Being a voice that spoke truthfully for God in
the face of many that spoke falsehood, Jeremiah was greatly despised and
persecuted. Being a controversial figure, he suffered much from the
people. The treatment he received was not only unwarranted but also unjust. So
Jeremiah 15:10, the prophet lamented his plight. He did no wrong, and neither
did he bring any harm to the people, yet he was hated. In contrast with false
prophets that gave false hope of peace, he proclaimed the truth of God’s
impending judgment. All he did was proclaim God’s truth and plead with Him for
mercy on behalf of the people. Yet he was intensely disliked by everyone in the
land.
Taking a stand for God and speaking for Him in a
world that resists and opposes His truth takes strength and character. People
normally prefer to hear patronizing lies and feel good rather than stark and unembellished
truths that hurt. So if we speak hard truth that is strong to
stomach expected to be loathed. Like the day of Jeremiah, Paul tells us in 1
Timothy 4:3 that “The time is
coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they
will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will
turn away from listening to the truth.” We are living in such a day.
Are we
afraid to suffer for the truth? Don’t cave in just because people cannot accept
the hard truths we share. The challenge to us in a verse like this is for us
boldly speak the truth of God even when it is unpopular and dangerous to do so.
It will not be easy but the end will be more rewarding than we
know.
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