Jeremiah 44:16

Jer 44:16 [As for] the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.

Ver. 16. As for the word which thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee.] This is just woman-like. See Jer 44:15. When man lost his freewill, saith one, woman got it; and whereas there came twelve kabs (measures) of speech at first down from heaven, women ran away with ten of them, say the Rabbis merrily. Here they are very talkative and peremptory; in some there is a strong inclination, a vehement impetus, to whoredom, which the prophet Hosea calleth a spirit of whoredom. Such there was in these women to idolatry; they were fully set upon it.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jer_44:16

As for the word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will net hearken unto thee.

The ministerial message and its reception

I. It devolves on ministers to speak to sinners in the name of the Lord.

1. They represent to them their deplorable situation; they describe to them the horrors of the pit wherein there is no water, in which they lie; the miseries of that prison in which they are closely confined; the unprofitableness of the drudgery in which they are engaged; and the tribulation and anguish which they have to expect. Knowing the terrors of the Lord, they persuade men; and sensible that, if they are unfaithful, the blood of souls will be required at their hands, they are instant in season and out of season, if by any means they Could persuade them to flee from the wrath to come.

2. They do all this in the name of the Lord.

(1) They speak in obedience to His command.

(2) They speak in perfect agreement with the Divine word.

(3) They preach in the hope of promoting His glory.

II. The unpleasant reception with which their message often meets. We will not hearken.

1. We hope that there are but few who would plainly say this in words; who are so hardened as to glory in their shame; or so incorrigible as to tell Gods ministers that they cast His words behind their back, as unworthy of attention, and beneath their notice: yet we are persuaded that there are many professors who say this in their hearts, and who will not see when the hand of God is lifted up; for if this were not the case, would ministers so often have to lament over them, saying, Oh, that they were wise; and, Oh, that there were such a heart in them, to keep His commandments and do them? Careless hearers all say, We will not hearken unto Thee. And oh, how few are there that will hear believingly! The word does not profit, not being mixed with faith in them that hear it; men often reject the counsel of God against themselves, and disbelieve the record that God has given of His Son. Their conduct shows that they believe not in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

2. What is the reason that they will not attend to those things, which, it is evident, belong to their peace?

(1) Because they are in league with sin.

(2) What your ministers preach loudly speaks your condemnation.

I would say, by way of inference, In what an awful state are those persons who are making the resolution contained in the text. They are evidently exposed to the loss of their privileges; to hardness of heart, and contempt of Gods Word and commandments; and to utter and eternal destruction. (T. Spencer.)

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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Jer 44:16-19. As for the word thou hast spoken unto us, we will not hearken unto thee — Johanan and the rest (Jer 43:5) only denied that God had said such things, and told Jeremiah he had spoken falsely: but now these people rise higher; they acknowledge Jeremiah had spoken to them in the name of the Lord, but, nevertheless, tell him in plain terms they would not obey his word, and indeed this is in the hearts of all sinners that are ruled by their lusts; though they will sometimes pretend that what they hear is not the will of God, but spoken out of malice and prejudice; yet they are pre-resolved they will not comply with it, let their understandings be never so well informed. But will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own mouth — That is, that which we have solemnly vowed to perform. Here we have the root of all the disobedience of sinners, their resolution to please themselves, and do their own will, and not in any thing to deny themselves. To burn incense to the queen of heaven — To the moon and the rest of the host of heaven: see the note on Jer 7:18; and Jer 19:13. As we have done, we and our fathers, &c. — Their arguments for continuing in this idolatry are, 1st, Custom and antiquity; they and their fathers had practised it. 2d, The example of their kings and princes. 3d, The plenty and prosperity they had while they did so, as if their idols and not Jehovah had been the authors of it. They compared their former condition, before the invasion of Judea and the siege of Jerusalem, with their present state, and argued from their being in prosperity at that time, that they must needs have been then in the right; not considering that it was to be ascribed to the goodness and long-suffering of God waiting for their repentance, as being unwilling to destroy them, or even to bring any great calamity upon them. Besides, though on account of the measure of their iniquity being filled up, they now suffered more grievous calamities than they had ever done before, yet, if they were at all acquainted with the history of former times, they could not but know that idolatry had always brought calamities on their fathers, and that they never were so prosperous as when they worshipped and served Jehovah only. But since we left off, &c., we have wanted all things — This is their last argument in defence of their idolatry, an argument drawn from the evils that had befallen them since they had left off to worship the host of heaven; thus making their ceasing to commit the sin of idolatry the cause of their sufferings, whereas, in truth, the commission of that and their other sins had been the cause of all the calamities to which they had been exposed. And when we burned incense, &c., did we worship her without our men? — Here the women speak, and allege that their husbands had joined with them in offering incense to the host of heaven, and that it was not done without their privity. “By the law of Moses the men had an independent power of binding themselves by any religious vow or obligation; but the vows of the women were not binding, without the knowledge and consent of their fathers and husbands; but if the father or husband knew of the vow, and did not signify his dissent at the time, his consent was presumed, and the vow stood firm and irrevocable, Num 30:1-16. This appeal, therefore, to the concurrence of their men must be considered as coming from the female part of the assembly only, who thereby appear to declare that since they were thus authorized by those who alone had a legal right to control them, they should not submit to any other restraint upon their inclinations.” — Blaney.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

