Jeremiah 20-21
Surrender
In our study today we read of two men named Pashhur. The first one is found in Chapter 20. He is a priest who has Jeremiah beaten and put in stocks for prophesying about the destruction of Jerusalem. When Jeremiah is released he gives Pashhur a new name which means “terror on every side.” The second Pashhur is found in Chapter 21. He, along with a priest named Zephaniah have been sent to ask Jeremiah to ask the Lord to deal with Nebuchadnezzar as he had done with Israel’s enemies in the past.
This is similar to an event that took place in the early church. Peter and John had healed a lame man and the people were gathering around them to hear about the power and resurrection of Jesus. Many people were putting their faith in Jesus as a result. The chief priest had Peter and John put in prison. The next day they told Peter and John to stop preaching about Jesus and let them go. Peter and John didn’t stop speaking so they were put in prison again. This time an angel of the Lord opened the prison gate and told them to continue to preach there in the temple. So, again, they were brought before the Council and told to stop teaching in the name of Jesus. In Acts 5:29 we read, “But Peter and the apostles answered and said, ‘We must obey God rather than men.’” NASB
This just made matters worse with the council who were angry enough to slay them but a respected teacher of the Law named Gamaliel brought calm to the situation. He told the council to be careful about what they were about to do for they may find themselves fighting against God.
Fighting against God is what the people of Judah and the king have been doing. God has warned them over and over but they are deflecting the message. God has been trying to get the people’s attention through the message of the prophets but they are not listening, so God is sending Nebuchadnezzar to get their attention.
The answer Jeremiah gave to Pashhur and Zephaniah was that they had two choices. They could stay and resist Nebuchadnezzar and die trying, or go out and surrender. When you find yourself fighting against God it is time to surrender. In Chapter 21 God has a message for the king and the people. To the king, he is to administer justice and righteousness and do away with lawlessness. To the people they are to humble themselves and listen to God.
The trials we go through may well be God trying to get our attention. It is all too easy to get off track in this world. I wonder if we aren’t guilty of deflecting the message when we listen to the pastor in church. Do we sort of “cherry pick” the message apart, embracing what we want to hear and deflecting the rest on someone else? Do we enjoy hearing that God loves us, but do we have that same joy when we hear that God disciplines those He loves? What we are going through has not caught God off guard like it may have us. He knows what we are going through and He knows what He is doing.
In Chapter 20 Pashhur outright resisted what God was doing and it will end for him with terror on every side. In Chapter 21 Pashhur and Zephaniah sought God through Jeremiah on behalf of the king, but the king wanted to instruct God in what to do. This is not surrender but at least the dialogue is open. Instead of telling God what to do they needed to listen to what they were to do and obey.
That is the purpose of surrender to God. Stop fighting God, listen and obey.
Homework today is Hebrews 12.
Pastor Dave