Yet I curse the day I was born! May no one celebrate the day of my birth. I curse the messenger who told my father, “Good news—you have a son!” Let him be destroyed like the cities of old that the LORD overthrew without mercy. Terrify him all day long with battle shouts, because he did not kill me at birth. Oh, that I had died in my mother’s womb, that her body had been my grave! Why was I ever born? My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame. [Jeremiah 20.14-18]
These are the words of Jeremiah, one of the great Bible prophets.
What does this mean?
I think it would be silly to read anything into this text that is not there, however, we should simply read it for what it is: Jeremiah was having a bad day.
Whether we are experiencing this for ourselves or witnessing it in another, we should understand that "bad days" can overwhelm anyone. And, even though Jeremiah is one of the often-quoted prophets of this modern age, he is also known and referred to as the "weeping prophet."
What does this mean?
Like every person who has ever walked the face of this planet, Jeremiah had his own personality. It just so happens that this great man of God was a bit of a complainer. So powerful and accurate were his prophecies however, Jeremiah "made the cut" of becoming permanent Bible content.
We must not mistake the Bible's content of Jeremiah's complaining as an endorsement of such. We know from the entire context of the Bible that Jeremiah's complaints could better have been spent worshiping God. But again, Jeremiah was indeed human and God still used him mightily.
There is hope for you and me!
Father, thank You for allowing me to see the personality of Jeremiah today as it revealed an area of human weakness. Thank You for allowing me to see that You used Jeremiah anyway.
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