2 Thus saith Yahweh; Stand in the court of Yahweh's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in Yahweh's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:

Jeremiah was earnestly enjoined to be thorough in his communication. He was not to soften or trim the message in any way.

"Speak all the words that I command thee to speak unto them, diminish not a word."

Let us note this. It implies that Jeremiah was under some kind of temptation to keep back the message. So he was. He tells us so, earlier in the book, viz., that because the Word of the Lord was made a derision to him daily, he was inclined to hold his peace (ch. 20:8-9). The command now was-

"Hold not thy peace."

"Cry aloud and spare not."

The point has an importance for all who would do the will of the Lord in our day and generation. We have not received a message such as Jeremiah received, nor a command such as he was laid under. But we have received a message and a command, nevertheless. The message and the command laid upon believers in the first century retain their force for all believers till the Lord come.

"Let him that heareth say, come."

"Shine as lights in the world:"

"Hold forth the Word of life."

Now this obligation may be discharged in a pinched and niggardly way, or it may be done with openhanded and energetic thoroughness. We may hold back the profession of faith through fear of unpopularity, or we may do the work as Paul did, who said,

"I have not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God."

As to which is the right method, reason cannot falter. The Word of God to Jeremiah gives us the right cue.

"Diminish not a word."

"He that hath My Word, let him speak it faithfully."

Professors who are only half enlightened, or who are in bondage to their worldly interests which they fear to put in peril, are very liable to "diminish" the Truth exceedingly, so that in their hands, it shrinks to a mere variation of the popular superstition. The influence of such faint-hearted professors is not good. They are liable to demoralise fellow-soldiers. They would be better as out-and-out enemies. No good comes from a half-and-half profession of the Faith. Even present interests are not protected by it. *

6 Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.

We cannot alter or retard the purpose of God.‭ ‬One thing we can do,‭ ‬and this is all we can do:‭ ‬we can fasten on to it.‭ ‬This we are invited to do—commanded to do.‭ ‬Those who comply with this command will see the glory of God in the land of the living.‭ ‬The Kingdom of God will be established:‭ ‬and they will be there,‭ ‬with Christ as the glorious head over all upon earth.‭ ‬Of others,‭ ‬it is said,‭ "‬They shall not enter in,‭" "‬They shall not inherit,‭" "‬They shall be cast out.‭" ‬Do we want to be among these‭? ‬Where is the man who does not desire to be rather among those whom God shall select,‭ ‬and spare as‭ "‬his jewels‭"? ‬as saith God by the prophet,‭ "‬They shall be mine in that day when I make up my jewels.‭"

The question is,‭ ‬How are we to be included‭? ‬One thing is certain:‭ ‬the privilege is open to all if the conditions are complied with.‭ ‬There will be no favouritism in the matter.‭ ‬There is no respect of persons with God.‭ "‬Whosoever‭" ‬is their constant description:‭ ‬that is,‭ ‬whosoever pleases God.‭ ‬He has made known how we can please him.‭ ‬There is no obscurity about this part of the subject.‭ ‬We must know him:‭ ‬we must love him:‭ ‬we must obey him:‭ ‬we must be interested in those things in which He delights.‭

‭ ...‬It is not an interesting work to mere natural sense,‭ ‬because mere natural sense unenlightened does not know the purpose of God,‭ ‬and is only interesting in what it can see and hear,‭—‬which is all very well so far as it goes,‭ ‬but a very limited and transient affair for mortals.‭ ‬No house in the first stage is interesting to those who do not know what is going on.‭ ‬There is a mere display of heaps of sand and mortar and stone and brick,‭ ‬and piles of timber,‭ ‬with perhaps a little bit of the framework beginning to show in the middle.‭ ‬To the architect or the destined proprietor,‭ ‬these heaps are interesting.

‭ ‬In the present case,‭ ‬the house is not only in its rudimentary stage,‭ ‬but it is invisible.‭ ‬The stones are not literal stones,‭ ‬but men who are passed away and long forgotten,‭ ‬so far as man is concerned.‭ *

8 Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that Yahweh had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.

