GOD'S HARD MESSAGE--A PROPHET'S COURAGE

Passage: Jeremiah 19:1-20:6

Key verse: 19:15

NIV

19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter.(A) Take along some of the elders(B) of the people and of the priests 2 and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom,(C) near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you, 3 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings(D) of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster(E) on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.(F) 4 For they have forsaken(G) me and made this a place of foreign gods(H); they have burned incense(I) in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.(J) 5 They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children(K) in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.(L) 6 So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth(M) or the Valley of Ben Hinnom,(N) but the Valley of Slaughter.(O)

7 “‘In this place I will ruin[a] the plans(P) of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies,(Q) at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses(R) as food(S) to the birds and the wild animals. 8 I will devastate this city and make it an object of horror and scorn;(T) all who pass by will be appalled(U) and will scoff because of all its wounds.(V) 9 I will make them eat(W) the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh because their enemies(X) will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them.’

10 “Then break the jar(Y) while those who go with you are watching, 11 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash(Z) this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury(AA) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. 12 This is what I will do to this place and to those who live here, declares the Lord. I will make this city like Topheth. 13 The houses(AB) in Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled(AC) like this place, Topheth—all the houses where they burned incense on the roofs(AD) to all the starry hosts(AE) and poured out drink offerings(AF) to other gods.’”

14 Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court(AG) of the Lord’s temple and said to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and all the villages around it every disaster(AH) I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked(AI) and would not listen(AJ) to my words.’”

Jeremiah and Pashhur

20 When the priest Pashhur son of Immer,(AK) the official(AL) in charge of the temple of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten(AM) and put in the stocks(AN) at the Upper Gate of Benjamin(AO) at the Lord’s temple. 3 The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name(AP) for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.(AQ) 4 For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes(AR) you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give(AS) all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry(AT) them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. 5 I will deliver all the wealth(AU) of this city into the hands of their enemies—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away(AV) as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied(AW) lies.’”

Footnotes
  1. Jeremiah 19:7 The Hebrew for ruin sounds like the Hebrew for jar (see verses 1 and 10).
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Broken Flask

19 Thus says the Lord, “Go, buy (A)a potter's earthenware (B)flask, and take some of (C)the elders of the people and some of (D)the elders of the priests, 2 and go out (E)to the Valley of the Son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. 3 You shall say, (F)‘Hear the word of the Lord, (G)O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that (H)the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. 4 (I)Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; (J)and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, 5 (K)and have built the high places of Baal (L)to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, (M)which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind— 6 therefore, (N)behold, days are coming, declares the Lord, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or (O)the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. 7 And in this place (P)I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, (Q)and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. (R)I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth. 8 And I will make this city (S)a horror, (T)a thing to be hissed at. Everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its wounds. 9 (U)And I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and everyone shall eat the flesh of his neighbor (V)in the siege and in the distress, with which their enemies and those who seek their life afflict them.’

10 “Then (W)you shall break (X)the flask in the sight of the men who go with you, 11 and shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: So will I break this people and this city, (Y)as one breaks a potter's vessel, (Z)so that it can never be mended. (AA)Men shall bury in Topheth because there will be no place else to bury. 12 Thus will I do to this place, declares the Lord, and to its inhabitants, making this city (AB)like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah—(AC)all the houses on whose (AD)roofs offerings have been offered (AE)to all the host of heaven, and (AF)drink offerings have been poured out to other gods—shall be defiled (AG)like the place of Topheth.’”

14 Then Jeremiah came from (AH)Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, (AI)and he stood in the court of the Lord's house and said to all the people: 15 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, behold, I am bringing upon this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, (AJ)because they have stiffened their neck, (AK)refusing to hear my words.”

Jeremiah Persecuted by Pashhur

20 Now (AL)Pashhur the priest, the son of (AM)Immer, who was (AN)chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 Then (AO)Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him (AP)in the stocks that were in the upper (AQ)Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. 3 The next day, when (AR)Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name (AS)Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. 4 For thus says the Lord: Behold, I will make you (AT)a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall strike them down with the sword. 5 Moreover, (AU)I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its (AV)prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon. 6 And you, (AW)Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house, shall go into captivity. To Babylon you shall go, and there you shall die, and there you shall be buried, you and all your friends, (AX)to whom you have prophesied falsely.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. A taste of hell (19:1-15)

The Lord sent Jeremiah to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, just outside Jerusalem. This was the city garbage dump. The word, 'Hinnom' is another word for 'hell.' Topeth was a fire pit used for sacrificing children--a common practice in the Canaanite religions. Child sacrifice was forbidden by God, but some of the kings of Israel had practiced it. Jeremiah smashed a clay pot in the presence of the elders to announce God's judgment on a city that allowed such horrible practices. The whole city would become like Topeth--the fire pit of hell.

2. Jeremiah is beaten (2

:1-6)

Pashhur the priest did not like Jeremiah's rebuke; he did not want to think about hell. So he had Jeremiah beaten and put in stocks. When Jeremiah was released, he confronted Pashhur and gave him a new name, 'Terror On Every Side.' The priest who preached an easy-going religion would be punished.

Prayer: Lord, help me to speak your word of truth honestly, no matter what the cost.

One Word: God will punish evil