Jeremiah 16:1

 Jeremiah 16:1 says, The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying, Verse two adds, Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.  Matthew Henry says that since the people would not listen to Jeremiah's words, that he was to speak to them with his actions.  Men were generally expected to marry and have a family, but God told Jeremiah to not take a wife in that place.  We need to live so that if people won't listen to our words of witness about Christ that our lives will be a witness to them.  Verse three declares, For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;  God gave Jeremiah a warning about the children and their mothers and fathers who were born there.  Verse four adds, They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.  The people of Judah were about to die very horrible deaths.  Those born into this world who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will suffer a fate much worse than death when God's ultimate judgment comes.  Verse five states, For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies.  God told Jeremiah to not lament and mourn for the people.  God had allowed them to be destroyed because of their rebellion against Him and no longer protected them with His lovingkindness and mercy.  Their condition was of their own making, just as those who will be sent away to everlasting punishment will bear the responsibility for their own punishment.  God reaches out to everyone in lovingkindness and mercy, but He will allow every person to go away to everlasting punishment if they refuse to accept His gift of salvation.  Verse six adds, Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:  Their earthly status was not going to affect the outcome.  Those who were considered great were going to meet the same fate as those who were considered small.  Being rich and powerful will not save a person, and neither will being poor and powerless.  Verse seven continues,  Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.  God said that there would be none to mourn, and when God's final judgment comes, there will be none to mourn those who are sent away to everlasting punishment.  Verse eight says, Thou shalt not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.  Jeremiah was not to go into the house of feasting.  The people of Judah were still enjoying life and denying that God's judgment was to come on them.  They would not heed Jeremiah's warning, but he was not to participate in their disobedience.  We cannot live by the standards of the world and still be successful in our relationship to God.  Verse nine adds, For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.  God said that He would cause the voice of mirth and gladness and the voice of the bridegroom and bride to cease in the land.  As I stated before, I believe that this was more God removing His protective hand from them than God directly bringing about their fall.  Of course, if we reach the point where we will never listen to God and accept His gift of salvation, there is coming a day when He will send us away to everlasting punishment.