Is Jeremiah right in saying that nothing is too difficult for God?
Woman with a yellow flower in her hands Sunday 27 September 2020
“I am the Lord, the God of all humanity. Is there something too difficult for me? "(Jeremiah 32:27).
This verse introduces readers to a couple of important topics. First, God is God over all humanity. This means that we cannot put any god or idol in front of him and worship him. Second, he asks if something is too difficult for him. This implies no, nothing is.
But that might take readers back to their Philosophy 101 lesson where a professor asked, "Can God make a rock big enough that he can't move?" Can God Really Do Everything? What does God imply in this verse?
We will dive into the context and meaning of this verse and try to uncover the ancient question: Can God really do anything?
What does this verse mean?
The Lord speaks to the prophet Jeremiah in this verse. We will shortly discuss the bigger picture of what happened in Jeremiah 32, including the Babylonians taking Jerusalem.
According to John Gill's Commentary, God speaks this verse as a comfort and a certainty during a tumultuous time.
Other versions of the verse, such as the Syriac translation, also imply that nothing can stand in the way of God's prophecies or the things he sets out to fulfill. In other words, nothing can interrupt God's plan. If he intends for something to happen, he will.
We must also keep in mind the life and trials of Jeremiah, often a prophet standing alone in his faith and faith. In these verses, God assures him that Jeremiah can have full confidence in him and that his faith has not gone in vain.
But what happened in Jeremiah 32 as a whole that he had to go to God in desperate plea and prayer?
What is happening in Jeremiah 32?
Israel messed up big, and for the last time. They would soon be conquered by the Babylonians and taken into captivity for seventy years because of their unfaithfulness, their lust for other gods, and their trust in other nations such as Egypt instead of God.
However, although the Israelites experienced God's wrath, God's judgment here does not last forever. God has Jeremiah build a field to symbolize that the people will return to their land again and restore it. God mentions his power in these verses to assure the Israelites that he intends to carry out his plan.
Does translation affect meaning?
As mentioned earlier, the Syriac translation slightly blurs the meaning of the verses to be applied to the prophecies. But what about our modern translations? Do they all differ in the meaning of the verse? We will put five popular translations of the verse below and compare them.
"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there something too difficult for me?" (KJV)
“I am the Lord, the God of all humanity. Is there something too difficult for me? "(NIV)
“See, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there something too hard for me? "(NRSV)
“Look! I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there something too difficult for me? "(ESV)
“Look! I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is there something too hard for me? "(NASB)
It seems that all modern translations of this verse are nearly identical. "Meat" tends to mean humanity. Aside from that word, they almost copy each other word for word. Let's analyze the Hebrew Tanakh of this verse and the Septuagint to see if we spot any differences.
“Look! I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there something hidden from me? "(Tanakh, Nevi'im, Yirmiyah)
"I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: something will be hidden from me!" (Seventy)
These translations add the nuance that nothing can be hidden from God. The phrase "too difficult" or "hidden" comes from the Hebrew word "shovel". It means "wonderful", "wonderful" or "too difficult to understand". With this translation of the word in mind, all Bible translations seem to agree with this verse.
Can God do SOMETHING?
Let's take the discussion back to that Philosophy 101 lesson. Does God have limits on what He can do? And what exactly does omnipotence mean?
Scripture seems to affirm God's almighty nature (Psalm 115: 3, Genesis 18: 4), but does this mean that he can create a rock that he cannot move? Could God commit suicide, as some philosophy professors suggest?
When people ask questions like this, they tend to lose the true definition of omnipotence.
First, we must take God's character into consideration. God is holy and good. This means that he cannot do something like lie or do “any immoral action,” writes John M. Frame for the Gospel Coalition. Some people may argue that this constitutes an omnipotent paradox. But, explains Roger Patterson for Answers in Genesis, if God lied, God would not be God.
Second, how to deal with the absurd questions like "can God make a square circle?" we must understand that God created the physical laws that govern the universe. When we ask God to make a rock that he cannot lift or a square circle, we ask him to move outside the same laws that he has established in our universe.
Furthermore, a request to God to act outside of his character, including the creation of contradictions, seems somewhat ridiculous.
For those who can argue that he made contradictions when he completed the miracles, check out this Gospel Coalition article to combat Hume's views on miracles.
With this in mind, we understand that God's omnipotence is not just the power over the universe, but the power that sustains the universe. In him and through him we have life. God remains faithful to his character and does not act in contradiction with it. Because if he did, he wouldn't be God.
How can we trust God even with our big problems?
We can trust God for our biggest problems because we know He is bigger than them. Regardless of the temptations or trials we face, we can put them in God's hands and know He has a plan for us in times of pain, loss, or frustration.
Through his power, God makes us a safe place, a fortress.
As we learn in the verse of Jeremiah, nothing is too difficult or hidden from God. Satan cannot devise a scheme that can circumvent God's plan. Even demons must ask for permission before they can do anything (Luke 22:31).
Indeed, if God has the ultimate power, we can trust him even with our most difficult problems.
We serve an almighty God
As we found in Jeremiah 32:27, the Israelites were in desperate need of something to hope for and also looked forward to the Babylonians destroying their city and taking them into captivity. God assures both the prophet and his people that he will return them to their land, and not even the Babylonians can reverse his plan.
Omnipotence, as we have discovered, means that God can wield supreme power and sustain everything in the universe, but still makes sure to act within his character. If it went against his character or contradicted himself, it would not be God.
Likewise, when life overwhelms us, we know we have an almighty God who is greater than our problems.