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JEREMIAH: STAYING UPRIGHT AMIDST EVIL PRESSURES
Part VIII: Jeremiah's Personal Conflicts With Apostate Judah
C. Overcoming When Wrongly Opposed Even By Those Currently Under God's Discipline
(Jeremiah 29:1-32)
  1. Introduction
    1. It may seem difficult to face opposition from sinners for righteousness' sake, but an even greater challenge arises if we face hardened colleagues who have already begun to feel God's punishment for their sin!
    2. Jeremiah faced this test, and the account of it examples for us what we should do in similar circumstances:
  2. Overcoming When Wrongly Opposed Even By Those Currently Under God's Discipline, Jer. 29.
    1. After Judah's king Jeconiah and some of the nation had been taken captive to Babylon, God had Jeremiah write a letter to them to explain the meaning of the captivity and what they were to do about it, Jer. 29:1-3.
    2. That letter stated they would remain in Babylon for seventy years in contrast what the false prophets in their midst were predicting; they were thus to live peaceably in submission to their Babylonian overlords and continue to expand in number in the meantime, Jeremiah 29:4-10.
    3. Jeremiah's letter explained God would bless them in the end when they repented of their idolatrous sin and turned to the Lord with all their hearts, Jeremiah 29:11-13; God would then reverse their captive status, restoring them to the Promised Land back in Judah, Jeremiah 29:14.
    4. As for the false prophets many of the captives heeded, Jeremiah's letter warned God's judgment would fall on such men for their sins and false messages that fostered rebellion against God, Jeremiah 29:15-23:
      1. Many of the Babylonian captives felt God had raised up prophets to claim they would have a short stay in Babylon, leading them to hope for a return without correctly repenting of their sin, Jer. 29:15.
      2. Jeremiah's letter had warned these were false prophets with a false message, so God was about to destroy them as they caused the captives in Babylon to trust in a lie that fomented resistance to repenting of their idolatry against God, Jeremiah 29:16-18.
      3. The people could discern these were false prophets as their words contradicted a long series of messages by past godly prophets who, like Jeremiah, predicted a significant national captivity, 29:19.
      4. God singled out two especially wicked false prophets, condemning them to special judgment, 29:20-23.
    5. However, in response to Jeremiah's letter, some of the false prophets in Babylon had themselves responded with their own letter to Judah's temple leaders that flagrantly opposed Jeremiah, Jer. 29:24-28:
      1. Shemaiah had responded to Jeremiah's letter by sending letters to officials in Jerusalem, Jer. 29:24-25.
      2. These letters directed Judah's temple officials to reprove Jeremiah by imprisonment and neck irons as though he were insane for telling the exiles to settle down for a long stay in Babylon, 29:26-28 ESV.
      3. Jeremiah knew this message had come to the temple officials as Zephaniah the priest had read a copy of one of Shemaiah's letters to Jeremiah, Jeremiah 29:29.
    6. God gave Jeremiah a message in reaction to this response from Shemaiah, Jeremiah 29:30-32:
      1. Jeremiah was to respond to Shemaiah's letter with a letter to all the captives in Babylon, 29:30-31a.
      2. This letter explained that God had not sent Shemaiah as a prophet, and that Shemaiah was making the captives trust in the lie that they would stay only a short while in Babylon, Jeremiah 29:31b.
      3. As this lie led the people not to repent, it countered God's purpose in arranging for Judah's captivity!
      4. Thus, God predicted through Jeremiah's return letter a severe personal judgment for Shemaiah:
        1. God predicted Shemaiah would not have a male descendant to survive and carry his name among his people, a serious judgment for a man living in the patristic culture of his era, Jeremiah 29:32b.
        2. Finally, Shemaiah would not live to see God bring the captives back to the Promised Land; like ancient Israel in the wilderness wanderings in the days of Moses, he would die outside the Promised Land in contrast to his own hope that he would soon return to Israel, cf. Jeremiah 29:32c.
Lesson: When Jeremiah was BRAZENLY opposed by false prophets who AT THAT TIME were under God's judgment, he saw GOD direct his OWN path and JUDGE these men with SPECIAL judgment.

Application: If God leads us to a certain function or stance and we are opposed for it by those so HARD they counter us though they are experiencing God's DISCIPLINE at the time, OUR part is NOT to STRIVE on our own against them, but look to GOD; "the battle is the Lord's" (2 Chronicles 20:15).