Prophets Were Human Too!

Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: "If you repent, I will restore you...

"If you repent, I will restore you." 

Wow! I often think of the prophets as supermen. First, they received their call from God, and that was that. Then, they did according to the Word of the Lord from then on. However, pausing to think about it, we will remember that Moses, Elijah, and Hoseah got discouraged and wanted to quit. 

The "discouragement prophet" would have been Jeremiah. From his initial call in chapter one until the end of his book, he is a weeper. And, seemingly, rightly so. But, my word, his message was a downer. Who wouldn't get disheartened if he had to take bad news to the public every day? Jeremiah had no wife and seemingly no friends but his amanuensis Baruch. Yet over and over, his message was a bummer. 

Chapter 15 brings a startling conversation between Jeremiah and God not only about the people's rejection of, and by, God but near the end; we see a frank interchange that could have ended Jeremiah's prophetic career. Look at it.

Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.

Repent? What? Wasn't that Jeremiah's message to the people? It was! However, now he had to take a good look in the mirror, if he had one, and do an attitude check. God said that even if Moses, the great Lawgiver, prophet, and friend and Samuel, the last of the judges and a great prophet and preacher of the Law, were pleading for Judah and Jerusalem, he, God, would not repent of what he was about to do. Doom was on the near horizon. Read chapter 15, and you will see. It's horrific. 

But, back to Jeremiah and his need to repent. He had sent a note to mom, telling her that he should never have been born (v10). He felt that everyone was against him even though he'd never borrowed or lent money (again 10). Jeremiah was the Eeyore of this story. His was always tragic news. Yet, God had responded to these laments with an immediate reply, in verse 11. "The Lord said, "Surely I will deliver you for a good purpose; surely I will make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and times of distress."

Among his plea for help and justification of his righteousness, Jeremiah speaks beloved words in verse 16, "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts."

When you eat something, it literally becomes a part of you. Jeremiah found the word of God, and he had been spoken to directly, by God, time and again. So, God's word had penetrated his soul and was a significant part of his existence. However, his complaint continued a few verses later when he said in verse 18 "Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable? You (God) are to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails." Wow! This kind of cancels out verse 16, doesnt it?

That is why Jeremiah had to repent. Understanding this context helps us to see the meaning behind verse 19 "Therefore, this is what the Lord says: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them."

That last sentence was key to Jeremiah's and our message. Unhappily, ours is the capitulation generation. Most don't want to offend. Many try to "clean up" the stern message of sin and repentance to make it palatable. God was warning Jeremiah not to compromise the judgment message. Stay true to your message, the one I gave you, and let the people come to you. You must never "turn to them." Don't ever water down the truth to win someone. It doesn't work. 

One commentator said that this verse constitutes, in essence, Jeremiah's recommissioning. We might say that he rededicated his life to God. It was a definite wake-up call—a watershed moment. After that, he never again questioned his call. 

So, what can we learn from Jeremiah 15? Several lessons come to mind.

1. God's message isn't always positive.
2. We will get discouraged when we speak God's truth.
3. That doesn't negate the message.
4. God knows us and will work with us when we surrender to his will.
5. We may have to come to those "rededication" moments.
6. He promises to be with us.