Verse 3
He commanded Jeremiah, and perhaps the people, to pray to Him with the promise that He would hear him and tell him inaccessible (Heb. besuroth) things that the prophet did not know (cf. Psalms 91:15). The Hebrew word besuroth describes something made inaccessible by fortifying or enclosing it, such as a city (cf. Numbers 13:28; Deuteronomy 3:5; Deuteronomy 28:52; Ezekiel 21:20). The Lord’s plans for Israel were inaccessible to most people, but He would unlock some of these secrets and share them with Jeremiah in answer to the prophet’s prayer. We must ask the Lord for some things before He will give them to us (cf. Matthew 7:7; James 4:2).
"While God is always ready to answer the cry of the human heart, man must first request assistance." [Note: Harrison, Jeremiah and . . ., p. 143.]
"In other words, although God can make himself heard, and has already done so in saying this, nevertheless to reveal all that he wants to say, he desires a hearer who is already reaching out to him. This is why prayer is never superfluous to the study of Scripture or the quest for guidance. God is then speaking to an upturned face, not a preoccupied back." [Note: Kidner, p. 114.]
We may assume that Jeremiah, and perhaps the faithful remnant, prayed this prayer. What follows are incredible promises concerning the restoration of the nation, its rulers, and its worship leaders.
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