Why must Jeremiah “not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them”?

The Lord gives Jeremiah a second instruction. Not only must he not marry and start a family, but he must not enter the house of mourning, or go to lament or grieve for them. This instruction links with the previous section where Jeremiah lamented his life of isolation even as he lived among his own people (Jeremiah 15:17). Jeremiah is told not to take part in the normal activity of mourning the dead. Once again, the Lord explains the meaning of this instruction. For I have taken away my peace from this people, my steadfast love and mercy, declares the Lord. Both great and small shall die in this land. They shall not be buried, and no one shall lament for them or cut himself or make himself bald for them. No one shall break bread for the mourner, to comfort him for the dead, nor shall anyone give him the cup of consolation to drink for his father or his mother. Jeremiah’s absence from mourning events would have been noticed by the people and when asked why he stayed away Jeremiah would have explained that it was because the Lord has taken away his peace, and his steadfast love and mercy from Judah. The false prophets had assured Judah that peace would remain forever. But the Lord made it clear through the life of his prophet that when the foreign invasion came, there would be no peace for Judah. The Lord is withdrawing his covenant promise of shalom (peace), hesed (steadfast love), and rahim (mercy), all terms that describe the richness of the Lord’s covenant with Israel¹ . Not even the normal comfort people received from burying their dead would be found when judgment came. When both great and small die in this land, no one would bury them or lament their death. Cutting yourself and shaving your head bald while mourning was prohibited in Israel (Leviticus 19:27–28; Leviticus 21:5; Deuteronomy 14:1), probably because it was associated with the worship of Mot, the pagan god of death. It seems, however, that both were widely practiced in Israel (Jeremiah 41:5; Jeremiah 47:5;Jeremiah 48:37;Isaiah 15:2–3; Isaiah 22:12;Ezekiel 7:18, Micah 1:16; etc.)² . These practices are not being condoned by the Lord; he is simply saying that no form of mourning, legitimate or not, would take place when the invasion came, because death would be so common that the people would not have the ability to mourn³ . The breaking of bread and giving the cup of consolation were a normal part of mourning, but none of this would take place when the invasion came. There would be no comfort, no peace, no mercy when the Lord poured out his judgment on Judah, and Jeremiah’s life was a living warning to Judah of this great tragedy.