Blog: Max Dawson
Novermber 9, 2015
Adapted from Roger Shouse
Jeremiah 20:1-2
When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord.”
This text is from some of the dark pages of the Bible. The great prophet Jeremiah was arrested, beaten and imprisoned. Two powerful thoughts are found here.
1. God often allowed the abuse of His messengers. God protected the message, but allowed the messenger to suffer. This is hard for many to understand. We can have an idealistic view that since I am a Christian, God won’t allow anything bad to happen to me. “Happily ever after,” is how fairy tales end; reality is often different. Those awful words in Hebrews 11 tell us that God’s people were scourged, stoned, chained, sawn in two, destitute, ill-treated and afflicted.
God often allowed evil men to run their course. For God’s messenger, imprisonment or death was sometimes the result, but it wasn’t the end. Death would open the door to a wonderful welcome home by the Savior. Yes, God allowed His servants to be chased down, beaten and abused.
2. Jeremiah suffered at the hands of God’s people. He was not persecuted by foreigners or idolaters; rather it was the priest of God, Pashhur. He was supposed to be on Jeremiah’s side. The prophet suffered from his own people. Instead of getting encouragement from the priest, Jeremiah was beaten. Instead of getting help, he was placed in stocks in the prison. His worst enemy was one of his own brethren. That certainly happens sometimes.
The lesson: Sometimes it’s those in the congregation that seem to turn against what is right. People are shunned and ignored and talked about because they stand for what the Bible teaches. Some would rather stick with family or tradition rather than changing and being biblically correct. Modern Pashhur’s use pressure, intimidation and meanness to chase off those who buck them. They will work behind the scenes to undermine the righteous. Preachers are fired for speaking the truth. Members are driven off. Souls are crushed. These people will try to knock down any who dare challenge them. Shame.
They tried to silence Jeremiah, but he couldn’t be quiet. He had to speak. It’s that spirit that takes us back to the word of God that is needed today. We need those who draw a line in the sand and declare that “I stand with the Lord. Toss me out, fire me, get ugly if you must, but I stand with the Lord!”
A FINAL WORD
Pompous bullies in the kingdom may believe that they have the upper hand. They may count their victories as another Jeremiah is escorted off to the dungeon.
But God’s message cannot be silenced. God is always triumphant. I have been taken to the verbal woodshed by spiritual bullies who felt threatened by the truth of God’s word. Generations before, some literally received death threats. Some were spat upon. In one story, years ago, dynamite was found inside the pulpit. I guess the plan was to blow the whole place up, especially the preacher. Many have stood in the shadows of Jeremiah. Each generation faces its own challenges. The radicals want to forever push beyond the limits of what is right. Tragically, those among God’s people have caused more damage and heartache than those outside.
May you and I not fear others. May we stand for what is right, always. May we with kindness and boldness proclaim God’s message. May we understand that we are instruments of God and that it is His truth that is valuable. To God be the glory in all things.
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I have adapted this from a much longer article by Roger Shouse. May God bless men of his character and dedication to the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessings to all,
–Max