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Is it alright to argue with God? Yes or no
JEREMIAH HAS DIALOGE WITH GOD
In the book of Jeremiah:
Let’s look at how Jeremiah responds to God.
Chapter 11
Judah Has Disobeyed the Terms of the LORD'S Promise
1 This is the message that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. He said, 2 “Listen to the terms of this promise, and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is anyone who doesn't listen to the terms of this promise. 4 I made this promise to your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, which was an iron smelter. I said, “Obey me, and do everything that I have told you to do. Then you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5 I will keep the oath I made to your ancestors and give them a land flowing with milk and honey, the land you still have today.”'” I answered, “Yes, Lord.” 6 The Lord said to me, “Announce all these things in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: Listen to the terms of this promise, and keep them. 7 I solemnly warned your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, and the warning still applies to you today. I solemnly warned them to obey me. 8 But they didn't obey me or pay attention to me. They followed their own stubborn, evil ways. So I punished them, because they did not keep all the terms of the promise, the terms that I commanded them to keep.” 9 The Lord said to me, “Conspiracy exists among the people of Judah and among those who live in Jerusalem. 10 They've gone back to the evil ways of their ancestors and refused to obey my words. They are following other gods and worshiping them. The nations of Israel and Judah have rejected the promise that I made to their ancestors. 11 This is what the Lord says: I'm going to bring a disaster on them that they can't escape. Although they will cry out to me, I won't listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem will cry to the gods to whom they've been sacrificing. But these gods will never rescue them when they're in trouble. 13 Judah, you have as many gods as you have cities. You have set up many altars {in Jerusalem} to sacrifice to Baal. You have as many altars as there are streets in Jerusalem.
14 Jeremiah, don't pray for these people. Don't cry or pray for them. I won't listen when they call to me for help in times of trouble.
15 “What right do these people I love have to be in my house when they do so many devious things? Can the meat from their sacrifices turn disaster away from them? They rejoice when they do evil.”
16 The Lord called you a large olive tree that has beautiful fruit to look at. He will set fire to you with a mighty storm, and your branches will be broken. 17 The Lord of Armies planted you. He has pronounced disaster on you. This is because of the evil things that Israel and Judah have done. They have made him furious by burning incense as an offering to Baal.
Jeremiah's Life Is Threatened
18 The Lord revealed their plot to me so that I would understand. He showed me what they were doing. 19 I was like a trusting lamb brought to the slaughter. I didn't know that they were plotting against me. They were saying, “Let's destroy the tree with its fruit. Let's cut Jeremiah off from this world of the living so that we won't be reminded of him anymore.”
20 O Lord of Armies, you judge fairly and test motives and thoughts. I want to see you take revenge on them, because I've brought my case to you.
21 This is what the Lord says: The people of Anathoth want to kill you. They say, “Don't prophesy in the name of the Lord, or we'll kill you.” 22 This is what the Lord of Armies says: I'm going to punish them. The young men will die because of war. Their sons and daughters will die because of famine. 23 I will bring a disaster on the people of Anathoth. It will be a year of punishment. There will be no survivors.
Jer 11:1-23 (GW)
Our mind should be at one with God in all that He is doing, even in the rejection of the reprobate—Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Chapter 12
Jeremiah's Question
1 O Lord, even if I would argue my case with you, you would always be right. Yet, I want to talk to you about your justice. Why do wicked people succeed? Why do treacherous people have peace and quiet? 2 You plant them, and they take root. They grow, and they produce fruit. They speak well of you with their lips, but their hearts are far from you. 3 You know me, O Lord. You see me and test my devotion to you. Drag them away like sheep to be slaughtered. Prepare them for the day of slaughter. 4 How long will the land mourn? How long will the plants in every field remain dried up? The animals and the birds are dying, because people are wicked. They think that God doesn't know what they are doing.
The LORD'S Reply
5 “If you have raced against others on foot, and they have tired you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in open country, how can you live in the jungle along the Jordan River? 6 Even your relatives and members of your father's household betray you. They have also formed a mob to find you. Don't trust them when they say good things about you.
