“Jeremiah… said to all the people: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts,.. I am bringing upon this city and all its towns all the disaster I have pronounced against it, because they have stiffened their neck, refusing to hear my words.’”
“Now Pashhur the priest… heard Jeremiah prophesying these things,.. beat Jeremiah, and put him in the stocks… Jeremiah said to him,.. ‘Thus says the Lord: I will make you a terror… I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall… strike them down with the sword. I will give… all the treasures of Judah into the hand of their enemies… And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die…”
“O Lord,..
you are stronger than I,
and have prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all the day;
everyone mocks me.
For whenever I speak,..
I shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’
The word of the Lord has become…
a reproach and derision all day long.
If I say, ‘I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name,’
there is in my heart… a burning fire
shut up in my bones,
and I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.
I hear many whispering.
Terror is on every side!
‘Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’
say all my close friends…
‘We can… take our revenge on him.’
But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble;
they will not overcome me.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed…
O Lord of hosts,..
to you have I committed my cause.
“Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hand of evildoers.” Jeremiah 19:14-20:13
“The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.” Exodus 15:3
Jeremiah was a stalwart, faithful prophet whose obedience to God resulted in much misery from men. They refused his warnings, rejecting the Lord they could not see and him whom they could see and persecute. As his call and anointing were clear, so would continue his trust in the heavenly Warrior who defended him. (Jeremiah 1:4-9; 18:5-23)
The challenge of obedience is a varied struggle. Sometimes we combat doing what the Lord commands because our will wants otherwise. But sometimes, we resist His direction because of where it takes us with other people and circumstances. It provokes criticism, or ostracism. It might mean we lose friends, or lose face. While the pain of obedience teaches us spiritual identification with Christ, in the physical world, it does not make life easy. Jeremiah’s cause was fixed in his sure hope that while he might suffer, God was Warrior alongside and ultimate Victor. (Philippians 3:10)
The battles we face- of dread, fear, isolation, shame- the Lord Jesus has already won. He stands at our side as the Shield roundabout us, relentlessly fighting for us, never letting down, never surrendering, always triumphant. We can keep on because when He calls, He equips and stands sentry as our dread Warrior. (Psalm 3:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:24)
Where have I been asked to go, or what to do, that presents hardship, or a friction of faith? Am I more focused on the problematic issues, or the One who called? How can I step forward in obedience, trusting and revering my Warrior?
Lord, keep my cause, my trust, my praise, in Thee alone.
As the rain and snow 