Day 304: The man who couldn't marry – Jeremiah 16 vs 1 – 9

1 Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘You must not marry and have sons or daughters in this place.’ 2-4 For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land, and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers:  ‘They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like dung lying on the ground. They will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.’

5 For this is what the Lord says: ‘Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity from this people,’ declares the Lord.  6-7 ‘Both high and low will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut themselves or shave their head for the dead.  No one will offer food to comfort those who mourn for the dead - not even for a father or a mother - nor will anyone give them a drink to console them.

8-9 ‘And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink. For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place.' Jeremiah 16:1-9 New International Version

At the start of this book, when God called Jeremiah to be His prophet to the nation, Jeremiah had said: “Ah, Lord God! Truly, I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” (Jeremiah 1:6) That needn't mean he was a teenager, but it does imply he was a younger man. Yet God forbids him from seeking a wife. We know from the Bible that marriage is good and God is not anti-sex - so why was God doing this? (vs 2-4)

God knew the time was coming when Jerusalem and the surrounding towns were going to be plundered by a fierce enemy army. People were going to starve and suffer. Thousands were going to die. It was not the sort of event you would want to see a loved one go through. So one reason for telling him not to marry was to spare Jeremiah from anguish. God may keep something that we thought would be good out of our life – but He does it for our sake.

But there may’ve been another reason too. Not only was Jeremiah not to marry, but vs 5-9 say he was not even to attend funerals to mourn with the bereaved, or attend any feasts and celebrations that were taking place. Why do you think that was?

I'd suggest that God wanted Jeremiah's actions to be a sign to the nation. God often told the prophets to do something that would be a visual aid to others. What did God want the people to know? (vs 5)

Just as Jeremiah was to show no sympathy to people at a funeral, so God had withdrawn His love and pity from the nation because of their ongoing stubborn wickedness. And what was the reason for not going to any celebrations such as a wedding? (vs 8-9)

The message was that God was going to bring all such festive occasions to an end. That would happen when the enemies destroyed their cities and took many of them away into captivity. The people needed to realize that God was angry with their rebellious sinful ways. But they were carrying on as normal as if nothing was wrong with their lives, and nothing bad was ever going to happen. Jeremiah's actions would be a daily reminder of the message he was preaching of God’s coming judgement.

Think then of what Jesus warned our world will be like when He returns to bring God's final judgement. He said: “When the Son of Man returns it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, before the flood, people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. They didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes.” (Mathew 2437-39) May the good times and celebrations of life never take our eyes off our need to be prepared for Christ’s return.