February 21, Jeremiah 20
“And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied falsely.” - Jeremiah 20:6
Jesus warned the apostles that they would suffer persecution for faithfully following him and proclaiming the gospel. He promised them that he would be with them and they would receive a reward in heaven. But he told them in advance that they would suffer at the hands of people who did not want to hear what they said.
Jeremiah suffered for proclaiming God’s word to a nation and its leaders that did not want to hear what God or Jeremiah his messenger had to say. When Pashhur, the chief officer of the temple, heard Jeremiah describe the coming disaster, he beat the prophet and put him into the stocks. He probably charged Jeremiah as a false prophet. If he thought he had taught Jeremiah a lesson when he released him from the painful restraint the following day, he was mistaken. The true prophet of God Jeremiah immediately told the false prophet Pashhur that God now called him by a new name: “Terror on Every Side.” Pashhur would witness the Babylonian soldiers killing the friends he had told there was no threat or danger. He would see the entire city of Jerusalem looted of all its treasure and completely destroyed The Babylonians would take Pashhur and his family to Babylon where he would die in slavery and be buried. He would never return to his homeland.
Can you imagine how discouraging it must have been for Jeremiah to be rejected and cruelly punished for doing nothing but what God told him to do? From that painful, disheartening place, Jeremiah recorded the things he said in honest admission of his misery and disappointment. The harsh treatment had hurt the faithful prophet, and he expressed that hurt with impassioned words.
Jeremiah knew and expressed the loneliness of faithfulness. He did not, could not hold back from saying what God told him to say. But he suffered derision and scorn from the people around him. He felt like God had deceived him, but it wasn’t true. God had not forsaken, deceived or forgotten his faithful prophet. The Lord had not promised Jeremiah that the assignment would be easy or painless. But he assured the prophet that he would be with him to strengthen and encourage him as he delivered his message and suffered for doing it.
Like we sometimes do, Jeremiah said some things while he was suffering that he knew were not true. But deep in his heart, at the core of his commitment, he knew God was with him like a mighty warrior against his enemies. Those who opposed and persecuted him would suffer shame, not success. He expressed his commitment to God and asked the Lord to let him see the vengeance he would pour out on those hateful people who fought against him for doing and saying what God told him to do. Later when Jeremiah did see the horrible deaths and the complete destruction of his beloved city, he wept for the tragic devastation. Jeremiah sounded like Job when he cried out to God cursing the day of his birth. But he sounded like David when he wrote, “I am cut off from your sight.”
Perhaps the best way to understand Jeremiah’s alternating complaint and praise is to view these sad, downcast expressions as Jeremiah’s reflection on how he cried out in agony when he was unjustly punished, and how he renewed his trust and praise to the Lord after God delivered him.
Jeremiah’s suffering reminds us that it may not always be pleasant or easy to do the will of God in an ungodly culture. Is there some situation in your life where you feel lonely and maybe even persecuted for your commitment to God? In those times, let’s pray that God will grant us grace to express the hurt, renew our confidence in and commitment to God, and praise him for deliverance when it comes.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—February 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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