The last two verses of chapter 19 said that Jeremiah proclaimed the Word of God at the court of the house of the LORD after he returned from Potsherd Gate with those that went with him. He first declared what God would do to Jerusalem and all its towns. He told them of the impending calamity that was coming because of their stubbornness and refusal to heed the word of God.
Jeremiah 20:1-6 then proceed to describe what happened after his prophecy. Among those who were listening was a Pashhur, the son of Immer. He was a priest and the chief officer in the temple. When he heard Jeremiah's threatening words, he ordered that he be apprehended, beaten, and tortured. Jeremiah was literally scourged. He was then bound up in a public square within the temple precinct at the northern end of Benjamin Gate. The words used to describe how Jeremiah was bound up were “put him in the stocks.” This was to say that the prophet was bound up in a very awkward and twisted, torturous position.
After one night in that awkward contorted position, Pashhur released him. On his release, while his back was still throbbing with pain, Jeremiah gave that cruel priest a nickname. His name Pashhur literally meant “fruitful on every side.” But instead of being fruitful on every side, he would be “ Magor-missabib” which means “terror on every side.” He would be a terror to himself and all his friends and would live to see the horrific invasion of the land. He and his friends would experience the terror of the enemy. many of them would be cruelly cut down by the enemy’s sword.
In Jeremiah’s prophesy concerning the nation that would invade Judah, this was the first time that Babylon was explicitly mentioned. He said that God would give Judah over to the hand of the king of Babylon and Jerusalem would be plundered. Jerusalem’s wealth and treasure and produce would be carted away to Babylon. Pashhur and his family would also be taken into captivity in Babylon and there they would die, and be buried disgracefully in a foreign land. For they, Pashhur and his friends had all engaged in falsely prophesying to the people.
No one who truly walks and serves the
Lord is exempted from hard times. Jesus assures us that in this world we will
have tribulation. And if they would persecute our Master and Lord, we his
followers will also not be spared. Hence in Romans 5:3, we are told that while
we exult in our justification we must also exult in tribulation. Why? Because
tribulations develop endurance and build us up. Tribulations we encountered in
this life have a way of developing us into stable, constant, and unwavering
disciples of Christ. They help us to redirect our focus to God and lean on Him
for the strength we need and as we do so, we find the strength to overcome.
Hear the words God assured us through Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13. He said,
“…God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are
able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you
will be able to endure it.”
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