Jeremiah: Model Pastor or National Doormat?

Listen and pay attention!
Do not be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken.
Give glory to the Lord your God
before it is too late.
Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you,
causing you to stumble and fall on the darkening mountains.
For then, when you look for light,
you will find only terrible darkness and gloom.
And if you still refuse to listen,
I will weep alone because of your pride.
My eyes will overflow with tears,
because the Lord’s flock will be led away into exile.

-- Jeremiah 13:15-17

This passage is especially eye-catching to me in light of a discussion we had in Bible class regarding forgiveness. After announcing in rather dramatic fashion the corruption that was rampant in Judah (i.e., the famous linen loincloth prophecy) Jeremiah goes on to announce God's judgement upon the nation. Notice this is the same nation that in the previous chapter contained considerable elements scheming against Jeremiah. (see Jer. 12:6)

Despite all of this, I'm struck that Jeremiah pledges that if Judah continues to ignore his message from God, the prophet will "weep alone because of your pride. My eyes will overflow with tears." (Jer. 13:17)

In all honesty, I'm still not where Jeremiah is. I'd like to be...I have ambitions of being so...but justice is awfully important to me. I think the wicked ought to be punished...and yes, I contend that there is a major difference between sinners and "the wicked". It seems to me that Scripture even reflects such a dichotomy at times. I'm thinking of writing a longer post in the future (TBD) on the doctrine of forgiveness that seems to be gaining popularity in the American church today.

In anticipation of that, I ask that you begin thinking through what the word "forgiveness" really means. What are its implications? How is life different in a climate of authentic forgiveness?

A Question RE: Interpretation of Jeremiah 12

As I read this chapter today, a basic question springs out to which I (currently, at least) do not have a satisfactory answer. It is the question of just who "the wicked" are that Jeremiah speaks of in vss. 1-4. Upon reading it,I wonder if Jeremiah is not referencing other nations that are oppressing Judah. If so, then it seems to make sense to me why God would respond to Jeremiah's call for Him to punish "the wicked" by saying things like:

If racing against mere men makes tou tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan? Even your brothers, members of your own family have turned against you. They plot and raise complaints against you. Do not trust them, no matter how pleasantly they speak. Jer. 12:5-6

In essence, I'm asking if the first four verses are Jeremiah's call for"justice" against the "wicked" oppressor nations, and the following eight verses are God replying that what is happening to Judah is justice for the past crimes of the chosen nation.

It seems to me like getting the appropriate message from this text is dependent upon identifying who is being talked about. Any help or insight in this regard would be appreciated.

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Since last week's post, I've heard back from a former professor of mine, Mark Hamilton. Dr. Hamilton is a specialist in the Old Testament, and was kind enough to point out a possible problem with my interpretation. In 1:4, the "people" say "the LORD (or Yahweh) doesn't see what's ahead for us." Because Gentile nations would be less inclined to use the personal name of Israel's God, he tends to assume that verses 1-4 refer to Judah's sins. However, Dr. Hamilton did point out that--like many OT prophetic oracles--it is difficult to pin down a chronology/and identify all the players here.

I think the interpretation I originally proposed COULD still work. I suppose it depends on whether one interprets vs. 4 to be the ACTUAL words of the (supposedly Gentile) people, or simply a paraphrase of their sentiment expressed in the language of Jeremiah.

A third option that occurs to me is that perhaps verses 1-4 refer to Israel, rather than Judah. Remember that Jeremiah's ministry takes place post the division of the Israelite kingdom. As always, any further reflections are much appreciated!

Time for a Pendulum Correction

A few years back, I was talking with one of my in-laws who is also a former-professional-minister-turned-house-church-planter about what motivated his decision to pursue the church planting model. Among other things, he mentioned that he felt the typical church in America today was not doing a very good job of teaching people to "obey" Jesus. On the surface, this language sounds like much of what I consider "legalism", yet knowing this brother as I do, I was fully aware that he was by no means a legalist. As our conversation progressed, I began to realize that he was advocating not a doctrine of salvation by works, but a genuine doctrine of working faith. Countless others have pointed this out already, but there was a time when the doctrine of grace needed to be restored to the American pulpit--at least to the pulpits in Churches of Christ.

