Jer 4:21 | KingComments | STEP | Jeremiah is fully involved in his message ( ). He experiences what he preaches. He experiences the weight of it and is weighed down by it. It touches him deep inside. His intestines get upset and his heart is restless at the sight of the misery that is coming. It is impossible for him to remain silent about it. He must pass it on to warn. He hears the trumpet call and the shouts of the enemy armies. In this way he makes himself one with the people, the remnant in which the Spirit of Christ is. He is weighed down by the wicked condition of the people and experiences God’s anger over it. He represents the voice of the faithful remnant. It is the language of the book of Psalms. In the spirit, he sees how disaster on disaster occurs ( ). There are reports of one calamity after another, just like the messengers who come to Job. One hasn’t finished telling him about the calamity or the next one is already arriving with a new message of doom ( ). The whole land is destroyed by the enemy. In an instant, any family life in tents has become impossible because the tents have been destroyed. Jeremiah speaks of “my tents”, so much concerned is he with the people. He completely empathizes with the approaching horrors. He asks the LORD how long he has to watch the enemy has the say ( ). The question “how long” is also common in the book of Psalms. His suffering shows a deep patriotism that no one feels as he does. Fellowship with God and obedience to His service always deepen the servant’s sensitivity. How can this man, so deeply concerned with the fate of his people, later be accused of treason? The LORD answers him that the cause of all this misery is with “My people” ( ). Here we also hear the pain in the heart of the LORD. Although they are His people, they do not know Him. ‘Knowing’ here implies living in fellowship with Him and interacting with Him in love and trust. He must say of them that they are “stupid children”, living without understanding Who He is and who they themselves are (cf. ). They know well how to do evil, they are even “shrewd” in that, but they are ignorant of doing good, of that they “do not know”. The Lord expects us to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil ( ). We must not interchange good and evil in our hearts and lives, nor mix them together ( ).

‏ Jeremiah 4:21

The Soul Struggle of Jeremiah

Jeremiah is fully involved in his message (Jer 4:19). He experiences what he preaches. He experiences the weight of it and is weighed down by it. It touches him deep inside. His intestines get upset and his heart is restless at the sight of the misery that is coming. It is impossible for him to remain silent about it. He must pass it on to warn. He hears the trumpet call and the shouts of the enemy armies. In this way he makes himself one with the people, the remnant in which the Spirit of Christ is. He is weighed down by the wicked condition of the people and experiences God’s anger over it. He represents the voice of the faithful remnant. It is the language of the book of Psalms.

In the spirit, he sees how disaster on disaster occurs (Jer 4:20). There are reports of one calamity after another, just like the messengers who come to Job. One hasn’t finished telling him about the calamity or the next one is already arriving with a new message of doom (Job 1:13-19). The whole land is destroyed by the enemy. In an instant, any family life in tents has become impossible because the tents have been destroyed. Jeremiah speaks of “my tents”, so much concerned is he with the people. He completely empathizes with the approaching horrors.

He asks the LORD how long he has to watch the enemy has the say (Jer 4:21). The question “how long” is also common in the book of Psalms. His suffering shows a deep patriotism that no one feels as he does. Fellowship with God and obedience to His service always deepen the servant’s sensitivity. How can this man, so deeply concerned with the fate of his people, later be accused of treason?

The LORD answers him that the cause of all this misery is with “My people” (Jer 4:22). Here we also hear the pain in the heart of the LORD. Although they are His people, they do not know Him. ‘Knowing’ here implies living in fellowship with Him and interacting with Him in love and trust. He must say of them that they are “stupid children”, living without understanding Who He is and who they themselves are (cf. Pro 1:7). They know well how to do evil, they are even “shrewd” in that, but they are ignorant of doing good, of that they “do not know”.

The Lord expects us to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil (Rom 16:19b). We must not interchange good and evil in our hearts and lives, nor mix them together (Isa 5:20).