The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Jeremiah 20:9,
"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."
The life of a prophet of God was not a very fun or pleasant occupation. In Jeremiah 20, we read of Pashhur, the official in charge of the temple of God in Jerusalem having Jeremiah beaten and put in stocks for proclaiming what the Lord wanted him to.
The issue was that Jeremiah was given messages from God to warn Jerusalem of the coming destruction due to their abandonment of him. This was not a popular message and one that was rejected along with the Jews rejection of God. "Don't blame the messenger" was an axiom lost on those who did not want to hear from God (which was just about all the Jews - and just look at how many today whether Jew or not!)
In Jeremiah 20:9 we read that even if Jeremiah did not want to proclaim God's message, it would burn in his heart like a fire and so he just could not hold it in.
Passages such as this help us to understand how God used prophets to communicate what he wanted. God typically uses intermediaries, and when it came to his destruction of his own people for abandoning him, he did it through various prophets he had raised up for the purpose.
Peter adds an interesting comment to help us understand how God has used prophets and the circumstances involved. He says that the prophet's messages always originated with God and did not have their origin within the heart of the prophet himself. It was always a message from God given through the prophet, and never simply a message from a prophet with God's imprimatur stamped on it. The message was always from God himself. "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.
"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."
The life of a prophet of God was not a very fun or pleasant occupation. In Jeremiah 20, we read of Pashhur, the official in charge of the temple of God in Jerusalem having Jeremiah beaten and put in stocks for proclaiming what the Lord wanted him to.
The issue was that Jeremiah was given messages from God to warn Jerusalem of the coming destruction due to their abandonment of him. This was not a popular message and one that was rejected along with the Jews rejection of God. "Don't blame the messenger" was an axiom lost on those who did not want to hear from God (which was just about all the Jews - and just look at how many today whether Jew or not!)
In Jeremiah 20:9 we read that even if Jeremiah did not want to proclaim God's message, it would burn in his heart like a fire and so he just could not hold it in.
Passages such as this help us to understand how God used prophets to communicate what he wanted. God typically uses intermediaries, and when it came to his destruction of his own people for abandoning him, he did it through various prophets he had raised up for the purpose.
Peter adds an interesting comment to help us understand how God has used prophets and the circumstances involved. He says that the prophet's messages always originated with God and did not have their origin within the heart of the prophet himself. It was always a message from God given through the prophet, and never simply a message from a prophet with God's imprimatur stamped on it. The message was always from God himself. "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.
It is this interaction of the Holy Spirit, I believe, that caused Jeremiah's heart to burn like a fire if he attempted to hold it in. He was simply unable to do so.
Many of us today have many things we need to be communicating in behalf of God's kingdom. Although not prophets and not having the dynamic of the Holy Spirit operating in the same way, I do believe the Holy Spirit does enable and empower us today to communicate those vital things folks need to hear so that the building of God's kingdom continues to move ahead.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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