The anger of God
God’s wrath is a strong feature in the book of JeremiahProphet who condemned Judah’s infidelity to God, warned of Babylonian conquest, and promised a new covenant. More. In a basic sense, the theme of wrath reveals that God is affected by what people do and responds to what they have said and done from within the relationship. It is important to understand that the divine wrath is contingent and not an essential characteristic or attribute of God. God’s anger is “provoked” (see 8:19; 11:17; 25:6-7; 32:29-32; 44:3, 8). If there were no sin, there would be no divine wrath. Indeed, Israel itself is to blame for the sufferings it has had to experience, not God. God mediates these consequences, but only in the wake of human sin. Moreover, God’s tears often accompany divine anger (see, for example, 8:18-9:1); the harsh words that are conveyed are not accompanied by an inner harshness. God’s wrathful response to Israel’s unfaithfulness is, finally, in the service of the best possible future for Israel; through judgment they are refined and renewed in their relationship with God. God’s promises will prevail through every disaster.
CreationCreation, in biblical terms, is the universe as we know or perceive it. Genesis says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the book of Revelation (which speaks of end times) the author declares that God created all things and… More
Creation in Jeremiah is most fundamentally the activity of God in bringing the cosmos into being and includes both originating and continuing creative activity. Such an understanding grounds God’s call to Jeremiah as “a prophet to the nations” (1:5, 10) as well as the variety of ways in which the nations become the subject of various oracles (25; 46-51). Creation also includes the activity of creatures (human and nonhuman) in and through which God works to create in ever new ways, even among the exiles in a foreign land (29:5-14).
Divine freedom
Certainly God is free to enter into judgment against God’s own people (and others). At the same time, God’s freedom cannot be maintained in an unqualified way for Jeremiah. The immense agony of God over what has happened with the people demonstrates that God is not truly free of God’s relationship with Israel. If God were truly free of Israel, God would just get up and leave. But God has made significant commitments to this people, and God is bound to be faithful to promises made. Such promises limit the divine options. God is truly limited by promises made, for God will be faithful to those promises.
Divine presence
For Jeremiah, God is not a God who is aloof and distant, but one who is near at hand, present and active in the lives of peoples and nations. That God “fills heaven and earth” (23:24) is a claim that God’s relationship with the world is comprehensive in scope, present not only to Israel, but to all peoples. Other Old Testament texts will fill out what it means for the world to be filled with God; the world is also full of the steadfast loveThe steadfast love (hesed) of God is the assurance of God’s loving kindness, faithfulness, and mercy. This assurance rings throughout the Old Testament, and is affirmed more than 120 times in the Psalms. In some hymns of praise the response of the people was likely… More of God (PsalmA psalm is a song of praise. In the Old Testament 150 psalms comprise the psalter, although some of the psalms are laments and thanksgivings. In the New Testament early Christians gathered to sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. More 33:5; 119:64) and the glory of God (IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)–preachers who boldly proclaimed God’s word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. More 6:3). God is a part of the map of reality and is always relational, indeed lovingly relational to all that is not God. Wherever there is world, there is God. To say that the world is filled with the love of God means that God’s presence is not static or passive or indifferent. God is not simply here and there; God is always lovingly at work in every nook and cranny of the universe.
Eating the word of God
Because Jeremiah is called by God from the womb, being a prophet defines his person from the very beginning of his life; it is the very essence of his being. He is called not only to be a certain kind of speaker, but a certain kind of person. Hence, he no longer has a private life he can call his own (see 16:1-9). This point is reinforced by God’s placing the word directly into Jeremiah’s mouth (1:9-10; 15:16); the word is transferred directly into his bodily self (see also EzekielEzekiel was a priest and prophet who was raised in Jerusalem and exiled to Babylon in 597 BCE. More 2:8-3:3). Jeremiah thus ingests the word of God; the word of God is thereby enfleshed in the very being of the prophet. You are what you eat! Jeremiah is the embodied word of God.
