Thursday
Have you ever felt that you were unappreciated? Well, Jeremiah is so unappreciated for his message that they have set into place a plot to kill him. Anathoth was Jeremiah’s hometown and it could be these plotters were neighbors or maybe even part of Jeremiah’s own family. It seems that Jeremiah’s outspoken preaching against the Temple and the meaningless rituals have angered a group of people to the point where they wanted to silence Jeremiah forever.
Some scholars have suggested that early support of Josiah’s reform may have angered many priest who felt they might possibly lose their jobs if local sanctuaries were closed, there are also the idol makers who would lose revenue. Or it could be that Jeremiah’s family is embarrassed by him and maybe concerned for themselves if Jeremiah’s preaching angers the religious establishment. And let’s face it, people don’t like to be told they are doing something wrong.
So Jeremiah (seemingly out of character) prays to God to “let me see your vengeance upon them” (11:20). I think we can sympathize with Jeremiah. He has done what God has asked of him, put himself out there by preaching an unpopular message and he gets no support, he’s ridiculed, he’s even threatened by those who plot his death. But is it right for Jeremiah and us (no matter what has happened) to want our “enemies” to be punished?