Rapture Ready

Will You Choose Jesus or Barabbas? Who or What is Your Barabbas?

Church Hurt and the Lost Sheep

Jeremiah 20:7-18

Introduction

            The prophet Jeremiah had been tasked by God to announce His judgment on the rebellious people of both Jerusalem and Judah because of their idolatry and wicked practices.[1] God was going to use the pagan nation of Babylon to carry out His wrath —  a powerful nation that had also successfully overtaken Nineveh and defeated some of the Egyptian armies.[2] Jeremiah gave countless warnings over a forty-year period from 626 B.C. to the Babylonian capture in 586 B.C. urging the people to repent and turn away from their idolatrous ways.[3] God’s years of warning, through His servant Jeremiah, showed His love and patience towards His children in that He was unwilling for anyone to be destroyed.[4] Jeremiah’s prophecies had been declarations given from the mouth of God to His people to remind them of their past, warn them about their present status, and yet, give them a message of hope for the future.[5] That message was to arouse genuine repentance and prevent the judgment that had been pronounced upon them.[6]  God warned them through Jeremiah to submit to the authority of Babylon and their lives would be spared, but this message did not sit well with the people and he was considered a traitor.[7]

            Jeremiah was mistreated and endured many hardships because of his message, which sometimes led him into a state of depression and therefore, earned him the name of the weeping prophet.[8] He had seen the idolatry of the people, and the sacrificing of their children in the fires offered to the pagan god, Molech as the nation morphed into unimaginable wickedness in defiance of God which caused him much grief and pain.[9] While he lamented over the wickedness that he saw, he also complained to God concerning their mockery, scorn, and disdain for him speaking the Words of the Lord.[10] There were times that he wanted to give up and not proclaim any of the Lord’s words any longer because of the persecution that came with delivering such powerful warnings. Jeremiah’s emotions were up and down as he sometimes praised God and other times wished that he had never been born and yet, he did not give up. There are many lessons that can be learned from the life of Jeremiah which can be applicable for modern-day leaders. They can learn from the past challenges of those chosen to speak God’s unpopular word, understand the need to stand firm in the present while proclaiming God’s unadulterated Word, and take heed to the warnings of judgment that was pronounced on those in defiance of God as well as have faith in the blessed hope for the future.[11]

Context

Historical-Cultural

            Jeremiah (Yirmeyah or Yirmeyahu) in Hebrew means Yah loosens.[12] Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, a priest, and Benjamite from Anathoth.[13] Israel had been divided into northern and southern kingdoms with the north consisting of ten tribes and the south having two – Benjamin and Judah.[14] This was done because of Israel’s disobedience in worshiping idols and turning from the covenant He made with them and their ancestors.[15] They had erected Asherah poles and desecrated God’s temple with images of foreign gods; worshiped celestial beings, gave their sons and daughters as sacrificial offerings, and practiced divination and witchcraft.[16] As the leaders went in upholding God’s laws and decrees, so did the nation, but when the political leaders did not follow God and the shepherds failed to warn them of their ways, due to their greed, God would raise a prophet to be a clarion call to the nation. Jeremiah was such a person chosen by God to be His prophet and instrument of warning before he was born to a rebellious nation.[17] He prophesied during the reigns of kings Josiah, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah from 626 B.C. leading up to their Babylonian Captivity in 586 B.C.[18]

