The Prey and the Prize

This message is one of the Times Square Pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing to World Challenge, PO Box 260, Lindale, Texas 75771 or calling 214-963-8626.

None of these messages are copyrighted and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to your friends. Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 45, Jeremiah 45, the word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch, the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Joash, king of Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch, thou didst say, Woe is me now. That means, I feel sorry for myself.

Woe is me now. For the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.

Thus shalt thou say unto him, The Lord saith thus, Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even the whole land, and seekest thou great things for thyself, seek them not. Behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord, but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey, in all places whither thou goest. I want to talk to you tonight about the prey, P-R-E-Y, the prey and the prize, the prey and the prize.

Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer. Lord, we thank you tonight for the fact that we stand in the victory of Calvary. We stand in the victory of the cross tonight.

We stand, Lord, not on any other merit, not on any other basis, but what you have done and accomplished at Calvary for us. And, Lord, we thank you tonight for the opportunity to be here in the house of the Lord. Oh, Lord, how privileged we are.

Lord, help us to shut everything aside, everything that would encumber us tonight. Lord, we shut it all out, and we bring our minds into subjection to you. Lord, speak through and by your word tonight to our hearts.

Lord, we need a word from you. We can't live on yesterday's bread. We need fresh bread.

Thou art the bread that cometh down from heaven above. Feed us, Lord, with that bread tonight, and then put the oil of the Holy Spirit upon it, that it might prove fruitful in our lives. In Jesus' name, amen.

Several years ago, I was on a tour in Africa, a five-nation tour, in behalf of requests that had come from missionaries and from the national churches there that were interested in doing something about the growing youth problem, drug problem, that there is in Africa. And so I toured in East Africa, various nations, and then made my way into Kenya in East Africa and met my wife there and stayed with a very fine missionary in Nairobi. And we took a couple days off, and they took us out across the beautiful Rift Valley south of Nairobi.

The Rift Valley, I was told, is the place where a Hollywood movie was made called Out of Africa. Just a beautiful place. And we went to spend two days on a game reserve, a government-approved game reserve.

And for two days, we traveled the roads of that reserve and out in the fields looking for and finding and shooting, with my camera, shooting giraffe and zebra and deer. There's a deer there, a small deer they call an impala. Monkeys, elephants, and the king of the beasts, the lion.

And we were, and I was especially fascinated by the lion. Now, one reason has not only to do with what I consider to be kind of an intriguing beauty about the lion, but the fact that it's also used in Scripture. On one hand, Jesus is described as the lion of the tribe of Judah.

On the other hand, Paul uses the lion to depict the devil who goes about roaring, goes about seeking whom he may devour. Now, we watched the lion, and what we watched them do was to seek for their prey. The proper word is prey, that was here in Jeremiah 45 and 5. P-R-E-Y, not P-R-A-Y, but P-R-E-Y.

And we saw him going about stalking or preying upon his victims or looking for his victims. And when he gets his meal, his prize, or what you might call his booty, he sits on the grass or the field and looks like a big, oversized pussycat. And we watched the lions preying upon its intended prize.

And on one occasion, as we were in that four-wheel vehicle, we followed the lion as they were preying upon certain animals, looking and thinking that maybe we would see a kill or a catch. We had our cameras ready, and so we moved down the roads and across the fields and in and out and tried to see that, but we didn't. The best we could do was on several occasions, we spotted a lion having dinner.

In other words, we missed the kill, but we watched the devouring part. In fact, we could drive up so close and take pictures, and we were so close we could have put an arm, a hand, out the window and petted the lion. But we didn't.

But we got some great pictures. And the scene from that East Africa game reserve came to my mind as I read the scripture here in Jeremiah 45, 5. Now, the prophet is speaking to his recording secretary, Baruch. Baruch was Jeremiah's writer, his recording secretary, the recorder of his prophecies.

And thus, he was by his side much of the time. Now, most of the time, Baruch was not a part of the story or the events of Jeremiah's life, except as an eyewitness. But there was one exception, and that exception is recorded for us here in the 45th chapter.

