Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 15:16
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.
16. He describes the joy with which he first received the Divine commission.
were found ] Cp. Eze 3:1, where “findest” (omitted, however, in the best MSS. of LXX) stands in the same connexion.
I did eat them ] The expression conveys two notions: (i) joyful acceptance, (ii) close union. It is however a strange one. LXX, slightly changing MT., read (for “I have suffered joy”), I have borne reproach from them that despise thy words. Consume them, and thy word shall be to me a joy, etc. For “consume them” cp. Psa 59:13.
am called ] See on Jer 7:10.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Jer 15:16
Thy word was unto me the Joy and rejoicing of mine heart.
The souls discovery and use of the words of God
I. The souls discovery of the words of God. Thy words were found.
1. In their truth. He that believeth hath the witness–i.e., the thing witnessed, the testimony–in himself. He feels the reality of the words of God. They are substance, not shadow, to him.
2. In their meaning. The words of God are not designed to act upon us as an ignorant charm. They are necessarily full of the mind of God. Sympathy with the mind of God is therefore indispensable for understanding them.
3. In their immense importance.
4. In their intense applicability.
5. In their impressive power. Demonstration of the Spirit.
II. The souls use of the words of God. I did eat them. As the mouth receives food for the body, so faith for the soul.
1. The believing soul loves the words. With its regenerated taste it relishes them keenly, finds them to be bread of God, better even than angels food.
2. The believing soul dwells on the words; meditates upon them day and night.
3. The believing soul turns the words into the nourishment of the spiritual life. For its appetite is wholesome. It desires the sincere milk of the Word, that it may grow thereby. And it does.
III. The delightful effect of the souls discovery and use of the words of God. Thy word was unto me the joy, etc. This is owing to–
1. The suitableness and comprehensiveness of its provision.
2. The preciousness of its grace.
3. The grandeur of its discoveries. Of God, His attributes, providence, Church, heaven.
4. The elevated piety and purity of its tone.
Conclusion–Would you be able to express yourselves thus? Remember, then, that Gods words are spread before your eye, and spoken to your ear, like any other words, to be inquired into, if you would understand them; to be attended to and detained in your memory, if you would experience their intended and beneficial effects. But remember also, that they are but the textbook of the heavenly Teacher; and do not fail to implore His gracious teaching. (H. Angus, D. D.)
The secret food and the public name
It was good advice of a venerable divine to a young man who aspired to be a preacher, when he said to him, Dont become a minister if you can help it. The man who could very easily be a tradesman or a merchant had better not be a minister. A preacher of the Gospel should always be a volunteer, and yet he should always be a pressed man, who serves his King because he is omnipotently constrained to do so. Only he is fit to preach who cannot avoid preaching, who feels that woe is upon him unless he preach the Gospel, and that the very stones would cry out against him if he should hold his peace.
I. In the description of Jeremiahs secret life, which consists of his inward reception of the Word of God (which description will answer for ourselves), we have three points.
1. The finding of it–Thy words were found.
(1) We read the Word. Here it is: Gods Word is all here, and, if we would find it, we must read it earnestly. As the habit of having a time for prayer is good, so also is the habit of reading the Scriptures. Yet it is a mischievous practice to read a great deal of the Bible without time for thought; it flatters our conceit without benefiting our understanding. The practice of always reading the Bible in scraps is also to be deprecated.
(2) But we have not found Gods Word when we have read it, unless we add to it an understanding of the Word. Marrow bones, who can feed on them? Split them, take out the marrow, and then you have luscious food. Merely verbal utterances, even though they be the utterance of the Holy Spirit, cannot feed the soul. It is the inward meaning, the truth that is revealed, which we should labour after.
(3) To find Gods Word means sometimes the discovery of select and appropriate words to suit our case. Thy words were found. You know when you have lost your key, and your cupboard or your drawer cannot be opened, you send for a locksmith, and he comes in with a whole bunch of keys. First he tries one–that does not fit; then he tries another–that will not do; and the good man perseveres, perhaps with twenty keys, it may be with fifty. At last he gets the proper key, which springs the lock, and he opens your treasure for you. Now Scripture to us is much of the same nature. We have many promises in the time of trouble, and it is a great blessing to find the promise that suits our case.
(4) Thy words were found; that is, I felt I had got a hold of them; I knew I had got them; I had discovered them–they were Thy words to my inmost soul. They have come to us with a power that no other words ever had in them, and we cannot be argued out of our conviction of their superlative excellence and Divine authority. We have found the words of our heavenly Father: we know we have, for children know their own fathers voice.
2. A second view of the inner life must now be considered. Thy word was found, and I did eat it.
(1) By that term is signified, first, the prizing of Gods Word. When Jeremiah received a sentence which he knew came from Gods mouth he prized it, he loved it so that he ate it; he could not lay it aside; he did not merely think of it; he loved it so that he put it into his very self.
(2) The term eating implies, moreover, that he derived nourishment from it. It is delightful to sit down and suck the soul out of a text, to take it and feel that not the letter only but the inner vitals of the text are our own, and are to be received into the very nature of our spirit, to become assimilated with it.
(3) But the figure of eating means more, it sets forth an intimate union. That which a man eats gets intertwined with his own self, his own personality. The diligent believer when he knows the Word, learns it so well that he assimilates it into his own being. Let me illustrate this by a fact which is notable in a lower sense in certain natural persuasions. When Galileo was convinced that the world moved, they put him in prison for it, and in his weakness he recanted, and said he believed it stood still and that the sun moved, but the moment, he got away from his persecutors he stamped his foot, and said, But it does move, though. And so he who knows the truth as it is in Jesus has even a higher persuasion than that which ruled Galileo. He cannot belie the truth: he has got it so into himself that he cannot give it up.
3. Notice, then, the third glimpse into the inner life. It was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart. Nothing makes a man so happy as the Word of God. Nothing makes him so full of delight and peace of soul as feeding upon the Word.