Literary

            The book of Jeremiah is divided into eight main sections consisting of his call, warnings, promises, history, sufferings, captivity, judgment of foreign nations and a historical appendix.[19] The book of Jeremiah begins with his call from God to be a prophet even though he was of a young age.[20] Jeremiah initially felt that he was too young and that no one would listen to him, but God did not engage Jeremiah’s insecurities and used him anyway.[21] Jeremiah’s writings consist of warnings, exhortations, and promises of restoration.[22] Jeremiah had to give countless prophecies of judgment to Judah, but he also gave them God’s promise of being restored back to their land.[23] The actual fall of Jerusalem and its aftermath is written in the book of Jeremiah.[24] Not only did Jeremiah have to forewarn Judah that she would be taken into captivity and as to the coming destruction of the temple, he also lived to be an eyewitness to the things that he had prophesied.[25] Jeremiah 20:7-18 serves of great relevance within the surrounding passages in that it deals with the feelings, emotions, and turmoil that Jeremiah suffered as part of his prophetic call in giving a Word to a rebellious people along with the God-given foresight of what was to come. This text humanizes Jeremiah by detailing his mental struggle, feelings of loneliness, depression, and despair, for being made to be the black sheep of a people from whom he was born.

Content

Feeling Misled by God

“O Lord, you misled me, and I allowed myself to be misled. You are stronger than I am,
    and you overpowered me. Now I am mocked every day; everyone laughs at me. When I speak, the words burst out. ‘Violence and destruction!’ I shout. So these messages from the Lord have made me a household joke” (Jeremiah 20:7-8)[26]

            In this text, Jeremiah has a complaint that he addresses God about. He is clear regarding whom this complaint is addressed when he calls God by His name of LORD.[27] The name Lord is used many times throughout Jeremiah’s writings which makes it clear that he is speaking of the Righteous Lord by whose name He shall be called.[28] Jeremiah proceeds to accuse God of not forthcoming to him when He chose him to be a prophet to the nations.[29] Jeremiah uses the word mislead (deceived in the King James Version) to imply that God did not tell him of the many hardships that he would have to encounter for His name’s sake.[30] Jeremiah seems to suggest that God should have let him know all the things that he would have to go through prior to choosing him to carry the mantle of a prophet.[31] Nevertheless, Jeremiah also blames himself for allowing himself to seemingly be deceived by God.[32] He felt that he had been too trusting in that he did not know the price nor invested the cost of what it meant to be one of God’s prophets.

            Jeremiah addresses God’s ability to have enough strength that even if he had wanted to resist, he would not have been able to because God’s power did and would have overtaken him.[33] In other words, Jeremiah knew that he would have been fighting a losing battle and that there was little choice in the matter for which he was called to task. His destiny had been chosen before his birth and there was little that he could do about it, for the path that the Lord had chosen for his life was preordained before the beginning of time.

            Jeremiah tells the Lord that he is mocked and laughed at daily because of what others considered to be a doom and gloom message concerning their upcoming judgment.[34] Judah did not take him seriously and ridiculed him even though he spoke in the Lord’s name. This bothered Jeremiah because he felt like the outsider when he was only obeying the Words of the Lord. The people that he had been a part of now treated him with disdain. They did not take him seriously because year after year, Jeremiah preached the same message and continued to do so for forty years, but they did not see any of his words immediately come to past, so in their relaxed state, they treated Jeremiah as more of a comedy act rather than someone with whom they should listen to and take seriously.

Fire Shut Up In My Bones

“But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!”
 (Jeremiah 20:9)[35]

            In this text, Jeremiah seems to have at some point contemplated putting down his prophetic mantle and never uttering any prophetic words from the Lord again. The pressure and stress seemed to have been taking a toll on him where he felt that the cost was too high for what he was paying to be a prophet of God. Not only did Jeremiah have to deal with the mocking of the people around him, he also suffered from isolation, loneliness and possible stigma that came with not being married nor having children. God told Jeremiah that he was to never marry because of the curse that would be on the land. Marriage and having children was a sense of pride and accomplishment, so for a man to be single and prohibited from ever marrying was very eccentric for his culture. Therefore, Jeremiah wanted to call it quits but was not able to due to God’s word being so powerful that he was not able to hold it in even though he tried. It was like a fire shut up in his bones.

