HIS WORD IS IN MY HEART LIKE A FIRE

Jeremiah 20:1-18 / Keywords 20:9

But if I say, "I will not mention him or speak any more in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

 

Jeremiah and Pashhur

20:1 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the official in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. 5 I will deliver all the wealth of this city into the hands of their enemies—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

7 You deceived[a] me, Lord, and I was deceived[b];

    you overpowered me and prevailed.

I am ridiculed all day long;

    everyone mocks me.

8 Whenever I speak, I cry out

    proclaiming violence and destruction.

So the word of the Lord has brought me

    insult and reproach all day long.

9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word

    or speak anymore in his name,”

his word is in my heart like a fire,

    a fire shut up in my bones.

I am weary of holding it in;

    indeed, I cannot.

10 I hear many whispering,

    “Terror on every side!

    Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!”

All my friends

    are waiting for me to slip, saying,

“Perhaps he will be deceived;

    then we will prevail over him

    and take our revenge on him.”

11 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior;

    so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.

They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;

    their dishonor will never be forgotten.

12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous

    and probe the heart and mind,

let me see your vengeance on them,

    for to you I have committed my cause.

13 Sing to the Lord!

    Give praise to the Lord!

He rescues the life of the needy

    from the hands of the wicked.

14 Cursed be the day I was born!

    May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!

15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,

    who made him very glad, saying,

    “A child is born to you—a son!”

16 May that man be like the towns

    the Lord overthrew without pity.

May he hear wailing in the morning,

    a battle cry at noon.

17 For he did not kill me in the womb,

    with my mother as my grave,

    her womb enlarged forever.

18 Why did I ever come out of the womb

    to see trouble and sorrow

    and to end my days in shame?

Footnotes

a. Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded

b. Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded

1. Because of what Jeremiah was prophesying, he was beaten and arrested by Pashhur, a priest who was in charge of the temple of the Lord. Jeremiah was detained overnight, and upon release, he rebuked Pashhur, telling him the Lord had renamed him “Terror on Every Side.” Pashhur had been prophesying words of comfort and victory over the Babylonians to the people of Judah, but the people of Judah, including Pashhur and all his family would be in terror when the Babylonians came. The Babylonians would devastate the city of Jerusalem, and take many into exile. Pashhur would never see his homeland again.

 

2. Jeremiah then turned to the Lord with a complaint. The word of the Lord burned within Jeremiah. He had to prophesy the words the Lord had given him. But his words brought him nothing but trouble and suffering from the hands of his countrymen. But Jeremiah could turn to the Lord as a mighty warrior, protecting him from all his enemies. Those trying to harm him would all fail. So, Jeremiah praised the Lord. Obedience to the Lord is sometimes painful. But we can always be assured He is with us.

 

Prayer Father, your word is like a burning fire within me. Help me to speak your word to others with full assurance of you.

One Word The Lord’s word is a burning fire