The Weeping Prophet

This reflection is part of the ongoing Forest Hills Haftorah Series. The rest of the content can be found here: https://www.sefaria.org/groups/FHJC-Haftorah-Series .

above: Jeremiah as portrayed by Michaelangelo in the Sistine Chapel

The oracles of Jeremiah are oftentimes quite difficult to read. There were no prophets whose terrible burden weighed on their shoulders and took as much a toll as his did, for he was forced to endure what had been the greatest fear of all of his predecessors; The horrors of the early 6th century, culminating in the fall of the once-glorious Temple in 586; Judean blood flowing through the streets, and the survivors being dragged into Babylonian exile.
For the years leading up to this, Jeremiah begged his listeners to heed his warning and change their behavior. But this message was an unpopular one. Worse, he was despised for it. No one wanted to be told that were they to engage in a real, deep and self-critical reckoning, they would recognize that a radical change of behavior is necessitated, and Jeremiah was ill-fated to carry this message. And for this, he was persecuted, he was conspired against, he was locked up and beaten.
And he was heartbroken; for he dedicated every single breath of his towards the salvation of his brothers and sisters of Judea around him, and they hated him for it.
Consider this most sorrowful, tear-dripping of passages:

ירמיהו כ׳

(יד) אָר֣וּר הַיּ֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יֻלַּ֖דְתִּי בּ֑וֹ י֛וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יְלָדַ֥תְנִי אִמִּ֖י אַל־יְהִ֥י בָרֽוּךְ׃ (טו) אָר֣וּר הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֨ר בִּשַּׂ֤ר אֶת־אָבִי֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יֻֽלַּד־לְךָ֖ בֵּ֣ן זָכָ֑ר שַׂמֵּ֖חַ שִׂמֳּחָֽהוּ׃ (טז) וְהָיָה֙ הָאִ֣ישׁ הַה֔וּא כֶּֽעָרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁר־הָפַ֥ךְ יְהוָ֖ה וְלֹ֣א נִחָ֑ם וְשָׁמַ֤ע זְעָקָה֙ בַּבֹּ֔קֶר וּתְרוּעָ֖ה בְּעֵ֥ת צָהֳרָֽיִם׃ (יז) אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־מוֹתְתַ֖נִי מֵרָ֑חֶם וַתְּהִי־לִ֤י אִמִּי֙ קִבְרִ֔י וְרַחְמָ֖הֿ הֲרַ֥ת עוֹלָֽם׃ (יח) לָ֤מָּה זֶּה֙ מֵרֶ֣חֶם יָצָ֔אתִי לִרְא֥וֹת עָמָ֖ל וְיָג֑וֹן וַיִּכְל֥וּ בְּבֹ֖שֶׁת יָמָֽי׃ (פ)

Jeremiah 20

(14) Accursed be the day that I was born!

My mother who bore me, may she not be blessed!

(15) Accursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, “A boy is born to you!” and gave him such joy! (16) Let that man become like the cities which YHWH overthrew and did not relent! Let him hear shrieks in the morning And battle shouts at noontide— (17) Because he did not kill me before birth, so that my mother might be my grave, and her womb big [with me] for all time. (18) Why did I ever issue from the womb, to see misery and woe, to spend all my days in shame!

Jeremiah, appropriately referred to at times as "The Weeping Prophet." This one passage says it all.

This week's Haftorah comes from Jeremiah's second chapter. The chapter begins with God looking back nostalgically, to what seemed to be a bright, promising beginning to what was supposed to be a beautiful relationship between God and Israel:

ירמיהו ב׳

(א) וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ב) הָלֹ֡ךְ וְקָֽרָאתָ֩ בְאָזְנֵ֨י יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר כֹּ֚ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה זָכַ֤רְתִּי לָךְ֙ חֶ֣סֶד נְעוּרַ֔יִךְ אַהֲבַ֖ת כְּלוּלֹתָ֑יִךְ לֶכְתֵּ֤ךְ אַחֲרַי֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר בְּאֶ֖רֶץ לֹ֥א זְרוּעָֽה׃

Jeremiah 2

(1) The word of YHWH came to me, saying,

(2) Go! Proclaim to Jerusalem: Thus said YHWH:

I accounted to your favor The devotion of your youth, Your love as a bride— How you followed Me in the wilderness, In a land not sown.