            Jeremiah wanted to hold his tongue. He did not wish to declare anything that had come from God. The pressure that he had been under while speaking God’s words had been great, but the pressure of not speaking God’s truth was even greater. He had worn himself out trying to hold it. He possibly did not get any rest or was able to have any peace of mind due to knowing that he was not following the path that God had for his life. He had to be content with being alone because not only could he not marry, he also could not attend funerals to mourn nor could he attend any gathering of celebration. And yet, even in his isolation, the burning for what God called him to do outweighed the pain of despair that he felt by being the outcast of his nation, no family of his own, friends, or associates.

Threats of Persecution 

“I have heard the many rumors about me.  They call me “The Man Who Lives in Terror.” They threaten, ‘If you say anything, we will report it.’ Even my old friends are watching me, waiting for a fatal slip. ‘He will trap himself,’ they say, ‘and then we will get our revenge on him’” (Jeremiah 20:10).[36]

            The friends and associates Jeremiah once had were no longer in support of him.[37] In modern times, they may have said that he had flown over the cuckoo’s nest. Jeremiah heard the constant rumors that were probably mixed with fallacies about his character. He was considered to be a fearmonger and they wanted to silence him.[38] His warnings, to his enemies, were nothing more than the ravings of a frightened crazy man spreading fear amongst their ranks and other prophets even contradicted him.[39] In today’s time, his accusers would have probably had a nice padded cell with him being enclosed in a stray-jacket to receive medication for schizophrenia or some other mental disorder. They threatened to report him to the authorities if he spoke God’s words, but Jeremiah did not stop despite threats from his family and of those in the priesthood.[40]

            Jeremiah was being watched by those whom he once considered friends.[41] They were waiting for his demise so that they could call him a false prophet or possibly catch him in a moment of indiscretion to discredit him. They awaited his downfall, of which, if made known to others may have brought an end to their having to hear his words that pierced their ears and not their hearts. Jeremiah was under strict scrutiny and the least little character flaw would have allowed for them to have the great pleasure and accuse him of hypocrisy. If only they could catch him in a sinful act just as he drew attention to theirs would allow for them to be in a world of euphoria.  

Encouraging Himself in the Lord 

“But the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior. Before him my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten. O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, you test those who are righteous, and you examine the deepest thoughts and secrets. Let me see your vengeance against them, for I have committed my cause to you. Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For though I was poor and needy, he rescued me from my oppressors” (Jeremiah 20:11-13).[42]

            Jeremiah dealt with constant threats of violence and some of those threats were actually carried out. The people of Judah did not like Jeremiah’s warnings concerning future judgments that would befall them and it went against their politics.[43] They were in a constant state of rebellion and had no regard for the God of Israel who had brought them out of Egypt. They depended on their foreign gods and offered them sacrifices instead of being true and holy to the Lord.[44] Jeremiah’s message of repentance and judgment was like a resounding bell in their ears. They did not wish to hear the Words of the Lord nor obey His ordinances. Therefore, they preferred to do away with the messenger rather than pay attention to the message, but Jeremiah gained encouragement in the Lord.[45]

            Jeremiah comforted himself in knowing that the Lord was there to be his Defender.[46] He knew that the Lord was there alongside him and that in the presence of the Lord, his enemies would not be able to stand up against him.[47] Jeremiah knew that even though he was mocked, God’s words would not fall to the ground and that everything that he had declared from the Lord would be fulfilled. The judgments that Jeremiah had pronounced would disgrace his enemies even though they tried to humiliate him. The dishonor that they showed to him as a prophet would be the very dishonor that would be shown to them as a nation once they were utterly defeated by the Babylonians.[48] Jeremiah understood that the punishment that would befall his enemies was greater than anything they could ever do to him because the Lord himself would be there to defend his honor and the mocking, scorn, hatred that had been shown to him would one day cease when they became the object of what they had once subjected him to.

