Jeremiah 20:14-18

C. Curse Jeremiah 20:14-18

TRANSLATION

(14) Cursed be the day on which I was born! The day on which my mother bore me, let it not be blessed! (15) Cursed is the man who brought the good news to my father, saying, A son is born to you! and made him exceedingly glad. (16) And may that man be as the cities which God overthrew and did not relent; may he hear a cry in the morning and a battle cry at noontime; (17) because he did not slay me from the womb so that my mother might be my grave and her womb have everlasting pregnancy. (18) Why did I come forth from the womb to see trouble and sorrow that my days end in shame?

COMMENTS

From the mountain top of victorious faith Jeremiah plunges suddenly, unexpectedly, unexplainably into the abyss of despair and self-pity. His sights have suddenly dropped from the Righteous Judge who reigns above to the wicked men who plot against him here below. His song of praise has turned to bitter lament. Like Job (Jeremiah 3:3-12) before him he curses the day of his birth (Jeremiah 20:14). When news came that a son had been born, Jeremiah's father rejoiced exceedingly. How ironic. The father rejoices over the birth of one who would live a life of tragedy. Cursed be the man who brought that good news to my father, cries the prophet (Jeremiah 20:15). He wishes that this messenger would experience the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah. He hopes that this messenger will hear the cry of the terrified inhabitants of the city when the enemy comes smashing through the walls in the morning hours of the day. He hopes that at noontime this man will hear the bloodthirsty battle cry of the invaders as they plunder the city (Jeremiah 20:16). Why such a curse on this anonymous messenger? Because he should have slain me when I was born or else simply left me in my mother's womb (Jeremiah 20:17). Jeremiah simply could not understand why God would allow him to be born only to suffer such heartache, pain, distress and disgrace (Jeremiah 20:18).

Was it right for Jeremiah to curse the day of his birth? It is easy for one who has not experienced the persecutions of Jeremiah to condemn him. Those who have undergone similar trials can empathize with him. The experience of Jeremiah here might be compared to that of the prophet Elijah. After descending from the triumph of Mt. Carmel, Elijah sat under his juniper tree of depression (1 Kings 19:4). Both prophets had moments of being strong in the Lord; both had moments of being weak in the flesh. Both men were merely clay vessels which God was able to use for His glory.

How is it possible that such a curse could follow immediately after the joyous confidence of Jeremiah 20:13? Some would argue that Jeremiah 20:14-18 have been dislocated and do not belong here. This is hardly necessary. Nor is it necessary to postulate an interval of time between Jeremiah 20:13 and Jeremiah 20:14. Any saint who takes his eye off the Lord for even a moment may be engulfed by self-pity and despair. This passage is the brutally frank and honest revelation of a tortured soul. Such passages indicate that, of all the Old Testament prophets, Jeremiah is probably the most human and also the most heroic,[216] Men of God shall ever be indebted to Jeremiah for recording these autobiographical lines for they set in bold relief the grace of God. Sinful, weak and frail as Jeremiah proved to be, God could forgive him and still use him. The Lord does not reject His servant because of this momentary outburst.

[216] C. R. Erdman, The Book of Jeremiah and Lamentations (Westwood, N. J.: Revell, 1955), pp. 46, 47.