Jer 15:10 | KingComments | STEP | The announcement of the nothing sparing judgment seizes Jeremiah again ( ). Here he turns to his mother and expresses woe over her having given birth to him ( ; cf. ). The woe does not concern his mother, but his birth and therefore the LORD. He has wished her a different kind of son than the son he is. She has not been able to take pleasure in him, for his whole life is an affliction. His complaint does not concern what will come upon the land, but what will come upon himself. Because no one agrees with him and everyone opposes his preaching, he begins to doubt the meaning of his life and service. He sees that people hate him because of his judgments. Everywhere he goes and preaches, what he says becomes cause for division and strife. We too can sometimes feel like being the cause of strife and discord. What a comfort it is that then, when we stand well, the Lord stands up for us. The cause is not his behavior with regard to greed, for there is nothing to be said about that. For example, he did not lend something, nor did men lend money to him, which could be a cause of discord and lopsidedness ( ; ). In His answer to the complaint, the LORD reminds Jeremiah with a powerful “surely” that He has taken care of him for good ( ). He has stood up for him against his enemies, no matter how those enemies stirred. In every time of calamity and every time of distress, the LORD has been there for him. That Jeremiah would meet opposition, He already told him when He called him ( ). He also promised that He would be with him ( ). This is how the LORD encouraged him.

‏ Jeremiah 15:10

The Complaint of Jeremiah

The announcement of the nothing sparing judgment seizes Jeremiah again (Jer 15:10). Here he turns to his mother and expresses woe over her having given birth to him (Jer 20:14; cf. Job 3:3-10). The woe does not concern his mother, but his birth and therefore the LORD. He has wished her a different kind of son than the son he is. She has not been able to take pleasure in him, for his whole life is an affliction.

His complaint does not concern what will come upon the land, but what will come upon himself. Because no one agrees with him and everyone opposes his preaching, he begins to doubt the meaning of his life and service. He sees that people hate him because of his judgments. Everywhere he goes and preaches, what he says becomes cause for division and strife. We too can sometimes feel like being the cause of strife and discord. What a comfort it is that then, when we stand well, the Lord stands up for us.

The cause is not his behavior with regard to greed, for there is nothing to be said about that. For example, he did not lend something, nor did men lend money to him, which could be a cause of discord and lopsidedness (Pro 22:7; Neh 5:1-13).

In His answer to the complaint, the LORD reminds Jeremiah with a powerful “surely” that He has taken care of him for good (Jer 15:11). He has stood up for him against his enemies, no matter how those enemies stirred. In every time of calamity and every time of distress, the LORD has been there for him. That Jeremiah would meet opposition, He already told him when He called him (Jer 1:19a). He also promised that He would be with him (Jer 1:19b). This is how the LORD encouraged him.