            Jeremiah called upon the Lord of Host to rain down justice upon his enemies.[49] He appealed to God’s ability to know the secrets of man’s heart and judge according to the righteous man’s deeds as well as the wicked.[50] Jeremiah was fed up with the persecution that he had encountered and asked God for vengeance for he knew that it was God’s to take and not his own. As Jeremiah asked God to retaliate against this enemies, he began to offer praises unto the Lord as he recalled the times God rescued him from his persecutors.[51] He had seen God work miracles in his life and had to remind himself that God had never left him, nor had He forsaken him during his tests and trials. Jeremiah had a battle of the mind for even though he experienced moments of gratefulness and joy, they did not last long for the immediate reality of his present situation would reemerge with seeds of doubt and desolation.

........... Thoughts of Despair Resurfaces

“Yet I curse the day I was born! May no one celebrate the day of my birth.  I curse the messenger who told my father, ‘Good news—you have a son!’  Let him be destroyed like the cities of old that the Lord overthrew without mercy. Terrify him all day long with battle shouts, because he did not kill me at birth. Oh, that I had died in my mother’s womb, that her body had been my grave! Why was I ever born? My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame” (Jeremiah 20:14-18).[52]

            This text in Jeremiah is likened to Job 3 as they both, out of great sorrow, cursed the day that they were born.[53] Jeremiah had such tremendous feelings of despair that he wished he had never been born for he considered it a curse.[54] He even cursed the person who brought the news about his birth to his father.[55] Jeremiah wanted to do away with anyone or anything that had a part in him coming into the earth because his grief, pain, and agony was so much that he wished he had never been born to have been chosen for the task to which God had assigned him. Jeremiah, in wishing that the messenger received the same judgment as God cities of wrath, may have been referring to wicked cities such as Sodom and Gomorrah that had been destroyed many years prior.[56]

            In Jeremiah’s pain, he wished for the torture of the innocent messenger only because he was angry and bitter about his life. Jeremiah was in a state of self-pity and wished that he had been still-born; left to stay in his mother’s womb. He questioned the reason for his birth due to feeling destined for misery, disgrace, and misfortune. 

Application

            Martin Luther, famously known for his 95 Thesis and instrumental in the Great Reformation, like the Prophet Jeremiah, suffered at times from melancholy.[57] In his inspiring hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, Martin Luther penned those words believing that God was that Fortress that Christians had to rely on in times of trials and sadness and through his bouts of depression.[58] He faced persecution similar to Jeremiah because of his stance against the abuses of the Catholic Church and certain doctrines that he found to be unbiblical.[59] Luther felt that he was being led to stand up for God’s word, but the pressure of doing such was sometimes a lonely road for him. And yet, Luther was determined to not allow the devil to stop him when at times, he felt as if God was hiding from him.[60]

Martin Luther was burdened by his accusers to recant the works that he had written in a time where people were being burned at the stake. Nevertheless, Martin Luther would not recant and wrote the following words instead: [“If anyone despises my fraternal warning, I am free from his blood in the last judgment. It is better that I should die a thousand times than retract one syllable of the condemned articles. And as they excommunicated me for the sacrilege of heresy, so I excommunicate them in the name of the sacred truth of God. Christ will judge whose excommunication will stand. Amen.”][61] Luther felt that souls’ blood would be on his hands if he recanted one word of what he felt to be the truth. Therefore, he wished on his enemies what they purposed through his excommunication with God being his Judge and Avenger just as Jeremiah had.[62]

            There are times when a Christian, especially those in the 5-fold ministry, will have to stand and speak God’s truth regardless of the opposition. It is to be expected that truth in a demonic world will not be popular. Jesus said that no one is above the Master. If they did not like or love Him and He was and still is the Creator of truth, how much more will they persecute those who follow Him? The world hates the truth because they hate and do not know God. Jeremiah’s struggle is that of many Christians today, especially in third-world countries, who are Christians in a country who despises Christ. Places like Nigeria, China, Saudi Arabia, and other middle eastern nations have long had a history of killing Christians because they hated what they stood for. Nevertheless, these Christians have and many still are enduring persecution not knowing when they will be the next victims of a demonic slaying.