7 “I have abandoned my nation. I have left my own people. I have handed the people I love over to their enemies. 8 My people have turned on me like a lion in the forest. They roar at me, so I hate them. 9 My people are like a colorful bird of prey. Other birds of prey surround it. Go, gather all the animals in the field, and bring them to devour it. 10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard. They've trampled my property. They've turned my pleasant property into a wasteland. 11 They've left it a wasteland. Devastated, it mourns in my presence. The whole land is destroyed, but no one takes this to heart. 12 Looters swarm all over the bare hills in the desert. The Lord's sword destroys them from one end of the land to the other. No one will be safe. 13 My people planted wheat, but they harvested thorns. They worked until they became sick, but they gained nothing by it. They were disappointed by their harvests because of the burning anger of the Lord.
14 “This is what I, the Lord, say about all my evil neighbors who take the inheritance that I gave my people Israel: I am going to uproot those neighbors from their lands. I will also uproot the people of Judah from among them. 15 After I've uprooted them, I will have compassion on them again. I will return them to their inheritance and to their lands. 16 Suppose they learn carefully the ways of my people. Suppose they take an oath in my name, ‘As the Lord lives...' as they taught my people to take an oath in {the name of} Baal. Then they will build homes among my people. 17 But suppose they don't listen. Then I will uproot that nation and destroy it,” declares the Lord.
Jer 12:1-17 (GW)
Chapter 14
The LORD Sends a Drought
1 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah about the drought.
2 Judah mourns; its gates fall apart. The people of Judah sit in mourning on the ground. Their cry goes up from Jerusalem. 3 Important people send their assistants out for water. They go to the cisterns, but they don't find any water. They come back with their containers empty. They cover their heads, because they are ashamed and disgraced. 4 The ground is cracked because there has been no rain in the land. The farmers are disappointed. They cover their heads. 5 Even deer in the fields give birth and abandon their young because there's no grass. 6 Wild donkeys stand on the bare hills. They sniff the air like jackals. Their eyesight fails because they have no green plants.
7 Do something, Lord, for the sake of your name, even though our sins testify against us. We have been unfaithful and have sinned against you. 8 You are Israel's hope, the one who saves it in times of trouble. Why should you be like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays only one night? 9 Why should you be like someone taken by surprise, like a strong man who cannot help? You, O Lord, are among us. We are called by your name. Don't leave us!
10 This is what the Lord says about these people: They love to wander. They don't keep their feet where they belong. So the Lord isn't happy with them. He will remember their crimes and punish their sins.
11 The Lord said to me, “Don't pray for the good of these people. 12 Even if they go without food, I won't listen to their cries for help. Even if they sacrifice burnt offerings and grain offerings, I won't be pleased with them. But I will destroy these people with wars, famines, and plagues.
” 13 Then I said, “Almighty Lord, prophets are saying to them, ‘You won't see wars or famines, because I, the Lord, will give you lasting peace in this place.'
” 14 Then the Lord told me, “These are the lies that the prophets are telling in my name: They claim that I sent them, commanded them, and spoke to them. They dreamed up the visions they tell you. Their predictions are worthless. They are the products of their own imagination. 15 “I didn't send these prophets. Yet, they prophesy in my name that there will be no wars or famines in this land. So this is what I, the Lord, say about them: Wars and famines will bring an end to these prophets. 16 The people they prophesy to will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem. They will be victims of famines and wars. No one will bury them, their wives, their sons, or their daughters. I will pour on them the destruction that they deserve.
17 “Say this to them:
‘My eyes flow with tears day and night without stopping because my dear people will suffer massive destruction. It will be a very serious blow.'”
