Jeremiah has been known through the ages as the weeping prophet, not only because of the dark and dire preaching he had to speak against the people of the kingdom of Judah, but also because his message of repentance brought the anger and hatred of so many people against him. There were days, though, when Jeremiah got very discouraged and cried out to the Lord in his despair and depression. Our passage today from the Book of Jeremiah catches him in just such a state. He has been preaching for several years that unless the people individually, and the nation as a whole, repent from their sinful lives and stop worshipping false idols, the nation will be overrun and the people will go into captivity. And just like today, nobody wanted to hear a message like that. Jeremiah was attacked verbally, and sometimes even physically, and in this passage he prays to the Lord with a despairing heart.
Verse 15 picks up with a prayer that Jeremiah has made to the Lord. “Remember me, God!”, he is saying. With the people of Judah attacking him so, he feels forgotten by God. He reminds God that it is because he has stood up for God’s name, it is for His sake, that his enemies have been attacking him, so he asks God not to forsake him and to take vengeance on these people.
Jeremiah loved God’s Word (vs. 16), so much so that it was like his daily nourishment. It was the joy of his life. He then goes on to remind God how he has kept himself separate from those who mocked God, either by their words or actions (vs. 17). His was a lonely life because he stayed true to God. He was angry because of sin, and because those who had God’s laws and Word, continued to turn away from Him to worship the false gods of neighboring countries. This was so distressing to him, and that he felt forgotten by God, that it was actually painful, like a wound that wouldn’t heal (vs. 18).
In verse 19 we see God answering Jeremiah’s prayer. God chides Jeremiah for feeling sorry for himself and letting his faith grow weaker. He tells him to turn back to Him, and not feel as though he has been forgotten. God still wants to use Jeremiah as His mouthpiece, giving His Word to the people. The people who had strayed so far away from God needed to repent and change their ways, following the example of Jeremiah’s life. He warns Jeremiah, though, that he needs to take care and not drop down to their standards. If Jeremiah is to warn and preach to others, he has to make sure that he is on the straight and narrow.
God warns Jeremiah that the people are going to continue to fight against him (vs. 20-21). God, though, promises that they will not prevail in their attacks, and that He will always be with him, strengthening his defenses like a fortified wall. He will not forsake Jeremiah, and promises to deliver him from the hands of all those who wanted to seek his life for preaching the Words of God.
We can learn from Jeremiah’s experiences here that we can come to God in any mood we are in, and we can tell Him anything in prayer. We can trust Him for everything. No matter our trials, discouragement, or brokenness, we can trust God and learn from Him. He will reveal Himself to us, and work through us, just as He did for Jeremiah. God wants us to have spiritual victory. He takes our weakness and brokenness, and turns it into strength. Jeremiah, though prone to further depression, continued on in his ministry, and God was with him every step of the way.
Jeremiah loved God’s Word, as we see in verse 16. He speaks of “eating” the Word of God. It was so important to him, that it was like his daily nourishment. We, too, should be reading the Bible, God’s Word, every day. We eat food every day, don’t we? We should be sure that we get our spiritual nourishment each day, as well. It is there that God provides His children with spiritual guidance, joy, and strength for all of our needs. And as we follow and practice what we learn from God’s Word, we should be influencing others for God, just as His faithful prophet, Jeremiah, did.
God is good all the time!
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