            It is understandable and almost expected for a Christian to go through times of despair. The devil enjoys those moments because he tries to plant all kinds of doubt in the Christian’s mind to make them think that they had lost their mind in following and being obedient to God. Living for Christ is not popular, and it is only going to get worse as the days draw closer to Jesus’ return. Christians must be mindful, however, that just as Jeremiah was not able to keep God’s word to himself, the Christian is obligated to fulfill the Great Commission by telling the world the gospel. For those truly passionate about Christ, there will be a burning on the inside that will not allow one to rest in peace until that Word of the Lord has been declared to whomever God has destined to receive it. Those who submit to the will of God will be blessed in the end, but those who do not will be outside of the will of God.

            In reading Jeremiah’s plight, there are a few things that Christians can do to learn and be prepared for similar struggles that will come.

a.)    Understand from the onset that there is a cost to pay for following Christ. “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:27-28).[63] Some people make the mistake of thinking that being a Christian means having an easy life due to many leaders being focused on teaching a prosperity gospel instead of preparing the saints to live a crucified life. Then there are those in leadership who become discouraged in ministry just as Jeremiah because of the demands and challenges of ministry.[64] The true life for those God calls involves many sacrifices and sometimes rejection, but God will be there for all who pick up their cross to follow Him.

b.)    Expect persecution for standing on the Word of God from both the world and those within the Church. “They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God” (John 16:2).[65] A true disciple of Christ will encounter persecution that may come in different forms. Many in other countries have been sent to forced labor camps, made to become sex slaves, and even been put to death. Western nations are becoming increasingly hostile towards Christians and the day may come when even the Bible is banned across all fifty states in America as well as any form of helping those in sin such as homosexuality. The beginning stages of this have already begun in California with Assembly Bills 2943 and 2119.[66]

c.)    Know that to turn away from God’s plan will not bring peace, but ultimately destruction for disobedience. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12).[67] God is the One who orders the steps of a righteous man, but when a man ignores His call and rejects His instructions, peace will not be granted to him for out of disobedience is a heart of pride which God rejects.

d.)    Expect to have sir-names such as sexist, bigot, racist, homophobe, xenophobe, Islamaphobe, and even a deplorable.[68] “Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’ But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons’ ” (Matthew 12:22-23).[69] The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were jealous of Him and hatred filled their hearts because of the attention He was receiving from the people due to the mighty works they saw Him do. They gave Him a label that He did not earn nor deserve out of their own wickedness and Christians must expect to receive the same compliments. Those who dare to stand against wrong will be considered as being wrong themselves and their enemies will give them all sorts of labels, but God’s mark upon the righteous’ forehead is what really matters and not mortals’ opinions.

e.)    Pray for those who do the persecution and know that vengeance belongs to God alone. “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).[70] The Bible tells believers to pray for their enemies because when the believer prays, it can change the heart of their enemies so that they can see the love of God and turn from their wrong. Vengeance is the Lord’s but praying for one’s enemies pleases Him.

f.)     Praise the Lord in the midst of trials. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-3).[71] Nothing builds faith more than having to go through trials and rely totally on God while trusting in His ability to deliver and open doors just as He did for Paul and Silas.[72]

g.)    Do not set a place for the devil at the table by coming into agreement with negative thoughts such as doubting God’s call and cursing one’s birth. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6).[73] The devil would have the believer to doubt the call on their life when times get hard, but this is done to bring discouragement in order to have the believer to abort his/her mission.

h.)    Put on the whole armor of God and be ready to be victorious in the end. “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).[74] No soldier goes to battle without being dressed in appropriate gear and with weapons in hand. It must be the same way for the Christian. The devil’s job is to wear down the saints of God and he never takes a break. Therefore, the Christian warrior must be ready for battle at all times and this is only done by having on the right spiritual gear and taking commands only from the Commander.

i.)     Keep focused on God. “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:2).[75] The believer must stay focused on God despite what happens around them. Just as Peter started to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus, those who believe in Christ will start to sink when they take their focus off of Him. The devil aims to distract but being fixated on God can ward off the enemy’s attempts.

