John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 14:8-9

"O thou hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in the time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a sojourner in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest thou be as a man affrighted, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O Jehovah, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not." — Jeremiah 14:8-9 (ASV)

I have said that the former verse is confirmed by these words. For since the Prophet mentions God's own name to Him, we must consider the cause of the confidence with which he was supported, which was this: God had chosen that people and promised that they would be His special people. It is therefore on the basis of that covenant that the Prophet now prays for God to glorify His name; such a prayer could not have been made for pagan nations. From this we perceive how the Prophet dared to introduce God’s name in such a way, as to say, Deal with us for Your name’s sake.

He calls God, in the next place, the hope of Israel. This was not because the Israelites relied on Him as they should have, for the ten tribes had long before revolted from Him, and such great corruption had also prevailed in Judah that hardly one in a thousand could be considered faithful. Hope then among the people had become extinct. But the Prophet here regards the perpetuity of the covenant, as though he had said, “Even though we are unworthy to be protected by You, yet as You have promised to be always ready to bring us help, You are our hope.” In short, the word “hope” or “expectation” is to be referred to God’s promise and to the constancy of His faithfulness, and not to the faithfulness of men, which did not exist, or at least was very limited and found in very few.

To the same purpose he adds, His Savior in time of trouble. He had in view the many proofs by which God had manifested His power in the preservation of the faithful. And he expressly mentions trouble or distress, as though he had said that God's aid had been known by sufficiently clear evidence. For if the people had never needed His help, His favor would have been less evident; but as they had often been reduced to great straits, the bounty and power of God had become more manifest by delivering them from extreme dangers.

It is then added, Why should You be as a stranger in the land? as a traveler, who turns aside for a short time in his journey to pass the night? Here a contrast must be noted between a stranger and one who is stationary, spoken of later. God desired His name to be invoked in Judea; it was therefore necessary that His favor should continue there. And therefore He called the land His rest, and He had also promised by Moses that He would always be in the midst of His people.

The Prophet no doubt had taken from the Law what he relates here: You are in the midst of us, Jehovah, Your name is called on us. He therefore reasons from what seemed inconsistent, so that he might obtain pardon from God; for if He was inexorable, His covenant would have failed and perished, which would have been unreasonable and could not indeed have been possible.

Therefore he says, “Lord, why should You be as a stranger and as a traveler, who seeks only a lodging for one night and then goes forward?” God had promised, as I have already said, that He would rest perpetually in the land, that He would be a God to the people; it was not then consistent with the covenant that God should pass as a stranger through the land. As He had then formerly defended the Jews and made them safe and secure even in the greatest dangers, so the Prophet now says that it was right that He should be consistent with Himself and continue ever the same.

As to the words which follow, Why should You be as a man astonished or terrified? I take “terrified” to mean an uncultivated person, as we say in French, homme sauvage. It is then added, As a giant who cannot save. That is, a strong helper, but of no skill, who possesses great strength but fails because he is rendered useless by his own bulk. And so the Prophet says that it would be a strange thing if God were to be like a strong man, anxious to bring help, and yet do nothing.

After having said these things, he adds the contrast to which I have referred: But You are in the midst of us, Jehovah, Your name is called on us; do not forsake us. We now see that the Prophet dismisses all other reasons and turns only to God’s gracious covenant, and relies on His mercy.

You are, he says, in the midst of us. God had bound Himself by His own covenant, for no one else could have bound Him. Then he says, Your name is called on us. Could the people boast of anything of their own in being thus called? By no means; for the fact that they were so called depended on a gracious covenant.

Since the Prophet then cast away every merit in works and every trust in satisfactions, there remained nothing for him but the promise of God, which was itself founded on the free good pleasure of God. Let us therefore learn, whenever we pray to God, not to bring forward our own satisfactions, which are nothing but filthy things, abominable to God, but to allege only His own name and promise—indeed, the covenant which He has made with us in His only-begotten Son and confirmed by His blood.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that since we are taught by the Teacher whom You have set over us to seek our daily bread from You, we may know that whenever You chastise us with scarcity, we are justly visited by Your hand. And should You at any time deal severely with us, may we never cease to implore Your mercy, and feel assured that You will always be merciful and propitious to us, provided we do not decline from the way which You have pointed out to us: namely, that Your Son will reconcile us to You, and that His blood is our only satisfaction. And may we not look to anything else, even as we look to our salvation, but that Your name may be more and more glorified through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.