seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Jeremiah 20:1 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer, the official in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the Lord’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. 5 I will deliver all the wealth of this city into the hands of their enemies—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.’”
7 You deceived[a] me, Lord, and I was deceived[b];
you overpowered me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word
or speak anymore in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!
Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!”
All my friends
are waiting for me to slip, saying,
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail over him
and take our revenge on him.”
you overpowered me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word
or speak anymore in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!
Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!”
All my friends
are waiting for me to slip, saying,
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail over him
and take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.
14 Cursed be the day I was born!
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
to see trouble and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
“A child is born to you—a son!”
16 May that man be like the towns
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
to see trouble and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?
a. Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
b. Jeremiah 20:7 Or persuaded
This is from the easy English site.
Pashhur was an official. He was responsible to keep everything in order in the Temple. He arrested Jeremiah when he heard Jeremiah’s message. He made people beat Jeremiah. The Upper Gate of Benjamin was an entrance to the Temple. But it was not the same as the Benjamin Gate on the north side of the city. There, Pashhur punished Jeremiah in a way that would be very painful. The Hebrew word for ‘prison’ means 'to bend round’. It may have been in a very small room where Jeremiah could not move properly. And his body would ache. Some Bibles use the word 'stocks'. It describes a wooden structure with holes for the feet or hands. So the prisoner would not be able to move. His legs would become stiff and painful.
Jeremiah now says that the enemy was the king of Babylon. That king was called Nebuchadnezzar. He would take prisoners away into Babylon. He would steal everything that the rulers and the ordinary people possessed. The list showed that the enemy would leave behind nothing of any value.
Pashhur was one of the false prophets. He had said that people had nothing to fear. He said that there would be peace. But he and his friends would go to Babylon, where they would die. Their graves would be in a foreign country. Pashhur probably went into exile in 597 BC. The officer in charge in the Temple after that was Zephaniah son of Maaseiah.
Jeremiah decided that he would forget the LORD. He would not prophesy on behalf of the LORD. But Jeremiah found that it was impossible. There was a strong feeling in him that made him continue. It was like a fire that was burning inside him. He could not escape from his work for the LORD. He became tired when he tried not to speak the LORD’s message. Amos had felt a similar feeling. 'The LORD God has spoken. And I have to prophesy' (Amos 3:3).
People laughed at Jeremiah's constant message about trouble in the future. So they used his words 'Terror on every side' as a name to insult him. The people should have been his friends. But they were watching everything that he did. They listened to everything that he said. They wanted to change what his words meant. They wanted to see him make a mistake. Then they would report him to the rulers. Jeremiah felt like David, whose enemies wanted to kill him (Psalm 56:6). Jeremiah had spoken against the people. Now they wanted him to have troubles because of what he said.
In Judah, at the time, there were three groups working at the Temple. There were the priests, wise men, and prophets. Pashhur was one of the prophets.... but the only prophecy he could make was that he would get paid and he would continue to have a free place to leave. Pashhur could not endure a prophet who's message didn't coincide with his feel good messages.... the people would ask questions.... besides... Pashhur knew humans don't like to hear bad things. Jeremiah was teaching really tough messages.... Pashhur had to silence him..... so Pashhur had Jeremiah jailed.
Prison was hard on Jeremiah. Jeremiah even wished he had never been born..... and he tried to "forget this naysaying stuff" but he had been called by God to do a specific job.... and there was no way to stop.
My computer is not going to be around me for a few days..... so like the people did back in the day.... I'm getting my stuff done so I can enjoy the break. As I write this.... it is Wednesday.... this message, however, is for Thursday morning. I'll follow with a few others and when my computer and I are back together... I'll pick up where I left off.