If you are making conscious effort to stand for the truth and what is right, you’ll discover it is not an easy venture: you’ll face attacks! Generally, we always demand the truth from others but many times are not prepared to accept the truth! We forget that he that goes in search of honey must expect to encounter bees!
Are you under attack for standing for the truth and what is right? Is your good and acts of kindness taken for granted and used to attack you? Have your friends, colleagues, family members or those you trusted ganged up to attack you? Or you feel you’re bullied or attacked unnecessarily by others, or someone is taking undue advantage of you, this message is for you! Learn how to overcome now. Continue reading slowly…
Jeremiah 38:4-6,8-10
The king’s leading men spoke to the king. ‘Let Jeremiah be put to death: he is unquestionably disheartening the remaining soldiers in the city, and all the people too, by talking like this. The fellow does not have the welfare of this people at heart so much as its ruin.’ King Zedekiah answered ‘He is in your hands as you know, for the king is powerless against you.’ So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the well of Prince Malchiah in the Court of the Guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the well, only mud, and into the mud Jeremiah sank.
Ebed-melech came out from the palace and spoke to the king. ‘My lord king,’ he said ‘these men have done a wicked thing by treating the prophet Jeremiah like this: they have thrown him into the well, where he will die.’ At this the king gave Ebed-melech the Cushite the following order: ‘Take three men with you from here and pull the prophet Jeremiah out of the well before he dies.’
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
1. Why the plot against you?
Child of God, a reasonable question to ask is: what did Jeremiah do or say that warrants a death sentence? Because he prophesied that “whoever stays in the city will die by the sword, famine and plague, but whoever goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans will live and he will escape with his life” (Jer 38:2). If considered an offence, does his opinion warrant a death sentence? Is their judgement against him reasonable? No! Did this prophecy come to pass? Yes, after defiance to the predictions and advice given by Jeremiah (Jer 39:1-10).
As unreasonable as the conspiracy against Jeremiah is, so is the plot of the wicked against you- it does not make sense! Hence, it is needless to ask what you did to them. Don’t bother yourself about it. The wicked plots to bring down the godly just to satisfy their wicked and selfish cravings as the bible rightly says:
For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest until they have caused someone to stumble (Proverbs 4:16).
They have no justifiable reason, other than to inflict pains, cause downfalls and hardships. But don’t panic, don’t be afraid, because whenever the wicked plot schemes against the godly, God laughs! (Cf. Psalm 2:1-4; Psalm 37:13) God laughs them to scorn because as the bible rightly says in Job 5:12: “He frustrates the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot carry out their plans.”
2. Men may conspire to condemn you but God shall deliver you!
Not everyone condemned Jeremiah to death. Someone from the King’s palace called Ebed-melech pleaded to save his life! Who is Ebed-melech? The identity of this man is striking! First, he could be said to be a “nobody” in the society- a man without identity! The name Ebed-melech in Hebrew literally means “servant of the king“. That is his ‘office’ and as such a ‘title’ but not his real name. Since names confer identity and destiny, someone else renamed him, later on, to reflect his position in society—which is not very high. [Learn the Power of names and how to Connect and Manifest your Destiny from your name]
Secondly, as eunuch, he can’t reproduce and have descendants. As such, he lacks hope in this world. Thirdly, he is an Ethiopian, and as such a stranger; and the mosaic law forbids strangers (and eunuchs) from entering “the congregation of the LORD” (Deut 23:2-4). But God uses him- a person considered ‘hopeless’, ‘insignificant’ and ‘nobody’- one that is ‘disadvantaged on three fronts’ to save and deliver his prophet! Hmmm!
Don’t underestimate the power of God to save you. God can use anything and anyone, even those things or persons you consider insignificant around you for his purpose and glory! Be willing and open. I pray for you, the Lord shall raise advocates and helpers for you in time of need, in Jesus name. Amen.
3. Familiarity breeds contempt!
Those who knew Jeremiah didn’t regard him as prophet nor his utterances as prophecy. They refer to his utterances as “words of discouragement and doom” but Ebed-melech calls him a prophet and recognises his utterances as oracles from God and for that reason God spares his life from destruction when the King and the palace was captured (Jer 39:15-18).
Therefore, child of God, don’t expect your enemies to fall from the sky, they are very close to you and within your circle! Learn to respect God’s messengers and things that pertains to God. As you make daily efforts to stand for the truth and what is right, some will not like you! They will attack you because your life contradicts and judges theirs. That is the meaning of the fire Jesus speaks about- a fire of judgement when he says:
“‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!’…Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three…”(Lk 12:49).
TASK
Serve God in holiness and justice and He will deliver you from the hands of your enemies. Strengthen your faith by reading Isaiah 54:15 and Deuteronomy 28:7 and pray: every evil scheme against my life, my business or my work be exposed now and scattered, in Jesus name. Amen.
I Pray for you:
May the Lord rescue you from the snares of the wicked. I declare Psalm 123:7 over you: “Like a bird you shall escape from the snare of the fowler”. May the Lord silence every voice of accusations against you, and frustrate those planning to attack you!
The Word of God says in Lamentations 3:37-38: “Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That woe and blessing proceed?” And so as your Priest I pass a decree: No evil decree of afflictions or hardships against you shall prosper, in Jesus name. Amen.
I am exceedingly uplifted. I have been alone and sick. I thank God for His love and care to enable me link up with you. Thank you so much.
I thank God for your life. I thank God for the power of God’s word in your life. I pray for your quick recovery in Jesus name. amen.
Amen 👏🏻