Jeremiah Part One Deep Dive

THE LOST ART OF LAMENTING | EMMA AUSTIN

Maybe this has happened to you. You had your plans laid out, for your career, marriage, family, ministry. And somewhere in the midst of following your dreams, God’s calling leads you in a bizarrely new direction. The prophet Jeremiah can certainly relate.

Jeremiah was born and raised just northeast of Jerusalem, in a place called Anathoth. This town is listed as one towns allocated to the Levites (priests) in Josh. 21:17-18. So Jeremiah was born in a priestly town, the son of a priest (Hilkiah; Jer. 1:1), yet one day he hears from the Lord: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (1:5). I can imagine Jeremiah gaping, stumbling over his words as he looks for an excuse: “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth!” (1:6). Sometimes God calls us to step out into new challenges that we don’t feel adequately equipped for with nothing but faith that he will get us through.

Or perhaps you haven’t heard God’s voice when you expected to. You thought you’d be married or have kids by now, or been promoted, or at least have some idea of where your life was headed, but it just isn’t happening. Jeremiah was no stranger to disappointment or frustration towards God as well. I love how the Message version phrases Jer. 12:1: “You are right, O God, and you set things right. I can’t argue with that. But I do have some questions.” I have definitely felt like that before! I don’t want to tell God that he’s mistaken, being that he is Almighty Lord and Creator of the universe and all that…but I do have some questions…

One of the things I find so inspiring about Jeremiah is that even though God has given him the worst job description (“tell the people that unless they repent, they will be destroyed because of their own sin”), he is obedient even though it means losing the respect of his family, friends and the community. He is put in the stocks, thrown into a miry cistern and imprisoned because of the message God instructs him to bring.

But check this out. He isn’t afraid of complaining to God about the mission he has been tasked with: “You tricked me, Lord, and I was tricked. You overpowered me and won. People make fun of me all day long. Everyone laughs at me” (20:7, MSG) He even considers giving up on his mission (see verse 9), lamenting even the day he was born: “Why did I ever come out of the womb to see trouble and sorrow and to end my days in shame?” (18) In fact, Jeremiah is commonly described as “the weeping prophet” due to the frequent mentions of his cries and laments (Jer. 9:1, 18; 13:17; 14:17; elaborated in 2 Baruch and 4 Baruch). This idea has become so entrenched that there is even a word, ‘jeremiad’ which means ‘a long, mournful complaint’! 

But to me, the nickname “the weeping prophet” is a bit condescending. Here was a guy who was called from a young age to proclaim and then witness the destruction of his homeland and exile of his people, who had consistently turned a deaf ear to his message. He was lonely, rejected and betrayed, set apart by God to declare a message no one wanted to hear. That is a hefty weight to carry on a person’s shoulders. It reminds me of another familiar biblical figure. It is Jesus himself who gives us New Testament permission to lament. He wept over Jerusalem, grieving over their unbelief and the destruction he foresaw (Luke 19:41-44). Then in the garden of Gethsemane, he pleaded with God for the cup of suffering to be removed, yet ultimately put himself in God’s hands (22:39-46). 

Like Jesus, Jeremiah shows us that it is okay to share your deepest emotions with God. He wasn’t afraid to complain, cry, despair, or be angry and exasperated with his lot in life. Have you ever been secretly frustrated at God, but kept it to yourself because you didn’t think it was “Christian” to be upset with God? Or perhaps amongst your Christian friends you feel a pressure to be happy and positive, but deep down you are wrestling with heavier emotions. I believe God has offered us in the figure of Jeremiah permission and freedom to, firstly, feel frustrated, angry and upset; and secondly, to bring those emotions to God in their fullness. Kathleen O’Connor writes, “With abundant laments, and with its weeping prophet, weeping God, and weeping people, the massive sadness of the book aids survivors because it encourages tears and grief to thaw their frozen spirits” (O’Connor, 64). When we grieve, weep and lament, we are in good company, the best company in fact, being held in the arms of the Father.

Alongside affirmation of the place of lament in our walk of faith, it is important to also consider the power of persistent prayer. Walter Brueggemann reminds us, “Biblical faith is never in favour of pious silence. It is rather for direct, assertive, insistent demand that refuses to sit silently while the waters rise” (Brueggemann, 101). The Psalms gives us a clue for doing this:

“Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God” (Psalm 42:5).

If you are too weak to fight, start with gentle encouragement to your own dear soul. Let God weep with you. And as you mourn in solidarity with Jesus, who himself knew grief beyond expression, you may find the whisper of prayer growing louder and stronger. For he promises us “a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit” (Isa. 61:3). As Jeremiah reminds us: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him” (Jer. 17:7).

Brueggemann, Walter. The Threat of Life: Sermons on Pain, Power, and Weakness. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1996.

Dearman, J. Andrew. The NIV Application Commentary: Jeremiah, Lamentations. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002.

O’Connor, Kathleen M. “Jeremiah’s ‘Prophetic Imagination’: Pastoral Intervention for a Shattered World.” Shaking Heaven and Earth: Essays in Honor of Walter Brueggemann and Charles B. Cousar. Edited by Christine Roy Yoder et al. Louisville, KN: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005: 59-72.

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extra resources

jeremiah part one

jeremiah part two