Oh that my head were waters,
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
that I might weep day and night
for the slain of the daughter of my people!
2 Oh that I had in the desert
a travelers' lodging place,
that I might leave my people
and go away from them!
For they are all adulterers,
a company of treacherous men.
3 They bend their tongue like a bow;
falsehood and not truth has grown strong in the land;
for they proceed from evil to evil,
and they do not know me, declares the Lord.
4 Let everyone beware of his neighbor,
and put no trust in any brother,
for every brother is a deceiver,
and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
5 Everyone deceives his neighbor,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongue to speak lies;
they weary themselves committing iniquity.
6 Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit,
they refuse to know me, declares the Lord.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Behold, I will refine them and test them,
for what else can I do, because of my people?
8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully;
with his mouth each speaks peace to his neighbor,
but in his heart he plans an ambush for him.
9 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord,
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?
10 “I will take up weeping and wailing for the mountains,
and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness,
because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard;
both the birds of the air and the beasts
have fled and are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a lair of jackals,
and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation,
without inhabitant.”
12 Who is the man so wise that he can understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? 13 And the Lord says: “Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, 14 but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink. 16 I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.”
17 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Consider, and call for the mourning women to come;
send for the skillful women to come;
18 let them make haste and raise a wailing over us,
that our eyes may run down with tears
and our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How we are ruined!
We are utterly shamed,
because we have left the land,
because they have cast down our dwellings.’”
20 Hear, O women, the word of the Lord,
and let your ear receive the word of his mouth;
teach to your daughters a lament,
and each to her neighbor a dirge.
21 For death has come up into our windows;
it has entered our palaces,
cutting off the children from the streets
and the young men from the squares.
22 Speak: “Thus declares the Lord,
‘The dead bodies of men shall fall
like dung upon the open field,
like sheaves after the reaper,
and none shall gather them.’”
23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
25 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert who cut the corners of their hair, for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in heart.” Jeremiah 9 ESV
Jeremiah 9 Tears of Jeremiah
1-6. Oh that my head were waters - The imagery is worth contemplating, and Jeremiah is the weeping prophet, but is that just a matter of personality? Certainly God makes us all different, from the stoic sarcasm of Elijah to the stern indifference of Jonah, but this prophet poetically describes a reservoir not deep enough to exhaust his grief. I may joke about Piper's weepy voice, or my mom's, but I know that she takes it before the throne of God on my behalf, that those tears are the realization of what I have failed to see. Jeremiah and Isaiah saw a just God, an unjust people, and the certainty of His wrath against the sins which they held onto with such a grip. We need more Jeremiahs, prayer warriors that tell the most difficult truths, yet love the ones they warn.
…24Yet no one stretches out his hand to a ruined man when he cries for help in his distress. 25 Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has my soul not grieved for the needy? 26But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell.… Job 30: 24-26
…31When the Jews who were in the house consoling Mary saw how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. 32 When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.…
…34“Where have you put him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered. 35 Jesus wept. 36Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”… John 11: 31-36
i. Because there was something tender and sympathetic about Jeremiah’s tears, they were good. “Such waters will be turned into wine, at the wedding-day of the Lamb; for which purpose also they are kept safe in God’s bottle (Psalm 56:8).” (Trapp)
O that I had in the desert - Being in the midst of the city, a witness to their deceit, depravity, open defiance of God, lying tongues of prophets and politicians, Jeremiah is overwhelmed. He does not have enough tears for these adulterers, and would rather be separated from them. Moses probably often preferred and missed the rural life, the time alone in the wilderness, tending goats and sheep. He threw down the tablets when he came down from the mountain to find the people had already broken God's laws. Jeremiah would like a quiet place, away from this sin, open to those who also sought peace, who wanted to be separated from this vileness. Maybe it would be easier to pray for them if I didn't have to see it every day. I would rather go fishing.
7-11. But in his heart he plans an ambush for him - They have developed a culture of deceit, quick to side with slanderers, and even faster at acting upon the lies. You smile at you neighbor, your brother, then you plot behind his back. They are hypocrites, devaluing what God has placed the utmost value upon, too stupid to realize that when you step on another human being, you are stepping on the image of God and have devalued your own humanity.
…13So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. 14We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.… 1 John 3: 13-15
A lair of jackals - The livestock, the people, have all died or been taken. Judah's fields are burned down, and it is a place left to scavengers. Come on now, where is your heart? To know this about your home, your city, your country, have you dried up before your first tear, or are you like those who still believe that God will not judge?
12-22. Because they have forsaken My law that I have set before them, and have not obeyed My voice or walked in accord with it - Why? The who is wise enough is sarcasm, even the most simple can see that they were warned in the law, that He has sent His prophets. When they see the devastation they can't say that God did anything but act upon His word, that He is holy, righteous and just, and they had been warned.
Send for the skillful women to come - They were professional mourners, like an Italian funeral or wedding for that matter. The situation is so bad that they won't have to act though, and there will be so much to mourn over that they will need to teach their daughters. They should have been teaching them of repentance long before this, acting is not integrity.
And none shall gather them - All your traditions, burial rites and days of mourning will be stripped away. There will be no time for condolences, funeral ceremonies, and the world will not pause for your consideration; the conquerors will not care about your nostalgia, just like you didn't care for your neighbor.
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16: 19-31
23-26. When I will punish all those who are circumcised merely in the flesh - It sounds like God is implying that He doesn't care for, nor is He fooled by outward show. Being related to Abraham won't save you, nor will circumcision, the temple, or living in Jerusalem.
…28A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical. 29No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God. Romans 2: 28-29
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