The Lord once again responds in Jeremiah 15:19–21 to Jeremiah’s complaints. Instead of offering him comfort in his distress, he calls on Jeremiah to repent and assures him again of his presence with Jeremiah in his distress. If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me.
The phrase stand before me
is translated from the Hebrew amad lipne, which is used often in the Old Testament of someone who serves the Lord or a king (Numbers 16:9; Numbers 27:21; Deuteronomy 10:8; 1 Kings 1:2; 1 Kings 10:8; 1 Kings 12:8; 1 Kings 17:1; Daniel 1:5 etc.).1 Jeremiah’s complaints against the Lord in Jeremiah 15:15–18 are compromising his ministry as the Lord’s prophet. He is close to walking away from his calling due to the hardships it has brought him. Throughout these verses (Jeremiah 15:19–21) there is a play on the various meanings of the Hebrew root sub that is used so frequently in Jeremiah: return,
restore,
turn to you,
not turn to them
.2 This is the language of repentance. Now it is Jeremiah, not the people, who need to repent. If he will turn from his attitude that questioned the Lord’s faithfulness, then the Lord will restore him to his place of service as his prophet.
19 Therefore thus says the LORD: “If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them.