Word of Salvation – Vol. 44 No.15 – April 1999

 

Competing With Horses

 

Sermon by Rev A.J. Quak on Jeremiah 12

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 12

Suggested Hymns: BoW 159; 389; 18B

 

Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a very special piece of Scripture.  It’s as if Jeremiah has ripped a page out of his spiritual diary and shown it to us.  Here is a man who was used by the Holy Spirit to put part of the Word of God on paper.

Here is a man who stood before king and countrymen boldly proclaiming the doom of exile.  Here is a man who was deprived of food by his countrymen, who was left to die in a water storage cistern by his countrymen, who was chained to the gates of the city for many days by his countrymen – BUT who wept for his countrymen because of their sin; and who would have done anything to see his countrymen repent.

Here is a man who can do the remarkable, and endure much hardship, and empathise deeply with failing brothers and sisters – surely he is a spiritual giant!

And yet, in chapter 12, we discover this spiritual giant is not so great.  Here is a man who is worn out.  In fact, we see him daring to question God about His justice.  Would we be so bold with God?

That’s why I say that this part of Scripture is very special – for it shows us the spiritual depths to which Jeremiah has fallen and God’s response in those depths.

As we see the LORD’s answer to Jeremiah today my guess is that we are going to be surprised.  But it’s an answer we must be prepared to hear – because it is an answer God may well have given to us in the past, or one we need to hear now, or one we will need to hear in the future.

In order to properly apply this passage to ourselves it’s necessary to know a little history.  In the years 687-642 BC, king Manasseh ruled in Judah – 2Kings 21 describes his evil reign:

• Manasseh reversed all the reforms put into place by king Hezekiah:
• Manasseh built pagan alters in the temple of the LORD;
• Manasseh shed much innocent blood;
• Manasseh even sacrificed his own son.

2Chronicles 33 does tell of a time of repentance in the life of Manasseh but the damage had been done.  The people of God had become worse than the pagan nations around them.

In 640 BC Josiah, the grandson of Manasseh, comes along.  He is faithful and, in the twelfth year of his reign:

• Josiah sought vigorously to reform the nation of Judah;
• Josiah got rid of all unauthorised alters in the nation;
• Josiah removed all pagan paraphernalia, including Baal temples and centres of worship;
• Josiah made Jerusalem the centre of worship once again.

And, in all this reform, Josiah had the support of Jeremiah who was called into office by God in the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

Reform is great, but reform also brings conflict.  Jeremiah comes from the town of Anathoth.  In the days of the conquest Joshua gave this town to the Levities which means Anathoth is a town full of priests.  Now think about the unfolding scenario for a moment.

Josiah is going around smashing all places of worship except the temple in Jerusalem.  Jeremiah is supporting Josiah in this work.  They get to Jeremiah’s home town and say to all the priests living there, “You are not allowed to work anymore except in Jerusalem.  You will be assigned new duties and work under the oversight of the priests there.”

Imagine how we would feel if Synod said our church had to close down and we could only worship in [insert the name of one of the churches in your state].  And that our ministers and elders would be under the oversight of the [name] church and they would be given the second rate jobs.  Such a situation sort of represents the feelings present in Anathoth at this time.

Who does Jeremiah think he is, coming home and closing down our place of worship?  How dare he presume to tell us what to do and make us second rate priests?

And a plot is hatched by the men of Anathoth to take Jeremiah’s life [read Jeremiah 11:19-20].

This history helps us to understand the complaint of Jeremiah in chapter 12:1-4.  From Jeremiah’s perspective all he has done is fulfil the call of God – a call to bring people back to the worship of Yahweh alone.  But the people are rejecting him.

• They don’t want to be reformed.
• They don’t want to go to Jerusalem to worship.
• They don’t want to be second rate priests.

The priests and others living in the town are placing personal status and individualism over the need to please the LORD – and, as a backlash to this reform movement, the people are taking out their frustration and anger on Jeremiah.  These men are seeking to get the better of Jeremiah.

