Jeremiah Was NOT a Bullfrog

Jeremiah Was NOT
a Bullfrog

But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child:
for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
Jeremiah 1:7

Jeremiah should be considered one of the grandest men in the Old Testament. He was NO bullfrog!
If Jeremiah was a bullfrog, so was God - because Jeremiah said what God wanted Him to say!

There are more details available of his life, his methods and his work than any other OT Prophet.

Was Jeremiah a Success?

Can we learn anything from Jeremiah for today?

Click here for the three parts of this study:

Part I - Detailed summary of Jeremiah's "Ministerial Situation"
Part II - Was Jeremiah a Success?
Part III - Action stories from Jeremiah's Ministry

Jeremiah's Ministerial Situation He had a 40 year ministry through the pre, during and complete destruction of Jerusalem:

Jeremiah lived about a hundred years after Isaiah.
Isaiah had saved Jerusalem from Assyria, but Jeremiah could not save Jerusalem from Babylon. Up to the last moment, Jeremiah tried to get the folks to see their idolatry! The 'hour' of doom was about to strike as he was preaching!

He had some other prophets preaching the same words from God at the same time:

Ezekiel was preaching the same words among the captives in Babylon.
Daniel was preaching the same message in the palace of Nebuchadnezar.
Habakkuk and Zephaniah were helping Jeremiah preach in Jerusalem.
Nahum was preaching about the coming fall of Nineveh.
Obadiah was preaching about the coming Ruin of Edom.

He was a humble preacher:

1:6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.

But... He grew up to want the Lord's will, way and words:

17:16-18 As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee. Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil. Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.

He is from Ananoth, which means "answered prayer!" He was their answer to prayer from God! But as it was then and is today, folks often have no clue when God actually does answer their prayers if they are not 'in-tune' with God Himself!

He had the greatest equipment you could have for any ministry:

1:7-9 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

He had God's complete 6-step counseling program that would rescue folks and nations from their evil doings:

1:10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.

He was up against a selfish humanistic bunch of people:

The people to whom Jeremiah was preaching were great pretenders - imitators!
5:11,12 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD. They have belied the LORD, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:

Belied: Falsely represented either by word or obvious evidence and indication;
counterfeited; mimicked. IMITATIONS!!!
They would not walk the "old paths" to find "rest for their souls."
They would not hearken to the "watchmen set over them."
They walked "after their own devices" and did the "imagination of their evil heart."
They wanted peace and no evil to come upon them.
They did not know the way nor "the judgment of God."
They wanted what Egypt claimed to offer...
Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt,
where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet,
nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:
42:14
(That verse, by the way, is the message of the new marketed purpose-driven Bible Believing Church today!)

He was up against a bunch of women who worshipped Ashtoreth, the "queen of heaven." (these women had their husband's consent, too) -

44:15 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying...

His preaching was a bur under everyone's saddle:

1:18,19 - For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
He says it again in 15:20 And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. )

He was persecuted, rejected, mocked and "stocked" and even "dungeonated" deep in the mire!

38:6 Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

He lived in constant 'slander' and verbal attack:

18:18 Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words.

He suffered sorrow and anguish through all of his ministry and even though he understood it all, he still allowed it to bother him:

10:19 - Woe is me for my hurt! my wound is grievous: but I said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.
15:17-18 - I sat not in the assembly of the mockers, nor rejoiced; I sat alone because of thy hand: for thou hast filled me with indignation. Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?
20:14-18 - Cursed be the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed. Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad. 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; 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. Wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?

He tried to quit, but God just wouldn't let him!

20:9 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.

He had no family:

16:1-4 - The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying, Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place. For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land; They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

He had no close friends:

20:10 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.

He had no church family:

10:20,21 - My tabernacle is spoiled, and all my cords are broken: my children are gone forth of me, and they are not: there is none to stretch forth my tent any more, and to set up my curtains.
12:6-9 For even thy brethren, and the house of thy father, even they have dealt treacherously with thee; yea, they have called a multitude after thee: believe them not, though they speak fair words unto thee. I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest; it crieth out against me: therefore have I hated it. Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.

