Topic: The Enemy Within [DCLM Daily Manna 27 April 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
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Text: Jeremiah 20:1-6
1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things.
2 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.
3 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib.
4 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold it: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword.
5 Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon.
6 And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies.
KEY VERSE: “Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.” – (Jeremiah 20:2)
MESSAGE:
No treachery is worse than the betrayal by a family member or friend, Julius Caesar knew such treachery. Among the conspirators who assassinated him on March 15, 44 B.C. was Marcus Junius Brutus, a trusted friend whom Caesar had favoured as a son. According to Roman historians, Caesar first resisted the assassination but when he saw Brutus among them with his dagger drawn, he asked the famous question “You too Brutus?”, and then succumbed.
Also Read: Open Heaven 27 April 2020 – Watch Always!
Jeremiah was put in prison in our text by someone who was supposed to be a priest and a leader in the house of the Lord. Jeremiah was a priest himself before he received the call to the office of a prophet. His message, no doubt, offended many in his country who felt he was not patriotic enough in his denunciation of Israel. But those messages came from God to Jeremiah. Pashur, wanting to dance to the gallery, arrested a fellow preacher of the gospel like himself and put him in an unhealthy dungeon. When Jeremiah was eventually brought out, he declared the deserved judgment of God upon him for his wickedness and treachery.
Sometimes, a preacher is cast in the unpopular role of preaching what people either do not want to hear or hate to accept. The best place such preachers hope to find solace is with God and his fellow preachers who should support and assist him. When such fellow ministers now become the instrument of betrayal and persecution, it is the worst kind of betrayal.
The lesson here is the need to prepare for anything. Your worst enemy could be your best friend, and your best friend, your worst enemy. When grief assumes such a deep dimension that no word of man can reach and console, the Holy Spirit is at hand to comfort and console.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The genuine preacher of the gospel is always the target of fierce oppositions.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Joshua 8-10
DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.