Why did I ever come out of the womb
to see
trouble and sorrow
and to end my days in shame? Jeremiah 20:18
and to end my days in shame? Jeremiah 20:18
We
see some people in the Bible (Jeremiah, Job) wish they weren’t born because of
the extreme pain they dealt with in their lives. It’s a response we can understand as one
feels crushed on all sides and wishes for relief, grasping for
possibilities. Not being born would be the first possible answer to that request.
The
wish is okay if it’s an emotional outburst. The person knows the wish cannot be granted
because he’s alive at the moment. It’s
really just a way of saying “If only things were different…”
Crying
out for the end of one’s life comes from a different, more frightening place
and should be explored more deeply.
Jeremiah in this
chapter despises the sorrow he has to deal with, but also praised God and knew
that God was his mighty warrior. Sorrow
and praise, hope and hopelessness are mixed in this passage, showing his
emotional turmoil, grasping for answers as he cries out loud.