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Jeremiah Complains
1Whenever I complain
to you, Lord,
you are always fair.
But now I have questions
about your justice.
Why is life easy for sinners?
Why are they successful?
2You plant them like trees;
you let them prosper
and produce fruit.
Yet even when they praise you,
they don't mean it.
3But you know, Lord,
how faithful I've always been,
even in my thoughts.
So drag my enemies away
and butcher them like sheep!
4How long will the ground be dry
and the pasturelands parched?
The birds and animals
are dead and gone.
And all of this happened because
the people are so sinful.
They even brag, “God can't see
the sins we commit.”
The Lord Answers Jeremiah
5Jeremiah, if you get tired
in a race against people,
how can you possibly run
against horses?
If you fall in open fields,
what will happen in the forest
along the Jordan River?
6Even your own family
has turned against you.
They act friendly,
but don't trust them.
They're out to get you,
and so is everyone else.
The Lord Is Furious
7I loved my people and chose them
as my very own.
But now I will reject them
and hand them over
to their enemies.
8My people have turned against me
and roar at me like lions.
That's why I hate them.
9My people are like a hawk
surrounded and attacked
by other hawks.
Tell the wild animals
to come and eat their fill.
10My beautiful land is ruined
like a field or a vineyard
trampled by shepherds
and stripped bare
by their flocks.
11Every field I see lies barren,
and no one cares.
12A destroying army
marches along desert roads
and attacks everywhere.
They are my deadly sword;
no one is safe from them.
13My people, you planted wheat,
but because I was furious,
I let only weeds grow.
You wore yourselves out
and gained only shame!
The Lord Will Have Pity
14The Lord said:
I gave this land to my people Israel, but enemies around it have attacked and robbed it. So I will uproot them from their own countries just as I will uproot Judah from its land. 15But later, I will have pity on these nations and bring them back to their own lands. 16They once taught my people to worship Baal. But if they admit I am the only true God, and if they let my people teach them how to worship me, these nations will also become my people. 17However, if they don't listen to me, I will uproot them from their lands and completely destroy them. I, the Lord, have spoken.
Reflect
It doesn’t get much more raw than this. Jeremiah is sick and tired of seeing the disobedient people around him prosper. It is particularly galling when he has been faithful and is suffering. “So drag my enemies away and butcher them like sheep” he says to God. The pain and anger is palpable.
And God doesn’t seem much better. After suggesting Jeremiah is weak – “if you are tired in a race against people, how can you possible run against horses?” – God describes what he will do to the unrepentant people of Israel (v 5). “My people have turned against me and roar at me like lions. That’s why I hate them” (v 8).
What are we to do with these sentiments on Jeremiah’s part and with God’s response to him? It is clear that honest human emotions are part of what the prophet not only felt but that he felt free to voice to God. It does give us permission to do the same. It is also clear that God does not stand by idly when wickedness abounds, even if it feels like that to us. He is holy and righteous. He will, one day, exact justice in the world. Our challenge is to live our lives with this understanding and not to give up in despair at what we see or experience. It certainly will not be easy, as Jeremiah found out, but it is possible.
Respond
Lord God, you are holy and righteous in your demands. We stand in fear of what that means for the world we live in. Grant us the grace and courage to be obedient and to trust that you will care for us in all situations. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Henry Friesen
Henry A. Friesen has lived in Saskatchewan, Canada all of his life. He and his wife Eleanor have three children and three grandchildren. Henry took his post-secondary education at the U of Regina from which he earned his BA (History) and the Canadian Theological Seminary from which he earned his MDiv (Pastoral Studies). He served as an Adult Ministries pastor for 16 years but has recently retired. Among his many interests are Biblical history, adult education and family history.