BELIEVER IN A DARK TUNNEL

1
BELIEVER IN A DARK TUNNEL The Confessions of
Jeremiah
2
Lesson 5 Resignation not an Option Jeremiah
207-18
3
INTRODUCTION 1. We have come at last to the
fifth and final personal crisis in Jeremiahs
life 2. In this confession Jeremiah feels
trapped. Hed like to quit his ministry but he
cannot. 3. This confession followed a
confrontation with the priest Pashur.
a. Jeremiah had been beaten and thrown
overnight into the public stocks where he was, no
doubt, subjected to additional insults and
physical assault.
4
b. The next morning Jeremiah was released.
1) He had lost none of his bold courage.
2) He rebuked the priest. 3) He announced
that the Babylonians would take Judah into
exilealong with Pashur the priest and his
family. c. Publicly Jeremiah was an iron
pillar privately he was a broken reed. 4. In
his private moments with God Jeremiah broke down
completely. a. He looked upon his ministry,
not as a high privilege, but as an intolerable
burden. b. He was discouraged with his task
he was disgruntled with his God.
5
Complaint 207-10
The complaint focuses on five perceived ways
Yahweh had let him down in his ministry.
7a O LORD, you deceived me, and I was deceived
1. Jeremiah complained about his call. a. In
a bitter moment he accused God of deceiving him.
I was enticed could be translated, I let
myself be enticed.
6
b. Of course this accusation against God was
absolutely false. God had not deceived his
prophet in the least about his mission. c. He
pointedly had warned his prospective prophet that
his mission was fraught with danger and
disappointment (cf. 118).
7
7b you overpowered me and prevailed.
d. The accusation continued Overpowered is
lit., you took hold of me. The verb can also
mean to be strong, hence the translation
overpowered in niv and nrsv. e. You
prevailed is the same form of the word that was
used to describe how Jacob prevailed over God and
men (Gn 3228). f. Jeremiah was complaining
that he had been compelled against his own will
to preach the word of God.
8
7c I am ridiculed all day long everyone mocks
me.
2. Second, Jeremiah complained about his
circumstances. a. Because of the nature of his
ministry, Jeremiah had become the object of
ridicule and mockery. b. All the day suggests
that the mockery was unrelenting. c. Jeremiah
found mockery harder to endure than physical
abuse!
9
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming
violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD
has brought me insult and reproach all day long.
3. Jeremiah complained about his message
a. This man faced physical torture without
flinching but he cringed before the barbs of
ridicule. b. He blamed his plight upon the
nature of his message. He must constantly cry
Violence! Destruction! c. The reference is to
Jeremiahs preaching, not the violence and
destruction perpetrated on him personally.
10
d. He is referring to the punishment that he
announced to his nation. Jeremiahs message
had brought him nothing but reproach and
derision. e. Again all the day underscores the
unrelenting nature of Jeremiahs misery.
11
9a But if I say, "I will not mention him or
speak any more in his name,"
4. Fourth, Jeremiah complained about his
compulsion (v 9a). a. A tremendous battle
raged in the heart and mind of this sensitive man
of God. 1) On the one hand, he wanted to
resign his ministry and retreat to the quiet life
at Anathoth. 2) He could not bear to face the
prospect of continued ridicule and opposition.
He wanted to forget all about his recent
unpleasant experiences. He never wanted to
preach another sermon.
12
9b his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire
shut up in my bones.
b. Jeremiah was in a proverbial catch 22.
1) When he spoke out for God he suffered
unbearable abuse when he tried to remain silent
he experienced an overwhelming urge to preach.
2) Though he wanted to quit Jeremiah's heart
was burdened with a sense of prophetic obligation
and divine mission. 3) The fire of Gods
wrath against sin burned fiercely within him (v
9b).
13
9c I am weary of holding it in
4) Jeremiah tried to hold back the compulsion
to preach, but he could not. He became
utterly exhausted from trying to fight
it. c. In spite of himself Jeremiah had to
follow the divine call he had to resume his
ministry. In 611 it was the wrath of Yahweh
that Jeremiah could not hold in here it is the
word of Yahweh.
