Jeremiah 15:15-21 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 15:15-21 on biblegateway.com
Verse 15O Lord, you know; remember me and visit me, and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance do not take me away; know that on your account I suffer insult. Verse 16Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts. Verse 17I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone, for you had filled me with indignation. Verse 18Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail. Verse 19Therefore thus says the Lord: If you turn back, I will take you back, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth. It is they who will turn to you, not you who will turn to them. Verse 20And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord. Verse 21I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.
Devotion
This business about eating God’s words as it is spoken of in Jeremiah 15 is a strange image. So, are we really supposed to eat paper? In Ezekiel and Revelation it goes even further and reports that each 'ate the scroll.' Are we really to consume the words, as we are told the prophet Jeremiah did? Well, not literally. But, we are to internalize God’s word and use it in our lives in the same way Jeremiah did – to bring God’s word to the world. What is the word we are to bring? Well, because there are so many strains of Christian belief, there’s really only one answer that covers that question – Jesus Christ, who he was and who he is; what he did for us and what he calls us to do for him. When we live out that calling, we will find, as Jeremiah found, “your words became to me a joy.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus, put your words in my mouth today, that I might share your good news with someone who needs to hear it. Amen.