Jeremiah 8:8

"Yes, the stork in the sky knows her appointed times. The turtledove, the swallow, and the crane observe the time of their coming; but my people don’t know the LORD’s law."

Key Reflection

In this passage, Jeremiah contrasts the natural world's ability to recognize its appointed times with his people's ignorance of God's laws. The flora and fauna observe their seasons and cycles, yet the Israelites fail to understand or obey divine commandments, highlighting a significant spiritual gap between nature and humanity in terms of religious awareness.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

The law of the Lord -The “Torah,” or written law, the possession of which made the priests and prophets so boastfully exclaim, “We are wise.” Lo, certainly ... -Rather, Verily, lo! the lying pen “of the scribes” hath made it - the Law - into a lie. The mention of “scribes” in this place is a crucial point in the argument whether or not the Pentateuch or Torah is the old law-book of the Jews, or a fabrication which gradually grew up, but was not received as authoritative until after the return from the captivity. It is not until the time of Josiah2 Chronicles 34:13that “scribes” are mentioned except as political officers; here, however, they are students of the Torah.

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