Following Jesus

Tag: uriah

  • Suffering or Freedom

    Suffering or Freedom

    Uriah and Jeremiah faced very different results for their obedience…

    Scripture

    “At this time Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim was also prophesying for the LORD. And he predicted the same terrible disaster against the city and nation as Jeremiah did. . . . The king then killed Uriah with a sword and had him buried in an unmarked grave. Nevertheless, Ahikam son of Shaphan stood up for Jeremiah and persuaded the court not to turn him over to the mob to be killed.” (Jer. 26:20–24)

    Observation (speak out)

    • This is an amazing story of two faithful prophets who proclaimed the same message of judgement against Judah for their sin as directed by the LORD.
    • Even though they proclaimed the same message, one was martyred and the other was set free,
    • Although we know a lot about Jeremiah, we know nothing about Uriah except his hometown.
    • Why did Uriah die because of his obedience and Jeremiah lived on because of his obedience?
    • It doesn’t seem fair to me although nothing is said about this concern in the text.

    Application (speak in)

    • It is easy for me to ask why some people who are faithful followers of God seem to experience more difficulty than others.
    • When I get lost in this dilemma, or feel sorry for myself, I need to regain my perspective and focus on what Uriah and Jeremiah had in common. They both faithfully followed and obeyed God.
    • Their obedience was not based on their circumstances or what would be the outcome of their obedience. They simply obeyed God regardless of what that meant for them and they trusted God to accomplish his will.
    • I need to remember that a life well lived is not a life lived without difficulty or problems. Rather, it is a life of obedience and faithfulness out of love for God regardless of how that impacts my circumstances.
    • This is easy to say but hard to live.

    Prayer (rejoice, repent, request)

    Father, thank you for being a wise, kind, loving and all-powerful God who always does what is best even when I do not understand. Help me to yield to your leadership and loving and willingly follow you.