The Divine Communicator (God) is passionate^[1], relentless^[2], and demanding.^[3] His spokesperson (Prophet Jeremiah) is swept into the harrowing task of mediating between Him and the belligerent recipients (the Judeans)^[4] of these communications. There is a dynamic, massive, 3-party “tug-a-war” erupting throughout the book of Jeremiah. Recognizing and tracking these dynamics illuminates the book and the parties involved. There is nothing flat or boring when the book of Jeremiah is permitted to speak for itself.^[5]

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[1] Jer. 14:17; 44:6.

[2] Jer. 31:3; 44:4.

[3] Jer. 7:5-7.

[4] Jer. 44:16-17.

[5] “It is often easy for us to read millennia-old accounts that describe death and devastation, misery and grief, suffering and tears, and to remain unmoved. After all, the written text can seem so impersonal and distant, and we do not actually hear the cries of the wounded and dying – in reality, the people involved are complete strangers to us – nor do we smell the smoke rising from the flames of destruction … We tend to demonize the villains, lionize the heroes, and seek primarily to gain theological or practical insight from the (sometimes) stern dealings of God with his people, forgetting that these were real people, too, with real hopes and dreams and all too human disappointments and hurts.” Brown, Michael L.; Ferris, Paul W. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Jeremiah, Lamentations. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010, Kindle Edition, Location 1742.