Why do we need to see these things?  Because the complaint of Jeremiah and the response of the LORD come in particular circumstances.  Circumstances which still happen today:

• Why don’t people listen to the Gospel and accept it?
• Why can’t our leaders govern with God in mind?
• Why does our church seem so ineffective at times?
• Why do we get hurt when we seek to put God first?
• Why are there times when we do not understand what God is doing?
• Why is Christianity so ineffective in our nation?
• Why are we rejected in putting into action our service for God?
• Why does God seem so ineffective?

If we find ourselves in situations where we are asking these sorts of questions, then we are finding ourselves in the same place as Jeremiah.  Have we, in those situations, made the same response as Jeremiah?  Let’s have a closer look at Jeremiah’s response and find out.

Jeremiah starts off, “You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you.  Yet I would speak with you about your justice.”  Talk about being as bold as brass.  Jeremiah has gone to God and said, “Look, I know your record in the past I have seen your consistent judgments.  Your standards of the covenant are impeccable.  BUT I think we need to have a little talk, you know, man to man.  You are not acting the way you should be.  I have been given the rough end of the stick.  Things should be different, I shouldn’t be suffering.”

Jeremiah has an accusation to bring before the LORD because conflict has arisen.  He feels he should be celebrating victory – instead he is expressing depression.

And we see Jeremiah present his case in the fashion of a lawyer:

• Point One: The wicked who stand in defiance of your covenant are having all the success. That’s not fair – you promised that prosperity is a blessing for the devoted.
• Point Two: The faithless are having all the luck. They live at ease not concerning themselves with the ways of God – but they are not suffering. Is that right?
• Point Three: You have said the unrighteous will be cut off and uprooted. And now LORD, you have planted them and they have taken root – it seems they are firm under your protection.
• Point Four: And let’s make a comparison between me and them. They’re hypocrites! Having the LORD on their lips but not in their hearts.  But I am not like that.  You know me – I am intimate with you.  You see me – I have you in my heart.  You test me – I have integrity.  Yet I am suffering.  That’s not fair.

Such is the evidence of Jeremiah – but it is the evidence of a desperate man because the evidence is peppered with emotion and exaggeration.

• Do all the faithless live at ease?
• Did God really say that the wicked would never be given prosperity?
• Is it honest to say that God has placed His protection over these people?
• Does Jeremiah really have such a high standard of integrity?

Jeremiah is full of questions, but I don’t think he is looking for answers.  Instead this is an admission to God that he is unable to cope with the present circumstances.  God has acted in a way that Jeremiah doesn’t understand and Jeremiah has thrown in the towel – I’ve had enough.  I’ve walked with men and I am worn out.

I wonder how often we have come to God with Jeremiah’s dilemma on our heart.  We have so many questions: “Why?”  But often we’re not really looking for answers.

A loved one dies – a stillborn child, an infant, a teenage son, a young mother, a middle aged father, a partner in life and we ask: “Why?”  Many times we know why, but we are having trouble coping with the fact.

A person we know turns their back on the Lord – a long term friend, a son, someone who gave us spiritual encouragement, a loved one who never accepted God – and we ask: “Why?”  Often we know why, but we have trouble coping with the fact.

We look at our society – violence, high unemployment, significant youth suicide, powerless leaders, lack of truth, ignorance of God’s authority – and we ask: “Why?”  Isn’t the question really an admission to God that we have trouble coping with the facts?

Even in our day and age, more than 2500 years after Jeremiah spoke these words, we find ourselves in the same situations, with the same responses as Jeremiah.  And so God’s answer to Jeremiah becomes very meaningful to us.

If we were to answer Jeremiah in his circumstances, what would we say?  Wouldn’t we try to give some comfort?  Or admit that Jeremiah has a point?  Or start looking for a better solution?

Such being the case, we are a little shocked when we read the LORD’s response to Jeremiah [read vs.5].  Do you know what God is saying here?  He’s basically saying, “Come on, hold your chin up.  Stop moping around and feeling sorry for yourself.  You must do this because there is worse still to come.  Despite the trouble you are in you will survive”.

