Sometimes the Word of God Cuts Deep

As we continue to study Jeremiah, we see a true prophet who will not back down even when preaching the Word costs him. He has been bitterly treated and shamefully scorned by his contemporaries who at the same time have sought his guidance during these last dark days of the kingdom. 

In Jeremiah 38, we see another facet of true prophetic work - speaking in such a way that people assume it’s harmful when it’s the exact opposite. As Babylon bears down on Jerusalem, Jeremiah continues his message. 

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭38‬:‭3‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) “Thus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.””

The people assume since Jeremiah is talking about something destructive to the city, he must be off base. 

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭38‬:‭4‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) “Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.””

The king hands Jeremiah over to them in a foreshadowing of what will happen when Herod dismisses Christ to the hands of the Jewish leaders.

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭38‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) “King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.” So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.”

Jeremiah receives the judgment of the people, being punished for telling them the truth. A true prophet will tell people what they do not want to hear. A true prophet will declare disaster for sin over a city and suffer the scorn of the population. 

Today, self-proclaimed prophets only encourage and coach people into the good life. They do not call out sin and the judgment of God upon His house. They shy away from offensive words that may shame people in their sin. Today, the church lacks the correction a true prophet brings. For Jeremiah’s words, though ignored in his generation, were and are valued beyond it. 

But there’s a key to Jeremiah’s ministry that modern preachers need. He truly cared about the people. He told them of the disaster in order to spare them. It wasn’t simply to be right. It was to be helpful in the only way possible for a city doomed to judgment. 

The chapter continues and Jeremiah is saved by a eunuch of the king. Later the king comes to Jeremiah privately to ask for help. Jeremiah helps him after being assured he would not be executed. Then a strange agreement is struck between the king and prophet. 

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭38‬:‭24‬-‭26‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) “Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die. If the officials hear that I have spoken with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; hide nothing from us and we will not put you to death,’ then you shall say to them, ‘I made a humble plea to the king that he would not send me back to the house of Jonathan to die there.’”

The king doesn’t want it known he sought Jeremiah’s advise. So he gives him orders to claim a deal was made to spare his life and Jeremiah survives to the last days of Jerusalem. But what we see is a genuine care in Jeremiah’s heart for the king who mistreated him and allowed others to do the same. He’s a prophet of truth but a prophet in love for the people. 

May God give us shepherds and hearts like his in our day.