The Depths Of Judah's Sin And Its Consequences (Jeremiah 17:1-4).
The thought of what YHWH is going to do in the future brings Jeremiah back to the present to consider Judah's current state and its consequences.
“The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron,
With the point of an adamant,
It is engraved on the tablet of their heart,
And on the horns of your altars,
Whilst their children remember their altars,
And their Asherim,
By the green trees,
On the high hills.”
The depths of Judah's sin is vividly brought out by its being seen as deeply inscribed on the heart with an iron stylus which has the point of an adamant (or emery), an instrument which was used to inscribe in stone or metal. The ‘adamant' or ‘emery' was the hardest material then known in that area. (Diamonds are nowhere mentioned in Old Testament days, the first certain reference to them being by Manilius in 1st century AD). Thus their sin, especially the sin of idolatry, was seen as deeply inscribed. This was why it endured despite the efforts of reforming kings. It nullified the covenant in men's hearts. Josiah could reform the Temple and desecrate the altars of Baal, but he could do nothing about the ancient natural sites known only to the locals. He could not remove them from the local memory, or eliminate the hold that they had on the hearts of the people.
And their sins were similarly inscribed on the horns of their altars (the upward protrusions on the four corners). Sacrifices for Baal were probably tied to them, and even the sacrificial blood smeared on them (as happened in the Temple with the offerings to YHWH). Every sacrifice that was offered, and every incense offering that was made, thus inscribed their sin more deeply. And its consequence was devastating, for it affected their children just as deeply. That is why their children also continued in their evil ways, ‘remembering' their altars and their Asherim (either wooden poles or graven images representing Asherah) in the locally recognised sites under green trees or on the high hills. In this lay the problem for reformers. The ancient sites were mainly natural in formation, and while obvious altars could be broken up, the ancient sites were permanent natural sites and could not be removed, and the memory of them passed on in the local folklore, while Asherah poles were not always easily identifiable. Such shrines could be visited secretly at times of Yahwistic reform, and as soon as restrictions were lifted could blossom into open activity once more. Local superstition is often writ large on people's hearts.
Some see ‘on the horns of your altars' as referring to the bronze altar and the incense altar in the Temple, both of which would have the shed blood of sacrifices applied to their horns. The idea is then that this very act testifies against their hypocrisy and double-mindedness, emphasising their sin.
O my mountain in the countryside,
I will give your substance and all your treasures for a spoil,
Your high places, because of sin,
Throughout all your borders.
But all this was taking place on ‘YHWH's mountain'. This might indicate Jerusalem as YHWH's mountain, but the mention of ‘borders' suggests that it rather indicated the Central and Judean highlands, stretching from Mount Ephraim along to the Judean hills which initially represented the central bulk of Israel/Judah, and could be seen as including the Shephelah, the lower hills (see Exodus 15:17; Deuteronomy 3:25; Psalms 78:54; Ezekiel 20:40). A good deal of this had been under the control of Josiah at one stage, and Judah/Israel no doubt still saw it as ‘theirs'. If this is the case it was not only Jerusalem and the cities that were involved and were to be punished, but the whole countryside. And the result would be that the whole country would be despoiled, with all its substance and its treasures taken, whether from town or country, and the high places would be despoiled and would eventually be erased from the memories of their children when they were in the land of exile (which was one reason why exile was so necessary). After seventy years there would be no one left alive who remembered the ancient sanctuaries. This despoliation was the price of their seeking to the ancient sanctuaries and failing to hold to the covenant.
“And you, even of yourself, will discontinue,
From your heritage that I gave you,
And I will cause you to serve your enemies,
In the land which you do not know,
For you have kindled a fire in my anger,
Which will burn for ever.
The people themselves would also be exiled. They would ‘discontinue from the land that they had inherited', that YHWH had given them, and it would be their own doing and their own responsibility. The word rendered ‘discontinue' indicated ceasing to use the land. And there in exile YHWH would cause them to serve their enemies in an unknown land. All this would be because they had kindled an unceasing, unquenchable fire in arousing the anger of YHWH. For many of them it would never cease, for as time passed they would cease to see themselves as Israelites, while even today this fire of God's anger continues to burn, for what remains of cast out Israel (which is spoken of here) is still in unbelief.
The coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, would result in the formation of a new Israel, a new nation, founded on Him and on the believing remnant of Israel (Matthew 16:18; Matthew 21:43; John 15:1-6; Romans 11:17-28; Ephesians 2:11-22; 1 Peter 2:9), an Israel which would incorporate Gentiles in large numbers. And the result of this was that what remained of unbelieving Israel were also ‘cast out' and no longer counted as the Israel of the promises. They are not all Israel who were of Israel (Romans 9:6). As a whole therefore they remain under the permanent displeasure of YHWH. It is only by returning to Christ that they can once more become a part of the true Israel (Romans 11:17-28), the believing Israel (Jesus Christ's ‘congregation' - ekklesia - i.e. church) which does retain the promises as expanded in the New Testament.