Jeremiah began his prophetic ministry during a time when Israel was almost completely apostate and looking forward to judgment and destruction, and Judah was following Israel’s poor example, worshipping idols, forgetting God, and committing egregious sins.

Henry’s Concise Commentary maintains that verses 1 and 2 are a continuation of Chapter 3: 21-25, where some in Judah cry out in prayer, admitting their sins and idol worship, and calling their behaviors shame and confusion, acknowledging God as the only Lord who can save them from themselves and the inevitable destruction to come, and pleading for mercy.

In verse 1, God pleads with Judah to return to Him and repent from their "abominations", promising that they would not be removed from their homes and country, if they come back. In verse 2, God asks Judah to swear that He lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and then they would be the light to surrounding nations that God had intended.

Verse 3 reads " For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns." It is one the more notable verses of the chapter, and is a favorite of many preachers. It goes hand in hand with verse 4, which asks the people of Ancient Judah to "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart …". "Fallow Ground" on a farm is that ground that is overgrown with weeds, or hardened, or rocky, or somehow left unusable, and therefore unfruitful. The fallow ground that God speaks of is in the hearts of the people. They had walked so long in their wickedness and idol worship that their hearts were hardened to the Word of God and His ways. The people believed that because they were physically circumcised as a sign of their (Abraham’s, their fathers’ ) covenant with God, that they did not have to live for God, but could do as they pleased.

God promises in the second part of verse 4 that His fury will consume the nation like an unquenchable fire if they do not turn back to Him.

Verses 5-9 begin to describe the coming destruction of the nation from conquering invaders from the north (Babylon, in this case), and the astonished responses of the king, the princes, the priests, and the false prophets.

In verse 10, Jeremiah cries out " Then said I, Ah, Lord God! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul." Jeremiah, often called the weeping prophet, is overcome with the calamity of his people. He continues through verse 18, describing the horrible details of the destruction of his nation. In verse 19, he is overcome again, proclaiming " My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war."

He continues the prophecy, explaining that it is simply a judgment from God, that Judah has been sentenced for her crimes, and that even as he details the carrying out of that sentence, there is mercy still available from God to any who would turn to Him, indeed, to the whole nation, if only they would repent. The invaders are likened to a mighty storm of clouds that cover and destroy every city in Judah, leaving them emptied. God promises to make a full and complete end to the nation of Judah with this judgment, as never before. God asks the daughters of Jerusalem, who deck themselves with Gold and crimson and makeup, and brag about their many lovers, what will they do, when their precious country, is destroyed? (vs. 30) Verse 31 describes their profound anguish after the coming calamity.

A lesson that could be learned from the 4th chapter of Jeremiah for individuals and nations today that call themselves followers of God but follow their own sinful ways is that they will be judged if they do not turn back to God. God’s prophets have spoken. Are we listening?