It's Lonely at the Bottom

Following on last week's theme from Jeremiah, I am once again confused--and more than a little disturbed--by what I read today. Perhaps that is as it should be. Consider this dialogue between God and Jeremiah from Jer. 15:10-21

Then I said,
“What sorrow is mine, my mother.
Oh, that I had died at birth!
I am hated everywhere I go.
I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclose
nor a borrower who refuses to pay—
yet they all curse me.”

The Lord replied,

“I will take care of you, Jeremiah.
Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalf
in times of trouble and distress.
Can a man break a bar of iron from the north,
or a bar of bronze?
At no cost to them,
I will hand over your wealth and treasures
as plunder to your enemies,
for sin runs rampant in your land.
I will tell your enemies to take you
as captives to a foreign land.
For my anger blazes like a fire
that will burn forever.[a]”

Then I said,

“Lord, you know what’s happening to me.
Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors!
Please give me time; don’t let me die young.
It’s for your sake that I am suffering.
When I discovered your words, I devoured them.
They are my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
I never joined the people in their merry feasts.
I sat alone because your hand was on me.
I was filled with indignation at their sins.
Why then does my suffering continue?
Why is my wound so incurable?
Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook,
like a spring that has gone dry.”

This is how the Lord responds:

“If you return to me, I will restore you
so you can continue to serve me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones,
you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them;
do not let them influence you!
They will fight against you like an attacking army,
but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze.
They will not conquer you,
for I am with you to protect and rescue you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men.
I will rescue you from their cruel hands.”

Again: two or three things stand out to me.

"I am neither a lender who threatens to foreclose; nor a borrower who refuses to pay--yet they all curse me." (15:10) This reminds one of Paul's depressing New Testament prophecy that "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Tim. 3:12) It seems to me that people are far more willing to sacrifice money, than sin. Generally, we'd rather live in poverty than give up our pride. Consequently, Jeremiah--God's spokesman--found himself persona non grata in the very community he was trying (to no avail) to save from utter disaster. Such is the life of one of God's favorites, I suppose.

The more disturbing message is to follow. At first, it seems like Jeremiah will at least receive steadfast comfort from his God. He is told "I will take care of you, Jeremiah..." (15:11) God seems to have a rather different notion of what "I'll take care of you" means than Jeremiah had in mind. The LORD goes on to warn His prophet:

"At no cost to them, I will hand over your wealth and treasures as plunder to your enemies, for sin runs rampant in your land. I will tell your enemies to take you as captives to a foreign land. For My anger blazes like a fire that will burn forever." (15:13-14)

At first glance, it's tempting to read these words of judgment as simply a societal judgment (i.e., to understand God to be speaking them to Jeremiah only insofar as he is a representative of the reprobate community) It is tempting to almost imagine an oracle of judgment and exile being spoken to Jeremiah even as God gives him a "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" to let the prophet know that this is not meant to be his fate.

Such illusions are shattered, however, by the remainder of the dialogue. Jeremiah first pleads with God to "step in and help" to "punish [his]persecutors" (15:15) Jeremiah even seems to go so far as trying to "guilt" God by saying "It's for Your sake that I'm suffering." (15:15)

This is the moment at which we want God to clarify--to say, "Oh no, Jeremiah, I'm VERY pleased with you. You're a good and faithful servant. All that judgment stuff was meant for the OTHER people." The LORD's actual response, however, is rather different:

If you return to Me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve Me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be My spokesman. You must influence them. Do not let them influence you. They will fight against you like an attacking army, but I will make you as secure as a fortified wall of bronze. They will not conquer you, for I am with you to protect and rescue you. I, the Lord, have spoken! Yes, I will certainly keep you safe from these wicked men. I will rescue you from their cruel hands.

If I'm understanding this correctly, God is telling Jeremiah that he (Jeremiah) will lose everything short of his life--and that, only because of the prophet's faithfulness to God. Furthermore, it seems that Jeremiah's life is being spared not so much as a reward or as "wages earned for faithfulness" but only so that he "can continue to serve" God. One suspects that, should Jeremiah fail to meet the conditions God lays out, the prophet might very well end up sharing the fate of the rest of Judah.

What does such a text have to say to Christians (and ministers, in particular) today? I feel it puts the lie to one of the most popular heresies of modern evangelicalism: that people (either individually or collectively) are the highest priority. It seems to me that God is, in fact, the highest priority. He is the priority not only of Jeremiah, but also of Himself. Perhaps this is as it must be. Could God be any different than He is and still be God?

I'm just not sure where to go with this text. I would appreciate your thoughts/critiques. I don't want my summation to be right...but even less do I want to go around believing a lie.