John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 15:16

"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart: for I am called by thy name, O Jehovah, God of hosts." — Jeremiah 15:16 (ASV)

The Prophet had said in the last verse that he was loaded with reproach on God’s account; for in his dealings with his own people he did not incur their hatred for any private affair, but for his faithfulness in the discharge of his duty: from this 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 because of the brief statement he had made. This verse, then, is explanatory; for the Prophet shows what he meant by saying that he was burdened with reproaches and slanders 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. This, then, is why he was hated by the whole people: because he labored to obey God’s command from the heart and in sincerity, and to perform the office committed to him.

But by saying that words had been found, he refers to his calling, as if he had said that he had not sought them as ambitious men are accustomed to do. Indeed, we see that many busy themselves with numerous things when they could be at ease and trouble no one; but a foolish ambition impels them to seek offices for themselves, and thus they provoke the hatred of many against themselves.

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 understand the word in another sense: that the Prophet felt assured God had sent him, for the word “to find” is often taken this way in Scripture. That is, when anything is perceived and known, it is said to be “found.”

But I prefer the former view, as it is simpler. So, the Prophet says that he was called and made a prophet when he expected no such thing. For when he did not intrude himself in any way, God met him and, in a sense, anticipated him. We have seen this in the first chapter, where he said, to excuse himself:

Ah! Lord, I cannot speak (Jeremiah 1:8).

Thus, we see that the Prophet sought to decline the office rather than desire it as an honorable vocation. So he now rightly declares that God’s words had been found by him; that is, they had been freely given to him, according to what the Lord says through Isaiah:

I have been found by them who sought me not, and I have manifested myself to them who asked not for me (Isaiah 65:1; Romans 10:20).

This indeed applies to all; but regarding 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; instead, God’s favor anticipated him.

He afterwards adds, I did eat them. He testifies here that he submitted to God’s command from the heart and with sincere feeling. Indeed, we know that many prattle about heavenly mysteries and have God’s words on their tongues; but the Prophet says that he had eaten the words of God. That is, he brought forth nothing merely from the tip of his tongue, as the proverb says, but spoke from the bottom of his heart while engaged in the work of his calling.

The metaphor of eating is well known and common enough in Scripture. When we are said to eat Christ (Matthew 26:26), the reference is undoubtedly to the union we have with him, because we are one body and one spirit. Likewise, we are said to eat the word of God, not when we only taste it and immediately spit it out again, as picky people do, but when we receive inwardly and digest what the Lord presents to us.

For heavenly truth is compared to food, and we know by the experience of faith how fitting the comparison is. Since, then, heavenly truth is good for spiritually feeding our souls, we are rightly said to eat it when we do not reject it, but eagerly receive it, and so truly chew and digest it that it becomes our nourishment.

This, then, is what the Prophet means; for he was not performing a play on a stage when teaching the people, but earnestly performed the office committed to him—not like an actor, as is the case with many who boast of being 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, he delighted in that word, like David, who compares it to honey (Psalms 19:11; Psalms 119:103).

The same way of speaking is used by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:8 and Ezekiel 3:1-3), for the prophet is commanded there to eat the scroll presented to him. And then he says that it was as sweet as honey to him, for he embraced the truth with fervent desire and privately made such progress in God’s school that his labors afterwards became publicly useful.

Thus, we see how similar the cases of Jeremiah and Ezekiel were, for they not only recited what they had been taught—as is commonly done by those who seek to please the ear—but they became disciples of the Holy Spirit before they became teachers of the people.

It may, however, be asked how God’s word could be so sweet and pleasant to the Prophet when it was also so full of bitterness. For we have seen elsewhere that the holy man shed many tears, and he had expressed a wish that his eyes would flow as if they were fountains of water. How, then, could these things be reconciled: the grief and sorrow the holy man felt for God’s judgments, and the joy and gladness he now mentions?

We have said elsewhere that these two feelings, though seemingly contradictory, were connected in the Prophets. As men, they deplored and mourned the ruin of the people; yet, through the power of the Spirit, they performed their office and approved God’s just vengeance. Thus, God’s word became joy to the Prophet, not because he was untouched by deep feeling for the people’s destruction, but because he rose above all human feelings to fully approve God’s judgments. Hosea says the same thing:

Right are the ways of the Lord; the just will walk in them, but the ungodly will stumble and fall (Hosea 14:9).

The Prophet indeed speaks this way, not about the word itself, but about its execution; but still the purpose is the same. For the Prophet Hosea rebukes the rebelliousness 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 agree with 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:

Are my ways perverse and not rather yours?
(Ezekiel 18:25)

For they said that the Lord’s ways were crooked because they, being soft and delicate, could not endure the severe rebukes that their own wickedness forced from the holy Prophets. God answers them, saying that His ways were not crooked, thorny, or winding, but that the fault lay with the people themselves.

We now, then, understand the real meaning of this passage. The Prophet knew that nothing was better than to receive whatever came 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 way of speaking occurs often in Scripture, but in a different sense.

The name of God is indeed called upon all indiscriminately who are considered His people. As it was formerly given to all Abraham’s descendants, so today it is conferred on all who are consecrated to His name by holy baptism and who call themselves Christians and children of the Church; and this applies even to Roman Catholics.

We are called by His name because He has favored us with His special 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 God’s elect, so that even in a true and well-ordered church, the reprobate are called by God’s name. But the elect alone are truly called by His name, as Paul says:

Let every one who calls on the name of the Lord depart from iniquity,
(2 Timothy 2:19)

In this case, there is a mutual connection, for to call on the name of the Lord and to have His name called on someone amount to the same thing. Thus, we see that God’s name is only truly and genuinely called on those who not only claim to be faithful but who have also been regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

But the Prophet here refers to his office when he says that God’s name was called on him, for he had been chosen for his teaching office; he was not only dignified with the title but was truly approved by God.

We now, then, perceive in what sense he says God’s name was called on him: it was 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 distort God’s truth, yet, as Paul says, they preach it for gain (2 Corinthians 2:17). It must be observed that God’s name was called on Jeremiah because he was known to God as true and faithful; and he had not only proved himself to be so to men, but he had also been chosen by God to be His faithful messenger.

There is emphasis in the words, O Jehovah, the God of hosts. For the Prophet undoubtedly refers here to God’s glory, so that with an uplifted mind he might look down, as it were, on his many adversaries who proudly despised him, as it was difficult to contend with the whole people. This, then, was the reason he spoke of God’s glory in such magnificent terms, saying, O Jehovah, the God of hosts. It follows: