Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

The enemy wants to intimidate you.

The enemy wants to silence you.

The enemy wants to cancel you.

The enemy will be relentless in his attack against you.

He will use whomever and whatever he chooses to do so.

However, in the end, you must remain bold, confident, and resolute in the Lord.

Knowing in the end, God is sovereign and God is in control.

Outline

Forced Silence (vv.1-2)

What is before us is a clash of two men who claim to be prophets and overseers of the people.

One was false, while the other authentic and called of God.

These two men come with a clash ideology and a prophetic word.

One ideology and prophetic word is from God, while the other is from man.

1) Two distinct overseers

A) Pashhur was an overseer of the people and appointed by man - ‘Pashhur, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord’

Pashhur was both a prophet and guard of the temple, the righthand man of the high priest.

His main responsibility was to handle issues caused by trouble makers, especially those that considered themselves to be prophets and were not.

B) Jeremiah was an overseer of the people and appointed by God

If you remember, God had already told Jeremiah He appointed him over the nations and over the kingdoms.

These two men come with decidedly different prophetic messages.

Jeremiah came with a message of judgment.

Pashhur came with a message that all would be ok.

It was this difference that upset Pashhur and he wanted Jeremiah silenced.

2) Pashhur intended to silence Jeremiah by force (v.2)

Pashhur was going to make an example of Jeremiah.

He intended to do whatever he needed to do to keep the man of God from spreading God’s prophetic message of judgment and God’s call of repentance.

He was going to silence him no matter the cost.

We find that Pashhur attempted to silence Jeremiah in several ways.

He began by persecuting the prophet Jeremiah by lashes, struck Jeremiah the prophet.

This probably meant that Jeremiah was beat with a wooden stick or whip forty times according to the law (Deuteronomy 25:3).

After beating Jeremiah with forty lashes, we find that he put him in the stocks.

Most scholars debate over the term stocks, but believe this happened in one of two ways: 1) either he was put in a small chamber which would have forced him to be in a fetal position and unable to move, or 2) he would have been put in a small room and his head, feet, and ankles would have been shackled in a such a way that he could not have moved.

Either way is extremely painful and was considered a good way to influence the one oppressed.

3) Pashhur intended to silence Jeremiah through mockery - ‘that were high in the gate of Benjamin’

Jeremiah was held in at another prominent gate of temple of God.

He forced to be there against his will and was held there as a form of torture and no doubt was ridiculed by those passing by.

Pashhur intended to silence Jeremiah through public opinion, open example of what happens if you go against the ruling class, and mockery.

All these ways that Pashhur chose to silence Jeremiah are example of what happens in our culture today when you stand up against the ruling class or against those that deny the authority of God’s Word and the deity of Christ.

They want you silenced.

They stand behind their power and influence.

They stand behind the loudest voice in the crowd, and they cause the crowd to go against the truth.

They want you silenced, and if at all possible, canceled.

The Plan Backfired (v.3)

For whatever reason, Pashhur decided to release Jeremiah the next day.

Whether this was a change of heart, or he felt Jeremiah was right but was not going to lose face with the people, or he knew that God was going to judge and did not want to be found guilty of persecuting God’s man, he let Jeremiah go.

In all reality, it was too little too late.

1) God will deliver his people - ‘Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks’

2) Pashhur’s plan backfired

He has Jeremiah beaten, put in the stocks, and ridiculed.

He has a change of heart over night and releases Jeremiah.

He hoped that Jeremiah would be silent after all that had happened, but this does not happen.

Rather, Jeremiah, looks at Passhur and addresses him with righteous indignation and let him know that God has a word for him and the people that he has been placed over to lead.

3) God had a word for Pashhur

A) Pashhur’s testimony would be one of mockery - ‘The Lord has not called your name Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib’

Pashhur’s name, although a common name of the day, was obscure within the Scripture.

Why would his name be important?

Because one’s name, especially during the day of Jeremiah, meant something.

Your name identified you.

Pashhur meant ‘liberation.’

Jeremiah pointed out that God had sent Passhur to liberate his people, however, he had done the exact opposite of that.

So, no longer would he be called Pashhur, but Magor-Missabib.

Magor-Missabib means, ‘terror surrounds you.’

He would no longer be known by the title liberator, but he would now be known as a one who bring doom and captivity.

He set out to mock Jeremiah and he in turn would become the mockery.

B) Pashhur’s false testimony would not only cause his judgment, but would cause the judgment of his people and family

Jeremiah 20:4–6a (NKJV)

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...

Pashhur would be forced to watch his people, his family fall into captivity and judgement because they refuse to repent and heed the true prophetic message of God from the prophet Jeremiah, and your eyes shall see it.

God was going to force Pashhur to see the captivity of Judah and see their destruction and death, Behold I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies.

The people of Judah and Pashhur were going to lose it all because they refuse to obey the Lord and repent, 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.

Rather than encouraging the people to heed God’s word, he prophesied a false word and caused the people to reject Jeremiah.

Finally, in the end Pashhur will end his life as a disgrace and cursed of God.

He would not be held in honor but dishonor...

Jeremiah 20:6b (NKJV)

6 ...and there you shall die, and be buried there, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied lies.’

”

Pashhur, in the end, would realize the truth of God’s Word.

That we will pay for our sin.

The swift judgement of God that comes upon those who refuse to head His word, bring that judgement upon themselves.

Conclusion

How does this message apply to us?

It simple really.

We are presented with two options: 1) Respond to the word of God positively through heed the call of God to repentance or 2) Respond to the word of God negatively by ignoring the call of God to repentance.

We must realize that Satan wants no more than to silence you, to cancel you, to keep you from sharing the Gospel truth.

However, we must stand firm on the truth of God’s word and take every opportunity afforded to us to share His truth.

As Jesus told his disciples...

Let us have a heart of boldness, even before an emboldened enemy who wants to silence us.

Let us count it joy when we are persecuted for righteousness and declaring the truth of God’s Word.

May we realize that God is sovereign and He will provide and protect His own.