Today’s selected reading continues in the Old Testament prophetic book of Jeremiah, and more specifically, begins with the first verse of the twelfth chapter and continues through to the eleventh verse of the thirteenth chapter. How this passage of Scripture begins is utterly and completely incredible—especially when you consider how the eleventh chapter concludes. In the nineteenth verse of the eleventh chapter we notice a transition beginning to take place in the life and ministry of the prophet Jeremiah. When you come to the nineteenth verse of the eleventh chapter you will find Jeremiah begin to speak of a personal place—not a place that concerned the house of Judah, nor the city and inhabitants of Jerusalem. That which we find in the nineteenth verse of the eleventh chapter describes a place Jeremiah found himself in as a result of the prophetic message and ministry he had been called to. “But I was like a lamb or an ox that is brought to the slaughter; and I. Knew not that they had devised against me, saying, Let us destroy the tree with the fruit thereof, and let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be no more remembered” (Jeremiah 11:19). Within this particular verse we find Jeremiah experiencing stark opposition from those who “devised devices against him”—those who sought to destroy and cut him off from the land of the living. Perhaps one of the most interesting realities concerning the ordination and call of the prophet Jeremiah is that when the Lord of hosts took him from among the priests of Anathoth, He didn’t reveal to him everything he was going to endure and encounter. When the Lord first appeared and spoke to Jeremiah, He didn’t reveal to him the specifics concerning the opposition and oppression he would experience as a result of fulfilling the call and command of the Lord. When we come to the eleventh chapter of the prophetic book of Jeremiah, we eventually come to the place where we find those who have a difficult time with the words and message which Jeremiah proclaimed in their midst. Within this particular passage of Scripture we find Jeremiah understanding and coming to the knowledge of that which had been devised against him within the earth. Jeremiah points those who would read this book to the opposition which quickly began rising up against him as the word and message he was called to proclaim would eventually run counter to both the culture and society.

 One of the things that is most intriguing about this particular passage of Scriptures is what we read in the eighteenth verse of the eleventh chapter. In the eighteenth verse we read the prophet Jeremiah describing how the Lord had given him knowledge of and showed him the doings of those that would rise up against him. In the eighteenth verse of the eleventh chapter we find Jeremiah speaking of the Lord showing him the doings of those who would rise up against him in oppression, and in the very next verse we find Jeremiah describing the devices which were devised against him. In the nineteenth verse, Jeremiah describes how those who sought to vehemently opposed him desired to destroy “the tree with the fruit,” and to cut him off from the land of the living. Those who vehemently opposed Jeremiah didn’t merely want to silence his voice, but they wanted to completely cut off the prophetic voice and message that was found within Jeremiah’s life. Those who opposed Jeremiah devised devices against him, sought to destroy the tree with the fruit, and sought to cut him off from the land of the living. Those who opposed Jeremiah no longer wanted the name of Jeremiah to be remembered among the inhabitants of the land. This is absolutely worth reading and understanding, for this particular set of verses reveals the tremendous amount of opposition that rises up against the prophetic word and ministry of the Lord in the land. Those present during Jeremiah’s generation could not handle the word and message he was called to deliver in the midst of the land, and therefore began devising devices against him. Such devices were meant to destroy both the man and the message, as well as to cut off that man’s existence in the land of the living. What’s actually quite astounding when reading this passage of Scripture is that when you consider the concept of “the tree with the fruit thereof,” you will undoubtedly discover the Jeremiah was indeed the tree, while the prophetic word of the Lord in his mouth was the fruit. It might very well be said that it was utterly and completely impossible to separate the man from the message and the message from the man. Both the man and the message had become so intertwined and connected that to cut off the man would be to cut off the message, and to cut off the message would be to cut off the man. I can’t help but wonder how many in this generation can find these words to be true of them—that it is utterly and completely impossible to separate the man from the message and the message from the man. For Jeremiah—despite how vigorously even he himself attempted to separate himself from the word and message of the Lord, it was like unto him a fire that was shut up in his bones.

