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What is the Cost of Obeying God?

Jeremiah Said What God Told Him to Say and Suffered For It

Jeremiah’s time as a spokesman for God is filled with frustration. Not only do the people ignore what he tells them, they sometimes do exactly the opposite.

Though Jeremiah speaks God’s truth to his people, they criticize him for his negativity—even though he is merely relaying God’s own words to them. At various times they detain him, leave him to die, and try starving him.

In today’s passage their anger towards Jeremiah, as God’s messenger, erupts into a beating and then imprisonment in a jail made just for him.

Jeremiah likely wonders why God isn’t doing more to protect his faithful servant and keep him from harm.

Jeremiah may wish he had ignored God’s call for him to become a prophet or at least watered down God’s message in order to not inflame the people.

Though we don’t know what Jeremiah was thinking, we do know he obeyed God—and suffered for his obedience.

As God’s children, we want to believe he will always protect us when we serve him, but the Bible doesn’t show that to be the case.

Obedience doesn’t always equate to protection. Sometimes it results in persecution.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Jeremiah 35-37, and today’s post is on Jeremiah 37:15.]

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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