1 Jeremiah is Flogged and Put in a Cell Jeremiah Complains about the Reaction to His Ministry Jeremiah 20:1-18
2 Text: Jeremiah is Flogged and Put in a Cell Jeremiah Complains about the Reaction to His Ministry Jeremiah 20:1-18, 1. Now Pashhur son of Immer heard Jeremiah prophesy these things. He was the priest who was chief of security in the Lord s temple. 2. When he heard Jeremiah s prophecy, he had the prophet flogged. Then he put him in the stocks which were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the Lord s temple. 3. But the next day Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. When he did, Jeremiah said to him, The Lord s name for you is not Pashhur but Terror is Everywhere. 4. For the Lord says, I will make both you and your friends terrified of what will happen to you. You will see all of them die by the swords of their enemies. I will hand all the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will carry some of them away into exile in Babylon and he will kill others of them with the sword. 5. I will hand over all the wealth of this city to their enemies. I will hand over to them all the fruits of the labor of the people of this city and all their prized possessions, as well as all the treasures of the kings of Judah. Their enemies will seize it all as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6. You, Pashhur, and all your household will go into exile in Babylon. You will die there and you will be buried
3 there. The same thing will happen to all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies. 7. Lord, you coerced me into being a prophet, and I allowed you to do it. You overcame my resistance and prevailed over me. Now I have become a constant laughingstock. Everyone ridicules me. 8. For whenever I prophesy, I must cry out, Violence and destruction are coming! This message from the Lord has made me an object of continual insults and derision. 9. Sometimes I think, I will make no mention of his message. I will not speak as his messenger any more. But then his message becomes like a fire locked up inside of me, burning in my heart and soul. I grow weary of trying to hold it in; I cannot contain it. 10. I hear many whispering words of intrigue against me. Those who would cause me terror are everywhere! They are saying, Come on, let s publicly denounce him! All my so-called friends are just watching for something that would lead to my downfall. They say, Perhaps he can be enticed into slipping up, so we can prevail over him and get our revenge on him. 11. But the Lord is with me to help me like an aweinspiring warrior. Therefore those who persecute me will fail and will not prevail over me. They will be thoroughly disgraced because they did not succeed. Their disgrace will never be forgotten. 12. O Lord who rules over all, you test and prove the righteous. You see into people s hearts and minds. Pay them back for what they have done because I trust you to vindicate my cause. 13. Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he rescues the oppressed from the clutches of evildoers.
4 14. Cursed be the day I was born! May that day not be blessed when my mother gave birth to me. 15. Cursed be the man who made my father very glad when he brought him the news that a baby boy had been born to him! 16. May that man be like the cities that the Lord destroyed without showing any mercy. May he hear a cry of distress in the morning and a battle cry at noon. 17. For he did not kill me before I came from the womb, making my pregnant mother s womb my grave forever. 18. Why did I ever come forth from my mother s womb? All I experience is trouble and grief, and I spend my days in shame. (NET) Introduction: I. Jeremiah 20:1-6 is written in prose while Jeremiah 20:7-18 is written in poetic form. II. Jeremiah 20:1-6 connects with and is, as to content, a continuation of Jeremiah 19. A. Chapters and verses were formulated by uninspired scholars making their work, such as chapter and verse breaks, subject to differences of opinion. Commentary: Jeremiah is Flogged and Put in a Cell Jeremiah 20:1, Now Pashhur son of Immer heard Jeremiah prophesy these things. He was the priest who was chief of security in the Lord s temple. (NET)
5 I. Now Pashhur son of Immer heard Jeremiah prophesy these things. A. This Pashhur son of Immer is not to be confused with Pashhur son of Malkijah. (Hamilton) 1. Jeremiah 21:1, The Lord spoke to Jeremiah when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. Zedekiah sent them to Jeremiah to ask, (NET) B. Pashhur son of Immer was head of temple security who may have regarded Jeremiah s preaching a threat to temple order. (Hamilton) 1. Pashhur son of Immer is thought to have been the father of Gedaliah. a. Jeremiah 38:1, Now Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah had heard the things that Jeremiah had been telling the people. They had heard him say, (NET) C. The families of both Pashhur son of Immer and Pashhur son of Malkijah were strongly represented in the returnees from Babylon. (Coffman) 1. Ezra 2:27, 38, the men of Micmash: 122; the descendants of Pashhur: 1,247; (NET)
6 II. He was the priest who was chief (governor) of security in the Lord s temple. A. *NET footnote: Hebrew chief overseer or chief officer. 1. The chief overseer had charge of all the other overseers. 2. He was a man of high authority. (Coffman) B. Here is an example of a very high ranking priest, religious official who persecuted God s prophet and the Lord s truth! 1. This kind of thing happens all the time everywhere! C. Clarke identified Pashhur as one of the chief priests of the twenty-four courses/classes. 1. The Pulpit Commentary states this Pashhur belonged to the sixteenth of the priestly classes. a. 1 Chronicles 24:14, the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, (NET) 2. There were other overseers of lesser rank as well. a. 2 Chronicles 31:13, Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismakiah, Mahath, and Benaiah worked under the supervision of Konaniah and his brother Shimei, as directed by King
7 Hezekiah and Azariah, the supervisor of God s temple. (NET) 3. Zephaniah, Pashhur s successor, was second only to the high priest which may have been Pashhur s rank as well. a. Jeremiah 29:26, The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. He has put you in charge in the Lord s temple of controlling any lunatic who pretends to be a prophet. And it is your duty to put any such person in the stocks with an iron collar around his neck. (NET) b. Jeremiah 52:24, The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers. (NET) Jeremiah 20:2, When he heard Jeremiah s prophecy, he had the prophet flogged. Then he put him in the stocks which were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the Lord s temple. (NET) I. When he heard Jeremiah s prophecy, he had the prophet flogged (scourged, beaten). A. What Jeremiah had preached contradicted what Pashhur and the other false prophets had preached. B. Pashhur certainly did not believe in freedom of religion nor freedom of speech.
