Jeremiah 10 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (Complete) (2023)

CompleteConcise

We may surmise that the prophecy of this chapter was given after the first captivity, at the time of Jeconias or Joachim, when many were being brought to Babylon; because it has a double relation: I. to those brought into the land of the Chaldeans, a land notorious above all for its idolatry and superstition; and here they are warned against contagion of the place, lest they learn the way of the Gentiles (vv. 1, 2), for astrology and idolatry are foolish things (vv. 3-5) and idolaters brutal (vs. 8, 9) . This is how he will appear on the day of his visitation (vv. 14, 15). They are also exhorted to hold fast to the God of Israel, for there is no other like him (verses 6, 7). He is the true God, forever living and ruling the world (vv. 10-13), and his people are happy in him (v. 16). II. To those who have remained in their own country. They are warned of safety and told to reckon with the hardship (vv. 17, 18) and that of a foreign enemy that God would bring upon them for their sin (vv. 20-22). The prophet laments this calamity (verse 19) and prays for its mitigation (verses 23-25).

Verse 1-16

When the prophet Isaiah prophesied of the Babylonian captivity, he added warnings against idolatry and exposed the stupidity of idolaters, not only because the temptations in Babylon threatened to draw the Jews into idolatry, but because the tribulations in Babylon were intentional to heal them from their idolatry. Thus here the prophet Jeremiah arms himself against the idolatrous manners and customs of the nations, for the benefit not only of those who had gone to Babylon, but also of those who remained behind, who, convinced and claimed by the Word of God, the rod could be prevented; forkswritten for our learning.Notice here

I. A solemn command to the people of God not to conform to the manners and customs of the Gentiles. Hear and receive this word from the God of Israel, the house of Israel:"Learn not the way of the heathen,do not approve of it, no, do not think about it indifferently, let alone imitate it or get used to it. Don't let your customs infiltrate you (as they callously do) or mix with your religion.learn the way of the heathen,and to think of worshiping the true God with such rites and ceremonies as they used in the worship of their false gods. See Deuteronomy 12:29-31. It was the custom of the Gentiles to worship the hosts of heaven, the sun, the moon, and the stars; to them they gave divine honors, and they expected divine favor from them, so it depends howthe signs of heavenThey were, whether auspicious or ominous, they believed to be favored or discouraged by their deities, which caused them to observe the signs, the solar and lunar eclipses, the conjunctions and oppositions of the planets, and all the unusual phenomena of the celestial sphere, with much fear and tremors. Business was halted when something that was considered a bad omen happened; If there was only thunder in his left hand, they were almost thunderstruck. Well, God doesn't want his people to bedismayed at the signs of heaven,worship the stars as deities and do not be afraid of any predictions based on them. If they are to fear the God of heaven and revere his providence, they need not bedismayed at the signs of heaven,For himstars in their coursesDo not fight against those who are at peace with God. The pagans are dismayed at these signs, for they know no better; but don't let ithouse of israel,who are taught of God, so be it.

