The Heart of a Prophet

We esteem men like Jeremiah today. But when he ministered the word of the Lord he was despised by the culture and he was demoralized by what he saw around him. We will see many glimpses of this man's heart as we walk through this book. One of the first times we see it is in Jeremiah 4. 

Jeremiah 4:19 (ESV) My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

Jeremiah repeats the phrase, "my anguish" to emphasize his inward pain. He is torn apart for God's people as they await judgment. 

Never listen to someone who claims to know that God's judgment will come and they do not weep for those on whom it falls. Judgment from God is a destructive reality. Any Earthly judgment we ever see is only a preview of the judgment to fall on all who reject Him. We who know the Lord should join Jeremiah is sorrowful anguish over the state of our nation. 

Jeremiah 4:20–21 (ESV) Crash follows hard on crash; the whole land is laid waste. Suddenly my tents are laid waste, my curtains in a moment. 21 How long must I see the standard and hear the sound of the trumpet?

Jeremiah sees what is about to happen. He 'hears' the sound of the trumpet of the nation's enemies as they pillage and ravage other lands on the way to Jerusalem. Those who know the Lord are well aware of the future demise of their nation. They know how it works. Kingdoms who walk away from Him will suffer immeasurably in the end. 

Jeremiah 4:22 (ESV) “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.”

Jeremiah's accusation levels the wisdom of his age. They seem so smart in their own understanding but they do not comprehend that destruction is ahead.

Jeremiah 4:23–26 (ESV) I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. 24 I looked on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. 25 I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air had fled. 26 I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger.

Judgment from God is often pictured as a sort of "decreation" event. Here Jeremiah sees perhaps what the world looked like at the beginning of time. A formless void with no man to work the ground. It is interesting to think that God will bring judgment in this way of bringing creation back to a new beginning. 

It is no wonder that Scripture speaks to our new life in Christ as a New Creation. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

In Christ, the judgment for sins has been taken and buried with Him. We are raised from death to life and a new beginning with God is ours. Even Jeremiah's darkest moments point to the new birth experience for those who listen to God.