8 C. Jeremiah preached Jerusalem, because of its sins, would be destroyed while Pashhur preached God would never allow Jerusalem, the temple nor God s people to be harmed. 1. Pashhur disagreed with Jeremiah and set about to stop Jeremiah from prophesying. D. Regarding flogging, see Deuteronomy 25:3, 2 Corinthians 11:24, etc. 1. Deuteronomy 25:3, The judge may sentence him to forty blows, but no more. If he is struck with more than these, you might view your fellow Israelite with contempt. (NET) 2. 2 Corinthians 11:24, Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one. (NET) 3. Coffman wrote, This is one of the saddest scenes in the Old Testament. We have this crooked false prophet Pashhur, beating and torturing God s true prophet. 4. Halley via Coffman wrote regarding stocks, A wooden frame in which the feet, neck and hands were fastened so as to hold the body in a cramped and painful position. It was this torture that drew from Jeremiah his outburst of remonstrance with God in verse 7-18. II. Then he put him in the stocks* which were at the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the Lord s temple.
9 A. *NET footnote: The exact meaning of this word is uncertain; it is a device for restraining or confining prisoners. B. The Upper Gate of Benjamin was the northern gate of the Temple precincts, Smith wrote. 1. This gate faced away from the Valley of Ben Hinnom, Willis observed. 2. This gate faced toward the territory of Benjamin to the north of the temple. (Coffman) C. Smith advised the stocks both restrained and punished (tortured) the prisoner. D. Holladay via Willis noted that the form of these stocks is unknown. The root word for stocks means to turn (over), distort, and is found only three times in the Bible, here and in Jeremiah 29:26 and 2 Chronicles 16:10. 1. Jeremiah 29:26, The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. He has put you in charge in the Lord s temple of controlling any lunatic who pretends to be a prophet. And it is your duty to put any such person in the stocks with an iron collar around his neck. (NET) 2. 2 Chronicles 16:10, Asa was so angry at the prophet, he put him in jail. Asa also oppressed some of the people at that time. (NET)
10 E. Coffman wrote regarding stocks, The terrible instrument of punishment identified in these words was designed for torture, not merely for restraint, (Feinburg) and their function was to inflict cruel and inhuman torture upon the hapless victim. F. The Pulpit Commentary states the Upper (high) Benjamin gate distinguishes this gate from the Benjamin Gate. 1. Jeremiah 37:13, But he only got as far as the Benjamin Gate. There an officer in charge of the guards named Irijah, who was the son of Shelemiah and the grandson of Hananiah, stopped him. He seized Jeremiah and said, You are deserting to the Babylonians! (NET) 2. Jeremiah 38:7, An Ethiopian, Ebed Melech, a court official in the royal palace, heard that Jeremiah had been put in the cistern. While the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate, (NET) 3. It is presumably the same which is called the new gate of the Lord s house as having been comparatively lately built, The Pulpit Commentary states. a. Jeremiah 26:10, However, some of the officials of Judah heard about what was happening and they rushed up to the Lord s temple from the royal palace. They set up court at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord s temple. (NET)
11 b. Jeremiah 36:10, At that time Baruch went into the temple of the Lord. He stood in the entrance of the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan who had been the royal secretary. That room was in the upper court near the entrance of the New Gate. There, where all the people could hear him, he read from the scroll what Jeremiah had said. (NET) c. 2 Kings 15:35, But the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. He built the Upper Gate to the Lord s temple. (NET) Jeremiah 20:3, But the next day Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. When he did, Jeremiah said to him, The Lord s name for you is not Pashhur but Terror is Everywhere. (NET) I. But the next day Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. A. Pashhur released Jeremiah the next day following his arrest and flogging. 1. Jeremiah s detention was brief, but terribly painful. 2. However, Pashhur did not break Jeremiah s spirit nor deter him from speaking God s word to the people. II. When released, Jeremiah said to him, The Lord s name for you is not Pashhur but Terror is Everywhere.
