The prophet Jeremiah
might be complaining in these passages but he isn’t weeping because the Lord
has prevailed over Jeremiah’s will for self-preservation and put his back up against
the wall. With no way out Jeremiah declares with confidence that God will turn
the tables on Jeremiah’s tormentors. Of course it was his God enticed truth
telling that got him into trouble in the first place because he gave voice to
what no one wanted to hear. The past and present unfaithfulness of the children
of Israel had finally overpowered God’s patience and the coming captivity in
Babylon was a done deal. Bad news with no exit strategy is the reason no one
wants to be a Jeremiah and truth to be told the end of his story is not a happy
one as he disappears into obscurity after having held forth for God and
suffered all manner of abuses. Truth telling is a tricky thing and just because
people object to what you say does not make you prophetic. That is not to say we
are to avoid saying true things. The scriptures are full of truths that cry out
for a voice. The trouble comes in choosing which truth to tell which generally reveals
more about the teller than the truth. So maybe the lesson of Jeremiah is to let
the Lord test your heart and mind by listening more closely to scriptures that entice
and ultimately overpower you. Tell that and if it troubles you it might just be
the truth for someone else.
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