The Divine Communicator is passionate[1],
relentless[2], and
demanding.[3] His
spokesperson is swept into the harrowing task of mediating between Him and the
belligerent recipients[4] of
these communications.
There is a dynamic, massive, 3-party “tug-a-war”
erupting throughout the book of Jeremiah. Recognizing and tracking these
dynamics illuminates the book and the parties involved. There is nothing flat
or boring when the book of Jeremiah is permitted to speak for itself.[5]
[1] Jer. 14:17; 44:6.
[2] Jer. 31:3; 44:4.
[3] Jer. 7:5-7.
[4] Jer. 44:16-17.
[5] “It is often easy for us to read millennia-old accounts that describe death and devastation, misery and grief, suffering and tears, and to remain unmoved. After all, the written text can seem so impersonal and distant, and we do not actually hear the cries of the wounded and dying – in reality, the people involved are complete strangers to us – nor do we smell the smoke rising from the flames of destruction … We tend to demonize the villains, lionize the heroes, and seek primarily to gain theological or practical insight from the (sometimes) stern dealings of God with his people, forgetting that these were real people, too, with real hopes and dreams and all too human disappointments and hurts.” Brown, Michael L.; Ferris, Paul W. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Jeremiah, Lamentations. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010, Kindle Edition, Location 1742.