12 A. Terror is Everywhree (Magor-Missabib) is one of Jeremiah s favorite expressions. (Hamilton) 1. Jeremiah 6:25, Do not go out into the countryside. Do not travel on the roads. For the enemy is there with sword in hand. They are spreading terror everywhere. (NET) 2. Jeremiah 20:10, I hear many whispering words of intrigue against me. Those who would cause me terror are everywhere! They are saying, Come on, let s publicly denounce him! All my so-called friends are just watching for something that would lead to my downfall. They say, Perhaps he can be enticed into slipping up, so we can prevail over him and get our revenge on him. (NET) 3. Jeremiah 46:6, But even the swiftest cannot get away. Even the strongest cannot escape. There in the north by the Euphrates River they stumble and fall in defeat. (NET) 4. Jeremiah 49:29, Their tents and their flocks will be taken away. Their tent curtains, equipment, and camels will be carried off. People will shout to them, Terror is all around you! (NET) 5. Psalm 31:14, But I trust in you, O Lord! I declare, You are my God! (NET)
13 B. The flogging and overnight stay in the stocks did not diminish at all Jeremiah s fiery denunciation of Pashhur and the proclaiming of Judah s and Jerusalem s coming destruction. (See Smith.) C. Having been flogged and put in stocks, Jeremiah, who had suffered much at the hands of Pashhur, gives him a new name; viz., Terror is Everywhere. 1. Willis wrote, No one will want to be known as Pashhur s associate because all his family and friends will suffer at the hands of the Babylonians. D. If Pashhur thought he could silence Jeremiah by persecution, he was certainly mistaken. (See Coffman.) 1. Saul of Tarsus also learned Christianity could not be stopped by persecution. E. God s name for Pashhur was magor-missabib (fear, terror on every side). (See Clarke.) 1. Jeremiah simply means to say that Pashhur would one day become an object of general horror. (The Pulpit Commentary) Jeremiah 20:4, For the Lord says, I will make both you and your friends terrified of what will happen to you. You will see all of them die by the swords of their enemies. I will hand all the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will carry some of them away into exile in Babylon and he will kill others of them with the sword. (NET)
14 I. For the Lord says, I will make both you and your friends terrified of what will happen to you. A. Pashhur, who had flogged and imprisoned Jeremiah, faced a terrifying future at the hands of the Babylonians. 1. Pashhur would see his friends die by the swords of their enemies, the Babylonians. 2. God would turn all the people and the wealth of the nation over to the king of Babylon. 3. Pashhur and all his family would be taken as captives to Babylon where he and all his friends would die and be buried... far away from the Promised Land. II. You will see all of them die by the swords of their enemies. A. Jeremiah told it like it was. 1. Pashhur would not just hear of the disasters that were to befall Jerusalem. He would actually see, witness these atrocities. 2. Pashhur would be terrified! III. I will hand all the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. A. Smith and Coffman observed this is the first time in the book of Jeremiah that Jerusalem s conqueror has been named.
15 IV. He will carry some of them away into exile in Babylon and he will kill others of them with the sword. A. Judah and Jerusalem would be totally subjugated by the king of Babylon. 1. Some would be taken into captivity and exiled to Babylon while others would be killed with the sword. 2. All would be totally devastated! Jeremiah 20:5, I will hand over all the wealth of this city to their enemies. I will hand over to them all the fruits of the labor of the people of this city and all their prized possessions, as well as all the treasures of the kings of Judah. Their enemies will seize it all as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. (NET) I. I will hand over all the wealth of this city to their enemies. A. Everything of value would be confiscated by the Babylonians. 1. God would hand over all the wealth of Jerusalem to the Babylonians. II. I will hand over to them all the fruits of the labor of the people of this city and all their prized possessions, as well as all the treasures of the kings of Judah. A. The people of Judah and Jerusalem would become slaves of the Babylonians.
