Jeremiah 8:19-22 - Why then is there no healing

8:19

Jeremiah seems to be envisioning the people in exile in a far away land, imploring God to listen to the cry of His people. But God reminds Jeremiah why they were there, it was because of their sin, because of their worship of foreign idols. There was no need for them to be there, they had brought it upon themselves. Man is responsible for most of the ills that befall him.

8:20-22

At the start of first world was they spoke of it all being over by Christmas, as we know it went on for a lot longer than that. Likewise, the exile would go on for many years. God’s people would be crushed, and Jeremiah along with them, he empaphised with their coming plight. Was there nothing that could be done? No one who could heal them? 

“Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?”

We should bear the end of 8:22 in mind when we read in Isaiah 53 that “by His wounds we are healed”. The primary application is the healing of the wound of our sinfulness.