“JEREMIAH: THE NOT-NICE PROPHET”
( Jeremiah 21:1-23:40)
“I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds.” – Jeremiah 23:21-22
“True prophecy suffers from that most damning of all indictments for a respectable Westerner—it is ‘not nice.’” –James D. G. Dunn
Recent management books on the workplace refer to certain kinds of conversations as “difficult” or even “fierce.” These are usually high stakes’ conversations filled with emotional intensity that attempt to resolve an issue. The person in power generally has the advantage in these conversations, and the subordinate is often tempted to say what the superior wants to hear rather than how they really feel. This is exactly what we see happens when the prophets of Israel prophesy to the King of Judah about the coming Babylonian invasion. The prophets unanimously agree that Judah will be safe and no disaster will come upon them (23:17). This is exactly what the king wanted to hear, but not what he needed to hear. Only Jeremiah had the courage to tell the king the truth: the Babylonians would come and take them into exile. God was going to fight against them. Their immediate future would not involve prosperity, military victory, revival, or the rise of a charismatic ruler who would save them. Babylon would come and forcefully remove them from their promised land.
Has anyone ever told you that what you were planning to do was wrong and would not work? That your blessings can just as easily be taken away as they were granted? Has anyone ever rebuked your complacency? Your attachment to extravagance in clothes, or cars? Your obsession with sports? It may sound rude. It may not be nice. But it might just be God trying to get your attention with prophecy!
Application
Jeremiah spoke the words God told him to speak. But his ministry was not well received nor was it outwardly successful. Have you ever experienced this aspect of faithfulness? How did you respond?
Reflection
James D.G. Dunn’s quote above said that prophecy is “not nice?” Do you think “not nice” accurately reflects Jeremiah’s prophecies? Do you think Western Christians make too much of being nice? Why or why not?
Closing Prayer…
Dear God, we’re here before You, seeking Your wisdom and insight. Give us the will to speak your truth, even when it is not what people want to hear. Help us see the difference between real prophecy, which calls us to change and do right, and just being agreeable to make people comfortable. Give us the grace to accept Your challenging words, knowing they come from love and Your desire for what’s best for us. May we put Your will first, always, and be Your voice in a world that really needs to hear it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
About our Author
Chris Rainey is a learning technologies manager, bi-vocational Christian minister, writer/poet, corporate trainer, and curriculum developer. Chris is an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God and is a graduate of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary with an M.Div in Christian Education and a BA in Bible from Evangel University. He is originally from Southern Illinois, but has now lived in Northern New Jersey for over 30 years. He enjoys reading, hiking, biking, swimming, watching Survivor, and the New York Mets. He resides with Marcia, his wife of over 40 years, and has three daughters and a grandson.
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