1) Like a hammer that Breaketh Rock!
The word of God is not soft and nice, it is a fire and it is a hammer. This is not someone's opinion, this is the word of the Lord Himself.
“Is not my word like as a fire?” saith the LORD; “and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)
Breaking rock is hard labour. When people are building they always regret unexpectedly striking rock, as it is known to be hard to break rock. The word of Yahweh Elohim breaks rock, like dynamite, like a powerful or sharp hammer. Our comfort is the power that breaks a rock.
The context of this pronouncement is a discussion with Jeremiah the prophet. Listen! – is this familiar?
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD. They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you. (Jeremiah 23:16-17)
I feel that lots of pastors say 'God loves you despite your sin.' A recent study of a revival of conservative and more likely to be religious youth found that they were not willing to reject the sins of progressive morality, including redefining marriage and sexual sins. The message from the majority of Churches is, in effect, 'You can do as you wish and God will love you'. This message is from their heart, not the word of God, and they are saying that 'no evil shall come'!
Most seek for peace. Most want to wish for others the good of peace. But there is no peace to those who despise the law which is the word of Yahweh Elohim. Any who say you can have peace and despise Yahweh Elohim and his ways in the days of Jeremiah spoke falsely - Pastors and leaders who speak peace to those who despise God's way in our day also speak a lie.
All the pastors have to do to speak good and truth and give peace is to refer to the simple word of Yahweh Elohim that we have with us. It wasn't hard to understand in Jeremiah's day, and it isn't hard to understand now. All know what they are rebelling from! This is the word of the Lord!
But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. (Jeremiah 23:22)
All we have to do is stand in the revealed wisdom of Yahweh Elohim and we will turn from our evil way, we will have the right mind to reduce sinning and to reject sin. What blessings will come to a pastor who leads others to repentance (James 5:20)! But as the majority of pastors in this modern world are just as the false prophets on the eve of the destruction of Jerusalem at the end of the kingdom of Judah – they will be given woe!
Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked. The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly. (Jeremiah 23:19-20)
As Jeremiah correctly held the hammer of the word of Yahweh that breaks rocks, he is given a true vision – a vision of the latter days. Consider the point of this vision is woe to the false pastors in the day that Israel is regathered from all nations. This is especially the case after the Jews from Russia in the North returned to Israel in the 1990s – consider that this return is the dispute of the pastors who wish to deny the Word of prophecy that is a hammer that breaks rocks! Woe to those pastors!!
Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD.
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land. (Jeremiah 23:1-8)
