Jer 15:17 | KingComments | STEP | Jeremiah again turns to the LORD ( ). It all becomes too much for him. He asks the LORD to remember him and take notice of him. He knows his innocence, doesn’t He? So why does he have to suffer like this? Jeremiah calls upon the LORD to take avenge for him on his persecutors, the people who make his life so difficult. Let the LORD have patience with him, because for His sake he is suffering reproach. Jeremiah pours out his heart before the LORD. He is accustomed to His presence and speaks confidentially to Him about his distress. The words of the LORD were food for him ( ). As soon as he had found them – meaning that his heart went out to them – and heard them, he ate them up, absorbed them intensely, unlike the people who rejected God’s words ( ). We can also think of the finding of God’s Word in the temple during the reign of Josiah ( ). Eating the words of God symbolizes identifying with the revealed truth of the Word of God ( ; ). Jeremiah is a prophet to the fullest. His greatest joy is found in the Word of God. That is his food and drink (cf. ). When he hears God’s words, it makes him whole heartedly happy. He gladly listens to those words ( ), for they come from the mouth of Him Who has proclaimed His Name over him ( ). He is the LORD God of hosts, the Almighty, also for Jeremiah. As a great contrast to the great joy he finds in the Word, he says he has not been in the circle of the merrymakers ( ; ). He has not joined in the flat fun of people who mock God’s Word. He has sat alone, not to exult on his own, but because he has felt the hand of the LORD press heavily upon him and His indignation has filled him in his innermost being. Nor did he in the mind of the Pharisee separate himself in pride. This is evident in the question that torments him why – the fourth ‘why-question’ ( ) – he must always suffer, why there is no healing ( ). Is his cry to Him in vain then? Is He not listening? Is He then after all a deceiver, that although He promises that He is there for him and helps him, He does not do what He says (cf. )? This ‘why-question’ is actually not a question, but an indictment. Jeremiah accuses the LORD of being like a deceptive stream to him, a stream that promises refreshment but does not give it. These are the ‘why-questions’ of Job. Moses, Joshua and Habakkuk also expressed to the LORD their doubts about His ways, as did the Lord’s disciples ( ; ; ; ).

‏ Jeremiah 15:17

Jeremiah Doubts the LORD

Jeremiah again turns to the LORD (Jer 15:15). It all becomes too much for him. He asks the LORD to remember him and take notice of him. He knows his innocence, doesn’t He? So why does he have to suffer like this? Jeremiah calls upon the LORD to take avenge for him on his persecutors, the people who make his life so difficult. Let the LORD have patience with him, because for His sake he is suffering reproach. Jeremiah pours out his heart before the LORD. He is accustomed to His presence and speaks confidentially to Him about his distress.

The words of the LORD were food for him (Jer 15:16). As soon as he had found them – meaning that his heart went out to them – and heard them, he ate them up, absorbed them intensely, unlike the people who rejected God’s words (Jer 8:9b). We can also think of the finding of God’s Word in the temple during the reign of Josiah (2Kgs 22:13 ; 2Kgs 23:2).

Eating the words of God symbolizes identifying with the revealed truth of the Word of God (Eze 3:1-3 ; Eze 2:8-10; Rev 10:9). Jeremiah is a prophet to the fullest. His greatest joy is found in the Word of God. That is his food and drink (cf. Jn 4:34). When he hears God’s words, it makes him whole heartedly happy. He gladly listens to those words (Psa 19:10 ; Psa 119:103 ; 111), for they come from the mouth of Him Who has proclaimed His Name over him (Jer 14:9). He is the LORD God of hosts, the Almighty, also for Jeremiah.

As a great contrast to the great joy he finds in the Word, he says he has not been in the circle of the merrymakers (Jer 15:17; Psa 1:1-3). He has not joined in the flat fun of people who mock God’s Word. He has sat alone, not to exult on his own, but because he has felt the hand of the LORD press heavily upon him and His indignation has filled him in his innermost being.

Nor did he in the mind of the Pharisee separate himself in pride. This is evident in the question that torments him why – the fourth ‘why-question’ (Jer 12:1 ; Jer 14:9 ; 19) – he must always suffer, why there is no healing (Jer 15:18). Is his cry to Him in vain then? Is He not listening? Is He then after all a deceiver, that although He promises that He is there for him and helps him, He does not do what He says (cf. Job 6:15)?

This ‘why-question’ is actually not a question, but an indictment. Jeremiah accuses the LORD of being like a deceptive stream to him, a stream that promises refreshment but does not give it. These are the ‘why-questions’ of Job. Moses, Joshua and Habakkuk also expressed to the LORD their doubts about His ways, as did the Lord’s disciples (Num 11:11; Jos 7:7; Hab 1:2-3; Mk 4:38).