16 1. All the personal and governmental possessions of Judah and Jerusalem would be confiscated by their conquerors. III. Their Babylonian/Chaldean enemies will seize it all as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. A. Everything of value would be forcefully taken away from them. B. Judah and Jerusalem would be left as penniless paupers!... all because of sinful living. Jeremiah 20:6, You, Pashhur, and all your household will go into exile in Babylon. You will die there and you will be buried there. The same thing will happen to all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies. (NET) I. You, Pashhur, and all your household will go into exile in Babylon. A. Wonder how the other exiles felt toward Passhur for telling them they were safe in Jerusalem when the city lay in ruins with dead everywhere when they and Pashhur were together as captives in Babylon? 1. Jeremiah 14:14-15, Then the Lord said to me, Those prophets are prophesying lies while claiming my authority! I did not send them. I did not commission them. I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless predictions, and the delusions
17 of their own mind. 15 I did not send those prophets, though they claim to be prophesying in my name. They may be saying, No war or famine will happen in this land. But I, the Lord, say this about them: War and starvation will kill those prophets. (NET) B. For preaching false doctrines and opposing God s prophet and the truth, Pashhur, his family and friends would be punished, taken as captives to Babylon. 1. Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap! II. You will die there and you will be buried there. A. For a person who claimed to love Jerusalem, the temple and the Promised Land, dying and being buried in far away, pagan Babylon was one of the worst things imaginable. III. The same thing will happen to all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies. A. To prophesy is to speak out, and Pashhur had spouted lies, Hamilton wrote. 1. Pashhur, the high ranking priestly official, had prophesied lies and would consequently be punished as a false prophet. a. Jeremiah 5:30-31, Something horrible and shocking is going on in the land of Judah: The prophets prophesy lies. The priests exercise power by their own
18 authority. And my people love to have it this way. But they will not be able to help you when the time of judgment comes! (NET) b. Jeremiah 14:13-14, Then I said, Oh, Lord God, look! The prophets are telling them that you said, You will not experience war or suffer famine. I will give you lasting peace and prosperity in this land. Then the Lord said to me, Those prophets are prophesying lies while claiming my authority! I did not send them. I did not commission them. I did not speak to them. They are prophesying to these people false visions, worthless predictions, and the delusions of their own mind. (NET) c. Jeremiah 23:25-32, The Lord says, I have heard what those prophets who are prophesying lies in my name are saying. They are saying, I have had a dream! I have had a dream! Those prophets are just prophesying lies. They are prophesying the delusions of their own minds. How long will they go on plotting to make my people forget who I am through the dreams they tell one another? That is just as bad as what their ancestors did when they forgot who I am by worshiping the god Baal. Let the prophet who has had a dream go ahead and tell his dream. Let the person who has received my message report that message faithfully. What is like straw cannot
19 compare to what is like grain! I, the Lord, affirm it! My message is like a fire that purges dross! It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces! I, the Lord, so affirm it! So I, the Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who steal messages from one another that they claim are from me. I, the Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who are using their own tongues to declare, The Lord declares. I, the Lord, affirm that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies. I did not send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all. I, the Lord, affirm it! (NET) d. Jeremiah 27:9-16, So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination, by dreams, by consulting the dead, or by practicing magic. They keep telling you, You do not need to be subject to the king of Babylon. Do not listen to them, because their prophecies are lies. Listening to them will only cause you to be taken far away from your native land. I will drive you out of your country and you will die in exile. Things will go better for the nation that submits to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon and is subject to him. I will leave that nation in its native land. Its people can continue to farm it and live in it.
20 I, the Lord, affirm it! I told King Zedekiah of Judah the same thing. I said, Submit to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. Be subject to him and his people. Then you will continue to live. There is no reason why you and your people should die in war or from starvation or disease! That s what the Lord says will happen to any nation that will not be subject to the king of Babylon. Do not listen to the prophets who are telling you that you do not need to serve the king of Babylon. For they are prophesying lies to you. For I, the Lord, affirm that I did not send them. They are prophesying lies to you. If you listen to them, I will drive you and the prophets who are prophesying lies out of the land and you will all die in exile. I also told the priests and all the people, The Lord says, Do not listen to what your prophets are saying. They are prophesying to you that the valuable articles taken from the Lord s temple will be brought back from Babylon very soon. But they are prophesying a lie to you. (NET) e. Jeremiah 28:15, Then the prophet Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah, Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you! You are making these people trust in a lie! (NET) f. Jeremiah 29:8-9, 21-23, 31-32, For the Lord God of Israel who rules over all says,
21 Do not let the prophets or those among you who claim to be able to predict the future by divination deceive you. And do not pay any attention to the dreams that you are encouraging them to dream. They are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. But I did not send them. I, the Lord, affirm it! The Lord God of Israel who rules over all also has something to say about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and he will execute them before your very eyes. And all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will use them as examples when they put a curse on anyone. They will say, May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab whom the king of Babylon roasted to death in the fire! This will happen to them because they have done what is shameful in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors wives and have spoken lies while claiming my authority. They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. I know what they have done. I have been a witness to it, says the Lord. Send a message to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, The Lord has spoken about Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Shemaiah has spoken to you as a prophet even though I did not send him. He is making you trust in a lie. Because
