Day 542: Comfort in conflict. - Jeremiah 29 vs 24 -32

God gave this instruction to Jeremiah: 24-25 To Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say:  “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26-28 'The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have charge in the house of the Lord over every madman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and neck irons.  Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long;  build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.”’” 29 Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 

30-31 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord  concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, therefore thus says the  Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, 32 for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.’” Jeremiah 29:24-32 (English Standard Version)

Jeremiah was attacked from all sides! There were prophets in Jerusalem who accused him of being deceived and teaching a false message. And in today's reading we see there was a prophet in Babylon (where thousands of Jews had been taken into exile) who also hurled insults at Jeremiah and accused him of being a liar. After receiving Jeremiah's letter to the exiles this prophet, Shemaiah, sent a letter back to a man named Zephaniah who had been made priest in Jerusalem. What did he say part of Zephaniah's job as priest was, and what did he want him to do to Jeremiah? (vs 26-28)

He said Jeremiah should be rebuked. But the implication was that Jeremiah was a 'madman' who deserved to be put in stocks and neck irons. Stocks were used in the UK during the middle ages and anyone in stocks could be mocked and pelted with all sorts of missiles. I wonder how Jeremiah felt, and what went through his mind as Zephaniah read the letter in front of him (vs 29)

But that's when the Lord stepped in. We’re not told just how God spoke so directly to His true prophets, but He certainly enabled them to clearly know what He was saying. In this case he gave a message of judgement upon Shemaiah.(vs 30-31) Not only would Shemaiah die during the years of exile and not see the good plans God had in store for Israel, plans to give them a hope and a future, but he would not even have any descendants who would live to see the day when the exile would be over. Why was the punishment on Shemaiah so harsh? (vs 32)

Like the false prophets in Jerusalem, Shemaiah was also preaching rebellion against the Lord. And rebellion in God's eyes is as wicked as witchcraft. People who tell others to disobey what God has said cause great harm to many. And God doesn’t take that lightly. Jesus once said: “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)

A thought that came to me while reading this section was how God can bring encouragement and comfort to His servants when they face scorn, ridicule and rejection. The apostle Paul experienced lots of ridicule and scorn in his lifetime, but here's what he wrote to fellow Christians at Corinth. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Don't lose heart if people call you mad for believing the Bible, or even try to harm you. You have a God who is aware of your situation, and able to bring His comfort into any conflict you go through.