An Open Heart

 By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Jeremiah 20:1-18

 

Jeremiah 20:13

Sing to the Lord;
    praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
    from the hand of evildoers.

(ESV)

 

It is easy to praise the Lord when things are going good for it is a celebration of good times in our lives but to praise the Lord when in a struggle is a true sign of one who has dedicated their life to serving God.  Jeremiah 20:13 almost seems out of place contextually in the text of Jeremiah 20:1-18 for it occurs in the middle of a lament by Jeremiah after spending a night in stocks for what he was saying.  However, the verse is not out of place but Jeremiah acknowledging that God is in control and that the struggles he is currently going through will not lead to his destruction but is part of God’s plan (Jeremiah 29:11). 

 

Jeremiah 20 begins with Pashhur the priest beating Jeremiah and placing him in stocks for what he heard from his prophecy.  Pashhur is a priest who knows Israel is to have no other Gods (Exodus 20:1-3) and the consequences of disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68), but instead of repenting and obeying God, he chooses to beat the messenger (Jeremiah 20:1-2).  The passage does not provide a reason for Pashhur’s actions, but it is safe to assume he had conviction in his heart by Jeremiah’s prophesy and wanted to shut Jeremiah up.  However, if Pashhur wanted to shut Jeremiah up, he failed for immediately after freeing Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah told him his fate.  Pashhur would bring terror to himself and his friends with his friends falling by the sword as he watched.  The king of Babylon will capture Judah and carry the people off into exile.  The wealth of Judah will be plundered by their enemies, and Pashhur would also be carried off into exile, die, and be buried in Babylon (Jeremiah 20:3-6).   

 

While Jeremiah has obediently done all that the Lord commanded him to do, the rejection, persecution, and now a night in captivity have taken a toll on Jeremiah’s heart.  While Jeremiah could have tried to suppress the feelings of his heart, he chooses to make a lament to the Lord (Jeremiah 20:7-18).  Interestingly the lament begins with Jeremiah accusing the Lord of deceiving him (Jeremiah 20:7).  Jeremiah does soften his accusation by acknowledging the Lord is stronger and has prevailed and then tells the Lord that he has become a laughingstock with everyone mocking him, the real reason for his complaint. 

 

Jeremiah’s complaint continues with him complaining that the only words the Lord gives him to speak are about violence and destruction with the word of the Lord becoming a reproach to him (Jeremiah 20:8).  However, Jeremiah cannot be silent for the word of the Lord in his heart is like a burning fire, making him weary when he holds it in (Jeremiah 20:9).  The complaint continues with Jeremiah telling the Lord he hears those whispering calling for his destruction, hoping he will be deceived (Jeremiah 20:10) but Jeremiah knows the Lord is with him (Jeremiah 20:11).  Jeremiah then asks the Lord to allow him to see God’s vengeance come upon those calling for his destruction, offering praise to the Lord (Jeremiah 20:12-13). 

 

Jeremiah then continues by cursing the day he was born and even cursing the messenger bringing his father news of his birth (Jeremiah 20:14-15).  Jeremiah even calls for the destruction of the messenger of his birth, lamenting that he did not kill Jeremiah in his mother’s womb (Jeremiah 20:16-17).  Jeremiah’s lament ends with him questioning God on why he allowed him to be born into a life of toil, sorrow, and shame (Jeremiah 20:18).  The rejection and threats against Jeremiah have taken a toll on his heart but rather than complaining publicly, Jeremiah complains to God who has the power to protect him and take vengeance on his persecutors.  He does the wise thing, allowing God to take vengeance for vengeance does belong to the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19). 

 

The threats against Jeremiah have now become real with Pashhur the priest placing him in stocks for the night (Jeremiah 20:1-2), but this does not silence Jeremiah.  After his release from the stocks, Jeremiah once again announces what is about to happen in Judah, this time making it personal with Pashhur having to look at the murder of his friends and dying in Babylon (Jeremiah 20:3-6).  However, the continual rejection has taken a toll on Jeremiah’s heart but instead of keeping his feelings to himself, he shares them with the Lord (Jeremiah 20:7-18).  Jeremiah does not waiver in his ministry as a prophet because of persecution, oppression, and threats but is honest with the Lord about the feelings of his heart.  Jeremiah practices separation of feelings from ministry, reserving the expression of feelings to his alone time with the Lord. 

 

Each of us must learn to separate our feelings from our occupational or ministerial mission from God.  Jesus demonstrated this separation when praying in the Garden where he honestly expressed his feelings to God asking for the cup of wrath to pass from him while surrendering to God’s will and going to the cross (Matthew 26:36-46).  Jeremiah 20 is Jeremiah’s Gethsemane moment with Jeremiah 29:11 indicating his willingness to surrender to the will of God for his life.  As we approach the end times, we can expect the persecution of God’s people to increase (John 16:33).  We must guard our hearts against giving in to feelings of fear which are not from God and a trap (Proverbs 29:25; 2 Timothy 1:7) and instead express our feelings to God as Jeremiah and Jesus did.  May God challenge and bless everyone reading this post.