Jeremiah 15

Jeremiah 15:1

INEVITABLE JUDGMENTIn chapter 15 we see that Jeremiah is a brokenhearted man who wants to go to God to pray for his people. That was very right and fine. However, God has something interesting to say to him: The people have gone too far, and judgment must come upon them. They have gone over the borderline where there is absolutely no possibility for reprieve. They will not escape captivity. The Lord tells Jeremiah that he shouldn’t think that God is not hearing his prayers. There was nothing wrong in Jeremiah’s prayers. God says that even if Moses stood before Him, He would not listen.

You will remember in Exodus 32 that Moses was a marvelous intercessor for the people. When God threatened to destroy the people, Moses had stood before Him as their intercessor. God answered his prayer and spared the people. But now, even if Moses were acting as the intercessor for the people, it wouldn’t do any good. Samuel was another who had prayed for the people. Judgment had been averted again and again because of Samuel.

But God says that even if Samuel were to pray now, there could be no averting of the judgment. The people had stepped across the borderline, and judgment was inevitable. Now we can understand why Jeremiah is giving a message of nothing but judgment.

Jeremiah 15:5

“Thou art gone backward"that’s backsliding. “I am weary with repenting.” They have come to Him over and over with their weeping and their promises to do better, but they continually go right back into the same old sin. God is tired of it all, and He says the time has now come when He intends to judge them.

Jeremiah 15:10

JEREMIAH’S PERSONAL DISTRESSYou can see that this message would not increase the popularity of poor Jeremiah. King Josiah was his friend, but not King Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim was an evil man. Jeremiah was the fly in the ointment for Jehoiakim. He considered Jeremiah nothing but a troublemaker. In spite of the fact that Jeremiah is a weeping prophet who must deliver this very difficult message, he really had a sense of humor. He went to the Lord and cried out: Jeremiah says, “Nobody likes me. I don’t lend money on interest and I don’t borrow money on interest, yet everyone curses me.” We still have an adage today that says if we want to lose a friend, lend him money. I have seen what the lending of money can do to Christian friends. I remember a man who lent money to his friend who had some project in mind and thought he could double the money in a hurry. Actually, he lost all the money and couldn’t pay back his friend. That broke up a good friendship and wrecked their relationship. So if you want to start losing your friends, lend them money! Jeremiah says, “You’d think I had been lending money around herenobody wants to have anything to do with me.” During this difficult time, Jeremiah turns to the Word of Godremember that the Law of the Lord had been found in the Temple and was available to him.

Jeremiah 15:16

He found his consolation in it. He ate it and he digested it and it became a part of him. Oh, how we need to get into the Word of God today. We don’t need just a little surface learning of a few rules, or just a little guideline of a few steps to take. We need to digest it so that it becomes part of our being. It will bring joy and rejoicing to the heart just as it did for Jeremiah. Only the Word of God can do this. I received a letter from a man who heard our broadcast when I was in Galatians. He heard one word: Father. That arrested his attention. May I say to you that God is still using His Word today. Oh, how important the Word of God is! Jeremiah is in real difficulty. Remember that his hometown rejected him and got rid of him. His own family rejected him. His life is actually in danger.

Jeremiah 15:20

God says, “You just stay on the firing line, and I will take care of you.”