Today, however, I think that any sober-minded assessment of what gets preached as our calling, and what gets tolerated and/or "winked at" within our behaviors, suggests that it is time to correct an out-of-balance notion of grace. (What Bonhoeffer would have called "cheap grace".) These were the thoughts that flooded my mind as I read the following passage from Jeremiah:

The Lord gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Remind the people of Judah and Jerusalem about the terms of My covenant with them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who does not obey the terms of My covenant! For I said to your ancestors when I brought them out of the iron-smelting furnace of Egypt, “If you obey Me and do whatever I command you, then you will be My people, and I will be your God.” I said this so I could keep My promise to your ancestors to give you a land flowing with milk and honey—the land you live in today.’”
Then I replied, “Amen, Lord! May it be so.”

Then the Lord said, “Broadcast this message in the streets of Jerusalem. Go from town to town throughout the land and say, ‘Remember the ancient covenant, and do everything it requires. For I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, “Obey Me!” I have repeated this warning over and over to this day, but your ancestors did not listen or even pay attention. Instead, they stubbornly followed their own evil desires. And because they refused to obey, I brought upon them all the curses described in this covenant.’”
-- Jeremiah 11:1-8

What to Do Now?

Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! This is what the Lord says:
“Do not act like the other nations,
who try to read their future in the stars.
Do not be afraid of their predictions,
even though other nations are terrified by them.
Their ways are futile and foolish.
They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.
They decorate it with gold and silver
and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails
so it won’t fall over.
Their gods are like
helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!
They cannot speak,
and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of such gods,
for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.” -- Jeremiah 10:1-5

I've put off writing on this blog for months now. On one hand, the reasons are many: time, technological problems, deciding what to write about, etc. But at core, I think there was one basic reason I wasn't writing: fear. Since leaving full-time ministry I have been, for lack of a better word, "lost". I don't mean lost in the salvation sense (though I suppose that's a possibility too) but lost in the vocational sense. I don't really know what I'm doing...who I am...or why I'm bothering to do it. This identity crisis has not covered every area of life. I know who I am as a husband and father, for example--but in what I think of as the third major relationship of life, "Who am I in relation to God?" I really don't know. I still feel like I want to be a minister...but I don't feel the same level of passion...or perhaps the better word is "trust" that I once did. I'm currently pursuing yet another degree in a non-ministry related field in the hope that it will not only provide more stable employment, but will perhaps create some space in which I can discern "the still small voice" and rediscover who God is calling me to be.

I realize this is a little philosophical...and perhaps too "whiny", but I wanted you to understand the context from which I approached the first five verses of Jeremiah 10 this evening. I realize that Jeremiah was talking to a corporate group, not an individual. Yet, as I read it, I could not help but hear the following paraphrase applied to my own life:

Do not act like other people.

Who try to read their futures. Who try to control their lives and have everything planned out and scripted according to their timetables.

Do not be afraid of the predictions they make about your life...or the predictions YOU make about it, because neither of you are really in control of anything anyway!

Even though others are you are terrified at their future prospects...afraid the economy will never recover...or this is the end of civilization...or what not, don't let yourself get sucked into that.

All such things are foolish and futile. Despite all the preparation and energy you've put into your plans for life this far, what has it really accomplished? The things you planned didn't pan out, and best things in your life were completely unplanned (at least by you) anyway. That should tell you something.

All this stuff that you, and everyone else, is worried about and afraid of is ultimately helpless. At the end of the day, it's not what you should trust in...and its not really something you should fear either. Deep in your heart, you know Who fits both of those bills.

So stop worrying about your future and where you'll be used tomorrow, and how you'll get there "for the pagans run after all these things". Instead, seek out where the Kingdom is today...and go there. And let tomorrow worry about itself.

-- Justin