14
9d indeed, I cannot.
d. Literally, I do not prevail --the same
root used in v 7 where Jeremiah complained that
Yahweh had overpowered him. Here he admits
that he cannot overpower Yahwehs word.
15
10a I hear many whispering
5. Fifth, Jeremiah complained about the plot.
a. Jeremiah knew the dangers attendant upon
the resumption of the prophetic ministry.
b. He knew his enemies were plotting against
him. Jeremiah seemed to hear them urging one
another to bring false charges against him.
1) Whispering Defamation--deliberate talk
calculated to hurt someones reputation whether
true (Gn 372) or false (Prov 1018). 2) The
many who were defaming him certainly included the
false prophets but Jeremiah had probably reached
the conclusion that everyone was against him.
16
10b "Terror on every side! Report him! Let's
report him!"
c. Report him literally declare it. Verb
appears throughout the book in the introduction
to prophetic discourse. 1) It appears that
these words are spoken by the enemies. 2) The
context suggests they were pretending to share
his burden for the nation so as to deceive him.
17
10b All my friends are waiting for me to slip,
saying, "Perhaps he will be deceived then we
will prevail over him and take our revenge on
him."
d. Even his friends (lit., all the men of my
peace)those who greeted him with familiar
greetings of friendshipwere watching his every
move. 1) They hoped to lure him into making
some mistake, or saying something on which a
charge of treason could be based. 2) They
were out for revenge against the meddlesome
prophet who had dared contradict their pro-Egypt
policy. 3) In 1120 Jeremiah prayed that
Yahweh might take vengeance on his enemies now
his enemies plan to take vengeance on Jeremiah.
18
A Moment of Light 2011-12
1. The prophet burst forth in expressions of
joyous trust in God. This assertion of trust
is both a genuine statement of faith and a
motivation for Yahweh to intervene in Jeremiahs
situation.
19
11a But the LORD is with me like a mighty
warrior
2. Jeremiah suddenly realized that God was on
his side after all. a. In 149 Jeremiah
compared Yahweh to a warrior paralyzed by fear.
Now he sees Yahweh as a warrior who will
fight the battles of his prophet. b. In 1521
Jeremiah used the adjective mighty fearsome to
describe his enemies. Now he sees that his
Helper is the one to be feared.
20
11b so my persecutors will stumble and not
prevail.
3. Jeremiah is confident that his enemies will
not succeed. a. Stumble means they will fail
in their plans regarding Jeremiah and the nation.
They will be discredited (cf. 615).
b. Prevail is used for the fourth time in this
passage (vv 7, 9, 10, 11). Clearly there is
a tug of war going on, but with much higher
stakes.
21
11c They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced
c. As in 1718 Jeremiah is confident that his
enemies will be disgraced put to shame.
d. Perhaps Jeremiah recalled the words of
promise given to him at the time of his call
They will not prevail! For I am with you to
deliver you! (119)
22
11d their dishonor will never be forgotten.
4. Jeremiah wanted to forget Gods word (v 9)
but he wanted Yahweh never to forget what the
enemies had done to him. a. The enemies will
experience eternal and unforgettable shame.
In 1119 the enemies did not want the name of
Jeremiah to be remembered but here Jeremiah
wishes that the sins of his enemies not be
forgotten.
23
12a O LORD Almighty, you who examine the
righteous and probe the heart and mind,
b. Yahweh is righteous by nature. He also can
see the unseen inner thoughts. He is in a
position to give all men exactly what they
deserve.
24
12b let me see your vengeance upon them, for to
you I have committed my cause.
