The struggle to live for God (Jer 20:7-18)

This final glimpse into Jeremiah’s personal thoughts (the last of what commentators call Jeremiah’s ‘confessions’ in the book) reads like some of the psalms of lament, anguished and painful as it fluctuates between faith in God and despair. The opening line may be particularly troubling for readers as the prophet accuses the Lord of deceiving and overpowering him. Is God devious? Does He roll over our will and emotions? The way Jeremiah’s thoughts progress also defies our expectations in that we would prefer to see a trusting approach triumph at the end and instead we are taken back to the depth of dejection. What are we to make of Jeremiah’s complaints?

Does God deceive?

First, this is not a calmly thought-out doctrinal treatment of the character of God and should not be treated as such, but a distressed speech amid trying circumstances. As so often when life is tough, our temptation is to question whether God has not misled us. Sometimes we fool ourselves in thinking He promised something He did not, or we have different expectations to how life turns out and blame God. The initial verb ‘deceive’ (Jer 20:7) has a variety of meanings but what fits the context best here is being duped or made a fool of.[1] What Jeremiah describes is the struggle between doing God’s will and wanting to avoid the consequences that follow from it. He has been proclaiming the coming judgment but given the delay in fulfilment, he became a laughingstock, mocked by all (Jer 20:8). Reality in the short-term often confirms the view of those who reject God. Like Adam and Eve who questioned the Lord’s prohibition when the tree looked good to make one wise (Gen 3:6), so many today, as well as in Jeremiah’s time, trust their own perceptions while God’s perspective seems out of touch and untrue. Being God’s spokesperson under such circumstances makes the messenger unwelcome, a spoilsport and wet blanket and ridiculous into the bargain. No wonder Jeremiah wrestled with such an image of himself.

Does God overpower?

Although it may seem that God had imposed His will on the prophet and swept Jeremiah’s own resolve aside, the testimony of faith makes it clear that he has a genuine conviction about his position as God’s messenger. He foresees the reversal that his persecutors will stumble, fail, and be disgraced in the end and that God will fight for and vindicate him (Jer 20:11-13). Thus, the tension in the earlier section is not between Jeremiah’s will and God’s, but between the prophet’s conviction in his ministry and the painful cost he must pay for it. How deep the hurt goes is clear from the last section where Jeremiah calls the day of his birth cursed (Jer 20:14). This should be read as a statement rather than a wish to curse the day or the messenger, which would not be effective retrospectively anyway. Jeremiah is wrestling with his calling from the womb as, ironically, the very messenger who brought seemingly joyful news of his birth will be caught up in the devastation that the prophet will predict (Jer 20:16). No wonder Jeremiah fluctuates between trust (vv.11-13) and the wish that he had not been given such a ministry involving both sorrow and shame (Jer 20:18).

The cost of integrity

As Christians in the West today we may not be persecuted outright, but public opinion is often suspicious of Christians, especially since news media largely feature churches in connection with some abuse. Convictions that Jesus is the only way to God the Father and the biblical stance on sexual matters, abortion or euthanasia are at odds with society’s views and make us seem intolerant, narrowminded and unloving. In addition, religious talk has been banished from the public sphere so that mentioning God or a Christian faith creates awkwardness and sometimes antagonism. It is tempting to hide our light under a bushel, to avoid expressing our beliefs to blend in. It is also challenging to see Jeremiah’s struggle to be faithful to God, the cost of integrity, and wonder if our comfortable lives do not hide compromises whether in sexual purity, financial choices, or the priorities we put on our time. May God’s Spirit awaken our conscience to serve Him.

[1] Some commentators have made much of the possible sexual connotations of the piel verb patah (in some contexts in can mean ‘to entice, allure, seduce’). It seems to me, however, that this focus is more a reflection of our culture that suspects the worst of God and where a sexual act without consent counts among the most heinous crimes that can be committed.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with others.