Jeremiah And Rejection

Good Morning. Before I say anything else, picture a prophet in your head. Not the money kind, the Bible one. People have lots of ideas about what the life of a prophet would be like, but one thing that might surprise you is that the main job of a prophet wasn’t telling people the future, any more that telling a kid he will burn himself if he touches the stove is telling the future. Their main job was telling people what God wants them to know. Prophets speak the Word of the Lord to people. In a sense, that not only makes me a prophet, (little p) but it makes you a prophet any time you share God’s word with people.

Although being a prophet for us is very different than for Jeremiah. He lived at a time when there was no “Bible” to read to the people, just the teachings of Moses. In our lesson, God calls Jeremiah to share a “prophecy” with the people, which sounds just like a parable. In verses 1-4, Jeremiah is told to go to study a Potter at work. In verses 5-11, he’s told to tell God’s people to turn from your wicked ways or I will treat you like the potter treats a misshaped lump of clay.

Great illustration, very vivid, scary, but as you can imagine, not something welcomed by the people he went to preach to. In the Old Testament, prophets are known for their struggles with the fact that, though they were faithful in sharing God’s word, they were hated for doing just what God asked them to do. Preparing his disciples on the night he was betrayed Jesus saysJn15:18

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, …the world hates you.

Jesus warns his disciples they will be hated for sharing the truth.

But we know that’s still painful. In fact, if you continue reading Jeremiah 18 after verse 18, you will see how angry he is that the people wont repent, and that they hate him, and Jeremiah calls down God’s wrath on them.

The religious leaders in Jerusalem plotted against him to kill him, because they are afraid of his influence over the people, so they constantly tried to trap him with his words. Sounds like Jesus! By the time we get to chapter 18, he has already survived 8 murder attempts, one by his own family.

And while Jeremiah was a faithful prophet, he was a man with shortcomings just like us. Jeremiah 11 to 20 contain lots of prayers to God about the unfaithfulness of the people God has sent him to shepherd. It’s a complaint list about his congregation.

“God, can’t you give me some less stubborn people to teach donkeys in sheep’s clothing!” Jeremiah complained so much that even 2600 years later, there is an infrequently used word in English called a jeremiad.

A jeremiad is a long complaint or list of grievances. When you’re so frustrated you take the time to write down all the things you want to complain about, that’s a jeremiad. I hope I’m not the only one here who has done this.

Jeremiah 11-20 is presenting his jeremiad to God. His list of complaints begins with the fact that he is doing exactly what he’s supposed to do as a teacher of the word, but God isn’t making the people listen and obey! Any parent or manager who’s tried to teach people how to conduct themselves and do things properly, and you turn your back and they do whatever, you understand. Especially when it’s because they don’t care to do the right thing.

What really bothered Jeremiah was that although he obeyed God, he ended up suffering more than they did, as God kept extending His mercy time and again to sinners! We have a merciful God this is so much like Jonah!!

Like John the Baptist when he was in Jail, Jeremiah would cry, Hey God, that’s not the way it is supposed to work.

2 choices. First - I share God’s Word, and the people obey, or

Second – I share, the people don’t obey, and the people suffer horribly.

Not “I preach, the people ignore God’s word and mock me, and you give them another chance to repent!” That stinks, right? Except it doesn’t actually, because it’s our blessing. God is teaching this to Jeremiah.

We are all graciously blessed by God for not being wiped out for our sin, but spared time and again, as He sends His word to us, calling us to listen. When we do listen, and confess our sin, be thankful we have a patient God. Also in the same way, comparing Jeremiah to Jesus is a good lesson on keeping our eyes on the right target, moving the hearts of sinners, rather than their destruction.