◄ Jeremiah 4:21 ►
How long must I see the signal flag and hear the sound of the horn?
Study Bible
How long
This phrase reflects a deep sense of urgency and lament. In Hebrew, the phrase "ad-matai" conveys a longing for an end to a distressing situation. Jeremiah, known as the "weeping prophet," often expressed sorrow over the spiritual state of Israel. This question is rhetorical, emphasizing the prolonged period of warning and the people's continued disobedience. It invites reflection on the patience of God and the persistent call to repentance.

must I see
The act of seeing here is not just physical sight but a deeper perception and understanding of the impending judgment. In the Hebrew context, "to see" often implies awareness and acknowledgment. Jeremiah is burdened by the constant vision of warning signs, which the people of Judah seem to ignore. This highlights the prophet's role as a watchman, tasked with alerting the people to spiritual danger.

the signal flag
The "signal flag" or "banner" in Hebrew, "nes," was used in ancient times as a military standard or rallying point. It symbolizes a call to attention and action. In the context of Jeremiah, it represents the clear and visible warnings from God about the coming judgment. The signal flag serves as a metaphor for God's attempts to draw His people's attention back to Him, urging them to repent and return to His covenant.

and hear
Hearing, like seeing, involves more than just the physical act; it implies understanding and responding. The Hebrew word "shama" often means to listen with the intent to obey. Jeremiah's lament is that the people hear the warnings but fail to heed them. This reflects a recurring biblical theme where God calls His people to listen and respond to His voice.

the sound of the trumpet
The trumpet, or "shofar" in Hebrew, was used in Israel for various purposes, including calling people to worship, signaling war, or announcing significant events. In this context, it is a sound of alarm, warning of impending danger. The trumpet's blast is a divine call to repentance, urging the people to awaken from their spiritual slumber. Historically, the shofar's sound was unmistakable and urgent, symbolizing the need for immediate action in response to God's warnings.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
The prophet who is delivering God's message to the people of Judah. He is often referred to as the "weeping prophet" due to his deep sorrow over the spiritual state of his people.

2. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, which is the primary audience of Jeremiah's prophecies. At this time, Judah is facing impending judgment due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience to God.

3. The Standard
A military banner or signal used in ancient times to rally troops or signal an impending attack. In this context, it symbolizes the coming judgment and invasion.

4. The Trumpet
An instrument used to sound an alarm or call to arms. Here, it represents the warning of approaching danger and the urgency of repentance.

5. Impending Judgment
The event that Jeremiah is warning about, which is the Babylonian invasion and the subsequent exile of Judah due to their unfaithfulness to God.
Teaching Points
The Urgency of Repentance
Just as the trumpet signals immediate danger, we must respond promptly to God's call for repentance in our lives.

Heeding God's Warnings
God often provides warnings before judgment. We must be attentive to His voice and respond with obedience.

The Role of the Prophet
Jeremiah's role as a prophet was to deliver God's message, even when it was unpopular. We are called to speak truth in love, regardless of the reception.

Spiritual Vigilance
Like the watchman who sounds the trumpet, we must remain vigilant in our spiritual lives, aware of the enemy's tactics and ready to stand firm in faith.

God's Patience and Justice
While God is patient, His justice will ultimately prevail. We should not take His patience for granted but strive to live righteously.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of the standard and the trumpet in Jeremiah 4:21 relate to the urgency of responding to God's warnings in our own lives?

2. In what ways can we act as spiritual watchmen in our communities, and how can we effectively sound the "trumpet" of God's truth?

3. Reflect on a time when you felt God was warning you about a particular situation. How did you respond, and what was the outcome?

4. How do the themes of judgment and repentance in Jeremiah 4:21 connect with the message of salvation found in the New Testament?

5. Considering the role of the prophet, how can we balance speaking truth with love in our interactions with others, especially when addressing sin or disobedience?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 5:26
This verse also speaks of a standard being raised as a signal for nations to come against a people, highlighting the theme of divine judgment.

Ezekiel 33:3-6
These verses discuss the role of the watchman and the sounding of the trumpet as a warning, emphasizing the responsibility to heed God's warnings.

Joel 2:1
The blowing of the trumpet in Zion as a call to repentance, paralleling the urgency of Jeremiah's message.
Sermons
The Proclamation of WoeS. Conway Jeremiah 4:5-31
The Alarm of WarG. Lawson.Jeremiah 4:19-26
The Prophet's Lamentations Over His People's DoomT. Herren, D. D.Jeremiah 4:19-26
WarJ. M. Lang, D. D.Jeremiah 4:19-26
The Fellowship of Christ's SufferingsS. Conway Jeremiah 4:19-30
A Surely Coming Confession Compelling a Present Serious QuestionS. Conway Jeremiah 4:20, 30
People
Dan, Jeremiah
Places
Dan, Jerusalem, Mount Ephraim, Zion
Topics
Ensign, Flag, Hearing, Horn, Seeing, Standard, Till, Trumpet, Voice, War-horn
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 4:21