And though it is recorded here in chapter 45, actually it took place earlier on in the events in Jeremiah's life. And here we find Baruch speaking up. And he's interjected into the story and the events of Jeremiah's life himself.

And in answer to some questions and concerns and burdens that he had, Jeremiah tells his collaborator, he said, Your life shall be a prey. Your life shall be a prey, wherever you go. Now, this conversation between the prophet and the journalist was brought to my attention one morning as my wife was having devotions.

And she was reading this, and she said to me, What does this mean? And of course, being a good pastor, I immediately gave her the impression that I knew exactly what it meant. And I said, Oh, that means something like that, I said. And I gave her the impression that the answer was on the tip of my tongue, but it wasn't.

And I had to go to the Bible, go to a Greek translation, and get the meaning. And when I did, my heart leaped inside me, and it led me to the development of this message. And so thank you, Cindy, for helping me out.

And I know now that what Jeremiah said to Baruch applies to every one of us here tonight, every child of God. Your life, your life is and shall be a prey, wherever you go. Just as the lions that we watched in that African game reserve were stalking their prey, so the Lord has permitted His church, His people, His chosen ones to be a prey upon this earth.

And it's difficult to understand it sometimes. It's difficult to be preyed upon. It's difficult to be in that position, especially young Christians find it very difficult that this is a role that we have to accept.

And we're required to serve in this jungle, and this game reserve of life, you might say. But it is an unavoidable fact, my life and your life is a prey. Every single day of your life, you are being preyed upon.

Now this will become clear as we look at the spiritual interpretation of the word prey, and how Jeremiah applied it. But first let me give you the dictionary's definition of the word prey, P-R-E-Y. There's five of them.

One is plunder, or booty, or prize. In other words, it's what the lion gets for his efforts in chasing down his lunch or his dinner. Secondly, the animal that's hunted is also called the prey.

It's also a person or thing that falls victim to someone or something. It's a mode of living, someone who makes his living by preying on someone or something. In Proverbs 23 and 28, it speaks of the prostitute that lieth in wait for her prey.

And then it also means to have a wearying or destructive influence. Now the word prey is strictly an Old Testament word, used 71 times. And it's used in a number of different ways with various applications.

And I want you to consider a few of them tonight in my message. First of all, in tracing the word prey, I note that God says that a person and those in the church, there are certain persons or certain individuals within the church who he gives permission to become a prey or to be preyed upon. Now listen to me.

If I were you, I would pray, P-R-A-Y, that God never has to remove the hedge that he promises to put about us, that he will never remove that hedge so that you will become a prey, P-R-E-Y. And as I studied this, the fear of God came upon me, at the very thought that I might allow myself to come into a place where God actually allows it to become open season on Don Wilkerson. An open season on my flesh, so that I am preyed upon.

Go with me to 2 Kings chapter 21. Open to 2 Kings 21. I'll come to it in a moment.

And this is exactly what happened to Israel because of their disobedience and their rebellion and their backsliding, they became a prey to the enemy. Now Israel went back and forth between righteous rule and unrighteous rule. And it was during the reign of King Manasseh that the word prey is used for the first time to describe what God's people would become.

Up until the book of Kings, the word prey is used, and we'll see it, it's used previous to this probably 20 or so times prior to this. And every time the word prey is used before the book of Kings, it was used always and applied to what would happen to Israel's enemies. In fact, let me read a few of them to you.

You don't have to turn to it. In Deuteronomy 2.25 it says, This day will I begin to put dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations, who shall hear the report of thee, and they shall tremble and be in anguish because of thee. And a few verses later it says that they took the cattle we took for a prey and the spoil of the cities which we took.

In other words, the Lord said, If you will obey me when you come into the land of promise, I will make you the head and not the tail. I will make you the conqueror and not the one who is conquered. I will make your enemies the prey and I will make you the lion.