But the nostalgia is short-lived. In fact, it was only recalled in order to set up the tragic disappointment. God reminds the Judeans of the kindnesses He had done for them, bringing them out of slavery, guiding them through the desert, and settling them in a land of abundance. And how was this kindness repaid? By disloyalty, and the thoughtless defiling of the land.
Note the contrast Jeremiah sets up between the arid wasteland on one hand, and the bounty that had awaited the exodus-generation in Canaan on the other:

ירמיהו ב׳:ה׳-ז׳

(ה) כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה מַה־מָּצְא֨וּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶ֥ם בִּי֙ עָ֔וֶל כִּ֥י רָחֲק֖וּ מֵעָלָ֑י וַיֵּֽלְכ֛וּ אַחֲרֵ֥י הַהֶ֖בֶל וַיֶּהְבָּֽלוּ׃ (ו) וְלֹ֣א אָמְר֔וּ אַיֵּ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה הַמַּעֲלֶ֥ה אֹתָ֖נוּ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הַמּוֹלִ֨יךְ אֹתָ֜נוּ בַּמִּדְבָּ֗ר בְּאֶ֨רֶץ עֲרָבָ֤ה וְשׁוּחָה֙ בְּאֶ֙רֶץ֙ צִיָּ֣ה וְצַלְמָ֔וֶת בְּאֶ֗רֶץ לֹֽא־עָ֤בַר בָּהּ֙ אִ֔ישׁ וְלֹֽא־יָשַׁ֥ב אָדָ֖ם שָֽׁם׃ (ז) וָאָבִ֤יא אֶתְכֶם֙ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ הַכַּרְמֶ֔ל לֶאֱכֹ֥ל פִּרְיָ֖הּ וְטוּבָ֑הּ וַתָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ וַתְּטַמְּא֣וּ אֶת־אַרְצִ֔י וְנַחֲלָתִ֥י שַׂמְתֶּ֖ם לְתוֹעֵבָֽה׃

Jeremiah 2:5-7

(5) Thus said YHWH:

What wrong did your fathers find in Me, that they abandoned Me and went after delusion and were deluded? (6) They never asked themselves:

“Where is YHWH, who brought us up from the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness?

A land of deserts and pits;

A land of drought and darkness;

A land no man had traversed, where no human being had dwelt?”

(7) I brought you to this country of farm land!!! To enjoy its fruit and its bounty!; But you came and defiled My land. You made My possession abhorrent.

This is only the beginning, and like a tidal-wave gathering momentum, God cannot stop, even stating as much:

ירמיהו ב׳:ח׳-ט׳

(ח) הַכֹּהֲנִ֗ים לֹ֤א אָֽמְרוּ֙ אַיֵּ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה וְתֹפְשֵׂ֤י הַתּוֹרָה֙ לֹ֣א יְדָע֔וּנִי וְהָרֹעִ֖ים פָּ֣שְׁעוּ בִ֑י וְהַנְּבִיאִים֙ נִבְּא֣וּ בַבַּ֔עַל וְאַחֲרֵ֥י לֹֽא־יוֹעִ֖לוּ הָלָֽכוּ׃ (ט) לָכֵ֗ן עֹ֛ד אָרִ֥יב אִתְּכֶ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה וְאֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בְנֵיכֶ֖ם אָרִֽיב׃

Jeremiah 2:8-9

(8) The priests never asked themselves, “Where is YHWH?”

The guardians of the teaching ignored Me; The rulers rebelled against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal and followed what can do no good.

(9) Oh, I will go on accusing you! —declares YHWH—

And I will accuse your children’s children!

I find the next few lines to be particularly harrowing. As you read them, ask yourself - does it remind you of anything?

