Pastor Victor Tafoya The Weeping Prophet
Devotion in Motion
Jeremiah 20:1-10
Now in Chapter 20 they ratchet up their opposition. They try to silence Jeremiah with intimidation and torture. Chapter 20:1, “Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.” The name “Pashhur” will show up again in chapters 21 and 38, but it’s not 11 same guy. Each of these three Pashhurs are all sons of different people. Actually, the word “Pashhur” could be a title rather than name. “Caesar” was the name of the first
Roman emperor, but it became the title of all his successors. “Pharoah” too, was not a name, but the title of the ruler of Egypt. And likewise, ”Pashhur” could’ve been the title for the captain of the Temple guard – the Temple head-usher. It was the Pashur’s job to keep order in the Temple precincts, and carry out the wishes of the priests. In John 18:3 the soldiers who arrested Jesus were not Roman troops, but a detachment of the Temple guard. They were ancestors of those who hassled Jeremiah.
Verse 2, “Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet” Deuteronomy 25:3 gave specific instructions on how a public flogging was to be carried out. “Forty blows he may give him and no more, lest he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above these, and your brother be humiliated in your sight.” If the executioner exceeded forty lashes; he himself was sentenced to the same punishment. So it became customary to stop at 39… as a safety precaution. So for being obedient to God, Jeremiah was hung over a post, and beaten 39 times with a cat o’nine tails. “And (they) put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord.”
The gate of Benjamin was north of the Temple, on an elevated platform – on the highest spot around. This was the site of the “stocks,” or in Hebrew “mapecket.” It means “crooked or causing distortion.” Usually stocks were for simple restraint, but this device was designed for torture. It somehow stretched the body out of joint and inflicted excruciating pain. These stocks were like putting Jeremiah on the rack. And remember it was the religious leaders of the day who ordered his torture. Sometimes, the fiercest opponents of a true move of God is the institutionalized church. Religion frequently persecutes true godliness.
Verse 3, “And it happened on the next day that Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks.” The 24 hours of torture was intended to silence the prophet. Here’s how much good it did… “Then Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord has not called your name Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib.” The word means “Fear on every side.” Again it speaks of God’s judgment. Judah will be surrounded by ferocious and fear-inducing armies. “For thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes shall see it. I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon and slay them with the sword. Moreover I will deliver all the wealth of this city, all its produce, and all its precious things; all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give into the hand of their enemies, who will plunder them, seize them, and carry them to Babylon.”
Jerusalem was the capitol of Judah. It’s most secure and prosperous city, yet it’ll be ravaged by the enemy. “And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. You shall go to Babylon, and there you shall die, and be buried there, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied lies.’” And it’s pretty obvious the effect the rack had on Jeremiah. Rather than shut him up, persecution emboldened him. Over our 240 years of American history the Christian Church has enjoyed an amazing degree of freedom and even respect. But realize, around the world today and in the annals of Church history this is a rarity. More often than not, the Church has been under attack. Prosperity is the anomaly, not the norm. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Historically, persecution intensifies our determination and purifies our devotion.
Like pouring gasoline on a fire, far from quenching the flame, it spreads. As the church father, Augustine, put it, “The martyrs were bound, imprisoned, scourged, racked, burnt, torn, butchered – and they multiplied.” Even in the fact of persecution, Jeremiah stayed strong. He refused to wince, or blink, or back down… God had told him at his calling, 1:17, “Do not be dismayed before their faces.” Don’t shrink away at the sight of mere men. Don’t be intimidated… He obeyed. In Chapter 16 God told the prophet to conceal his feelings – both his joy and grief – lest he misrepresent God before the people.
