11:1–13:27 This section concerns the broken covenant and a rebuke for those who returned to idols after Josiah’s reform. Jeremiah’s rebuke prompted a threat against his life by his own countrymen. As Jeremiah suffered, he pondered the prosperity of the wicked. As he brought these words to a close, he used a rotten linen loincloth and filled jars of wine as object lessons of God’s coming judgment (see the note on 13:1-11).
11:14 At first glance this command is shocking: God tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people and says he won’t listen to the people if they pray. A time comes when God must dispense justice. Sin brings its own bitter reward. If the people were unrepentant and continued in their sin, neither their prayers nor Jeremiah’s would prevent God’s judgment. Their only hope was repentance—sorrow for sin, turning from it, and turning to God. How can we keep praying for God’s help if we haven’t committed our lives to him? God’s blessings come when we are committed to him, not when we selfishly hang on to our sinful ways.
11:18-23 To Jeremiah’s surprise, the people of Anathoth, his hometown, were plotting to kill him. They wanted to silence Jeremiah’s message for several reasons: (1) economic—his condemnation of idol worship would hurt the business of the idol makers; (2) religious—the message of doom and gloom made the people feel depressed and guilty; (3) political—he openly rebuked their hypocritical politics; and (4) personal—the people hated him for showing them that they were wrong. Jeremiah had two options: run and hide, or call on God. Jeremiah called, and God answered. Like Jeremiah, we can either run and hide when we face opposition because of our faithfulness to God, or we can call on God for help. Hiding compromises our message; calling on God lets him reinforce it.