Jeremiah 6-7

Jeremiah 6-7

• 1.
  Jeremiah 6-7 1. “Iam filled prophecies of the wrath of God…Pour it out on the children in the street and on the gathering of youths, for men and women alike will be caught up in it, the elders with the aged.” Jeremiah 6:11 Principally, this verse shows that all people in a society that declines will be affected. But the sages see something in that also teaches us about the cause of decline as well. Do you see it? (The idea that the children are found in the street suggests that the parents have allowed them to roam on the street rather than to be in school or study hall or home. We even see an image of older children, with their own secrets, as in gangs. The responsibility is both for men
• 2.
  and women, suggestingmothers and fathers, and those who repent, but may have lost, the traditions, that is, the elders.) 2. “Were they ashamed that they committed abominations? They have no shame at all.” 6:15 Why is the absence of shame a sign of most serious problems in society? (With shame, a people have a greater capacity to see, acknowledge, and return from wrongdoing, with atonement, repair, and making a new course. Without it, the inclination to remain in a state of dishonesty and wrongdoing is far stronger.) 3. “If you truly do justice between man and his fellow; do not oppress stranger, orphan, and widow; do not shed innocent blood in this place;
• 3.
  and do notgo after gods of others, to your own harm - then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your forefathers, forever and ever.” 7:5-7 Additional mention of concern is made about those who “steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely.” 7:9 Here we get the most direct indictment of the society from God. What is it, fundamentally? (The society Jeremiah is critiquing is not committed to the primacy and practice of justice, but must be in order to retain the promise. This is really justice for all, not at the expense of anyone. The weak are mentioned explicitly not to say that they should receive favorable treatment at the expense of others, but rather that since they’re weak and easier for others to exploit, special care must be taken to assure that they are, with others, treated justly. Following the ritual practices while failing to fulfill the requirements of justice seems particularly noxious to God.
• 4.
  Do you havethoughts about these issues in our society? (Discussion) 4. Note the reference to practices in the streets of Judah that bother God: “The sons gather wood, the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough - in honor of the queen of heaven to pour out libations to the gods of others.” 7:17-18 Knowing that the physical activities of gathering wood, handling flame, and kneading the dough were tasks engaged in by Abraham’s family, the ancestors of these people, why do you believe this behavior in the streets was especially offensive?
• 5.
  (It’s as ifthe people remember the activities of forebears of their tradition and have turned cherished practices to idolatrous ways. They are either venerating the customs on their own and thinking the action is all that’s required (irrespective of the principles of the ancestors who first did them), or simply exporting these ways to the worship of alien ways and purposes. Can you think of ways people do similarly in our own times? (Discussion) 5. The people do not listen to God or His true prophets and they do “not accept rebuke.” “Faith is lost; it is detached from their speech.” 7:27-28 Several questions arise. First, what does it mean that - broadly - people no longer listen to true prophets and won’t accept rebuke from them?
• 6.
  Second, what ismeant by the conclusion that faith is lost? Finally, what happens when faith is detached from speech? Do we see parallels in our own society? (People who once had true principles and values that they knew and embraced have now largely abandoned them. Plus, they will not take seriously criticism for having done so. They either don’t agree that they’ve lost the way or don’t want to be told they have. In any event, they have no intention of changing back. They have lost the commitment to these core values and either pretend through meaningless rituals or mere words that they are still committed or have simply slipped away. Either way, they have lost true faith in them. Their speech reveals this loss of faith, again, either through insincere words about a faith that is no longer true (lip service) or the absence altogether of words of faith. Radak. Once true words disappear, faith will, too, over time.
• 7.
  Daas Sofrim suggests,however, on a hopeful note, that what is lost can be found. (Discussion)