II. Various good reasons for charging this fee.

1. The way of the Gentiles is very ridiculous and absurd, and even condemned by the dictates of right reason, v. 3. The statutes and ordinances of the Gentiles are vanity itself; they fail the test of rational inquiry. This is emphasized here again and again, as is Isaiah. The Chaldeans were prized for their wisdom, in which they believed they surpassed all their neighbors; but the Prophet shows here that they and all others who worshiped idols and looked to them for help and relief were brutes and fools and lacked common sense. (1.) Consider what the idol being worshiped is. Was aTree cut from the forestoriginally. It was equipped bythe hands of the worker,squared, sawn and shaped; see isa. 44:12 etc. But after all it was just a log, better suited for a goalpost than anything else. But to hide the woodthey adorn it with silver and gold,They gild or varnish it or adorn it with gold and silver lace or fabric.they hold itto his place which they themselves assigned to him,with nails and hammers,that it will not fall, nor be knocked over, nor stolen, v. 4. The image is fairly straight, and there's no denying that the artist did his part, becauseis erect like the palm tree(v. 5); he looks majestic and stands up like he wants to talk to you butI can not speak;he is a poor silly creature; Nor can he take a step towards your relief. If there is an occasion to change place, it must be carried in procession, becauseI can not goThe admonition is quite right here,"Don't be afraid of themmore than the signs of heaven; don't be afraid to draw their displeasure, becauseyou can't go wrong;Don't be afraid to lose his favorbecause it is not in them to do good.If you are thinking of repairing matter by repairing the materials that make up the idol, you are mistaken. Idols of gold and silver are unworthy to be worshiped as gods of wood.The stock exchange is a doctrine of vanities,v. 8. Teaching lies, teaching lies about God. Isvanity statement; it's wood."It is likely that the gold and silver idols had wood as a substrate underneath, and thenThey bring silver smeared on plates from Tarshish,imported from overseas,and gold from Uphaz,Öhe does,which is sometimes translated asGUTÖpure gold,PS 21:3. A lot of art is used and striven for. It is not an ordinary mechanic used with these, as with the wooden gods, v. 3. These are cunning; Isthe worker's labor;the graver has to do his part when it's overthe hands of the founder.These were adorned here and there with silver and gold; these are all silver and gold. And in order that these gods may be worshiped as kings,Her clothes are blue and purple,the color of the royal robes (v. 9), which amuses the ignorant worshipers but does not improve matters. Because what is the idol when it is finished and when they have done it to the best of their ability? He tells us (v. 14):you are lie;they are not what they pretend to be, but a great deception aimed at the world. They are worshiped as the gods who give us breath, life and meaning while themselves being meaningless and lifeless things, andthere is no breath in them;Heuthere is no spirit in them(such is the word); they are not enlivened and inhabited by anyone as they should bedivine spiritÖNomengöttlichkeitThey are so far from being gods that they don't have as much as they dobeast spirit sinks. They are vanity and the work of error,v. 15. Find out about their uses and you will find that they are vanity; they are useless; no help is expected from them and no trust is placed in them. You are aworks of deception, works of illusion,Ösheer mockery;So some read the next section. Shecheatthose who trust them make fun of them, or rather they make fun of themselves. Research their uses and you will find that they arethe work of the bugsbased on the worst errors ever committed by people claiming to be sane. They are the creatures of a deluded imagination; and the errors by which they arose are spread among their worshipers. (2.) From this you conclude what are the idolaters who worship these idols. (V.8):They are completely brutal and stupid.Those who make them are like them, foolish and stupid, and there is no spirit in them - no use of reason, else they would never bow to them, v. 14every manhe who makes or worships idols has becomebrutalization of their knowledge,that is, brutal for want of knowledge, or brutal in all that one might think they ought to be thoroughly acquainted with; compare Jude 10,Which of course they knowwhat they need to know in the light of nature,Although they can see the Creator's eternal power and divinity in the works of creation, they have becomein these things they perish like wild beasts.vain in their conceits, unwilling to keep God in their knowledge.See Rom. 1:21, 18. No, although they thought it wise to thus increase the gods, it was actually the greatest folly of which they could be guilty.The world through wisdom did not know God,1 company 1:21; Rome. 1:22.every founderis the sameconfused by the recorded image;if he has done it by mistake, he will be more and more confirmed in his mistake; he is dazed, enchanted and unable to free himself from the noose; or it is what you will be ashamed of at one time or another.

2. The God of Israel is the only living and true God, and those who have him for God need turn to no other; Also, putting another in competition with you is the greatest affront and hurt you can inflict. done he. The house of Israel shall adhere to the God of Israel, and serve and worship Him alone, for

(1.) He is not. Whatever men compete with him, there is no one who can compare to him. The prophet turns from speaking with the greatest contempt for the idols of the Gentiles (which he could well do) to speaking with the deepest and most terrible reverence for the God of Israel (verses 6, 7):“Because there is none like you, O Lord!None of all the heroes that the pagans idolized and mocked, the dead they made dead images of and worshiped. “Some were idolized and worshiped because of their wisdom; But,among all the wise men of the peoples,the greatest philosophers or statesmen, like Apollo or Hermes,There's nobody like youOthers were idolized and revered for their dominance; But,in all his kingship"(so it can be read), "among all their kings, like Saturn and Jupiter,There's nobody like you".What is the glory of a man who invented a useful art or established a prosperous kingdom (and these were sufficient grounds among the pagans to entitle a man to an apotheosis) compared to the glory of him who is the maker of the world ? ?forms the spirit of man in him?What is the glory of the greatest prince or potentate compared to the glory of hisKingdom reigns over all?He recognizes in (v. 6),Oh God! You are tall,infinite and immeasurable, andyour name has great power;You have all power and you are known to have it. Men's names are often beyond their power; they are believed to be older than they are; but from Godthe name is greatand no bigger than it really is. And thereforeWho will not fear you, O king of the nations?Who would not choose to worship such a God who can do everything, instead of worshiping dead idols like pagans who can do nothing? Who would not fear offending or forsaking a god whose name is thatgreat in power?Which of all nations, if they well understood their interests,I wouldn't be afraidwho is heking of nations?Notice that there is an admirable decency and congruence in the worship of God alone. It is convenient that the one who alone is God alone is served, that the one who is Lord of all is served by all, that the great is much feared and greatly praised.