II. The Christian in his outward life, as he is mentioned here–I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
1. The condition of Jeremiah was one which he had attained by his conduct. He was so continually preaching about Jehovah, so constantly insisting upon Jehovahs will, and going upon Jehovahs errands that they came to call him Jehovahs man, and he was known by Jehovahs name. Now the man who loves Gods Word, and feeds on it, and rejoices in it, will so act that he will come to be called a Christian. He will not only be so, but he will be called so. Men will take knowledge of him that he has been with Jesus. To be called Jehovahs man was an honour to Jeremiah; and to be called by any of these nicknames, which signify that we belong to God, is an honour to aspire after and not to be regretted. May we all win some opprobrious name, and wear it as our title of holy chivalry.
2. But this is a name, in the second place, which is involved in the profession of every Christian. I am called by Thy name, O Jehovah, God of hosts. Of course you are so called, if your profession be true. Oh, that we remembered always that we are Christians, and therefore must always act up to the name that is named upon us. God grant you, friends, that, in the power of the eating of Gods Word, you may be constrained to act ever as becometh those upon whom the name of Christ is named.
3. Once more, this word may be used in the sense which arises out of the Gospel itself. I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts. I belong to Thee. When they gather up the nations, and they say, This man belongs to Babylon, and that man to Assyria, and that man to Egypt, I belong to Thee, and am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts. What a comfort this is–we who believe in Christ belong to God. We are His portion, and He will never lose us. They shall be Mine, saith the Lord, when I make up My jewels. You are poor: but you are Christs. Does not that mitigate your poverty? You are sick: but you are Gods. Does not that comfort you? The poor lamb lies in the cold field, but, if it belongs to a good shepherd, it shall not die. The sheep is sick, or it has wandered; but, if it belongs to an Omnipotent Shepherd, it shall be healed and it shall be brought back. The name of Christ being named upon us is the guarantee of our present comfort and of our future security. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Gods Word found and eaten
I. What was the prize which Jeremiah describes himself as having found? It was the Word of God. Thy words, says he, were found–just as a man, on digging in the ground, might find beyond his hopes a treasure there; or as a merchantman, seeking goodly pearls, might find unexpectedly one of greater price than any he was looking for. When men find the Word of God, they find also their duty and calling. They make a grand discovery of the will of God concerning them.
II. What use he made of this discovery. Thy words were found, and I did eat them. So then he made the words of God his food–he made a meal of them–not only did he hear, read, mark, and learn, but he inwardly digested them. It is dealing with them as the hungry man does with food. It is converting the Word of God into wholesome nourishment. The Word is thus hid in the heart, as the food we eat is in the body, and becomes, as it were, a part of us–the very life blood of the soul.
III. The happiness which he acquired in consequence. Thy Word was unto me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart. A noble testimony this to the efficacy of Gods Word. How sweetly it went down (Son 7:9); how blessed its effects upon the prophets heart, when joy and rejoicing were the consequences! David also ate Gods words; and what is his account of it! (Psa 119:103; Psa 19:10.) Hear what is the voice of the whole Church without exception (Son 2:3). Not a single member of Christs Church but is ready to declare with the prophet that the precious Word of God, when fed upon by faith, is the joy and the rejoicing of his heart–his songs in the house of his pilgrimage. (A. Roberts, M. A.)
Divine revelation
I. As a Divine word. What is the Word? Not the book we call the Bible, that is but the record of the revelation. Jesus Christ is emphatically the Logos. The fullest, brightest, strongest Word of God is this. A true word answers two purposes.
1. By it the speaker reveals his own soul.
2. By it the speaker exerts his influence.
II. As a Divine Word appropriated.
1. Something more than to possess its record.
2. Something more than the mere understanding of its contents.
3. Something more than the mere transfusion of it into the realm of emotions.
It is to convert it into the ruling spirit of life.
III. As a Divine Word enjoyed.
1. The joy of moral satisfaction.
2. The joy of renewed strength.
Conclusion–Thank God for His Word. Study it in nature, history, consciousness, and especially in Jesus Christ. Peruse, ponder, and prize this wonderful Book, containing the pearl of great price. (Homilist.)
The influence of the Bible conducive to personal happiness
The Bible may be compared to a medicine: man is the patient, misery is the disease, and the Scriptures are presented to us as a remedy. Are they such?
I. The truth of this proposition.
1. The Scriptures received into the mind remove the misery arising from remorse and the apprehension of punishment, and introduce into the heart the feeling of delight connected with reconciliation with God, a peaceful state of conscience, and the hope of everlasting life. A missionary was discoursing in one of the South Sea Islands to some of the inhabitants of those benighted regions, and this was his text, God so loved the world, etc. The attention of one of the islanders was arrested: he began to interrogate the preacher. What! said he, is that true? Is it so? Read that again! The missionary read it a second time. (I heard the statement from his own lips.) What! God so love us, as to send His Son to die for us! and are we to have everlasting life in the world to come–is that true? It is true, replied the preacher: there is no ground whatever to question it. The mans mind was filled with amazement, and with sensations of repentance on account of sin, and wonder and joy on account of his salvation occupied his breast: he retired to weep, he retired to meditate, he retired to pray to God, and to praise his Creators name. What happiness comes into the soul when the soul is assured of eternal life?
2. The Bible preserves us from the state of misery arising from bad and ungovernable passions, and introduces the delights connected with a holy state of heart.
3. The Bible received into the heart by faith turns the afflictions of life into real mercies, and renders them at once bearable and beneficial.
4. The Bible welcomed into the soul by faith removes the sting of death, and turns the monster from a dreadful curse into a blessing of no small magnitude. I was acquainted with a gentleman, many years ago; he was of a sceptical turn of mind, and, as a consequence, not very attentive to religion. He was following a very lucrative profession, and unexpectedly exhibited the symptoms of a fatal disease. He fully expected he should die in the course of a few months. He found no support in scepticism; none whatever. And the lash of conscience began, for having neglected the Scriptures, and not having fairly and candidly investigated their claims. This filled him with great remorse; for he felt that if the Bible should be true, he would certainly be condemned for his negligence and his want of candid examination. He resolved, as long as life should last, that he would study the sacred volume, and inquire into its claims. His health was restored to him, and after devoting all his leisure time, for about twelve months to reading the Scriptures, and books connected with them, and explanatory of them, and pointing out their claims and their evidences, the result was a firm conviction, that the Bible was from God. He was induced then to begin to act upon it. He went abroad; he was one night in the river Ganges, and suddenly, while fast asleep, a cry was raised that the boat was sinking; and so it was–there were holes in the keel, and the stern of the boat was brought under water in the night season by the men, who went and slept, and the boat was gradually filling, and in a few minutes more all would have sunk like a stone or lead to the bottom of the river. His first impression was, I have not an hour to live. There was a tumultuous feeling in his mind, yet had he sufficient composure to reflect upon the difference of his feelings then, and what they were when he anticipated death some years prior. His impression and conviction was, that he should be in heaven in an hour; and oh! the support of the Gospel in that moment. Subsequently, he was seized with the Asiatic cholera, and life was in suspense. Similar support was again experienced. A Brahmin was by his side; and he took occasion to say, Now you see the support, that the Christian experiences in the season of extremity: my life is in suspense: for me to live is Christ; for me to die is gain.