Jeremiah speaks
18 If I go to the field, I see those killed because of war. If I go to the city, I see those sick because of famine. Prophets and priests wander through a land they haven't heard of. 19 Have you completely rejected Judah? Do you despise Zion? Why have you struck us so hard that we cannot heal? We hope for peace, but no good comes from it. We hope for a time of healing, but there's only terror. 20 O Lord, we realize our wickedness and the wrongs done by our ancestors. We have sinned against you. 21 For the sake of your name, don't despise us. Don't dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your promise to us; don't break it. 22 The worthless gods of the nations can't make it rain. By themselves, the skies can't give showers. But you can, O Lord our God. We have hope in you because you do all these things.
Jer 14:1-22 (GW)
Chapter 15
1 Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel were standing in front of me, I would not feel sorry for these people. Send them away from me, and let them go. 2 When they ask you where they should go, say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
Those who are destined to die will die. Those who are destined to die in wars will die in wars. Those who are destined to die in famines will die in famines. Those who are destined to die in captivity will die in captivity.'
3 “I will devise four ways to punish them,” declares the Lord. “I will send swords to kill, dogs to drag away, and birds and animals to devour and destroy. 4 I will make these people a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms on the earth. This will happen because of what Judah's King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, did in Jerusalem.
5 No one will take pity on you, Jerusalem. No one will mourn for you. No one will bother to ask how you are doing. 6 You have left me,” declares the Lord. “You have turned your back on me. So I will use my power against you and destroy you. I'm tired of showing compassion to you.
7 “I will separate them with a winnowing shovel at the city gates. I will make them childless. I will destroy my people because they will not change their ways. 8 Their widows will be more numerous than the grains of sand on the seashore. At noontime I will send a destroyer against the mothers of young men. I will suddenly bring anguish and terror to them. 9 A mother who gives birth to seven sons will grow faint and breathe her last. She will die, ashamed and humiliated, while it is still daylight. I will put survivors from these people to death in the presence of their enemies,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah Complains Bitterly
10 I'm so miserable! Why did my mother give birth to me? I am a man who argues and quarrels with the whole earth. I have never lent or borrowed anything. Yet, everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said,
“I will certainly rescue you for a good reason. I will certainly make your enemies plead with you in times of disaster and in times of distress. 12 (No one can break iron, iron from the north, or bronze.) 13 I will give away your wealth and treasures as loot as the price for all the sins that you have committed throughout your territory. 14 I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you haven't heard of, because my anger has started a fire. It will burn you.”
Jeremiah speaks again
15 O Lord, you understand. Remember me, take care of me, and take revenge on those who persecute me. Be patient, and don't take me away. You should know that I've been insulted because of you.
16 Your words were found, and I devoured them. Your words are my joy and my heart's delight, because I am called by your name, O Lord God of Armies.
17 I didn't keep company with those who laugh and have fun. I sat alone because your hand was on me. You filled me with outrage.
18 Why is my pain unending and my wound incurable, refusing to heal?
Will you disappoint me like a stream that dries up in summertime?
19 This is what the Lord says:
If you will return, I will take you back. If you will speak what is worthwhile and not what is worthless, you will stand in my presence. The people will return to you, but you will not return to them. 20 I will make you like a solid bronze wall in front of these people. They will fight you, but they will not defeat you. I am with you, and I will save you and rescue you, declares the Lord. 21 I will rescue you from the power of wicked people and free you from the power of tyrants.
Jer 15:1-21 (GW)
Up until chapter 15, Jeremiah had pleaded his case. In 15:15 he begins to have a pity party and begins to brag. Just before that God said that He would rescue Jeremiah for a good reason. God is giving him the hint that he is beginning to complain and whine. When Jeremiah begins to say that his pain is incurable, and that maybe the Lord would disappoint him, he takes his prayer too far.
Our attitude toward God will affect our worship of Him. Our heart condition will determine if we are truly acceptable by God. The world will never be at peace and can’t provide us any kind of lasting peace. True peace comes from God. Jeremiah began to doubt God would be there for him. Is it not alright to speak to God as he did here:
17 I didn't keep company with those who laugh and have fun. I sat alone because your hand was on me. You filled me with outrage. 18 Why is my pain unending and my wound incurable, refusing to heal? Will you disappoint me like a stream that dries up in summertime?
