Sadder than a bluegrass song!

.~.

The life of Jeremiah was sadder than a bluegrass song!

Jeremiah was the most persecuted man in the OT. The temple chief beat him [Jer. 20], he was thrown into a well [chap. 38] and his own people tried to kill him [chap. 26]. He was mistreated by everybody.

God told him not to marry[chap 16], because when judgement did eventually fall - he wouldn't have to bury a wife and children! 

Baruch, Jeremiah's secretary, wrote down a  message to the king from Jeremiah, telling him and the nation to repent and start living right. As the message was read to the king, the king literally took his knife and cut it up piece by piece and burned it [Jer. 36]!

It's no surprise that Jeremiah would become the "weeping" prophet.  He even wrote another OT book -"Lamentations!" In Jer. 9:1 he desired to weep day and night for the people!

What would Jeremiah say, if he were alive today? What would he say about the US - with overcrowded prisons,  the scourge of divorce,  record setting high school drop-out rates and this horrible drug epidemic that seems to be devouring our youth!  

What would Jeremiah do? 

What can we do?  

There's nothing left to do but PRAY. 
We should be praying a lot.

Jeremiah was a prophet of doom, but there is an opportunity for "re-creation". 

There is a "turn or burn" aspect in the book of Jeremiah. 

But there is a bright spot in Jeremiah 18. 

That's the part about the potter remaking the clay! 

Our people will survive - but only if we allow Him to "make the marred vessel again".

Til next time,

TF

 ¹ The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: ² “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” ³ Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. ⁴ And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. ⁵ Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: ⁶ “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the LORD. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!