Heroes! As a boy, the main characters of comic books were my heroes. Why? Perhaps, because they were the focus of people’s attention. As a teen, my heroes were rock stars. Later, I wanted to be a famous missionary for the Lord. And after that a well-read writer and popular speaker for the Lord. The common denominator between these aspirations was to be noticed for doing something very well.
Many religious people have wanted to do great things “for God” but ended up building towers of Babel. Babel represents humans trying to take from God what belongs to Him alone, namely, the love and worship of people.
Babylonian towers fall. Disappointment and disillusionment follows. They leave much rubble behind. Denial of failure must give way to a better plan for success.
Amidst my ponderings of heroes of this world, the Lord pointed me to His servant Jeremiah in the Bible. I was eighteen when I first read his book. The outcomes of his work did not suit me at that time. He got rejected. No one wanted to listen to a thing that he had to say. Once, he was even disposed of like trash.
Thankfully, the Lord never gave up on me. He questioned my motives for speaking His Name and for teaching His Word. He helped me to see how foolish I was. The only Savior of the world is Jesus Christ. Like Jeremiah, I must point people to Christ alone for salvation and for help.
So, let us consider God’s servant Jeremiah. God did not measure his success by the number of people who read his book or the number of people who listened to him preach. God just gave him words to share with people, and he shared them.
God’s heroes are different from the world’s heroes. Jeremiah did not serve God so he could be the center of people’s attention. He did not serve God for money. He did not serve God with the hope of gaining for himself the affection of a beautiful spouse. He did not serve God for the sake of dining on delicious food or having a nice parsonage given to him. His goal was to hear from God and speak for God.
God’s servants are usually mistreated by self-centered leaders. For example, Florence Nightingale was rebuked by authorities for not following their rules, but their rules hurt not helped people. Florence rebelled against her rich upbringing. She chose to live in squalid conditions amidst wounded British soldiers. She fought the system of abuse in British military hospitals and improved the conditions. As a result of her rebellion against bad leadership, many critically wounded soldiers were nursed back to life.
G. K. Chesterton once said, “The only really practical type of a rebellion is that in which is also a repentance. All real reform springs from this sense of something wrong, not only in our surroundings, but in ourselves.” [1]
God revealed to Jeremiah that something was wrong with his world. Rather than cover it up or deny it, he exposed it. Jeremiah received his revelations and abilities from the Lord. It seemed at first that he would die at a young age, and that his work would remain unnoticed and unappreciated. But by God’s grace, Jeremiah preached and wrote for the Lord over a period of forty years. The people who refused to listen to his words from God lost their city. Many of them lost their lives. He survived. His writings survived. People still read his book today. Glory to God!
In Hebrews 11:32, God mentions Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah. These men lived during an age of anarchy. Every man was doing what was right in his own eyes. There was no king in the land. Outlaws were considered good. Law abiding people were considered evil. It was like the Wild West! People were bucking broncos. They refused to be saddled by anyone or anything. God gave them into the hands of their enemies to help them repent. They experienced hunger, thirst, hard work, and homelessness. Finally, when they had enough, they cried out to the Lord and He gave them deliverers. God gave them Gideon and Barak who were cowards by nature. He gave them Samson who melted like butter in the presence of beautiful women. He gave them Jephthah who vowed a crazy vow to God that resulted in the death of his daughter. They were imperfect men who God empowered to deliver His people from their enemies as they trusted in God.
These men subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword. Out of weakness they were made strong, waxed valiant in battle, and turned to flight, the armies of the aliens. They did this by faith in God. [1]
“OTHERS endured cruel mocking and scourging, yea moreover, bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawn asunder, tempted, and slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented (of whom the world was not worthy). They wandered in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” [2]
Mocked not praised? Whipped not massaged? Bound not given bracelets? Imprisoned not given a parsonage? Stoned not celebrated? Sawn asunder not healed? Sheep and goat skins for clothes instead of Abercrombie? Destitute, afflicted, and tormented? Wandering in deserts? Living in caves? These unnamed others represent a band of gracious gifts of God to an unworthy world. People who willingly suffered for God! They understood God’s worth.
Jeremiah was a messenger of grace to an unworthy world. He was imprisoned for the Lord. [3] Priests and officials tried to kill him. He was thrown down into a muddy well. He sunk in the muck up to his armpits. In spite of all this, Jeremiah spoke wonderful words of promise from God to his people. Would you tell such people like that anything nice? Jeremiah did!
Jeremiah told his people, “Thus says the Lord the Maker thereof, the Lord who formed it to establish it, the Lord is His name: ‘Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you know not.’” [4] Jeremiah urged the people to call upon their Maker to receive revelations from Him.
Still sitting in prison, Jeremiah wrote, “Behold, I will bring health and cure to this city; and I will cure them and will reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.” Have you heard of urban renewal? Jerusalem was on fire. The dead were all about. But God was going to heal their city and make it alive again. The Lord’s plan was to fill their city with peace and truth. [5]
God promised to end their enslavement to foreign powers. He promised to help them rebuild their land. God promised to cleanse them from sin. Sin had ruined them. He promised to make the name of their city a name of joy, praise, and an honor before all the nations. [6]
God promised to restore wedding celebrations to them. It seems that people were no longer getting married before their nation fell. People were just living in sin. For those of you who DID enjoy a wedding day, can you imagine if it never happened? Bride, you didn’t have a beautiful gown. Groom, no tuxedo! No flowers. No pastor to bless. No congregation to pray. No big meal afterwards. No music. No dancing. [7]
“The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy.” [8]
God spoke through Jeremiah of a Branch of Righteousness that brings salvation. “In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely. And this is the name wherewith she shall be called: ‘The Lord Our Righteousness.’ David shall NEVER be in want for a man to sit upon his throne and the priestly order will NEVER lack a priest to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” [9] Jesus is the King whose kingdom never ends. He is the priest who lives forever and intercedes for us.
The Lord promised us through Jeremiah His prophet, “I will multiply the seed of David My servant and the Levites who minister unto Me.” This passage speaks of the Church. Jesus is multiplying priests unto Himself via His Church. In Christ we have been given gifts and fruits of the Spirit to be God’s heroes in this world. [10]
God says to captives via His prophet, “I will cause their captivity to cease, and have mercy on them.” [11] God can break the chains of whatever holds us back from serving Him. Just hold out your cuffs and He will unlock them.
All this good news came to Jeremiah while imprisoned for the Lord! Of whom the world was not worthy, such love and grace flowed through this man of God. To follow his prophetic example, I too, must place hearing from God and speaking for God above the concerns for myself. To God be the glory!
[1] Hebrews 11:33-34
[2] Hebrews 11:37-39
[3] Jeremiah 33:1
[4] Jeremiah 33:2-3
[5] Jeremiah 33:6
[6] Jeremiah 33:7-9
[7] Jeremiah 33:10-11
[8] Revelation 19:10
[9] Jeremiah 33:14-17
[10] Jeremiah 33:22; 1 Peter 2:9
[11] Jeremiah 33:26
[10] Jeremiah 33:22; 1 Peter 2:9
[11] Jeremiah 33:26