Hallelujah. Joshua, the 11th chapter says, They took all the spoils of the cities as a prey in the conquest of Canaan. And it says, And every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, neither left they any to breathe.

And so did Joshua, he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. And this describes, you see, a period of victory, of prosperity, of triumph in Israel. The prey or booty became theirs because God was on their side because they were on God's side.

They were walking in obedience and God says, It's all yours. It's all yours. They prayed and conquered the enemy.

Ah, but things were different during the history of the kings who governed Israel. For example, in 2 Kings, I think I may have said chapter 14. I believe it's chapter 21.

Did I say chapter 14? 21, verse 2 of 1 Kings. Excuse me, 2 Kings. Manasseh, speaking of Manasseh said, And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

And it goes on and it says that Manasseh raised up altars to Baal. On the very place and the very altars on which the name of the Lord was to be worshipped. And so a warning came, look at verse 8. He said, Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers.

Only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them. And according to all the law of Moses, the law of my servant Moses commanded them. But look at verse 9. It says, But they hearkened not.

And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations or the heathen whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. Now here is a picture and the Lord says, Okay, my people. If you're going to go the way of the flesh, if you're going to go the way of the world, the heathen.

Okay, if that is what you're going to do in turning from me, then I am no longer going to be your protector. The wall of salvation and protection around you is going to go down. You broke it down so you'll have to suffer the consequences.

Look at verse 10. The Lord spoke. And the Lord spoke by his servant, the prophet, saying, Because Manasseh, king of Judah, hath done these abominations.

And hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did which were before him. And hath made Judah also to sin with his idols. Therefore thus saith the Lord of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.

And when the Lord said their ears would tingle, he's talking about others who would hear what he was going to do against his own people. You see, Israel's own ears had stopped listening and hearing God's command. Their ears should have tingled at the word, but instead they were seduced by their leaders to do more evil than did the other nations.

Now think of that. When a people who have known and walked in the ways of the Lord do more evil than did the nations who never had the law. They never had the light.

They never had prophets sent to them. No wonder the Lord said, I'm going to do something that when the unsaved hear of it, their ears are going to tingle. In other words, they're going to be horrified when they see what's going to happen to my own people who backslid.

The Lord said three horrible things to those who backslide and sin against the knowledge and the light. First of all, he says in verse 13, he said, I'm going to wipe them out. Look at verse 13.

He says, everything that could be shaken was going to be shaken and turned upside down. They were going to be wiped out financially, career-wise, job-wise, security-wise. Every order, all order in their life was going to be plunged into disorder.

He said, and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wiped with a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. You see, at one time, they had taken the spoils and their plate was full. They had a full plate.

But now God says, I'm going to turn it upside down and wipe it clean. There'll be nothing left on your plate. I've seen such men and women have come into our office.

I've seen it happen. Once they were secure, secure financially. They had a good home, a good job.

But sin entered in. Especially secret sin that was long covered up and finally broke into the open. And overnight, they were wiped clean like a dish.

A full, overflowing dish of blessing was turned upside down. And when others saw it, they were horrified. Their ears tingled.

And I tell you, my ears have tingled when I've seen that happen. In the next verse, verse 14 says, oh, and this is awesome. This tingles my ears as well.

He says, and I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance. Now to me, that's incredible. I don't know anything worse.

No, I don't know any more awesome scripture in all the Old Testament than that right there. I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance. Now I can, I just know somebody listening to this.

Somebody is going to say, but that's Old Testament. That's under the law. We're now under grace.

And the Lord said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Well, that's true, but that's talking about a people who act and live like God's people are supposed to act. You want New Testament, I'll give you New Testament.

First Corinthians, don't turn there. First Corinthians 9.27, Paul says, but I, I, Apostle Paul, keep my, keep under my flesh or my body and bring it into subjection to the will of God. Lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself, Apostle Paul, become a castaway.

Listen, the worst thing that you can do is operate under some arrogant thinking or some theology that says, God will never cast me off no matter if I sin or not. He said to his own inheritance, he said, I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance. And then the third thing the Lord said to those who forsake him, verse 14, he said, and I will deliver them into the hand of their enemies.

