“Now Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. Then Pashhur beat Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. The next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord does not call your name Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side.” (Jeremiah 20:1–3, ESV)
I have never been beaten for proclaiming the word of God. I cannot say that I have even been severely persecuted, though I have had several issues with parishioners. Yet, God watches over His people, especially those who bring forth His message to people. Sometimes people want to shoot the messenger. This recently happened with Charlie Kirk, a Christian who sought to enlighten collegians as to the truth of God’s word and stood for conservative values. He was fatally wounded by a sniper’s bullet.
I watched Charlie’s memorial service on television. I was encouraged to see the manifestation of God’s grace throughout this service. It was uplifting and peaceful. Charlie’s wife stole the moment as she extended forgiveness to the man who killed her husband.
But, what about those who mistreat God’s people? Is there no justice? The Psalmist presented this word from the Lord our God, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!” (Psalm 105:15, ESV) The Lord takes it seriously when those who speak out for Him by proclaiming His word are mistreated by others. In Deuteronomy we read these words,
“Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’” (Deuteronomy 32:35, ESV)
Paul quoted this when he exhorted people not to retaliate against those who mistreated them.
“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”” (Romans 12:19, ESV)
When we look at Jeremiah, he was severely mistreated for simply presenting the message that the Lord told him to preach. The priest named Pashhur beat the prophet and put him in stocks overnight. God then pronounced a prophetic name change for Pashhur. Instead of Pashhur, which refers to freedom, he would be called Terror on Every Side. His freedom would be stripped away as he and his household would be taken into captivity, force marched to Babylon, forced to dwell there. There he, Pashhur, would spend the rest of his days never returning to Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 20:6) The Lord pronounced His vengeance upon Pashhur for his mistreatment of a man who proclaimed God’s truth.
What is the message for us today? It is to be very careful how we treat the preachers of God’s word. There are times when the message that the Lord has them give will be strong and convicting, when some will feel like their toes are being stepped on. However, if the message is biblically correct, instead of criticizing the preacher we must do some serious self-examination. If the shoe fits, wear it.
Yet there are also times when the pastor may get it wrong, when he makes mistakes. Afterall pastors are not God, they are not perfect superhuman men. In those cases, the parishioner must apply graceful correction by going to the pastor and discussing the issue. One is not to start an uprising against the pastor or preacher. My mentor once told me this,
“There are only two reasons for bringing an accusation against a pastor. They are if he is preaching heresy or living in unrepentant sin.”
Moreover, if an accusation is leveled against a pastor, it has no credibility unless there is reliable and truthful biblical evidence as seen by two or three witnesses. (1 Timothy 5:19)
Woe be it to the one who mistreats God’s anointed.
Renewing the Heart 