Now what sort of answer is that?  Where is the comfort?  Where is the assurance?  How can the LORD be so uncompassionate about Jeremiah’s dilemma?

When we read chapter 12, let’s realise that Jeremiah has only been serving the Lord for a short time.  And he is depressed because a few people in his home town rejected him.  And now Jeremiah wants swift justice.  But the LORD doesn’t respond that way, instead God reminds Jeremiah of the bigger picture.

How do you expect to do great things for me, Jeremiah, when you can’t cope with these little setbacks?  I want you to go to Jerusalem and denounce the priests there as well – how are you going to handle that?  Will you be able to compete with horses when ordinary men get the better of you?  Can you hope to manage difficult terrain when you can’t even walk on level ground?  This is just an ordinary thing Jeremiah – the beginning of much difficulty.  Don’t feel down in the dumps.  Don’t ignore the coping mechanisms I have given you.  I want you to get over it because I have extra-ordinary things in mind for you to do.  If you can’t deal with the ordinary, how do you expect to do the extra-ordinary?

There are many times in Scripture when God does extend great love and comfort to a people who are struggling.  He promised to be like a mother hen gathering her chicks under her wing.  He promised to engrave our name on the palm of His hand so we will not be forgotten.  Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you, says the LORD.  And, as we consider Jeremiah 12, all that is still true – yet the LORD still says to Jeremiah, “Get up and get on with it”.

When we find life difficult I’m sure we have taken comfort from the fact that God is in control… that we are loved… that He is our strength.  But have there been times in our life when the Lord was asking us the same question as He asked Jeremiah [read vs.5a]?

When we have questions God could be pressing us into action, rather than mollycoddling us.  When we are spiritually weary God could well be saying, “Chin up, there is more to come”.  When we feel we have come to the end God could be saying, “Why can’t you cope, this is just an ordinary thing”.  When we feel rejected and that God should be taking action it could well be that we have just been worn out by men on foot and we have not even started to compete with horses.

We have in mind an idea of the way God is supposed to act and I don’t think we picture God the way He is acting here.  Does the LORD give Jeremiah justification for his answer?  Yes He does.  The justification is found in verses 7-17.  Here we see the LORD showing Jeremiah the big picture.  God has been forced to deal with the fact that His own house, His inheritance, His beloved people have turned on Him like a roaring lion.  God is faced with the painful truth that those who once loved Him have now run to the arms of other gods.  God is going to punish His people and put them into exile.

But that is not the end of the drama.  There will come a time when God will restore His people again.  Not only that, He is going to give all nations and all people a chance to know Him.  Look at verse 16 [read].  The LORD and Jeremiah are working for the same cause, but Jeremiah has become despondent because he has lost sight of the big picture.

It was never God’s intention to send His people into exile because He wanted to destroy them.  It was always God’s intention to send His people into exile so that all the nations would have a chance to be blessed through the seed of Abraham.  The big picture is a picture of grace and God chastises Jeremiah because Jeremiah is compromising that plan.

It is the task of the Lord to decide who and who will not be established as His people.  It is the task of Jeremiah to continue on in faith preaching the message.

So where does that leave each one of us?  It should leave us at the foot of the cross with the prayer of Paul on our hearts [read Ephesians 3:17-19].

When Jeremiah found himself in a dilemma, unable to cope, God pointed Jeremiah to the big picture of grace, and then God expected Jeremiah to get up and go on.

Congregation, there will be times when we find ourselves in Jeremiah’s dilemma for the Christian life is a difficult life – and we can be worn out – but still the big picture of grace continues.

God wants us in His plans.

God wants others in His plans.

God is always working towards that goal.

God may indeed have more for us to do, but He promises that we will survive.

When life does become difficult, and we cry out to God with questions because we can’t cope, may we be honest enough in those times to ask the hard questions.  Have I been worn out by men on foot, or am I competing with horses.  It is only at the foot of the cross, where we are filled by God, that we can answer this question honestly.

Amen.