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Jeremiah 20 Commentary

What God’s Protection, Deliverance Might Mean…

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KEY THOUGHT: Why did I come forth from the womb to see [f]labor and sorrow,
That my days should be consumed with shame? [Jeremiah 20:18 NKJV]

Kindly read your Bible before going through the commentary!

Jeremiah 20 NKJV
The Word of God to Pashhur

20 Now Pashhur the son of Immer, the priest who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 2 Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord.

3 And it happened on the next day that Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord has not called your name Pashhur, but [a]Magor-Missabib. 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. You shall go to Babylon, and there you shall die, and be buried there, you and all your friends, to whom you have prophesied lies.’ ”

Jeremiah’s Unpopular Ministry

7 O Lord, You [b]induced me, and I was persuaded;
You are stronger than I, and have prevailed.
I am [c]in derision daily;
Everyone mocks me.
8 For when I spoke, I cried out;
I shouted, “Violence and plunder!”
Because the word of the Lord was made to me
A reproach and a derision daily.
9 Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,
And I could not.
10 For I heard many [d]mocking:
“Fear on every side!”
“Report,” they say, “and we will report it!”
All my acquaintances watched for my stumbling, saying,
“Perhaps he can be induced;
Then we will prevail against him,
And we will take our revenge on him.”

11 But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome One.
Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail.
They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper.
Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.
12 But, O Lord of hosts,
You who test the righteous,
And see the [e]mind and heart,
Let me see Your vengeance on them;
For I have pleaded my cause before You.

13 Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
For He has delivered the life of the poor
From the hand of evildoers.

14 Cursed be the day in which I was born!
Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me!
15 Let the man be cursed
Who brought news to my father, saying,
“A male child has been born to you!”
Making him very glad.
16 And let that man be like the cities
Which the Lord overthrew, and did not relent;
Let him hear the cry in the morning
And the shouting at noon,
17 Because he did not kill me from the womb,
That my mother might have been my grave,
And her womb always enlarged with me.
18 Why did I come forth from the womb to see [f]labor and sorrow,
That my days should be consumed with shame?

Footnotes

a. Jeremiah 20:3 Lit. Fear on Every Side
b. Jeremiah 20:7 enticed or persuaded
c. Jeremiah 20:7 Lit. a laughingstock all the day
d. Jeremiah 20:10 slandering
e. Jeremiah 20:12 Most secret parts, lit. kidneys
f. Jeremiah 20:18 toil

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Jeremiah 20 Commentary

What God’s protection might mean

It’s been coming, probably even long overdue. The priest Pashhur cannot take it anymore.  Jeremiah is beaten and detained overnight at the Temple. The prophet’s piercing messages have finally earned Jeremiah a beating and imprisonment.

After his release and undeterred by the beating, the prophet delivers yet another prophecy. This time it is detailed and specific. Babylon is mentioned by name. The killing of priests by the Babylonians is also predicted. Sadly, we shall see these words come to pass right here on these pages.

Jeremiah holds the distinction of being among the few select that the LORD has allowed to see the fruit of their labor. But the prophet has words about his beating.

Is this what the LORD meant by protection and deliverance? The prophet feels deceived, and he says it.

When the saint boasts about LORD’s protection, and things happen the Jeremiah way, you have more questions than answers.

Everyone is laughing. Jeremiah is a public joke.

But he won’t stop it. The message of the LORD is like a fire within him. He just has to release it. He must release it.

But their laughing won’t last. In these pages, the LORD will sweep through, and the wise won’t be so wise. The powerful won’t be so powerful. Let the saint know what patience means. Let the saint know what it means to wait upon the LORD.

But who says it is easy? So Jeremiah ends with a statement on his sad situation. The LORD has given him an impossible assignment. Why was he even born? Only for this?

But the LORD is gracious. He is always in control.

Loving Scripture….

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25 thoughts on “Home”

  1. It has been exciting learning how God can make things happen to his choosen one, God workout something wonderful and fulfils the promises he made to the father of Joseph.

    God’s words remains true so are his promises and indeed it has been God working out the salvation of man Kind by Grace through Faith alone.

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  11. Profound. My life needs a new introduction to God. Not that I have been right, but because God desires to help me… I see an amazing Grace here. Having broken the first commandment, still God looks for me and helps me to build up with him… And live for him. A littles knowledge of the Lord will ignite my passion and desire to serve him. This morning I pledge to seek, live and serve the Lord Jesus Christ and His purposes everyday of my life.
    Beautiful lesson

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  12. The Lord reintroduces himself and shows Israel, He is all they need. Some boast in horses and others in chariots but we’ll boast in the Lord. He is able and the only one worthy of our trust. Lord teach me how to always look up to you at all times and not focus on my strength or capabilities. This is my prayer

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  14. This far too common today. Just do something that seems like true worship yet it’s intent and actual practice is not even close to the set standard by the Lord. I personally feel challenged of some things we do in our personal lives, the focus of many churches and ministries today. We’ll need to realize the Lord must be worship as he has personally guided. Provides a good start of my reflection today

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  15. In those days when there was no King everyone did as they pleased. This is a good reminder to us that we are on own when the King of Kings isn’t leading our lives we’ll be doing what is not right and the results will show clearly how life without Christ looks like. We thank God that even when it looks like he’s not there, he’s behind the scenes working. I have learnt to trust in the Lord always.

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  16. Iam seeing this being stressed… There was no King in Israel… So lawlessness is the order of the day. This shows how heartless and wicked man can be with out the right King in his life. He can do anything. May the Lord help us to allow Christ in our lives that every aspect of our lives is changed and we yield ourselves to him alone.

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  17. I’m sure as the two daughters in-law stayed in Naomi’s home they learned about the God of Israel and appreciated His works among his people. Ruth’s determination and what she says moves my heart. She’s convinced she must go with Naomi and wants to spend her life with her, this relationship was strong especially between a mother inlaw and a daughter in-law. Yet Ruth stays and how she puts it shows the depth of her heart, I’ll go with with you, your people will be my people, your God will be my God…

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