II. Some objections which stand in the way of its practical adoption. There are some who will not, like Jeremiah, eat the words of God–that will not receive Him into their heart; therefore they do not share in this holy joy. Some will say, I cannot wholly satisfy my mind that this book is from God: I have doubts, and doubts which amount to what is considerable; so that I cannot enjoy the book in consequence of these sceptical ideas. How should I get rid of them? I would say, in order to get rid of these doubts act conscientiously: do not act in a manner inconsistent with what you believe to be the will of God: do not live in wilful sin. If any man will do the will of My Father, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God. So said Christ. Act according to your own conscientious views of holiness, and you will find scepticism disappear. Let me entreat you to read the Bible, read the whole of it, if you are troubled with sceptical thoughts. Dr. Johnson said that no honest man could be a deist, if he had had opportunity to study the evidence: if he read through the evidence, and through the Bible, he could not continue a deist, as the evidence was so clear and so conclusive. Humes name was mentioned to him, that he disbelieved the Bible. Dr. Johnson replied, Hume, I know, made the confession to a clergyman in the bishopric of Durham, that he had never read the New Testament carefully. There are some sceptics who read a little here and a little there; but they do not get a complete view of the subject; and they read rather to find something to object to, something they may lay hold of. The conduct of such men has been compared to that of the Athenian, who had a palace to be sold by auction: he took a brick out of one of the walls of the palace, and at the auction mart he said, Here is a sample of my palace. How absurd! A brick out of the wall to be a sample. But so some men take here a text and there a text–a brick taken out of the wall–and what do they know about the entire edifice? Give the Bible throughout a candid and complete perusal; and read books which are explanatory, written in a spirit of candour and intelligence. But let me add, to put your sceptical thoughts to flight, I think you will find prayer to be the most powerful thing of all, and the most rapid way to scatter your doubts. He hath the witness in himself. When a man begins to pray to God, God answers him, if he prays sincerely, and God gives him a new heart and makes him a new man. Then he begins to argue in this way, Why the Bible has changed my heart, the Bible has made me holy, the Bible has made me happy; what want I with further witness? (H. Townley.)
Hidden manna
I. A memorable discovery. What is meant by finding Gods words?
1. A thing found has usually to be sought for. Happy is he who reads or hears the Scriptures, searching all the while for the hidden spiritual sense (Pro 2:4-5).
2. To find Gods Word means that we have been made to understand them (1Co 3:14). The Bible is a dull book till illuminated; a tantalising riddle till you get the key; but, the clue once found, it absorbs our attention, delights our intellect, and enriches our heart.
3. Means to appropriate it as belonging to yourself. Reading a will is not interesting till you find you have a part in it.
II. An eager reception. What is meant by eating them?
1. An eager study. Greedy for the truth. My soul hungered even to ravenousness to be fed upon the bread of heaven.
2. Cheerful reception. My soul was in love with the Word.
3. An intense belief. Not questioning it, but living upon it.
4. The language means, besides, both the diligent treasuring up of the truth, and the inward digestion of the same.
III. The happy consequences.
1. Hold the truth in its entirety and harmony, and then it will be joy to your heart.
2. The Word of God would have given no joy had he not been obedient to it.
3. Yet there are certain choice truths in Gods Word, especially joy giving: the doctrine of election, to know that you are called and predestinated; and of the immutability of Divine love.
IV. A distinguishing title.
1. The name of the Lord of hosts was reviled in Jeremiahs day, yet he felt it an honour to be associated with the Lord in this contempt. Oh ye who love the Lord Jesus, never shun the scandal of the Cross!
2. Some do not count it a fair thing to bear the name of the Most High. It is a disgrace to any man that his Lord should die for his soul on Calvary and yet he be afraid to wear His livery. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Enjoying Gods Word
I. A high valuation for this Word. Prized as Gods Word, and sought under that character. Love to the Word of God is a sure sign of a gracious heart.
1. It partakes of the Divinity of its Author.
2. It is adapted to the nature of its subject; suited to man.
3. It has produced most astonishing effects.
(1) Have you found this Word?
(2) Has it found you?
II. A personal experience of its power. I did eat it.
1. Religion is the life of the soul, as the soul is the life of the body. Truth is the sustenance of the moral man. Divine truth must be incorporated with the elements of the intellectual nature, or we perish.
2. When you come to the Word, remember that Divine influence alone can make it effectual. As you say grace before meat, let your reading be preceded by prayer.
III. A conscious participation of the happiness it produces. It was the rejoicing of my heart. How does it promote joy?
1. By the light it imparts to the understanding. It gives decision to the judgment; fully occupies the mind upon the noblest subject; engages faculties and powers in Gods service.
2. By the relief it gives to the conscience. In the hope of pardon and acceptance.
3. By the exercise it affords to the best affections of the heart. The pleasures of benevolence are genuine pleasures; allied to the happiness of God Himself.
4. By the consolations and hopes under sorrow.
IV. A sense of consecration. I am called by Thy name. Improvement–It reproves–
1. Those who never seek.
2. Those who are content with knowledge without experience.
3. Those who are strangers to religious peace and joy.
4. Those who neither own Gods name, nor are owned of Him. (S. Thodey.)
Gods Word found, eaten, and enjoyed
I. Gods word found.
1. It comes to us through nature.
2. It comes also through our own spiritual being, in its instinctive yearnings.
3. In the fullest sense, it has come through Christ.
4. Also through prophets and apostles–in the written Word.
II. Gods word eaten.
1. This is more than to possess its record. To have a full larder will not sustain life nor give strength.
2. It is more than an intellectual understanding of the contents of Scripture. The mere analysis of food will not give sustenance.
