Jeremiah 15:10

 Jeremiah 15:10 says, Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.  Jeremiah now laments his situation, saying it would have been better if he had not been born.  People hated him, even if he had never done anything against them.  Even if we are hated by the people of the world for proclaiming God's truth, we should never be filled with self pity because of it.  Verse eleven proclaims, The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.  God told Jeremiah not to despair because one day even his enemies would treat him well.  Verse twelve asks, Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?  This question was for the people of Judah.  Would they be able to stand up to the Chaldeans or more importantly to the judgment of God.  Verse thirteen states, Thy substance and thy treasures will I give to the spoil without price, and that for all thy sins, even in all thy borders.  God told them in effect that they were going to lose everything, even though their priests were telling them that everything was fine.  When God's judgment comes, we will lose everything that is not built on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse fourteen adds, And I will make thee to pass with thine enemies into a land which thou knowest not: for a fire is kindled in mine anger, which shall burn upon you.  God said that the people of Judah were going to be taken away into a strange land that they did not know.  Verse fifteen declares, O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke.  Jeremiah asked God to spare him because God knew that he was faithful to Him.  We should remain faithful whether we are spared from suffering in this world or not.  Verse sixteen adds, Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.  Jeremiah basically said that he feed on the word of God, and so should we today as followers of Christ.  Verse seventeen continues, I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation.  Jeremiah said that he separated himself from those who mocked God, and this caused him to be by himself.  Even if we stand alone, we must stand for God's word.  Verse eighteen says, Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?  Jeremiah asked why he was suffering when he was doing what God called him to do.  Verse nineteen declares, Therefore thus saith the LORD, If thou return, then will I bring thee again, and thou shalt stand before me: and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: let them return unto thee; but return not thou unto them.  God told Jeremiah that He was still with him, and that he simply needed to remain faithful no matter what.  So must we today.  God is never going to treat us unfairly, but He may allow the people of the world to do so.  Verse twenty adds, And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD.  God said that He would be like a fence around Jeremiah.  Jeremiah was under God's protection and the forces of evil in the world would never defeat him as long as he remained faithful to God.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.  This is the promise that we have today as followers of Christ.  There is no reason to despair.  God will deliver us to the everlasting life that he has promised, no matter what.