Year 6, Day 78: Jeremiah 25

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Prophet

• Prophet: A prophet is one of the fivefold ministry categories that is used throughout the Bible and especially lifted up in Ephesians 4:11.  The prophet is primarily concerned with whether or not the people are hearing the voice of God.  The prophet is also concerned about whether or not the people are responding to God’s voice.

Twenty-three years is a long time.  Twenty-three years is a third of a lifetime.

This is how long Jeremiah has been bringing the message of repentance before the people.  But this is also how long the message has been ignored.  Jeremiah has been bringing messages from God asking them to repent for over two decades and his words have gone on deaf ears.  Twenty-three years is a long time; twenty-three years is an even longer time to have a fruitless endeavor.

Of course, this also shows a certain perspective.  Fruitlessness depends on perspective.  From a worldly perspective, Jeremiah is fruitless in his work.  The people ignore Jeremiah.  But that doesn’t mean that he is fruitless.  He is a prophet from God.  His job is to deliver the message.  It is not his job to force them to hear or force them to obey.  Jeremiah may not show human fruit of his labor, but he is absolutely accomplishing the work that God has put before him.

It is common for prophets to experience a feeling of fruitlessness.  Not everyone who hears about the grace, love and mercy of God responds.  Not everyone who hears the call to repent and change their living receives the message.  Yet that doesn’t mean that the prophet has done anything wrong.  The prophet’s job is to give the message.  The people to whom the message is given need to decide for themselves how to respond.

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