5. Jeremiah prayed for the very vengeance that
his enemies sought in v 10. a. He understood
that vengeance is not within the proper range of
response by the downtrodden. b. He wanted
Yahweh to execute vengeance that was in harmony
with his righteous character (v 12).
c. Yahwehs vengeance is not arbitrary and
undisciplined. It is the embodiment of principles
of his law. d. Because Jeremiah is a righteous
petitioner and the Judge is righteous the prophet
anticipated a positive response to his petition.
25
Praise 2013
13a Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD!
1. In view of the preceding verses some regard
verse 13 as irony or sarcasm. It is best,
however, to see it as a momentary breakthrough in
Jeremiahs soul, as a speck of light in the dark
tunnel of his discouragement.
26
13b He rescues the life soul of the needy from
the hands of the wicked.
2. So confident was Jeremiah of deliverance from
his foes that he burst forth in a song of praise
to his divine deliverer. Deliverance was the
occasion of the praise. 3. The soul of the
needy is Jeremiahs self-designation. He had
referred to the needy in three other passages
(234 528 2216) now he identified with them.
4. From the hand of the wicked appears
elsewhere only in 2314 and Job 820. In these
passages hand is a symbol of power.
27
Curse 2014-18
14 Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my
mother bore me not be blessed!
1. The curse is not addressed to anyone in
particular a. Jeremiah lashed out against the
darkness of his own existence. b. It is the
day of his birth that came under curse.
c. Like Job he refused to transgress the
boundaries of faith to curse God (Job 29). He
refused to transgress the Law of Moses by cursing
his parents (Lv 209).
28
d. In hindsight, given the living tragedy of
his life, Jeremiah wished he had never been born
(v 14).
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the
news, who made him very glad, saying, "A child is
born to you--a son!"
2. The man who brought the good news of his
birth was cursed. a. When news came that a son
had been born Jeremiahs father rejoiced
exceedingly. How ironic. b. The father
rejoiced over the birth of one who would live a
life of misery.
29
16 May that man be like the towns the LORD
overthrew without pity. May he hear wailing in
the morning, a battle cry at noon.
3. Verse 16 is often translated as a wish (e.g.,
kjv niv nrsv) but there is nothing in the
Hebrew that requires such a rendering. a. This
a declaration of what in fact will happen.
Jeremiah was expressing pity because that man
who announced his birth was cursed. b. He was
cursed because that anonymous person was a
citizen of a nation that was doomed.
30
4. Jeremiah made two ominous predictions about
the messenger. a. First, he will experience
the judgment of the cities that God overthrew,
i.e., Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. Gn 1921, 25, 29).
The point of comparison is not the manner of
judgment (fire and brimstone from heaven), but
the thoroughness of it. b. Second, the
messenger will hear the cry of the terrified
inhabitants of the city when the enemy comes
smashing through the walls in the morning hours.
He will hear at noontime the bloodthirsty
battle cry of the invaders as they plunder the
city.
31
17 For he did not kill me in the womb, with my
mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever.
5. Instead of announcing Jeremiahs birth the
messenger should have slain the infant. a. The
verb kill appears to refer to mercy killings.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb to see
trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?
b. If infanticide be thought too gruesome
Jeremiah might simply have been left in his
mothers womb. c. The point is that he could
not understand why God allowed him to be born
only to suffer such heartache, pain, distress and
disgrace.
32
6. How is it possible that such a curse could
follow immediately after the joyous confidence of
v 13? a. Some argue that verses 14-18 have
been dislocated they do not belong here. This
explanation is hardly necessary. b. Nor is it
necessary to postulate an interval of time
between verse 13 and verse 14. c. Any saint
who takes his eye off the Lord for even a moment
may be engulfed by self-pity and despair.
33
Conclusion
1. This passage is the brutally honest
confession of a tortured soul. Such passages
indicate that Jeremiah is probably the most human
and also the most heroic of all the Old Testament
prophets. 2. Servants of God shall ever be
indebted to Jeremiah for recording these
autobiographical lines for they set in bold
relief the grace of God. 3. Sinful, weak and
frail as Jeremiah was God could forgive him and
still use him. The Lord does not reject his
servant because of this momentary outburst.