Jeremiah 14:8
O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night? O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?
The verse calls on the Lord as the hope of Israel and its saviour in time of trouble, asking why he should be like a stranger in the land and like a wayfaring man who turns aside to tarry only for a night. The same address presents God as guardian and hope, the one who saves when trouble comes. It belongs to Jeremiah's warnings to the Jews and to his confession of his people's sins joined with earnest longing for the promised Deliverer. Those warnings and appeals, with their assurances of God's kindness and everlasting love, apply to the present day.
The title the hope of Israel expresses confidence in the Lord as the people's source of hope, especially in times of trouble. It identifies him as the coming Redeemer, for whom the patriarchs and all Israel looked forward through faith in God's promises. That hope is applied to Christ, whose grace is to be displayed in his people.
Applied to Christ, the stranger and wayfarer image means that although many do not know him, even believers may know his presence only in occasional short visits. That brief presence comes from an unsettled Christian experience, from neglect of him and turning to worldly pleasures. He desires human love and companionship and wants to abide continually rather than remain a temporary visitor or an abiding guest and companion only in name. His apparent absence is not lack of love, for he longs to give blessing.
People must therefore seek him patiently and ask him to remain, and when they find pleasure empty without him they turn back to him for peace and rest. Yet when he knocks at the heart and is welcomed only briefly, then ignored and sent away, he will depart and not return. Those who keep ignoring him will face the anguish of realizing that the time to be saved has passed.
The verse gives grounds for faith and encouragement that the Lord will intervene and deliver his cause from reproach in crisis such as financial strait, appealing to him not to seem absent from his people. It calls for a lasting relationship with Jesus, especially as darkness deepens. By its wayfarer image it urges sharing the feast of heavenly truth with strangers and supporting missions through regular, thoughtful giving.