Jeremiah 20:10-13
Chapter 20
10
I hear many people whispering: “Terror is all around! Denounce him! Yes, denounce him!” All my friends watch me to see if I will slip: “Perhaps he can be deceived,” they say; “then we can get the better of him and have our revenge.”
11
But the Lord, a mighty warrior, is with me. My persecutors will stumble and will not prevail; their failure will be their shame, and their disgrace will never be forgotten.
12
The Lord, God of Hosts, you test the just and probe the heart and mind. Let me see your revenge on them, for to you I have committed my cause.
13
Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord and say: he has rescued the poor from the grasp of the wicked!
Commentaries
Jeremiah’s Confessions: End.
Jeremiah feels betrayed by God, who had enticed him with beautiful promises. Now he finds himself abandoned before a hostile crowd, enduring mockery and scorn. In this distress, the prophet recognizes that the Word of the Lord is deeply engraved on his heart and must be proclaimed (8-9), and that his God, even in his failure, is with him (11), as he had promised (1:8). The prophet is a man of God’s Word. His faithfulness to it brings rejection and suffering. It is from this place of deep pain that his song of victory and praise emerges (11-13).