Jeremiah is put in stocks

JEREMIAH     CHAPTER 20

Pashhur, son of Immer the priest in charge of the Temple, heard what Jeremiah was saying and had him arrested and whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the Temple. Then the next day, he released him and Jeremiah said, "From now on Pashhur, you will be called The Man who Lives in Terror," for the Lord will send terror upon you and you will watch as all your friends are slaughtered by the enemies' swords. And the Lord will hand the peopleof Judah over to Babylon and they will be slaves while the enemy plunders Jerusalem.

Jeremiah speaks to the Lord and tells him how he allowed himself to be persuaded and now he is mocked by everyone in the city. He tells the Lord that his words come out in a violent outburst and he shouts of destruction. So the messages, he says, have made him a household joke. Yet he can't stop because if he tries not to mention the Lord, his word burns in his heart like fire and he grows weary of holding it in.

Jeremiah says that the people tell rumors about him and call him The Man Who Lives In Terror, and they watch him, and look for him to trap himself so they can take out revenge on him. But the Lord stands beside Jeremiah like a great warrior and they people cannot defeat Jeremiah.

Now Jeremiah calls for vengeance against these evil people, for though he was poor and needy, the Lord delivered him from his oppressors. Yet he curses the day he was born and the messenger who delivered the message of his birth. He wishes he had been killed at birth or died in his mother's womb.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Pashhur was the official in charge of maintaining order in the Temple. He was also a priest and pretended to be a prophet. Instead of taking Jeremiah's message to heart, he had him whipped and put into stocks. Stocks were those wooden things that held the captive's hands and head. Pashhur was a coward. Pashhur was probably exiled to Babylon during the second wave of destruction in 597 B.C. when Jehoiachin was taken captive.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? Most of us in today's world will probably not understand the strength of God's word when it is put into a human being like Jeremiah. No matter how hard Jeremiah cried out to God, no matter how much he tried to hold back God's word, it fired up in his bones until he couldn't hold it back any longer.

In our world today, we can be compelled to share our faith with others. We can fight against giving the message to others, but it will do no good. When God's living message of foregiveness and love becomes a fire in your bones, you have to share it. Pray that those of us who are compelled, do a good and right job of it. Pray that we have the courage and faith of Jeremiah.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:


HEALTH: Pray for Gabe.

Pray for Gary my insurance man who has prostate cancer that entered his bones.

Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.

Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer and for her sister Wanda’s soul which went to heaven.

Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with a form of MS.

Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.

Pray for Gary Summers, my friend from church, who has cancer.

Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.

Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who has been undergoing chemo. Pray also for Charly who longs to be 100 percent again and walk without an aid.

Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.

SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary

RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John

LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian

SUPPORT: Pray for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom. Pray for our famers and those who raise livestock during this terrible drought.