Jeremiah 20:14–18

Jeremiah's praise had barely left his lips when, like Job, he curses the day he was born (v. 14). He curses the man too who brought his father the news of his birth, because he did not kill him. … This deep depression is often seen with the godly souls of the Old Testament. It stands in complete contrast with what marks the New Testament, where God is fully revealed in the Son and the believer is eternally blessed in Him. Many devout people, though, go back to the experiences of the Psalms and live there. They only rob themselves of the fullness of joy that is properly ours now in knowing the Father and the Son.

This attack by Pashur leads Jeremiah to an unfolding of his deep inward feeling. His language is very beautiful to my mind. There was no kind of steeling his heart against the persecution. His mouth was like one of steel, no doubt. But his heart was very soft indeed, and it felt deep agony because of what he had to say against his adversary. So the very man who seemed as if nothing could bend him was in truth bound in the greatest grief before God. At last he pours it out to the Lord.

The Lord compelled him, as it were, to bear this testimony. He does not have the willing spirit that rejoices in tribulation by the power of the Holy Spirit. They mocked him constantly. They watched for his stumbling, so he would have been glad to stay silent. But the word of the Lord was like fire in his bones… Verse 13 celebrates this deliverance. But in verses 14-18, we see how far personal grief may drive those who go through such a trial as this.

There is this to be said about Jeremiah's outburst. It was not only because of his own sufferings as a man who had to bring a message the people refused, so that they hated the messenger. Is there not also a measure of grief over the people's stubbornness and certain doom? Like Moses before him and Paul afterwards, he longed above everything for the people's blessing. Unable to see it, he would rather not have been born. We justify none of these expressions in God's beloved servants. But they seem to stand on a higher moral level than Job does here.

Such was the language of the weeping prophet. It was drawn out, no doubt, by sharp rebuffs and painful disappointments in his ministry as a prophet. Still, it was the language of Jeremiah. Before we condemn him, let us see whether we could acquit ourselves any better under the same pressure.

Jeremiah, however, stands in wonderful contrast with the blessed Lord. When most rejected, the Lord was in a certain sense most happy. The reason was that He did not seek His own things… He was here simply to magnify God. If the greatest suffering would magnify God the most, He was ready to receive it.

That spotless One passed through deeper sorrows, and more of them, than all His servants put together; but not one complaining word ever escaped His lips. He patiently submitted to it all, and met the darkest hour with words like these: "Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

This attack by Pashhur leads Jeremiah to an unfolding of his deep inward feeling. His language is very beautiful to my mind. There was no steeling of his heart against the persecution. His mouth was like steel, no doubt. But his heart was very soft indeed, and it went through deep agony because of what he had to say against his adversary. So the very man who seemed as if nothing could bend him was in truth bound in the greatest grief before God. At last he pours it out to the Lord.

Jeremiah's praise had hardly left his lips when, like Job, he curses the day he was born (v. 14). He curses the man too who brought his father the news of his birth, because that man did not kill him. He asks, "Why did I come out from the womb to see toil and sorrow, and spend my days in shame?" (v. 18). This deep depression is often seen in godly souls of the Old Testament.

There is this to be said about Jeremiah's outburst. It was not only because of his own suffering as a man who had to bring a message the people refused, so that they hated the messenger. Is there not also a measure of grief over the people's stubbornness and certain doom? Like Moses before him and Paul after him, he longed above all for the people's blessing. Failing to see this, he would rather not have been born. We justify none of these expressions in God's beloved servants.

Verse 13 celebrates this deliverance. But in verses 14-18 we see how far personal grief can drive those who go through such a trial. See the same thing in Job. It pictures the same condition: a soul tried by all the malice of Satan, without the full knowledge of grace, in the sense of its own nothingness, and in forgetfulness of self.

The rest of this section is of deep interest. Here the prophet laments his sad testimony. He shows how truly the treasure was in an earthen vessel, so that the excellence of the power might be of God and not of men. After all his inward conflicts, the result is his own fresh confidence in the Lord. Even then, the chapter (vv. 14-18) closes with cursing the day of his birth and the messenger who congratulated his father on such a child — the prophet of woe for Israel.

What language this is! Only think of cursing the man who brought news of his birth — cursing him because he had not killed him! All this, in both Jeremiah and Job, stands in sharp contrast with the meek and lowly Jesus of Nazareth. That spotless One passed through deeper sorrows, and more of them, than all His servants put together. Yet not one word of complaint ever escaped His lips. He submitted patiently to it all. He met the darkest hour with words like these: "Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?"

Such was the language of the weeping prophet. Sharp rebuffs and painful disappointments in his prophetic ministry drew it out, no doubt, but it is still the language of Jeremiah. Before we condemn him, let us see whether we could do any better under the same pressure.

Jeremiah had broken the vessel in the Valley of Hinnom, in front of the elders and priests. On his return he stands again in the court of the Temple and warns the people of coming judgment. Pashur, a priest and chief officer in the house of God, hears him prophesy these things. He strikes him and puts him in the stocks at the upper gate of Benjamin. The stocks were instruments of torture. Jeremiah on this occasion has to endure them for the rest of the day and the following night. These were hours of physical and mental suffering.

He curses not only the day of his birth, but the man who brought his father the news instead of slaying the child, and wishes he were overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah. This much must be said about his outburst. It was not only his own sufferings, as a man who had to bring a message the people refused — so they hated the messenger. Was there not also grief over the people's stubbornness and certain doom? Like Moses before him and Paul after him, he longed above all for the people's blessing. Failing to see this, he would rather not have been born. We justify none of these expressions in God's beloved servants.

