Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. (Jeremiah 1:17)
God called Jeremiah to a difficult ministry. Most Christians today would not be able to do it. In fact, most of them might not even regard such a ministry as legitimate. God ordained the prophet to stand alone against the entire nation and to deliver a message that the people regarded as sacrilegious and unpatriotic.
He criticized the authorities, not from the perspective of politics but from the perspective of religion, because God is the only sound basis for arguments concerning any sphere of life. He criticized the religious establishment. What semblance of piety that they exhibited was only for show, but their hearts were corrupt to the core. They cried that they had the temple and that they had the law. But God saw that although they drew near to him with their lips, their hearts were far from him. Too long had they committed adultery with their idols under every tree in the land. So he said that they would soon be attacked, slaughtered, and exiled.
How did the people react? Think about our contemporaries. Nowadays when some disaster happens, whether natural or manmade, and someone suggests that it might be God’s judgment because as a nation we have rejected or abandoned the doctrines of Christ, or because of our moral laxity and tolerance, people – including Christians – become extremely indignant and denounce such talk as insensitive, unpatriotic, and treacherous. This was the reaction that Jeremiah faced, except it came from every direction and every strata of society, and it was much more hostile and violent. Even his own family denounced him and plotted against him.
God sent Jeremiah to testify against the people. He knew how they would react, but still he said, “Say to them whatever I command you.” And he warned the prophet, “Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.” This is a most valuable lesson for the ministry. If God has commanded you to speak a harsh message to the people, one that exposes their wickedness and hypocrisy, one that condemns their unbelief and traditions, you will be met with resistance and persecution. If you carry out God’s command, you might suffer at the hands of men, but if you shrink from the task, you will suffer at the hands of God.
Most people who claim to serve God use him as an excuse to serve themselves. Like those in Jeremiah’s time, when we confront them, they cry, “We are the church! We are the church!” But those who think that Christ does not judge churches are sorely deceived: “If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (Revelation 2:5). Jeremiah could stand up against apostates who appealed to the temple, and faithful Christians today ought to stand up against those who appeal to the church. Or, perhaps they cry, “We have the Bible! We have the Bible!” But do they believe and respect the Bible? Jeremiah stood up to those who said they had the law, because God said that they were lying scribes who handled it falsely. Religious hypocrites today use the same tactics that they did centuries ago. When they are embarrassed and threatened, they will attempt to silence you, and even destroy you.
God does not allow us to retreat from this, but he says, “Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.” There is no option to soften your words. There is no option to retire. The only option is to bravely move forward, step up, and declare God’s message to the people. So what if the message is harsh and unpopular? Show no restraint. Let them have it! We ought to be more afraid of offending God than we are of offending men. When God’s command could bring about persecution from men, it is always better to do it anyway and suffer the displeasure of men rather than that of God, because when I am afraid to get into trouble with men, then I am already in trouble with God.