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Jeremiah 25 (ESV)
8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Because you have not obeyed my words, 9 behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10 Moreover, I will banish from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the grinding of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the Lord, making the land an everlasting waste. 13 I will bring upon that land all the words that I have uttered against it, everything written in this book, which Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14 For many nations and great kings shall make slaves even of them, and I will recompense them according to their deeds and the work of their hands.”
REFLECTION:
This message from Jeremiah was preached in 605 BC, the year when King Nebuchadnezzar officially took power. Jeremiah’s mission as a prophet began in 627 BC, and he had preached for a full 23 years before the seventy years of exile. It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to keep preaching the same message for 23 years and being rejected constantly. This is what happened to Jeremiah. Because he dedicated his life to God, no matter how others reacted, he insisted on continuing to preach the message that God wants him to preach: “Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds.” (v5) Today, God also calls us to participate in His Great Commission, and we are often rejected in the process of preaching the gospel. Are we discouraged? May we be inspired by Jeremiah’s unswerving loyalty to God, no matter how others react, we will be faithful to bear witness to God and answer His call.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to fix your eyes on His abundance and power, and make Him a source of your strength, so that you can continue to serve Him faithfully. If you are rejected or even laughed at because of being a testimony for God, pray that God will grant you a brave and firm heart, no matter how others react, you can do what you should do, not to please people, but to please God.
HYMN:
Facing A Task Unfinished – youtu.be/zOpt_bulJxY