Jer 15:17-18 (GW)
He used his own understanding in his situation. We cannot know God’s ways. God may say No and we need to be ready to be receptive to that answer. It is alright to tell God what you are suffering, but did you hear his pity party and then even saying 'God will you disappoint me'? Jeremiah has reached the end of his patience, hope, and strength Note how God responded. He said if you will return to me…Jeremiah was no longer operating in kingdom business. He did not see things from God’s point of view. He was analyzing the situation with human reasoning. He is accusing God. You can't put your agenda above God's own. We can't come to God with our own plan and say just tell God to do it. There are times when we pray that God will know He can't answer our prayer. It is for our own good or the good of the kingdom. We must approach God under His own conditions and truly seek His for answer. If you are right with God you can know that He will protect you. God is saying to Jeremiah, you need to repent. You know that I am able to rescue and protect. God had even told him that He would make him as a fortified city. In the midst of our difficulties we often fix our eyes on the problem and lose sight of God.
Never trust a lesser power over God Himself. If we go to God with unconfessed sin, we will not have peace. Going to God when we are not in right standing with Him will not be a delight.
Jeremiah had an honest an open dialogue with God, but he crossed the line when he began to ascribe characteristics to God that were not true. When you begin to ascribe things to God that are not holy, righteous, pure, good… you have crossed the line. Even after heartfelt prayer, fervent prayer, pleading with God, earnestly requesting from Him, God said NO.
God had given His people many warnings and they were enjoying their evil ways. God knows the heart of each person very well. We cannot hide what our heart feels towards God. Doing some external things will not correct or cover a bad heart. Giving God lip service is not acceptable worship. God looks at your heart. Does He see any sin; greed, pride, envy, jealousy, boasting, doubting, self reliance and the like? Those who worshiped idols were as blind as the idols. In subtle imperceptible ways we become like the idols we worship. We may have good reason to hate our enemies. If we hate with a righteous hatred, for things that also anger God, then God will deal with them. They are His enemies also. They will have to answer to God for all their own sin. God has the right to offer them an opportunity to repent. We are not to take vengeance ourselves, or to retaliate against them. That only makes us like them. We are not judge and jury. We are not to pronounce sentence upon them. Let God have His way with you and with them. As you serve Him be prepared to respond and accept what He has to tell you.
We should want God’s will to be done, even when we don’t understand it. Jeremiah wanted the people to listen and heed the words the Lord gave him. When the people treated him cruelly, he wanted God to bring disaster upon them. Our emotions can fluctuate with different situations. Whenever we are facing difficulty we sure wish our enemy would stop. We start to think evil thoughts toward him. We hope he has a really bad day. But that is not God’s way. Jeremiah was told that God was bringing His punishment because the people had forsaken Him. They had turned to idols instead. God had been dealing with them for a long time but the people did not repent. No matter how Jeremiah prayed for them, God had already made up His mind. God told him not to intercede for these people anymore. How often we might feel the same way as Jeremiah. First he asked God why He was bringing judgment, and then when it affected him personally, he prayed that they would face disaster. If we pray for calamity for our enemy and then realize what it really means for them, we might have a change of heart.
God understands the human heart. We must be careful what we wish for, how we pray. God desires for all those who are against Him to repent, and to have a change of heart. Unless God specifically tells you not to pray for someone, you must always pray that they would return to God. All people belong to God. He does not want anyone to face His judgment. He made hell for Satan and the fallen angels. If man does not repent, return to God and follow His ways, then they will face the final judgment. God has a day of reckoning for those who do not delight in Him. God will not show His favor on them. They don’t want His favor. They are more content going their own way. They don’t want God to rule and reign over them. These people do not belong in heaven if they have that attitude. God will not force anyone to worship and bow down to Him. That is a free choice.