Jeremiah 20:7-13 Quit

Jeremiah 20:7-13 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

7You persuaded me, LORD, and I agreed to it.

You are stronger than I am, and you won out.

I have become a laughingstock all day long,

and everyone is mocking me.

8Whenever I speak, I cry out.

I cry out, “Violence and destruction!”

But the word of the LORD has brought scorn on me.

I am mocked all day long.

9If I say, “I will not mention him

or speak in his name anymore,”

then there is a burning fire in my heart,

shut up in my bones,

and I am weary of holding it in.

I cannot!

10I hear many whispering,

“Terror on every side!”

All my close friends,

those who are watching for my fall, say,

“Denounce him! Let’s denounce him.

Perhaps he can be pressured into making a mistake.

Then we will have the upper hand against him,

and we will take our revenge on him.”

11But the LORD is with me like a terrifying warrior.

So my persecutors will stumble,

and they will not gain the upper hand.

They will be put to shame completely,

because they have not been successful.

Their eternal disgrace will never be forgotten.

12LORD of Armies, you test the righteous.

You see the heart and the mind.

Let me see your vengeance on them,

for I have laid out my case before you.

13Sing to the LORD!

Praise the LORD,

for he has delivered the life of the needy

from the hand of the wicked.

Quit

I.

It happened perhaps once a month or so. The younger pastor walked into his associate’s office and said: “I quit!” Sometimes things weren’t going so well in the congregation. Sometimes the pastor felt pressure—it seemed like from every side. The younger pastor would vent for about half an hour or so about all the reasons being a pastor just felt impossible.

The older pastor just sat in his chair, nodding. He understood. Eventually the younger man would say: “Well, I’ve got to get back to work, I guess.” The older pastor would just smirk a little bit and say: “Me, too.”

Back at the beginning of his ministry, God told Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations... 8Do not be afraid of them, because I am with you, and I will rescue you, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:5, 8, EHV).

It is said by commentators that Jeremiah was not an outgoing man. These days he would be called an introvert. It’s intimidating for an introvert to be in front of a crowd, but they’re often quite good at it. Perhaps that’s why God chose him. Not really.

Introverts are usually good at being in front of a crowd only when they really believe in the message they are presenting. “The word of the LORD came to [Jeremiah]...” (Jeremiah 1:2, EHV). Jeremiah lists the king of Judah who reigned at the time God spoke to him. His term as a prophet of God continued through the last six kings of Judah.

God had called him, but what did it get him? “The word of the LORD has brought scorn on me. I am mocked all day long... 10 All my close friends, those who are watching for my fall, say, ‘Denounce him! Let’s denounce him. Perhaps he can be pressured into making a mistake. Then we will have the upper hand against him, and we will take our revenge on him’” (Jeremiah 20:8, 10, EHV). With friends like those, who needs enemies?

“You persuaded me, LORD, and I agreed to it. You are stronger than I am, and you won out” (Jeremiah 20:7, EHV). God gave him the message and he believed it. Jeremiah saw the message for what it was—the very Word of God. That message needed to be delivered to the people. But there were times... What had all this gotten him? Friends who were just out to threaten him and betray him. And those were his friends. What he faced from others was far worse.

Essentially Jeremiah is saying: “Lord, this isn’t what I signed up for.” He was exhausted. Jeremiah doesn’t sound like a spiritual giant, does he?

He sounds just like most Christians making their way through life. It isn’t only Gospel ministry that is difficult, it’s life as a Christian. God’s Word brings opposition. Nearly everything in our culture opposes Christianity. Perhaps you have the same kind of friends Jeremiah did; they show opposition to your faith, too. Both of those influence your own sinful flesh; it just wants an easier path through life. It would be so easy to abandon what God’s Word says.

Jesus himself says it will be that way: “You will be hated by all people because of my name” (Matthew 10:22, EHV). What God has to say about the condition of the world is not going to win any popularity contests. Christians get tired. Like Jeremiah, we become exhausted. “I have become a laughingstock all day long, and everyone is mocking me” (Jeremiah 20:7, EHV). Just make it stop, Lord!

II.

But the opposition isn’t really against Jeremiah, or us who believe and speak the truth of God’s Word. Paul says in today’s Second Reading: “For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, because they have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in line with their own desires. 4They will also turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4, EHV).

