Jer 1:6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
Jer 4:10 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.
Jer 14:13 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
Jer 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
Four times over the course of Jeremiah’s ministry we find this type of response, “Ah, Lord GOD.” The little 2-letter word "ah" is more of a cry than an actual word itself; it is always either translated as “Ah” or “Alas” and is used 15 times in the Old Testament. In the case of Jeremiah, each time it is used, he has just received some revelation from the Lord that shook him to his core, and from the depths of his heart comes this little expression, “Ah.” Have you ever received any news that shook you in such a way? So startling that words fail us and only cries can be produced? Rest assured in this veil of tears we live in, very few are exempted from this experience. Perhaps the news of some dear loved one passing, or perhaps betrayal by those same ones, or some other terrible experience has extracted this little expression from you, but has the revelation of God ever done this to you? For our prophet, he hadn’t received that dreaded phone call or been betrayed by the one he trusted most; rather, it was what God had shown him.
This expression was first used when the Lord called him into the ministry. Here is the phrase that shook him to his core, “…I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Then His response was “Ah, Lord GOD!” When God makes his will known to us in such a clear way, erasing any suspicion or doubt, we are at a loss for words. "Lord, I am a child, I cannot speak," so many are our weaknesses and inabilities! How could I, so young, weak, frail, and faltering ever be a prophet? Much less to the nations? All these questions flood our mind at once, and we are unable to express all of them, and the only sound we can muster is “Ah, Lord GOD!”
In chapter 4, The Lord reveals to Jeremiah the coming destruction: “The lion has come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way.” So great was the destruction that was on its way, and so cruel were the hands into which they were about to be delivered that Jeremiah even goes as far as to say that the Lord has deceived the people, “Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reaches unto the soul.” Have you ever been where Jeremiah was in this text? When reality seems to contradict God’s promises? How could you, Lord? You promised peace! You promised a land flowing with milk and honey! What about all those pleasant promises I have trusted in for so long? How can this happen and you still be a just God? Now I know those are bold and ignorant statements, but we are at times bold and ignorant people. Even preachers and prophets sometimes have a hard time reconciling reality with the promises of God and are tempted to suspect God. We can put on our Pharisee robes and pretend as if we would never question or accuse God, and perhaps you haven’t nor ever will, but to our shame some of us have. When the reality around us is so terrible that it seems his promises of peace and hope and salvation are just deception, with tears I admit I have been there, but to my comfort this morning, so has Jeremiah, Job, David, and many other failing men. Yet the Lord did not cast out these men for their accusations, but he remembers our frame, that we are but dust, and tenderly opens our eyes to the truth, that he is too good to be bad. When we can't make sense of the situations we are in and the reality that is forcing itself upon us, we can rest in God, “Will not the judge of all the earth do right?”
Then in chapter 14, The Lord gives Jeremiah some disturbing instructions, “Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good. 12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offerings and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.” [Jeremiah 14:11-12] Then he replies, “Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.” Has the judgment of your countrymen and family ever become such a reality to you that all you could do is cry for them? To plead on their behalf? God’s judgment of his people so moved him that he cried to the Lord and pleaded on their behalf and asked God to “Behold” the issue. Not that God was deceiving them, as he presumed last time, but now he sees clearly that false teachers and prophets are prophesying peace when actualy judgment is on the way. Lord, behold that deception! Lord, behold their plight! Lord, surely if I can see the problem, you can as well! What if we could see, as the song says, “Our fathers and our mothers sinking down?" That verse almost perfectly expresses what Jeremiah is experiencing at this moment. “Brethren, see poor sinners round you Slumbering on the brink of woe; Death is coming, hell is moving, Can you bear to let them go? See our fathers and our mothers, And our children sinking down; Brethren, pray and holy manna Will be showered all around.” Oh, that God would reveal to us the destruction of our loved ones who are still outside our Ark, Jesus Christ, that we might cry, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold.” Then, seemingly moved by Jeremiah’s broken and contrite heart, God commands him to take those tears to the street and preach in tears to those he cares about! "Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease:" (Jer 14:17) Go and cry in the ears of those whom you have cried in the ears of God about! “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” [Psalms 126:5-6 ]
Then lastly, Jeremiah has one final revelation, but this is a happy cry and not a sad one. He is instructed by the Lord to buy a plot of land in a nation that is soon to be overtaken by another. This, at face value, seems to be a foolish decision, but to Jeremiah, this is a reminder that the promises of God are eternal. Even though they may pass through the fires of Babylonian captivity and persecution, even those flames are not sufficient enough to consume the promises of God to His people. So he buys the land and puts the deed in an earthen vessel, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. 15 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.” [Jeremiah 32:14-15] Then Jeremiah exclaims one last time, “Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee” but this time with happy tears instead of bitter! Oh, this is the revelation that all of us need, to turn all our bitter tears into happy ones! That our God is good and His power to save is greater than our power to lose and greater than the horrors of this present reality is the eternal endurance of his goodness and promises. If ever this present reality gets the best of you and manages to squeeze from you those fearful, bitter, sad cries, just look to the future and invest in the world to come! I wonder if when Jeremiah was overwhelmed by the destructions he was seeing, he would pull out that old earthen vessel that contained the title deed to his inheritance and be reminded of the promises to come? Dear fearful, bitter, sad believer, if today has managed to get the best of you, why don’t you pull out that earthen vessel on your shelf and read the title deed to your inheritance that fades not away! Oh, happy day, all my sad tears are happy tears and my bitter cries are shouts of joy, for He saves to the uttermost! My sins were great, but His grace was greater, my fears were many, but His consolation is greater! My suspicions have all been erased; He is too good to be bad! Never again do we see Jeremiah use this exact phrase; perhaps the earthen vessel with the title deed settled him till his dying day. So can that Bible you hold in your lap, it is your earthen vessel that contains the title deed to all the promises of God; it is sufficient for every dark day, every doubt, every burden, until that day that we possess all the promises.
Ephesians 1:3-14 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he has purposed in himself: 10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom you also trusted, after that you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that you believed, you were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
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