Jeremiah 15:1,10,18-21

Jeremiah is pleading with the LORD on behalf of his people, attempting to intercede for them. But it does no good, for the people do not repent (see chapter 14). Thus the LORD says

‘Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favourable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth.’ (Jeremiah 15:1)

God then outlines the judgments that He is soon to bring upon them for their wickedness and because they have not repented of it. And all this Jeremiah is to say to the people. Imagine how unpopular he would have been! Thus we find in verse 10:

‘Woe is me, my mother,
That you have borne me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!
I have neither lent for interest,
Nor have men lent to me for interest.
Every one of them curses me.’ (Jeremiah 15:10)

Jeremiah felt wronged. He had never done anything against men – he had never sought gain from them or dealt greedily with them, and yet they all cursed him. On God’s part, he had never mixed with his fellow people who laughed and mocked God and had a ‘good time’, but instead stayed on himself, filled with anger and indignation (vs. 17). He ‘ate’ the words of God, and they were the joy and rejoicing of his heart, and he was called by God’s name (he belonged totally to God) (vs. 16), and yet here all his doubts and fears and troubles come to a head and he says

‘Why is my pain perpetual
And my wound incurable,
Which refuses to be healed?
Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream,
As waters that fail?’ (Jeremiah 15:18)

Jeremiah was afraid that the faith he had in God had led him to the abyss of pain he suffered, and that now that he was there, God might leave him there. He was afraid that his reputation of being a prophet of ill words to the people might be for nought, as God would destroy his people, and leave Jeremiah to their enemies.

It is such a big step of faith. To put yourself out there for God. To trust that He will be there to catch you, to defend you, and ultimately to have faith that to live this way is of greater benefit to both you and God, whereas the short forecast is merely pain and patience. What if after all the waiting and pain, there is no prize? What if God leads you out to the desert only to leave you there? These are all human fears, based on human relationships. But we all struggle with them, just like Jeremiah. But we see what God has to say back to Jeremiah:

‘If you return,
Then I will bring you back;
You shall stand before Me;
If you take out the precious from the vile,
You shall be as My mouth.
Let them [the Jews] return to you,
But you must not return to them.
And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall;
And they will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you.
I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you form the grip of the terrible.’ (Jeremiah 15:19-21)

God reassures Jeremiah. He does not merely say ‘I will protect you’. He tells him to come back. Come back in faith and say only what God has put in his mouth, rather than mixing it with his own thoughts and desires. In doing this, God will make him impenetrable, although so many problems may arise against him, God will be there to save him. What joy! The promise is reminiscent of chapter one, verse 18-19, in fact it is almost exactly the same. God isn’t promising some new level of protection. He is merely reinforcing His same old promise that Jeremiah seems to have forgotten or mistrusted. Let us trust God! Let us be bold in our faith in Him, and remember that He is good towards us, and will be there to save us, though troubles arise. Without this sure knowledge, emblazoned on our hearts, our devotion and ministry to and for God is limited.