John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 32:28-29

"Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it: and the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink-offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger." — Jeremiah 32:28-29 (ASV)

The meaning of the answer is that although God would bring an end to the seventy years of exile, there was still no reason for hypocrites to take encouragement, because this promise did not belong to them. God then speaks here, first, of His vengeance, to fill those who despise His Law with dread and to indicate that they were excluded from the favor of redemption. He afterward adds that He would eventually be merciful to the exiles, but this favor is confined to the elect and faithful alone.

The two parts of the answer should then be noted, for God seems here to set two contrary things in opposition to one another. But as I have said, in the former clause, He has the hypocrites in view, who, without faith and repentance, applied to themselves what the Prophet had testified about restoration. God then sets forth here His extreme severity, and then He mitigates that rigor. But He then turns His discourse to the elect, because they alone were capable of receiving His favor.

Let us now come to the words, I will deliver this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar, and he will take it. This purpose was that what Jeremiah himself had predicted by His command should remain unalterable: that the city could not be delivered.

For it might have disturbed the Prophet's mind if the Jews were to be delivered shortly after, and if the siege of the city were to be raised. In that case, he might have been exposed to ridicule, along with his prophecies, and he might have been accused of rashness because he had dared to announce in God’s name what we previously noted.

For this reason and purpose, God declares that nothing could be changed, for the Chaldeans were to take the city. Thus, He bids the Prophet to retain a quiet mind and not to trouble himself, as though it were His intention to expose his prophecies to ridicule, for God’s sacred name would thus have been subjected to many reproaches.

Had Jeremiah been proved guilty of falsehood, what would have been the consequence, other than that the Jews would have insolently triumphed over God? God then declares again that the city was given over to destruction.

And therefore He adds, enter in shall the Chaldeans who assail the city; for He does not say that they would come, but He confirms in other words what He had said. Break then into the city shall the Chaldeans, though it was closed up and fortified; and shall set on fire this city.

It was not without purpose that He mentioned the word 'city' so often. For as it was the sanctuary of God and the royal seat, the Jews thought that it was impregnable, and that the sun could sooner be cast down from heaven than that enemies could take possession of it. Therefore, to subvert this false confidence, God often mentioned the word 'city'.

He at last adds that the Chaldeans would burn it, as though He had said that whatever Jeremiah had predicted would certainly be fulfilled—not only concerning the attack on the city but also its destruction—so that not a stone would be left on a stone, but there would be a dreadful desolation until the time of its restoration.

The rest tomorrow.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as You show that You so rule over the whole world as to exercise a peculiar care over us whom You have been pleased to gather into the bosom of Your Church — O grant, that we may be so restrained by Your awesome power within the bounds of our duty, so that we may yet be always fully persuaded that You are our God and Father, and thus submit ourselves willingly to Your word, and not only taste of Your goodness, which is laid up for Your children, but also feed on it, so that we may at length come into Your blessed kingdom above, where there will be full satisfaction and fruition, through Jesus Christ our Lord. — Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]

I did not, in the last lecture, fully explain the passage in which the Prophet announced the burning of the city. After having spoken of the city, he mentions the houses on which they had offered incense to their idols and poured out libations. He then expresses the cause why such heavy vengeance from God awaited that holy city: namely, because its houses had been polluted by superstitions.

And he says that incense had been offered to idols on their tops or roofs; for the roofs, as it appears from many parts of Scripture, were, as it were, places to walk on. We know that idolaters always sought high places, as they imagined that they were thus nearer to God.

Then the design is to show that the punishment of which the Prophet had spoken was not too severe, because all the houses had been contaminated by many sacrilegious acts.

He first mentions Baal, and then foreign gods. Baal, we know, is sometimes taken specifically and sometimes includes all sorts of idols. Yet the Prophets often used the plural number and called them Baalim, that is, patrons, whom the Jews thought they first had to propitiate, so that they might in the same manner pacify God.

For superstition is never satisfied with the one only true God but seeks many gods, as we shall see later in verse 35 (Jeremiah 32:35), where Molech is mentioned, being added to Baal. And the Prophet says here that they had poured libations to foreign gods. We therefore see that Baal includes idols of every sort.

He adds, that they might provoke Me. By these words, God indicates that the Jews could not have pretended ignorance, for they had been more than sufficiently taught from the Law how God was to be worshipped.

A rule had also been prescribed to them to worship God alone, but they worshipped many gods and according to their own fictitious superstitions. Justly, then, does God here complain that they had, as it were, purposely provoked Him, for ignorance could not have been made a pretext, since the doctrine of the Law was sufficient to guide them.