“May God Reveal Your Enemies To You!”

“May God Reveal Your Enemies To You!”(Jer.11:18-20).
“Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying, ‘Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more.’ But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously and test the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance on them, for to you I have committed my cause.”
The English language has the word, “Jerimiad” – meaning “a literary work or speech expressing a bitter lament or a righteous prophecy of doom.” Jerimiad as a term is coined after prophet Jeremiah because he was seen to be ‘a prophet of doom!” At the same time, Jeremiah is known as “a weeping prophet,” because he had a tender heart and wept over his nation’s self-destructive rebellion against the LORD and he cried out to him to redress the situation.
Jeremiah may not be a justified prototype of Christ, but there are quite some remarkable similarities between them. A few of these similarities include: “They were both confirmed in grace from their mothers’ wombs, unmarried, hounded by hometown citizens, wept over Jerusalem, called the temple ‘a den of thieves…,” etc!
Today’s pericope is maybe the first of Jeremiah’s confessions, for which the English word “Jerimiad” was coined. The prophet prophesied God’s curse on anyone who failed to obey the terms of the covenant. There was a conspiracy among the people of Jerusalem as they returned to the sins of their fathers and refused to listen to God’s words.
When Jeremiah prophesied God’s intended punishment for such rebellion, the people plotted to kill him.
God, however, revealed the plot to him.
It is said that the pain does not come from the stab. What pains most is when you realise that the person who stabbed you is the one whom you trusted! It was the people of Anathoth his hometown who were seeking his life. How painful!
Dear friend, do not hate the messenger for the bitter words. He is only a messenger. Rather, repent so that God can change his mind.
To those who are persecuted for being God’s mouthpiece, let this be your prayer: To you O LORD Almighty, I have committed my cause; you who judge righteously and test the heart and mind. Amen!
Have a blessed Sunday! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
23/03/2025.