False prophecyProphecy is the gift, inspired by God, of speaking and interpreting the divine will. Prophets such as Amos, Isaiah, and Ezekiel spoke words of judgment and comfort to the people of Israel on behalf of God. More
Conflict among prophets, often mentioned in Jeremiah, was a common phenomenon in Israel, especially in the decades leading up to the fallThe Fall refers specifically to the disobedience of Adam and Eve when they listened to Satan rather than adhering to God’s command not to eat the fruit from the tree. When people act contrary to God’s will, they are said to fall from from grace… More of Jerusalem. Various criteria were apparently used to distinguish true prophets from false prophets. Examples include: their worship of false gods, including Baal; false claims to have received a word from God; to have had visions and dreamsDreams often have potency and predictive power in the Bible, for they were seen as messages from God. In the Old Testament Joseph dreamed about the seven fat and lean years. In the New Testament Joseph dreamed about escaping to Egypt with Mary and Jesus. More; immorality; absence from the council of the Lord (see especially 23:9-40; 27-28). Alongside books such as Deuteronomy (see esp Chapters 13 and 18) and Ezekiel (see esp Chapter 14), Jeremiah contains some of the most sustained reflection on false prophecy. Yet, these are not sure-fire criteria, not least because they cannot be publicly demonstrated. Even so, issues of discernment regarding the truth or falsehood of a word from God remain important. The community of faith is called to be vigilant and always to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1).
The future and divine foreknowledge
Jeremiah contains several texts with an “either-or” form of address. Jeremiah 22:1-5 may be used as an example (see also 21:8-10; 38:17-18; 42:9-17). Two specific possibilities are open to the king and the people, depending upon the justice of their activities, according to the command of the Lord (22:3). For each of these options to have integrity, God cannot know for sure what will in fact happen–at least at the time this oracleAn oracle is a divine utterance of guidance, promise, or judgment delivered to humans through an intermediary (who is often also called an oracle). In the Bible oracles are given by Balaam (in the book of Numbers) and by David (in 2 Samuel). A number… More was delivered. If God knows for certain that the negative future will occur, then for God to offer the positive future would be a deception. The latter is a possibility, but in the absence of some indication that this is the case, it seems unlikely; all of God’s words regarding the future would then be potentially untrustworthy. The options offered to people and the king are genuine, and it seems that God moves into a future that is somewhat unknown. The future depends to some extent on what the people do regarding issues of justice (in modern terms, think in terms of the care of the environment).
God
God is the primary character in the Book of Jeremiah. Virtually every characteristic of God that is found in the Old Testament is found here. God is seen to be present and active, among both chosen and non-chosen peoples, from the beginning of the book and throughout. God’s activity is often depicted in terms of wrath and judgment. Yet, God’s work is always seen as purposive, directed toward objectives that are in the best interests of individuals and peoples involved, and indeed the entire creation. God’s promises are spoken in the very midst of judgment and assure God’s people that they have a future.
God’s use of human agents
A characteristic theological feature of Jeremiah is God’s action in Israel’s history in and through agents, especially human agents. Apart from Jeremiah himself, Babylon is the most prominent agent used by God, especially in the judgment of Israel. Indeed, NebuchadnezzarBabylonian king who conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and exiled the people. More is called God’s servant (25:9; 27:6; 43:10)! The coalescence of God’s actions and those of Babylon/Nebuchadnezzar is common throughout the book. Indeed, God and Babylon will often be the subject of the same verbs, even violent verbs. For example, God will not pity or spare or have compassion (13:14), language that is also used to describe Babylon (21:7). Language regarding divine activity is thus conformed to the language of God’s agents. This use of language makes clear that God is not the only effective agent in the judgment of Israel. Moreover, God will not micromanage the activities of the agents; they can and do exceed the divine mandate (25:12-14).