And they will become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies because they have done that which is evil in the sight and have provoked me to anger. You see, God says those who forsake him are justly forsaken by him. He does not leave anyone until or unless they have left him.

And when this happens and when God has forsaken a people, they become a prey, an easy prey to all their enemies. Didn't the Lord say this? Let me read to you Matthew 21, 13, it says, there was a certain householder which planted a vineyard and hedged it round about. You know that householder is Jesus.

And the vineyard is the church. And the hedge is his protecting, preserving, keeping power. Isaiah 5, 1 says, my beloved hath a vineyard and a very fruitful hill.

That hill is Calvary. He fenced it and said, I couldn't have done any more than what I've done. And that's a beautiful picture of God's people in the center of God's will with a hedge about them and nothing can penetrate it.

But then he gives us a picture of a rebellious, backstabbing people. In Isaiah 5, 5 and he says, I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up and break down the wall thereof and it shall be trodden down. And when it's trodden down, my friend, that's when every power and every force of hell can enter in and you can become a prey.

An easy prey to the enemy. And so the lesson and warning is clear. If you forsake the Lord, you're going to be preyed upon and devoured.

You see, only a fool would go to the circus or zoo and ask to be led into the lion's cage. Or say, oh, bless God, I got power with God, bless God, and go open the door of the cage. And that's what we do when we fool around with sin and disobey the Lord.

The latch on the lion's den gets unhooked and it's not long until it's deer season, it's Christian season. It's backslider season. You know, they told me in Africa, the game reserve, that several people a year get killed.

They get killed because they get careless, they get out to take pictures or whatever, they get foolish. And they become a prey. Job 24 and 5 says, behold, as wild asses in the desert, they go forth to their work, rising betimes for a prey.

That's talking about the devourer, that's talking about the enemy. He rises betimes. And listen, my friend, you never know where he's hiding, what door he's hiding behind.

And he's just, he's always there, ready to pray. And it's interesting, a few verses on, in the same chapter, it gives us a picture of those on whom the wild asses try to do their work. They are of those who rebel against the light.

They know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof. The message is very simple. Don't step out of God's will.

Don't step off of his path because the devourer is there and you'll get swallowed up. Ah, but there's another picture of the church being a prey. And this has a different result.

And this is what Jeremiah was having to show and to teach Baruch. Jeremiah 45, 5, he says, But thy life I will give unto thee as a prey in all places whither thou goest. And I want to tell you, that is a wonderful, blessed truth.

And when we understand it, and if I can explain it tonight, the Holy Spirit helping me, it's enough to make you rejoice and shout. Again, I remind you, Baruch was Jeremiah's recording secretary. He wrote down the events in Jeremiah's life.

He wrote his prophecies out. Some of those times he was right beside Jeremiah. Other times he was perhaps behind closed doors and Jeremiah maybe came home and would relate to him what happened.

And most of the time he was out of the line of fire. But there were times apparently that Baruch was getting close to the fire and the fireworks. You see, Jeremiah was a hated man.

His prophecies angered several kings. It angered the whole congregation, the whole nation of Israel. On one occasion, Jeremiah said, If you won't listen to me, I, the Lord, will make this city a curse.

And so when they heard that, the crowds gathered quickly and angrily. Jeremiah had to go into hiding. At another time, he was under house arrest.

And once he prophesied against Jehoiakim, who sent a servant to get the scroll upon which Baruch had written the prophecy. And the king took it. He took the prophecy and he threw it in the fire and he burned it up.

And Baruch had to go and do it over again. They had no copy machines back then. He had to go and rewrite the prophecy again.

And all of this heavy persecution and pressure apparently was getting to Baruch. And I believe that he may have gotten so discouraged that he told Jeremiah, He said, I don't know if I can go on anymore. I don't know if I can take it anymore.

