Jeremiah 20
COMMENTARY:
: 9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. (5975 “stay” [‘amad] means contain, hold in, or restrain.)
DEVOTION: Jeremiah wanted to stop preaching. He didn’t want to have anything to do with the people who wanted to kill him. They were not listening to his message. The LORD was giving him more messages to tell the people and the leaders. Each message was met with hard hearts. He was tired of getting this reaction. He just wanted to quit. He wanted to go into a corner and hide.
However, the messages of the LORD were coming from deep inside of him. He really cared for the people. He really cared for Jerusalem. He fought harder not to speak but his inner being was on fire for the LORD. He knew that they would not listen but he still knew he had to share the messages the LORD gave him. He could not stop. He could not contain all the words the LORD had given him in his inner being. They had to come out.
The fire of judgment was too great not to express to the people. He didn’t want them to have to face the judgment but he knew it was coming. He had to warn them.
Many pastors come to a point in their lives when they think that another occupation would be better than what they are doing now. The people just don’t seem to be listening to them. There are some that are not called to be pastors who are in the pulpits in America but most are called.
There was a time in my life where I thought the LORD didn’t want me to preach again. I tried to stop. But the testimony of Jeremiah is the same as mine. I could not stop. There is a burning inside to spread the good news to others. I felt that if one would respond, that was one more that would spend eternity in heaven.
If we have the fire in our inner being and we should, we need to spread the Word. We need to examine the motivation for our preaching: is it to glorify self or the LORD? If we are called, preach. If we ever feel like giving up, remember Jeremiah. He had it worse than we could ever have it. He knew that he had to preach or perish. Keep on keeping on.
CHALLENGE: Those who preach need to be sure that they are called of God to preach. The Holy Spirit is a witness to this truth. HE informs others of HIS decision. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s directions.
: 11 But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. (7291 “persecutors” [radaph] means pursuers, chase, put to flight, dog, attend closely upon, harass, set off after, or to confront and cause to flee.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is an awe inspiring champion. HE is the one that we look up too when we are facing an enemy. HE is the one who is stronger than any enemy we will meet.
The Bible describes the LORD as omnipotent. There is nothing stronger than HE is, no created being or object. The power of the LORD can work miracles. The power of the LORD can turn water into wine. The power of the LORD can convert a soul. God is all powerful.
Once Jeremiah realized that the God he was serving was able to take care of him in any circumstance he knew he would be a champion too. As a champion all those who thought they were ahead of him were really way behind him because the LORD was holding them back.
Jeremiah knew those who were against him were going to stumble. At first, it didn’t seem so but in the end they always did. They were never going to win the war. They might win some battles because the LORD used those battles to strengthen our faith and the faith of Jeremiah.
The world of those who are against the LORD is full of confusion. They think they have everything under control but in the end they will realize that they don’t even have a little under control.
The LORD is the one who tries the righteous. HE is looking inside of those who claim to be followers of HIM to see what their motive and beliefs really are. They can hide these facts from others but not from HIM.
Those who are genuine followers of the LORD can sing in trying circumstances which makes no sense to those outside of Christ. They can even praise the name of the LORD for the trials.
Does that mean that genuine followers of the LORD don’t get discouraged? NO!! Jeremiah ends this section with a negative statement regarding the day of his birth.
CHALLENGE: Remember that there will be days when we will wish we have never been born. On those days we have to remember that the LORD is an awesome champion in all that HE does.
:13 Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD! For He has delivered the life of the poor from the hand of evildoers. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: What makes you sing praises to the Lord? Sometimes we praise the Lord for small things, sometimes we simply praise the Lord as His Spirit lifts ours and we begin to exalt His name. Sometimes, like here with Jeremiah, as we are praying and lifting our concerns and feelings to Him and we suddenly begin to praise Him.
Life is difficult and at times those difficulties can cause us to go before the Lord and complain and say things that we may regret. Jeremiah cried out to the Lord in anger and frustration as he faithfully spoke for the Lord. It seemed to him as he looked at his circumstances that the Lord had deceived him and the ridicule he experienced from people was the evidence. Discouraged he considered not speaking God’s word to the people. In spite of this he could not stop and the result was him beginning to praise His God!
The maturity of the prophet is shown as he speaks the truth and then recognizes that the Lord is supreme and in control of situations even if he does not understand all that is happening. We can see that Jeremiah was a man of emotions and often he rode those emotions but he always remained faithful to the Lord’s command. Whether praising or petitioning Jeremiah knew he had to speak what God gave him to say.