(2.) Its truthfulness is as evident as the vanity of the idol, v. 10. They are the work of man's hand, and therefore nothing is clearer than that their worship is a joke, if that can be called a joke, so great is the humiliation of him who made us:But the Lord is the true God,the god of truth; he is really god.Jehovah God is true;it is not counterfeit and pretense as they are, but it is really what has been revealed; He is someone we can trust, in and not fooled by. [1.] See him as he is in himself, and he isthe living god.He is life itself, he has life within him and is the source of life for all creatures. The gods of the heathen are dead, worthless and useless things, but ours is a living god and has immortality. [2.] Consider him in relation to his creatures, he is aRey,and the absolute monarch over them all is their possessor and ruler, has an indisputable right both to command and to dispose of them. As king, he protects the creatures, watches over their well-being and keeps the peace among them. He isan eternal king.The councils of his kingdom were from eternity, and its continuation will be to eternity. He is aking of eternityThe idols they call their kings are of yesterday and will soon be abolished; and the kings of the earth, whom they raised up to be worshiped, will shortly be in the dust themselves; ButThe Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion! to all generations.

(3.) No one knows the power of his anger. Let us marvel and dare not provoke him by giving another the honor due to him alone; forthe earth will tremble at his wrath,even the strongest and bravest of the kings of the earth; besides, the earth trembles, hard as it is, when it will, and the rocks tremble, Psalm 104:32; Rooms 3:6, 10. Though the nations should unite to fight against him and join forces, they would find themselves utterly unable not only to resist but even to resist.to endure his indignation.Not only can they not resist him because it would overwhelm them, they also cannot withstand him because it would overwhelm them, Ps. 76:7, 8; No. 1:6.

(4.) He is the god of nature, the source of all being; and all the forces of nature are at his disposal, v. 12, 13. The God we worship is the one who made heaven and earth and has sovereignty over both; so yourinvisible thingsmanifest and prove themselves in thethings to be seen[1.] Looking back, we find that the whole world owed its origin to him as its first cause. It was a common saying even among the GreeksWhoever wants to be another god must first create another world.While pagans worship the gods who made them, we worship the god who made us and all things.First the countryIt is a body of great volume, it has valuable treasures in its bowels and more valuable fruits on its surface. he and she havemade by his power;and it is by nothing less than an infinite power thatdepends on nothingas he does (Job 26:7)with the weights balanced by his own peso. En segundo lugar, el mundoThe habitable part of the earth is admirably conditioned for human use and service andhe found itSofor his wisdomso that it continues to be useful in constant changes and yet a continuous stability from one generation to another. Therefore both the earth and the world are his, Ps. 24:1.Third, the skyyou are wonderfulexpandedto an incredible degree and it isat your discretionthat they are, and that the movements of the celestial bodies are directed for the benefit of this lower world. Thisproclaim his glory(Psalm 19:1) and compel us to proclaim it and not to give heaven the glory due to him who made it. [2.] Looking up, we see that his providence is a continuous creation (v. 13):when he speaks his voice(gives the command)There are many waters in the heavenspoured out on the earth, either for judgment or for mercy, according to his purpose. When he gives his voice of thunder, showers immediately follow, in which there is plenty of water; and they come with mea sound,how the edge reads it; and we read from thenoise of copious rain,1 Kings 18:41. No, in the silent realm of nature miracles are performed every day:He makes the vapors rise from the ends of the earth,from all parts of the earth, even the most distant ones, and chiefly from those that are by the sea. The whole earth pays the tribute of the vapors because the whole earth receives the blessings of the rain. And so, like money in a kingdom and blood in the body, the moisture in the universe circulates constantly for the benefit of all. These fumes create wonders as they formLightning for rainjthe windsthat God from time to timedraws from its treasures,when there is cause to direct them all to the extent and for the use which he deems expedient, since the payments are made from the Treasury. All meteors are so ready to serve God's purposes that he seems to have treasures of them that cannot be exhausted and taken at any moment, Ps. 135:7. God boasts in the treasures he has of it, Job 38:22–23. God can do that; but which of the idols of the heathen can do such a thing? Remember that there is no type of weather that does not provide us with a proof and example of the wisdom and power of the Great Creator.