ירמיהו ב׳:י׳-י״ג

(י) כִּ֣י עִבְר֞וּ אִיֵּ֤י כִתִּיִּים֙ וּרְא֔וּ וְקֵדָ֛ר שִׁלְח֥וּ וְהִֽתְבּוֹנְנ֖וּ מְאֹ֑ד וּרְא֕וּ הֵ֥ן הָיְתָ֖ה כָּזֹֽאת׃ (יא) הַהֵימִ֥יר גּוֹי֙ אֱלֹהִ֔ים וְהֵ֖מָּה לֹ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים וְעַמִּ֛י הֵמִ֥יר כְּבוֹד֖וֹ בְּל֥וֹא יוֹעִֽיל׃ (יב) שֹׁ֥מּוּ שָׁמַ֖יִם עַל־זֹ֑את וְשַׂעֲר֛וּ חָרְב֥וּ מְאֹ֖ד נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃ (יג) כִּֽי־שְׁתַּ֥יִם רָע֖וֹת עָשָׂ֣ה עַמִּ֑י אֹתִ֨י עָזְב֜וּ מְק֣וֹר ׀ מַ֣יִם חַיִּ֗ים לַחְצֹ֤ב לָהֶם֙ בֹּאר֔וֹת בֹּארֹת֙ נִשְׁבָּרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יָכִ֖לוּ הַמָּֽיִם׃

Jeremiah 2:10-13

(10) Just cross over to the isles of the Kittim and look! Send to Kedar and observe carefully!; See if aught like this has ever happened:

(11) Has any nation changed its gods, even though they are no-gods? And yet, My people has exchanged its glory for what can do no good.

(12) Be appalled, O heavens, at this!; Be horrified, utterly dazed! —says YHWH.

(13) For My people has done a twofold wrong: They have forsaken Me, the Fount of Living Waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, which cannot even hold water.

Does anything sound familiar?
For me, upon reading this my mind was immediately brought to what is actually one of my favorite passages in Deuteronomy. Read through this, then take another look at Jeremiah's words above:

דברים ד׳

(לב) כִּ֣י שְׁאַל־נָא֩ לְיָמִ֨ים רִֽאשֹׁנִ֜ים אֲשֶׁר־הָי֣וּ לְפָנֶ֗יךָ לְמִן־הַיּוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁר֩ בָּרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ אָדָם֙ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וּלְמִקְצֵ֥ה הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְעַד־קְצֵ֣ה הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם הֲנִֽהְיָ֗ה כַּדָּבָ֤ר הַגָּדוֹל֙ הַזֶּ֔ה א֖וֹ הֲנִשְׁמַ֥ע כָּמֹֽהוּ׃ (לג) הֲשָׁ֣מַֽע עָם֩ ק֨וֹל אֱלֹהִ֜ים מְדַבֵּ֧ר מִתּוֹךְ־הָאֵ֛שׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֥עְתָּ אַתָּ֖ה וַיֶּֽחִי׃ (לד) א֣וֹ ׀ הֲנִסָּ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֗ים לָ֠בוֹא לָקַ֨חַת ל֣וֹ גוֹי֮ מִקֶּ֣רֶב גּוֹי֒ בְּמַסֹּת֩ בְּאֹתֹ֨ת וּבְמוֹפְתִ֜ים וּבְמִלְחָמָ֗ה וּבְיָ֤ד חֲזָקָה֙ וּבִזְר֣וֹעַ נְטוּיָ֔ה וּבְמוֹרָאִ֖ים גְּדֹלִ֑ים כְּ֠כֹל אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֨ה לָכֶ֜ם יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֛ם בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם לְעֵינֶֽיךָ׃

Deuteronomy 4

(32) You have but to inquire about bygone ages that came before you, ever since God created man on earth, from one end of heaven to the other:

Has anything as grand as this ever happened? Or has its like ever been known?

(33) Has any people heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire, as you have, and survived?

