Jeremiah 12:16

16 I want them to learn their lessons well. In the past they taught my people to swear by Baal's name. But if they will now learn to swear by my name, saying 'As surely as the Lord lives . . .' I will allow them to rebuild among my people.

Jeremiah 12:16 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 12:16

And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the
ways of my people
Not their evil ways of sin or superstition, they sometimes stray into; but the ways which God has prescribed to them, and has directed them to walk in, and in which they do walk; and which are to be learned of the Lord, by a diligent attendance with his people on his word and ordinances; see ( Isaiah 2:3 ) : to swear by my name, the Lord liveth;
that is, to worship and serve the living God, a self-existent Being, who has life in himself, and of himself, and not another; and is the fountain, author, and giver of natural life to all creatures, and spiritual and eternal life to his true worshippers: swearing is here put for the whole of religious worship, as in ( Deuteronomy 6:13 ) : (as they taught my people to swear by Baal;)
to worship him, and other idols: then shall they be built in the midst of my people;
become part of the spiritual building the church; being laid upon the same foundation of the apostles and prophets, and built up a holy temple; a spiritual house for the Lord to dwell in; partaking of the same privileges and ordinances as the people of God; being fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ by the Gospel, ( Ephesians 2:20 Ephesians 2:21 ) ( 3:6 ) , it denotes the settlement and establishment of the Gentiles with the Jews in a Gospel church state. So the Targum,

``and they shall be established in the midst of my people.''

Jeremiah 12:16 In-Context

14 This is what the Lord said to me: "Here is what I will do to all my wicked neighbors who take the land I gave my people Israel. I will pull them up and throw them out of their land. And I will pull up the people of Judah from among them.
15 But after I pull them up, I will feel sorry for them again. I will bring each person back to his own property and to his own land.
16 I want them to learn their lessons well. In the past they taught my people to swear by Baal's name. But if they will now learn to swear by my name, saying 'As surely as the Lord lives . . .' I will allow them to rebuild among my people.
17 But if a nation will not listen to my message, I will pull it up completely and destroy it," says the Lord.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.