22 he has done this, the Lord says, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his whole family. There will not be any of them left to experience the good things that I will do for my people. I, the Lord, affirm it! For he counseled rebellion against the Lord. (NET) 2. In contrast to Pashhur, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel were from priestly families and they all spoke the truth. (See Willis.) a. 1 Chronicles 25:1, David and the army officers selected some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to prophesy as they played stringed instruments and cymbals. (NET) b. 1 Chronicles 6:33-43, These are the ones who served along with their sons: From the Kohathites: Heman the musician, son of Joel, son of Samuel, son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah, son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai, son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel. Serving beside him was his fellow Levite Asaph, son of Berechiah, son of Shimea, son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malkijah, son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah, son of Ethan, son of Zimmah, son
23 of Shimei, son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi. (NET) Jeremiah Complains about the Reaction to His Ministry Jeremiah 20:7, Lord, you coerced me into being a prophet, and I allowed you to do it. You overcame my resistance and prevailed over me. Now I have become a constant laughingstock. Everyone ridicules me. (NET) I. Lord, you coerced me into being a prophet, and I allowed you to do it*. You overcame my resistance and prevailed over me. A. *NET footnote: Or and I let my self be coerced. 1. The word may best be entice or allure. (The Pulpit Commentary) B. Jeremiah blamed the Lord for all his troubles claiming God had deceived him, seduced him, lured him into proclaiming Jerusalem s destruction which led to his troubles at the hands of his countrymen. (See Hamilton.) 1. Jeremiah 1:8, 17, 18, Do not be afraid of those to whom I send you, for I will be with you to protect you, says the Lord. But you, Jeremiah, get yourself ready! Go and tell these people everything I instruct you to say. Do not be terrified of them, or I will give you good reason to be terrified of them. I, the Lord, hereby promise to make you as strong as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. You will be able to stand up against all who live in the land,
24 including the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and all the people of the land. (NET) 2. 1 Kings 22:20, The Lord said, Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die there? One said this and another that. (NET) 3. Judges 14:15, On the fourth day they said to Samson s bride, Trick your husband into giving the solution to the riddle. If you refuse, we will burn up you and your father s family. Did you invite us here to make us poor? (NET) 4. Jeremiah s words here are almost blasphemy. (See Coffman.) C. Verses 7-10 consist of Jeremiah s complaint against God. (Smith) 1. Jeremiah 20:7-18 contains the prophet s fifth and final Confession or Personal Laments. 2. Jeremiah was very distressed by the opposition he had encountered in response to his prophetic ministry. D. Jeremiah charged God with being stronger than he and, by this strength, prevailed and caused him to become a prophet. II. Now I have become a constant laughingstock. ridicules me. Everyone
25 A. Willis wrote, The people have responded to his warnings with ridicule, mocking, insult and reproach. B. The opposition of the people was taking its toll on Jeremiah physically and emotionally. C. Jeremiah loudly complained about his lot in life, yet was still submissive to God. (Tyndale via Coffman) Jeremiah 20:8, For whenever I prophesy, I must cry out, Violence and destruction are coming! This message from the Lord has made me an object of continual insults and derision. (NET) I. For whenever I prophesy, I must cry out, Violence and destruction are coming! * A. *NET footnote: A summary of Jeremiah s messages of impending judgment. B. Jeremiah could take up no other tone but that of indignant denunciation, no other theme but that of the acts of injustice constantly committed chiefly against the prophet himself, The Pulpit Commentary states. II. This message from the Lord has made me an object of continual insults and derision. A. The people in Jerusalem preferred to believe the soothing all is well doctrine of the false prophets.
26 1. They flatly rejected Jeremiah s message of destruction and heaped upon him continual insults and derision. Jeremiah 20:9, Sometimes I think, I will make no mention of his message. I will not speak as his messenger any more. But then his message becomes like a fire locked up inside of me, burning in my heart and soul. I grow weary of trying to hold it in; I cannot contain it. (NET) I. Sometimes I think, I will make no mention of his message. I will not speak as his messenger any more. A. Jeremiah considered resigning his prophetic ministry, but the message burned so fiercely within him he could not keep it to himself. 1. He had to proclaim it! B. It is as dangerous to refuse to go when called as it is to go without Biblical authorization. 1. We must live in keeping with God s commands, doing what he commands and abstaining from doing what he has forbidden. II. But then his message becomes like a fire locked up inside of me, burning in my heart and soul.* I grow weary of trying to hold it in; I cannot contain it. A. *NET footnote: Hebrew it is in my heart like a burning fire, shut up in my bones.
27 B. Regardless of how hard he tries to refrain from proclaiming God s word, he was unable to remain silent. 1. Jeremiah could not withhold the Lord s announcement of punishment, even when he tries to do so, Hamilton wrote. 2. Jeremiah has within his heart an overwhelming compulsion to say what the Lord had told him to tell the people. a. Jeremiah 1:6, I answered, Oh, Lord God, I really do not know how to speak well enough for that, for I am too young. (NET) b. Jeremiah was torn between the peace and quiet of ceasing to prophesy further and the compulsion to declare God s word to a sin-sick, dying rebellious nation. c. He cold not resist the overwhelming fire, zeal that burned within his soul to proclaim God s word. Jeremiah 20:10, I hear many whispering words of intrigue against me. Those who would cause me terror are everywhere! They are saying, Come on, let s publicly denounce him! All my so-called friends are just watching for something that would lead to my downfall. They say, Perhaps he can be enticed into slipping up, so we can prevail over him and get our revenge on him. (NET)
28 I. I hear many whispering words of intrigue against me. A. Everywhere Jeremiah went people opposed his teachings, whispered words of intrigue against him. 1. Jeremiah heard, was well aware of what the people were saying and plotting against him. II. Those who would cause me terror are everywhere! A. Jeremiah feels the name he had given Pashhur, Magormissabib, was correct because those who would cause him terror were everywhere! 1. Psalm 31:13, For I hear what so many are saying, the terrifying news that comes from every direction. When they plot together against me, they figure out how they can take my life. (NET) III. They are saying, Come on, let s publicly denounce him! A. Jeremiah s enemies were waging a propaganda war against him. 1. They were certainly not above slander! IV. All my so-called friends are just watching for something that would lead to my downfall. A. Jeremiah s pretended friends were just looking for something they could use against him.
