#DailyDevotion Expect To Be Slaughtered When You Tell The Truth
Jeremiah 11:18–20 18I learned about this when the LORD told me. He showed me what they were doing. 19I was like a pet lamb taken to be butchered. I didn’t know that they were plotting against me and saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit and put him out of the land of the living so his name won’t be remembered anymore.” 20 LORD of armies, You judge fairly and test the inmost thoughts. Let me see how You take vengeance on them, because I’ve laid my case before You.
The context of this text is the LORD laying his complaint against Judah and Jerusalem in the sixth century before their exile into Babylon. Now the prophet hearing the complaint about Judah and Jerusalem and the LORD’s plan to punish them Jeremiah has to prophecy to his people. Now nobody likes a prophet of gloom and doom. Many Jews found Jeremiah’s prophecies to be treasonous. Americans didn’t like hearing we deserved the attack on 9-11 and worse for all our sins against the LORD and that we should repent lest something worse happen to us. We didn’t repent and we had twenty years of war, deficit spending, several devastating hurricanes, and unrest in politics and the streets. I don’t know about other countries but we doubled and tripled down on our sins against our maker here instead of repenting.
Now the people of Judah were planning to get rid of or at least silence Jeremiah’s prophesying. The LORD showed him what they were doing. The apparently were planning on butchering him like a pet lamb. They were planning on destroying him so his name wouldn’t be remembered among the people anymore. Unfortunately this is the course for the LORD’s prophets who call the people to repentance. Jezebel went after Elijah. Isaiah was supposedly sawed in half according to some traditions. Jeremiah would indeed suffer much for his work for the LORD being arrested and put at the bottom of a well in the much waiting to be killed. All but one of the apostles was killed for the faith and one was put in exile.
Now Jeremiah being a righteous man, trusting in the LORD puts his case before the LORD. He knows the LORD would judge fairly and test the inmost thoughts of his enemies. He pleads the LORD to take vengeance for him on his enemies as he has laid his case before the LORD. Now while desiring vengeance is not always the best thing, it is the best thing to put it before the LORD. “Vengeance is mine,” says the LORD. We should not seek to take vengeance ourselves. No, we should let the LORD take care of it. Seriously, think about it. You are of limited power, time, resources, knowledge and wisdom but the LORD is not. Leave such things up to him.
Now, this text has overtones of Jesus and his great sacrifice for us. The Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees didn’t care for Jesus or John to call them to repentance. They thought they were just fine where they were. They were afraid they would lose prestige and power if they listened to Jesus. Jesus consistently showed everyone who they were really and he revealed it to them as well giving them a chance to repent. Instead of repenting, they also plotted against Jesus. He was as sheep being led to slaughter. He indeed become our scapegoat as our sins were placed upon him. He was the lamb of the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world. He became our ransom from sin and death. He did not strike out against them because he wanted to save you and he did.
Heavenly Father, give courage and strength to all you send with the message of repentance. Give us hearts that hear and repent. Open our hearts and minds to receive the sacrifice you prepared for us in Jesus so we may be saved. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.