“Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?”
My Notes
What Does Jeremiah 5:22 Mean?
God confronts Judah's lack of reverence with an argument from nature: fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
Fear ye not me? — The question is incredulous. God is astonished at the absence of fear. The one who should be feared above all things finds himself unfeared by the people who know him best. The question implies: you fear lesser things — why not me?
Will ye not tremble at my presence — tremble (chul) means to writhe, to be in anguish, to shake. The appropriate response to God's presence is physical trembling — the body registering what the mind comprehends about divine power.
Which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea — God's argument is from creation. He placed sand — ordinary, lightweight, seemingly insignificant sand — as the boundary for the ocean. The most powerful natural force on earth (the sea) is restrained by the most common substance (sand). The power required to set that boundary is the reason for trembling.
By a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it — the decree is perpetual (olam — everlasting). The boundary is not temporary. The sea has been pushing against the sand since creation and has never broken through. The perpetual decree holds every second of every day.
Though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it — the sea tries. The waves toss. The ocean roars. The effort is constant and violent. But the boundary holds. The roaring does not intimidate the decree. The tossing does not erode the boundary. God's word — spoken once — restrains the ocean permanently.
The argument is: if the sea — the most powerful force in nature — cannot break God's boundary, why do you think you can resist God without consequence?
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does God's ability to restrain the ocean with sand reveal about the power of his spoken word?
- 2.Why does the absence of fear astonish God — and what has replaced the fear of the LORD in your life?
- 3.How does the image of waves roaring but unable to prevail describe the futility of resisting God's authority?
- 4.What area of your life needs the perspective that the God who bounds the sea is in control?
Devotional
Fear ye not me? saith the LORD. God asks a question that should stop you in your tracks. Fear ye not me? The one who made everything. The one who sustains everything. The one who holds your next breath in his hand. And you do not fear him? The question is not anger. It is astonishment. God is amazed at your lack of awe.
Which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea. Sand. Tiny, weightless grains of sand. And God placed them as the boundary for the ocean — the most powerful, relentless, unstoppable force in the natural world. The ocean pushes against the sand every second of every day. And every second of every day, the sand holds. Not because sand is strong. Because the decree behind it is.
Though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail. The waves try. They crash. They roar. They throw themselves at the boundary with everything they have. And they cannot prevail. The decree spoken by God at creation — this far, no further — holds against every wave the ocean has ever produced. Billions of waves. Not one has prevailed.
Though they roar, yet can they not pass over it. The roaring is loud. The ocean sounds powerful. But volume is not victory. The roaring does not move the boundary. The tossing does not erode the decree. God's word, spoken once, is stronger than the ocean's perpetual assault.
If the sea — with all its power, all its roaring, all its relentless crashing — cannot break through a line of sand backed by God's decree, what makes you think anything in your life is bigger than his authority? Fear him. The one who holds the ocean with sand can hold anything you are facing.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Fear ye not me? saith the Lord,.... They did not fear the Lord, and this is a reproof to them for the want of it, which…
Against the God (1) of Creation Jer 5:22, and (2) of Providence Jer 5:24, They sin, not merely by apostasy, but by a…
The prophet, having reproved them for sin and threatened the judgments of God against them, is here sent to them again…
In MT. "the waves" belongs to the next clause. No subject is supplied to "toss themselves," but Jer 46:7 f. suggests…
Cross References
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