Jeremiah Chapter 11: They fashioned their plots...

One of the 11 Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.

A Dead Sea Scroll and jar

Chapter 11

The Lord directs Jeremiah to remind the people of the covenant

that they had made at Sinai. They do not uphold their agreement

either communally or as individuals, so they are slated for a

purging punishment. There are many references made to earlier

books via the “newly discovered” book of Deuteronomy found

within the Temple. Found within the Temple under the reign of

King Josiah, it is used as the collective memory meant to jostle

the people back into partnership with God.  Because they have

not accepted their responsibilities they have forfeited their right

to the land. Soon they will be exiled and spit out from Zion. They

are no longer a protected nation as they have fallen prey to

idolatrous influences.

Rabbi: Chapter 11 refers us back to the terms of our covenant.

They have found the Deuteronomic text.  Jeremiah is preaching

during this time.

Julie: referring to 11:5 “in order to fulfill the oath which I swore

to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and

honey…”

Where have we seen this line before?

Rabbi: It is from Exodus  3:8 “ I have come down to rescue them

from the Egyptians and to bring them out of the land to a good

and spacious land, flowing with milk and honey…”

Joel: referring to 11:4. The Egypt experience is being compared to

an iron crucible. From crisis a new theology is being forged. The

reference is not to the covenant with an individual but rather one

with a nation. As metal is forged, so are we as a nation.

Paul: The people cannot change their spots in time so how

seriously is this warning? They are going to be punished

regardless!

Rabbi: True. God told the people what to do. They know what is

expected but do not obey. Punishment has been decided and

cannot be stopped.

Bill: referring to 11:7:  “Obey my commandments.” It’s too late!

It’s frustrating to think that this is being said for no reason.

Rabbi: God is reminding them to keep up their end of the deal.

There is lots of unrest in the Middle East during this time and the

people are easily led astray. The Deuteronomic text is a great

reminder of our covenant and it is a way to politically and socially

cement us back to our past, to the first four books of the Torah.

Jerry: It was needed as a unifying agent which changed the

perception of the past clarifying and radicalizing ideas and

practices in Judaism.

Bill: Does anyone have an original copy of Deuteronomy?

Rabbi: No, not in its entirety. The oldest portions can be found in

the Dead Sea Scrolls. You can view them on line at

“deadseascrolls.org”. 

There are numerous caves scattered throughout the Jordan

valley on the Israeli side. A shepherd boy tending to his flocks

found the urns that contained some of the scrolls. Fortunately he

brought them to someone who could authenticate them. More

artifacts were found in1967 once we got the land back.

Bill: We are expected to follow the terms of the Covenant but

God will not listen to the people’s cries when he brings down his

judgment.

Julie: In the Amidah prayer we praise God and then petition for

his favor.  Jeremiah Chapter 10:25 is the 19^th blessing in the


prayer, but we are asking for God to bring down his wrath against


those who do not obey. We are the ones who do not obey. The


Babylonian Empire is God’s tool. So, in essence aren’t we asking


to be disciplined in the Amidah?

Group: No Response.

Bill: The prophet Isaiah seems to have focused more on Exile as a

response to sin rather than Jeremiah.

Joel: That’s not really true. Each major Prophet has his own

personality and his own response to Exile as a religious and

political reality. Isaiah is a visionary and poet, Jeremiah seems

more like a hard-hitting no nonsense complainer and

Ezekiel sounds like he’s is on drugs, but they all deal with aspects


of Exile and why the situation is occurring as a response to the

behavior  of the Children of Israel.

Jane: They represent different perspectives so that they can reach

different people in the society.

Rabbi: Referring to 11: 21 “ .. concerning the men of Anathoth

who seek your (Jeremiah’s) life…”

Anathoth is a town.  Jeremiah has incited the anger of his own

town’s people. They are turning against him. In Chapter 18:18, the

people are clearly plotting his demise. Jeremiah winds up being

taken by Judeans to Egypt where he dies. The Talmud insists he

died a martyr’s death.

Julie: Referring to 11:19  “For I was like a docile lamb,/led to the

slaughter;”

Jeremiah sounds like he has been set up. He sounds like he

realizes that the jig is up for him. He doesn’t seem so happy with

God.

Bill: This sounds like Jewish guilt. “Look at me, woe is me. Why

me God”?

Rabbi: The people of Anathoth, similar to tyrants, will try to

silence him as he speaks the truth.

Bill: Tyrants always try to silence those who stir up the pot. It’s

the people who speak up who suffer by those in power. Do you

think the rich Judeans and those who would broker a deal with

Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian King want to hear this stuff?

Joel: This is typical Prophet’s behavior. They get the call to

prophecy from God directly. They protest.They claim they do not

have the stuff to lead. They say they are not up to the task. They

may be fearful. Look at Moses, the greatest leader of the Jews.

Look at Jonah. The point is not what they want, but what God

wants from them. Eventually their skill level is raised by the task

at hand, but it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a price to pay on an

individual level. Jeremiah, may bemoan his particular fate, but

knows that the job must be done.