Some years back I saw a movie about the prophet Jeremiah. Although I can’t remember it all too well, I do recall having a couple of reactions. One was – I was very glad to see a movie about a book of the Bible that I was less familiar with than others. I had read through the Book of Jeremiah but many of the incidents recorded therein weren’t as easily citable for me as, say, quotations from Paul’s epistle to the Romans. Thus, to see so many portions of the fifty-two-chapter book of Jeremiah in an hour and half movie was something I really enjoyed. The second reaction I can recall was – I remember saying to (and with) those who were with me, ‘Wait a minute… I don’t remember Jeremiah having a girlfriend…’ As is fairly common knowledge, Biblical movies sometimes take ‘artistic license’ to fill in details where the Scriptures are silent. Well, in this case, the prophet who is not said to have had a romantic interest had a girlfriend that he had to leave behind because of the call of God. Which is a good reminder – always compare movies about the Bible to the Bible so as to make sure you don’t end up thinking that something is Biblical when it is not. Now even though Jeremiah is not said to have had a particular romantic interest, what is clear is that he was prohibited from that very thing. Chapter sixteen opens with the words,

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