(34) Or has any god ventured to go and take for himself one nation from the midst of another by prodigious acts, by signs and portents, by war, by a mighty and an outstretched arm and awesome power, as YHWH your god did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

Do you see the parallels? Both passages begin with God asking His people to make an inquiry, so as to see that something unprecedented is occurring. In Deuteronomy, the words are placed in the mouth of Moses, who is trying to impress upon the Israelites that YHWH had taken it upon Himself to do for Israel that which no gods anywhere, ever, have done for another people.
While in Jeremiah, it is God impressing upon the Judeans that no people has ever acted with as much infidelity to their gods as Israel is now doing to hers.
The greatest kindnesses are being repaid with the greatest betrayals.
And to make matters worse; the gods with which the Judeans are replacing the Lord Almighty are no-gods to begin with!

The very heavens, which in Deuteronomy 32 were called upon to bear witness to the covenant between God and Israel, are now utterly appalled at the extent of Israel's nerve, in spurning that which has been the source of all of her glory.

Then from verse 14-19, Jeremiah's criticisms shift focus:

ירמיהו ב׳:י״ח-י״ט

(יח) וְעַתָּ֗ה מַה־לָּךְ֙ לְדֶ֣רֶךְ מִצְרַ֔יִם לִשְׁתּ֖וֹת מֵ֣י שִׁח֑וֹר וּמַה־לָּךְ֙ לְדֶ֣רֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר לִשְׁתּ֖וֹת מֵ֥י נָהָֽר׃ (יט) תְּיַסְּרֵ֣ךְ רָעָתֵ֗ךְ וּמְשֻֽׁבוֹתַ֙יִךְ֙ תּוֹכִחֻ֔ךְ וּדְעִ֤י וּרְאִי֙ כִּי־רַ֣ע וָמָ֔ר עָזְבֵ֖ךְ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יִךְ וְלֹ֤א פַחְדָּתִי֙ אֵלַ֔יִךְ נְאֻם־אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהוִ֖ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃

Jeremiah 2:18-19

(18) And now, what good is it, your going to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? And what is the good of your going to Assyria, to drink the waters of the Euphrates?

(19) Let your misfortune reprove you! Let your afflictions rebuke you!;

Mark well how bad and bitter it is that you forsake YHWH your God. That awe for Me is not in you —declares the Lord YHWH of Hosts.

These verse beg a bit of explanation; Who and why are people going to Egypt and Assyria for water?
First of all, it is important to keep in mind that during Jeremiah's time, the dominant world-power, overtaking even that of the Assyrians, was the Neo-Babylonian Empire, beginning with Emperor Nebopolassar in the 620s. As the Babylonians became increasingly more imposing under his rule, nations and kingdoms were forced to adjust and realign.
About two generations earlier, when Assyria was primed to take over the entirety of the ancient near east, King Hezekiah was accused by the Assyrian emperor, Sennacharib, of aligning himself with Egypt in a fateful confrontation outside the walls of Jerusalem:

מלכים ב י״ח

(יט) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ רַב־שָׁקֵ֔ה אִמְרוּ־נָ֖א אֶל־חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ כֹּֽה־אָמַ֞ר הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ אַשּׁ֔וּר מָ֧ה הַבִּטָּח֛וֹן הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּטָֽחְתָּ׃ (כ) אָמַ֙רְתָּ֙ אַךְ־דְּבַר־שְׂפָתַ֔יִם עֵצָ֥ה וּגְבוּרָ֖ה לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה עַתָּה֙ עַל־מִ֣י בָטַ֔חְתָּ כִּ֥י מָרַ֖דְתָּ בִּֽי׃ (כא) עַתָּ֡ה הִנֵּ֣ה בָטַ֣חְתָּ לְּךָ֡ עַל־מִשְׁעֶנֶת֩ הַקָּנֶ֨ה הָרָצ֤וּץ הַזֶּה֙ עַל־מִצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִסָּמֵ֥ךְ אִישׁ֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבָ֥א בְכַפּ֖וֹ וּנְקָבָ֑הּ כֵּ֚ן פַּרְעֹ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־מִצְרַ֔יִם לְכָֽל־הַבֹּטְחִ֖ים עָלָֽיו׃

II Kings 18

(19) The Rabshakeh (Assyrian representative) said to them,

“You tell Hezekiah: Thus said the Great King, the King of Assyria: What makes you so confident? (20) You must think that mere talk is counsel and valor for war! Look, on whom are you relying, that you have rebelled against me? (21) You rely, of all things, on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which enters and punctures the palm of anyone who leans on it! That’s what Pharaoh king of Egypt is like to all who rely on him.