Heschel on the wrath of God
The Jewish scholar, AbrahamGod promised that Abraham would become the father of a great nation, receive a land, and bring blessing to all nations. More JoshuaThe successor of Moses, Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan. More Heschel, provides some of the most illuminating theological commentary on the prophets, and most especially Jeremiah. For the prophets, according to Heschel, “the wrath of God is a lamentation. All prophecy is one great exclamation; God is not indifferent to evil! He is always concerned. He is personally affected by what man does to man [sic]. He is a God of pathos. This is one of the meanings of the anger of God: the end of indifference! The message of wrath is frightful indeed. But for those who have been driven to the brink of despair by the sight of what malice and ruthlessness can do, comfort will be found in the thought that evil is not the end….Man’s sense of injustice is a poor analogy to God’s sense of injustice. The exploitation of the poor is to us a misdemeanor; to God, it is a disaster. Our reaction is disapproval; God’s reaction is something no language can convey. Is it a sign of cruelty that God’s anger is aroused when the rights of the poor are violated, when widows and orphans are oppressed?” (The Prophets [New York: Harper & Row, 1962], 284-285).
Jeremiah’s use of sexual/marital imagery
Sexual/marital imagery is used in Jeremiah in troubling ways (3:1-5; 13:20-27; see also HoseaProphet to the northern kingdom who married a prostitute to show God’s relationship to a faithless Israel. More 1-3, probably a source for Jeremiah). In terms of the marital metaphor, YHWH is the husband of Israel who has been betrayed by his wife, with all of the negative effects that that produces in the lives of those involved, including the life of God. Readers are invited to compare feelings they would have if their spouse proved unfaithful–anger, distress, frustration, and hurt–and think of a comparable effect that Israel’s infidelity had on God.
While these metaphors remain potent today, they need to be used with caution, compassion, and empathy, especially given the prevalence of domestic abuse in many societies.
Judgment as circumstantial will of God
Passages such as Jeremiah 26:3 and 36:3 make clear that two understandings of the will of God are present in these texts, one of which takes priority over the other. God does “intend” that the people experience the consequences of their wickedness. This mediation of sin’s consequences might be termed the circumstantial will of God; it is God’s will for them only in view of the specific circumstances that have developed. Judgment is not the primary will of God for the people: God desires the people’s repentance so that God can change God’s mind regarding the judgment. God prefers Israel’s life to Israel’s death, salvationSalvation can mean saved from something (deliverance) or for something (redemption). Paul preached that salvation comes through the death of Christ on the cross which redeemed sinners from death and for a grace-filled life. More instead of judgment. That this is God’s absolute will comes into play again when God’s promises are announced to those who have experienced judgment. God’s primary will for life and salvation persists through the fires of judgment.
Nations of the earth
The God of Jeremiah is the God of creation. As such, God shows concern for the nations of the earth. This is most apparently in Jeremiah 25 (a summary of God’s judgments against the nations) and Chapters 46-51, which contain a collection of prophetic statements against the nations of the earth. Not surprisingly, the larger collection is framed by poems that prominently feature both Egypt and Babylon (46 and 51). In many ways, Babylon is depicted as a new kind of “Egypt,” against whom God acts to liberate the people of Israel.
New covenantBecause Israel had broken the old covenant, the prophet Jeremiah declared that God would establish a new covenant, one that would be written on the heart. The New Testament is often referred to as the New Covenant because Jesus came to fulfill the law and… More and old covenantA covenant is a promise or agreement. In the Bible the promises made between God and God’s people are known as covenants; they state or imply a relationship of commitment and obedience. More
What are the differences between the new covenant and the old covenant (from Mt. Sinai)? The new covenant is grounded in a newly constitutive, salvific event, namely, the return from exile (see 16:14-15; 23:7-8). Moreover, the new covenant cannot be broken by either people or God; it is everlasting. Also, the new covenant has a unilateral character; the new covenant is sheer promise; it is not agreed to by the people. God alone assumes obligations to remain forever committed to this people, with attendant blessings, come what may. In addition, everyone in the community, from the least to the greatest, will know the Lord. Sin (and death, 31:30; see also Isaiah 65:20) will continue to be characteristic of their lives, but they will not have an “evil will” ever again, for God’s forgiveness (independent of repentance?) will regularly take hold in their lives, and the past shall not be remembered.
