Jeremiah 4-6

God is telling the people of Judah that if they just return to Him that things will be right with them...they don't have to experience the wrath of God....It is a conditional promise to them of blessings, but they have to chose to do what God wants.  Idols are not the answer.

Circumcision was the sign of the covenant, and now the people are just going through the ritual without dealing with the meaning of the ritual.

Note the words:  In that day.....Jeremiah was telling them what the judgment would look like, but they decided to listen to false prophets that were preaching "peace", because that is what they wanted to hear.

Chapter 5 deals with the fact that it would not be consistent with God's holiness to let such wickedness pass unpunished...the lion, wolf and leopard are the strongest, the most ravenous, and the swiftest of beasts and the illustrate the formidable character of the Babylonians.  When you see the word "Chaldeans", they are the people from Babylon.  Still God promises that He will not destroy them completely...there will always be a remnant due to the covenant God made.  God even calls out the priests that lent themselves to the deceits of the false prophets so that they could gain influence over the people.  Bottom line, the cause of the judgment that is coming is because the people are universally corrupted.

Chapter 6 is all about Zion's foes that prepare war against her:  Her sins are the cause...the people had a hard time believing that this was their own fault.  Essentially, they had no shame.  The Jews are the grapes, their enemies are the unsparing gleaners (do you remember when Ruth gleaned?)  With the metal and bellows example, the Jews were not refined...they were fit only for rejection.  God had used great pains in trying to purify Israel in the "furnace of affliction", but to no avail.