Jeremiah 32:1-5: a reflection

1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2Now at that time the king of Babylon’s army was besieging Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah’s house. 3For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy, and say, ‘The LORD says, “Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it; 4and Zedekiah king of Judah won’t escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes will see his eyes; 5and he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him,” says the LORD, “though you fight with the Chaldeans, you will not prosper”’?”

The prophet Jeremiah is found imprisoned, shut up in the court of the guard, precisely because he had faithfully spoken an unwelcome truth that the king did not want to hear. Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, the account explains, saying, why do you prophesy that the LORD will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon? Jeremiah had spoken the truth God gave him, that the city would fall; but this truth was unwelcome to the king, who wanted to hear only reassurance, and so the king imprisoned him. Jeremiah's faithfulness to the truth cost him his freedom. This is a sobering picture of the cost that faithfulness to unwelcome truth can bring. Faithfulness to unwelcome truth can bring opposition and cost. Jeremiah was imprisoned for speaking the truth the king rejected. Speaking unwelcome truth can be costly. The truth-teller may suffer for not saying what people want to hear.

Notice why Jeremiah was imprisoned: not for any wrongdoing, but for faithfully speaking an unwelcome truth. God had given him a hard message, that the city would fall to Babylon; and Jeremiah spoke it faithfully, though it was not what the king or the people wanted to hear. They wanted reassurance, a message of peace and safety; and when Jeremiah instead spoke the unwelcome truth, the king imprisoned him. His faithfulness to the truth cost him his freedom. This reflects a hard reality: that faithfulness to the truth, especially unwelcome truth, can bring opposition and cost. People often prefer to hear what pleases them, what reassures them, rather than the truth; and those who faithfully speak unwelcome truths can face resentment, rejection, and even suffering, as Jeremiah did. This does not mean we should avoid speaking the truth; Jeremiah did not, despite the cost. But it prepares us for the reality that faithfulness to the truth is not always welcomed or rewarded, and can be costly. We are called to be faithful to the truth even when it is unwelcome, willing to bear the cost rather than say only what people want to hear. Faithfulness to unwelcome truth can be costly; be prepared for it. Do not say only what people want to hear; be faithful to the truth. Speaking unwelcome truth may bring opposition, as it did for Jeremiah. Be willing to bear the cost of faithfulness to the truth.

That is worth taking to heart, for faithfulness to unwelcome truth can bring opposition and cost, as Jeremiah was imprisoned for speaking the truth the king rejected, and we are called to be faithful to the truth even so. We can be tempted to say only what people want to hear, avoiding the cost of speaking unwelcome truth; but Jeremiah faithfully spoke the hard truth God gave him and was imprisoned for it. Faithfulness can be costly. Do not say only what people want to hear; be faithful to the truth even when it is unwelcome, willing to bear the cost. Be faithful to the truth even when it is unwelcome and may bring opposition or cost, rather than saying only what people want to hear, as the prophet Jeremiah was found imprisoned, shut up in the court of the guard, precisely because he had faithfully spoken the unwelcome truth God gave him, that the city would fall to Babylon, which the king did not want to hear, wanting only reassurance, and so imprisoned him; for Jeremiah's faithfulness to the truth cost him his freedom, which reflects a hard reality, that faithfulness to the truth, especially unwelcome truth, can bring opposition and cost, since people often prefer to hear what pleases and reassures them rather than the truth, and those who faithfully speak unwelcome truths can face resentment, rejection, and even suffering as Jeremiah did, which does not mean we should avoid speaking the truth, since Jeremiah did not despite the cost, but prepares us for the reality that faithfulness to the truth is not always welcomed or rewarded and can be costly, so that we are called to be faithful to the truth even when it is unwelcome, willing to bear the cost rather than say only what people want to hear.

Lord, the prophet Jeremiah is found imprisoned, shut up in the court of the guard, precisely because he had faithfully spoken an unwelcome truth that the king did not want to hear. Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, the account explains, saying, why do you prophesy that the LORD will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon? Jeremiah had spoken the truth you gave him, that the city would fall; but this truth was unwelcome to the king, who wanted to hear only reassurance, and so the king imprisoned him. Jeremiah's faithfulness to the truth cost him his freedom. This is a sobering picture of the cost that faithfulness to unwelcome truth can bring. Show me why Jeremiah was imprisoned: not for any wrongdoing, but for faithfully speaking an unwelcome truth. You had given him a hard message; and Jeremiah spoke it faithfully, though it was not what the king wanted to hear. They wanted reassurance; and when Jeremiah instead spoke the unwelcome truth, the king imprisoned him. This reflects a hard reality: that faithfulness to the truth, especially unwelcome truth, can bring opposition and cost. People often prefer to hear what pleases them rather than the truth; and those who faithfully speak unwelcome truths can face resentment, rejection, and even suffering. This does not mean I should avoid speaking the truth; Jeremiah did not, despite the cost. But it prepares me for the reality that faithfulness to the truth is not always welcomed and can be costly. Take that to my heart, for faithfulness to unwelcome truth can bring opposition and cost, and I am called to be faithful even so. Keep me from saying only what people want to hear to avoid the cost; help me be faithful to the truth even when it is unwelcome, Lord, willing to bear the cost rather than say only what pleases people, as Jeremiah was faithful despite his imprisonment.