STANDING FOR TRUTH IN A WICKED WORLD ~ A study on Jeremiah

 

When we think of extraordinary courage and strength of conviction to stand for truth, some biblical characters may quickly come to mind. Certainly, Joseph, David, Jeremiah, Daniel, Mary, and Esther, would fall under this category, to name a few. What has always been convicting to me was one factor they all had in common. Their stories all revolve around a time in their lives when they were very young. For example, Joseph was under 20 years old when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. David stood up to Goliath at 22, Jeremiah was approximately 17-20 years old when God called him, Daniel was 17 or 18 when he was taken into captivity by the Babylonians, Queen Esther (of Jewish descent) of Persia was 14 when she went before King Xerxes on behalf of her people to rescue them from a murderous plot to annihilate them. Mary was 15-16 when Jesus was born. (All ages are approximate.) In more modern times, Charles Spurgeon preached his first sermon at the age of 15-16. A favorite pastor in my lifetime, Pastor John MacArthur, preached his first sermon at Grace Community Church at age 29. He has faithfully served there for more than 50 years, which is almost unheard of today.

 

I remember when the possibility of my oldest son and I going to prison became very real to me. My husband was already imprisoned. A mother’s heart could only focus on my three boys. How would they be able to cope? At the time, they were 31, 21, and 19. In actuality, none of them were “boys” any longer. The two youngest would be living across the country with no family ties. I will never forget the words of my father and my pastor, which were not very comforting at the time. Nonetheless, the words they spoke were truth. My father reminded me that he went into the Navy at age 17, stationed in the same state as my boys would be living. My pastor assured me that 21 and 19 were the ages of men, and these “men” had been raised right. “They will be fine. I have no doubt,” he said. I had a lot of doubts, but I should have directed my heart to trust the Lord, as I would eventually need to do every moment for four years in prison. The Lord provided for and protected “my” boys, even when their parents could not.  

 

Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12: Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Then, to the Corinthians, he exhorted: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58) One chapter later Paul warns them to: Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. (1 Corinthians 16:13-14) When I think of an Old Testament prophet who epitomizes all three of these verses, I think of the one who was deemed the “Weeping Prophet”. Very early in my walk with the Lord, I loved the heart of Jeremiah. Bravery and tenderheartedness are his in equal measure. Jeremiah is one who we would say wears his heart on his sleeve. The strength that undergirds his faithfulness is seen in his humble suffering, sympathetic to both God and men alike. He was God’s man with God’s message for God’s people, yet he was consistently disregarded, misunderstood, misrepresented, not appreciated, and persecuted by those to whom he was sent. Jeremiah is a prophet that all believers should emulate as he follows after the heart of God. As he so clearly reveals his own heart, Jeremiah is one who illustrates for us today what it means to speak the truth in love. Jeremiah lived out his message. His life and his message were one.

 

I will touch on the background of Jeremiah as I go through the book, but a good study Bible, such as the MacArthur Study Bible, is able to be a far better help to you than I could be. I will say that Jeremiah ministered during the reigns of Judah’s last five kings. They are listed for us in verses 1-3 of Chapter 1. It is also important to note that Jeremiah is not arrange chronologically. As such, Jeremiah was the chief prophet during the days of the destruction of Judah. Daniel, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah were also prophets during this time. His ministry began approximately 60 years after the death of Isaiah.

 

“Jeremiah” means whom God has appointed. God had appointed Jeremiah to a ministry that was destined to fail from the beginning. He would go to a people who would not listen to him for 40 years or more. We say people who are on a downward spiral or slippery slope are usually moving so fast toward judgment that there is no coming back. This was Judah.

 

Yesterday, we looked at Noah who faithfully preached to those around him while building the ark for 100-120 years with not one single convert. We know that far fewer people followed Jesus than those who did. These ministries should stand as a testimony to what we should expect in ministry today if we carry the same message to the lost. In stark contrast, we see huge ministries and multitudes flocking to those ministries who cater to men who want to have their ears tickled.

 

Jeremiah lived at a time when Israel was under threat from three superpowers. Assyria was to the north, Egypt to the south, and Babylon was to the east. Three kings had their administrations during Jeremiah’s lifetime. Josiah was a reformer, Jehoiakim was a wicked king, and Zedekiah was a puppet king. Eventually, the godly prophet would be exiled to Egypt, where he died.

