Is God mean?
Jeremiah prophesied for 40 years. Can you think of the patience of God for 40 years? God was waiting for one drop of repentance from His people who had ended up living such wicked lives away from Him. It never came.
JEREMIAH 16
Out of context it looks like God is mean. Jeremiah you must not marry.
We are still early into this 40 year ministry and I am sure Jeremiah must have wondered why God was commanding such a thing. God had been saying some strange things, telling Jeremiah not to pray for these people anymore, but now this is very personal. He is already a very lonely, suffering and frustrated prophet, but now God gives another restriction.
Jeremiah will never experience the joy that many have. He will not get married. He will not have children. Some may look at this out of context and interpret that if you are committed to a cause then you have to sacrifice. Jeremiah is single but can give himself more to the ministry. It is out of context. It makes God look mean and it is wrong.
Just keep reading a few verses in from this prohibition and you see the love of God.
God was saying everyone would go through terrible persecution and suffering, no one in the land would be exempt, it will be horrid, death will consume their nation.
Jeremiah would not have to watch the people he loved, his wife and his children go through this. He was being spared additional grief.
God was withholding not because He is mean but because He loves. He knows the future. Jeremiah I am sparing you pain not withholding pleasure for the sake of it.
What do you feel God is withholding from you?
He is not mean. He knows the plan for your life and sometimes that means He has to hold something back from you so as not to bring sadness to you. One day looking back you will see the withholding hand of God was His sparing hand.
Missions Paul 