He had no pastor as all were against him, yet they said they were hearing a "good message" from God:

10:21 For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.
12:10,11 Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.
14:14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
23:16,17 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you.

And yet, through it all, he still knew where the real joy was:

15:15,16 - O LORD, thou knowest: remember me, and visit me, and revenge me of my persecutors; take me not away in thy longsuffering: know that for thy sake I have suffered rebuke. Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.

His death certainly would have to be included within Hebrews 11:36-38:

And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

So, was Jeremiah a 'Success?"

To the Gospels Jesus-Teachings Great Commission crowd - NO !

To these folks today, he is just another bullfrog. A failure - he had no results - he had no big numbers nor any growing congregation. A bullfrog just sits around and croaks - nobody listens to them but they still 'like' them. Even the famous song says, "I never understood a single word he said, but I helped him drink his wine. Sing it, Joy to the world." Typical theme song of today's 'growing' church!

So, the modern preacher outlook of Jeremiah was just a good ole bullfrog
who didn't get anything accomplished!

I am sure they must think that because Jerusalem had just been 'saved' by Isaiah, surely Jeremiah could have then marketed up a purpose driven group!

But maybe it was because he was always preaching doom and gloom.
Maybe they didn't listen to him because he criticized the pastors of his time. He certainly was not in support of the messages that the pastors in those days were preaching, and these pastors certainly did say that God told them to preach what they were preaching - and the people certainly loved to have it so! So why didn't Jeremiah just tickle their itching ears - he would have been a great success?
After all, why would JEREMIAH, of all people, actually hear from the Lord. He himself said he was just a child!
And he went into such Eyore moods, too. Who would want a pastor to be like Jeremiah, anyway!

"If he hadn't first tried the root out, pull down, destroy and throw down so much in his sermons, maybe he could have done a better job building and planting!"

To the "Greater Commission" Paul-following Crowd, YES!

This crowd, as small as it seems to be, understands the days of apostasy today and knows what it is that God not only says, but what God is doing in these times!

Jeremiah was NOT interested in 'marketing' his words, for he knew they were not his words to market. Jeremiah was not interested in numbers, he was not interested in building a mega Baptist church nor was he even concerned about their happiness and personal fulfillment in life...

...he was interested in preaching the words of God, as God had given to him and commanded of him!

Yes, I will say that Jeremiah was a success!
1. He fed the people what God said they needed to hear!
2. And he got action!

He did?
All one seems to hear about theses days is
"The Great Weeping Prophet Who Had No Results, but Kept on Preaching."

Jeremiah saw plenty of action!

As I did for so many years, today's preachers have pegged Jeremiah all wrong! Could it be because even the Bible Believers are falling for the new purpose-driven numbers-increasing church-planting marketed approach.

(Listen to audio sermon for the preaching comments over these action references)
Here is Some Action in Jeremiah's Ministry!

1. He is deemed worthy to die by the crowd. the authorities & local ministerial association!

26:8-15 - After he finishes preaching, all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. the word then gets out and the local 'authorities' check with the local pastors who say Jeremiah is worthy to die! Why? Because he preaches against what those pastors are preaching about what they want to do in their city!
But... a man named Ahikam (vs 24) along with some others say this man is NOT worthy to die (vs 16): for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God. Unfortunately, Urijah does have to die for preaching the same words against their city! (vs 20-23).

That's action! That is all a result of a sermon! Those are results!

2. God kills a false prophet who tries to be the man of the hour!

28:1- 17 - Ok, here we have a false prophet named Hananiah who makes out to be 'the answer sent from God' and takes the yoke from the prophet Jeremiah's neck and brake it.
verse 10 Jeremiah makes it clear how to tell if a prophet is really from God or not (vs 6-9).
God tells Jeremiah that Hananiah is a big fake - and he is putting the people in more bondage (II Peter 2:18-20) than they were in before. Jeremiah tells Hananiah that he is not a prophet from God and that he makest this people to trust in a lie. Hananiah dies in two months. Verses 15-17

3. Rechabites prove his point!

Chapter 35 - Jeremiah meets the Rechabites to show the folks that what he is preaching can be done! It IS possible to separate one's self from the ways of the world - even in these days, there are folks who understand this stuff that we have been preaching here in Touchet - there really are! It is possible!