Why don't you go get yourself another secretary? Get another recorder. You see the bullets aimed at Jeremiah were getting too close to Baruch. And in chapter 45, there is a departure from the normal prophecies that Jeremiah was making against Israel and Egypt and the surrounding nations.

And instead of Baruch telling or recording events about others, he is forced to tell an incident about himself. And in verse 2 it says, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch. And I want you to see tonight that this is a letter written to some of you tonight.

In verse 3 he says, Woe is me, for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sigh, and I find no rest. You know, sometimes people who are not in the limelight, those who are behind the scene, get singed by the fire that's meant for the prophet, or for the pastor, or for the leaders.

You know, especially sometimes the wives of pastors and leaders in the church, sometimes I feel, in a sense, they're kind of like recording secretaries. You know, not that they write everything down, but they witness everything, and they may not be a part of the battle, but they witness it, and they record it in their minds and their hearts. Ah, but there are many other Baruch's in the church.

They witness the message of righteousness and holiness that's going on in the church, or going out to the body. Sometimes they see things they don't understand. And like Baruch, they say, Woe is me now.

And they feel grief, they feel sorrow, they faint. He said, I find no rest. I believe Baruch was troubled by the fact that God was deeding a certain way in Israel.

And he was having to hear a hard message that was coming down, even on some of his friends, some of his family members. And he was having a hard time handling it. It would be like people who see people in the church being disciplined, or some even leaving the church, and it gets to them.

And you see, Baruch, I believe, was taking up other people's causes. And he was getting, he was seeing all of this message go forth, and he was seeing its effect upon the people. And he was about to faint, and he was feeling sorry over situations that he should not have involved himself in.

And Jeremiah had to remind Baruch what the ministry of holiness and the message of righteousness is all about, what it does. In verse 4, Thou shalt thou say unto him, Baruch, the Lord has said, Behold, that which I will build, I will break down. And that which I have planted, I will pluck up, even the whole land.

In other words, what you see, Baruch, happening in Israel, even if it's your own friends or your family whom I'm plucking up, don't take it personal. Don't let the events in the land get to you. Don't let what things are happening in the church get to you, because this is my work, this is my doing.

It is my word that is going forth, and you let it go, and don't let it get you down. But Jeremiah was trying to teach Baruch another lesson, and it's this. That if you're going to live a holy life in the midst of an unholy people, then you're going to be a prey.

You're going to be a prey, you're going to come under attack. The lion is going to try to eat you. He's going to try to eat you for breakfast, he's going to try to eat you for lunch, he's going to try to eat you for dinner, and if he doesn't get you there, he'll try to eat you for snack, a midnight snack.

In other words, when you wake up in the morning, be on guard. Be on guard, you're a prey. Attack can come to you at any time of the day.

And Jeremiah says to Baruch, the Christian life is a life like that of weaker animals preyed upon and hunted by the king of the beast. Listen to Psalms, don't turn there, Psalm 17, 12, it describes the oppressor, the enemy, and it says, Like as a lion that is greedy for his prey, they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth. In other words, it wouldn't happen here, but it would be as if we had lions in this city.

They'd be on the rooftop somewhere, they'd be up on the porch somewhere, they'd be looking for you as you make your way through the caverns of this city, ready to prey. Jeremiah also told Baruch, don't think that you can live like other people live. If you're going to serve me, you're going to have to accept the fact that you're going to come under attack.

It's always open season and hunting season when it comes to a believer being roared at and shot out by the devil. And the only kind of meat he likes is the kind that has Jesus stamped on somebody's heart. That's the only kind of meat that he likes, because he's got everybody else.

Verse 5, Jeremiah says, Baruch, I know you're discouraged, but he said, Seekest thou great things for thy life? Seek them not. You know why he said that? Baruch came from a prominent family. His brother worked in government.

And I believe, if I'm correct, if I can read properly between the lines, Baruch, in the moment of his discouragement, got an offer. Got an offer that came along. And some of you know exactly what I'm talking about.

