Year 6, Day 73: Jeremiah 20

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Character

• Character: Having the interior life that is necessary to support the work that God sets before a person.  It is hearing from God and obeying.  It is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.

We get to see three unique dynamics of character here in this passage.  The first dynamic is Jeremiah.  Jeremiah knows that proclaiming a contrary message is likely to get him into trouble.  It does.  Today we hear that Jeremiah is beaten and thrown into the stocks.  This isn’t really all that big of a surprise.  He has just contradicted the religious leaders.  He gets himself into trouble and it comes in a very big way.  But in this we see Jeremiah’s character.  God says to do this.  Jeremiah did it.  Jeremiah cares more about obeying God than keeping himself safe.  Well done, Jeremiah, even if it meant a beating and being thrown in the publically humiliating stocks.

We also get to see the character of Passhur. Here is a man who hears from god and doesn’t like what he hears.  What is the conclusion that he reaches?  Passhur decides that he certainly couldn’t be hearing from God if he doesn’t like the message.  Rather than check out the message, Passhur makes up his mind on his own.  His character is to assume that he is right rather than consider that he might just be wrong.

We also get to see a glimpse of Jeremiah’s character as it pertains to his relationship with God.  What we see happen is Jeremiah begins to grumble.  It hurts to be persecuted.  He begins to curse being born.  He begins to wish he wouldn’t be in this situation.  He even asks God to curse the day that he was born!  But in all of this, he never turns his back on God.  He continues to praise God and lift up God’s name.  He isn’t angry with God; he is angry that following God is so hard in a fallen and sinful world.  I have to admit.  I’ve been there, too.

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