This section is the first of Jeremiah's so-called "confessions."122
4:19 Jeremiah complained that his heart was pounding and he felt very upset because he had heard the Lord's announcement of impending invasion and destruction.
". . . it would be hard to find a sharper description of uncontrollable inner turmoil . . ."123
4:20 The prophet understood that this announcement meant sudden and complete devastation for Judah.
4:21 He longed to stop hearing this bad news and seeing the signal that indicated the need to flee for safety (cf. v. 6).
4:22 The Lord complained that His people were foolish, like stupid children. They did not really understand Him but felt they could deceive Him and that He would not bring them to account for their sins. They were clever when it came to sinning, but not clever at all when it came to understanding that He would punish their sins (cf. Prov. 1:2-3).
"These verses of confession illuminate the internal torment of a man who is torn, precisely because he is himself so gripped by the urgency of his public preaching. He is not stern in public because he is heartless; it is because he loves his nation and people so dearly that he speaks the severe word, but it takes a terrible toll on his own emotional life."124