What's amazing is the consistency between how the book of Kings expresses Sennacharib's accusations, and what Emperor Sennacharib himself had recorded on his annals in ancient cuneiform, dating back to the 8th century! Here is some of the relevant passage:

(and) he (Hezekiah) held him in prison, unlawfully, as if he (Padi) be an enemy--had become afraid and had called (for help) upon the kings of Egypt (Mus(u)ri) the bowmen, the chariot(-corps) and the cavalry of the king of Ethiopia (Meluhha), an army beyond counting--and they (actually) had come to their assistance. In the plain of Eltekeh (Al-ta-qu-ú), their battle lines were drawn up against me and they sharpened their weapons.

below: Sennacharib's Annals. Written in Cuneiform. 38cm by 14 cm. Written between 691 and 689 BCE. There are three known complete versions (and fragments of others), all containing nearly the same text. Found in Ninveh, the ancient Assyrian capital, 1830.

And once again, a couple of generations before this, Judea under King Ahaz was threatened by a united coalition headed by Northern Israel and Aram. The book of Kings records what King Ahaz did to get himself out of the situation:

מלכים ב ט״ז

(ה) אָ֣ז יַעֲלֶ֣ה רְצִ֣ין מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲ֠רָם וּפֶ֨קַח בֶּן־רְמַלְיָ֧הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם לַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה וַיָּצֻ֙רוּ֙ עַל־אָחָ֔ז וְלֹ֥א יָכְל֖וּ לְהִלָּחֵֽם׃ (ו) בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֗יא הֵ֠שִׁיב רְצִ֨ין מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲרָ֤ם אֶת־אֵילַת֙ לַֽאֲרָ֔ם וַיְנַשֵּׁ֥ל אֶת־הַיְהוּדִ֖ים מֵֽאֵיל֑וֹת וארמים [וַֽאֲדוֹמִים֙] בָּ֣אוּ אֵילַ֔ת וַיֵּ֣שְׁבוּ שָׁ֔ם עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ (פ) (ז) וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח אָחָ֜ז מַלְאָכִ֗ים אֶל־תִּ֠גְלַת פְּלֶ֤סֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־אַשּׁוּר֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר עַבְדְּךָ֥ וּבִנְךָ֖ אָ֑נִי עֲלֵ֨ה וְהוֹשִׁעֵ֜נִי מִכַּ֣ף מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲרָ֗ם וּמִכַּף֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַקּוֹמִ֖ים עָלָֽי׃

II Kings 16

(5) Then King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel advanced on Jerusalem for battle. They besieged Ahaz, but could not overcome [him]...

(7) Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria to say, “I am your servant and your son; come and deliver me from the hands of the king of Aram and from the hands of the king of Israel, who are attacking me.”

Are you picking up on the pattern?
When Judea's immediate neighbors were the threat in the 730s, King Ahaz turned to Emperor Tiglath-Pilesar of Assyria for help. Later, King Hezekiah was forced to turn to Egypt in order to help against Assyria when Emperor Sennacharib's might seemed unstoppable. And now, during Jeremiah's time in the 7th century, the only way to stand up to the Babylonians is with the backing of the combined might of Egypt and Assyria.
How ironic. As the commentary in the Jewish Study Bible points out (page 1032):
[The people are admonished] for asking political assistance from the imperial forces of Egypt and Assyria. The two are the typological enemies of Judah, from the southwest and the northeast.

below: Note the Nile in the bottom left, the Euphrates in the middle, as well as Nineveh, the capital of Assyria until 612.

