2:1–3:5 In this section, the marriage analogy sharply contrasts God’s love for his people with their love for other gods and reveals Judah’s faithlessness. Jeremiah condemned Judah (he sometimes called Judah “Jerusalem,” the name of its capital city) for seeking security in worthless, changeable things rather than the unchangeable God. We may be tempted to seek security from possessions, people, or our own abilities, but these will fail us. There is no lasting security apart from the eternal God.
2:2 We appreciate a friend who remains true to his or her commitment, and we are disappointed with someone who fails to keep a promise. God was pleased when his people obeyed initially, but he became angry with them when they refused to keep their commitment. Temptations distract us from God. Think about your original commitment to obey God, and ask yourself if you are remaining truly devoted.
2:3 The phrase “firstfruits of his increase” is a comparison with the firstfruits (the first part) of the harvest. Both were to be set apart for God (Deuteronomy 26:1-11). That’s how God’s people had declared their allegiance to him in years gone by. Israel had been as eager to please God as if she were his young bride, a holy, devoted people. This contrasted greatly with the situation in Jeremiah’s time.
2:4-8 The united nation of Israel included both the “families of the house of Israel” and the “house of Jacob” (Judah). Jeremiah knew Israel’s history well. The prophets recited history to the people for several reasons: (1) to remind them of God’s faithfulness; (2) to make sure the people wouldn’t forget (they didn’t have Bibles to read); (3) to emphasize God’s love for them; (4) to remind the people that there was a time when they were close to God. We should learn from history so we can build on the successes and avoid repeating the failures of others.
2:8 Baal was the chief male god of the Canaanite religion. Baalim (2:23) is plural and refers to his images. He was the god of fertility. Worship of Baal included animal sacrifice and sacred prostitution (male and female) in the high places. Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, introduced Baal worship into the northern kingdom, and eventually it spread to Judah. The sexual orientation of this worship was a constant temptation to the Israelites, who were called to be holy.
2:10 God was saying that even pagan nations like Chittim (Cyprus in the west) and Kedar (the home of Arab tribes living in the desert east of Palestine) remained loyal to their national gods. But Israel had abandoned the one and only God for a completely worthless object of worship.
2:13 Who would set aside a fountain of living waters for a cracked cistern, a pit that collected rainwater but could not hold it? God told the Israelites they were doing that very thing when they turned from him, the fountain of living waters, to the worship of idols. Not only that, but the cisterns they chose were broken and empty. The people had built religious systems in which to store truth, but those systems were worthless. Why should we cling to the broken promises of unstable “cisterns” (money, power, religious systems, or whatever transitory thing we are putting in place of God) when God promises to constantly refresh us with living water (John 4:10)?
2:16, 17 Noph (Memphis) was near modern Cairo’s present location in lower Egypt, and Tahpanhes was in northeastern Egypt. Jeremiah could be speaking of Pharaoh Shishak’s previous invasion of Judah in 926 B.C. (1 Kings 14:25), or he may have been predicting Pharaoh Necho’s invasion in 609 B.C. when King Josiah of Judah would be killed (2 Kings 23:29, 30). Jeremiah’s point is that the people brought this on themselves by rebelling against God.
2:22 The stain of sin is more than skin-deep. Israel had stains that could not be washed out, even with the strongest cleansers. Spiritual cleansing must reach deep into the heart—and this is a job that God alone can do. We cannot ignore the effects of sin and hope they will go away. Your sin has caused a deep stain that only God can remove if you are willing to let him cleanse you (Isaiah 1:18; Ezekiel 36:25).
2:23-27 The people are compared to animals who search for mates in mating season. Unrestrained, they rush for power, money, alliances with foreign powers, and other gods. The idols did not seek the people; the people sought the idols and ran wildly after them. Then they became so comfortable in their sin that they could not think of giving it up. Their only shame was in getting caught. If we desire something so much that we’ll do anything to get it, it is a sign that we are addicted to it and out of tune with God.
2:30 Being a prophet in Jeremiah’s day was risky business. Prophets had to criticize the policies of evil kings, and this made them appear to be traitors. The kings hated the prophets for standing against their policies, and the people often hated the prophets for preaching against their idolatrous lifestyles (see Acts 7:52).
2:31, 32 Forgetting can be dangerous, whether it is intentional or an oversight. Israel deliberately ignored God by focusing its affections on the allurements of the world. The more we focus on the passing pleasures of this life, the easier it becomes to forget God’s care, his love, his dependability, his guidance, and most of all, God himself. What pleases you most? Have you been forgetting God lately?
2:36 God is not against alliances or working partnerships, but he is against people trusting others for the help that should come from him. This was the problem in Jeremiah’s time. After the days of David and Solomon, Israel fell apart because the leaders turned to other nations and gods instead of the true God. They played power politics, thinking that their strong neighbors could protect them. But Judah would soon learn that its alliance with Egypt would be just as disappointing as its former alliance with Assyria (2 Kings 16:8, 9; Isaiah 7:13-25).