Bible Bite: Jeremiah & Pashhur
Last night before I went to bed, I decided to take some time to read the scripture and when I opened my bible, it opened to Jeremiah chapter 20. Here's what I read...
1 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the chief officer in the temple of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the LORD's temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, "The LORD's name for you is not Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib. [a] 4 For this is what the LORD says: 'I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will hand all Judah over to the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. 5 I will hand over to their enemies all the wealth of this city—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.' "
What leaped out at me in this passage was why Jeremiah was persecuted. He was persecuted for prophesying the Truth from the Lord. Pashhur didn't like it, so he had Jeremiah beaten - like we see happening today, and he had him put in the stocks.
I did find it interesting that Pashhur released Jeremiah the following day, and get this, Jeremiah, all bruised and maybe bloody from being beaten the night before, STILL held to the truth of what the LORD told him to do and he prophesied again to Pashhur. And did you see what he said....he told Pashhur he was going to die. Wow!
Can you imagine the courage it took Jeremiah to do that. I can, because when I think of my fellow Christians being persecuted all over the world, every day, because they believe in the same Jesus I believe in, I see their courage.
But if you keep reading through the end of Jeremiah chapter 20, you're going to see Jeremiah's prayer to the Lord. And I have to admit, that I feel for the guy. Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet...and seriously, can't you understand why? Here's part of his prayer to the Lord after this...
O LORD, you deceived [b] me, and I was deceived [c] ;
you overpowered me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.
So the word of the LORD has brought me
insult and reproach all day long.
9 But if I say, "I will not mention him
or speak any more in his name,"
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.
...
11 But the LORD is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 O LORD Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the LORD!
Give praise to the LORD!
He rescues the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.
I pray our hearts will be soft and bold like Jeremiah. How about you?