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 37:18,
"Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, 'What crime have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison?'"
Jeremiah had been imprisoned on trumped up charges of deserting to the enemy of Jerusalem, the Babylonians. The charge was not true, Jeremiah made his appeal and he was tossed into the lockup nonetheless.
Jeremiah was not a popular person among the leadership in Jerusalem. The leadership was involved in the Jews abandonment of God and when God sent Jeremiah to prophesy the destruction of Jerusalem because of it, they turned against the messenger.
This is not uncommon. When God sends someone to speak, it is often met with hostility. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that there are those who will not turn to God because they cling to their sin, John 3:19-20. These are the ones who are hostile toward any reminder of God.
In his indictment of the leaders in Jerusalem, Jesus said, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!" Matthew 23:29-32.
He went on to say, "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar." Matthew 23:33-35.
When people reject God, they necessarily are hostile toward those he sends to them, even when the job given his messengers is to invite them back into the fold. Rebellion breeds resentment and it often finds itself manifested in acts of violence against those God sends.
John provides us a warning, "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you."
No surprise to find Christians in the cross-hairs of militant Islamic Jihadis today. No surprise Hollywood portrays Christians as weirdos and goofballs. No surprise our culture is turning against every vestige of Christianity in the public square with demands to remove Christmas displays, with the demand to purge from school text books the rich history of the Judeo-Christian heritage western civilization has been built upon.
However, is it not exciting to know that when we are mistreated, when we are maligned, when we are unjustly treated because of our faith, it is because of our embrace of Jesus Christ? I'd much rather be mistreated because I am one of God's own, than to feel the comfort of acceptability in a society that has rejected Jesus Christ.
Don't let it get you down when Christians are mistreated... rejoice!! We want to be identified with our God who has been rejected!
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
"Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, 'What crime have I committed against you or your attendants or this people, that you have put me in prison?'"
Jeremiah had been imprisoned on trumped up charges of deserting to the enemy of Jerusalem, the Babylonians. The charge was not true, Jeremiah made his appeal and he was tossed into the lockup nonetheless.
Jeremiah was not a popular person among the leadership in Jerusalem. The leadership was involved in the Jews abandonment of God and when God sent Jeremiah to prophesy the destruction of Jerusalem because of it, they turned against the messenger.
This is not uncommon. When God sends someone to speak, it is often met with hostility. Jesus explained to Nicodemus that there are those who will not turn to God because they cling to their sin, John 3:19-20. These are the ones who are hostile toward any reminder of God.
In his indictment of the leaders in Jerusalem, Jesus said, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!" Matthew 23:29-32.
He went on to say, "You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar." Matthew 23:33-35.
When people reject God, they necessarily are hostile toward those he sends to them, even when the job given his messengers is to invite them back into the fold. Rebellion breeds resentment and it often finds itself manifested in acts of violence against those God sends.
John provides us a warning, "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you."
No surprise to find Christians in the cross-hairs of militant Islamic Jihadis today. No surprise Hollywood portrays Christians as weirdos and goofballs. No surprise our culture is turning against every vestige of Christianity in the public square with demands to remove Christmas displays, with the demand to purge from school text books the rich history of the Judeo-Christian heritage western civilization has been built upon.
However, is it not exciting to know that when we are mistreated, when we are maligned, when we are unjustly treated because of our faith, it is because of our embrace of Jesus Christ? I'd much rather be mistreated because I am one of God's own, than to feel the comfort of acceptability in a society that has rejected Jesus Christ.
Don't let it get you down when Christians are mistreated... rejoice!! We want to be identified with our God who has been rejected!
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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