July 16, 2021
What does it say?
God restricted Jeremiah from marrying or having children. Jeremiah was also not to attend funerals or occasions of feasting with the wicked, disobedient people of Judah.
What does it mean?
Most Hebrew men were married before the age of twenty. So God’s instructions for His prophet to forego marriage and family certainly raised questions. The Lord required His prophet to give up an important part of Judean culture as a sign to God’s people that normal family relationships would be severed in the horrible times ahead. The additional restrictions to abstain from times of celebration and mourning pictured the absence of joyous occasions and a total lack of godly comfort. The restrictions on Jeremiah’s human relationships left him without family or friends. Each restriction, however, had a purpose that forced Jeremiah to rely on the Lord alone.
How should I respond?
God’s plan for your life may be very different from what you have pictured. Following Christ sometimes requires sacrificing something that seems good for you. In those moments, it isn’t a matter of right and wrong, but of good and best (Philippians 1:10). God may call you to remain unmarried, to move across or out of the country, or take a job that pays less. What has God asked of you that goes against your culture or family traditions? Whatever it is, you can be certain that it is not random … He has a purpose.