The pressure is there to soften the message. Even many churches that call themselves Christian do that. Things are easier within the culture when the focus is shifted away from God’s law and his anger over sin.

“I hear many whispering, ‘Terror on every side!’” (Jeremiah 20:10, EHV). All Jeremiah had done was to proclaim God’s law to the people. That was what brought so much opposition.

Jeremiah arrived at the obvious solution: “I will not mention him or speak in his name anymore” (Jeremiah 20:9, EHV). I quit! I just can’t do it anymore!

It’s tempting, isn’t it? You won’t abandon the faith completely; you’ll just become a silent Christian. Don’t mention God. Don’t speak his name any more. It will be easier.

Religion is one of the two most controversial topics to bring up with family, neighbors, friends, coworkers. So take religion off the table. Be silent when God’s Word conflicts with culture. Don’t mention prayer to your neighbors. Don’t talk about your church family too much—or maybe at all.

The easiest path isn’t a denial of Christ; it’s simply saying nothing. Peter had to face that temptation. Timothy faced it. Every pastor faces it. Every Christian faces it.

III.

“If I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak in his name anymore,’ then there is a burning fire in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I am weary of holding it in. I cannot!” (Jeremiah 20:9, EHV). Jeremiah knew he just couldn’t do it. There was really no choice but to speak God’s message. God’s Word had already taken hold of him.

“But the LORD is with me like a terrifying warrior. So my persecutors will stumble, and they will not gain the upper hand. They will be put to shame completely, because they have not been successful” (Jeremiah 20:11, EHV). It wasn’t Jeremiah’s grit and determination to go on despite all odds. This was God’s grace. The Lord was with him. The same Lord who called him, even before his birth, would protect him, just as he had promised. The same Lord who sent him kept him speaking.

The Lord is with me like a terrifying warrior. The Warrior is Jesus. He is only terrifying to those who do not listen to the message of Jeremiah—the message of God’s law that God’s prophets and pastors have always and are always to proclaim.

“Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD, for he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of the wicked” (Jeremiah 20:13, EHV). The Warrior is only terrifying to those who ignore God’s law, because the Warrior has come to deliver the life of the needy from the hand of the wicked.

Jesus, the ultimate Warrior, did not quit. He set his face toward Jerusalem. He endured opposition and abandonment. There on the cross he endured judgment. He didn’t quit because saving sinners was the Father’s will. Jesus endured it all to deliver us from the hand of the wicked—from sin, death, and the devil.

Jeremiah couldn’t quit. Much of the message God had given him to deliver was law—judgment for Judah because they refused to listen to the Lord, repent, and turn to him again. But Jeremiah knew the message that the Lord has delivered the needy—those who believe in the salvation God brings.

Knowing that our mighty Warrior, Jesus, has defeated all our enemies still brings comfort. Your sins are forgiven. You are not alone.

IV.

I was that pastor who walked in to my associate’s office to give my monthly rant about how I just couldn’t do it anymore. It’s been 30 years since then. Though I don’t have an associate here at Holy Trinity, I’ve given that same knowing smile to other pastors as they share with me their frustrations.

Paul did more than give a knowing smile to Timothy. He said: “Preach the word. Be ready whether it is convenient or not. Correct, rebuke, and encourage, with all patience and teaching... 5As for you, keep a clear head in every situation. Bear hardship. Do the work of an evangelist. Fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:2, 5, EHV). What Paul said to Timothy is true for every believer.

Pastors are to stay faithful to the Word of God. God’s Word is often unpopular in the world. While people look for things they think of as relevant, and things that will satisfy their itching ears, what God says is the only thing that really is relevant. Pastors are to keep proclaiming it from the pulpit no matter what.

Believers are to speak the truth of God in love to their families, and their friends and neighbors. They are to support pastors preaching the truths of God’s Word, even when the ideas of the world conflict.

Quit? No.

Confidence to carry on doesn’t come from some false bravado of being strong enough. It comes from the same source Jeremiah found: “The LORD is with me” (Jeremiah 20:11, EHV).

Sometimes confessing Christ feels risky. Sometimes ministry feels discouraging. Sometimes there is a temptation to quit.

Remember Jeremiah. Remember Paul. They never quit. Their confidence came from Jesus, the mighty Warrior, who never quit so that we might always remember “the Lord is with me.”

“Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD, for he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of the wicked” (Jeremiah 20:13, EHV). He has delivered you. Never quit. Amen.