What is ‘the Burden of Jehovah?’ (Jeremiah 23:33)
Burden of Jehovah?
“And when this people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of Jehovah?’” (Jeremiah 23:33)
Huh? What is being spoken of?
There is a play on words here towards a people who are anything but respectful toward the prophet. The Hebrew word massa has a double meaning. It can genuinely mean a heavy burden. Or it can mean a solemn utterance that is that way.
‘What “burdensome message” do you have for us today? As they party and carry on and preside over a shipwreck of maltreatment (to other people, not themselves) which suits them just fine, here comes Jeremiah. “What downer do you have for us today?” they jeer. “Come to spread a little more doom and gloom?”
The prophet does not flinch: “You people are the burden!” he throws back at them, reverting to the other meaning of the word. “And I will cast you off,” declares Jehovah.” (33b) Mend your ways and you won’t be such a burden. But it doesn’t seem too likely that you will, as the remainder of the twenty-third chapter indicates.
Imagine the stress of such a role. Imagine being in Jeremiah’s shoes. No wonder his book shows him all but being dragged kicking and screaming to his work:
“You have fooled me, O Jehovah, and I was fooled. You used your strength against me, and you prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone ridicules me,” he explodes at 20:7.
“For whenever I speak, I must cry out and proclaim, “Violence and destruction!” For me the word of Jehovah has been the cause of insults and jeering all day long” just like it is with these homegrown prophets and priests sneering, “What is the burden today?”
How to cope? Quit.
“So I said: “I am not going to make mention of him, And I will speak no more in his name.” But in my heart it became like a burning fire shut up in my bones, And I was tired of holding it in; I could no longer endure it.”
He can’t do it. But does it ever cause him stress! There’s no sanitizing these verses. He complains mightily, even bitterly. How else can you explain his subsequent words at 20:14-16?
“Cursed be the day on which I was born! May the day that my mother gave me birth not become blessed! Cursed be the man that brought good news to my father, saying: “There has been born to you a son, a male!” He positively made him rejoice.And that very man must become like cities that Jehovah has overthrown while He has felt no regret.“
Somehow God pulls him through despite himself, but he never regards his assigned role as a piece of cake. Maybe he’s the guy I’ll rush to chat up in the resurrection, as others are making a beeline for David. Sort of reminds me of an older brother, faithful lifelong, who will close out his days that way, I have no doubt, who nonetheless ventured his view that “Jehovah expects a lot.” I’ll ask Jeremiah how he ever pulled off his role.
God keeps ratcheting up his assignment.
He confronts those who say “again and again to those who disrespect [Jehovah]: “You will enjoy peace.”’ And to everyone who follows his own stubborn heart they say, ‘No calamity will come upon you.’” I mean, does that sound like a great assignment or what, continually butting heads with these people?
It’s like a friend of mine remarking of those he encountered in the ministry, that they had minds “of concrete—all mixed up and firmly set.” The entrenched interests have taken charge, liken the modern-day counterparts who have adapted to doing anything they want and calling it ‘holy spirit,’ serving God with their lips but it seems not important to them if they actually do what he wants or not.
His prophetic mission has taken him to the top of a world that doesn’t want to hear it. So much do they not want to hear it that. “Pashhur . . . the priest . . . the leading commissioner in the house of Jehovah, kept listening to Jeremiah while prophesying these words [and] struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him into the stocks.” (20:2) Was Jeremiah abashed the next day upon his release? Doesn’t sound that way:
“Jeremiah now said to him: “Jehovah has called your name, not Pashhur, but ‘Fright all around.’ For this is what Jehovah has said, ‘Here I am making you a fright to yourself and to all your lovers, and they will certainly fall by the sword of their enemies while your eyes will be looking on; and all Judah I shall give into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will actually take them into exile in Babylon and strike them down with the sword.” (20;3-4) It is another play on words, this time a play on Pashur’s actual name. Pashur literally means something like ‘fruitful/joy all around.” Jeremiah kept the ‘all around’ part’ changing only the stuff that the “all around” was all around.
This is why you do not put intellectuals and academics in charge of disseminating the Word of God. Ever concerned about their stature in the eyes of their peers, they will wuss-out every single time when the game gets rough. No, you need to put lowly ones in charge who have no special stature to worry about. To me, Jeremiah’s becoming one of the most interesting players in the Old Testament.
****** The bookstore
Leave a Reply