 I cannot escape the words of the prophet Jeremiah when he spoke of those who sought to devise devices against him. Jeremiah was made aware of the malicious and malevolent attempts against him to utterly and completely destroy him from the land of the living. Jeremiah was called, chosen and ordained by the Lord to stand before him in the land, yet there were those present in the land who could not handle the prophetic word and message he was called to proclaim. The more I read this particular portion of Scripture, the more I can’t help but ask myself if I have issues with the word of the Lord within my own life. It is very easy to read a passage of Scripture like this and to immediately point the finger at those who despised the word of the Lord, and who devised devices against the prophet. DESPISING THE WORD OF THE LORD AND DEVISING DEVICES AGAINST THE PROPHET! If there is one thing we must recognize and understand, it’s that we will not device devises against the prophet of the Lord unless we have first reached the place where we despised the word of the Lord. It has always been, and it will always be those who despise the word of the Lord who will rise up to devise devices in order to cut off both the message and the messenger. Devising devices actually means that there is a carefully constructed scheme and plot to silence the voice of the prophet, and to completely and utterly eliminate the message from the land. To devise devices literally means that one makes a conscious effort and takes deliberate actions to cut off both the man, as well as the message from the land. Those whom Jeremiah spoke of sought to device devises against him, for they could not and were not able to handle or deal with the prophetic word and message for which he was called to proclaim. Those whom Jeremiah spoke of could not handle the word and message Jeremiah was called to proclaim, and as a result of their distaste and disgust for the prophetic word of the Lord, they sought to rise up against it. Here again, it would be incredibly easy to point the finger at such men and condemn their actions, but we must recognize that it wasn’t the devising of devices that came first. It has always, it is always, and will always be the despising of the word of the Lord that will lead to, cause and produce the devising of devices. The devices will never be devised prior to and before the word of the Lord is first despised within our hearts. Perhaps the single greatest question that begs to be asked is what our response is to the word of the Lord, and whether we are men and women who have a great love for the word of the Lord—even that word cuts against everything that is present within.

 I can’t help but be reminded of the words of the prophet Isaiah as are recorded in the seventeenth verse of the fifty-fourth chapter. In the final verse of the fifty-fourth chapter we read “No weapon that is formed against thee shall proper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me” (Isaiah 54:17). There are a number of men and women who read this particular verse and believe the lie and the deception that this verse somehow suggests that there won’t be any weapons which will be formed against us. There are countless men and women who live in the reality that there won’t ever be any weapons that will be formed against them, and are somehow utterly and completely shocked when they discover weapons beginning to be formed against them. It’s worth noting that the prophet didn’t declare that there wouldn’t be any weapons that would be formed against them. The prophet Isaiah didn’t promise those to whom he was speaking that they would live lives completely absent from weapons being formed against them. WEAPONS WILL BE FORMED! If there is one truth we can and must take away from this passage of Scripture, it’s that weapons can and weapons will be formed against us. WEAPONS! WEAPONS WILL BE FORMED! WEAPONS WILL BE FORMED AGAINST! WEAPONS WILL BE FORMED AGAINST US! The prophet Isaiah revealed that not only can and will weapons be formed, but weapons can and will be formed against us within our lives. The prophet Isaiah didn’t merely speak of the reality of weapons being formed, but that weapons will be formed against us. If there are two things you can count on and even expect within your life they are that weapons can and will be formed, and that weapons can and will be formed against you. There is absolutely no way of escaping the reality of weapons being formed, and weapons being formed against you. The prophet Isaiah didn’t promise his hearers a life absent of weapons, or even a life absent of weapons formed against them. What the prophet did, however, promise them was that no weapon formed against them would prosper. The simple fact that Isaiah declared and spoke of “no weapon” signifies and suggests that there wouldn’t simply be one weapon that would be formed against you. By using the phrase “no weapon,” the prophet was actually speaking of and declaring the reality that there would be multiple weapons that would be formed against you. By declaring that “no weapon” which is formed against you shall prosper, the prophet was declaring that your life will never be void of weapons, nor will your life be void of weapons formed against you; but, you could live in such a place where each and every weapon that is formed against you will not prevail against you.

 I am reminded also of the words which Jesus the Christ spoke to the apostle Peter after he made the declaration that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. In response to Peter’s bold and emphatic declaration, Jesus answered and said unto him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:17-19). Did you catch the words which Jesus spoke concerning building His church upon “this rock?” When Jesus spoke to and answered Simon Peter, He declared that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” It’s absolutely necessary and vital that we pay close attention to this particular portion of Scripture, for Jesus didn’t say that the gates of hell would not come against the church. Jesus didn’t declare that the gates of hell would not seek to target and destroy the church which He was going to be build. In fact, Jesus spoke of and suggested two distinct realities—the first was the reality of His building the church, and the second was the gates of hell rising up and seeking to come against it. If there are two things you can be absolutely certain of regarding the Church of Jesus Christ, it’s that Jesus can and will be found faithfully building it, and the gates of hell will be mounting assaults, devices and tactics against it. In fact, I would dare say that as surely as Jesus has been and continues to build His church, so also will the gates of hell mount up against the Church. What’s more, is that it’s almost as if Jesus was declaring that if you are part of this living organism and mechanism upon the earth called the church, you can most certainly expect to experience opposition and resistance from the gates of hell. There is absolutely no mistaking direct opposition from the gates of hell—especially if you are part of the body of Christ which Jesus is building up as His holy church upon the earth. If you are a member and part of the body of Jesus Christ upon the earth, I must emphatically and strongly declare to you that you can expect strong and stark opposition from the gates of hell.