(5.) This God is the God of Israel in the covenant and the happiness of every Israelite in truth. May the house of Israel draw near to him and not forsake him to embrace idols; for if they do, they will surely change for the worse, for (v. 16)Jacob's portion is not like them;his rock is not like our rock (Deuteronomy 32:31), nor is ours like his molehills. Notice, [1.] Those who have the Lord for their God have full and complete happiness in Him. HeHappy Jacob'sis heJacob's portion;he is everything to her, and in him she has enough and needs nothing more, neither in this world nor in the next. In him we have a worthy share, Psalm 16:5. [2.] When we have full contentment and complacency in God as our part, he will delight in us as his people, which he acknowledgesthe rod of his inheritance,his property and treasure, with whom he lives and by whom he is served and honored. [3.] It is the unspeakable consolation of all the Lord's people, that he is their Godthe first of everythingand therefore he is able to do all this for them and give them everything they need. BeHelp is in his name, who made heaven and earth.and he is helord of hosts,Of all the armies in heaven and earth, he has them all under his command, and he will send them into the service of his people when the opportunity arises. That is the name by which they know him, by which they first praise him and then comfort themselves. [4.] Here the people of God are happy above all men, happy evenbona si sua norintsi they knew their happiness.The gods of which the pagans are proud and content and proud are vanity and falsehood; ButJacob's part is not like them.

3. Having compared the gods of the Gentiles to the God of Israel (between whom there is no comparison), the prophet reads the fate, the sure fate of all these pretenders, and guides the Jews in the name of God, a read it to the idol worshipers, even if they were their lords and lords (verse 11):This is how you will tell them(and the god you serve will confirm you as you say)The gods who did not make heaven and earth(and therefore they are not gods, but usurpers of the honor due only to him who made heaven and earth)will perishthey perish naturally because they are vanity - they perish by his righteous judgment because they are his rivals. how gods perishfrom the soil(even all those thingsa land belowout of which they make gods)and under these skiesalso everything that is deified in the firmament of the heavens, under the highest heavens, according to the distribution in the second commandment. These words are not in the original Hebrew like everything else, but in the Chaldean dialect, so that the Jews in captivity could say to the Chaldeans in their own language when they were being led into idolatry: “Are we compelling ourselves to worship their gods? We will never do that because" (1.) "They are false deities; they are not gods because theyYou didn't make heaven and earthand therefore they have no right to our homage, nor are we indebted to them by the fruits of earth or the influences of heaven, as we are to the God of Israel.” Early Christians, when called upon to worship such a God, said:Let him create a world and he will be my god.While we must worship the one who made heaven and earth, worshiping anyone else is very absurd. (2.) "They are doomed deities. Theywill perishthe time will come when they will no longer be respected as they are now, but will be buried in oblivion, and they and their worshipers will perish together. The earth will no longer bear her; the sky will no longer cover them; but they will both forsake.” It is repeated (v. 15),At the time of your visitthey will perish. When God comes to deal with idolaters, He will make them weary of their idols and glad to be rid of them. they shouldthrow them to the moles and bats,It is a. 2:20. Everything that goes against God and religion will finally be shot down.

Verse 17-25

In these verses

I. The prophet threatens in the name of God the impending destruction of Judah and Jerusalem, vv. 17, 18. The Jews, remaining in their own country after some had been taken into captivity, were very safe; they thought themselvesresidents of a fortress;his country was his stronghold and impregnable in his own estimation; but here they are told to remember to leave it: they must prepare to go after their brethren, and pack their things upon it in anticipation:Pick up your goods off the ground;Consolidate your affairs and make them as small as possible.Get up, go away, this is not your rest"Microphone 2:10. Do not let your lies be spread, for the Chaldeans will fall upon you again to be the executors of the judgment that God has passed upon you (verse 18):Behold, I will sling the inhabitants of the earth at that time;hitherto they have deserted, a few at a time, but one more captivity will set them completely free, and they will be hurled like a stone from a slingshot, so lightly, so completely will they be hurled; none of them will stay. They will be thrown out by force in a short time and taken to a far off place.” See this simile used to mean total destruction, 1 Sam. 25:29.one more timeGod will shake his earth, andshake the wicked off her,have. 12:26. There addiert,and I will torment them so that they may find it so.Not only will it kick them out of here (which it can, and yet they can easily be elsewhere); but wherever they go, tribulations will follow them; they will be constantly confused and tormented and lost in themselves; and who or what can soothe those who love Godwill tormentwho will tormentso that they find itto make them feel what they don't want to believe? They have often been told of the weight of God's wrath and their ability to face or endure it. They were told that their sin would be their undoing and that they would not consider or believe what was said to them; but nowthis is how they will find it;jFor this reasonGod will pursue them with his judgments,so that they find itand be forced to admit it. Remember, sooner or later sinners will find that God's Word presented things to them and no better, and that the threats were not nightmares.

