Jeremiah 20:7
O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me. O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
Jeremiah felt overpowered by the divine commission, prevailed upon by One stronger than himself to speak. His cries against violence and injustice made the word of the Lord a reproach to his hearers. As a servant sent to speak that prophetic message and reprove wrongdoing, he faced daily derision with everyone mocking him.
The mockery came because people despised his messages and made light of his efforts to turn them back to God, and their derision wounded his sensitive soul. The opposition led him to resolve to stop speaking, yet the word burned within him so strongly that he could not remain silent. His experience illustrates the scorn and hostility faced by messengers who reprove wrongdoing with God's word. Servants of God in later generations face similar difficulty and mockery when they speak against wrong principles and expose corrupting evils.