Slimy Tactic: If You Don’t Like God’s Message, Attack the Messenger
Have you ever been involved in a discussion with someone about a specific doctrine or principle of God’s Word and found yourself attacked personally instead of challenged on the actual doctrine or principle? Ok…put down your hands. Yes! This happens all of the time. Any Christian who has stood up for God’s Word has found themselves in this situation. It is a common tactic that people use when they don’t like God’s message but cannot dispute it via the Bible. They turn to an easier target: YOU!
Please allow me to provide an example of this tactic used on me recently. During a discussion regarding the evil of abortion (on Facebook of all places), the person that I was disputing attempted to change the subject of the discussion from a Biblical basis to a problem with Christians. When I attempted to show that the Bible condemns abortion, she immediately asked me what I have done to care for children who are orphan and immigrants. Christians don’t care about the children already here is what she claims.
While, of course, I agree that Christians need to step up and do more, this fact doesn’t change the issue of abortion. It is merely a tactic to avoid the truth that she prefers to deny: you cannot support abortion Biblically, which means you cannot be a Christian who is ok with abortion. When we don’t like the answer that God gives us, we attempt to find a way to get our answer another way: by trying to destroy the messenger.
Of course, this tactic isn’t new. Jeremiah encountered this in Jeremiah 42 and 43. Let me give some context to these chapters. Chapter 39 of Jeremiah just described the final fall of Jerusalem to Babylon. It was a vicious siege that ended very badly for the Jews. Nebuchadnezzar took the king, Zedekiah, blinded him and carried him away to Babylon along with most of those who were not killed during the siege. He left behind the poor and the few that escaped Babylon’s clutches. Chapters 40 and 41 describe how Nebuchadnezzar set up Gedaliah in charge of the remaining people of Judah and allowed Jeremiah to stay behind in Judah under Gedaliah’s protection. Gedaliah urged for the remaining Jews to submit to Babylon and continue life as normal in Judah, however, he was assassinated by Ishmael at the beckoning of the Baalis, the king of the Ammonites. Johanan finds Ishmael and kills him and gathers the Jews under himself and moves to Chimham to eventually enter into Egypt. He and the people were justifiably afraid of repercussions for Ishmael’s assassination of Gedaliah. By fleeing to Egypt, Johanan and the other leaders felt that they would be safe from Babylon.
In chapter 42, we see Johanan come to Jeremiah for advice from God. His words appear sincere. During my first reading, I felt this wave of excitement that a leader in Judah finally seemed to want to do what God tells them to do.
Jeremiah 42:2-3
2 And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)
3 That the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
Now, remember, that Jeremiah would have likely been held in high regard because he had prophesied all along the fall of Jerusalem just how it had occurred. The other “prophets” prophesied the opposite and time proved them wrong. So, it would make sense that Johanan would come to Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord. But, Jeremiah comes back to Johanan with an answer that he didn’t like and probably wasn’t anticipating. God said not to go to Egypt. God would provide protection and success in the land of Judah should the people remain there. But, should the people go to Egypt, they will experience famine and sword and not the protection they craved. God recognizes their hypocrisy in verses 19-22 of chapter 42. They came in prayer to God, but had already decided to disobey and they will be punished for it.
In chapter 43, Johanan and Azariah came to Jeremiah and accuse him of a false prophecy claiming that his assistant, Baruch, must have put him up to it. They claimed that God didn’t utter this message but that the messengers had ulterior motives to allow the people to be overcome by the Chaldeans. Johanan and the leaders took the people into Egypt along with Jeremiah and Baruch despite what God had said.
Do you see their tactic? Johanan and the other leaders had already made up their mind. They wanted God to agree with them! When God’s answer doesn’t match what they want, they attack the messenger (Baruch and Jeremiah). Notice how they don’t try to argue against God necessarily, instead turning the discussion against Jeremiah and Baruch. In so doing, they are able to justify their decision to go to Egypt.
We all have a tendency to do this. We all tend to “ask” God for advice, but really we have already made up our mind. When we don’t get the answer we want, we need to justify our disobedience. When confronting people who claim to be Christians with their direct disobedience, they tend to fall back on this tactic: just discount the person presenting the truth.
Sadly, everything God said would happen to those who went to Egypt did happen. Egypt seemed so strong and indestructible, but, in the end, Babylon conquers Egypt. Many Jewish refugees were killed and the few that escaped and returned to Judah witnessed how God was faithful to His Word.
There are plenty of examples in the Bible of similar situations as the one presented in Jeremiah 43. The story of Balak and Balaam, found in Numbers 22-24, is very similar. Balak wanted Balaam to curse the Israelites and Balaam could not. However, he did try. Both the king, Balak, and the prophet, Balaam, wanted God to provide the answer they wanted. Balak wanted the people to be cursed and Balaam wanted to be paid. When they didn’t receive the answer they liked, they just tried again and again.
So, when you are discussing Biblical doctrines and principles with someone claiming to be a Christian who doesn’t want to hear the message and they try this tactic on you, don’t fall for it! Bring them back on point – to the Bible. Christians could always be better, we are human after all. But the Bible is the ultimate truth and that should be the basis of all our wisdom. If that person is claiming to be a Christian, then, as a Christian, they should be able to accept God’s Word even if they don’t like it. When we reject God’s Word, we reject God. We are participating in witchcraft and idolatry.
1 Samuel 15:23
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.