Jeremiah 15:10 - Meaning and Application

Jeremiah had now returned from his public work and gone into private prayer. What passed between him and God there is recorded in these and the following verses, which he later made known to stir the people with the weight of his message. Here is the complaint the prophet brings to God about the many discouragements he met in his work, Jeremiah 15:10.

He met a great deal of opposition. He was, in effect, a man of strife and conflict to the whole land, better understood as the whole country, since his work was among that people alone. Both city and country opposed him, argued with him, and did all they could to block him. He was a peaceful man, gave no one any reason to quarrel with him, and was not quick to take offense. Yet he became a man of strife, not because he was stirring up trouble, but because trouble was stirred up against him. He was for peace, but when he spoke, they were for war.

The real reason for their anger was his faithfulness to God and to their souls. He showed them their sins, warned them that ruin was coming, and pointed them to the way of escape. That was the greatest kindness he could do for them, but it was exactly what made them angry. They treated him as an enemy for trying to save them. Even the Prince of Peace himself was called a sign spoken against and kept facing the opposition of sinners. The gospel of peace also brings division, even fire and sword (Matthew 10:34, Matthew 10:35; Luke 12:49, Luke 12:51).

This made Jeremiah deeply uneasy, even impatient at times. He cried out, “Woe is me, my mother, that you have borne me,” as if it were his mother’s fault that he had been born into such a hard life. It was as if he wished he had never been born. If he meant this in a strong or rash way, that would be a weakness in him. Still, it is more likely that he was pouring out a very painful lament over his condition.

This teaches us that even the most quiet and peaceful people, if they serve God faithfully, are often made men of strife. We can only follow peace as far as it depends on us. We cannot control both sides of every conflict, so we can only do what we can to live peaceably. It is also very hard for a peaceful person to live among people who are always picking quarrels. Yet if we cannot live as peacefully with others as we would like, we must not let that rob us of our own inner peace.

He also suffered much contempt, shame, and reproach. Everyone cursed him. They treated him as a disruptive man, a troublemaker, and one who stirred up discord and rebellion. They should have blessed him, and thanked God for him. Instead, their hatred for God’s word led them to curse God’s messenger. They spoke badly of him, wished evil on him, and tried to make him hated. Nearly no one in Judah or Jerusalem stood by him with a good word.

This is often the lot of the best people, to have the worst names given to them. So they persecuted the prophets. Someone might think Jeremiah must have given them some offense to be treated this way. But he says he had done nothing of the kind. He had neither lent money nor borrowed money. The phrase is broad enough to mean that he had no part in those kinds of dealings.

This also suggests that people who are deeply involved in worldly business are often drawn into conflict. Mine and yours are often the root of quarrels. Lenders and borrowers sue each other, and those who trade much often gain much ill will. Jeremiah also showed great wisdom here, and it is written for our instruction. Since he was called to be a prophet, he did not entangle himself in the affairs of this life. He kept clear of them so he could give himself fully to his calling and give no hint that he was seeking worldly gain. He put out no money, for he was not a usurer, and he did not take up money either, for he was not a merchant, a buyer, or a spendthrift. He was plainly dead to this world and its things. A little was enough to keep him, and we are told later that he had neither wife nor children to support (Jeremiah 16:2).

Even so, though he behaved prudently and in a way that should have won general respect, he still lived under public dislike because of the wickedness of the times. Blessed be God, things are not so bad with us that virtue has no praise at all. Still, those who act most wisely should not be surprised if they do not receive the honor they deserve. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

God’s answer to this complaint follows. Though Jeremiah’s words had some mixture of strong feeling and human weakness, God kindly gave attention to them, because the prophet suffered reproach for God’s sake. God first assured him that he would weather the storm and be made comfortable in the end, Jeremiah 15:11. Though his neighbors argued with him over his faithful work, God accepted him and promised to stand by him. In the original, this is stated in the form of an oath, as if God were saying, “If I do not care for you, let me never be counted faithful.” Truly, it shall go well with your remnant, that is, the rest of your life. The remaining days you have will be more comfortable than those that have gone before.

Your end shall be good, as the Chaldee version reads it. This is a strong and enough support for God’s people, that however troubled their path may be, it will be well with them in the end (Psalm 37:37). They still have a remnant, something left in reserve, and that will be enough to outweigh all their troubles. The hope of that can help them rest. It seems that Jeremiah was also troubled by the thought that he might share heavily in the public judgments he foresaw coming. Even though he did not say it plainly, God answered that fear as he once answered Moses (Exodus 4:19). Jeremiah may have thought, “If my friends treat me like this, what will my enemies do?” God had already stirred up in him some expectation of this kind (Jeremiah 12:5). But here he calms him with this promise: “Surely I will make the enemy treat you well in the time of trouble, when everything around you is laid waste.” God has all hearts in his hand, and he can turn to kindness even those whom his servants fear most.

The Lord’s prophets have often found kinder treatment from open enemies than from the people who claim to belong to him. When trouble comes and looks very severe, we should not give way to despair. Instead, we should trust God, because the outcome may be better than we expect. This promise was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar, after taking the city, told the captain of the guard to be kind to Jeremiah and let him have whatever he wanted (Jeremiah 39:11-12).

The words that follow, “Shall iron break the northern iron, and the steel, or brass?” are meant to comfort Jeremiah (Jeremiah 15:12). Compared with God’s promise to make him “an iron pillar and bronze walls” (Jeremiah 1:18), they show that his enemies would not overcome him. They kept striking against him and were hard and rough like iron, but Jeremiah had been strengthened by God with courage and power from above. He is like northern iron, which is naturally stronger, and like steel, which is hardened by skill and heat. So they would not win against him, as we also see in (Ezekiel 2:6; Ezekiel 3:8-9). He could bear their attacks all the better because he knew the victory was sure.

God also assures Jeremiah that his enemies and persecutors will be swept away in the coming storm and ruined at last. In that way, God’s word through Jeremiah will prove true, and Jeremiah will be shown to be a real prophet (Jeremiah 15:13-14). Here God turns from speaking to the prophet and speaks to the people. The same words in Jeremiah 15:12 also fit them: can their courage, strength, and best efforts stand against God’s plan or against the Chaldean army, which will be as hard to stop as northern iron and steel?

So God tells them their doom. “Your wealth and your treasures I will give as plunder, and I will do it without payment” means the looters will take it for free. It will be an easy and cheap prize for them. Jeremiah was poor, and he had neither property nor riches to lose, so the enemy would treat him more kindly. A poor traveler has little to fear from a robber.

But the people who had large estates, money, and land would be killed for what they possessed, or else forced to suffer badly so the enemy could squeeze more out of them. In all this, their own sin is what corrects them. “It is for all your sins, throughout all your borders” means every part of the land helped build up the nation’s guilt, even the farthest places. So every part of the land must now answer for it. No tribe should blame another, but each should be ashamed before God.

They would remain at home until they watched their property ruined, and then they would be carried away into exile, to spend the sad rest of their lives in slavery. God says, “I will make you go with your enemies,” meaning they will be led away in triumph to a land they do not know, and a land where they can expect no comfort. All of this comes from God’s anger. It is a fire kindled in his wrath, and if it is not put out in time, it will burn forever.