Monday - Jeremiah 16 - Great Sacrifice

I

T is a topic that comes up periodically. We all wonder (from time to time) why we have to go through some particular hardship. We may even imagine that our pain is worse than the pain of others... or that our hardship is worse than the hardships that others face. Worse, we may think that we deserve an easier trail. But God has the right to demand absolutely anything from us. Look at what He expected from Jeremiah: celibacy! Just to communicate His message more powerfully, He required Jeremiah to remain single. The message was that "there was no reason to get married or to procreate since nothing and nobody was going to escape" from the impending wrath of God.  No marriage bliss; no fun parties for Jeremiah (Jeremiah 16:8-9). He was to be the weeping prophet. Did God have a right to demand this of Him? Of course!  He has a right to demand great sacrifices from any of us?

Now, Jeremiah was not the central figure on this stage. The agenda of God was for His righteous wrath to be proclaimed. God was the central figure on the stage. The sinners to whom Jeremiah was witnessing were the audience. They were going to get a dose of who God was (and is). Jeremiah's duty was to set the stage. God was going to make the impression.