There was no steeling of his heart against the persecution. His mouth was like steel, no doubt. But his heart was very soft indeed, and he felt deep agony over what he had to say against his adversary. So the very man who seemed as if nothing could bend him was in truth held in the greatest grief before God. At last he pours it out to the Lord.

Verse 13 celebrates this deliverance. But in verses 14-18 we see how far personal grief may drive those who go through such a trial as this. See the same thing in Job — a picture of the same condition: a soul tried by all the malice of Satan, without the full knowledge of grace.

Jeremiah's praise had scarcely left his lips when, like Job, he curses the day he was born… This deep depression is often seen with the godly souls of the Old Testament. It stands in complete contrast to what marks the New Testament. There we have the blessed God fully revealed in the Son, and the believer eternally blessed in Him. Many devout people, however, go back to the experiences of the Psalms and live there, only to rob themselves of the fullness of joy that is properly ours now in knowing the Father and the Son.

Jeremiah, however, is in wonderful contrast with the blessed Lord, who, when most rejected, was most happy in a certain sense. The reason was that He did not seek His own things. Instead, as He said in Spirit, "The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on Me." He was here only to magnify God. If the greatest suffering would magnify God the most, He was ready to receive it. He could not pray for what was worst of all. He could not wish that God would forsake Him. Such a plea was impossible.

Such was the language of the weeping prophet. Sharp rebuffs and painful disappointments in his ministry drew it out of him, no doubt. But it was still the language of Jeremiah. Before we condemn him, let us see whether we could do better under the same pressure.

This attack by Pashur leads Jeremiah to an unfolding of his deep inward feeling. His language is very beautiful to my mind. There was no kind of steeling his heart against the persecution. His mouth was like one of steel, no doubt. But his heart was very soft indeed, and it went through deep agony because of what he had to say against his adversary. So the very man who seemed as if nothing could bend him was in truth bound in the greatest grief before God. At last he pours it out to the Lord.

But his grief overwhelms him. Perhaps he thought again of all the sneers and mockeries, of all the harsh words, the unfaithful friends and the physical pain he endured. He is occupied with himself. The soul struggle begins again and ends in a near collapse. He curses, as Job did, the day in which he was born.

There is this to be said of Jeremiah's outburst. It was not only about his own sufferings, as a man who had to bring a message the people refused, so that they hated the messenger who brought it. But is there not also some measure of grief over the people's stubbornness and certain doom? Like Moses before him and Paul after him, he longed above all for the people's blessing. Failing to see this, he would rather not have been born. We justify none of these expressions in God's beloved servants, but they seem to stand on a higher moral ground than Job does here.

He was compelled, as it were, by the Lord to bear this testimony. He has not (and it is the same with the remnant) the willing spirit that rejoices in tribulation by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was the subject of constant mockery... Still, with all this fear, he also knew that Jehovah was with him... in verses 14-18 we see how far personal grief may drive people who go through a trial like this.

The rest of this section is of deep interest. There the prophet mourns over his sad testimony and shows how truly the treasure was in a clay jar, so that the greatness of the power might belong to God and not to men.

Jeremiah, however, is in wonderful contrast with the blessed Lord, who, when most rejected, was most happy in a certain sense. The reason was that He did not seek His own things. Instead, as He said in Spirit, "The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me." He was here only to magnify God. If the greatest suffering would magnify God the most, He was ready to receive it.

Such was the language of the weeping prophet. Sharp rebuffs and painful disappointments in his ministry drew it out, no doubt, but it is still the language of Jeremiah. Before we condemn him, let us see whether we could acquit ourselves any better under the same pressure.

This attack by Pashhur leads Jeremiah to unfold his deep inward feeling. His language is very beautiful to my mind. He did not steel his heart against the persecution. His mouth was like steel, no doubt, but his heart was very soft indeed. He went through deep agony because of what he had to say against his adversary. So the very man who seemed as if nothing could bend him was in truth bound in the greatest grief before God. At last he pours it out to the Lord.

He was compelled, as it were, by the Lord to bear this testimony. He did not have the willing spirit that rejoices in tribulation by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was the target of constant mockery. They watched for him to stumble, so that he would gladly have been silent. But the word of the Lord was like fire in his bones… Verse 13 celebrates this deliverance. Yet verses 14–18 show how far personal grief may drive those who go through such a trial.

There is this to be said for Jeremiah's outburst. It was not merely because of his own sufferings as a man forced to bring a message the people refused, so that they hated the messenger. But is there not a measure of grief over the people's stubbornness and certain doom? Like Moses before him and Paul afterwards, he longed above all for the people's blessing. Failing to see this, he would rather not have been born.

Such was the language of the weeping prophet. Sharp rebuffs and painful disappointments in his prophetic ministry drew it out, no doubt. But it was still the language of Jeremiah. Before we condemn him, let us see whether we could acquit ourselves any better under similar pressure.

Jeremiah, however, stands in wonderful contrast with the blessed Lord, who, when most rejected, was in a certain sense most happy. The reason was that He did not seek His own things. As He said in the Spirit, "The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me." He was here only to magnify God. If the greatest suffering would magnify God most, He was ready to receive it.

We often find this honoured servant faltering afterwards, but he still pursued the path to the end… He might curse the day he was born. He might tell the Lord that He had enticed him, and that he was mocked all day long. But his faith becomes strong again, and he says, "The Lord is with me"! Tossed and tried, opposed and persecuted, he still laboured on to the end of his long, tiring journey.

This deep depression is often seen in godly souls of the Old Testament. It stands in complete contrast to what marks the New Testament. There we have the blessed God fully revealed in the Son, and the believer eternally blessed in Him. Many devout people, however, go back to the experiences of the Psalms and live there. They only rob themselves of the fullness of joy that is properly ours now.