3. Positively, it is to turn it into the principle of life by assimilation.
III. Gods word enjoyed.
1. The joy of satisfaction.
2. The joy of strength renewed. (John Oswald.)
Found, eaten, and enjoyed
I. An important discovery was made.
1. Words are the representatives of thought. Have great power to move mens minds.
2. Words derive much of their power from the mind which utters them. Gods words are a hammer, a fire, a sword, a balm, a saving and sanctifying power to men who receive and obey them.
3. That which is found must previously have existed. Gods Word exists, whether men find it or not. He who finds it is wise, rich, happy.
II. A peculiar method of appropriation was made.
1. It implies soul hunger. Caused by stress of duty, pressure of persecution, and multiplied sorrows.
2. It affirms that Gods words are soul food. Wholesome, nourishing, savoury, saving.
III. A delightful experience was realised. Joy and rejoicing–
1. In what the Word revealed of God.
2. In the way that revelation met his utmost need.
3. In the knowledge of salvation there unfolded.
4. In the prospects to which the attention of Gods servants was directed.
IV. An emphatic public testimony was given. I am called by Thy name, etc.
1. Gods name was called upon him. As the saving power, and source of hope and joy, the name of Christ has been called upon us.
2. He was called by Gods name. We, by Christs.
3. He was strengthened by God in all his works.
Application–
1. The Word discovered–a treasure.
2. The Word in the heart–a joy.
3. The Word on the lips–a message.
4. The Word in the hand–a weapon. (W. Whale.)
Feeding on Gods truth
Understandest thou what thou readest? That is the main point. The butterflies flit over the garden, and nothing comes of their flitting; but look at the bees, how they drive into the bells of the flowers and come forth with their thighs laden with the pollen and filled with the sweetest honey for their hives. This is the way to read your Bible: get into the flowers of Scriptures, plunge into the inward meaning, and suck out that secret sweetness which the Lord hath put there for your spiritual nourishment. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
How to make the Bible our own
Thy words were found, and I did eat them. In the absence of his father, a little boy attended the Sabbath School of a Dutch Reformed minister. On the fathers return he went upstairs and finding his son reading the Word of God, he asked him, What book are you reading? He replied, The Bible. Where did you get it? In yonder Sabbath School. He then took the Bible from him and committed it to the flame, saying, If you ever go to the Sunday School again, Ill give you such a thrashing as you have never had. Having ascertained that the Bible was burned, his son said to him, Father, you have burned my Bible; but you cannot burn out of me those chapters I have committed to memory from the Gospel of John. (W. Baxendale.)
Joy in Gods Word
I have many books, says Mr. Newton, that I cannot sit down to read; they are indeed good and sound, but, like halfpence, there goes a great quantity to a little amount. There are silver books, and a very few golden books; but I have one book worth more than all, called the Bible, and that is a book of bank notes.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 16. Thy word was – the joy and rejoicing of mine heart] When I did receive the prophetic message, I did rejoice in the honour thou hadst done me; and I faithfully testified thy will to them. They have become mine enemies; not because there was any evil in me, but because I was faithful to thee.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Either the words which from time to time thou didst reveal to me were by me greedily digested; and though some of them were dreadful and terrible words, yet because they proceeded from thee, I was glad to hear them, and to be thy instrument to communicate them to thy people; or, (which better pleaseth the learned author of our English Annotations, and possibly may be more the Sense of the place,) Thy word of commission, (of which see Jer 1) by which I was made thy prophet, was at first very grateful and pleasing to me; I was glad at the heart, when thou at any time didst reveal thy will to me. Thou art the Lord of hosts, and so able to protect thy messengers. Lord, I am called by thy name, I became a prophet by thy authority, therefore do thou own, protect, and defend me.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. eat (Eze 2:8;Eze 3:1; Eze 3:3;Rev 10:9; Rev 10:10).As soon as Thy words were found by me, I eagerly laid hold of andappropriated them. The Keri reads, “Thy word.“
thy word . . . joy(Job 23:12; Psa 119:72;Psa 119:111; compare Mt13:44).
called by thy nameI amThine, Thy minister. So the antitype, Jesus Christ (Ex23:21).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thy words were found, and I did eat them, e.] The messages he was called to deliver unto others appeared to him to be of God, and they were as welcome to him as food is to a hungry man he cheerfully received them, treasured them up in his memory, digested them in his mind, and carefully retained them. So the doctrines of the Gospel, which are the words of God, and not of men, when by searching and close application they are found in the Scriptures, and under the ministry of the word, they are food to souls, sweet, savoury, wholesome, nourishing, and strengthening; not as merely heard externally, or only assented unto, or superficially tasted of; but when eaten, as Ezekiel’s roll was by him; and which is done by faith, which receives, feeds upon, and digests the word; for, unless it is mixed with faith, it is not profitable:
and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart; the messages which the prophet was sent with, even those which denounced grievous things against his people in case of impenitence, were gladly received by him, and he readily delivered them, hoping that they would be a means of bringing them to a sense of their sins, and to repentance for them, and so of preserving them from ruin; and especially those words or doctrines he had in commission to deliver, which respected the Messiah, his person, offices, kingdom, righteousness, and grace; the calling of the Gentiles, and the enlargement of the interest of Christ; the glory of his name, and the prosperity of his people in the latter day. The word of the Gospel, when received and eaten by faith, whether by ministers or people, is productive of spiritual joy and pleasure; the promises of it being exceeding precious; and the doctrines of it doctrines of grace, salvation, peace, pardon, and righteousness, by Christ, who is the sum and substance of them:
for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts; what added to his joy was, that the name of the Lord was called upon him, or that he was called a prophet of the Lord: this he looked upon as a high honour done him; and what still more increased his joy was, that he was a prophet, not of Baal, that could not hear nor help his prophets and worshippers; but of the Lord God of hosts and armies, who was able to uphold him, protect and defend him, against his enemies.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Prophet had said in the last verse that he was loaded with reproach on God’s account; for in his intercourse with his own people he did not incur their hatred for any private affair, but for his faithfulness in the discharge of his duty: hence arose their reproaches and slanders. He now confirms the same thing in other words, and at the same time explains what might have appeared obscure on account of the brief statement which he had made. This verse, then, is explanatory; for the Prophet shews what he meant by saying that he was burdened with reproaches and calumnies on account of God’s name.
