Thomas Aquinas Commentary Jeremiah 2:4-8

"Hear ye the word of Jehovah, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel: thus saith Jehovah, What unrighteousness have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain? Neither said they, Where is Jehovah that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of the shadow of death, through a land that none passed through, and where no man dwelt? And I brought you into a plentiful land, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. The priests said not, Where is Jehovah? and they that handle the law knew me not: the rulers also transgressed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit." — Jeremiah 2:4-8 (ASV)

1. Here he follows the order of judgment.

He speaks first of the accusation. Second, he refutes their excuse, as in Jeremiah 2:21: but I have planted you as my chosen vine, every seed true.

The first point is divided into three parts:

1. He heaps up their offenses as stemming from ingratitude for all the good they have received.
2. He points to the enormity of their misdeed, where he says, therefore, I shall still contend with you in judgment (Jeremiah 2:9).
3. He highlights the stubbornness of their minds, when he says, is Israel not my servant, or my home-born slave? (Jeremiah 2:14).

Concerning the first part, there are three points:

1. God absolves himself of guilt, so that the cause of their ingratitude would not seem to lie with him: what iniquity did your fathers find in me? Certainly nothing bad. They have departed—they have abandoned him for a long time for vanity—idols, which are of no benefit to those who worship them. O my people, what have I done to you, how have I been troublesome to you, answer me (Micah 6:3).
2. He mentions the abundance of his kind deeds, touching especially on the exodus from Egypt. He discusses this kindness in three ways:
   • Regarding the place from which he led them: and they did not say: where is the LORD? They did not seek me with their whole heart. To go up, because of the site of the land. As it says, I led them from the land of Egypt (Jeremiah 11:4).
   • Regarding the way by which he led them: who led us through the desert . . . the image of death, because death was threatened by the very sight of it: and he was your leader in the great and terrible wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:15).
   • Regarding the land into which he led them: and I brought you into the land of Carmel, because it symbolizes fertility, not because that mountain is in the land of promise. The land around which we have gone is very good (Numbers 14:7).
3. He mentions the fault of ingratitude.
   • How it extends to everyone generally: and when you entered you polluted with idols. The land is stained with blood, and polluted by their deeds (Psalms 105:39).
   • How it pertains to their leaders particularly. The priests, whose responsibility it is to lead others to God; those who hold the law, who were expert teachers; and the shepherds, who were princes whose office it was to call the people back from idolatry. The shepherds themselves have not known understanding (Isaiah 56:11).