Jeremiah 15:18
By "my wound incurable," he means his heart.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Prophets and Prophecy (Part Two)
16 Your words were found, and I aate them,
And bYour word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.
And bYour word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.
17 aI did not sit in the assembly of the mockers,
Nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
For You have filled me with indignation.
Nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
For You have filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my apain perpetual
And my wound incurable,
Which refuses to be healed?
Will You surely be to me blike an unreliable stream,
As waters that1 fail?
And my wound incurable,
Which refuses to be healed?
Will You surely be to me blike an unreliable stream,
As waters that1 fail?
The Lord Reassures Jeremiah
19 Therefore thus says the Lord:
a“If you return,
Then I will bring you back;
You shall bstand before Me;
If you ctake out the precious from the vile,
You shall be as My mouth.
Let them return to you,
But you must not return to them.
a“If you return,
Then I will bring you back;
You shall bstand before Me;
If you ctake out the precious from the vile,
You shall be as My mouth.
Let them return to you,
But you must not return to them.
20 And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze awall;
And they will fight against you,
But bthey shall not prevail against you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” says the Lord.
And they will fight against you,
But bthey shall not prevail against you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” says the Lord.
21 “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”
And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Commentaries:
| << Jeremiah 15:17 | Jeremiah 15:19 >> |
What Does Jeremiah 15:18 Mean?
Jeremiah 15:15-18
Jeremiah is not satisfied with God's assurances. In verses 15-18, the prophet retorts with words bespeaking the depth of his dejection, the seriousness of his crises of belief. Jeremiah reminds God that he has taken of God's Word and rejoiced in it; he has called on God's name and avoided the gainsayers. Yet, his pain is ongoing. Like Baruch, he finds no rest (see Jeremiah 45:3). Will God be with him to the end? Will God abandon him? The Jubilee Bible 2000 renders verse 18 this way: “Why was my pain perpetual and my wound incurable, which refuses to be healed? Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar and as waters that fail?”
Strong words! Like Asaph, whose “feet had almost stumbled” and whose “steps had nearly slipped” when he became envious of “the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:2-3), Jeremiah is clearly experiencing intense spiritual doubts. Can God use such an individual as His spokesman, His prophet, especially in this time of national emergency, the approaching “worst of times?”
Charles Whitaker
A Tale of Two Complaints (Part Two)
Related Topics: A Tale of Two Complaints
| Apparent Prosperity of the Wicked
| Baruch's Complaint
| Envy of the Prosperity of the Wicked
| Envy of the Wicked
| God's Assurances
| Jeremiah Experiencing Spiritual Doubts
| Jeremiah's Complaint
| Misjudging Circumstances
| Misjudging God
| Misjudging the Reality of the Situation
| Misjudgments Made by the Righteous
| Prosperity of the Wicked
| Spiritual Doubts
| Trusting God in the "Worst of Times"
| << Jeremiah 15:17 | Jeremiah 15:19 >> |