 Bibliography

Bainton, Roland. Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. Nashville: Plume Books, 1995.

Bible Gateway. "Jeremiah (the Prophet) - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Gateway."

BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages. Accessed July 2, 2018. https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Jeremiah-prophet.

Blow, Charles M. "Opinion | About the 'Basket of Deplorables?" The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Last modified January 20, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/12/opinion/about-the-basket-of-deplorables.html.

California Family Council. "Oppose California’s AB 2943 and AB 2119!" California Family Council. Last modified July 2, 2018. http://www.californiafamily.org/oppose-ca-ab-2943-ab-1779-and-ab-2119-reference-materials/.

Calvin, John, and John Owen. "Commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations." In Commentaries on the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah and the Lamentations. Vol. 3. Grand Rapids: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, n.d. Accessed July 2, 2018. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom19.i.html.

Crabtree, T. T. "The Prophet’s Call – A Dialogue With God: As Seen In Jeremiah." Southwestern Journal of Theology 4, no. 1 (1961). http://preachingsource.com/journal/the-prophets-call-a-dialogue-with-god-as-seen-in-jeremiah/.

Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2001.

Falwell, Jonathan. InnovateChurch. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Books, 2008.

Foreman, Benjamin A. "Strike the Tongue: Silencing the Prophet in Jeremiah 18:18b." Vetus Testamentum 59, no. 4 (2009), 653-657. doi:10.1163/004249309x12493729132592.

Kent, Dan G. "Jeremiah: The Man and His Times." Southwestern Journal of Theology 24 (1981). http://preachingsource.com/journal/jeremiah-the-man-and-his-times/.

Lasor, William Sanford. Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament. Michigan, U.K: William B Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1996.

Luther, Martin, Helmut T. Lehmann, and E. Theodore Bachmann. Luther's Works Vol. 35, 1 / Edited by E. Theodore Bachmann. Vol. 35, 1 / Edited by E. Theodore Bachmann. Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960.

Meyer, F. B. Jeremiah: The Priest and Prophet. Fort Washington: CLC Publications, 2013.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries. "Jeremiah." In 3414. Yirmeyah or Yirmeyahu. La Habra: The Lockman Foundation, 1998. Accessed June 29, 2018. http://biblehub.com/hebrew/3414.htm.

O'connor, Kathleen M. "The Prophet Jeremiah and Exclusive Loyalty to God." Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 59, no. 2 (2005), 130-140. doi:10.1177/002096430505900203.

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[1] Martin Luther, Helmut T. Lehmann, and E. Theodore Bachmann, Luther's Works Vol. 35, 1 / Edited by E. Theodore Bachmann. Vol. 35, 1 / Edited by E. Theodore Bachmann (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1960), 279-82.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Luther, Lehmann, and Bachmann, Luther’s Works, 279-282.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Walter A Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Academic, 2001), 619.

[6] Ibid., 620.

[7] Luther, Lehmann, and Bachmann, Luther’s Works, 279-282.

[8] Dan G. Kent, "Jeremiah: The Man and His Times," Southwestern Journal of Theology 24 (1981):, http://preachingsource.com/journal/jeremiah-the-man-and-his-times/.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Luther, Lehmann, and Bachmann, Luther’s Works, 279-282.

[11] T. T. Crabtree, "The Prophet’s Call – A Dialogue With God: As Seen In Jeremiah," Southwestern Journal of Theology 4, no. 1 (1961):, http://preachingsource.com/journal/the-prophets-call-a-dialogue-with-god-as-seen-in-jeremiah/.

[12] NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries, s.v. "Jeremiah," in 3414. Yirmeyah or Yirmeyahu (La Habra: The Lockman Foundation, 1998), accessed June 29, 2018, http://biblehub.com/hebrew/3414.htm.

[13] Jer. 1:1 (New International Version).

[14] 1 Kings 11:29-33 (New International Version).

[15] Ibid.