 There perhaps an Old Testament account that readily and easily describes this opposition that can and will arise in the midst of the process of building and rebuilding. If you journey to the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, you will find one who was burdened for the condition of the city of Jerusalem, and for those who dwelt within its broken down walls and broken down gates. When you read the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, you will find that Nehemiah secured permission from the king of Persia to make the journey to the city of Jerusalem and to rebuild the walls and gates of the city of Jerusalem. If you take the time to read this book from beginning to end, you will notice that there were essentially two works that existed simultaneously side by side during this time. There was indeed the work to rebuild the walls of the city of Jerusalem, and the gates of the city of Jerusalem, but there was also a work to oppose that process. In fact, if you come to the fourth chapter of the Old Testament book, you will discover the beginning of this opposition against the process of building and rebuilding. “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they make an end in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall” (Nehemiah 4:1-3). Verses four through five describe Nehemiah’s prayer in response to the mockery of Sanballat and Tobiah—“Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: and cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders” (Nehemiah 4:4-5). Verses one through three describe the opposition, verses four and five describe the prayer, while verse six describes the continuation of the work—“So build we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work” (Nehemiah 4:6). The people had a mind to work, and Nehemiah had a heart to pray and seek the face of the Lord, and as a result, the wall was joined together unto the half thereof.

 As you continue reading the fourth chapter, you will find that the opposition didn’t cease with Nehemiah’s prayer as is recorded in verses four and five. There is a tremendous spiritual truth and application that is contained within this passage of Scripture, and that truth is that even in spite of our prayer before the Lord, that doesn’t mean the opposition to the work, the opposition to the word, the opposition to the will of the Lord will come to an end and draw to a close. In fact, the Old Testament book of Nehemiah would describe a tremendous collective effort to rebuild the wall of the city of Jerusalem, the effort to rebuild the gates of the city, and Nehemiah’s continued prayer unto the Lord his God in spite of and in the midst of the opposition that raged on. “But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth. And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it” (Nehemiah 4:7-8). The first wave of opposition came in response to the beginning of the work, while this second wave came in response to the progression of the work. The Old Testament book of Nehemiah seems to suggest that opposition against the work the Lord has ordained for us may very well begin at the very outset of the work, and can quite possibly continue through to the completion of the work. What’s more, is that we might very well say that as long as the work continues, and as long as there is work to be done, there will be strong opposition toward and against the work. So long as Jesus the Christ is building His church upon the earth, there can and there will be opposition against that work and against that body from the very gates of hell. So long as Nehemiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem continued the work of rebuilding the wall and repairing the gates, there would be strong opposition that would rise up against the work from the outside. In verses one through three we merely see a general disgust toward against against the work of rebuilding the wall and repairing the gate, while in verses seven and eight we see this disgust actually turn to intent to march against the work and to fight against Jerusalem to hinder it.

 It’s absolutely incredible to continue reading the fourth chapter, for as you continue reading this chapter, you will notice Nehemiah’s response to this continued opposition. “Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them. And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and case the work to cease. And it came to pass, that when the Jews which dwelt by them came, they said unto us ten times, from all places whence ye shall return unto us they will be upon you. Therefore set I in the lower places behind the wall, and on the higher places, I even set the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows. And I looked, and rose up, and said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses” (Nehemiah 4:9-14). There is an incredibly powerful truth that is found in this particular set of verses, and one which we must pay close attention to and observe with all our hearts and with all our minds. The ninth verse opens with Nehemiah describing how they made their prayer unto the Lord their God, but goes on to describe how they didn’t merely pray unto their God. Nehemiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem made prayer and supplication unto the Lord their God, yet they also readied and prepared themselves to fight against their enemies. The adversary sought to come up against them to cause the work to cease, yet Nehemiah made prayer and supplication unto their God, and prepared men, women, and families alike for war against those who would seek to come up against the work. WHEN PRAYER MEETS PREPARATION! I am convinced that there are a number of times when we may indeed make prayer unto the Lord our God, yet we completely neglect and ignore the fact that there must come a moment when our prayer meets preparation—preparation to act in response to that which we prayed. Nehemiah prayed unto the Lord their God, yet Nehemiah also readied and prepared the people to fight against those who would rise up and oppose the work. There must come a point within our lives when our prayer—even our prayer of faith—meets the preparation within our heart to not only continue in the work, but also prepare ourselves to fight if necessary.

