Lessons from Jeremiah

There are people who say, or at least like they believe, that God is so good, so loving, so kind, that He would never judge or punish anyone. I hope they are right, for it will be a terrifying thing when God does judge and punish sin.

Those who hope that the goodness of God will never be balanced by His holiness and purity have never read the prophet Jeremiah. He is called the "weeping prophet" because there is so much warning of judgment, and so little response.

Today, reading in chapter 9, it is obvious that God is preparing to judge His own people. He tells them to call for the wailing women—professional mourners who would be paid to attend funerals and lament over the lost. He goes on to warn that the dead will be so numerous that they will lie in fields, the living will not be able to keep up with the burials.

As Jeremiah shares these things, he does so with a broken heart. He wishes he could go and hide in a remote desert. He wishes his eyes were fountains, for the tears are so frequent. As men and women who seek to share Christ with others todayWe need both the boldness and the compassion of Jeremiah.