Sunday: A Solitary Life
No question, Jeremiah’s lot in life wasn’t an easy one (he would be the first to admit it too!). Things, though, were even harder than we might have imagined.
Read Jeremiah 16:1-13. What was the Lord’s message to Jeremiah here? However harsh, in what ways would it have been a blessing to the prophet? (Compare with Hos. 1:1-3.)
Image © Rolf Jansson from GoodSalt.com
In contrast to Hosea, who was to marry a harlot in order to show just how corrupt the relationship had become between the Lord and Israel due to the nation’s spiritual harlotry, Jeremiah was to refrain from marriage and from having children altogether. This was something rather rare and extreme for that time and culture. In Israel, starting a family was very important for every young man. Besides the love and companionship between spouses, it was also important to carry on the family name. Why did God forbid Jeremiah from starting a family? So that his own life would be an object lesson on how terrible that time would be when families broke up and when the pain of separation became a heavy burden on the survivors. Jeremiah’s lack of family life was a constant warning and lesson for his contemporaries.
Jeremiah’s solitary lot extended into other areas as well. He was forbidden to enter a house where there was mourning; this would symbolize the people’s unwillingness to respond to God’s calls for repentance and revival.
Along with times of mourning, he was not to join their festivals of joy and celebration. This was to symbolize the coming time when the Babylonians would bring an end to all of their joy and rejoicing.
In these ways, the human bonds that are forged, whether in mourning or joy, would be denied Jeremiah. His life and the sorrows of his life were to be object lessons. If only the nation would learn from them!
How should this account help us learn to appreciate the human support that we enjoy getting from others, or that we give to others? However important this support, how can we learn that, ultimately, our best support comes only from the Lord?
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Although a certain huge church of universal reach is sometimes criticized for its policy of maintaining celibacy among its religious leaders there are some advantages to remaining single under certain circumstances.
Perhaps anticipating the soon return of Christ and embracing an urgent need to spread the gospel, the apostle Paul personally encouraged (not command) celibacy among the brethren so as to limit distractions (1 Corinthians 7:1, 6-8, 25-38). Jeremiah was not to be distracted (Jeremiah 16:2).
In the present generation a mockery is made of marriage. There is hardly the sense of unity intended by the Creator in the beginning (Genesis 2:24) and divorce rates compete with retention rates even among Christians. The attorney’s information is not far from the pillow and forgivable things are made grounds for permanent separation (Matthew 19:8).
Spouses hold separate bank accounts, and the one with the bigger account calls the shots, and make independent decisions. Prenuptial agreements are drawn up as a signal of distrust, if not a threat. Rights are given greater prominence than responsibility. Love lasts until the next mistake.
Nevertheless marriage was supposed to be a shared experience of trust and commitment. Decisions were to favor the other first and then self (1 Corinthians 7:2-5). Only the Creator would have a greater claim on one’s loyalty (Mark 12:28-30).
To this end each spouse would be constrained in part by the wellbeing and desires of the other. Far from the self-gratifying focus of today it was an arrangement that would develop more fully the image of God in the human race. Still there is a risk that one might pull the other in a direction inconsistent with God’s will, even if not intended (Genesis 3:6).
Though singleness was and is not the ideal, by the restriction of celibacy Jehovah placed on him Jeremiah would be free from the typical family yoke or commitments and obligations. That which the prophet gave up here would be more than compensated for later (Romans 8:18-19).
The Lord knew that if Jeremiah had a family they would have turn against him too, just like the rest of the people did.
Yes but it still seemed so sad, But GOD what was best. God bless him
As followers of Christ, we are called to make sacrifices ( sometimes unusual ones) as we serve God.
God was sending a message to Judea by the words and actions of Jeremiah. Although punishment was forth coming, mercy was also extended. Many could repent and seek a way to avoid the coming doom. But it was a graceful warning for Jeremiah to avoid unnecessary sufferings if he should seek to live an ordinary life. It is better to be lonely by not having a family, than to be lonely from loosing your wife and children due to the cruel effects of war. That would be lonely mourning.
Luke 23:29 "For, behold, the days are coming, [Jesus warns,] in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck."