Nehemiah wasn’t willing for the work to cease in the land, and therefore divided the force between the work and the warfare. CONTINUING IN THE WORK, YET PREPARING FOR WARFARE! Nehemiah wasn’t willing that the work of rebuilding the wall and repairing the gates should cease, so he divided the force between the work and the war. “And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; and the rulers were behind all the house of Judah. They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that landed, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded” (Nehemiah 4:16-18). TWO HANDS: ONE FOR THE WORK AND ONE FOR THE WEAPON! I have to admit that I absolutely love this passage of Scripture, for it brings us face to face with the reality that we must not only give ourselves diligently to the work, but we must also prepare ourselves for the warfare that most definitely and most certainly will accompany the work. WHEN WARFARE ACCOMPANIES THE WORK! One of the things we learn from the Old Testament prophetic book of Jeremiah is that warfare accompanies the work, and opposition accompanies the word. There are times within our lives with both the work and the warfare actually work simultaneously side by side, and we must ready and prepare ourselves to engage in both the work and in the warfare. We cannot lean so far to the side of the work that we neglect and ignore the warfare, and we cannot lean so far to the side of the warfare that we neglect and ignore the work. It might very well be that if we find ourselves veering or leaning to far to one side, the Lord might increase the burden, the resistance, and the opposition on the other side to bring us back into balance. There must be present within our hearts and lives a healthy and continual balance between the work and the warfare—this despite how great the work and/or the warfare might actually be. Jeremiah engaged in the work of proclaiming and declaring the word of the Lord unto the house of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, yet there rose up against him strong opposition—opposition that even rose up against him from within his own town of Anathoth.

 What we read in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah is actually two distinct realities—the first reality is the division of those who participated and engaged in the work and those who would engage in the warfare and conflict, while the second reality is that of the sword girded by one’s side. This reality of a sword girded by one’s side reveals the powerful truth that there are times in our lives when the work demands a sword by our side. WHEN THE WORK DEMANDS A SWORD GIRDED BY OUR SIDE! WHEN THE WORK DEMANDS A SWORD! Let us pay close attention to this reality, for there will be times in our lives when the work will demand and require a sword to be girded by our side in order that we might be ready should and when the conflict will arise among us in our midst. Jesus spoke of the work of building the Church, but also spoke of the gates of hell seeking to prevail against both the work and the Church. There would be those among us who would seek to separate the work from the warfare, yet the simple truth of the matter is that that simply is not the case. It is absolutely and virtually impossible to separate the work from the warfare, and I would dare say that if you are going to engage in the work, you must also anticipate the warfare that can and will accompany it. Sometimes the warfare which accompanies the work is the single greatest confirmation of the work itself—confirmation that the work needed to begin, and confirmation that the work is on the right track. The entire book of Acts is a perfect example of the simultaneous and side by side presence of both the work and the warfare, as the apostles and early Church experienced the conflict between the work and the warfare. With this being said, it must also be understood that some times the work is the warfare and the warfare is the work. There are times in our lives with the work and the warfare are joined together are in all reality one and the same. The cross of Jesus Christ is perhaps the single greatest demonstration and manifestation of this reality, for the work of redemption upon the cross was also the warfare against principalities, spiritual wickedness and rulers of darkness. Consider the words of the apostle Paul when writing to the church which was found in the ancient city of Colossae—“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross, AND HAVING SPOILED PRINCIPALITIES AND POWERS, HE MADE A SHEW OF THEM OPENLY, TRIUMPHING OVER THEM IN IT” (Colossians 2:13-15). There on the cross of Calvary two-thousand years ago the work and the warfare existed together in the life and death of Jesus Christ as the work became the warfare and the warfare became the work.

The eleventh chapter of the Old Testament prophetic book of Jeremiah concludes with the men of Anathoth not only seeking the life of Jeremiah, but also attempted to silence him from prophesying in the name of the Lord. In response to their conspiracy against Jeremiah, the Lord of hosts declared, “Behold, I will punish them: the young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine: and there shall be no remnant: for I will bring evil upon the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation” (Jeremiah 11:21-23). When we come to the twelfth chapter, we find Jeremiah declaring, “Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? Wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins. But thou, O Lord, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? The beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, he shall not see our last end” (Jeremiah 12:1-4). Immediately following these words of Jeremiah, the Lord declares unto him, saying, “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of the Jordan? 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, thou they speak fair words unto thee” (Jeremiah 12:5-6). I absolutely love these words, for these words speak of a certain stamina, a certain endurance that is developed within the heart and life of one who has found themselves contending with the work and the warfare. The words which the Lord spoke to Jeremiah reveal the incredible need for resilience, for endurance, and for stamina in the midst of the collision of the work and the warfare. I can’t help but close with the powerful reminder from the words of the apostle Paul when writing to the Galatian congregation—“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:8-10).