Jeremiah was called by God to keep a poker face – a stiff upper lip. Publicly, Jeremiah was instructed to play his cards close to his vest. Yet privately, Jeremiah let it all hang out! He was quick to express to God his disappointments and frustrations. He was strong before the people, but he melted in the presence of God. Peer into his prayer life and you’ll find that he was truly the weeping prophet. Above all else, Jeremiah was honest. He never minced words. He was brutally frank with God. Listen to him in verse 7, “O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed.” Lord, you forced me into the ministry. I didn’t enlist. I was drafted. I didn’t sign up for this…
I never wanted to be a prophet. I was strong-armed! And “I am in derision daily; everyone mocks me.” Publicly, Jeremiah had been obedient. He kept a stiff upper lip, but privately, nobody likes to be mocked – to be the brunt of the joke. Everybody likes to be liked. And this continual rejection wore on him. “For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, “Violence and plunder!” That was the message the Lord gave him to share. But because of the harsh message, “The word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily.” The Jews rejected God’s message, but they took out their anger on the messenger and threw mud at him. Don’t be surprised when this happens to you. The Christian Gospel is good news, but the good news begins with bad news – we’ve sinned and need to repent. And this is the part of the message people don’t always want to hear.
Don’t be surprised when they take out their resistance to the message on the messenger. This had been Jeremiah’s experience, and in verse 9 he wants to resign. In fact, he turns in his letter. Listen to his complaint, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.” That’s it! I’m done. I quit! Jeremiah is tired of the ministry – of being a prophet. He’s weary of the abuse he’s gotten from serving God. Yet, God told him to brace himself, the road would be hard. He would be opposed by kings, princes, priests, even the people – add it all up and that’s everybody! It’s one thing to be warned of hardship – give it a nod, an acknowledgement – but it’s an altogether different thing to go through the fire.
Jeremiah hadn’t grasped the enormity of all he’d been called on to endure. He had sacrificed so much – family and friends – rank and riches – marriage and munchkins. In his mind Jeremiah was doubting if it was worth it to serve the Lord. The prophet had so little to show for his efforts. He served for 40 years and had no radio ministry, no mega-church, no conference speaking opportunities. Jeremiah preached for four decades and didn’t have a single convert. Jeremiah felt like a prophet without profit. He truly had a non-profit status. Jeremiah felt that he and his ministry were a failure.
Spiritual service is a tough task for a host of reasons: the demands, persecution, sacrifice – but for many what makes ministry so difficult is its lack of tangible markers.
Success in ministry is hard to measure! In business there’s a bottomline. Just look at the spreadsheets – the numbers. But in ministry numbers are not necessarily a mark of success. In fact, numbers can be deceptive. A big crowd, a big budget, a big building – “big” doesn’t always indicate God’s approval. The Mormons have lots of people and they’re a cult. Jeremiah had no one, yet he was precious to God. This is why a pastor or Christian minister has to learn to keep his eyes on Jesus and God’s calling for his life, not tangible markers. We walk by faith, not by sight. Jeremiah wanted to retire. At the moment his ministry seemed too much to bear. He turns in his resignation in verse 9, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name…
Yet something happened, keep reading, “But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.” Jeremiah threatened to quit, tried to quit, but he just couldn’t quit. After turning in his resignation, Jeremiah went home and couldn’t sleep. He opened his Bible, and started to read. God’s Word caused a case of divine heartburn. The Bible burned in his bones.
It stirred him. DL Moody once said, “I know the Bible is inspired because it inspires me.” The Scriptures lit a fire in Jeremiah. God’s love, His promises, even His judgments warmed Jeremiah – they brought his passion to such a boil that he had to speak the truths God had spoken. He’d tried to resign from speaking, but after reading God’s Word he couldn’t stay silent. The Pashhur tried to button his lips, but God’s Word kept loosening them. And this is the mark of a true man of God.
He doesn’t turn it on and off. He’s not just “pastor” because it’s his job. He’s driven. He’s propelled by God’s Spirit, and his love for God’s Word. Ministry is not just his trade or profession. It’s his passion! Three times in his letters the Apostle Paul said he was “made a minister.” It wasn’t just an occupation. God put it in his heart. God worked it in his life. Before a man enters the ministry, the ministry needs to enter him.
Once an old farmer wrote to the church headquarters asking for a pastor to come and start a church in his country community. The superintendent wrote him back and asked him, “How big a man do you want?” The farmer replied, “We’re not picky, but when he’s on his knees we would like to have him reach heaven.”
Jeremiah was a man of God who reached to heaven.
Victor Tafoya
If you were blessed by this devotion please share.
