CENTRAL THOUGHT
Serving the Lord faithfully may not always be complementary; still persecutions are not uncommon.
HYMN: STAND UP! STAND UP FOR JESUS!
TEXT: Jeremiah 20:1-18
INTRODUCTION:
In this fourth and final part of the lessons on the book of Jeremiah, we observe Jeremiah being persecuted by the priests and the people of the land of Judah. He was tortured not only physically but also psychologically and emotionally to the point that he had to complain to the one, the Lord, who sent him.
Jeremiah was in a dilemma. Although he was being persecuted, he could not stop doing what was responsible for his persecution. His persecution continued and, in fact, increased as he continued to preach the truth of the word of God to the people of Judah. Indeed, Jeremiah was unrelenting in his service to the Lord.
In serving the Lord, persecutions are bound to come our way. We may complain, like Jeremiah, but they will not let off. When the Lord takes us through persecutions, He provides enough grace to go through them. Instead of complaining, we should rest on His grace to come forth as overcomers.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study are:
1. To examine the persecutions that Jeremiah faced.
2. To know the complaints of Jeremiah for his persecutions.
3. To appreciate that, despite the persecutions, Jeremiah continued preaching the word.
4. To understand the grace of God to face every persecution.
BIBLE TRUTH:
Q1. WHAT WERE THE PERSECUTIONS THAT JEREMIAH FACED?
During the ministry of Jeremiah to the nation of Judah, he faced many persecutions from the leaders (kings), religious leaders (priests) and the people. His message was not a comforting one for the ears. It spoke to their evil ways and the consequences thereof that will culminate in their exile to the foreign land of Babylon. The response was a string of persecutions. Plots to persecute and kill Jeremiah are found in Jer. 11:18-20, 18:18, 20:1-2, 26:7-9, and 37:11-20.
With specific reference to Jer. 20:1-2, the priest Pashur initiated the attack against Jeremiah. “He had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord’s temple” (Jer. 20:2). The priest Pashur could not stand the prophecies of Jeremiah any longer, particularly that they were made on his own turf-the court of the Lord’s temple (Jer. 19:14-15). Pashur’s ego got the better of him, and he felt the need to silence Jeremiah permanently. It is sad to note that the behavior of the priest Pashur is replicated by some of our Christian leaders. They think that the church is their turf and so lord themselves over everyone. They fail to recognize the lordship of Christ over their lives, and they become agents of the devil in persecuting other believers. There is every opportunity for such leaders to repent and humbly serve the people of God.
Jeremiah’s persecutions were not only physical torture but also psychological and emotional abuses. “I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me…. So, the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long” (Jer. 20:7b, 8b). Sometimes the abuses that are directed at the soul are more painful than those that inflict the body. These persecutions raise questions in our minds about the authenticity and veracity of the power and greatness of the Lord we serve.
Q2. WHAT WERE THE COMPLAINTS OF JEREMIAH FOR HIS PERSECUTIONS?
There was a sense of feeling by Jeremiah that God had cornered and overpowered him to proclaim His word. “O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived; thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed……But if I say, “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” (Jer. 20:7a, 9). When we are in the center of the will of God, proclaiming His word and working in obedience to His leading, there is always a sense of being overpowered by the Holy Spirit. In essence, though we have our personal will and choice, they became completely subject to the will of God. Though Jeremiah would have refrained from speaking the word of the Lord, he could not because it was like “fire shut up in his bones”. Paul, in chains in a Roman prison, was in a similar situation, as reflected in his letter to the Philippians. He was not bothered by whatever motives those who preached the gospel had, as long as Christ was preached (Phil. 1:12-26). Everyone who has totally surrendered him/herself to the Lord will sense His overpowering presence constraining him/her to doing what pleases the Lord, even at huge personal cost and sacrifice.