4. Baruch - a loyal assistant!

36:1-8 - Jeremiah gets a major helper in the ministry! And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD: Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD's house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people. And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD's house.
36:9,10 - So Baruch reads the book of the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD... at the entry of the new gate of the LORD'S house, in the ears of all the people.

5. Michaiah passes the words on to the top!

36:11-19 - After Michaiah hears what Jeremiah had written (Baruch had read), he goes down into the King's house, into the scribes chamber and reads all the words that he had heard to the princes. (vs 12,13)
Then those same princes send Jehudi to go get Baruch so they can hear it first hand! (vs 14)
Those princes were afraid at what they heard - and said they must take those words to the king! (vs 15,16)
They were even interested as to how Baruch came about getting those words from Jeremiah. (vs 17,18)
They knew that the words were not going to be well received, so they told Baruch and Jeremiah to hide, and to let no man know where they would be. (vs 17-19)

6. King Jehoiakim burns the sacred words but God protects Jeremiah and allows him to preach back about his death!

36:23-24 - The king was so unhappy with the words - he pen-knifed out the words and in the process, he and the servants were not even 'afraid' while they did it!
But Elnathan and Delajah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll; but he would not hear them. (25)
Even though the king demanded Baruch and Jeremiah, they were already in hiding! (26)
God enabled Jeremiah to preach back to the King about his future death (vs 27-32). It all came true and even his name was taken out of the book of generations in Matthew 1:11, etc.

7. Jeremiah is falsely accused of siding with the Chaldeans - thrown into the dungeon...

37:11-15
...but there was a "blessing" waiting for him to be in prison!
16-17 - King Zedekiah wanted to hear from God, so he KNEW who to contact - Jeremiah! Jeremiah even made a 'deal' with the King to stay out of the deep dungeon. 18-21

The plot thickens!

8. Back down into the mire of the dungeon!

38:4 - Accused Jeremiah of not seeking the welfare of the people, but only the hurt!!!! Where have we heard this before!
5 - The King chickens out! Let's them put Jeremiah back to the dungeon.
6 - It's back to the dungeon for him!
7-9 But... Ebedmelech the Ethiopian talks to the king to get Jeremiah back out!
10-13 - They get Jeremiah out!
14-27 - Zedekiah asks Jeremiah to preach to him again - and he does - puts the big number on him - 17-20.
Private counseling request - verses 24-28!
By the way, Zedekiah refuses Jeremiah's warnings - and got what Jeremiah said would happen. 39:4-7

9. Nebuchadrezzar lets Jeremiah out of prison!

And surprise of all surprises - Nebuchadrezzar gets Jeremiah out of prison! 39:11-14 (That fulfills what God told Jeremiah WHILE HE WAS IN PRISON! verses 15-18

10. Jeremiah is eventually set free.

The guard knew that Jeremiah spoke the truth (40:1-6) and let him go to do what he had to do!

11. Typical congregational promises - and responses!

Chapter 42:1-6 - The captains say that they will heed Jeremiah's words, and he preaches his sermon in 43:7-22 but in 43:2, they still reject his sermon and HIM! 43:2: Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:

God told him an object lesson to preach as a result of that rejection: 43:8-13

12. And boy, does Jeremiah preach a hard sermon in chapter 44:1-14! And the women wouldn't take it!

44:15-29 Jeremiah then had to hear from a bunch of women who not only worship the queen of heaven, their husbands aren't man enough to stop them!
What a thing - and times haven't changed, folks!
Jeremiah properly responds to the men AND women in 44:20-28.

Yes, can you see now? Jeremiah was a success!
He preached God's words as God told him to do!
God certainly did put His words in Jeremiah's mouth - he was no sitting bullfrog!

God's words produced action, just not numbers!

Today, God's words are no different.

God's words produce action, just not numbers!

II Timothy 4:1-5 - I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.