Found, he says, by me have been thy words, and I did eat them, and they turned to me for joy of heart Hence then it was that he was hated by the whole people, because he labored to obey from the heart and in sincerity the command of God, and to perform the office committed to him. But by saying that words had been found, he refers to his calling, as though he had said that he had not sought them as ambitious men are wont to do. We indeed see, with regard to many, that they busy themselves about many things, while they might be at ease and be troublesome to none; but a foolish ambition impels them to seek offices for themselves, and thus they excite against themselves the hatred of many. The Prophet therefore testifies here, that he did not ambitiously seek his office, but that it had been conferred on him from above. We may also take the word in another sense — that the Prophet felt assured that God had sent him; for the word, to find, is often thus taken in Scripture; that is, when anything is perceived and known it is said to be found. But the former view is what I approve, for it is more simple. Then the Prophet says that he was called and made a Prophet, when he expected no such thing; for when he in no way intruded himself, God met him, and in a manner anticipated him: and this we have seen in the first chapter; for he said, for the sake of excusing himself,
“
Ah! Lord, I cannot speak.” (Jer 1:8)
We hence see that the Prophet sought to decline the office rather than to desire it as a vocation of honor. So he now rightly declares that God’s words had been found by him, that is, that they had been gratuitously bestowed on him, according to what the Lord says by Isaiah,
“
I have been found by them who sought me not, and I have manifested myself to them who asked not for me.” (Isa 65:1; Rom 10:20)
This indeed is to be applied to all; but as to the meaning of the term, to find, we see how suitable it is. the Prophet then did not hunt for this honor, nor did he desire any such thing, but the favor of God anticipated him.
He afterwards adds, I did eat them He here testifies that he from the heart, and with a sincere feeling, submitted to God’s command. We indeed know that many prattle about heavenly mysteries, and have the words of God on their tongues; but the Prophet says that he had eaten the words of God; that is, that he brought forth nothing from the tip of his tongue, as the proverb is, but spoke from the bottom of his heart, while engaged in the work of his calling. Well known and sufficiently common in Scripture is the metaphor of eating. When we are said to eat Christ, (Mat 26:26) the reference no doubt is to the union we have with him, because we are one body and one spirit. So also we are said to eat the word of God, not when we only taste and immediately spew it out again, as fastidious men do, but when we receive inwardly and digest what the Lord sets before us. For celestial truth is compared to food, and we know by the experience of faith how fit the comparison is. Since then celestial truth is good to feed spiritually our souls, we are justly said to eat it when we do not reject it, but greedily receive it, and so really chew and digest it that it becomes our nourishment. This then is what is meant by the Prophet; for he did not act a fable on the stage when teaching the people, but performed in real earnest the office committed to him, not like an actor, is the case is with many who boast themselves to be ministers of the word, but he was a faithful and true minister of God. He then says, that the word of God had been to him the joy and gladness of his heart; that is, that he delighted in that word, like David, who compares it to honey. (Psa 19:11; Psa 119:103) The same manner of speaking is used by Ezekiel,(Eze 2:8 and Eze 3:1😉 for the Prophet is there bidden to eat the volume presented to him; and then he says that it was to him like honey in sweetness, for he embraced the truth with ardent desire, and made privately such a proficiency in the school of God, that his labors became afterwards publicly useful. We hence see how similar was the case with Jeremiah and Ezekiel; for they not only recited, as is commonly done by those who seek to please the ear, what they had been taught, but they became the disciples of the holy Spirit before they became teachers to the people. (146)
It may however be asked, how could the word of God be so sweet and pleasant to the Prophet, when yet it was so full of bitterness; for we have seen elsewhere that many tears were shed by the holy man, and he had expressed a wish that his eyes would flow, as though they were fountains of water. How then could these things agree — the grief and sorrow which the holy man felt for God’s judgments, and the joy and gladness which he now mentions? We have said elsewhere that these two feelings, though apparently repugnant, were connected together in the Prophets; they as men deplored and mourned for the ruin of the people, and yet, through the power of the Spirit, they performed their office, and approved of the just vengeance of God. Thus then the word of God became joy to the Prophet, not that he was not touched by a deep feeling for the destruction of the people, but that he rose above all human feelings, so as fully to approve of God’s judgments. Hosea says the same thing —
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Right are the ways of the Lord; the just will walk in them, but the ungodly will stumble and fall.” (Hos 14:9)
The Prophet indeed speaks thus, not of the word itself, but of its execution; but yet the design is the same; for the Prophet Hosea checks the wantonness of the people, because they complained that God was too rigid and severe. Right, he says, are the ways of the Lord; the just will walk in them, that is, they will consent to God, and acknowledge that he acts rightly, even when he punishes for sins; but the ungodly will stumble, according to what the Lord says in another place —
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Are my ways perverse and not rather yours?” (Eze 18:25)
For they said that the Lord’s ways were crooked, because they, being soft and delicate, could not endure those severe rebukes, which their own wickedness forced from the holy Prophets. God answers them, and says, that his ways were not crooked, nor thorny, nor tortuous, but that the fault was in the people themselves.
We now then understand the real meaning of this passage. The Prophet knew that nothing was better than to receive whatever proceeded from God; and he testifies that he found sweetness in God’s word.
