Jeremiah's Perseverance
Jeremiah saw that Judah was destroying herself in her wicked ways. Although
Temple worship continued by offering animal and incense offerings (6:21; 7:21),
their religion was corrupted with heinous idolatry, stealing, murder, sexual
immorality, adultery and numerous other deceitful practices (3:13; 7:9). Idols
had even infiltrated the Temple area. God decided Babylon should discipline His
people by destroying His Temple and uprooting His people. False prophets and
corrupt priests caused the people to believe that God's chosen people need not
fear Babylon (27:10; 28:15; 19:31) on account of the Temple. Judah had been so
disillusioned by the false prophets that when Jeremiah told them the truth, they
often violently lashed out at him, persecuting him severely. However, Jeremiah
knowing the truth about God's promises and he loving his people more than they
knew caused him to persevere though the most difficult persecution.
Good examples of Jeremiah's perseverance surface in 19:14-20:6; chapters 26 and
28. He faces severe opposition to his preaching from a mob of people and more
particularly the false prophet Hananiah. However, no matter the blow, the
opposition's attempts to stop Jeremiah only seemed to strengthen him. A man who
prays to the Lord like Jeremiah is able to withstand the most fierce opposition
and surface shining like gold.
God sent Jeremiah to preach at the temple (19:14-20:6) to tell all the people of
the coming calamity upon Jerusalem due to their hardness of heart. Pashhur, The
chief priest that year, heard Jeremiah's prophecies and had him beaten and put
in stocks overnight at the Benjamin Gate in efforts to quiet him. But Jeremiah,
being mighty in faith, spoke out immediately against Pashhur upon his release.
Pashhur would now be called Magor-missabib, meaning "Terror on every side," for,
all his friends would now face the sword. Jeremiah continued preaching saying
Judah would be exiled to Babylon and slain, Jerusalem would be plundered, and
that Pashhur, his entire household, and all the false prophets would go to
Babylon and die there.
The people in Jeremiah's day had diminished God to a plot of land and a
building. They thought that living within the city and near the temple would
protect them from any calamity. Jeremiah knew otherwise. He preached again at
the temple to a great crowd of people, priests, and false prophets in what many
call his great "Temple Sermon" in chapter 26. He indicted them for rejecting
God's prophets, and told of the destruction they would face. He alluded that the
temple would be destroyed and Jerusalem would become worthless (1-6). The
priests, prophets and people who heard Jeremiah's condemnation immediately
rushed to silence Jeremiah like firemen trying to put out a raging fire crying,
"You must die!" (7). One is reminded of the words God told Jeremiah earlier, "I
am making my words in your mouth a fire and this people wood, and it will
consume them" (5:14). The mob agonized to douse the truth flaming from
Jeremiah's mouth for it burned to hear the truth about themselves. Instead of
accepting truth, they grabbed him, denying everything Jeremiah accused them of,
and threatened to kill him. At this point many would back down. Not Jeremiah.
Instead of relinquishing his message to save himself, he spoke up even more
confidently and charged them to repent, "Amend your ways and your deeds and obey
the voice of the Lord your God" (26:13). Jeremiah knew the mob could do what
ever they wanted to him, but he also knew that God favored his own innocence in
the matter. Jeremiah's perseverance caused him to continue preaching, resulting
in many of the mob changing their mind and saving his own life.
Jeremiah withstood fierce opposition by the false prophet Hananiah in Chapter
28. Hananiah had insured Israel's already bloated sense of security, leading the
people astray by preaching peace. He said, "I have broken the yoke of the king
of Babylon" (28:2), meaning God would soon bring the exiles back from Babylon.
He also preached that the temple vessels and King Jeconiah would return.
Jeremiah publicly rebuked the false prophet announcing, "When the word of the
prophet shall come to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the Lord
has sent" (28:9). Hananiah took the symbolic yoke Jeremiah wore and broke it.
Jeremiah was not intimidated by Hananiah's temper tantrum, instead Jeremiah
proclaimed that the yokes of wood that Hananiah had preached had become yokes of
iron (cf. Dt. 28:48). Punishment would be worse than ever. Jeremiah rebuked
Hananiah for causing the people to believe a lie and pronounce a death penalty
upon him, which came to pass less than a year later.
When it seemed as though Jeremiah's adversaries had the best of him he stood up
even stronger and more powerful than before, but one must not forget how he
agonizingly prayed to God throughout tough situations. Read Jeremiah's prayer
after dealing with Pashhur the high priest (20:7ff). The relationship Jeremiah
developed with God exposed him to the trust that he could have even in the most
difficult circumstances. Undoubtedly he remembered God's words in the very
beginning, "I am with you, to deliver you" (1:8). God, because of Jeremiah's
trust, empowered him to look opposition and even death straight in the eye. This
is the way with God's people - they can be struck down and not destroyed. God,
to those who devote themselves totally to his cause, gives strength that would
seem unbelievable to human eyes, just as He did Jeremiah. "With men, this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matt 19:28).
Christians live in a time when it is easy to show up to worship and live a lie
away from worship at the same time. While one may impress men, God sees through
what man does not and may not be impressed. Jeremiah's opponents are a case in
point. It is good to read about a man like Jeremiah who was willing to speak out
against mere external forms of worship and stand up for truth. Be a child of God
both inside and outside of "worship." Jeremiah was. Jeremiah's prayer and
perseverance preached lessons that change peoples lives even today. Yours can
too.
By Steve Quillian
From Expository Files 7.8; August 2000
