v1: Moses and Samuel were men of intercession, who prayed for God's people. Yet even their prayers could not have delivered Judah in this hour.

One can imagine Jeremiah meditating on the words of Ps 99, which refers to both Moses and Samuel. Ps 99.4 says that the King loves justice; yet in Jeremiah’s day, justice was in short supply. Ps99.8 refers to the Lord being a forgiving God; would He forgive them again?

For the fourth time, the Lord tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people; 7.16; 11.14; 14.11. This is a powerful testimony of how far they had departed from His ways.

v2-3: No escape for the people; they thought they could run away, but none could escape; some to death, some to the sword, some to starvation, and some into captivity. Judgment had become inevitable.

v4: The sins of Manasseh made punishment inevitable (2 Kings 21.1-18; 2 Chr 33.1-20), although it was delayed through Josiah's godliness, see 2 Kings. 23.26-27.

v5: Without the Lord, Judah would have no one to care. Their idols had proved impotent and useless, other nations would not help, for Judah was hated by those nations.

There was no pity – mercy belongs to the Lord (Ps 62.11-12); His mercy is great (2 Sam 24.14). This is the prayer of Daniel (Dan 9.9). The people had experienced God’s mercy, but in judgment they would miss out on His mercy; the nations of the world do not bring mercy.

v6-9: The Lord's patience had been exhausted. Time and again He had been merciful, and held back His judgment, but they persistently refused to repent, see 14.10.

A powerful, ironic, statement (verse 8); that widows would be more numerous than the sand of the sea. God had long before promised to Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous that the sand on the seashore (Gen 22.17).

v10-11: Jeremiah's faithfulness had brought him personal cost; everyone had set themselves against him, he was treated as an outsider. His faithfulness had included the denouncing of sins, the prediction of judgment, and the exposure of false prophets. He bemoaned the day of his birth (see Job 3).

The Lord had promises for Jeremiah, that he had a "good purpose." God would set him apart during the times of disaster that were to follow.

v12-14: The few surviving, who would cross over into captivity in Babylon. The same enemy that would destroy the majority, would be the means of survival for the few.

v15-18: Jeremiah's faithfulness again, he suffered reproach, he sat alone. He had delighted in God's word, and rejected the evil that others pursued. He had grown discouraged, in unending pain. The calling of God is a powerful thing, and may bring pain with it, as we experience the pain of His heart, and the suffering of the people of God. Such was the experience of Jesus Christ, as He entered into real humanity.

v19-21: Encouragement from the Lord, but also with a challenge to stand firm.

‘Let them return to you, but you must not return to them.' Unity could only be on the basis of the ungodly turning from their sins, unbelievers believing, the worldly putting aside their compromise.

"I am with you to rescue and save you … I will save you … and redeem you." The Lord's challenge to press on was linked with a reminder of His promises.

There was no promise of things getting easier.