This chapter is all about destruction of Judah because of her unfaithfulness to God. God's command is, "Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, that you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you?" (Jer. 4:14). This is the message we take to the world today. It's a message of repentance, a message of salvation. Can we give a picture to our neighbors as vivid as Jeremiah 4:23-26?
23 I looked on the earth, and behold, it was formless and void; And to the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, And all the hills moved to and fro.
25 I looked, and behold, there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were pulled down Before the LORD, before His fierce anger.
This is a picture of total, complete devastation.
At the end of the chapter, in verse 30, Judah is still pictured as a harlot. God says, which lover is going to save you, Judah? Go ahead and paint your face and put on your finery - no one wants you. The reason is no one loves Judah. No one, that is, but the One on whom they turned their backs! How terribly ironic.
Nathan