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Jeremiah 25 (ESV)

1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 3 “For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened. 4 You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, 5 saying, ‘Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever. 6 Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to me, declares the Lord, that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

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