Jeremiah 37:11-15: a reflection

11When the army of the Chaldeans had withdrawn from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army, 12then Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the middle of the people. 13When he was in Benjamin’s gate, a captain of the guard was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are defecting to the Chaldeans!” 14Then Jeremiah said, “That is false! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans.” But he didn’t listen to him; so Irijah seized Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. 15The princes were angry with Jeremiah, and struck him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison.

Jeremiah had faithfully spoken God's word for decades, to a people and leaders who mostly did not want to hear it, and it had cost him constantly. Here, as he tries to leave the city on ordinary business, he is seized at the gate, falsely accused of deserting to the enemy, and, despite his denial, beaten and thrown into prison. It is one more injustice in a long life of them: the faithful prophet mistreated again for his faithfulness, accused of what he had not done, and imprisoned.

Notice the sustained nature of Jeremiah's suffering. This is not a single trial but one episode in a lifetime of opposition, false accusation, beating, imprisonment, rejection, borne over many years for the sake of his faithfulness to God. And through it all, Jeremiah kept going. He did not abandon his calling because it brought him suffering; he endured accusation after accusation, hardship after hardship, and remained faithful to the word God had given him to speak.

There is encouragement here for those who face not just a single hardship but sustained, ongoing opposition or mistreatment for doing what is right. Faithfulness sometimes means enduring not one trial but many, a long road of being misunderstood, accused, opposed. Jeremiah walked that road for a lifetime and kept his faithfulness. If you are in a long season of mistreatment for doing right, take heart from Jeremiah. The God he served was with him through every accusation and prison, and is with you. Endure, keep your faithfulness, and trust the God who sustained his prophet through a lifetime of opposition.

Lord, Jeremiah endured not one trial but a lifetime of false accusation, beating, and imprisonment for his faithfulness, and he kept going. When I face not just a single hardship but sustained, ongoing opposition for doing right, give me his endurance. Help me not to abandon my calling because it brings suffering. Thank you that you were with Jeremiah through every accusation and prison, and that you are with me. Sustain my faithfulness through the long road, as you sustained your prophet.