Jeremiah 20

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Jeremiah 20:1-18 (KJV) 

1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who [was] also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 

A well-known leader heard what Jeremiah said concerning the wrath of God.

2 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that [were] in the high gate of Benjamin, which [was] by the house of the. Lord.

Pasture hit Jeremiah and then locked him up in the gates of Benjamin which were by the house of the Lord. We must understand that when we say what God has given us to say, it will sometimes be met by anger at God, but the person delivering the message is the one who seems to be the one who is taking the heat because they can be seen and heard.

3 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Pashur brought forth Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then said Jeremiah unto him, The LORD hath not called thy name Pashur, but Magormissabib. 

The day after Jeremiah was released from lockdown he told the man who hit him that God had changed his name from  PASHUR to a name that means you will be afraid of yourself and others will be too.

4 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will make thee a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends: and they shall fall by the sword of their enemies, and thine eyes shall behold [it]: and I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall carry them captive into Babylon, and shall slay them with the sword. 

Jeremiah told him that God said I am changing your name and you would be a terror to yourself and to your friends and your friends will die by the sword of their enemies and I will take the people that I will bless and give you and them to your enemies.  

5. Moreover I will deliver all the strength of this city, and all the labours thereof, and all the precious things thereof, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah will I give into the hand of their enemies, which shall spoil them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon. 

Jeremiah continued to tell the people of Judah what God was going to do to them in his wrath. God continues to warn Judah by telling them that the Babylonians will force them out of the land that he promised them.

6 And thou, Pashur, and all that dwell in thine house shall go into captivity: and thou shalt come to Babylon, and there thou shalt die, and shalt be buried there, thou, and all thy friends, to whom thou hast prophesied lies. 

Pashur was given a special message from God. He told him that he would go to Babylon and he would die there and be buried he and his friends, those to whom he told lies.

7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. 

Jeremiah tells God out of frustration that he had been deceived and God had deceived him: Jeremiah told God that he was stronger than he was and every day he is accused by those he was given instructions to warn of God’s wrath.

8 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the LORD was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. 

Every time you gave me a word I spoke it just like you gave it; you said to cry out against violence and the spoil, because of the word you told me to say, I’m always or seem to be in trouble every day.

9 Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But [his word] was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not [stay].

I made up my mind and I would not talk about what you told me to say to these people but I couldn’t help it. Your words are just like fire shut up in my bones and I was not able to hold back from saying what I know you told me to say.

10 For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, [say they], and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, [saying], Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him. 

I heard the ugly things said about me from many people; they told me if I said anything they were going to report what I said; they also said perhaps we will influence him and he will not win and we will finally take revenge on him.

11 But the LORD [is] with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: [their] everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten. 

All I know is God is for me and he will cause my enemies to fail. They will greatly be ashamed of themselves for what they have done to me; they will not prosper and they will be in an everlasting confusion and the confusion that they will be in will be so bad that it will be a topic that everybody will remember.

12 But, O LORD of hosts, that triest the righteous, [and] seest the reins and the heart, let me see thy vengeance on them: for unto thee have I opened my cause. 

Lord let me see you take revenge on these people who treat me so badly because of your word. The things that I told these people about their sins, I have been in so much trouble.

13 Sing unto the LORD, praise ye the LORD: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers. 

Jeremiah said to sing in honor of God because of his deliverance of the poor out of the hand of people who do wrong or do them wrong.

14 Cursed [be] the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed. 

Jeremiah began to speak like Job hating the day that he was ever born. At one minute Jeremiah is saying praise the Lord and the next minute Jeremiah is saying I hate the day I was born.  I am not sure of how Jeremiah is feeling at this moment in his writing.  There are times I think like this but I have not noticed if I did this in the same sentence as it seems Jeremiah is doing.

Could it be that Jeremiah left off writing and we do not see his timeline for this chapter?  He may have started his writing in chapter 20 on Monday, but picked by up a few weeks later, and this is why his emotions seem to be up and down.  I do know, I am just thinking on paper.

15 Cursed [be] the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad. 

Again Jeremiah is complaining to God just like Job.  Jeremiah said the man that brought my dad the news that it is a boy!; cursed be that man

16 And let that man be as the cities which the LORD overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide; 

Jeremiah said let the man that brought the news that I was born,  be like the city God will destroy.

17 Because he slew me not from the womb; or that my mother might have been my grave, and her womb [to be] always great [with me]. 

Jeremiah said he should have been dead in his mother's womb. Jeremiah is very depressed because of what the evil people are saying against him because of the words God spoke and he spoke on behalf of God.

18 Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame.

Jeremiah is still complaining about his life and the work that brought him sorrow. He asked the question why should my life be filled with shame.