Jeremiah 18:12
“But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The people's response, "There is no hope," isn't about their despair in God's mercy, but a defiant declaration that He has no hope of changing them. They're essentially saying, "Your warnings are useless; we're committed to our own stubborn, evil plans."
God had just shown Jeremiah the potter's wheel, demonstrating His power to shape and reshape nations based on their response to His word. He had commanded Jeremiah to tell Judah to turn from their evil ways, promising to relent from judgment if they did. This verse captures their defiant and dismissive response: they reject the possibility of change, declaring their intention to follow their own stubborn desires regardless of God's warnings or will.
When God offers a path out of destruction, why would people refuse it? Jeremiah's listeners used a phrase that sounds like hopelessness, but it was actually a declaration of rebellion.
The people’s response, “There is no hope,” wasn’t a cry of despair over their condition. Instead, it was a defiant rejection of God’s warning and a dismissal of the prophet’s message. They weren’t saying, “We’re doomed,” but rather, “You can’t change us, and we don’t want to change.” It was a way of shutting down the conversation and asserting their autonomy against God’s counsel. They essentially said, “Your words are a waste of time; we’re not listening.” This is the language of rebellion, not of a broken spirit seeking mercy.
What does it mean to 'do the imagination of his evil heart'? This phrase points to a deep-seated resistance to God that goes beyond simple mistakes.
The verse highlights that their intention was to 'every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.' This isn't just about occasional bad choices; it speaks to a core orientation. The 'evil heart' is the inner source of their wrong desires and motivations. By choosing to follow its 'imagination' or 'stubbornness,' they were actively pursuing what felt right to them, regardless of God's commands or warnings. This is a dangerous path because it means their own flawed inner compass is their ultimate guide, leading them further away from God’s will and into destruction.
God declared He was 'framing evil' and 'devising a device' against them. But the people responded with their own 'plans.' What does this say about human free will and divine sovereignty?
Jeremiah 18:11 reveals God's perspective: He is actively 'framing evil' and 'devising a device' against them as a consequence of their sin, calling them to return. The people’s response in verse 12, 'We will follow our own plans,' is a direct rejection of God’s sovereign action and warning. They assert their right to make their own decisions, independent of God’s decree or their own well-being. This highlights a core tension: God’s sovereignty in planning and executing His purposes, and humanity’s freedom to choose whether to align with or defy Him. Their chosen 'plans' were self-serving and rooted in rebellion, a stark contrast to God’s righteous, albeit severe, plan for them.
Understand the original words
sherirut · Hebrew Noun
A state of willful, persistent disobedience and moral pride where one refuses to yield to the counsel or authority of God. It characterizes the unregenerate heart that rejects divine instruction.
This verse captures the defiant rejection of God's call to repentance by the people of Judah, even as the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem looms. Their stubborn refusal to change their ways, preferring to 'follow their own plans,' seals their fate.
c. 7th century BC
Assyrian and Babylonian Hegemony
The Kingdom of Judah experienced increasing pressure and eventual domination by the Neo-Assyrian and later the Neo-Babylonian Empires. This period was marked by political instability and foreign intervention.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon begins his reign and carries out the first major deportation of Jewish leaders and skilled workers to Babylon. This event marked a significant loss of the nation's elite.
c. 597 BC
Second Deportation to Babylon
Following a rebellion, Nebuchadnezzar deports more of Judah's population, including King Jehoiachin and the prophet Ezekiel, to Babylon. Jerusalem's temple is plundered.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and Temple
The Babylonians lay siege to Jerusalem, eventually destroying the city and its sacred Temple. The remaining population is largely exiled to Babylon, ending Judah as an independent kingdom.
This passage echoes the sentiment of Jeremiah 18:12, stating, 'But you said, “It is hopeless! For I have loved strangers, and after them I will go.”' It highlights the people's persistent refusal to turn from their idols, demonstrating a deep-seated rebellion against God's ways.
Romans 1:28-32This New Testament passage describes people who, like those in Jeremiah 18:12, have 'not approved to hold God in their knowledge,' and were given over to a 'reprobate mind.' It shows a similar pattern of rejecting God and stubbornly following their own sinful desires, leading to destructive consequences.
Luke 11:49-51Jesus speaks of a similar stubborn rejection of God's messengers and wisdom, stating that 'the wisdom of God declared, “I will send to them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute...”' This illustrates how persistent defiance, even in the face of divine communication, leads to judgment, mirroring Jeremiah's prophecy.
Proverbs 1:30-31This proverb speaks to the consequences of ignoring wisdom and choosing one's own way: 'They did not want my counsel, they despised all my reproof. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and be utterly satiated with their own devising.'
barnesJeremiah 18:12: "And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart."
And they said - Better, But they say. Imagination - Or, stubbornness, see Jeremiah 3:17.
clarkeJeremiah 18:12: "And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart."
There is no hope - See Jeremiah 2:25 .
The people's response, "There is no hope," isn't about their despair in God's mercy, but a defiant declaration that He has no hope of changing them. They're essentially saying, "Your warnings are useless; we're committed to our own stubborn, evil plans."
God had just shown Jeremiah the potter's wheel, demonstrating His power to shape and reshape nations based on their response to His word. He had commanded Jeremiah to tell Judah to turn from their evil ways, promising to relent from judgment if they did. This verse captures their defiant and dismissive response: they reject the possibility of change, declaring their intention to follow their own stubborn desires regardless of God's warnings or will.
God had just shown Jeremiah the potter's wheel, demonstrating His power to shape and reshape nations based on their response to His word. He had commanded Jeremiah to tell Judah to turn from their evil ways, promising to relent from judgment if they did. This verse captures their defiant and dismissive response: they reject the possibility of change, declaring their intention to follow their own stubborn desires regardless of God's warnings or will.
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c. 586 BC
Exile in Babylon
The majority of the surviving Jewish population is forced into exile in Babylon. This period of displacement deeply impacted their national and religious identity.
"“But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’" — The people's response, "There is no hope," isn't about their despair in God's mercy, but a defiant declaration that He has no hope of changing them. They're essentially saying, "Your warnings are…
