"There was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-Jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like those of Jeremiah." (Jeremiah 26:20)
Jeremiah, like most of the prophets, was a solitary pillar of truth in a wasteland of doctrinal deception. He stood for the truth of God, saying hard things during hard times when no one else would. As truth spilled from his mouth, lies dripped from the lips of many false prophets.
When Jeremiah spoke of judgment, they talked of peace. When Jeremiah told Israel of God's certain discipline, they spoke of God's immediate renewal. When Jeremiah prophesied they'd go into captivity for seventy years, the false prophets told them not to worry, they were coming home in just a year or two.
At every turn, Jeremiah's words were combatted by soft false prophets who healed the wounds of God's people lightly. These men looked like prophets, dressed like prophets, and talked like prophets, but their words were false, and Jeremiah outlived them all, for his words were sure.
But in the middle of the book bearing his name, another true prophet emerged. "There was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah... He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like those of Jeremiah."
There he is, a man named Uriah. Like Jeremiah, he spoke the truth of God's word. Jeremiah, for a brief moment, was not alone. Uriah's destiny was different from Jeremiah's, and he quickly vanished from the biblical scene because he was persecuted unto death, but, at least for a moment, he became a peer of the great prophet.
Call me crazy, but I think many believers feel alone in their reception of God's word and truth. Daily, new voices emerge, false prophets who bend and twist and dilute the clear and historical teachings of the Christian faith. These scholars and pastors and leaders are like the false prophets of Jeremiah's day. Rather than say hard things, they conform the word of Christ to the word of culture, and people follow them.
We've known days like these would come, of course, and to a degree, they've always been. Paul said, “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:3–4). He also wrote of days and cultures where the society would "not only do" evil but "give approval to those who" also practice evil (Romans 1:32). It is enough to make a believer feel that they are alone, a solitary voice with solitary beliefs. They roam their campuses, offices, streets, and churches, alone.
But Jeremiah was not alone, and neither are you. If you hold to the Scripture, if you will not stand for its dilution, you are not alone. There are others. Your pastor is not the only one who stands for truth; there are others. Your friends are not the only ones who believe Scripture; there are others. You are not the only one who holds to historical, biblical Christianity; there are others. You are not alone.
In times when the culture and society do what culture and society do, we must remember the prophets. In days of waywardness, they help give us a spine. In days of ignorance, they help us stand for God's word. Make them your friends. Their bravery and courage just might help you in your quest. When alone, they might encourage your heart and help you see you're not quite as solitary as you thought.
