22. I spake not. This is one of those difficult passages of the Bible in which the literal and superficial meaning seems to contradict the plain statements of other scriptures. Jeremiah appears to deny that at Sinai God gave any instruction regarding sacrificial offerings. It is, however, not necessary to understand his language in that way. That the prophet is not denying the validity of the sacrificial system is clear from other statements from his own mouth ( 17:26; 31:14; 33:11, 17-24). How then is his statement to be understood? Jeremiah is obviously employing a rhetorical device by which in a comparison of two ideas the predominance of the one is shown by the denial of the other. Other examples of this device are: (1) Gen. 45:8. Here Joseph tells his brethren that it was not they that had sent him to Egypt, but God, though patently his brethren had had a large hand in the affair. (2) Ex. 16:8. Here Moses tells the rebellious multitude that their murmurings were not against him but against God, though their complainings had clearly been directed against Moses. A similar device was employed by Jesus (Luke 14:26). Taken literally, His words appear to command men to hate the members of their own families. However, He was simply seeking to emphasize that love of God must supersede love to men. By “hate” He meant “love less.”
The passage emphasizes that obedience to moral law ranks above obedience to a ceremonial system (see 1 Sam. 15:22; Ps. 51:16, 17). External observances were designed to aid in preserving sincere obedience (see Deut. 6:1-3), but never to be a substitute for holiness of heart. Of the type of worship rendered to God by Jeremiah’s compatriots, God had never spoken at Sinai.