He afterwards adds, Because on me is called thy name, O Jehovah, God of hosts This mode of speaking occurs often in Scripture, but in a different sense. The name of God is indeed called indiscriminately on all, who are deemed his people. As it was formerly given to the whole seed of Abraham, so it is at this day conferred on all who are consecrated to his name by holy baptism, and who boast themselves to be Christians and the sons of the Church; and this belongs even to the Papists. We are called by his name, because he has favored us with his peculiar grace, for the purity of true and lawful worship exists among us; errors have been removed and his simple truth remains; yet many hypocrites are mixed with the elect of God, so that in a true and well ordered church, the reprobate are called by the name of God; but the elect alone are truly called by his name, as Paul says,
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Let every one who calls on the name of the Lord depart from iniquity,” (2Ti 2:19)
There is in this case a mutual connection; for to call on the name of the Lord, and to have his name called on any one, amounts to the same thing. We hence see that the name of God is only truly and really called on those, who not only boast that they are the faithful, but who have been also regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
But the Prophet here refers to his office when he says, that the name of God was called on him; for he had been chosen to his office of teaching; he was not only dignified with the title, but was really approved by God. We now then perceive in what sense he says that God’s name was called on him, even because God had laid his hand on him and resolved to employ him in the work of teaching the people. But there are many mercenaries in the Church, and though they do not openly corrupt or adulterate the truth of God, they yet, as Paul says, preach it for gain, (2Co 2:17) It must be observed, that God’s name was called on Jeremiah, because he was known to God as being true and faithful; and he had not only proved himself to be so to men, but he had been chosen by God to be his faithful messenger. (147)
There is emphasis in the words, O Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the Prophet no doubt refers here to the glory of God, that he might with an elevated mind look down, as it were, on so many adversaries, who proudly despised him, as it was difficult to carry on war with the whole people. This then was the reason why he spoke of God’s glory in terms so magnificent, by saying, O Jehovah, the God of hosts It follows: —
(146) The received text has “thy words.” Calvin has followed the Keri and the ancient versions, as well as our version; but “words” being mentioned in the previous line, the same thing being meant. It is more proper to use “words” here, —
And thy words were to me for exultation, And (or, even) for the joy of my heart.
It is no objection that the verb, which precedes in Hebrew the noun “words,” is in the singular number; it is the idiom of the language, which is exactly the same in Welsh. “Exultation” is the visible effect; “the joy of the heart” is the inward feeling, the hidden cause. It is common in Scripture to mention the effect first, and to go back to the cause. — Ed.
(147) The connection of this clasue is variously understood. It cannot be considered as a reason for the previous clause. Gataker, Grotius, and others render כי, that, — “that thy name was called upon me,” regarding it as the cause of his joy, that he was called God’s prophet. Venema renders it when, which seems more suitable. But on viewing the whole passage, we may justly consider this as a reason for the prayer he offers in the previous verse, so that the latter part of that and the beginning of this verse are parenthetic. I would give this version, —
15. Thou knowest, Jehonah; Remember me and visit me, And take vengeance for me on my persecutors; Through thy long suffering towards them take me not away; (Know that I have been for thee borne reproach;
16. Found have been thy words and I did eat them; And thy words were to me for exultation, Even for the joy of my heart;) Because called on me has been thy name, Jehovah thou God of hosts.
—
Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16) Thy words were found . . .The words go back to the mission of Jeremiah 1, and paint, with a wonderful power, the beginning of a prophets work, the new-born intensity of joy in the sense of communion with the Eternal. The soul feeds on the words that come to it (see the same figure in a bolder form in Eze. 2:8; Eze. 3:1-3; Rev. 10:9). They are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb (Psa. 19:10). They are incorporated with its life, are the rejoicing of its heart. He is called by the Name of the Lord God of hosts, or, more literally, that Name is called upon him. As the witness of his special consecration, he becomes, like other prophets, a man of God (1Ki. 13:1; 2Ki. 7:2; 1Ti. 6:11).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. I did eat them Compare Eze 2:9; Eze 3:3; Rev 10:9-10. The meaning here is: I received them with avidity; they became incorporated into my being, and filled me with joy and strength. Trying, indeed, is the particular duty assigned me, but above it all is the blessed fact, that I belong to God and am executing his will.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 15:16. Thy words were found Thy words were pure and clean, and I have eaten them: thy words were my delight, and my heart is refreshed on this account, because I am called, &c. Houbigant. Jeremiah here declares in what manner he engaged and acquitted himself in his office of prophet. “From the moment that thou didst speak to me, and inspire me with thy Spirit, I opened my mouth, and received thy word greedily, like a man, who, pressed with hunger, finds food which is agreeable to his appetite. I treasured it in my memory; I meditated upon, and inwardly digested it. I found it my satisfaction, my comfort, my joy.”
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 1054
THE WORD OF GOD PRECIOUS
Jer 15:16. Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
THE commission given to the prophets was often of a very painful nature; to harden, rather than convert, their countrymen; and to denounce judgments, rather than to proclaim mercy [Note: Isa 6:9-12.]. Of this kind was the commission given to Jeremiah [Note: ver. 14, 13, 14.]: and for executing it, he was grievously persecuted and oppressed. Yet, notwithstanding the nature of his message, and the consequences resulting from a faithful delivery of it, he rejoiced in being honoured with an embassy from the King of kings; assured that, whatever might be the final result either to his countrymen or himself, God would be glorified. But when the prophets were sent only to denounce judgments, they knew that there was a secret reserve in the mind of God for the exercise of mercy, in case the people who were thus menaced should repent. When Jonah was sent to Nineveh to declare explicitly that in forty days the whole city should be overthrown, he had a secret suspicion, which in the event was verified, that God would, in case they repented, exercise mercy towards them. And in like manner, Jeremiah had a hope, that the faithful execution of his office, even though it should be unavailing to the generality, would be productive of good to some; and therefore on that account Gods word, which he was sent to publish, was unto him the joy and rejoicing of his heart. Under the Gospel dispensation, ministers are sent, not so much to thunder out anathemas against the rebellious world, as to proclaim to them glad tidings of great joy. And the scope of the inspired writings, as now collected into one volume, is to encourage the desponding, and to give rest to the heavy-laden. Well therefore may all, whether ministers or people, when they take the sacred volume into their hands, say, Thy word was found, and I did eat it; and it was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
In order to elucidate these words, we shall shew,
I.
How the word of God should be received
In the days of Josiah the word of God had been lost: and, when it was found, it was received with avidity, as a gift from heaven [Note: 2Ch 34:14-18.]. We do not however conceive that any similar event is referred to in the passage before us. The true light will be cast on our text, if we consult a parallel passage in the Prophet Ezekiel, where it was said to Trim, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel: and then he ate it, and it was in his mouth as honey for sweetness [Note: Eze 3:1-3.]. In both the passages the word is compared to food, which is to be eaten and digested as the proper nutriment of the soul. This image is just; since, like common food, the word,
1.
