A Faithful Ambassador

“This is the twenty third year in which the word of the Lord has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened” Jeremiah 25:3

There are probably many people who share the Gospel who identify with Jeremiah. For twenty three years he had been a prophet of the Lord faithfully passing on what the Lord had given him to speak yet the people of Jerusalem and Judah had taken no heed. The Lord retained a remnant in Israel so the rejection was not total but successive kings of Judah had turned the hearts of the people away from the Lord. There were many other voices proclaiming what was supposed to be the word of the Lord but they were liars who deceived the people by telling them what they wanted to hear rather than the truth (27:10, 14-16). The same tactic is employed by some today. They proclaim a false Gospel while claiming it is from the Lord.

Jeremiah seemed alone in proclaiming the true word of the Lord yet he refused to compromise to appease kings, priests, other prophets or even to save his life (26:8). He would rather be an offense to people than offend the Lord.

The world might judge him as being unsuccessful but the Lord judged him otherwise. Successful in ministering the word of God is not determined by whether hearers receive God’s word. Success is measured in whether one is faithful to the Lord’s word and calling.

Jeremiah had to withstand the wrath of kings, accusations from religious leaders and stand face to face, in the presence of witnesses, with one who claimed to speak for the Lord but was a liar (28:1). He did this knowing that there was a strong movement among the false prophets to have him killed. He would not compromise the word of the Lord to save his life. His words to them were, “I am in your hand; do with me as seems good and proper to you” (26:14).

Like Daniel’s three friends, he knew that whether he lived or died he would not compromise the word of the Lord (Daniel 3:18). Like the apostle Paul he knew that, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

The church needs people who will proclaim God’s word as He gave it and not how people want to hear it. In the days of Jeremiah the false teachers were in the majority and they ridiculed, mocked and threatened Jeremiah. They deceived the people who then suffered the Lord’s chastisement. By rejecting the faithful word and believing a lie they set themselves against God.

A person may spend twenty three years as Christ’s faithful ambassador but whether they are successful or not is not in the numbers of people who respond and follow Christ. False teachers more readily gain a following because they speak what fallen people want to hear. The successful ambassador of Christ is the one who stands firm and faithful to Christ’s word even in the face of threats and persecution. The acclaim of people and numbers are no way to measure success. Faithfulness and obedience to Christ are the only measure and Jesus Christ alone is able to measure that.

Where is that Donkey when you Need Him?

“The word that the Lord puts in my mouth, that I must speak” (Numbers 22:38)

What if all the preachers in the world followed Balaam’s conviction? Surely we would have a much different world with many less confused Christians. Of course, Balaam didn’t come to this position without the Lord’s most unusual intervention. Tempted by gold and silver Balaam tried to have a foot in both camps. Surely God would let him have wealth and remain in His service! There have been and are many Christians who have followed in Balaam’s shadow and want the benefits of being a Christian without surrendering what the world offers. Enter the donkey! Balaam seems so set on this path that even his donkey speaking and debating with him didn’t seem unusual.

Sadly, today we do have preachers who do not follow Balaam’s eventual conviction and they do curse Israel. Where is that donkey when you need him? Balaam refused to curse those whom God has blessed. “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce who God has not denounced? (23:8) he questions rhetorically in his response to Balak. The anticipated answer is that he cannot go against the word of the Lord.

Balak may be a representation of the world of unbelievers whether they attend a nominally Christian church or not. He wanted Israel cursed and destroyed. He thought Israel’s God was like his own god but they are vastly different. Balak’s god comes from the imagination of men and remains an imaginary god. Israel’s God is the living Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.

Balaam reaffirmed the Abrahamic Covenant, “Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you” (24:9) and nothing has changed or will change in this regard. “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (23:19). There is no way God is going to revoke or change His covenant with Abraham. If we believe that He has or will then we will never have assurance of salvation. If we believe that He will break His covenant with Abraham then, to be consistent, we must believe that He could break His covenant with all who have trusted Jesus Christ for salvation. This is contrary to all Scripture. It is unthinkable that God would demand that we be faithful to Him and His word when He is Himself is unfaithful!

Anyone who believes that God has broken His covenant with Abraham and replaced Israel with the church follows after Balak in his comprehension of God. Such people are attempting to curse Israel whom God is blessing but instead they will receive the curse. They have a god of their own imagination that is not derived from the Bible and is most certainly not the God of Abraham and bears no resemblance to our Lord Jesus Christ. That which Balak desired for Israel came upon himself. The same will happen today to those who curse Israel. The word of the Lord to Abraham remains the same, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you” (Genesis 12:3). Balak did not know this but after the donkey spoke, Balaam did know it.