The Burning

Jeremiah 20:9

Now to get you where I am, lets examine our text in context. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. The one that cries that he would never have been born. Yet this same man, was a prophet. And what a costly venture that was. Now, Jeremiah often called the weeping prophet, in Jeremiah 9:1 (often cited as a defining verse): "Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people." (This longing for endless tears to mourn his nation's fate is a primary reason for the "weeping" title.)

In Jeremiah 8:18–9:1, he laments: "My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken... Listen to the weeping of my people..."

Now, see this truly broken man, lets read beginning in v7

Jeremiah 20:7–9  “ O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me. 8 For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, “Violence and plunder!” Because the word of the Lord was made to me A reproach and a derision daily. 9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.”

Then:

Jeremiah 20:10–11  “ For I heard many mocking: “Fear on every side!” “Report,” they say, “and we will report it!” All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying, “Perhaps he can be induced; Then we will prevail against him, And we will take our revenge on him.” 11 But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.”

Now, we are going to be all over with different versions so I’m just saying, be ready. I try not to use too many per verse, but it really expands the hurt in Jeremiah

Jeremiah 20:7–9 (NKJV)

7 O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me. 

Its a little heartbreaking, especially when we read Jeremiah 20:7 (NET 2nd ed.) 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.

You can hear the angst & hurt dripping in Jeremiahs speech. Jeremiah didn’t attend a school of the prophets. He didn’t seek this out. This truly is a calling.

to be called to speak on behalf of the Lord can come with great perks. Like Samuel and Nathan, sitting at the tables of the king. Here, Or like what Isaiah, Jeremiah being put in stocks, beaten, caged, etc.

Look with me at vv 1-6, see how the Lord helped Jeremiah make friends and win awesome prizes, Jeremiah 20:1–6 (NKJV) Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 2 Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 And it happened on the next day that Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord has not called your name Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib (‘Terror is Everywhere.’). 4 For thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes shall see it. I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive to Babylon and slay them with the sword. 5 Moreover I will deliver all the wealth of this city, all its produce, and all its precious things; all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give into the hand of their enemies, who will plunder them, seize them, and carry them to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. You shall go to Babylon, and there you shall die, and be buried there, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied lies.’ ” then v7 again. Jeremiah 20:7 (NKJV) O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; Everyone mocks me.

8 For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, “Violence and plunder!” Because the word of the Lord was made to me A reproach and a derision daily. 

its almost an uncontrolled exclamation, He couldn't help but say it. He couldn't say the easy thing that many of us would do. Be kind, be diplomatic. How else do you say, you’re all gonna go into slavery and die?

were there those who heard, who loved the Lord, those that knew Jeremiah was right and they corrected. But Babylon was still coming. Judgement was promised and it was going to happen. If the Nation would've repented, I have no doubt God would’ve relented. But their leaders were often representative of who the nation was. Its leaders a reflection of the heart of Israel. Like our leaders tend to be an exaggeration of us. The best of us is often the worst of us. Like in 1Peter 3

9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not.

I love how this reads again, NET - Jeremiah 20:9 (NET 2nd ed.) “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.”

v10, the mocking, fear, just watching, waiting to see jeremiah fail/fall. To see or even cause him to get caught up. They would provoke him, hoping he would get in trouble.

Some think he’s talking about his desire not to, who wouldnt, He didn’t actually mean (I think) to stop serving God. He was hearing from the living God and that couldnt be stopped. The high cost of this blessing made him wonder if he could but HE COULDN’T Let me read v9 in NET again - then Jeremiah 20:10 (NET 2nd ed.) 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.”

Many criticize street preachers, evangelists, etc. They condemn those that preach against sin, that speak of the high costs of breaking the law of God. Like all sin, worthy of death.

Babylon was coming judgement was trudging toward them, because Israel as nearly a whole, ignored the commands of God. There are always real costs to sin. Always consequences. And for those who listened, who repented and who prepared, their lives were totally different and they didn't just survive, but thrived in Babylon.

look - this is not the first prophet of fire and anguish.

the primary one we know is Moses, in Exodus 5:22–6:1 (NKJV) So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 

23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.” 6:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

Be assured, if God is truly calling you, you’ll know it. It won’t always be super positive. And you can answer. Yes, you need to count the cost. But if the Holy Spirit wants to speak through you, let it burn and let that fire loose as Moses spoke with the fire in Exodus 3:3–7 (NKJV) Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the Lord said: Yahweh/Jehovah/Adonai spoke. And it was so.