Is necessary for all
[Who can live without it? Who can have any just knowledge of God without it, or have any conception how sinful man can obtain mercy at the hands of his offended God? The greatest philosophers of Greece and Rome were entirely in the dark on all subjects connected with the soul; nor could unenlighted reason ever have explored those mysteries which the inspired volume alone has revealed to man. Even at this present day, notwithstanding the light of revelation, the great and learned amongst ourselves are still ignorant of divine truth, if they have not been taught of God by the effectual application of his word to their souls. It is by the word that the knowledge of salvation is still communicated to every one of us: and we must all study it for ourselves, receiving its testimony with a believing heart, and submitting both our reason and our passions to its enlightening and sanctifying influence.]
2.
It is suitable to all
[In the sacred oracles there is milk for babes, and strong meat for those of an adult age [Note: Compare Heb 6:13-14. with 1Pe 2:2 and Col 3:16.]. The fundamental truths are written there so plainly, that he who runs may read them: and so clearly do they mark out the path to heaven, that the way-faring man, though a fool, cannot err therein, if only he receive its directions with an humble and contrite spirit. On the other hand, there are in the inspired volume mysteries which no finite intelligence can fully comprehend. Not only may the greatest proficients in sacred literature be always advancing in knowledge, but the very angels themselves acquire more enlarged views of the manifold wisdom of God, from the revelation that is made of it in the Holy Scriptures [Note: 1Pe 1:12. with Eph 3:10.]. Moreover, so infinitely diversified is the instruction to be gathered from the sacred volume, that we can be in no situation in which it does not contain the directions and encouragements most suited to our case.]
3.
It is sufficient for all
[The Holy Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus. We need no acquaintance with any other book, nor with any other subject which is not contained in that volume. Other books doubtless are useful, and knowledge of many other subjects is desirable; but nothing is necessary for salvation which is not contained in the Holy Scriptures, and easily to be learned from them. A strange idea is maintained by some, that the Scriptures are unintelligible to the poor and illiterate; and that they are more likely to mislead them, than to guide them aright. But what a reflection is this on God himself, as having imparted to us a book altogether unsuited to the end for which it was given! But there is no ground for any such reflection. There are doubtless in the Scriptures some things hard to be understood, and which an unstable person may wrest to his own destruction: but we again affirm, that all which is necessary to be known is easily to be gathered from the word of God; and that, if it be received with meekness as an engrafted word, it is able, and shall be effectual, to save the soul [Note: Jam 1:21.].]
Let us now proceed to consider,
II.
What effect it will produce
As the roll, when eaten by Ezekiel, was as honey in his mouth, so to Jeremiah the word was the joy and rejoicing of his heart. In a man that is impenitent and unbelieving, we acknowledge that the word is calculated to inspire terror: but to one that is of a penitent and contrite spirit, it speaks nothing but peace and joy. This is the proper effect of every part of the inspired volume; of,
1.
Its declarations
[O, how wonderful are these! What an exhibition does the Scripture give us of Gods character, and of the way which he has provided for the salvation of sinful men! What a stupendous mystery does it reveal, of the incarnation and death of his co-equal, co-eternal Son! of Christ bearing our sins in his body on the tree, and being made sin for us, that we may be made the righteousness of God in him! Can such tidings as these reach the ears of a guilty and condemned sinner, and not fill him with joy? Can the voice of pardon reach the cell of a condemned criminal, and be received with indifference? or, if the offers of a free and full salvation, were now to be sent to the regions of the damned, would they excite no joyous emotions among the unhappy sufferers? If there be any, to whom the Gospel comes, that do not rejoice in the glad tidings, it is because they know not their lost estate, nor have any desire after reconciliation with their offended God. To those who know their guilty and undone state, the declarations of mercy sounding forth in the Gospel are dearer than thousands of silver and gold.]
2.
Its precepts
[It may be thought, that, because these are so strict and holy, they can afford no joy to any: but the very reverse is the case; for the true believer will say with David, Thy word is very pure; therefore thy servant loveth it [Note: Psa 119:140.]. A redeemed soul is asking, What shall I render unto the Lord for all the benefits that he hath done unto me? and in the precepts he sees what God requires of him, and how he may bring glory to the God of his salvation. He sees that an attention to these will perfect his nature, and transform him into the Divine image: hence he esteems them concerning all things to be right [Note: Psa 119:128.]; and because they are right, they rejoice his heart, and are accounted by him sweeter than honey, and the honey-comb [Note: Psa 19:8; Psa 19:10.]]
3.
Its promises
[These are justly called by the Apostle exceeding great and precious, more especially because by them we are made partakers of a divine nature [Note: 2Pe 1:4.], and are enabled to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness both of the flesh and spirit, and to perfect holiness in the fear of God [Note: 2Co 7:1.]. Who can declare a thousandth part of the joy which a weary and heavy-laden sinner experiences in applying to his soul the promises of the Gospel? With what avidity does he devour them! They are like the first ripe fig which in the early spring a traveller sees, and devours, ere any one, however near to him, has time to claim it [Note: Isa 28:4.]: and the man who knows not this by his own sweet experience, has yet to learn what be the very first principles of the oracles of God.]
4.
Its threatenings
[These to the believer are scarcely less precious than the promises themselves. It was one great excellence of the Scriptures in the estimation of David, that by them he was warned [Note: Psa 19:11.]. He regarded them as a mariner his chart, by which he is warned of the rocks and quicksands on which he will infallibly be wrecked, if he deviate from his proper course. Is there a seaman, who, when in imminent danger, is instructed by that faithful monitor to avoid destruction, will not adore his God for the warning that taught him to escape it? So it is with all who truly fear God: they love to be warned: they desire to be put upon their guard: they are afraid of turning aside in any respect, or of relaxing their efforts in the path of duty. Like Paul, they contemplate the danger of a relapse as an incentive to fresh exertions, and keep their body under, and bring it into subjection, lest, after having preached to others, they themselves should be cast-aways [Note: 1Co 9:27.]. In a word, the believer views the threatenings, as the angels who took Lot and his daughters by the hand, and, by representations of their danger, accelerated their escape from the devouring element: he acquiesces in them as just and holy; and by their quickening influence he finds them to be good.]