So if we return to Jeremiah's statement above, when Judah is criticized for drinking the waters of the Nile of Egypt and of the Euphrates of Assyria, what Jeremiah seems to be saying is the Judeans have demonstrated their lack of trust in God's ability to protect them, by running off to seek protection from foreign powers.
Jeremiah is not unique as a prophet to make this point. When King Ahaz was first faced with the threat of Northern Israel and Aram from 2 Kings above, before he requested help from Assyria, the prophet Isaiah assured him that all would be well. Isaiah then told Ahaz he could request a miraculous sign, which would demonstrate that Isaiah speaks truly; that God is watching over Judea and won't let Northern Israel and Aram hurt her, even though she seems in-over-her-head and outnumbered.
King Ahaz refuses to ask for a sign, and Isaiah is furious:

ישעיהו ז׳

(י) וַיּ֣וֹסֶף יְהוָ֔ה דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶל־אָחָ֖ז לֵאמֹֽר׃ (יא) שְׁאַל־לְךָ֣ א֔וֹת מֵעִ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ הַעְמֵ֣ק שְׁאָ֔לָה א֖וֹ הַגְבֵּ֥הַּ לְמָֽעְלָה׃ (יב) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָחָ֑ז לֹא־אֶשְׁאַ֥ל וְלֹֽא־אֲנַסֶּ֖ה אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃ (יג) וַיֹּ֕אמֶר שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֖א בֵּ֣ית דָּוִ֑ד הַמְעַ֤ט מִכֶּם֙ הַלְא֣וֹת אֲנָשִׁ֔ים כִּ֥י תַלְא֖וּ גַּ֥ם אֶת־אֱלֹהָֽי׃

Isaiah 7

(10) YHWH [through Isaiah] spoke further to Ahaz:

(11) “Ask for a sign from YHWH your god, anywhere down to Sheol or up to the sky.”

(12) But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask, and I will not test YHWH!”

(13) And he [Isaiah] said, “Listen, House of David! Is it not enough for you to treat men as helpless that you also treat my God as helpless!???

below: very cool, a passage of Isaiah from the Dead Sea scrolls. Can you make any of it out? Here are some landmarks that help; note לא אשאל on the top left, and וקרא שמו עמנואל on the bottom left. This is in Isaiah 7.

While it is not so clear from the text what is so wrong with Ahaz's actions (and as a matter of fact, Deuteronomy 6:16 tells us it is forbidden to test God), Shmuel Vargon, reading between the lines, connects King Ahaz's actions in 2 Kings with this passage from Isaiah and states the following:
The kings of Aram and Israel intended to march upon Jerusalem to rule over it, to remove King Ahaz from his throne and to appoint in his place another. Isaiah was commanded by God to declare the word of God to Ahaz, that this scheme of the two kings would not work, and that it is incumbent upon Ahaz to hold himself back from turning to Assyria for help. For if he would turn to Assyria, he would therefore demonstrate his lack of trust and faith in God, and his kingdom would then fall. Since Ahaz was not convinced, Isaiah said he would perform a sign for Ahaz that his prophecy was valid, but Ahaz refused even to see a sign.
from Prophecy of Rebuke or Consolation, in Beit Mikra: Journal for the Study of the Bible and Its World, 46:4 page 290:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23508816.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_SYC-5187%252Ftest&refreqid=excelsior%3A468694f65ff490264c383c2dd9ef1340

God has already demonstrated, as Jeremiah reminds the Judeans in our Haftorah, that God is both willing and able to fight for and to defend Judea from foes bigger and seemingly stronger than her. If God can take on the pantheon of Egyptian deities, and defeat every single one of them in what wasn't even a fair fight, then what is Assyria, or Babylon, to Him?
And yet, the Judeans turn not to God for help, but to "no-gods" as well as to their own recent enemies.

