Jeremiah 15:19

GOD'S ANSWER TO JEREMIAH

"Therefore thus saith Jehovah, if thou return, then will I bring thee again, that thou mayest stand before me; and if thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth: they shall return unto thee, but thou shalt not return unto them. And I will make thee unto this people a fortified brazen wall; and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith Jehovah. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible."

God made it clear in these verses that he did not approve of Jeremiah's conduct. If Jeremiah would win a place back in God's favor, he was commanded to do the following: (1) he must repent of his distrust and selfishness; (2) he must rid his message of all that is unworthy.

If Jeremiah will do these two things, four results will follow. (1) He will again be God's true messenger to the people; (2) He will not conform to the wishes of the people, but will cause the crowd to turn to him ultimately for the Word of God; (3) he will become what God promised him in his original call, "a fortified wall of bronze"; and (4) God will defend and deliver him from evil men.[27]

Of course, Jeremiah only bared his innermost thoughts before the Lord; and there's nothing wrong with that; "But, even so, one who has such thoughts as Jeremiah had must undergo a radical change if he would continue to be God's mouthpiece."[28]

"If thou wilt return ..." (Jeremiah 15:19). These words are invariably understood as God's commandment for Jeremiah to repent. The great prophet had permitted himself to drift into a critical attitude toward God; and it had begun to be reflected in some of the things that entered into his messages to the people. Therefore, God commanded him to separate the precious from the vile. This instruction is invaluable for anyone who preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ.

At any time, when human philosophy, or humanistic thoughts are permitted to share the emphasis along with the gospel of Christ, the precious has been mixed with the vile.