Sterility, which would otherwise have been considered a curse, would, in the days ahead of Jerusalem be considered a blessing.
In Jeremiah' day, his celibacy rendered him a freak, an anomaly, in Jewish society, but the days were coming when his situation would be the desirable one. Instead of deriving comfort and support from one another, family members would find only fear in familial association... family ties would be a curse!
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Deut 28:56-57 [Even] the tender and delicate woman among you, which would not venture to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates."
This happened more than once among the Jews. It will happen again... in the end it will not only be among the Jews, but on a vast scale.
Mmmm. We are aware that the destruction of Jerusalem in 70ad was a type of the future crisis before the second coming of our Savior, yet I had never considered before the implications as you reveal in your last sentence. Very sobering indeed.
In the Western world especially, the prospect would horrify a large number of people -- I believe they would echo the sentiment of that Syrian official who was told that he would kill his master, and perform atrocities. He honestly thought himself incapable of such things -- too 'civilized' to go that far.
2Kings 8:13 (Fenton Trans.) "...what is your servant? Is he a dog? that he should do such horrible things?...".
The whole experience of Israel from Egyptian bondage to destruction by the Roman armies, and everything in between, is a type for the world and the faithful remnant that will be found among them. Such a wonderful learning opportunity in their complete history.
The deliverance from Pharaoh, the Law of God given to them and the experiences of their faithfulness and unbelief are lessons for the admonition of those upon whom the end of the world will (soon!) come. How significant the lessons of their final bow to Caesar(3 times) in rejection of Christ! This will be the choice again one last time.
The restriction of having a family made Jeremiah's messages that much more solemn and forceful. Do we live as those who actually believe our message of sounding the last warning to the world, or is our "discussion" of these things limited to the SS class and then business as usual the rest of the week, in the same way as those who live in unbelief? (The answer to this must only come from looking within, or it will have no effect) Also, imagine the great temptation to distraction of either his family turning against him or becoming themselves the victims of the wicked in that doomed city. God spared His precious servant of either and reinforced the message to the city that would soon be destroyed.
One last thought for Sunday's lesson, would Jeremiah really focus on telling you how difficult his life was? Would Jesus complain of His difficult lot in life? Elijah did when he lost faith for a moment, but only then.
Jeremiah's sorrow was not for himself(though at times was tempted to it), but for the city and nation of Israel. Read Lamentations and understand it. He speaks for Jerusalem, God and yes, briefly himself(in the manner of Daniel), concerning the self-inflicted trouble that came as promised of old "IF..." God's people did not live by faith in every Word from God.
Will the Remnant today (Zeph 3:12,13) learn from this with faith, and growing in grace?
Blessed are they who "read, hear, and keep" these faithful lessons.
Even so, God has shown us direction to follow but we take our own will. Can an illustration of failing to achieve something be indicative that we stop and seek to learn God's way. Show me your ways and teach me your paths of righteousness Lord for there's a way that seem right unto man but the end therefore is distruction.
Jeremiah life was to live based on God command him. Christians we might be struggling in paths that we let our paths prevail God's, we need to reasonin all those ways and pray for a direction to go. I feel av doubted God's words when it seems am deprived worldly association & you? MayGod know my ways and see if theres unrighteousness in me. Amen.
Through out the Bible, Jehovah pictures His relationship with His people as a marriage (Eze 16 for example) so I believe the message He was sending through Jeremiah was that Jehovah was on His own because Israel (His bride) had rejected Him.
Thanks Shirley. I appreciate this thought.
When the Lord gives us direction and we do not follow it, we only have ourselves to blame. Bless the Lord that Jeremiah did not have a family that he would have to see die or go into a land that was not there.
God has not left us alone in this hour. If we obey his word (as I water my own soul) we shall have the protection of his wings. Yet each promise come with condition and not to obey is to say we know what is best for our lives. Jesus is soon to come and like (Is real) Israel of old we must learn the lesson that has been handed down for us in this day.
We must repent of our Sins and as God for his will to be done in our lives that we may show forth the righteousness of Christ to the world and warn them of the judgment that is coming like Jeremiah.