O Lord, You induced me, and I was persuaded; You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I am in derision daily; everyone mocks me. For when I spoke, I cried out; I shouted, “Violence and plunder!” Because the word of the Lord was made to me a reproach and a derision daily. Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name.” But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. Jeremiah 20:7–9
In the opening chapter of Jeremiah, we read of how God selected this man prior to his conception (v 5) to be a prophet to His people. Like Moses (Exodus 4:10–12), Jeremiah was afraid of God’s command to speak for Him, afraid that the words would escape him. God reminds Jeremiah, as He did Moses, that the words would come from Him, not from man. Jeremiah speaks of the words of God as a burning fire shut up in his bones, such that he could not stop himself from speaking them, try as he may. It is interesting to note how often God’s word is linked with fire. From a burning bush God ordered Moses to retrieve His people so that they could hear His word from a burning mountain! God told Jeremiah that the fiery words in his mouth would consume Judah just as fire consumes wood (5:14). Peter said that the same Word that created this world will destroy it one day with fire (2 Peter 3:7–9). Seeing that we have even greater words to speak than did Jeremiah, we should have even greater zeal!
Jeremiah, a priest from the land of Benjamin, was called by God during the days of King Josiah (c. 626 BC) and served in this capacity until the day that Jerusalem fell to Babylon (c. 586 BC), a period of about 40 years. Jeremiah was present to witness the desolation and utter destruction of the holy city and temple. He also saw the last Jewish king abased and carried away among the captives. Jeremiah was called while he was yet “a child” (1:6), perhaps as young as 20 years of age. In spite of being put into stocks (20:2) and prison (32:2; 37:15) and labeled a traitor (26:11) and a liar (43:2) by the people he served, Jeremiah persevered in the work that God gave him to do because God’s word consumed him like a fire.
Centuries later, when the apostles were assembled on the Pentecost following the resurrection of Jesus, “there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them” (Acts 2:3), where-upon these men went forth preaching the word of God with unprecedented boldness. When the Sadducees ordered Peter and John to desist, Peter’s response was resolute: “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (4:20). In spite of all the things that Peter suffered, including imprisonment (Acts 12:3) and martyrdom (John 21:18), Peter served with the same fire in his heart.
In spite of many similar hardships, Paul persevered in his preaching for the same reason. Paul only narrowly escaped with his life from Damascus (Acts 9:23–26), Lystra (14:19–22), Thessalonica (17:14–17), Ephesus (19:30), and Jerusalem (21:31–32)––all because of his preaching of the good news. Even in chains Paul preached to his captors (Acts 24:24–25; 26:27) and to all who would visit him (28:30–31). While in prison he solicited the prayers of the saints that he might speak boldly, “as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:20). In his eyes silence was not an option. He told the Corinthian saints, “if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). He told the brethren in Rome that he considered himself a debtor to all men who should never be ashamed of the gospel he preached (Romans 1:14–16).
Is there a fire in your heart? Do you find it impossible to stop talking about the Lord and His glorious gospel? The world is bold about the causes that it endorses, and we must never be ashamed of the truth that sets hearts eternally free.