Verses on Various Occasions · Chapter
XLVI: Jeremiah explained
The chapter reflects on the prophet Jeremiah's longing for escape from his troubled mission, drawing a parallel to the Christian's hope for heavenly rest amidst earthly suffering.
What happens
The chapter reflects on the prophet Jeremiah's longing for escape from his troubled mission, drawing a parallel to the Christian's hope for heavenly rest amidst earthly suffering.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Humility
Jeremiah's cry of 'Woe's me' and his desire to flee his prophetic role highlight the suffering and humility inherent in bearing divine truth.
Faith and Doubt
The prophet's momentary error in thinking God denied him repose contrasts with the Christian assurance of heavenly rest, exploring the tension between doubt and faith.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator reflects on Jeremiah's cry and contrasts it with the Christian hope for rest.
- Some lonely Saint
Implied as the 'peaceful prophet' Jeremiah, who desires a quiet refuge from his prophetic burdens.
- Lord
God is referenced as the one who denied repose to Jeremiah and who pledges heavenly rest to believers.
Key passages
“O that I had in the wilderness a lodging-place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them!”
Jeremiah wishes for a remote shelter where he can abandon his people and escape his prophetic duties.
This opening quote from Jeremiah 9:2 sets the tone of the prophet's desire for solitude.
“If his meek spirit err'd, opprest That God denied repose, What sin is ours, to whom Heaven's rest Is pledged, to heal earth's woes?”
If Jeremiah, burdened and mistaken, thought God withheld peace, how much greater is our sin when we doubt, since we have been promised heavenly rest to mend the world's sorrows?
The narrator contrasts Jeremiah's human frailty with the Christian promise of eternal rest.