John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 20:14-16

"Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed. Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man-child is born unto thee; making him very glad. And let that man be as the cities which Jehovah overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear a cry in the morning, and shouting at noontime;" — Jeremiah 20:14-16 (ASV)

It seems, as I have said, that the Prophet was inconsistent with himself; from joy and thanksgiving he immediately passed into curses and denunciations. What could have been less appropriate? If we say that he was tried by a new temptation, this still seems by no means satisfactory, though it is in this way that interpreters commonly untie the knot.

But it seems to me a levity unworthy of the holy man to pass suddenly from thanksgiving to God into curses, as if he had forgotten himself. I, therefore, do not doubt that the Prophet here relates how severely he had been harassed by his own thoughts. The whole of this passage, then, is connected with thanksgiving, for he amplifies the deliverance which he has just mentioned: that is, that he had been brought back, as it were, from the lower regions.

Thus he recounts, in the later passage, what had previously happened to him, as if he had said, “When I now declare that I have been rescued by God from the hand of the wicked, I cannot sufficiently express the greatness of that favor until I make it more clearly known to all the godly how great and how dreadful were the agonies I suffered, so that I cursed my birthday and abhorred everything that should have stimulated me to give praise to God.”

In short, the Prophet teaches us here that he was not only opposed by enemies but also inwardly distressed, so that he was carried away contrary to reason and judgment by turbulent emotions which even led him to utter vile blasphemies.

For what is said here cannot be excused; the Prophet sinned most grievously when he became so slanderous towards God, because a man must be in a state of despair when he curses the day he was born.

Men are, indeed, accustomed to celebrate their birthday; and it was a custom that previously prevailed to acknowledge yearly that they owed it to God’s invaluable goodness that they were brought into the light of life. Since it is then a reason for thanksgiving, it is evident that when we turn to a curse what should rouse us to praise God, we are no longer in our right mind, nor possessed of reason, but are seized, as it were, with a sacrilegious madness. And yet the Prophet had fallen into this state.

Here then we may learn how carefully each of us ought to watch ourselves, so that we are not carried away by a violent feeling and become intemperate and unruly.

At the same time I grant, and it is what we should carefully note, that the origin of his zeal was right. For though the Prophet indirectly blamed God, we should still consider the source of his complaint. He did not curse his birthday because he was afflicted with diseases, or because he could not endure poverty and want, or because he suffered some personal misfortunes; no, nothing of this kind was the case with the Prophet.

The reason was that he saw all his labor was lost, which he spent for the purpose of securing the well-being of the people; and further, because he found the truth of God loaded with slanders and reproaches.

When, therefore, he saw the ungodly thus insolently resisting him, and that all religion was treated with ridicule, he felt deeply moved. This is why the holy man was affected by so much anguish. Thus we clearly see that the source of his zeal was right.

But we are here reminded how much vigilance we should exercise over ourselves. For in most instances, when we become weary of life, desire death, and hate the world, with the light and all the blessings of God, why are we influenced in this way, if not because disdain reigns within us, or we cannot bear reproaches with resignation, or poverty is too grievous to us, or some troubles weigh on us too heavily?

It is not that we are influenced by a zeal for God. Since, then, the Prophet, who had no regard for himself nor had any private reason either for gain or loss, yet became so exasperated and so very vehement, nay, seized with so violent a feeling, we surely ought to exercise more care to restrain our feelings.

And though many things may daily happen to us which may produce weariness, or overwhelm us with so much disdain as to make all things hateful to us, we should still contend against such feelings. If we cannot, on the first attempt, repress and subdue them, we should, at least, according to the example of the Prophet, learn to correct them by degrees, until God cheers and comforts us, so that we may rejoice and sing a song of thanksgiving.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as virulent tongues now surround us, and the devil has many mercenaries who have nothing else in view but to prevent by clamors whatever is rightly derived from You and has proceeded from Your mouth, O grant that we may firmly oppose such schemes, and also stand with resolute minds against all their violent artifices, and proceed in the course of Your holy calling, until at length we shall surely know that those who trust in You and faithfully devote themselves to Your service are never left without Your help; and that, having at last finished our warfare, we may be gathered into that blessed rest which has been obtained for us by the blood of Your only-begotten Son. Amen.

[Exposition continues from the previous day's lecture]

We said yesterday that the Prophet’s confused state of mind is described in this passage, for he himself would have undoubtedly confessed that he was carried away by an intemperate feeling, so that he was not himself; for it is to bring reproach on God when anyone curses his own birthday.

And he goes further than this, for he adds, Cursed be the man who declared to my father, that a male child was born. Here he not only fights against God but is also ungrateful towards men; for what did he deserve but thanks who first told his father that he had a son born to him? It was, then, an inexcusable ingratitude.

And from this we also learn that the Prophet had no control over his feelings but was wholly led away by a blind impulse, which made him utter very inconsiderate words. For in this sentence there is no piety nor humanity; but as I have said, the Prophet was ungrateful to men as well as to God. His hyperbolical language also more fully expresses how intemperate his feelings were: who declared to my father that a male child was born.

He seems here, as if he openly despised God’s favor, for we know that males are preferred to females. But the Prophet mentions here the word “male” as if he wished to complain of what he should have been thankful for.

And he adds, Let that man be like the cities which God destroyed without repentance. Why did he call down curses on an innocent man for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? And then he speaks not of temporal punishment but devotes the man to endless perdition, for that is the meaning of the words, and he repented not; as if he had said, “May God be angry with him, without showing any mercy, but manifest Himself as wholly implacable, as He dealt with Sodom, which He immediately destroyed without leaving it any hope.”

Had he spoken of an inveterate enemy, he should have kept within those bounds prescribed to all God’s children; but he had nothing against the man who brought the news to his father.

Thus we see how he was led away, as it were, by an insane impulse. But let us therefore learn to restrain our feelings in good time, which will go beyond all bounds if we indulge them; for they will then break out, as it were, into a fury, as was the case with the Prophet.

He also adds, Let him hear a cry in the morning, and a tumult at noontime. Here he devotes an innocent man to perpetual unrest.

Mention is made of the dawn, for we know that terrors occur during darkness in the night. If anything happens in the daytime, we inquire what it is, and we are not so frightened; but when there is any noise in the night, fear takes full possession of us.

There is then something monstrous in what the Prophet expresses here. From this, also, we more fully learn how very hot his indignation was, that he thus wished perpetual torments to an innocent man. In the morning, he says, let him hear a cry, and at noon a tumult. Had he said, “Let him hear a cry perpetually,” it would not have been so grievous.