29 1. Jeremiah 38:22, All the women who are left in the royal palace of Judah will be led out to the officers of the king of Babylon. They will taunt you saying, Your trusted friends misled you; they have gotten the best of you. Now that your feet are stuck in the mud, they have turned their backs on you. (NET) 2. Psalm 35:15, But when I stumbled, they rejoiced and gathered together; they gathered together to ambush me. They tore at me without stopping to rest. (NET) B. Jeremiah s so-called friends were trying to find anything they could use to harm the prophet. 1. They were not above setting traps for him. 2. They just wanted to be done with, rid of Jeremiah. V. They say, Perhaps he can be enticed into slipping up, so we can prevail over him and get our revenge on him. A. Jeremiah s opponents were trying to find a weak spot they could use to overcome him and exact revenge on him. 1. They really hated Jeremiah! 2. Don t think everyone will love you if you are a faithful servant of God. Jeremiah 20:11, But the Lord is with me to help me like an awe-inspiring warrior. Therefore those who persecute
30 me will fail and will not prevail over me. They will be thoroughly disgraced because they did not succeed. Their disgrace will never be forgotten. (NET) I. But the Lord is with me to help me like an awe-inspiring warrior.. A. Jeremiah voices confidence that God, who told him what to preach, would see him through his trials and tribulations and vindicate his ministry. (See Hamilton.) 1. Punishment of his enemies would vindicate Jeremiah. B. Jeremiah voiced the conviction that God was with hijm (verses 11-13). (Smith) 1. God would enable him to overcome. 2. This is the last lament by Jeremiah in this entire book. a. Later, when Jeremiah suffered even more severe persecution, he did not complain. b. All of us have questions we would like to have God answer. c. The important thing is that we come through it all the more dedicated to the Lord than ever before.
31 II. Therefore those who persecute me will fail and will not prevail over me. They will be thoroughly disgraced because they did not succeed (prosper). Their disgrace will never be forgotten. A. Jeremiah expressed confidence that God, as a powerful formidable warrior, a terrible one, would fight for him and give him victory over his enemies. 1. Jeremiah 1:19, They will attack you but they will not be able to overcome you, for I will be with you to rescue you, says the Lord. (NET) Jeremiah 20:12, O Lord who rules over all, you test and prove the righteous. You see into people s hearts and minds. Pay them back for what they have done because I trust you to vindicate my cause. (NET) I. O Lord who rules over all, you test and prove the righteous. A. The sentiments of this verse are also expressed in Jeremiah 11:20. 1. Jeremiah 11:20, So I said to the Lord, O Lord who rules over all, you are a just judge! You examine people s hearts and minds. I want to see you pay them back for what they have done because I trust you to vindicate my cause. (NET) B. God rules over all. That is for sure. 1. Everything known to men is either by the Lord s will or his permission.
32 C. The Lord does not tempt anyone to sin, but he does test and prove us. 1. James 1:2-4, 12-16, My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. Happy is the one who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death. Do not be led astray, my dear brothers and sisters. (NET) II. You see into people s hearts and minds. Pay them back for what they have done because I trust you to vindicate my cause. A. Jeremiah was convinced the Lord would do what was just. Therefore, he could sing praises to God for deliverance from the hand of evildoers. (See Smith.) Jeremiah 20:13, Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he rescues the oppressed from the clutches of evildoers. (NET)
33 I. Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For he rescues the oppressed from the clutches of evildoers. A. Jeremiah s circumstances had not changed, but his faith in God s providential care and protection had greatly increased. 1. Faith made all the difference! NOTE: Verses 14-18 are in stark contrast with verses 11-13. Passages in Jeremiah are not necessarily arranged in chronological order. Since the last lament of Jeremiah covers verses 7-11 and verses 14-18, It may have been that, in point of time, verses 14-18 were spoken before verses 11-13. It is also possible these were Jeremiah s thoughts when he was being flogged and tortured in the stocks. (See Coffman and Matthew Hanny.) Chronologically, Clarke suggested placing verses 14-18 between verses 8 and 9. Jeremiah 20:14, Cursed be the day I was born! May that day not be blessed when my mother gave birth to me. (NET) I. Cursed be the day I was born! May that day not be blessed when my mother gave birth to me. A. Verses 14-18 speak to Jeremiah s deep depression. 1. Job had similar feelings in his time of illness. a. Job 3:1-26, After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day he was born. Job
34 spoke up and said: Let the day on which I was born perish, and the night that said, A man has been conceived! That day let it be darkness; let not God on high regard it, nor let light shine on it! Let darkness and the deepest shadow claim it; let a cloud settle on it; let whatever blackens the day terrify it! That night let darkness seize it; let it not be included among the days of the year; let it not enter among the number of the months! Indeed, let that night be barren; let no shout of joy penetrate it! Let those who curse the day curse it those who are prepared to rouse Leviathan. Let its morning stars be darkened; let it wait for daylight but find none, nor let it see the first rays of dawn, because it did not shut the doors of my mother s womb on me, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes! Why did I not die at birth, and why did I not expire as I came out of the womb? Why did the knees welcome me, and why were there two breasts that I might nurse at them? For now I would be lying down and would be quiet, I would be asleep and then at peace with kings and counselors of the earth who built for themselves places now desolate, or with princes who possessed gold, who filled their palaces with silver. Or why was I not buried like a stillborn infant, like infants who have never seen the light? There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest. There the prisoners relax together;
35 they do not hear the voice of the oppressor. Small and great are there, and the slave is free from his master. Why does God give light to one who is in misery, and life to those whose soul is bitter, to those who wait for death that does not come, and search for it more than for hidden treasures, who rejoice even to jubilation, and are exultant when they find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in? For my sighing comes in place of my food, and my groanings flow forth like water. For the very thing I dreaded has happened to me, and what I feared has come upon me. I have no ease, I have no quietness; I cannot rest; turmoil has come upon me. (NET) 2. This (verses 14-18) could be called Jeremiah s curse. (See Smith.) B. From one verse to another Jeremiah went from the lofty heights of praise to the lowest depths of depression. (Smith) 1. This was because he took his eye off of God and focused anew on his own miserable situation. (Smith) C. In regard to cursing the day he was born, Jeremiah was close to violating commandments of the Law of Moses.
