The Jeremiah Devotionals this week are from guest blogger Kim Janousek. I hope you are blessed by them. Thanks Kim.

Jeremiah 9

I was talking to my neighbor one afternoon, and he was telling me how some of the things I believed about the Bible were way off base. When I asked him if he had ever read the Bible he told me he did pick it up one time and read only a small portion, because he didn’t like what he saw in there. At first glance a person might be turned off by this chapter. I can’t deny that on the surface it might come off as reading like something out of a horror flick. But in all actually it probably reads more like an epic western, or okay if you’re not in my age bracket, a classic good guy vs. bad guy movie.  Upon closer examination though, I think it turns out to one of the most beautiful revelations of God’s character given to us in the Old Testament.

 

Unfolding within its pages we find a Jealous God whose heart is breaking over the loss of an intimate

relationship with His betrothed. Having done all He could possibly do, including allowing His heart to break while He waits patiently for her to return of Her own volition in sorrow for forsaking Him in exchange for self gratification.  Because of her waywardness though His patience has not served its purpose but is being viewed as permission for her promiscuity. You know, she’s kind of like the girl who leaves her lover and expects him to be her best friend while she shares all the intimate details of her torrid relationships with other men. Knowing the danger she’s in and more concerned for her righteousness and honor He has to do what He hates to do, but knows He must. He must allow hurt in order for their relationship to profit. In short, God will allow us to experience separation, hurt and pain in order to bring us to our senses. Yes, He’s the morally upright man on the horse passing through the town of degradation looking for his betrothed who has done him wrong.

 

So in light of all of this Jeremiah takes up a lament at the beginning of the chapter. 1892 Funk and Wagnall’s Homiletic Commentary puts it this way, “Note the pathos of the reiteration, “My people!”  Humanity, philanthropy, patriotism, and religious feeling, all summon us to bitter sorrow over -1) the sufferings of our people; 2) the slaughter wrought by tyranny (especially the tyranny of Satan over the lives and souls of men; and the slaughter of virtue, happiness, and hopes ); 3) the sinfulness which under lies and explains all man’s woes. Character wasted, lives degraded, hearts pierced, with anguish souls ruined, a sad world; the gentle generous heart shudders amid these devastations,” and in this Jeremiah is brought closer through sharing in the sorrows of His God. Thus he is forever labeled the weeping prophet.

Reference is made in this chapter that God’s people are circumcised in uncircumcision, i.e. putting stock in the rite they participated in rather than the relationship it symbolized. Sound familiar? Okay I won’t go into all the applications for that one but we’ve all heard that going to church doesn’t save us and here’s a biblical passage that shows us how God feels when He’s left out of our lives. He’s in it for our salvation and honor, without that intimate relationship we’re shutting Him out. He’s hurt and He’s jealous for His bride, He’ll go to whatever lengths it takes in an effort to bring us around. To boast of our own abilities, church going, righteousness, etc. is ridiculous, as they are spawned from the power of God delivering us.

To be sound in the faith is to know Jesus; to believe in Him, Live in Him, Work in Him, Suffer for His sake.

 

¹ Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

² Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.

³ And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.

⁴ Take ye heed every one of his neighbour^a, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.

⁵ And they will deceive^b every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.

⁶ Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the LORD.

 

⁷ Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?

⁸ Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart^c he layeth his wait.

⁹ Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

 

¹⁰ For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations^d of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.

¹¹ And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate^e, without an inhabitant.

 

¹² Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?

¹³ And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;

¹⁴ But have walked after the imagination^f of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:

¹⁵ Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.

¹⁶ I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.

 

¹⁷ Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:

¹⁸ And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.

¹⁹ For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.

²⁰ Yet hear the word of the LORD, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.

²¹ For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.

²² Speak, Thus saith the LORD, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.

 

 

²³ Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:

²⁴ But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

²⁵ Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish^g all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;

²⁶ Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost^h corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.