Unfaithful Israel, Continued. — Jeremiah 4:1–31

The recording, chapter markers and searchable transcript appear here once the Sunday video is available.

In this message

God’s character includes love and mercy, but also truth, judgement, and righteousness, so he is bound to do what is just and right.
Hard hearts must be broken up so God’s Word can take root, and fallow ground is most frequently broken up by the plow of conviction.
Outward religious markers cannot replace inward devotion, because true circumcision is wholehearted worship and personal rejoicing in Christ Jesus.
Judgement on Judah was avoidable, but sin and the desire for pleasant messages opened the door to ruin.
Repentance must not be postponed, because after death comes judgement and there is no second chance.

The passage

The verses Lee stops on. Read Jeremiah 4 in full.

Jeremiah 4:1

1“If you, Israel, will return,” declares the Lord, “then return to me.” “If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray,

“Return to Me,” God says, “and you will be able to say with enthusiasm, “The Lord lives!” In other words, you’ll know I’m living and working if you come to Me.”

Jeremiah 4:30–31

30What are you doing, you devastated one? Why dress yourself in scarlet and put on jewels of gold? Why highlight your eyes with makeup? You adorn yourself in vain. Your lovers despise you; they want to kill you. 31I hear a cry as of a woman in labor, a groan as of one bearing her first child— the cry of Daughter Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands and saying, “Alas! I am fainting; my life is given over to murderers.”

When Jezebel realized she was about to be overthrown, she tried to escape destruction by painting her face (2 Kings 9:33). Here, Judah is pictured doing the same thing – but she would be no more successful than Jezebel, for both would meet their end. Contrast this with another woman in the Bible who used not pain on her face or crimson in her clothes but scarlet through her window as a way to save her life. Her name was Rahab (Joshua 2)– and, where Jezebel failed, Rahab was saved not because she was more righteous or more worthy than Jezebel but because she relied on the grace of God rather than on her own schemes.

Judgement is coming, and the only safe response is to return to the Lord with an inwardly changed heart rather than outward religion.

What we have seen

Fallow ground is most frequently broken up by the plow of conviction.
As part of the Old Testament covenant, men were circumcised as an outward indication of their covenant relationship or commitment to the Lord.

Does God judge, or is he only loving?

God is love, but he is also the essence of truth, judgment, and righteousness. God is bound by his own character to do what is true, just, and right. God’s fury against sin is held back by his longsuffering, and it is his mercy that restrains the lighting of his wrath. Bill Bright warned that exalting one attribute over another distorts God’s character and can lead to heresy.

What does it mean to “break up your fallow ground” in Jeremiah 4?

Breaking up fallow ground pictures dealing with a heart that has become hard and unresponsive to God. Jeremiah said the people needed to remove the sin that hardened their hearts before the good seed of God’s commands could take root. The same is true now: heart-hardening sin must be removed if God’s Word is to take root and grow. Charles Spurgeon argued that sowing without plowing leads to little harvest, and that the gospel must not be preached without preaching God’s law.

What is the “plow of conviction” and why does it matter?

Fallow ground is most frequently broken up by the plow of conviction. The hardness of human hearts can only be dealt with by the convicting work of the Holy Ghost. That is why Jeremiah’s ministry was so difficult: it involved pulling down, rooting up, and warning people about trouble if they would not forsake sin and return to God. People naturally resist a message that convicts.

What does circumcision mean in Jeremiah 4, and how does it apply now?

Circumcision in the Old Testament covenant was an outward indication of covenant relationship or commitment to the Lord. Jeremiah’s point was that outward signs can exist while hearts remain uncircumcised—untender and insensitive to the Lord. The same pattern can show up when people take pride in denominational affiliation, water baptism, perfect attendance, or confirmation while lacking inward devotion. Philippians 3:3 is used to define true circumcision as wholehearted worship and personal rejoicing in Christ Jesus with no confidence in the flesh.

Who is the “lion from the north” in Jeremiah 4?

The lion from the north refers to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians coming to bring destruction to the land. The invasion is presented as punishment for the people’s sin because they refused inward repentance. Disaster is pictured as announced from Dan because Dan sat at the northern border and would see the invaders first. The coming armies would not be stoppable by Judah.

Why did people believe false prophets who promised peace?

False prophets were fanning throughout Judah prophesying nothing but peace, even though judgement was coming. The explanation given is that people wanted to hear a pleasant message that would not challenge them and an easy message that would not convict them. That desire helped create false expectations alongside blindness to their own sin. Matthew Henry is quoted to stress that God had warned, but the people were flattered into ruin by prophets crying “peace” when war was at the door.

Why was Jeremiah in such agony in Jeremiah 4?

Jeremiah vividly saw and portrayed the coming destruction, even though the Babylonian invasion was still decades away. The vision was so real to him that he experienced deep physical agony at the thought of what would happen to the people and the land. John Maxwell is cited to say compassion drove Jeremiah and kept his warning from being cold and sterile. Jeremiah was anguished by the sure devastation of the coming judgement.

How does Jeremiah 4 connect to the end times and Armageddon?

Jeremiah 4 is about future destruction by Babylon, but it is also presented as a picture of the judgement of all sinners at the end of the world. A timeline is laid out that includes the rapture, the rise of the Antichrist, tribulation judgments, the gathering for Armageddon, Christ’s return, and final judgement, citing passages from 1 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, Daniel, Matthew, 2 Thessalonians, and Revelation. The purpose of that review is to press the reality of coming judgement and to awaken concern for those who do not know Jesus. The question raised is whether a person’s heart hurts for friends and family who are headed for destruction, and what they are doing to alert them.

Can someone repent after death, or is there another chance?

Hebrews 9:27 is used to say that after death comes judgement. The application explicitly denies a second chance for repentance after death, denying purgatory and baptism for the dead. The call is to respond now because the opportunity to repent ends when a person breathes their last breath on earth. The warning is also framed as personal responsibility: separation from God is presented as a chosen outcome under human free will that God honours.

Why shouldn’t salvation be postponed?

Salvation should not be postponed because the future is uncertain and judgement is sure. Proverbs 27:1 is cited to warn against boasting about tomorrow because no one knows what a day will bring. 2 Corinthians 6:2 is cited to stress that now is the time of God’s favor and now is the day of salvation. Hebrews 3:15 is cited to urge responding today and not hardening the heart.

Where else scripture speaks

Every passage Lee reaches for. The ones he teaches from open here; the rest link out.

Passages picked up elsewhere in the series:

Hebrews 12:29 — Chastisement Proves God’s Love, Floods Reveal Foundations, The Fortress That Never Saw It Coming
Philippians 3:3 — Boast About This, God’s Plan to Prosper You
1 Corinthians 15:51–52 — Is Anything Secure Anymore?
Daniel 9:27 — God’s Plan to Prosper You
Matthew 24:15 — Cut It. Burn It. Silence It. It Still Stands.
2 Thessalonians 2:4 — Prophets in 2025?

Take this with you

Jeremiah was anguished by the sure devastation of the coming judgement.