Jeremiah Is Called Once More To Sift Jerusalem For Righteous Men And His Response Demonstrates That He Is Despairing Of Ever Finding One As He Sums Up Their Fallen State And Calls On YHWH To Fulfil His Judgment On Them (Jeremiah 6:9-15).
In view of the coming thorough gleaning of the remnant of Israel, the gathering up by the invaders of the remains of what was once a fruitful vine, the call comes to Jeremiah from YHWH to check out the grapes in the baskets, presumably to take out those which belong to Him. But Jeremiah discovers that there are none who will hear, none who delight in the word of YHWH. And the discovery fills him with ‘the wrath of YHWH' as he begins to appreciate how God feels about His wayward people, so much so that he can no longer hold in his feelings but calls on Him to pour out His wrath (His revealed antipathy against sin) and carry out His judgment on them all. YHWH then confirms that their houses will be handed over to others, together with their fields and their wives, because of the total corruptness that is among them.
‘Thus says YHWH of hosts, “They will thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine, turn again your hand as a grape-gatherer into the baskets (or ‘to the twigs').”
Once again Israel/Judah are depicted as a vine (compare Jeremiah 2:21; Jeremiah 5:10), but this time as one which has so little fruit remaining on it that it is open to the gleaners, those who seek what remains once the main harvest has been gathered. The gleaners here are the final invaders, picking what remains of the remnant of Israel after others have first harvested it. The ‘remnant of Israel' are a depleted Judah after the northern kingdom had been destroyed and after what it has itself already suffered at the hands of its enemies. But among them may be some of YHWH's own and so Jeremiah is called on to put his hands into the gleaners' baskets to see if he can find any. This can be seen as tying in with YHWH's previous command to search the streets and squares of Jerusalem to see if there were any righteous (see Jeremiah 5:1).
Others see ‘turn again your hand as a grape-gatherer to the twigs' as a comment made by the invaders to each other as they encourage each other in the work of gleaning. The branches having been gleaned it is now the turn of the furthest twigs. But the general picture is clear. Israel/Judah is to be thoroughly gleaned.
‘To whom shall I speak and testify,
That they may hear?
Behold, their ear is uncircumcised,
And they cannot listen,
Behold, the word of YHWH is become to them a reproach,
They have no delight in it.'
Jeremiah's response is basically to ask which grapes he can gather. Who are there to whom he can testify and speak who would be willing to hear? For they all have uncircumcised ears (they have flaps over their ears) so that they cannot listen. This may be an indication that their ears are simply like those of foreign (uncircumcised) nations, or that they have a flap of unbelief over their ears which needs to be removed. It is a reminder that physical circumcision without a responsive heart is nullified. And he then points out that the word of YHWH has become a reproach to this people so that they had no delight in it. They did not want to hear preaching about their own sins and failures. They wanted to be told that all was well with them.
‘Therefore I am full of the wrath of YHWH,
I am weary with holding in,
Pour it out on the children in the street,
And on the assembly of young men together,
For even the man with the woman will be taken,
The aged with him who is full of days.'
As a result of his vain efforts to face men up with the word of YHWH Jeremiah has reached the end of his patience. From youngest to oldest none would listen. He thus felt that he could no longer hold in the wrath of YHWH. And so he calls on Him to pour it out on ‘the children in the street' and on ‘the young men as they collect together'. These would be some of the many whom he had found in the streets and squares who had refused to listen to him (Jeremiah 5:1). Nor would women be excluded, for what he said applied to both men and women, including the aged, and those in the prime of life. All were to lose out in the coming visitation.
‘And their houses will be turned to others,
Their fields and their womenfolk together
For I will stretch out my hand on the inhabitants of the land,
The word of YHWH (neum YHWH).'
And the consequence of the coming invasion will be that their houses will be possessed by others, together with their fields and their womenfolk (compare Deuteronomy 8:12-20; it is the converse of Deuteronomy 6:10-11). And this is because YHWH will stretch out His hand on them in order to punish them. This is the certain and sure word of YHWH, and will fulfil his previous word spoken in Deuteronomy.
‘For from the least of them even to the greatest of them,
Every one is given to covetousness (literally ‘is out to gain gain'),
And from the prophet even to the priest,
Every one deals falsely.
They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly,
Saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.'
But YHWH's wrath is not without reason. It has arisen because of the attitudes of ALL the people towards one another, and towards Him. They are all given to the breaking of the tenth commandment, being filled with covetousness and greed, all out to do each other so that they might become wealthier. And worst of all, those responsible for their spiritual welfare rather deal with them falsely. For they make out that there is nothing to worry about and that God is not concerned over their small sins, dismissing any concerns that they might have had as though they did not matter by saying ‘peace, peace', when in fact there is no peace, because YHWH is very displeased with them. Their cry was ‘all is certainly well' (the repetition stressing certainty), when all was certainly not well.
‘Peace, peace.' Compare Jeremiah 8:11. In this context this could refer either to peace between men and God (Jeremiah 16:5; Jeremiah 29:11; Psalms 85:8; Psalms 85:10; Psalms 119:165; Isaiah 26:3; Isaiah 27:5; Isaiah 53:5; Isaiah 57:19; Isaiah 57:21; Malachi 2:5-6), or to a state of well-being (Jeremiah 23:17; Jeremiah 33:6; Jeremiah 33:9; Jeremiah 38:4; Psalms 29:11; Isaiah 32:17-18; Isaiah 45:7; Isaiah 48:8; Isaiah 48:15; Isaiah 52:7), or to the prospect of peace in their relationship with other nations, suggesting that there would be no war and no invasion (Jeremiah 4:10; Jeremiah 8:11; Jeremiah 8:15; Jeremiah 12:5; Jeremiah 14:19; and often), although in many verses the meanings blend into each other. They had no peace with God, they had no hope of future well being, and they had no prospect of peace in respect of their enemies.
‘Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed, nor could they blush,
Therefore they will fall among those who fall,
At the time that I visit them they will be cast down,
Says YHWH.'
Worst of all, however, was their lack of shame. Were they ashamed at their idolatry (abomination) and their sin? No, they were not ashamed, such things did not even make them blush. And once people can no longer blush it is a sign of how brazen they have become in sin. That is why they will fall among those who fall, and will be cast down at the visitation of YHWH. And this is what YHWH Himself says.