men or sages are far less prominent or well known. They wrote no history of Israel, they preached no public sermons, nor do they appear …
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

The Sick Person Ought Now to Send for Some Godly and Religious Pastor.
In any wise remember, if conveniently it may be, to send for some godly and religious pastor, not only to pray for thee at thy death--for God in such a case hath promised to hear the prayers of the righteous prophets, and elders of the church (Gen. xx. 7; Jer. xviii. 20; xv. 1; 1 Sam. xii. 19, 23; James v. 14, 15, 16)--but also upon thy unfeigned repentance to declare to thee the absolution of thy sins. For as Christ hath given him a calling to baptize thee unto repentance for the remission of thy …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Hindrances to Mourning
What shall we do to get our heart into this mourning frame? Do two things. Take heed of those things which will stop these channels of mourning; put yourselves upon the use of all means that will help forward holy mourning. Take heed of those things which will stop the current of tears. There are nine hindrances of mourning. 1 The love of sin. The love of sin is like a stone in the pipe which hinders the current of water. The love of sin makes sin taste sweet and this sweetness in sin bewitches the …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Ninth Commandment
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.' Exod 20: 16. THE tongue which at first was made to be an organ of God's praise, is now become an instrument of unrighteousness. This commandment binds the tongue to its good behaviour. God has set two natural fences to keep in the tongue, the teeth and lips; and this commandment is a third fence set about it, that it should not break forth into evil. It has a prohibitory and a mandatory part: the first is set down in plain words, the other …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy …
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

Of the Decrees of God.
Eph. i. 11.--"Who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."--Job xxiii. 13. "He is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth." Having spoken something before of God, in his nature and being and properties, we come, in the next place, to consider his glorious majesty, as he stands in some nearer relation to his creatures, the work of his hands. For we must conceive the first rise of all things in the world to be in this self-being, the first conception …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Degrees of Sin
Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous? Some sins in themselves, and by reason of several aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others. He that delivered me unto thee, has the greater sin.' John 19: 11. The Stoic philosophers held that all sins were equal; but this Scripture clearly holds forth that there is a gradual difference in sin; some are greater than others; some are mighty sins,' and crying sins.' Amos 5: 12; Gen 18: 21. Every sin has a voice to speak, but some …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

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

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