Jeremiah 4:30
And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.
When she is left spoiled, a woman clothes herself in crimson and gold and enlarges her eyes with paint to make herself fair, but it is all in vain, for her former lovers despise her and seek her life. The painting of the face is the darkening of the eyes to enlarge and brighten them as a woman's adornment. The picture belongs to invasion, ruin and destruction pronounced against Israel and Jerusalem for wickedness, lack of knowledge of good, and violence. It shows God's unfaithful people brought low under His awful denunciation of sin, with a sorrowful appeal to return that the mass of the people fail to answer. Its fulfillment in Jerusalem's siege and destruction was only partial and typical, for its scope reaches to the far greater desolation coming upon the world in the last days. So the union of the church with the world is adultery that no worldly adornment can cover or save, since those she seeks to please will turn against her to destroy her, and outward finery cannot make any person truly beautiful but blinds the eyes to the Saviour.
Meaning and Historical Setting
When spoiled, clothing with crimson, decking with ornaments of gold, and renting the face with painting are in vain to make fair. When desolation and judgment leave a people spoiled, in danger, and brought low, outward beauty, finery, wealth, and every effort to make themselves attractive cannot save or protect them. Former lovers despise the woman, turn against her, reject her, and seek her life and destruction. Renting the face with painting refers to painting the eyes with dark pigment to enlarge and brighten them as part of female adornment.
The verse belongs to a picture of invasion, ruin, and destruction. That picture is addressed to Israel and Jerusalem. In the surrounding prophecy this judgment is tied to the people's wickedness, their lack of knowledge of good, and violence. It portrays God's unfaithful people when brought low, whose worldly adornments and attempts to make themselves attractive cannot save them. It stands among God's awful denunciations against sin, showing sorrow of heart over transgression with a touching appeal to return that the mass of the people fail to answer.
Prophecy and Future Fulfillment
The prophecy was partially and typically fulfilled in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, but its scope extends beyond that event to a wider judgment. In that time of invasion, ruin, and the destruction of land and cities, outward beauty and adornment give no protection, and those who once gave love turn against the spoiled and seek their lives. Jerusalem's destruction as set forth in the chapter is only a faint shadow of the greater desolation coming upon the world in the last days.
That coming desolation is presented as fulfilled in the present and as applying directly to the world's present times. When the land is spoiled, crimson clothing, gold ornaments, and painting of the face are useless for protection or favor, and former lovers turn to enmity. The verse belongs to Jeremiah's prophecy of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, when destruction upon destruction is cried and the whole land shall be desolate. In that prophecy the daughter of Zion is the remnant in the time of Jacob's trouble, whose spreading forth of hands shall be as universal as day and night prayer, because their souls are wearied because of murderers.
The passage describing Jerusalem's coming destruction also applies to the church in the last days, which will follow the same path of iniquity as ancient Jerusalem. The chapter sets forth the desolation that follows Christ's coming, when the wicked are slain and the land is left without people during the thousand years. It warns of the coming war of Armageddon in the period before the day of the Lord, when all the nations of the earth shall be prepared for battle.
In that period before the day of the Lord, judgment falls though costly outward beauty and adornment cannot save, and the people trusted turn against and seek the life. The chapter thus indicates the awful confusion and trouble that shall come upon the earth when people are no longer worthy of God's favor and the earth is rejected until God creates new heavens and a new earth.
Doctrine and Practical Warning
The union of God's church with the world is fornication and adultery. When God's unfaithful people are brought low, worldly adornments and efforts to make themselves attractive cannot save them. Outward beauty and costly adornment cannot deliver Jerusalem under judgment, and the very people she trusted and sought to please will despise her, turn against her, and seek her life and destruction. No painting of the face, clothing in crimson, or decking with gold can make her fair in that day of being spoiled.
Outward adornment cannot make a person truly beautiful or secure. Enlarging the eyes with paint points to the vanity and fashion that bring spiritual blindness. That blindness makes it harder to discern the Saviour.