It is easy to imagine the prophets as charismatic heroes, as if they were celebrities or movie stars. I picture them something like Charlton Heston playing Moses in the old TEN COMMANDMENTS movie. In my mind’s eye, each prophet—Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and others—is a great orator, a handsome, bearded man standing on a rock, robes and hair blowing in the wind, preaching some powerful message to the cowering crowds, before going home to enjoy a nice meal and put his feet up.
But it was not that way. These men lived the hardest of lives. Not unlike most preachers today–what may look like fame and good times is actually extremely stressful and filled with heartbreak, both your own and that of the people around you. (Imagine the hospital visits, the deaths, and the parade of funeral after funeral.)
Jeremiah was called the “Weeping Prophet,” a fitting name for the author of a book entitled “Lamentations.” Jeremiah’s life was extremely hard and the unwavering message of judgment he delivered over and over for forty years would have taken its toll on any man. God told Jeremiah to pronounce judgment on the cities of Judah:
“Speak unto all the cities of Judah … all the words that I command thee to speak to them. Diminish not a word” Jeremiah 26:2.
Diminish not a word. That means, leave nothing out. Omit nothing. Speak every hard word, no matter how much it will upset your audience. Speak it.
That is a hard command. But Jeremiah obeyed. And as soon as Jeremiah began prophesying, the people turned on him, ready to kill him. “All the people took him, saying, ‘Thou shalt surely die!’” Jeremiah 26:8. But before they could put him to death, Jeremiah bravely defended himself:
“As for me, behold, I am in your hand. Do with me as seems good and meet to you. But know for certain, if you put me to death, you shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof” Jeremiah 26:14-15.
Can you imagine how difficult it was for Jeremiah? How hard would it be to always be hated, to always be given unpleasant messages to speak? Jeremiah obeyed God. He lived courageously. More importantly, Jeremiah lived SELFLESSLY. He did what God told him to do. He did not try to please himself, or make things easier for himself. He spoke the hard truth just as God gave it to him.
May we do the same.
Dear God, give us the courage to speak the truth. May we be deeply committed to the truths of your word. May we love you more than the applause or approval of men. Remind us that we serve an AUDIENCE OF ONE. We want to please you, honor you, glorify you. Nothing else matters. Use us. May we speak your truth, and “diminish not a word.”
AΩ.
Household Words: 