I want to make just one (or two) more observation and comment. Note the recurring motif of water in our Haftorah. God describes Himself as "Living Waters," and blasts the Judeans for exchanging Him for "broken cisterns," incapable of holding water. Then Judea is criticized for running to the rivers of Egypt and Assyria for help against Babylon.
It seems to me that Jeremiah is making a rhetorical point here, in which he wants us to draw a connection between turning to idolatry on one hand, and relying on humans for salvation on the other; ultimately, they are one and the same. Even if one is not "worshipping" a false god, placing one's ultimate hopes in flesh and blood at the expense of God is similarly a symptom of having rejected, or at least forgotten, the Almighty.

One other major topic worth discussing in our Haftorah, which I only want to draw your attention to and which I'm sure there will be an opportunity to discuss in the future, is that of a genre called idol satire, at which Jeremiah excels!
See this in the closing verses to our Haftorah:

ירמיהו ב׳:כ״ו-כ״ח

(כו) כְּבֹ֤שֶׁת גַּנָּב֙ כִּ֣י יִמָּצֵ֔א כֵּ֥ן הֹבִ֖ישׁוּ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל הֵ֤מָּה מַלְכֵיהֶם֙ שָֽׂרֵיהֶ֔ם וְכֹהֲנֵיהֶ֖ם וּנְבִיאֵיהֶֽם׃ (כז) אֹמְרִ֨ים לָעֵ֜ץ אָ֣בִי אַ֗תָּה וְלָאֶ֙בֶן֙ אַ֣תְּ ילדתני [יְלִדְתָּ֔נוּ] כִּֽי־פָנ֥וּ אֵלַ֛י עֹ֖רֶף וְלֹ֣א פָנִ֑ים וּבְעֵ֤ת רָֽעָתָם֙ יֹֽאמְר֔וּ ק֖וּמָה וְהוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ׃ (כח) וְאַיֵּ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֔ךְ יָק֕וּמוּ אִם־יוֹשִׁיע֖וּךָ בְּעֵ֣ת רָעָתֶ֑ךָ כִּ֚י מִסְפַּ֣ר עָרֶ֔יךָ הָי֥וּ אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ יְהוּדָֽה׃ (ס)

Jeremiah 2:26-28

(26) Like a thief chagrined when he is caught, so is the House of Israel chagrined!— They, their kings, their officers, and their priests and prophets.

(27) They said to wood, “You are my father,” and to stone, “You gave birth to me!” While to Me they turned their backs and not their faces. But in their hour of calamity they cry, “Arise and save us!”

(28) And where are those gods you made for yourself? Let them arise and save you, if they can, In your hour of calamity! For your gods have become, O Judah, as many as your towns!

I don't want to end this only with negativity, and so in order to show that Jeremiah is not all and only bleak, here is a beautiful passage at which we would eventually arrive, if we stuck with Jeremiah long enough. Here we see that despite our repeated and ever-frustrating short-comings, the Almighty's love for and commitment to Israel knows no bounds:

ירמיהו כ״ט

(יא) כִּי֩ אָנֹכִ֨י יָדַ֜עְתִּי אֶת־הַמַּחֲשָׁבֹ֗ת אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י חֹשֵׁ֥ב עֲלֵיכֶ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה מַחְשְׁב֤וֹת שָׁלוֹם֙ וְלֹ֣א לְרָעָ֔ה לָתֵ֥ת לָכֶ֖ם אַחֲרִ֥ית וְתִקְוָֽה׃ (יב) וּקְרָאתֶ֤ם אֹתִי֙ וַֽהֲלַכְתֶּ֔ם וְהִתְפַּלַּלְתֶּ֖ם אֵלָ֑י וְשָׁמַעְתִּ֖י אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃ (יג) וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּ֥ם אֹתִ֖י וּמְצָאתֶ֑ם כִּ֥י תִדְרְשֻׁ֖נִי בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶֽם׃

Jeremiah 29

(11) For I am mindful of the plans I have made concerning you—declares YHWH—plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a hopeful future.

(12) When you call Me, and come and pray to Me, I will give heed to you. (13) You will search for Me and find Me, if only you seek Me wholeheartedly.