Jeremiah, often referred to as “The Weeping Prophet,” was called to deliver a message that, on the surface, appeared political – but was fundamentally spiritual. His relentless cries of warning and condemnation echoed throughout the ancient kingdom of Judah, as he fearlessly confronted kings, priests, and political leaders of his time with unwavering courage and conviction.
Jeremiah’s ministry spanned a major shift in geopolitical power: from the decline of Assyria to the rise of the Babylonians. Through it all, he remained steadfastly committed to deliver God’s message of judgment and redemption of His people. For his faithfulness, Jeremiah endured treacherous plots against his own life and was required to witness the consequences of Judah’s rebellious resistance to Babylon.
During the reign of King Josiah of Judah, Jeremiah was commissioned by God to deliver messages of warning and severe discipline to the people of Judah. They had turned away from God and were engaging in idolatry and immoral practices. But Jeremiah’s words often went against the desires and actions of the ruling authorities. The result was frequent opposition and persecution.
Jeremiah suffered much at the hands of Judah’s rebellious ruling class – particularly kings Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. These corrupt rulers deliberately disregarded and angrily rejected Jeremiah’s prophetic message, preferring instead to silence the messenger.
King Jehoiakim, for example, responded to Jeremiah’s scroll communicating God’s prophecies by slicing it into pieces burning it (Jeremiah 36). Later, as King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem endured a Babylonian siege, members of Zedekiah’s court falsely accused and imprisoned Jeremiah for prophesying against the city. For his faithfulness in warning the people to avoid suffering and accept God’s discipline, he was thrown into a cistern (a deep pit built to collect rainwater), where he sank into the mud and faced starvation (Jeremiah 38).
Jeremiah’s suffering wasn’t limited to imprisonment and government opposition. False priests and prophets also sought to put Jeremiah to death because he prophesied against them and called out their corrupt practices and false teachings (Jeremiah 26:11).
Despite these obstacles and despite great personal hardship (because of his ministry, Jeremiah was forbidden to marry – Jeremiah 16:1 – 4), Jeremiah remained faithful to his calling as a prophet and continued to deliver God’s warnings to the people of Judah. This is because Jeremiah’s commission as a prophet was accompanied by God’s promise of His own strength and presence to accompany Jeremiah’s obedience. Thomas Constable notes:
Jeremiah was to get to work and announce all of the LORD’s messages to His . . . . He was not to let fear discourage him from being obedient . . ., because if he did, the LORD would really give him something to fear . . . . [But] [t]he LORD [also] promised that none of the people of Judah — the kings, the princes, the priests, or the ordinary citizens — would be able to destroy Jeremiah. [The LORD] would make Jeremiah as impregnable as a fortress, as irresistible as a fortified city, as strong as an iron pillar, and as resistant to attack as a bronze wall. Jeremiah would not be popular in his day. His greatness was “not his fame, but his faithfulness.”
Jeremiah’s story delivers a powerful warning to us. As Francis Schaeffer wrote over 50 years ago:
“[I]f you are a Christian looking for an easy ministry in a . . . culture where Christians are a minority, you are unrealistic in your outlook. It was not to be so in Jeremiah’s day, and it cannot be so in a day like our own.”
But along with this powerful warning, there is great hope. The same God Who promised to be with Jeremiah will likewise be with us. And with Jeremiah, we can likewise declare:
“But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonor will never be forgotten.” Jeremiah 20:11.
We can rest assured that God is with us in our suffering and will ultimately bring justice and redemption.
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