This chapter is a continuation of the previous chapter. In that chapter, the Lord told Jeremiah to smash a jar in the presence of the leaders and officials to represent the destruction that will happen to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Here’s the chapter in its entirety: “Now Pashhur son of Immer, the priest in charge of the Temple of the Lord, heard what Jeremiah was saying. So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the Lord’s Temple. (Wow! Whipped and placed in jail for sharing God’s message.)
The next day, when Pashhur finally released him, Jeremiah said, “Pashhur,the Lord has changed your name. From now on you are to be called ‘The Man Who Lives in Terror.’ For this is what the Lord says: I will send terror upon you and all your friends, and you will watch as they are slaughtered by the swords of the enemy of Babylon. He will take them captive to Babylon or run them through with the sword. And I will let your enemies plunder Jerusalem. All the famed treasures of the city – the precious jewels and gold and silver of your kings – will be carried off to Babylon. As for you, Pashhur, you and all your household will go as captives to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you promised that everything would be all right.” (Wow…Don’t mess with God’s servants!)
Jeremiah’s Complaint
O Lord, you persuaded me, and I allowed myself to be persuaded. You are stronger than I am, and you overpowered me. Now I am mocked by everyone in the city. Whenever I speak, the words come out in a violent outburst. “Violence and destruction!” I shout. So these messages from the Lord have made me a household joke. And I can’t stop! If I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am weary of holding it in! (Yes, Lord! Fill our spirit with your Word and make it like a fire in our bones!)
I have heard the many rumors about me. They call me “The Man Who Lives in Terror.” And they say, “If you say anything, we will report it.” Even my old friends are watching me, waiting for a fatal slip. “He will trap himself,” they say, “and then we will get our revenge on him.” (Wow! How debilitating Jeremiah must feel every day knowing that everyone hates him.)
But the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior. Before him they will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will be shamed and thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten. O Lord Almighty! You know those who are righteous, and you examine the deepest thoughts of hearts and minds. Let me see your vengeance against them, for I have committed my cause to you. Now I will sing out my thanks to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For though I was poor and needy, he delivered me from my oppressors. (Yes!!! Jeremiah recognizes that his strength is in the Lord!)
Yet I curse the day I was born! May the day of my birth not be blessed. I curse the messenger who told my father, “Good news – you have a son!” Let him be destroyed like the cities of old that the Lord overthrew without mercy. Terrify him all day long with battle shouts, for he did not kill me at birth. Oh, that I had died in my mother’s womb, that her body had been my grave! Why was I ever born? My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame. (Jeremiah 20) (Wow! Even though Jeremiah knows the Lord is on his side, the struggle he endures is real. His life is so hard and difficult he wishes he had never been born. That is real talk for a lot of people.)
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Help us endure the struggle. Help us find complete peace in you in the midst of our hardships, pain, and persecutions. Strengthen us, Lord, and cement our faith and trust in you, for you are bigger than any of our problems and our purpose is bigger than ourselves! Lord, we love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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