Jeremiah 13:25
This is your lot, the portion I have measured out to you, declares the LORD, because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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God’s judgment here isn't just a random punishment; it's described as a "portion of your measures," implying something carefully calculated and dispensed. This phrase hints at the intimate way God dealt with Israel, measuring out consequences based on their specific choices to forget Him and trust in deceptive, empty things instead of Him.
In this passage, Jeremiah is delivering God's stark judgment against Jerusalem and its people. They are facing imminent exile and destruction, not as a random event, but as a direct consequence of their deep-seated unfaithfulness to God. This verse serves as a pronouncement of their deserved fate, a "measured portion" of punishment for having turned away from their Creator to chase after deceptive idols and false alliances.
Ever feel like life's outcomes are random? This verse offers a different perspective, revealing that what we face isn't arbitrary but carefully dealt out by God.
The phrase 'thy lot, the portion of thy measures' speaks to a deliberate, calculated distribution of consequences. It's not a chaotic free-for-all; God is the one measuring out what comes to His people.
A Precise Dispensation
Think of a craftsman carefully measuring materials for a specific project. In the same way, God 'measures out' the consequences of sin and faithfulness. This implies a precise justice, where nothing is missed or disproportionate.
Responsibility for Our Lot
While God dispenses, the verse clearly links this 'lot' to the people's own actions. They 'forgotten me and trusted in lies.' This isn't about God arbitrarily punishing, but about His just response to human choices. What we experience is our 'lot' because of the path we've chosen.
What does it truly mean to 'forget' God, and what kind of 'lies' are so destructive that they invite divine judgment?
This verse points to two core issues that lead to severe consequences: forgetting God and trusting in lies.
Forgetting the Maker
To 'forget God' here means more than just an absent-minded lapse. It signifies a willful disregard for His presence, His power, His goodness, and His commandments. It’s an active turning away, making Him irrelevant in one's life and decisions.
Trusting in Falsehood
The 'lies' are not just simple untruths. In the context of Jeremiah, 'lies' often refers to:
Understand the original words
goral · Hebrew Noun
An assigned share, inheritance, or destiny. It can refer to physical land, a person's life experience, or the spiritual fate decreed by God for His people.
cheleq · Hebrew Noun
A portion or part given to someone, often used in the context of one's inheritance or the judgment God decrees for an individual or nation.
YHWH · Hebrew Proper Noun
The personal name of the one true God, Israel’s covenant-keeping Savior. It signifies His eternal, immutable, and holy existence as the Creator and Redeemer of His people.
sheqer · Hebrew Noun
Deception or falsehood. In Scripture, it often refers to idols, false gods, or human-devised philosophies that promise security but fail to deliver because they lack the reality of God.
This verse speaks to the dire consequences of forgetting God and placing trust in false gods or alliances, a reality faced by Judah as they experienced multiple deportations and the ultimate destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many of its citizens and resettling the area with foreigners. This event serves as a stark warning to Judah about the consequences of turning away from God.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting citizens, including members of the royal family and educated elite, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's exile and a period of intense prophetic warning.
c. 597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more Judeans, including the prophet Ezekiel, and installs a puppet king. Jeremiah continues to prophesy during this time of increasing pressure and judgment.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians finally conquer Jerusalem, destroy the city and the Temple, and carry off the remaining population into exile. This devastating event is the backdrop against which many of Jeremiah's pronouncements of judgment, like this verse, are delivered.
This verse echoes Jeremiah's theme, highlighting how Israel 'forgotten their God who had done great things' for them, leading to their downfall.
Hosea 2:5Similar to Jeremiah's message, Hosea points out that Israel 'played the whore' (a metaphor for unfaithfulness to God) and 'forgotten the LORD their God,' turning to other lovers (idols).
Isaiah 30:1-3This passage describes Judah seeking help from Egypt, which Isaiah calls a 'lie' and a 'refuge of falsehood,' directly paralleling Jeremiah's accusation of trusting in lies instead of God.
Jeremiah 2:13This earlier prophecy from Jeremiah himself directly accuses his people of 'forsaking me, the fountain of living waters,' and 'hewing out cisterns for themselves, which can hold no water'—a powerful metaphor for trusting in empty falsehoods.
barnesJeremiah 13:25: "This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood."
The portion of thy measures - i. e., "thy measured portion" Job 11:9 . Others render it: "the portion of thy lap," the upper garment being constantly used for holding things Ruth 3:15 . In falsehood i. e - in idols (see the marginal reference).
pooleJeremiah 13:25: "This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood."
This is what thou shalt have at the Lord’s hand, the dispensation which thou shalt meet with, and thou mayest thank thyself for it; for hadst thou remembered either my former kindness to thee, or the law that I gave thee, this had not come unto thee; but thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in lies, or in idle, vain, and presumptuous hopes, therefore I…
God’s judgment here isn't just a random punishment; it's described as a "portion of your measures," implying something carefully calculated and dispensed. This phrase hints at the intimate way God dealt with Israel, measuring out consequences based on their specific choices to forget Him and trust in deceptive, empty things instead of Him.
In this passage, Jeremiah is delivering God's stark judgment against Jerusalem and its people. They are facing imminent exile and destruction, not as a random event, but as a direct consequence of their deep-seated unfaithfulness to God. This verse serves as a pronouncement of their deserved fate, a "measured portion" of punishment for having turned away from their Creator to chase after deceptive idols and false alliances.
In this passage, Jeremiah is delivering God's stark judgment against Jerusalem and its people. They are facing imminent exile and destruction, not as a random event, but as a direct consequence of their deep-seated unfaithfulness to God. This verse serves as a pronouncement of their deserved fate, a "measured portion" of punishment for having turned away from their Creator to chase after deceptive idols and false alliances.
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When people forget the One True God and place their trust in these empty substitutes, they are building their lives on a foundation of sand.
c. 539 BC
Fall of Babylon to Persia
The Babylonian Empire is conquered by the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great. This event eventually leads to the return of the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem.
"This is your lot, the portion I have measured out to you, declares the LORD, because you have forgotten me and trusted in lies." — God’s judgment here isn't just a random punishment; it's described as a "portion of your measures," implying something carefully calculated and dispensed. This phrase hints at the intimate way God de…
