Judah has betrayed her Lord. She may once have thrown out the idols she worshipped but now they’re all back with more besides. Does she imagine the Lord won’t notice?
Betrayed
Don’t treat me fairly
Jeremiah once more describes in vivid detail the level of trouble heading towards Judah. He responds to his prophecy with a cry of anguish: why have the people of Judah listened to the voices in their own heads instead of to the voice of the Lord?
What is truth?
Judah’s sins are leading to her collapse. When invasion comes, the small towns will be left empty. But can Jerusalem survive? Will her “friends” in other lands come to her rescue?
Freedom!
The Lord has a charge to bring against Judah for breaking her covenant with Him, expressing the charge in varied language to show how horrible Judah’s behaviour has been.
The triumph of mercy
James is correcting the worldly thinking which is influencing his distant Christian friends. They are living in Jewish communities where too much respect is paid to the rich and the poor are too easily dismissed.
The missing cross
Although he doesn’t mention it directly, what happened on the cross to the Lord Jesus feeds into the ideas which James presents in his letter.