CHANGE - JEREMIAH 19-20
CHANGE
Jeremiah 19- 20 and 36
Preached by: Carolyn Sissom
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Jeremiah had just preached his “Hinnon” message at the dumps used for depositing broken pottery, child sacrifice ("the blood of innocents) and burning of sons at the altar The chief officers of the Temple were directed to get him straightened out. His Public witness produces an immediate reaction from Pashur, the chief temple official responsible for
order, who was also a priest (1) and a prophet. It was his job to muzzle anyone who did not preach the same message which had been agreed upon by the counsel of priests and prophets.
These chapters took place in the reign of King Jehoakim, just before Nebuchadnezzar came the first time. After the siege of Nebuchadnezzar, he appointed Zedekiah, King of Judah.
It is the end of one administration and shortly before the beginning of another.
King Jehoakim was an evil king and ruled 11 years. His son, King Jehoiachim was an evil king and ruled three months. After the rule of Zedekiah, the Kingdom of Judah came to an end. (One of the sins of Jehoakim was “he taxed the land to give the money to Pharaoh,”) (11 Kings 23:33-35)
Jeremiah is fighting the good fight of Faith to call this backslidden nation to repentance. Chapter 19 is about the Earthen Bottle. The Lord told him to go to the Southeastern gate, The Pottery Gate and “proclaim there the words I shall tell you, and say, hear ye the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; behold, I will bring evil upon this place, the which whosoever hears, his ears shall tingle. Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents; They have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I commanded not, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind.”
The prophet emptied the bottle before smashing it, as God would his Holy City. Jerusalem was once a noble vessel to witness to Him (2 Tim. 2:20) “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purges himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”
This clearly spoke of the forthcoming complete break-up of the family and community. Jerusalem will burn like the pagan altar it has become. The prophet then ensures the message is heard by all by repeating it (V. 14) and he stood in the court of the Lord’s house; and said to all the people.”
20:1 “Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin which was by the house of the Lord.
Pashur means encompassed by plenty: prosperity round about; surrounded by nobility; liberty, freedom. He gets his name changed in verse 3-4. “Jehovah has not called your name Pashur, but Magor-Missabib… (“fear all around; fear everywhere; terror is about; terror on every side). (Vs.4) “For thus says the Lord, Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself, and to all your friends; and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and your eyes shall behold it.”
No public scourging or mockery in a cramped position on a scaffold (like the cross) to the north of the temple would make the prophet change his message (2) nor would release from persecution do so. (3) Jeremiah publicly identifies Pashur with the Babylonian calamity by renaming him, Terror on every side.
Note the precise prophecy that Pashur would not be killed but exiled, that he would see his friends killed (4) that royal treasures would be taken (5) and that Babylon would be the destination.
Pashur’s action against God’s messenger identifies him as a false prophet himself.
This is one of the most personally revealing passages in prophetic literature of the high cost of being the mouth piece of the Lord. At his blackest hour, perhaps while still imprisoned in the stocks, Jeremiah complains vigorously that God has deceived him. (7) He was not a prophet of his own choice, at his call the Lord had overpowered him and promised him both His authority and His Words. Now he is laughed at by his witness—which had been largely one of warning of violence and destruction (8).
People are amused, but not convinced. Nothing had happened quickly to prove him right. His inner urge was to continue, for a true prophet cannot contain God’s message within himself. (9) “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any ore in his name, But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. For I heard the defaming (slander) of many, fear on every side.”
However, opposition, including that of his friends he trusted has turned his own words back on him. He is able to rise above his suffering of the ministry in a crescendo of faith and triumph. (11-13) “But the Lord is with me as a mighty terrible one; therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail; they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten, But, O Lord of Hosts, that tries the righteous, and sees the reins and the heart, let me see your vengeance on them, for unto you have I opened my cause. Sing unto the Lord, praise you the Lord: for he has delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers.
The remainder of the chapter is the prophet’s depression. The Bible is realistic in its description of the way God’s people may encounter periods of distress and despair and even desire to die.
Now is the time to minister to the saints of the fear, anger, grief and depression that some feel over our recent election. For those who have lifted “life”, “family” and “freedom to worship God”, above the government redistribution of money, tax increases, etc. , we could be discouraged much like Jeremiah and rightly so.
Except as we continue our journey in Jeremiah, we will read of the Lord’s promise of restoration, “That the House of David, the house of Levi and the house of Israel shall flourish again and all thrive in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ; a gospel ministry and the gospel church shall continue while the world stands.
The Remnant church has interceded for the Lord to raise up righteous leaders who Fear and Honor God and His word. Our prayers have not been in vain. We have heard many prophetic words. I believe The Word sent out this week by Dutch Sheets is the Word of the Lord. I believe he spoke under the Jeremiah anointing.
The Jeremiah anointing is calling this backslidden to righteousness. Unless we have a revival of righteousness, the people of this country will not be righteous, nor will they elect righteous leaders.
Saturday night (11/1/08) I preached the message of calling a backslidden nation back to righteousness out of the Book of Jeremiah. After delivering the word, I looked down at the floor directly in front of the pulpit. There was a dime lying on the floor. The Holy Ghost spoke to me. He said, “Whoever picks up that dime will have a $10,000.00 miracle.” Shot Lee picked it up plus another dime and a penny was put in his hand. Under the anointing I spoke into his life a $21,000.00 miracle.
After going to the hotel, I asked the Lord if we could do that again on Sunday morning. I gathered all my dimes and the Lord did move on it again and we had a miracle service.
My friend, Barb McGraw, sent me a prophetic message from Sandy Warner. It was about a vision she had about a dime. Remember silver is redemption.
The message she sent was about intercession of a vision she had about a dime and she was able to see the “proof and confirmation” of the results to the Jacob intercession and how it has prospered thus far.”
Her vision: “I woke up with the tangible feeling that I was holding a coin between my fingers. It was the size of a dime and I wondered it was a dime.”
Read from Sandy Warner’s article re: confirmation by Steve Thompson (vision re: gold coin)
The point is the Lord gave her a sign that her travail and prayer over the Jacob nature and personality that influences ministry had been heard by the Lord and Jacob’s wrestling was over. He gave her a sign of the dime.
I had never heard this story. I was preaching on confronting the nation with “righteousness and sin” and the “skilled praying church” seeking the Lord to have mercy on this nation with a revival of righteousness, (The wrestling of intercession). He gave me a sign of the dime that He had heard our prayers and there will be restoration and redemption as a result of our prayers. Also, through Gift of Miracles, our financial provision will be made during times of financial tribulation.
All we have to do is look, listen and obey, no matter how foolish it may appear to others.
We will have a miracle service today. There are dimes on the floor.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from KJV. Quotes from F.F. Bruce Bible Commentary, Jeremiah by: Donald Wiseman; Quotes from Sandy Warner, The Quickened Word.