NOTES for Jer 20:18
The question of the meaninglessness of a life already lived has tormented many people, and at very different ages. Jeremiah, as we see, was no exception: the question of the meaning of his own life arose before him too. It would seem that a person whom God called to ministry, and called with the complete certainty that distinguishes every genuine prophetic calling, has no need to doubt or regret anything, since his ministry by definition cannot turn out to be meaningless.
And yet, as we see, the matter was not so simple; besides God, there were also the people to whom the prophet addressed himself. The prophet's ministry is above all the ministry of a witness, and Jeremiah, as we see, evaluated the success of his ministry precisely from that point of view. And here things were bad: no one wanted to listen to the prophet; his preaching did not enjoy the kind of popularity that, for example, the preaching of his great predecessor Isaiah of Jerusalem enjoyed. Rather, he was in everyone's way: in the way of the authorities, whose religious policy Jeremiah did not accept; in the way of the crowd, whose imaginary religiosity he never tired of exposing; in the way of well-to-do townspeople, who wanted peace and confidence while the prophet's preaching constantly disturbed their peace and undermined their confidence. No authority, no popularity, only hatred and hostility! But the most tormenting thing for Jeremiah was that he apparently perceived this state of affairs as the failure of the mission entrusted to him by God.
And what could have served as consolation for a prophet whose witness was rejected? Perhaps only one thing: prophetic ministry, like every other service to God, has value in itself. The issue is not only who heard what, but also who said what. And Jeremiah clearly accomplished this task. Despite all the efforts of the people around him.