“You who know, O LORD, remember me, take notice of me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. Do not, in view of Your patience, take me away; know that for Your sake I endure reproach. Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I have been called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. I did not sit in the circle of merrymakers, nor did I exult. Because of Your hand upon me I sat alone, for You filled me with indignation” (Jer 15:15-17).
The parallels between Jeremiah and the blessed man of Psalm 1, as well as the persecuted Messiah of Psalm 2, are unmistakable. Like the blessed man of Psalm 1, Jeremiah finds great joy in God’s word (compare Jer 15:16 with Psa 1:2) and refuses to sit in the company of mockers (compare Jer 15:17 with Psa 1:1). Like the persecuted Messiah of Psalm 2, evildoers pursue Jeremiah, and he must endure reproach for the sake of God’s name (compare Jer 15:15 with Psa 2:1-2; see Psa 69:7 [8]; 89:50 [51]).
…when we look most carefully at the collective experiences of King David and the Prophet Jeremiah, we see reflected in them the face of Yeshua, the Son of God, who is our blessed Messiah.
There are at least three important implications we may take from Jeremiah’s “self-portrait.”
First, Jeremiah’s self-description shows that the blessed man of Psalm 1 and the persecuted Messiah of Psalm 2 do not necessarily refer to two different people. In other words, these two psalms may intentionally present a unified picture of a single individual. David’s love for Torah (Psalm 19; 119) and his terrible sufferings for the sake of God’s name (see Psalm 22; 69) strongly suggest that Psalms 1 and 2 together give us an ideal portrait of Israel’s David-like Messiah.
Second, this understanding shapes the way we see Jeremiah himself. By comparing his own life to the blessed man and the suffering Messiah, Jeremiah encourages us to view him as a Messianic figure. In this sense, Jeremiah reflects Isaiah’s picture of the suffering servant who refuses to compromise God’s word (see Isa 50:4-7; 53:7-9).
Third and finally, when we look most carefully at the collective experiences of King David and the Prophet Jeremiah, we see reflected in them the face of Yeshua, the Son of God (see Psalm 2:7, 12), who is our blessed Messiah.
“And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ … Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!'” (Matt 27:39-40, 54).
