Jeremiah

Jeremiah

Another Massive prophecy by a massive writing prophet. The scale of the book of Jeremiah is reflective of his massive ministry. Jeremiah touches me as more human perhaps than some of the other prophets, this for the very reason that he is called the weeping prophet.
Jeremiah's preaching and writing ministry fits the culture of his day. By our own standards much of his writing is fescennine; yet it was age appropriate for it's time as God portrays himself as a jealous husband and Israel as an adulterous wife who would rather run in lust after her lovers than offer the slightest glimpse of faithfulness to the Lord.

Adultery and it's description is the primary theme throughout as God threatens and ultimately delivers judgment on the people who should have loved him but preferred to love sticks and stones. We are no better when we lavish our attentions upon cars, clothes and computers instead of loving passionately our Living God. Let us turn away from the temporary and worthless things of this world that we might be consumed with passion for Christ rather than titillated with lust for things which will perish.

Lamentations

Ultimately God does visit his judgment on the nation, half way through the book of Jeremiah. The brief but powerful book of Lamentations is a hard read written by a tender prophet with a broken heart. In five chapters Jeremiah mourns the horrendous suffering brought on by the deserved punishment from God. It is not the place of the righteous to relish the pending judgment of the wicked but rather with a prophet's heart to warn and plead for repentance and if need be to weep when repentance is rejected and judgment finally falls.

For anyone who has ever imagined that suffering only happens to the
godless - they simply haven't read the Bible.
Find me one character, one person in the Bible who did not suffer for