This declareth how dangerous a thing it is to decline once from God, and to follow our own fantasies: for Satan ever soliciteth such, and doth not leave them till he have brought them to extreme impudency and madness, even to justify their wickedness against God and his Prophets.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

we will not-- (Jer 6:16).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

We see, in short, that God’s Prophet was rejected; and yet there is no doubt but the Jews pretended some religion, but they did not think that they were bound to obey the command of man. And whence was this contempt? even from nothing but perverseness; for however hypocrites may dissemble and say that they do not despise God and his word, and address their words to ministers, yet their impiety betrays them when, on the one hand, they pretend that they worship God, and on the other they repudiate those furnished with his commands whom he would have them to hear. But God will not and cannot have himself separated from his word. Let us now go on —

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

As for the word that thou has, spoken unto us in the name of the Lord,.... Which they did not believe that it came from the Lord, but was a device of the prophet's, and a lie, as in Jer 43:2; and if it did come from the Lord, their impudence was risen to such a pitch, that they were determined not to regard it:

we will not hearken unto thee: to thy words; neither to thy exhortations, reproofs, or menaces, even though thou comest and speakest in the name of the Lord. This, and what follows, is an unparalleled instance of the pride, obstinacy, enmity, and rebellion of the carnal mind against God.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

We read, Jer 43:5, Johanan and the rest only denied that God had spoken such things, and told Jeremiah he had spoken falsely; but now these women and men rise higher, they acknowledge Jeremiah had spoken to them in the name of the Lord, but tell him in plain and direct terms they would not obey it. And indeed this is in the hearts of all sinners that are ruled by their lusts; though they will sometimes pretend that what they hear is not the will of God, but spoken out of malice and prejudice, yet they are pre-resolved they will not do it, let their understandings be never so well informed.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Open rebellion.

I GOD LEAVES US FREE TO ACCEPT OR REJECT HIS AUTHORITY. Whatever may be urged from the standpoints of abstract philosophy and of speculative theology, in practice, as Butler says, we all act as though we were free. In the Bible, too, this practical freedom of the will is constantly implied and appealed to. Though we have no moral right to renounce the Law of God, though we shall suffer if we do so, the terrible power of rebellion is entrusted to us that our loyalty may be proved and our service may remain free and willing.

II ALL EVIL CENTRES IN THE WILL. The idolatrous Jews will not hearken to the word of Jeremiah. Herein lies the sum and substance of their offence. Depraved appetites and wicked passions are temptations to the evil will or products of its deeds. In themselves they are no more wicked than the external temptations which appeal to the purest elements of our common human nature. Guilt consists in yielding to them in the act of the will that consents, indulges, or urges.

III WILFUL REJECTION OF TRUTH IS REBELLION AGAINST GOD. Not to hearken is to revolt. We must be careful to distinguish pure intellectual doubt and unbelief from this revolt of the will against truth. The latter may not deny the correctness of what it rejects; it simply refuses to follow it. If it does fail to believe the truth, but through only wilfully closing all avenues of evidence, the blame of an evil will must be attached to it.

IV SELF-WILL IS AN EVIL WILL. In rejecting the Divine message the idolatrous Jews insolently add, "We will certainly do the whole word which hath gone forth out of our own mouth" (see ver. 17).

1. Self-will even in regard to things innocent in themselves is nevertheless an evil will. For we are not our own masters. The servant is wrong if he disobey his master, though to do a harmless act. The soldier is guilty in disobeying orders, whatever other course he may take. We are "under authority." If our Captain says, "Go," we are not free to stand for the most innocent reason.

2. Self-will is too often directed to evil things. Those Jews who deliberately rejected the Divine message chose to perform acts of idolatry of their own will. Our will is corrupt. Left to itself it chooses much that is evil, To keep it pure we must lift it up to union with a higher will. When it breaks loose and defiantly chooses its own private course, its evil nature will incline it to a bad course.

V COMPANIONSHIP IN SIN BECOMES CONSPIRACY IN GREATER SIN. The husbands support their wives in the evil practices of the women, and together they declare that for the future they will pursue these practices openly and deliberately. But the closest relationship and the warmest affection are no reasons for defending wicked conduct, much less for encouraging and sharing it. When the love of husband and wife conflicts with the love of God, even that most near and sacred tie should yield to the highest of all obligations. Otherwise the marriage relation, which is instituted for the blessings of mutual comfort and happiness, becomes a curse.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.