Most of the men who will surround Christ in the day of his glory are in the dust.‭ ‬They reach back in a long line—even to the gates of Eden.‭ ‬The work of their preparation has been,‭ ‬and continues to be,‭ ‬a rough work,‭ ‬which is one reason why it is a work not attractive to natural men.‭

We see it illustrated in the case of Jeremiah who was one of them.‭ ‬We have him before us in the chapter read in a position profitable for us to contemplate in our evil day.‭ ‬What is that position‭? ‬A position of single-handed antagonism to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.‭ ‬He was commanded to deliver a most unpalatable message to them—viz.,‭ ‬that if they would not reform their ways,‭ ‬and live in harmony with the law which he had given them,‭ ‬he would destroy them and make the temple a ruin,‭ ‬and Jerusalem a curse to the whole earth‭ (Jer. xxvi. 1-6)‬.‭

Jeremiah was earnestly enjoined to be thorough in his communication.‭ ‬He was not to soften or trim the message in any way.‭ "‬Speak all the words that I command thee to speak unto them,‭ ‬diminish not a word.‭" ‬Let us note this.‭ ‬It implies that Jeremiah was under some kind of temptation to keep back the message.‭ ‬So he was.‭ ‬He tells us so,‭ ‬earlier in the book,‭ ‬viz.,‭ ‬that because the word of the Lord was made a derision to him daily,‭ ‬he was inclined to hold his peace‭ (‬chap.‭ xx. 8-9)‬.‭

The command now was‭ "‬Hold not thy peace.‭" "‬Cry aloud and spare not.‭" ‬The point has an importance for all who would do the will of the Lord in our day and generation.‭ ‬We have not received a message such as Jeremiah received,‭ ‬nor a command such as he was laid under.‭ ‬But we have received a message and a command,‭ ‬nevertheless.‭ ‬The message and the command laid upon believers in the first century retain their force for all believers till the Lord come.‭ "‬Let him that heareth say,‭ ‬come‭"‬:‭ "‬Shine as lights in the world‭"‬:‭ "‬Hold forth the word of life.‭"

Now this obligation may be discharged in a pinched and niggardly way,‭ ‬or it may be done with open-handed and energetic thoroughness.‭ ‬We may hold back the profession of faith through fear of unpopularity,‭ ‬or we may do the work as Paul did,‭ ‬who said,‭ "‬I have not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God.‭" ‬As to which is the right method,‭ ‬reason cannot falter.‭ ‬The word of God to Jeremiah gives us the right cue.‭ "‬Diminish not a word.‭" "‬He that hath my word,‭ ‬let him speak it faithfully.‭"

Professors who are only half enlightened,‭ ‬or who are in bondage to their wordly interests which they fear to put in peril,‭ ‬are very liable to‭ "‬diminish‭" ‬the truth exceedingly,‭ ‬so that in their hands,‭ ‬it shrinks to a mere variation of the popular superstition.‭ ‬The influence of such faint-hearted professors is not good.‭ ‬They are liable to demoralise fellow-soldiers.‭ ‬They would be better as out-and-out enemies.‭ ‬No good comes from a half-and-half profession of the faith.‭ ‬Even present interests are not protected by it.‭ ‬There is a very fair illustration of this in the same chapter. *

9 Why hast thou prophesied in the name of Yahweh, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh.

It is no wonder that Jeremiah was detested. We have only to imagine such things addressed to people in our own day, to realise how inevitably it would stir hatred, and lead to that stubborn wrath that made Jeremiah feel it was no use speaking. He had really come to that decision at one stage of his work.

"I said I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name."

However, he was not able to act out his own feelings in this matter. When

the Word of God is in a man, it is too strong for his natural control.

"His word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with

forbearing, and I could not stay."

And so he went on delivering in public places the various messages as they arrived. At last things came to a serious pass. The priests could no longer endure his reproofs. Priest, prophet, and people came in a violent mob against him in the court of the temple, and seized him (Jer. 26:8). They carried him before the princes, who had the executive power, and demanded his death.

The princes were touched by his modest and pathetic appeal, and refused to sanction his death, and for that time he escaped. Later on, however, even the princes themselves implored the king to give sentence for his death.

Seasons 2.98

21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;

Jeremiah, who did his duty and braved death was preserved, while Urijah, who did his part in a timid hearted way, and fled from danger, was overwhelmed in the peril he feared. The way of faithfulness is the way of safety - sometimes even now, for God can preserve His servants in the midst of danger without appearing to interfere. Certainly, at last, there is no other way of safety, for the words of Christ will be absolutely true, in this as in all other matters, that-

"He that loseth his life for my sake, the same shall save it."

Let us, therefore-

"Endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ Jesus"-"contending earnestly for the Faith once for all delivered to the saints."

The enterprise is the most bootless and unwise and dangerous to which we can put our hands from the present point of view, for there is nothing so detestable to all classes of the people as the Truth of God as testified in the Scriptures. But in the end, it will prove the most honourable and advantageous work in which the sons of men can engage: and in such a work we are on God's side, and He has promised that He will not forget those who are faithful to Him in the day of evil. *

* Bro Roberts - Diminish not a word - Sunday Morning 257