[16] Bible Gateway, "Jeremiah (the Prophet) - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Gateway," BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages, accessed July 2, 2018, https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Jeremiah-prophet.

[17] Jer. 1:4-5 (New International Version).

[18] Jer. 1:2-3 (New International Version).

[19] Luther, Lehmann, and Bachmann, Luther’s Works, 279-282.

[20] Ibid.

[21] Jer. 1:4-9 (New International Version).

[22] Luther, Lehmann, and Bachmann, Luther’s Works, 279-282.

[23] Jer. 29:11-14 (New International Version).

[24] Luther, Lehmann, and Bachmann, Luther’s Works, 279-282.

[25] Jer. 52 (New International Version).

[26] Jer. 20:7-8 (New Living Translation).

[27] Ibid.

[28] John Calvin and John Owen, s.v. "Commentary on Jeremiah and Lamentations," in Commentaries on the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah and the Lamentations (Grand Rapids: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, ), accessed July 2, 2018, http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/calcom19.i.html.

[29] Jer. 1:5-8 (New Living Translation).

[30] Ibid.

[31] F. B. Meyer, Jeremiah: The Priest and Prophet (Fort Washington: CLC Publications, 2013), 13-17.

[32] Jer. 20:7-8 (New Living Translation).

[33] Ibid.

[34] Ibid.

[35] Jer. 20:9 (English Standard Version).

[36] Jer. 20:10 (English Standard Version).

[37] William Sanford Lasor, Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament (Michigan, U.K: William B Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1996), 329-330.

[38] Benjamin A. Foreman, "Strike the Tongue: Silencing the Prophet in Jeremiah 18:18b," Vetus Testamentum 59, no. 4 (2009): 653-657, doi:10.1163/004249309x12493729132592.

[39] Lasor, Old Testament Survey, 330.

[40] Ibid., 330.

[41] Jer. 20:10 (English Standard Version).

[42] Jer. 20:11-13 (English Standard Version).

[43] Kathleen M. O'connor, "The Prophet Jeremiah and Exclusive Loyalty to God," Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 59, no. 2 (2005): 130-140, doi:10.1177/002096430505900203.

[44] Ibid.

[45] Ibid.

[46] Jer. 20:11-13 (English Standard Version).

[47] O'connor, "The Prophet Jeremiah," 130-140.

[48] Lasor, Old Testament Survey, 347-348.

[49] Jer. 20:11-13 (English Standard Bible).

[50] Ibid.

[51] Ibid.

[52] Jer. 20:14-18 ( English Standard Version).

[53] Job 3:3-16 (New International Version).

[54] Jer. 20:14-18 (English Standard Version).

[55] Ibid.

[56] Gen. 19:28-29 (New International Version).

[57] Roland Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (Nashville: Plume Books, 1995), 20.

[58] Bainton, Here I Stand, 283-284.

[59] Ibid. I.

[60] Ibid., 169.

[61] Ibid.I.

[62] Ibid., 140-148.

[63] Luke 14:27-28 (English Standard Version).

[64] Jonathan Falwell, InnovateChurch (Nashville, Tenn: B & H Books, 2008), 11.

[65] John 16:2 (English Standard Version).

[66] California Family Council, "Oppose California’s AB 2943 and AB 2119!," California Family Council, last modified July 2, 2018, http://www.californiafamily.org/oppose-ca-ab-2943-ab-1779-and-ab-2119-reference-materials/.

[67] Prov. 14:12 (English Standard Version).

[68] Charles M. Blow, "Opinion | About the 'Basket of Deplorables?," The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia, last modified January 20, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/12/opinion/about-the-basket-of-deplorables.html.

[69] Matt. 12:22-23 (English Standard Version).

[70] Matt. 5:44 (English Standard Version).

[71] James 1:2-3 (English Standard Version).

[72] Acts 16:25 (English Standard Version).

[73] Heb. 11:6 (English Standard Version).

[74] Eph. 6:11 (English Standard Version).

[75] Col. 3:2 (English Standard Version).