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.
Yes, this
passage is largely about the judgment upon Philistia. However, the chapter is short. Philistia is a largely forgotten nation. They were conquered by David and
Solomon. The Egypt came along and
finished the job. Just to make sure they
stayed down, Tyre and Sidon kept a tight rein upon them and kept them from
recovering and expanding. Now comes the
Babylonian army onto the scene. Jeremiah
prophesies that Philistia will fall under the Babylonian threat as if they aren’t
even there.
As we
hear about this, Jeremiah does something incredibly interesting. Jeremiah pleads for the wrath of God to be
stayed. However, he also knows that it must come in order for the righteousness
of the Lord to be put on display.
Jeremiah knows that judgment isn’t fun.
Jeremiah also knows that the only way that things get better is through
difficult change. Jeremiah knows that
what God is doing is righteous. But
Jeremiah mourns the painful process that the people will endure.
This is
what it looks like to be a prophet.
Prophets don’t just speak messages.
Prophets care about the recipients.
Prophets mourn when needed.
Prophets deliver the messages of God while caring about the people who
hear them at the same time.
<><
No comments:
Post a Comment