# Jeremiah 15 š: Jeremiah's Complaint
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
Ā [[#Verse 01.]] Then theĀ LordĀ said to me, āEven if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading forĀ these people, I would not feel pity for them!Ā Get them away from me! Tell them to go away!Ā
Ā
Ā [[#Verse 02.]]Ā If they ask you, āWhere should we go?ā tell them theĀ LordĀ says this:
āThose who are destined to die of disease will go to death by disease.
Those who are destined to die in war will go to death in war.
Those who are destined to die of starvation will go to death by starvation.
Those who are destined to go into exile will go into exile.
[[#Verse 01.]] Then the Lord said to me, āEven if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I would not feel pity for them! Get them away from me! Tell them to go away!
[[#Verse 02.]] If they ask you, āWhere should we go?ā tell them the Lord says this: āThose who are destined to die of disease will go to death by disease. Those who are destined to die in war will go to death in war. Those who are destined to die of starvation will go to death by starvation. Those who are destined to go into exile will go into exile.ā
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā āI will punish them in four different ways: I will have war kill them; I will have dogs drag off their dead bodies; I will have birds and wild beasts devour and destroy their corpses.
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā I will make all the people in all the kingdoms of the world horrified at what has happened to them because of what Hezekiahās son Manasseh, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.ā
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ cried out,
āWho in the worldĀ will have pity on you, Jerusalem?
Who will grieve over you?
Who will stop long enough
to inquire about how you are doing?
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā I, theĀ Lord, say:Ā āYou people have deserted me;
you keep turning your back on me.ā
So I have unleashed my power against youĀ and have begun to destroy you.
I have grown tired of feeling sorry for you!ā
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ continued,
āIn every town in the land I will purge them
like straw blown away by the wind.
I will destroy my people.
I will kill off their children.
I will do so because they did not change their behavior.
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā Their widows will become in my sight more numerous
than the grains of sand on the seashores.
At noontime I will bring a destroyer
against the mothers of their young men.
I will cause anguishĀ and terror
to fall suddenly upon them.
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā The mother who had seven childrenĀ will grow faint.
All the breath will go out of her.
Her pride and joy will be taken from her in the prime of their life.
It will seem as if the sun had set while it was still day.
She will suffer shame and humiliation.
I will cause any of them who are still left alive
to be killed in war by the onslaughts of their enemies,ā
says theĀ Lord.
### Jeremiah Complains about His Lot and The Lord Responds
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā I said,
āOh, mother, how I regretĀ that you ever gave birth to me!
I am always starting arguments and quarrels with the people of this land.
I have not lent money to anyone and I have not borrowed from anyone.
Yet all these people are treating me with contempt.ā
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ said,
āJerusalem,Ā I will surely send you away for your own good.
I will surelyĀ bring the enemy upon you in a time of trouble and distress.
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā Can you people who are like iron and bronze
break that iron fist from the north?
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā I will give away your wealth and your treasures as plunder.
I will give it away free of charge for the sins you have committed throughout your land.
[[#Verse 14.]]Ā I will make you serve your enemiesĀ in a land that you know nothing about. For my anger is like a fire that will burn against you.ā
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā I said,
āLord, you know how I suffer.
Take thought of me and care for me.
Pay back for me those who have been persecuting me.
Do not be so patient with them that you allow them to kill me.
Be mindful of how I have put up with their insults for your sake.
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā As your words came to me I drank them in,
and they filled my heart with joy and happiness
because I belong to you,Ā OĀ LordĀ God of Heavenās Armies.
[[#Verse 17.]]Ā I did not spend my time in the company of other people,
laughing and having a good time.
I stayed to myself because I felt obligated to you
and because I was filled with anger at what they had done.
[[#Verse 18.]]Ā Why must I continually suffer such painful anguish?
Why must I endure the sting of their insults like an incurable wound?
Will you let me down when I need you,
like a brook one goes to for water, but that cannot be relied on?ā
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā Because of this, theĀ LordĀ said,
āYou must repent of such words and thoughts!
If you do, I will restore you to the privilege of serving me.
If you say what is worthwhile instead of what is worthless,
I will again allow you to be my spokesman.
They must become as you have been.
You must not become like them.
[[#Verse 20.]]Ā I will make you as strong as a wall to these people,
a fortified wall of bronze.
They will attack you,
but they will not be able to overcome you.
For I will be with you to rescue you and deliver you,ā
says theĀ Lord.
[[#Verse 21.]]Ā āI will deliver you from the power of the wicked.
I will free you from the clutches of violent people.ā
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
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###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Moses and Samuel (15:1) were famous for interceding for Israel (Exodus 32:11-14; 1 Samuel 12:23). Even their prayers would not turn back this judgment.
2. The judgment is blamed on the sins of King Manasseh (15:4). Second Kings 24:3-4 says the same.
3. Manasseh reigned fifty-five years, longer than any other king of Judah (2 Kings 21:1).
4. God says Judah's widows will be more numerous than the sand of the seas (15:8).
5. Jeremiah says he has neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses him (15:10). Debt disputes were a common source of hatred.
6. Eating God's words (15:16) is also pictured in Ezekiel 3:1-3 and Revelation 10:9-10.
7. "I am called by Your name" (15:16) is ownership language, meaning Jeremiah belonged to God.
8. A "deceptive brook" (15:18) describes a wadi, a streambed that flows in the rainy season but dries up in summer.
9. "If you return, I will restore you" (15:19) uses the Hebrew word *shuv* in both halves.
10. The promise of a bronze wall (15:20) repeats God's promise at Jeremiah's call (1:18-19).
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the living Word who satisfies. Jeremiah found God's words and ate them, and they became his joy (15:16). Jesus said we do not live by bread alone but by every word from God's mouth (Matthew 4:4), and His food was to do the Father's will (John 4:34).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. Jeremiah says God's words were his joy and delight (15:16). How would your week change if God's Word brought you that kind of joy?
2. Jeremiah accuses God of being like a deceptive brook (15:18). What do you do when God seems unreliable in your pain?
3. God tells Jeremiah, "If you return, I will restore you" (15:19). Why do even faithful servants need to repent?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 16: Your words were found, and I ate them, and they became my joy and my heart's delight.
- š verse 19: If you return, I will restore you, and if you speak what is precious, you will be My spokesman.
- š verse 20: I will make you a fortified bronze wall, for I am with you to rescue you.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[Matthew 04#Verse 04.|Matthew 4:4]] - We live by every word from God's mouth.
- š [[John 04#Verse 34.|John 4:34]] - Jesus' food is to do the Father's will.
- š [[Psalm 119#Verse 103.|Psalm 119:103]] - How sweet Your words are.
- š [[Ezekiel 03#Verse 01.|Ezekiel 3:1-3]] - Ezekiel eats the scroll, and it is sweet as honey.
- š [[Exodus 32#Verse 11.|Exodus 32:11-14]] - Moses intercedes for Israel.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[Jeremiah 15 - SOAP|Godās Word Is Life]]
## š Internal Notes