May we not then Learn from hence,
1.
What enemies to their own souls they are who neglect the Holy Scriptures!
[Notwithstanding the Scriptures are the wells of salvation, from whence we are privileged to draw water with joy, the greater part even of the Christian world pay but little attention to them: any other book of science or amusement is preferred before them, and, unless in a formal cursory way, they are never read at all. Now what folly is this! What man in his senses, when navigating his ship amongst rocks and quicksands, neglects to consult his chart? Yet, as if there were no dangers in the Christians way, or no great evil to be incurred by negligence, the generality are quite indifferent about that book which alone can conduct us safely to a better world. But lot it not be so amongst you: Search the Scriptures, in which ye think, yea and know assuredly, ye have eternal life. Search them daily, as the Bereans did: search them as for hid treasure; and lift up your hearts to God for the teachings of his good Spirit, to guide you into all truth. He will open your understandings to understand them, and will work effectually by them to your salvation. They are the rod of Gods strength, and the sword of his Spirit: and if you read them in humility and faith, you shall rind them quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow; and they shall discover to you the very thoughts and intents of your hearts [Note: Heb 4:12.]. If you will not sit thus at the feet of Jesus and learn of him, it is in vain for you to number yourselves among his disciples; but if you will come to him, you need not be discouraged at your weakness or ignorance; for he says, Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.]
2.
What an unspeakable blessing is the Bible Society!
[Though the Scriptures are not with us, as among the Papists, locked up in a language not generally understood, yet by the cost of a Bible it has been to a great extent kept out of the possession of the poor. True it is, that they who have known the value of the Bible would procure it at any rate: but those who were unacquainted with its treasures have found it too costly for them to purchase. But now he that is able to pay only a part, may have it for that part; and they who can really pay nothing, may have it for nothing. Now therefore the poor may well say, Thy word is found: yes, it is found; and I will eat it. O that there were in all of us such a heart! and that we were all determined henceforth to feed upon its precious truths; and that, like Job, we esteemed it more than our necessary food [Note: Job 23:12.]! Now God is sending it to all of us, the poorest as well as the richest, exactly as he did the manna in the wilderness: he sends it home to our very houses, and invites us to live upon it. The king upon the throne has no richer food; and the poorest amongst us has now a free access to it, so that he may eat that which is good, and let his soul delight itself in fatness [Note: Isa 55:2.]. Let us bless God then, who has put it into the hearts of so many to provide for us such ample supplies of this invaluable treasure: and let us all, according to our ability, labour to promote the designs of a Society, which is the most honourable to God, and most useful to man, that ever existed upon the face of the earth.]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 15:16 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.
Ver. 16. Thy words were found, and I did eat them. ] I was well apaid of thy messages that came at first to me, and of that commission thou gavest me to be a prophet; yea, I took no small delight and complacence therein; and having found this honey, I ate it; as Pro 25:16 but since I have met with much bitterness in this wicked world for my plain dealing. See Eze 3:3 Rev 10:10 . Herodotus writeth of the river Hypanis, that for five days’ journey the water of it runneth clear and sweet; and then, for four days’ journey farther, bitter and brackish. The ministry is an honourable and comfortable function, but hath its troubles and encumbrances.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
found = discovered. In the eighteenth year of Josiah 513 B.C. Hebrew. maza’. Not used of revelation. Reference to 2Ki 22:8. 2Ch 34:14, 2Ch 34:15.
I am called by Thy name = Thy name was called upon me. Only those thus called feed upon Jehovah’s words, and suffer reproach (Jer 15:15. Compare Joh 17:14).
O LORD God of hosts. See note on Jer 5:14, and 1Sa 1:3.
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I did: Eze 3:1-3, Rev 10:9
thy word: Job 23:12, Psa 19:10, Psa 119:72, Psa 119:97, Psa 119:101-103, Psa 119:111
I am called by thy name: Heb. thy name is called upon me, Jer 14:9, *marg.
Reciprocal: Neh 8:12 – because Job 22:22 – lay up Psa 1:2 – But his Psa 19:8 – rejoicing Psa 40:8 – I delight Psa 119:14 – rejoiced Psa 119:50 – This Psa 119:162 – rejoice Pro 2:10 – General Pro 10:21 – feed Pro 16:24 – an Pro 22:18 – it is Pro 24:14 – shall the Son 4:2 – teeth Son 5:16 – mouth Eze 2:8 – open Eze 3:3 – Then Dan 9:18 – which is called by thy name Amo 9:12 – which are called by my name Mic 2:7 – do not Luk 8:15 – keep Luk 24:32 – Did Joh 4:32 – I have Joh 6:27 – which endureth Joh 15:7 – my Col 3:16 – dwell 1Ti 4:6 – nourished
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 15:16. Words were found. , . . did eat them is Jeremiah’s way of saying he had desired the word of the Lord and when they were offered to him he consumed them as food. These professions of the prophet as to his interest in the divine law were true. He gives a logical reason for his attitude toward the Holy Word, that he was wearing the name of its Author. Surely, then, if one calls himseif by the name of such an important Being, he should be interested in all of the instruction that would come from such a source for his benefit.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
15:16 Thy words were found, and I {p} ate them; and thy word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
(p) I received them with a great joy, as he that is famished eats meat.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
When the priests discovered God’s Word in the temple during Josiah’s reign (2Ki 22:13; 2Ki 23:2), Jeremiah had consumed it. He may have had a deep appreciation for God’s Word even before that event. Whenever Jeremiah began to relish God’s Word, it had become his delight and a joy to his soul (cf. Eze 2:8 to Eze 3:3; Rev 10:9-10), in contrast to the majority of people who despised it (Jer 8:9). The Lord’s words included His messages to the prophet, as well as His written Word. Jeremiah’s love for the Word was a result of God’s initiative-because Almighty Yahweh had called him to Himself (cf. Jer 1:4-10).
One of the greatest blessings God can give His servants is a hunger for His Word. If you do not have it, ask Him to give it to you. Then cultivate a taste for it (cf. 1Pe 2:2).