 

When we speak of our trials and suffering today, we often associate them with circumstances that affect our comfort levels, our happiness, our hopes, and dreams. Jeremiah’s suffering began with God’s calling and it set the stage for his whole life. He was called to a life of suffering. He didn’t kick up his heels against that aspect of the calling; he doubted that he was qualified to do what God had called him to do because of his youthfulness. As we shall see, it was obvious that Jeremiah’s goal in life was to glorify God living in obedience to His will.

 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Alas, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.” But the Lord said to me, Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you.” Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. See, I have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” (Jeremiah 1:4-10) I don’t know about you, but that passage is both encouraging and convicting at the same time. I mean, the average believer today does not even have enough nerve to tell those nearest and dearest to her the hard truths of the gospel, let alone the person she runs into in the grocery store. We protest, “But this is Jeremiah! God called him as a prophet to the nations. Who am I?” Was Jeremiah different than any of God’s children? Did God choose him as a prophet to the nations because there was something extra special about him? Was Jeremiah living a day different than ours? Was Jeremiah’s message different? I do not know about you, but when I read of these young men and women in the Bible who faced the challenges of their day, I am humbled and convicted.

 

Jeremiah needed to know that the Lord was his provision and his protection. Just as God had been in control over his life long before he existed in his mother’s womb, God was the only source of strength Jeremiah would need to be faithful to this calling. The Lord is letting the prophet know that just as He has had His hand on his life before he was formed in his mother’s womb, He would continue to be in control over his ministry to the nations. The Lord formed Jeremiah in the womb. Even before that, God knew him. Before Jeremiah was born, He consecrated him.

 

God was the one who appointed Jeremiah a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah had grown up in a godly, priestly home. He had come to know God, or the word of the Lord would not have come to him in this calling. Jeremiah was no self-appointed false prophet like we see today. As far as we know, Jeremiah was not striving to be somebody in God’s kingdom, to make a name for himself in Christian circles. If he had been, his dreams and goals would never have looked like that ministry to which the Lord called him. “Jeremiah, you are going to go to hostile nations with a message they will hate. By the way, nobody will ever listen to you, and don’t be afraid of them because I’ll be with you to deliver you.” It is never an easy thing when someone we trust asks us to do something and they begin, “Now, don’t be afraid.” We tend not to hear anything after that warning.

 

In Psalm 139, David affirms: It is God who formed his inward parts, he was fearfully and wonderfully made, his frame was not hidden from Him when he was made in secret, skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. God had seen his unformed substance and in His book were written all the days that were ordained for him before there was not yet one of them. (verses 13-16) Speaking of Jesus, Isaiah 49:1 says, The LORD called Me from the womb; from the body of My mother He named Me. Why did God call Jesus from the womb? Verse 5 says: And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him. (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and My God is My strength.) In Ephesians 1, Paul says in verse 4 that He chose us (believers) in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. Later in Chapter 2:10—For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Paul said in Galatians 1:15-16—But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles… God has a sovereign plan for His children even before they are conceived.

 

God formed Jeremiah in the womb. Formed means to form, to fashion, as a potter to clay. God knew Jeremiah before He formed him in the womb. God committed Himself to Jeremiah. How encouraging to hear this before the call to a difficult ministry. Jeremiah existed in the mind and plan of God before he ever existed in his mother’s womb. God was letting him know that the call to a difficult ministry was all part of God’s pre-ordained plan. God’s will is revealed to us in His Word. We can know that we are walking according to God’s purposes and plans for our lives when our will aligns with His. Can anyone who ever affirms the truth of Scripture for one moment believe that a fetus is not a human being? Lord, help us as a nation!

 

Those who love the truth will quickly see that the prophet Jeremiah had a heart filled with a deep love—for Judah, but more for God. This is the same love that we have been called to have towards our neighbor and our God. Jeremiah was faithful to consistently deliver a hard message…a message of judgment…to his own people. It was not any easier for him than it is for us. Yet, Jeremiah was faithfully obedient to God. The love Jeremiah had for his people caused him to hope and pray for mercy from God on their behalf. He also trusted that God is good, just, and righteous. We all know how real this struggle is for the believer who wants to obey and honor God. When we see a loved one walking in rebellion or disobedience to God’s commands, our flesh and our spirit are conflicted. We know we need to tell them the truth, but we fear that they will walk away from us. We don’t want to “lose them”. We’ve bought the lie that we should mind our own business, not get involved. Like Cain, we want to say, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Even when life is difficult, we must always focus on the fact that God’s will is far more important than our own desires. We must trust that our Father knows best. In His infinite wisdom, His plan is perfect, and He will bring it to pass. I pray that our study of Jeremiah will encourage us in these difficult days to stand strong, to speak the truth in love, and to obey the calling God has given to each one of us.