II. He brings the people who mourn their misfortune (v. 19):Woe to me for my pain!Some make this the Prophet's own lament, not for himself, but for the calamities and devastations of his land. He lamented those who would not be persuaded to cry for themselves; and since there was no one sane enough to join them, he secretly weeps and weeps:Oh my!In times of grief, it comes in handy that we have a spirit of grief. But it can be understood as the language of the people, viewed as a body and therefore speaking as a single person. The prophet puts the words in their mouthsshouldsay; whether they say it or not, they should have a reason to say it. Some of them would grieve like this, and all would eventually be forced to do so. 1. They complain that the suffering is very great and that it is very difficult for them to endure it, all the more so because they were not used to suffering and now did not expect it:Woe to me for my painnot because of what I fear, but because of what I feel; for they are not, like some, more frightened than hurt. It's no easy pain, thougha wound,a wound that isGrab,very painful and very threatening. 2. That there is no choice but patience. You can't help yourself, you have to stop and stick to this:But I saidwhen I wanted to complain about my injury, what's the use of complaining?This is pain and I have to endure it.as best i can This is the language of sullen rather than graceful submission, of forced patience, not patience on principle. When I am in distress I must say, “This is an evil and I will endure it because it is the will of God that it be so, because his wisdom has shown me and his grace will work out my good. " That isreceive evilout of the hand of God, Job 2:10. But to say: "This is an evil,and I have to endure itbecause it's not my fault" is nothing more than brutal patience, arguing a lack of those good thoughts of God that we should always have, even in our afflictions, and not just saying that God can and will do what He pleases like , butLet him do what he pleases.3. That the land was utterly ruined and desolate (v. 20):My tabernacle is ruined.Although Jerusalem is a strong city, it is now as weak and moveable as a tabernacle or a tent when it is torn downall his stringsthat should hold it together, arewithin.Or the tabernacle here may mean the temple, the sanctuary, which was at first no more than a tabernacle and is now called what it was then sometimes called a temple. His church is ruined and all its supporters are failing. It was a general destruction of church and state, city and country, and there was none to mend the devastation.My children have come out of me;Some fled, others were killed, others captured so that I,You are not;It is likely that he is an outcast and will die for lack of shelter; forThere is no one who expands my shop more,None of my kids used to do it for meNo one to open my curtainsno one to do me any service."Jerusalem has none of her children to guide her,It is a. 51:18. 4. That the rulers paid no heed and took appropriate measures to right their wrongs and restore their ruined condition (verse 21):The shepherds have become brutal.When the stores, the shepherds' stores, were plundered (v. 20), it was a matter for the shepherds to tend to them; but they were foolish shepherds. Their kings and princes had no regard for the common good, seemed ignorant of the desolation of the land, but were utterly obsessed and infatuated. The priests, the shepherds of God's tabernacle, did much for the downfall of religion but nothing to repair it. they arebrutalactually e.gthey did not seek the Lord;they have made neither their peace with him nor their prayer to him; they had no eyes for him and his providence in the administration of affairs; they did not acknowledge the judgment, nor did they await deliverance at his hand. Note that these are brutal people who do not seek the Lord, who live without prayer and live without God in the world. Every human being is a saint or an animal. But it's really sad for a people when its pastors, who shouldfeed them with knowledge and understanding,You are so brutal yourself. And what comes out of it?Therefore they will not thrive;none of their attempts at public safety will succeed. Know that those who cannot hope to find success through faith and prayer are not taking God with them in all their ways. And when the shepherds are brutal, what else can you expectall their flocksIt should bescattered? For if the blind lead the blind, they will both fall into the pit.The ruin of a city is often due to the brutality of its shepherds. 5. That the rumor of the enemy's coming was very alarming (v. 22):The noise of the bruitha comesof the report, which abroad was initially just whispers and rumors, as if seeking confirmation. Now it's all too true:a big shockrisefrom the north country,who threatens to do anythingthe devastated cities of Judah and the caves of Dragons;for all must reckon with being sacrificed to the greed and fury of the Chaldean army. And what else can this place hope for but to become a dragon's den made a den of thieves by sin?

