The Confrontation of God's Word

Preachers are often known for their physical props in sermons. Jeremiah, the prophet, was the king of them. 

At the beginning of Zedekiah's reign, an immoral king, Jeremiah was commanded to fashion a yoke for teaming oxen and wear them as a sign to the people of God's sovereign rule over the nations. 

Jeremiah 27:1–7 (ESV) In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD. 2 Thus the LORD said to me: “Make yourself straps and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the sons of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: 5 “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. 6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. 7 All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.

In the next verse, Jeremiah assures the people that Nebuchadnezzar's rule is from God. There is no escape, and those who resist God's work in the international affairs of kings resist God. 

Jeremiah 27:8 (ESV) “But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the LORD, until I have consumed it by his hand.

Jeremiah contradicts the prophecies of the false prophets who were sure God would bring deliverance from this pagan king. 

Jeremiah 27:9–10 (ESV) So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’ 10 For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish.

I can imagine these words were hard to hear. How could the God of Israel consider using a pagan like Nebuchadnezzar to judge Israel and other nations? This is a hard lesson for many of God's people of many ages, including our own. God is over all the kings of the Earth. He rules, establishes, and removes kings to accomplish His ultimate purpose. 

In Jeremiah's day, the false prophets overlooked the people's rebellion and proclaimed a false peace. Today, many pastors want to do the same. It's hard to confront sin because sin is in all of mankind. If you're the one pointing out what's wrong with men, they won't be your champion. That's what makes people like Jeremiah so amazing. They didn't do it "for the likes." They did it because it was right. 

What's more amazing about Jeremiah is that he confronted the king of his country with the same words he delivered to the kings of other nations. 

Jeremiah 27:12 (ESV) To Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people and live.

Later he delivers the same message to the priests. You can identify a prophet of God when their message does not change in front of the important people of their day. Their commitment to truth surpasses their concern for acceptance and acclaim. 

This is what God's Word does. It confronts us. It challenges us. It challenges the rich, the poor, the weak, the strong, the mighty, and the lowly. And that is probably why men seek so desperately to twist and distort it to their liking. But when we obey it, we live and find rest. 

Even those who were exiled to Babylon were assured that if they listened to God in the midst of their greatest setback, they would eventually be restored. 

Jeremiah 27:22 (ESV) They shall be carried to Babylon and remain there until the day when I visit them, declares the LORD. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.”