Jeremiah 9: A Call to Lament and a Challenge to Boast
Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord.
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?
Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;
But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:
And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.
For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.
Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.
For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.
Speak, Thus saith the Lord, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.
Jeremiah 9 unveils the profound grief of the prophet, earning him the title "the weeping prophet," and God's stern warning to a nation steeped in deceit and self-reliance. This chapter calls us to genuine repentance, challenges our misplaced pride, and invites us to find our ultimate boast in knowing God intimately.
The Weeping Prophet's Lament (Jeremiah 9:1-11)
Jeremiah's anguish over the impending judgment on Judah is palpable. He cries out in Jeremiah 9:1, "If my head were a flowing spring, my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night over the slain of my dear people." This raw emotion stems not only from the impending destruction but also from the moral decay that permeated Judah's society. The prophet longs to escape the pervasive treachery and adultery that define the people (Jeremiah 9:2). Lying and deceit were so rampant that trust, even within families, had eroded (Jeremiah 9:3-6). Jeremiah, though heartbroken, understood the justice of God's judgment (Jeremiah 9:9), yet his love for his land fueled his sorrow (Jeremiah 9:10). This section highlights the tension between righteous judgment and compassionate grief, a tension often felt by those who truly love God and His people.
A Summons to Lament and a Sobering Picture (Jeremiah 9:17-22)
God calls for professional mourners to teach the exiles how to lament their fate (Jeremiah 9:17-19). This imagery underscores the severity of the impending disaster. The graphic depiction of the massacre in Jeremiah 9:21 serves as a stark warning against the consequences of unrepentant sin. It serves as a reminder that sin has tangible and devastating consequences, not only for individuals but for entire communities.
The True Object of Boasting (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Amidst the lament, God offers a profound and timeless truth in Jeremiah 9:23-24: "The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth. But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows me—that I am the LORD, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things."
This passage challenges our natural inclination to find security and identity in our accomplishments and possessions. Educational achievements, professional successes, financial security, and physical abilities are all fleeting. True and lasting joy, fulfillment, and significance are found in knowing God intimately. To know God is not merely to know about Him, but to experience His faithful love, justice, and righteousness in our lives. This invitation to know God deeply, and to boast in that knowledge, was extended to a people who claimed to be God's own but whose hearts were far from Him. It is an invitation that resonates powerfully today.
The Illusion of Outward Observance (Jeremiah 9:25-26)
Judah, tragically, rejected God's invitation to boast in Him. They instead placed their confidence in their outward observance of the covenant, particularly circumcision. They viewed it as a mere ritual, a "good-luck charm" that would shield them from God's wrath. However, God emphasizes that circumcision was intended to be an external sign of an internal reality: a heart devoted to Him. He declares that the entire house of Israel is "uncircumcised in heart" (Jeremiah 9:26). This echoes the apostle Paul's later teaching in Romans 2:29, that true circumcision is "of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter." God desires a genuine, heartfelt relationship, not empty religious rituals.
Jeremiah 9 serves as a powerful reminder that outward displays of piety are meaningless without a corresponding inward transformation. True faith is not about adhering to religious traditions but about cultivating a deep and personal relationship with the living God. Let us examine our hearts, forsake our misplaced pride, and find our ultimate boast in knowing the Lord intimately.
Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!
Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord.
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people?
Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait.
Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
For the mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone.
And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through?
And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;
But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them:
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Consider ye, and call for the mourning women, that they may come; and send for cunning women, that they may come:
And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.
For a voice of wailing is heard out of Zion, How are we spoiled! we are greatly confounded, because we have forsaken the land, because our dwellings have cast us out.
Yet hear the word of the Lord, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth, and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbour lamentation.
For death is come up into our windows, and is entered into our palaces, to cut off the children from without, and the young men from the streets.
Speak, Thus saith the Lord, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;
Egypt, and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness: for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.
Jeremiah 9 unveils the profound grief of the prophet, earning him the title "the weeping prophet," and God's stern warning to a nation steeped in deceit and self-reliance. This chapter calls us to genuine repentance, challenges our misplaced pride, and invites us to find our ultimate boast in knowing God intimately.
The Weeping Prophet's Lament (Jeremiah 9:1-11)
Jeremiah's anguish over the impending judgment on Judah is palpable. He cries out in Jeremiah 9:1, "If my head were a flowing spring, my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night over the slain of my dear people." This raw emotion stems not only from the impending destruction but also from the moral decay that permeated Judah's society. The prophet longs to escape the pervasive treachery and adultery that define the people (Jeremiah 9:2). Lying and deceit were so rampant that trust, even within families, had eroded (Jeremiah 9:3-6). Jeremiah, though heartbroken, understood the justice of God's judgment (Jeremiah 9:9), yet his love for his land fueled his sorrow (Jeremiah 9:10). This section highlights the tension between righteous judgment and compassionate grief, a tension often felt by those who truly love God and His people.
A Summons to Lament and a Sobering Picture (Jeremiah 9:17-22)
God calls for professional mourners to teach the exiles how to lament their fate (Jeremiah 9:17-19). This imagery underscores the severity of the impending disaster. The graphic depiction of the massacre in Jeremiah 9:21 serves as a stark warning against the consequences of unrepentant sin. It serves as a reminder that sin has tangible and devastating consequences, not only for individuals but for entire communities.
The True Object of Boasting (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Amidst the lament, God offers a profound and timeless truth in Jeremiah 9:23-24: "The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth. But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows me—that I am the LORD, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things."
This passage challenges our natural inclination to find security and identity in our accomplishments and possessions. Educational achievements, professional successes, financial security, and physical abilities are all fleeting. True and lasting joy, fulfillment, and significance are found in knowing God intimately. To know God is not merely to know about Him, but to experience His faithful love, justice, and righteousness in our lives. This invitation to know God deeply, and to boast in that knowledge, was extended to a people who claimed to be God's own but whose hearts were far from Him. It is an invitation that resonates powerfully today.
The Illusion of Outward Observance (Jeremiah 9:25-26)
Judah, tragically, rejected God's invitation to boast in Him. They instead placed their confidence in their outward observance of the covenant, particularly circumcision. They viewed it as a mere ritual, a "good-luck charm" that would shield them from God's wrath. However, God emphasizes that circumcision was intended to be an external sign of an internal reality: a heart devoted to Him. He declares that the entire house of Israel is "uncircumcised in heart" (Jeremiah 9:26). This echoes the apostle Paul's later teaching in Romans 2:29, that true circumcision is "of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter." God desires a genuine, heartfelt relationship, not empty religious rituals.
Jeremiah 9 serves as a powerful reminder that outward displays of piety are meaningless without a corresponding inward transformation. True faith is not about adhering to religious traditions but about cultivating a deep and personal relationship with the living God. Let us examine our hearts, forsake our misplaced pride, and find our ultimate boast in knowing the Lord intimately.