3. He turns to God and speaks to him, finding little point in speaking to people. It is a consolation to poor preachers that if men don't listen to them, God will; and you have free access to it at all times. Let them end their sermon in prayer, like the Prophet, and then they will have no reason to say that they have labored in vain.

1. The prophet here acknowledges the sovereignty and dominion of divine providence, which through it, and not through his own will and wisdom, directs and determines the affairs of nations and individuals, v. 23. This is an article of our faith, which we should very well confess before the throne of grace when we complain of suffering or ask for mercy:"Oh Lord, I knowand believethat man's way is not in himself;Nebuchadnezzar did not come upon our land of his own accord, but by order of divine providence.” We can do nothing for our own relief unless God works with us and decrees deliverance for us; BecauseIt is not the man who walks to direct his steps,although he seems completely free in his gait and chooses his own path. Those who had long hoped to enjoy their goods and possessions had to learn this by sad experience when they were driven out by the Chaldeansman's way is not in himself;He designs that men lie low and think they're well formed, they get ripped to pieces in a moment. We all need to apply this to ourselves and mix it with the belief that we are not at our own disposal but are under divine direction; The event is often canceled against our intention and expectation. We are not masters of our own way, nor can we think that everything should be according to our minds; therefore we must relate to God and accept His will. Some think the Prophet mentions this for the convenience of making use of, that since the Chaldean army is not in them, they can do no more than God permits them; he can set limits to the proud waves and say:They will come this far and no further.And a comforting consideration is that the most fearsome enemies have itno power against us but that given them from above.

2. Despise the wrath of God, lest it come upon the Israel of God, v. 24. He speaks not only for himself, but for his people:Oh Lord, correct me, but with judgement(with measure and moderation and wisely, no more than is necessary to cast out the folly bound in our hearts),not in your anger(no matter how severe the correction that comes from your love and is for our good and works for good), not forgets us nowherebut to bring us to your home. May it not be by the merit of our sins, but by the plan of your grace. Notice, (1.) We cannot pray in the belief that we will never be corrected while knowing that we need and deserve correction, and knowing that God punishes everyone He loves. (2.) The greatest thing to fear in the tribulation is the wrath of God. don't say sirnot rightme, but Lord, don't correct mefurious;for that will pour wormwood and gall into need and miseryleads us to nothingWe can take the pain of his staff, but we cannot take the weight of his wrath.

3. He inflicts divine wrath on Israel's oppressors and persecutors (verse 25):Pour out your anger on the peoples who do not know you.This prayer is not in a spirit of malice or vengeance, nor is it to dictate to God who should execute his judgments, or in what order; but (1.) it is an appeal to his justice. As if he had said, “Lord, we are a provocative people; but are they not other nations? And are we just being punished? We are your children and we can expect a fatherly correction; but they are your enemies, and we have reason to believe that your indignation should be against them, not against us.” This is God's usual method.cup in handof the people of God isfull of mixtures,mercy blends; Butsediment of the cupare reservedthe wicked of the earth,leave herpush herPS 75:8.(2.) It is a prophecy of God's judgments upon all unrepentant enemies of his church and kingdom. Yesthe process beginsthereforein the house of Godwhat will bethe end of those who disobey his gospel?1 point 4:17. See how the Gentiles on whom the wrath of God is poured out are described. [1.] They are strangers to God and content with that. Shedon't know himI don't want to know him. They are families that live without prayer, that have no religion among themselves; SheDon't call on the name of God.Those who restrict prayer prove they do not know God; for those who know him will seek him and ask for his favor. [2.] They are persecutors of God's people and determined to do so.They ate Jacobas greedily as the hungry eat their necessary food; no, with more they havedevoured and devoured him, and left his dwelling desolate,that is, the land in which he dwells, or the temple of God which is his dwelling among them. Notice that what the Gentiles do in their anger and wickedness against God's people, though he uses them as instruments of his correction, he will for that reason make them the object of his indignation. This phrase is from Psalm 79:6, 7.