John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 7:15

"And I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim." — Jeremiah 7:15 (ASV)

He concludes the former verse. The Prophet had indeed sufficiently explained himself, but this confirmation was necessary for a people so stubborn. He then asserts nothing new, but only shows that there would be no defense for his own people against God’s vengeance any more than for the Israelites.

Thus he now calls them their brethren, as he had previously said that they were his people; for the state of the ten tribes was the same, until it had pleased God to remove the Ark of the Covenant to Mount Zion, so that he might have his throne in the tribe of Judah.

All the children of Abraham were indeed equal, but the Israelites were superior in number and in power. And he says, the whole seed. This is significantly added, for the Jews had with them only the half of the tribe of Manasseh.

The ten tribes had perished; in nothing could they exalt themselves, and they were in this respect inferior, because they were only one tribe and a half, while the ten tribes were larger in number.

He calls them the seed of Ephraim, because of their first king, and also because that tribe was more prominent than the other nine tribes. And in the Prophets, Ephraim is in many places named for Israel, that is, for that second kingdom, which nevertheless flourished more in wealth and power. We now understand the Prophet's meaning.

But from this we may learn this important truth: God had never so bound himself to any people or place that he was not at liberty to inflict punishment on the ungodliness of those who had despised his favors, or profaned them by their ingratitude and their sins.

And this should be carefully noted, for we see that it is an evil seemingly innate in us, that we become arrogant and proud whenever God deals generously with us. We so abuse his favors as to think that more liberty is given to us because God has bestowed on us more than on others.

But there is nothing more unfounded than this presumption; and yet we become so arrogant whenever God honors us with special favors. Let us therefore bear in mind what is taught here by the Prophet: that God is always free to take vengeance on the ungodly and the ungrateful.

Thus it also appears how foolish is the boasting of the Papists. Whenever they bring against us the name of the apostolic throne, they think that God’s mouth is closed; they think that all authority is to be taken away from his word.

In short, they harden themselves against God, as if they had a legitimate possession, because the gospel was once preached at Rome, and because that place was the first seat of the Church in Italy as well as in Europe.

But God never favored Rome with such a privilege, nor has he said that his dwelling place was to be there. If the Pope and his adherents had what the Jews then possessed (which really belonged to Mount Zion), who could bear their fury, not to mention their pride?

But we see what Jeremiah says of Mount Zion, though it had been said of it:

“This is my rest for ever; here will I dwell,
because I have chosen it” (Psalms 132:14).

Go now, he says, to Shiloh. Now, since Shiloh and Jerusalem, and so many celebrated cities where the gospel once flourished, have been taken away from us, there is no doubt that a dreadful vengeance and destruction await all those who reject the doctrine of salvation and despise the treasure of the gospel.

Since then God has shown by so many proofs and examples that he is not bound to any places, how foolish is the madness of those who seek, through the mere name of an apostolic seat, to subvert all truth, all fear of God, and whatever belongs to true religion.