Life can get discouraging at times. Especially when we are trying to do good, following and obeying the Lord, and then we get beaten down for doing so. This was the case with the prophet Jeremiah. In our Scripture passage today, the Old Testament reading for this week from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer, we will take a look at a time in the life of this prophet when he was disheartened, and of the encouragement the Lord gave him.
Jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah during the final years before the Babylonian Empire conquered them, and also during the terrifying time when they went into captivity, including the days of the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple there, which occurred in 586 BC. For a prophet who preached the true Word of God, and not just what the people wanted to hear, this was not a pleasant time, and Jeremiah was not a popular man.
For years, truly for centuries, God had sent His prophets to the people, encouraging them to both follow His Word and also worship only Him, not mixing His worship with that of the pagan gods of other nations. The prophets warned them that if they continued to disobey God, and flaunt His Word, there would be punishment coming from Him. By the time Jeremiah came on the scene, God had had enough of the people’s sin and idolatry, and He gave the prophet His Words that they were going to go into captivity because of their evil ways. Jeremiah’s message only angered the people instead of turning them from their sinful ways. They only wanted to hear good news, that everything was going to be okay, that they were good people and God wasn’t going to punish them, which was what the false prophets told them.
For daring to be faithful to the true message from God, Jeremiah was often severely punished by the king and ruling elders. He was frequently put in prison, physically assaulted, starved, and his writings burned. Naturally this was discouraging for Jeremiah. Why, if he was obeying God and faithfully preaching His true Word, and not some phony, “feel-good” message, was he being treated so? Did God really care about him? Had He forgotten about him? These were thoughts that went through the prophet’s mind. Jeremiah reminded God of his faithfulness, his bearing reproach for Him, his love for God’s Word, and his life practice of separating himself from evil men (vs. 15-18).
Jeremiah had felt that God wasn’t helping him when he desperately needed His help. Jeremiah was angry, hurt, and afraid. God responded by helping him rearrange his priorities. As God’s prophet, Jeremiah was to influence the people, and not let them influence him (vs. 19-21). He was to seek to draw them back to the Lord, and not let them either bring him down in discouragement or to forsake God himself. Jeremiah learned that he could open up his thoughts to God, and God would hear and answer. God wants us to completely trust Him.
One way that Jeremiah found that would lift him back onto a higher plane with God was to make the Scriptures his number one priority, the most important thing in his life (vs. 16). We need God’s Word as much, or more than we do our physical food (Matthew 4:4). The Scriptures provide spiritual guidance, joy, and strength. One of the main reasons that the people were now being punished by God, and on the verge of going into captivity was because they had ignored God’s Word. They didn’t read it, and if they did hear it preached, it went in one ear and out the other. They also sought out preachers who would twist it into “feel-good” messages they liked to hear.
Many people today are just like that. They do not want to hear the Word of God preached to them. They do not want to hear that they need to repent of their sins and turn from their wicked ways. Those preachers are publicly reviled in the media. False preachers who tell people everything is fine with them and tickle their ears are lauded. Who are we going to listen to? Despite periods of depression and discouragement Jeremiah remained faithful to God, bringing the people His true message whether they wanted to hear it or not. Like the prophet, we are to continue to spread God’s Word and message to others, whether it’s popular or not. We are here to influence others for God, and not let them pull us into their ways.
I like this, it is true.
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