Chapter fifteen begins with a similar statement to Ezekiel 14:14-20. A decade earlier God told Ezekiel that the combined righteousness of Noah, Daniel, and Job could not save a nation God had decided to destroy. Here he told Jeremiah that the combined prayers of Moses and Samuel could not save Judah either (Jeremiah 15:1-4). Specifically because of Manasseh’s wickedness in the years leading up to Jeremiah’s ministry, God promised destruction so terrible that even the pagan nations around Judah would be horrified. No one would mourn for them or ask about them (Jeremiah 15:5-9). The mention of an increase in widows reveals that the false teachers and prophets had probably swayed the majority of the younger population away from God, and their death would bring shame to their mothers. The mention of mothers caused Jeremiah to remember his own mother and sorrow for the pain he must have caused her by bearing such bad news against their people (Jeremiah 15:10).
Jeremiah 15:15-21 records an interesting conversation between Jeremiah and God. To this point it seems that Jeremiah had faithfully relayed God’s messages to Judah and interceded on behalf of them back to God. God had already warned Jeremiah of an attack on his life (Jeremiah 11:18-23) and had promised him unfailing support (Jeremiah 1:7-10). However, in the first four verses, Jeremiah seemed unsure of God’s continued faithfulness. Could he be sure that God would keep protecting him as the pressure and enemies mounted against him? In Jeremiah 15:19-21 God demanded that Jeremiah repent from such thoughts. God could never be unfaithful to his promises, and he called Jeremiah to be faithful as well. If Jeremiah stood strong and obeyed Jehovah, God would certainly continue to strengthen and protect him.