Jeremiah wished he were not born. “Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?” (Jer. 20:18). That was the extent to which his persecutions caused him. Jeremiah’s complaint to the Lord reveals his human weakness which we all succumb to from time to time. It is that same weakness that overtook Elijah after a great victory over the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and then, faced with the threat of Jezebel, wife of king Ahab, “ran for his life”. (1 Kings 18:18-19:5). We find that in our moments of weakness and fear, when we feel unfairly treated by the Lord, He does not abandon us. This is heartwarming. When we feel abandoned by everyone and feel the heat of persecution, we should look to the Lord who never leaves His own.
Q3. DID PERSECUTIONS DETER JEREMIAH FROM PREACHING THE WORD OF THE LORD?
Jeremiah was resolute in ensuring that the persecutions that came his way did not deter him from proclaiming the word of the Lord. Even when pressure was put on him by king Zedekiah for a more soothing message – “Enquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.”. Jeremiah could not be persuaded otherwise (Jer. 21:2-7). The pressure was meant to cause Jeremiah to compromise. This is a tool of the devil that every believer should be aware of. Persecutions do not cause God’s people to buckle but rather they make them stronger. The New Testament church (Acts 8:1-4) had a similar experience; our case should not be different.
Q4. HOW SHOULD WE FACE PERSECUTIONS?
Matt. 5:11-12, sates: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”. We should have an attitude of joy and gladness when persecuted. In such situations, we draw on the strength and comfort of the Holy Spirit who is able to give use the right attitude and fortitude to face persecutions. When persecutions are overwhelming and we are tempted to complain to God, we should recognize the all sufficiency of the grace of God. “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corin. 12:9). God’s grace is able to see us through such situations. We can respond in love to our persecutors.
Having indicated that we should respond in love to our persecutors, one may ask whether it is in place to pray like Jeremiah in Jer. 20:11-12. “But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore, my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten”. It should be noted here that Jeremiah’s life was in danger. If we have an opportunity to escape the physical assault of our persecutors, we should take advantage of it. When Peter was miraculously released from prison by an angel, he did not wait for the sword of king Herod but left the region so as not to be recaptured (Acts 12:1-11). Previously, James had been killed. In verse 5, we are told that the church prayed for Peter. Although the content of their prayers is not revealed, we conjecture that they prayed for Peter’s release and that the wicked plans of king Herod be foiled. It is very much in line with Scripture to pray that the wicked plans of our persecutors do not come to pass. It is not in contradiction to the teaching if our Lord: “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”. (Matt. 5:44). Love must underscore our attitude to everyone who persecutes us, and our prayers should be such they come to know Christ and their wicked plans do not succeed.
A word of caution may be appropriate here. Some Christians draw persecutions to themselves. They think it is odd if they have not been persecuted for a while. They think that it is because they had not been living godly lives. They misinterpret 2 Tim. 3:12 which states that, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”. If one is not being persecuted at the moment, it is not to indicate that such a one is not living a godly life. Allow the Lord to bring about such situations rather than forcing the issue in order to draw attention to self. It is worth mentioning that you will not be able to stand a persecution which has not been allowed by the Lord.
DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
Persecutions come in all shades and forms. They could come from taking a stand for the Lord in the office against corruption, resulting in threats being made to one’s life. They could come from preaching the gospel. They could be in the form of terrorist threats of bombings of church buildings and Christian gatherings. Whatever the form of persecution, our hearts must reach out in love for our persecutors. Persecutions must never steal our joy.
When we pray for those who persecute us, it does not mean that we pray that they succeed in their ungodly schemes, rather that they repent for their evil ways. We also pray that their wicked plans do not come to pass. When the Lord makes a way out of the trap of our persecutors, we should take advantage of it.
MEMORY VERSE
2 Timothy 2:3
“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
MON: Persecuted for prophesying.
Jeremiah 20:1-6
TUE: Jeremiah complains to God.
Jeremiah 20:7-10
WED: Jeremiah prays for his persecutors.
Jeremiah 20:11-12
THUR: Rejoice when persecuted.
Matthew 5:10-12
FRI: Persecuted but not overcome.
2 Corinthians 6:3-10
SAT: Be strong in persecution.
2 Tim. 2:1-7