Jeremiah 20

As we’ve seen from Scripture in the past, God is a fire. One thing is for sure: He is like a fire in some way other than we know fire. He came to Moses in the form of this fire as a burning (but non-burning) bush. His fire consumed Nadab and Abihu, yet their clothes were not even singed. So, however it is that God is fire, it must be somehow different than how we typically think of fire.

Today’s chapter referenced fire from God in a different way: “You persuaded me, Lord, and I was persuaded; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long. But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (vs 7-9)

Jeremiah is between a rock and a hard place. He is not very pleased that God’s prophetic messages are landing him in hot water with the Israelites, yet he finds himself unable to bury them. Trying to hold them back is, he says, like a fire inside of him. He knows the truth, and if he tries to keep it to himself or pretend like it doesn’t exist, he is in agony.

I think this is a perfect explanation of what it is like to try to resist the Spirit. When Saul encountered God on the road to Damascus (after trying to resist the Spirit), God said, “I am Jesus, the One Whom you are working against. You hurt yourself by trying to hurt Me.” (Acts 9:5)

It was the same way with Pharaoh. Several times in the process of going through the plagues (which exposed the Egyptian gods as frauds), Pharaoh acknowledged God’s righteousness and sovereignty. Yet, time and time again, he quickly shut himself off from that truth and refused to act on what he knew was right. Consequently, he shut up that fire in his bones and, in the process of trying to hurt God, hurt himself.

Photo © Unsplash/eberhard grossgasteiger

God’s truth is like a fire. We can receive it with gladness, let it burn within us and change our hearts, or we can try to shut ourselves off from it and, in the process, cause damage to ourselves. It’s our choice.