36 1. Leviticus 20:9, If anyone curses his father and mother he must be put to death. He has cursed his father and mother; his blood guilt is on himself. (NET) 2. Leviticus 24:10-16, Now an Israelite woman s son whose father was an Egyptian went out among the Israelites, and the Israelite woman s son and an Israelite man had a fight in the camp. The Israelite woman s son misused the Name and cursed, so they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) So they placed him in custody until they were able to make a clear legal decision for themselves based on words from the mouth of the Lord. Then the Lord spoke to Moses: Bring the one who cursed outside the camp, and all who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the whole congregation is to stone him to death. Moreover, you are to tell the Israelites, If any man curses his God he will bear responsibility for his sin, and one who misuses the name of the Lord must surely be put to death. The whole congregation must surely stone him, whether he is a foreigner or a native citizen; when he misuses the Name he must be put to death. (NET) D. Cragie, Kelley and Drinkard noted, What (or who) is not cursed in the poem is as remarkable as what is cursed. 1. Jeremiah cursed the day he was born and the messenger who announced his birth to his father.
37 2. Jeremiah did not curse God nor his mother or father. 3. By implication he cursed himself for being born. Jeremiah 20:15, Cursed be the man who made my father very glad when he brought him the news that a baby boy had been born to him! (NET) I. Cursed be the man who made my father very glad when he brought him the news that a baby boy had been born to him! A. This is a curse poem centering on the prophets birthday and the messenger who announced his birth. (Craigie, Kelley and Drinkard) B. This man who announced the birth of the prophet of doom would be cursed by the words of the prophet as he would be included in the affected population when the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem. (See Craigie, Kelley and Drinkard.) Jeremiah 20:16, May that man be like the cities that the Lord destroyed without showing any mercy. May he hear a cry of distress in the morning and a battle cry at noon. (NET) I. May that man be like the cities* that the Lord destroyed without showing any mercy. A. *NET footnote: The cities are Sadom and Gomorrah and the cities of the Jordan plain.
38 1. Isaiah 1:9-10, If the Lord who commands armies had not left us a few survivors, we would have quickly become like Sodom, we would have become like Gomorrah. Listen to the Lord s word, you leaders of Sodom! Pay attention to our God s rebuke, people of Gomorrah! (NET) 2. Isaiah 13:19, Babylon, the most admired of kingdoms, the Chaldeans source of honor and pride, will be destroyed by God just as Sodom and Gomorrah were. (NET) 3. Jeremiah 23:14, But I see the prophets of Jerusalem doing something just as shocking. They are unfaithful to me and continually prophesy lies. So they give encouragement to people who are doing evil, with the result that they do not stop their evildoing. I consider all of them as bad as the people of Sodom, and the citizens of Jerusalem as bad as the people of Gomorrah. (NET) 4. Jeremiah 49:18, Edom will be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah and the towns that were around them. No one will live there. No human being will settle in it, says the Lord. (NET) 5. Genesis 19:24-28, Then the Lord rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. It was sent down from the sky by the Lord. So he overthrew those cities and all that region, including all the inhabitants of the cities and the vegetation that grew from the ground. But Lot s
39 wife looked back longingly and was turned into a pillar of salt. Abraham got up early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord. He looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace. (NET) 6. Amos 4:11, I overthrew some of you the way God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the flames. Still you did not come back to me. The Lord is speaking! (NET) 7. Deuteronomy 29:22-23, The generation to come your descendants who will rise up after you, as well as the foreigner who will come from distant places will see the afflictions of that land and the illnesses that the Lord has brought on it. 23 The whole land will be covered with brimstone, salt, and burning debris; it will not be planted nor will it sprout or produce grass. It will resemble the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed in his intense anger. (NET) 8. Jeremiah 50:40, I will destroy Babylonia just like I did Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns. No one will live there. No human being will settle in it, says the Lord. (NET)
