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Jeremiah the Prophet
Jeremiah the Prophet
James wrote: " As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord" (James 5:10). With such instruction, we begin our reading of the life of Jeremiah.
Israel, the northern 10 tribes, is GONE, Assyria destroyed them in 721 B.C. Now Judah is facing judgment for unfaithfulness. God has raised up the Babylonians and they are slated to destroy Judah and take the people captive.
Jeremiah is called and sent as a 'prophet of doom'. He has the unenviable duty to convince the people to accept God's judgment and go quietly into bondage. As you can imagine, such preaching went against the whole of the people, particularly their kings and leaders!
In 1:7-8 we read of his call and commission: "Do not be afraid of them..." You can almost hear the warning bells: Warning. Warning! WHY is God telling me not to be afraid? This was not a call for peace and a life of ease. God sent His prophets to rebuke and warn. Such is usually not received well. God is specific in this warning: you will be REJECTED! "They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you” (1:19).
Along with the commission, God promises: "...for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD." The promise of God is not that he would be "successful", that is in the sense of turning the people's hearts back to God. He WOULD be successful in telling the people exactly what God has revealed. "Thus says the Lord, ‘Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah who have come to worship in the Lord’s house all the words that I have commanded you to speak to them. Do not omit a word!" (26:2)
To THAT end, God promises: "Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the Lord" (Jer. 15:20). God called him, God warned him, God prepared him, and God strengthened him.
Such deliverance did not mean no suffering, no persecution, or no difficult days! Even being told ahead of time, it was difficult to do. He becomes discouraged. He wants to quit. Then, in the end, as with all of us, he died. With the help of God, he persevered and continued preaching. His success was that he was faithful unto death!
PERHAPS they would repent (26:3)... Such is the glimmer of hope that is there. As Jeremiah preaches, he sees that such is past all real hope! They proved unchangeable! They did NOT repent. They react in anger against Jeremiah and his message. In chapter 26: he must DIE! Then again in chapter 38: he must DIE! Jeremiah continues to preach his message! When threatened, when rejected, when persecuted; he preaches God's message of judgment.
Truthfully, I am glad I am not Jeremiah! Yet, God's call to faithfulness remains the same. While such faithfulness may prove difficult, we see in Jeremiah that it can be done. "‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Rev. 2:10). Are you being faithful to God?
Hugh DeLong
