Lions, Wolves, and Leopards… Oh My!!!
- God tells Jeremiah and anyone who will listen to run around Jerusalem and try to find one faithful person who acts justly and searches for the truth, so that God can pardon Jerusalem as a whole.
- He can't find a single person.
- But Jeremiah realizes that the people he's been looking at are poor and ignorant about the laws of God. He decides to look at the rich and see if they're any better.
- Turns out that the rich aren't any better; they broke their covenant with God, too.
- Lions, wolves, and leopards (a metaphor for the invading army) are all gathered outside the cities just waiting to kill these faithless people.
- God says it's impossible to pardon these people because they've followed other gods and coveted their neighbor's wives.
- God orders Israel destroyed like a bad vineyard. The people and their false prophets have been comforting themselves by predicting they'll avoid punishment, but that's just wishful thinking.
- The so-called prophets are now an empty wind without God's word in them.
- The word that God's put in Jeremiah's mouth is a fire that will devour the people like they're made out of wood.
- God's sending the Babylonians to destroy Israel, and the Babylonians are an ancient and different people. The Israelites are unfamiliar with them and don't know their language.
- The invaders will demolish everything, destroying all the produce, killing everyone's sons and daughters, and pulverizing cities.
- God won't destroy Israel utterly, but they'll pay for serving foreign gods by being led into exile and being forced to serve a foreign people.
- God asks the people if they tremble before him and tells those who have eyes and ears but can't see or hear to listen up and pay attention.
- God says that he's the one who prevents the chaotic sea from overwhelming the land, but people still don't appreciate him.
- In their hearts, they're forgetful and disobedient, and don't remember God who controls the changing seasons and guides the growth of their crops and harvest.
- The scoundrels among the people are like hunters who trap humans, tricking them into doing evil things.
- They've all gotten rich at the expense of the orphans and other needy people.
- God rhetorically asks if he's going to punish these scoundrels (answer: yes.)
- The people love their false prophets and priests, but when the end comes, they'll definitely regret it.