Is God really a harsh judge? (Jer 8:18-9:11)
Jer 8:18-22; 9:1-11
When I was in my early teens, my Dad started teaching me English. As I had a flare for languages, I often depended on it to carry me through rather than on doing the work. As a result, my progress was two steps forward and one step back. In the middle of a particularly disastrous lesson one evening when it became clear that I had not learnt the vocabulary I should have and was not paying attention to the grammar Dad had taught me, he snapped the book shut in anger and told me that this was it and he wasn’t teaching me English any more. I found out later that he spent the rest of the night churning over what he could have done to help me learn, as he was convinced that foreign languages would open the world for me. After a tearful apology, a rather more subdued me went back to our lessons and eventually got into a steady pattern of learning that led to proficiency in English and, indeed, to the opening up of my world.
Who is lamenting?
In a small way, this incident illustrates something of the mixture of emotions in our passage. There is exasperation over Israel’s attitude, anger, grief, as well as soul-searching as to what to do. Although initially the grief seems like Jeremiah’s (due to the mention of body parts like heart, head, eyes – Jer 8:18; 9:1), the first-person speaker (‘I’) carries on seamlessly to the phrase ‘declares the LORD’ (Jer 9:3). Further, the ‘me’ in Jer 8:19; 9:3 clearly refers to God (provoking Him with idolatry, the people do not know Him).[1] It is hard to avoid the conclusion that it is really the Lord speaking.
The grieving judge
The picture of God that emerges is not an aloof judge who metes out punishment in detached coldness or one that relishes His people’s hardship in judgment. Rather, it is the image of a father who mourns over the waywardness of His daughter, over the sheer folly that His people cling to false beliefs about God’s presence being with them when they worship idols at the same time (Jer 8:19). Gilead, east of the Jordan and north of Moab, was famous for its healing balm, the resin of balsam trees in the area, which became a symbol for healing, yet there was no spiritual healing for God’s people (Jer 8:22). As God foresees the terrible suffering of His people, the slain, the waste land without bird song or the normal noises of an inhabited area, He Himself suffers and cries with them (Jer 9:1, 10). We see a reflection of this in Jesus’ tears over Jerusalem, as He anticipates the city’s destruction by the Romans (Luke 19:41-44).
Anger and seeking alternatives
At the same time, there is also anger and a desire to be done with such a people (Jer 9:2). This very human language is boldly applied to God and reflects the frustration of the relationship that resembles a marriage betrayed by adultery. What a terrifying thought that God may choose to abandon His people! He will not, but the provocation is great indeed. The most prominent accusations in Jer 9:3-6 are deceit and lies in the way people treat each other, which is a reflection of how they treat God (Jer 8:5, 8) and flows directly from the absence of knowing, i.e. relating closely to God (v.6). People lie to each other since they lie to God and to themselves and are lost in a labyrinth of delusions that is impossible to get out of without acknowledging and applying truth in their lives. Thus, God returns to the agony of trying to find some way forward, of purifying (assaying) the people, but ultimately there seems no alternative to judgment (Jer 9:7, 9).
The judge who dies for us
Although judgment is inevitable in a sinful world, we can take comfort from knowing that our God is a reluctant judge who does not delight in the death of the guilty and does all He can to bring about a transformation in His people. The Lord’s willingness to suffer with us, to carry the heavy burden of our sins and the cost of our betrayals comes full circle in Jesus Christ who died Himself to give us new life.
[1] Although the NASB capitalises ‘Me’ in these instances, the Hebrew makes no distinction between upper or lower case, so this in itself is not a reliable guide to knowing who is speaking.
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