CHALLENGE: For Jeremiah the rollercoaster of emotions was difficult and a constant test for his walk with the Lord. Perhaps, you can relate to him and recognize that the highs and lows of life can be awful on your spiritual development. Like Jeremiah may we learn to walk faithfully forward even when the emotions are all over the board. Proclaim Him despite the emotional upheavals. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
: 18 Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame? (3607 “consumed” [kala] means come to an end, to be finished, to come or bring to a finish or an end, to withhold, or spent.)
DEVOTION: Jeremiah was not happy with the way his life was going and wondered what the end of his life would be like. We find that he was hoping to have a very happy and successful life but here he realizes that his life was going to receive mixed reviews. It was not going the way he thought it should but he was given an assignment from the LORD to deal with the children of Israel when they were headed for captivity because of their rejections of the warning of God through HIS prophets, of whom, Jeremiah was one.
He didn’t like the message he was given but he gave it anyways because that is what the LORD wanted of him.
The LORD has an assignment for each of us who claim to be a genuine follower of HIM. HE wants us to do our part to help those who are looking for answers to find their answers in the LORD and not from the wisdom of this world.
The children of Israel were not listening to the prophets the LORD was sending and so they went into captivity. Jeremiah didn’t want to bring them a negative message but that was the message the LORD had for him to give. He was not popular.
CHALLENGE: The LORD has an assignment for each of us and we need to live a life that is pleasing to the LORD which means living a life that honors HIM with the message HE has given us. Not all of us are called to be pastors but we are all to share the message the LORD has given to us to those who are around us.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Pashur – son of Immer the priestverse 1
chief governor in the house of the LORD
House of the LORDverse 1
Sing unto the LORDverse 13
Praise you the LORDverse 13
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORDverse 8
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1-4, 7, 8, 11-13, 16
House of the LORDverses 1, 2
LORD made Pashur a terror to himselfverse 3
and to all his friends
I will give all Judah into the hand of the
King of Babylonverse 4
I will deliver all the strength of Jerusalem
and the labors thereof and precious
things & all the treasures of the
kings of Judah into hands of enemies
Word of the LORDverse 8
Mighty terrible oneverse 11
LORD of hostsverse 12
That tries the righteous
Sees the reins and heart
HE delivered the soul of he poor from the hand
of evildoersverse 13
LORD overthrewverse 16
LORD relented notverse 16
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Friendsverses 4, 6
Enemiesverses 4, 5
King of Babylonverses 4-6
Will carry friends of Pashur’s friends
captive into Babylon and
slay them with the sword
Babylonverses 4-6
Familiarsverse 10
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Hitting a prophet of the LORDverse 2
Put prophet in stocksverse 2
Calling a prophet a liarverse 3
Prophesied liesverse 6
Deceivedverse 7
Derisionverses 7, 8
Mock prophetverse 7
Reproach a prophetverse 8
Not speak for God when commandedverse 9
Defamingverse 10
Fearverse 10
Persecutorsverse 11
Confusionverse 11
Evildoersverse 13
Shameverse 18
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Prophesiedverse 1
Called of the LORDverse 3
Impossible not to spread Word of Godverse 9
LORD is with usverse 11
Tries the righteousverse 12
Sees the reins and the heartverse 12
Prayerverse 12
Singverse 13
Praise verse 13
Deliveranceverse 13
Repentanceverse 16
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Pashur – son of Immer (priest)verses 1-4, 6
chief governor in house of the LORD
smote Jeremiah
put Jeremiah in stocks
brought Jeremiah out of stocks
LORD changed his name to Magor-missabib
LORD told him that he was a terror to himself
and to all his friends
Carried into captivity in Babylon and die there
and be buried there
Prophesied lies
Friends of Pashur shall fall by the sword
of your enemies and Pashur will see
it happenverse 4
House of the LORDverses 1, 2
Jeremiah (Prophet)verses 1-18
Prophesied
Prophet
Complaint of him to LORD
said LORD deceived him
he was in derision daily
every one mocked him
I cried violence nad spoil because the
word of the LORD was made
a reproach to me and a derision daily
I said – I will not mention HIM – nor speak
anymore in HIS name
But HIS word was in my heart as a burning
Fire shut up in my bones and I am
Weary with forbearing
and I could not stay
People want to take revenge
LORD was with me as a mighty terrible one:
therefore my persecutors shall stumble
they shall not prevail
they shall be greatly ashamed
for they shall not prosper
he wants to see LORD vengeance on
friends of Pashur
He opened his mouth for LORD
Tell people to sing to the LORD
Tells people to praise the LORD
Says: cursed be the man that brought tidings
to his father of his birth
Says: when I came out of the womb
to see labor and sorrow
days should be consumed with shame
Everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten verse 11
Benjaminverse 2
Magormissabibverse 3
Judahverses 4, 5
Kings of Judahverse 5
Pashur and friends will be carried to Babylonverse 5
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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