A new heart that will never turn from God
God promises Israel that they will receive the gift of “one heart and one way” so that “they may not turn from me” (32:37-41). Indeed, God will do this “with all my heart and all my soul”! The accompanying promise regarding land assures that a disembodied spirituality is not in view (32:41-44). This new heart is sharply different from the old heart in that the people will not turn from God again, indeed they cannot turn from God. They will fear God “for all time” and will not “turn from me.” This new creation differs from the old creation, wherein human beings were able to sin (and did). The new creation seems to yield human beings who will “not be able to sin” (also characteristic of Christian eschatologyEschatology is the study of things that are expected to happen at the end of time. In the New Testament, this period is viewed in terms of a cosmic struggle between good and evil, which eventually will culminate in the second coming of Jesus and… More). Or, at least, in view of 31:30, sin in the sense of an evil will; perhaps sin as act is distinguished from sin as condition. It is clear that this text has not yet been fulfilled.
The pathos of God
The relational God of Jeremiah is not an aloof God, somehow present but detached. God is a God of great passionPassion is the theological term used to describe Jesus’ suffering prior to and including his crucifixion. The Passion Narrative (the portions of the Gospels that tell of the Last Supper, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus) are often read in church during Holy Week. More (pathos). The range of emotions shown by God in the Book of Jeremiah is unparalleled in biblical literature: sorrow, lament, weeping, wailing, grief, pain, anguish, regret, heartache, anger, disappointment, and frustration are all evident. Many of these emotions are also experienced by the prophet, whose interior life often parallels that of God’s. This anthropopathic language is truly revealing of the divine life, though God’s emotions are unlike human emotions in many respects. For example, God is never out of control or embittered or immobilized or forgetful of divine commitments. Yet, this God is in a genuine relationship with the people of Israel, engages in genuine interaction with them, and is affected deeply by what happens in this engagement.
Trauma
Increasingly, trauma has become a point of focus for theologians, biblical scholars, and preachers. Shelly Rambo helpfully refers to trauma as the “suffering that remains” (Shelly Rambo, Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining [Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2010], 20). While the language of trauma has recently expanded far beyond its clinical usage, it certainly applies to a people like Israel who had experienced multiple events of military defeat, forced deportation, and severe economic disruption. That trauma did not remain in the historical past, chained to the precipitating event; it exerted a profound influence in Israel’s life, and does to this day. The Book of Jeremiah is rightly understood to be a book that responds to a traumatic series of events in the life of ancient Israel (Kathleen M. O’Connor, Jeremiah: Pain and Promise [Minneapolis: Fortress, 2012]).
Relationality
God is a relational God, present and active in the world, who enters into a relationship with the prophet, the people, and an interrelated world. The world is envisaged as a giant web in which the movement of any entity affects the entire web, with human beings having the greatest potential effect. The relationship between God and world is a living and dynamic reality (more comprehensive than covenant), within which both parties are affected by the realities of genuine interrelatedness over time. And all of this is true in the context of all theological categories: sin, judgment, salvation, restoration, law, etc.
Sin and judgment
Sin and judgment are remarkably common themes in the Book of Jeremiah. The relationship between them is conceived in intrinsic rather than forensic terms. As such, judgment may be defined as the divinely mediated consequences of sin. This understanding may be observed in formulations such as “the fruit of their schemes” (6:19; see 14:16; 17:10; 32:19). Like fruit, the consequences grow out of the deed itself; they are not imposed by God from without (as, for example, a penalty). It is thus wise not to refer to such judgments as punishments (for which there is no Hebrew word, in any case); rather, judgment refers to the natural consequences of sin that are integral to God’s creational moral order, an order which God continues to mediate.
