FAITHFULNESS AND FOOLISHNESS

       Will you and I be found faithful or foolish? The choice is ours to make.

 Jeremiah was a prophet of fearless integrity. Spokesmen like this faithful prophet are sorely needed today. Dryden is quoted as saying, “To take up half on trust, and half on try, name it not faith, but bungling bigotry.” Jeremiah was not one to only trust half-way in Jehovah!

The Commission! God told His mouthpiece, “Stand in the court of the LORD’S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD’S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word” (Jer. 26:2). The Lord’s house is the last place one should seek to diminish the Word of God!

 What the “cities of Judah” needed was strong proclamation of God’s truths so they might “turn every man from his evil way” (26:3). Jeremiah knew that professed proclaimers of truth who were afraid of offending the princes of the people were like salt that had lost its savor. Such salt is not fit for land nor dunghill (Luke 14:34), and is “cast out and trodden under the foot of men” (Matt. 5:13).

 It is no different today with the Lord’s church! Professed preachers who attempt to modify the force of God’s Word because of fear of losing members should be rebuked by godly elders. In far too many instances, however, those who are called “elders” have no desire to “cross” the people in the pew. Preachers and elders who do not want “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) taught to the congregation and refuse to repent will see God take their part “from the tree of life, and out of the holy city” (Rev. 22:19). Christians are commissioned to teach and honor all of God’s Word!

 The Message! “Thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, ... To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, ... I will make this...city a curse to all the nations of the earth” (Jer. 26:4-6).

 Unbelief and disobedience have a way of catching up with people. It is a terrible thing for people to have no interest in God, but it is especially tragic when the light of truth grows dim in God’s house. The Lord’s church today is a disgrace and a curse upon society when it will not stand for the truth. A terrible thing it is when ten righteous people cannot be found (cf. Gen. 18:32).

 A congregation is of no value to the city or community when it is no longer a beacon of light (truth) to a lost and dying world.

 The Opposition! “When Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded [him] to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die. Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD” (Jer. 26:8-9). God’s spokesman, Jeremiah, clearly shows they were dishonoring and degrading both the “house” and the “city.”
This was more than their pride could bear, and they turn on Jeremiah. But God’s house and His city are worth nothing if its occupants are living in sin! To kill Jeremiah would not kill God’s purpose. Neither will dismissing faithful preachers of the Gospel deter the purpose of the Lord!

 The Call To Repentance! “Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you” (Jer. 26:12-13).

 A faithful mouthpiece of God can take back nothing that has been proclaimed. The “house” and the “city” can only be saved by the people’s repentance and steadfast obedience to God’s Word. If congregations today are to be delivered from desolation and destruction, the voice of Jehovah must be obeyed. No comfort will be forthcoming to those who hear God’s Word but refuse to obey it!

 The Personal Conviction! “As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears” (Jer. 26:14-15).

 A loyal and true servant of God is always more concerned about the faithful delivery of his message than the deliverance of himself from the hands of his enemies! Knowing that God cannot lie (Heb. 6:18), the Christian has “as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and stedfast” (Heb. 6:19). The “sword of the Spirit” and the “shield of faith” are indispensable in quenching “the fiery darts of the evil one” (Eph. 6:1617).

The Voice of Reason! “Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God” (Jer. 26:16). Is it not amazing that the princes and people reasoned correctly while the priests and prophets refused to do so?

 Often today one sees those who sit in the pew willing to embrace reason and truth more quickly than the preacher or the elders. Religious pride and desire for power are bitter enemies to God’s truth! Will you and I be found faithful or foolish? The choice is ours to make as we journey through this life. Let us remember that the Lord said, “My sheep hear my voice...and they follow me” (John 10:27). May we prove to be the Lord’s sheep!

 484 CR 44700 Blossom, TX 75416   Marvin L. Weir