     5223   banner

Jeremiah 4:19-21

     5595   trumpet
     8239   earnestness

Library
The Wailing of Risca
You all know the story; it scarce needs that I should tell it to you. Last Saturday week some two hundred or more miners descended in health and strength to their usual work in the bowels of the earth. They had not been working long, their wives and their children had risen, and their little ones had gone to their schools, when suddenly there was heard a noise at the mouth of the pit;--it was an explosion,--all knew what it meant. Men's hearts failed them, for well they prophesied the horror which …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 7: 1861

How those are to be Admonished who Sin from Sudden Impulse and those who Sin Deliberately.
(Admonition 33.). Differently to be admonished are those who are overcome by sudden passion and those who are bound in guilt of set purpose. For those whom sudden passion overcomes are to be admonished to regard themselves as daily set in the warfare of the present life, and to protect the heart, which cannot foresee wounds, with the shield of anxious fear; to dread the hidden darts of the ambushed foe, and, in so dark a contest, to guard with continual attention the inward camp of the soul. For, …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Prevailing Prayer.
Text.--The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.--James v. 16. THE last lecture referred principally to the confession of sin. To-night my remarks will be chiefly confined to the subject of intercession, or prayer. There are two kinds of means requisite to promote a revival; one to influence men, the other to influence God. The truth is employed to influence men, and prayer to move God. When I speak of moving God, I do not mean that God's mind is changed by prayer, or that his …
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion

How to Make Use of Christ for Cleansing of us from Our Daily Spots.
Having spoken of the way of making use of Christ for removing the guilt of our daily transgressions, we come to speak of the way of making use of Christ, for taking away the guilt that cleaveth to the soul, through daily transgressions; "for every sin defileth the man," Matt. xv. 20; and the best are said to have their spots, and to need washing, which presupposeth filthiness and defilement, Eph. v. 27. John xiii. 8-10. Hence we are so oft called to this duty of washing and making us clean. Isa. …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

"For they that are after the Flesh do Mind the Things of the Flesh,",
Rom. viii. 5.--"For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh,", &c. Though sin hath taken up the principal and inmost cabinet of the heart of man--though it hath fixed its imperial throne in the spirit of man, and makes use of all the powers and faculties in the soul to accomplish its accursed desires and fulfil its boundless lusts, yet it is not without good reason expressed in scripture, ordinarily under the name of "flesh," and a "body of death," and men dead in sins, are …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"Who Walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the Flesh,"
Rom. viii. 4, 5.--"Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh," &c. If there were nothing else to engage our hearts to religion, I think this might do it, that there is so much reason in it. Truly it is the most rational thing in the world, except some revealed mysteries of faith, which are far above reason, but not contrary to it. There is nothing besides in it, but that which is the purest reason. Even that part of it which is most difficult to man, …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ, He is None of His. "
Rom. viii. 9.--"If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?" 2 Chron. vi. 18. It was the wonder of one of the wisest of men, and indeed, considering his infinite highness above the height of heavens, his immense and incomprehensible greatness, that the heaven of heavens cannot contain him, and then the baseness, emptiness, and worthlessness of man, it may be a wonder to the …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Acceptable Sacrifice;
OR, THE EXCELLENCY OF A BROKEN HEART: SHOWING THE NATURE, SIGNS, AND PROPER EFFECTS OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT. BEING THE LAST WORKS OF THAT EMINENT PREACHER AND FAITHFUL MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST, MR. JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. WITH A PREFACE PREFIXED THEREUNTO BY AN EMINENT MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IN LONDON. London: Sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgates, 1692. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The very excellent preface to this treatise, written by George Cokayn, will inform the reader of …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Original Sin
Q-16: DID ALL MANKIND FALL IN ADAM'S FIRST TRANSGRESSION? A: The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him, by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression. 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,' &c. Rom 5:12. Adam being a representative person, while he stood, we stood; when he fell, we fell, We sinned in Adam; so it is in the text, In whom all have sinned.' Adam was the head …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Repentance
Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.' Acts 11: 18. Repentance seems to be a bitter pill to take, but it is to purge out the bad humour of sin. By some Antinomian spirits it is cried down as a legal doctrine; but Christ himself preached it. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent,' &c. Matt 4: 17. In his last farewell, when he was ascending to heaven, he commanded that Repentance should be preached in his name.' Luke 24: 47. Repentance is a pure gospel grace. …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Directions to Awakened Sinners.
Acts ix. 6. Acts ix. 6. And he, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do. THESE are the words of Saul, who also is called Paul, (Acts xiii. 9,) when he was stricken to the ground as he was going to Damascus; and any one who had looked upon him in his present circumstances and knew nothing more of him than that view, in comparison with his past life, could have given, would have imagined him one of the most miserable creatures that ever lived upon earth, and would have expected …
Philip Doddridge—Practical Discourses on Regeneration

The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Jesus Attends the First Passover of his Ministry.
(Jerusalem, April 9, a.d. 27.) Subdivision B. Jesus Talks with Nicodemus. ^D John III. 1-21. ^d 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. [Nicodemus is mentioned only by John. His character is marked by a prudence amounting almost to timidity. At John vii. 50-52 he defends Jesus, but without committing himself as in any way interested in him: at John xix. 38, 39 he brought spices for the body of Jesus, but only after Joseph of Arimathæa had secured the body. …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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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