Jeremiah 15:1-4 – The dangers of resisting God’s kind overtures.

Continuing in His response to Jeremiah’s intercession for Judah, God in Jeremiah 15:1-4, told him that no amount of prayer could move Him. Even if Moses or Samuel whom God had responded positively to their intercession in the past were to pray for them, God would still not be moved. Judah had gone beyond the limit of God’s extended mercies. He was bent on doing what He said He would do. So thoroughly disappointed with them, God told Jeremiah to send the people away from His presence and to dismiss them.   

God even told Jeremiah what to say to the people when they asked “where should we go?  He was to tell them how they would either end in death, war, famine, and captivity. Verse 3 was exactly what Jeremiah was to tell them: “Thus says the Lord,

‘Those destined for death, to death;
And those destined for the sword, to the sword;
And those destined for famine, to famine;
And those destined for captivity, to captivity.’”

Besides God said there would be four kinds of catastrophe they would experience. They would be dragged away by dogs, and they would be devoured and destroyed by all kinds of birds of prey and beasts. God would make an example of them. They would be an object of horror to the nations and earthly kingdoms.  God was put off by their perpetuation of what Manasseh did. What exactly did Manasseh do?  Fundamentally, Manasseh violated both the Mosaic and Davidic covenants.

Seven things Manasseh did that were offensive to God are described in 2 Kings 21:1-9. Firstly, he led the nation back into the abominable idolatrous worship of the foreign nations which God had Israel gotten rid of.  Secondly, he allowed the high places which his father had removed to thrive again. Thirdly, he adopted Baal and Asherah worship like King Ahab of Israel. Fourthly, he indulged in the worship of the starry hosts. Fifthly, 2 Kings 21:5 said, “…he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD.” He had violated God’s plan for establishing His own name in Jerusalem. Sixthly, he made his son pass through the fire, and seventhly, he practiced all sorts of witchcraft by consulting mediums and spiritists.

Judah had reached a point where God could no longer tolerate her. No intercession could alleviate their situation. God refused to hear even if the best of  intercessors should intercede for them. We learn that even as believers, our resistance to God’s kind and loving overture  could lead us to a point where no amount of prayer can move the heart of God. We need to seize the moment and swiftly return to God at the first instance. Don’t procrastinate. The longer we resist the grace of God, the harder it will be for us to respond to God’s gracious goading. Today, if you hear the voice of God do not harden your heart!