40 II. May he hear a cry of distress in the morning and a battle cry at noon. A. The Pulpit Commentary identified this as the cry of the besieged for help and the shouting of the suddenly appearing assailants, the Babylonians. 1. Jeremiah 15:8, Their widows will become in my sight more numerous than the grains of sand on the seashores. At noontime I will bring a destroyer against the mothers of their young men. I will cause anguish and terror to fall suddenly upon them. (NET) Jeremiah 20:17, For he did not kill me before I came from the womb, making my pregnant mother s womb my grave forever. (NET) I. For he did not kill me before I came from the womb, making my pregnant mother s womb my grave forever. A. This is highly figurative, poetic language referencing ancient folklore regarding everlasting pregnancy. (See Craigie, Kelley, and Drinkard.) B. Wholesale aborting, killing of unborn babies is horribly sinful and a blight on any land! Jeremiah 20:18, Why did I ever come forth from my mother s womb? All I experience is trouble and grief, and I spend my days in shame. (NET)
41 I. Why did I ever come forth from my mother s womb? All I experience is trouble and grief, and I spend my days in shame. A. Clarke explained, It would have been well had I never been born, as I have neither comfort in my life nor comfort in my work. B. In despair Jeremiah asked why he was ever born. Conclusion: 1. Jeremiah was not happy. 2. All he felt was only trouble, grief and shame. I. It is certainly a mistake to think that living for God guarantees a person a happy, trouble free life. A. The Bible certainly does not teach this freedom from trouble idea for the righteous. B. In this one chapter, Jeremiah was arrested, flogged, put in stocks, slandered, terrorized, publicly denounced, and persecuted. C. Emotionally Jeremiah experienced severe mood swings from castigating his persecutors, blaming God for all his troubles, cursing the day of his birth to singing praise to the Lord. II. In spite of all the difficulties he experienced, Jeremiah remained faithful to God until death and now enjoys the crown of life.
42 1. Remember that all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution, but... 2. those who are faithful unto death will be eternally blessed.
43 Questions On Jeremiah 20:1-18 (Questions based on NET text.) 1. Which verses of Jeremiah 20 are written in prose and which are written in poetic form? What determined which verses were written in which literary form? 2. Why is there some question about whether Jeremiah 20:1-6 should be a part of chapter 19 or chapter 20? 3. Who was Pashhur son of Immar?
44 4. What actions did Pashhur take in regard to Jeremiah? 5. Why did he do these things to Jeremiah? 6. What did Jeremiah think of Pashhur? 7. Are all high ranking religious officials walking faithfully in God s way? If not, how can we identify the righteous ones? Explain and give reasons for your answer. 8. What was involved in flogging? What were stocks? How did they work?
45 9. Locate the Upper Gate of Benjamin in the Lord s temple. Was this the same as the Benjamin Gate? If not, explain the difference. 10. Why is Magor-Missabib, Jeremiah s name for Pashhur, appropriate? 11. How and where does Jeremiah use this name elsewhere in this prophecy?
46 12. What eventually happened to Pashhur and his relatives? 13. What would happen to the possessions, wealth, fruits of the labor, possessions and treasures of Jerusalem and Judah, the people and government? 14. Their will seize it all as and it off to. of would be from them. and would be left as!... all because of. 15. How did the other exiles feel toward Pashhur for telling them they were safe in Jerusalem when the city lay in ruins and they and Pashhur were all together in Babylon as captives/exiles?
47 16. In related passages to verse 6, what did Jeremiah say about false prophets? 17. Jeremiah blamed the Lord for all his claiming God had him, him, him into s which led to his at the of his. 18. Was Jeremiah s complaints against God justified? Why or why not? 19. What message did Jeremiah preach to Judah and Jerusalem? 20. What was the response of the people of Judah and Jerusalem to Jeremiah s message?
48 21. By way of what he could do, what option did Jeremiah choose? 22. Why did Jeremiah choose this option? 23. How can you distinguish between your true, genuine friends and your so-called, pretended friends? 24. Verses 7-10 say those to whom Jeremiah prophesied had made him a, had him, had made him into an of and. Many of against him. Those who would cause Jeremiah were.
49 They were set on him and were looking for something that would lead to his They hoped Jeremiah could be into up, so they could over him and get their on him. 25. Jeremiah expressed confidence that God would be with him to him like an -. Those who Jeremiah would and would not over him. Jeremiah s would be. They did not ( ). Their would never be. 26. Does God tempt his faithful people? Does he test and prove them? What is the difference between tempting, testing and proving? 27. God knows the and of everyone. Jeremiah asked God to his enemies for what they had done. Jeremiah God to his. 28. Jeremiah to the! the! For he the from the of.
50 29. s had not, but his in s and had. 30. Verses 14-18 are in stark contrast with verses 11-13. What are the reasons for this stark contrast? Did Jeremiah have manicdepressive tendencies? 31. Compare Jeremiah s remarks in Jeremiah 20:14-18 with Job s in Job 3:1-26. 32. What and whom did Jeremiah curse? Why didn t he also curse his mother and father? 33. Why would Jeremiah curse the man who announced his birth?