Jeremiah 11:1-5
God’s covenant relationship with His people requires obedience to His word.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,
2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem;
3 and say to them, Yahweh, the God of Israel says: ‘Cursed is the man who doesn’t hear the words of this covenant,
4 which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace,’ saying, ‘Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you; so you shall be my people, and I will be your God;
5 that I may establish the oath which I swore to your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as it is today.” Then I answered, and said, “Amen, Yahweh.”
God’s covenant relationship with His people requires obedience to His word.
To renew the covenant lawsuit against Judah by calling the people to hear and obey the words of the covenant established by the LORD with their ancestors when He brought them out of Egypt.
After Jeremiah’s prayer acknowledging dependence on God in Jeremiah 10:23–25, the narrative returns to the covenant theme that explains both Judah’s responsibilities and the coming judgment.
Jeremiah calls Judah back to the covenant established at Sinai during a time when the nation had largely abandoned its obligations.
The Broken Covenant and the Plot Against the Prophet
Judah has broken the covenant by refusing the LORD's voice, multiplying idols, and resisting his prophet, so covenant curses, forbidden intercession, and judgment on rebellious Anathoth reveal the seriousness of treachery against the LORD.