The Lord told Jeremiah to buy a clay jar and to take it, along with some of the elders of the people, to the Valley of Ben Hinnom. This was the place where some of the kings of Judah had practiced child sacrifice. There, Jeremiah was to proclaim disaster for Judah and Jerusalem. For the people of Judah and Jerusalem had forsaken the Lord. They had burned incense to other gods. Worst of all, they had shed the blood of innocent victims, even slaughtering children to appease foreign gods like Baal.

The Lord would judge them by giving them over to their enemies in that very place. The people of Judah and Jerusalem would be slaughtered. Their bodies would end up as food for the birds and wild animals. The city of Jerusalem would become a place of horror and scorn to the other nations. The siege their enemies would put them under would last so long the people of Jerusalem would engage in cannibalism to survive. The Lord's judgment on sin is truly a horrible thing!

After the warning given to the elders of the city, the Lord instructed Jeremiah to break the clay jar as symbolism for what would happen to the city. Then, Jeremiah returned to the city and warned the people of the impending disaster.


Application: Father, you are the Lord who judges the sin of the world. Help us to repent and turn to you.
One Word: God will punish sin