When you're discouraged, when you're in the heat of the battle, when you're getting tired of being preyed upon, just about that time, something comes along that seems like it would be a lovely escape from all of that. And so, Jeremiah says, Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not. Don't try to go be like your brother there that's in government.

Baruch should have rejoiced that he was counted worthy to suffer in such good company and for such a good cause. But instead of that, he's upset and he blames the situation, either on Jeremiah or on God. As if God was dealing too hard a blow to him.

Now when Baruch complained, it was no doubt in a heat of passion. Yet God was offended. As he was with Moses when his spirit was provoked and angered.

And the Bible says he spoke unadvisedly with his lips. Remember, God keeps account of our words even when they're said in haste. We must come to terms with our life as people of God living among the wild beast.

We're surrounded by lions, greedy for prey. I remember I met a young convert going out of the church one day and I said, How you doing? He said, Oh, he said, Man, he said, I'm going through some battles. And then he looked at me and he says, Does it ever stop? And I says, No, it never does.

It never does. Oh, you know, they get better. It gets better.

But the battle never stops. Isaiah described conditions that are like the last days. He said their roaring shall be like a lion and they shall roar like the young lions.

Yea, they will roar and lay hold of the prey and carry it away safe and none shall deliver it. You see, it's a fact of an overcomer's life that we must and will always be under attack. We live as preyed upon creatures.

And by the way, the devil will use any instrument he can to come at you and devour you. He'll use your boss. He'll use your teacher.

He'll use your spouse. He'll use a relative. He'll use a neighbor.

He'll use a landlord. Or he'll use anybody and if they won't cooperate, he'll bring somebody out of the blue somewhere. Or somebody on the train or somebody wherever.

How many of you know what it's like to be preyed upon? I read this as I was preparing my message. I don't know where I read this, but it says, As the Father has sent Him, the Lamb, even so you are to go to the world as a lamb in the midst of wolves. Will they howl? They'll howl, alright.

Will we feel their fangs? You bet we will. Will it hurt? Of course it will. Even unto death? Yes, even unto death.

How else would you prefer to die? How else would you like to live? Oh, to be like Him, even if it means being a sheep among wolves or the lion's prey. That's what God has called us to do. Now the last and most wonderful truth Jeremiah shared with Baruch is this.

Look at verse 5 again. He says, But thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest. Now I want you to note the meaning again.

Thy life will I give unto thee for a prey. Not to the lion, but to thee. The Lord says, yes, you will be preyed upon.

You will be hunted. You will come under attack. You will be sought out as a lion's lunch.

But hallelujah, you will not be eaten. You'll be chased, but you're not going to be caught because I have made you a prize. Hallelujah.

Here's another translation. But your life I will give to you as a snatched up prize of war wherever you go. In other words, you can go right along and say to the lion or the devil, I'm already caught.

I'm already caught. I'm already a prey. Hallelujah.

I've got eternity stamped on my heart. Hallelujah. And the more we resist the devil, the more we turn from evil.

The more precious we become in the sight of God. And instead of being the devil's lunch, we become a snatched up prize of war wherever we go. A trophy of God's grace.

Oh, hallelujah. Turn to Psalms 124. I want you to see this.

Psalms 124. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side. Now may Israel say, if it had not been the Lord who was on our side.

When men rose up against us to devour us. To prey upon us. Then they had swaddled us up quickly.

When their wrath was kindled against us. Then the waters had overwhelmed us. The stream had gone over our soul.

Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us a prey to their teeth. Hallelujah.

Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth.

Hallelujah. You know the wonderful thing about this. What Jeremiah said to Baruch was the second time it was said in Jeremiah.

There was another time it was said. Jeremiah dealt with another man who learned the truth. That those who do not forsake the Lord are not forsaken by the Lord.

Go to Jeremiah 39. Jeremiah 39. At one point because of Jeremiah's faithfulness to proclaim the truth.

And to say what God had put on his heart. He was put in a dungeon. He was put down into a deep pit.

Where there was no water. But there was plenty of mud and there was mire. And in Jeremiah 38.6. It says Jeremiah sunk in mire.

But of all the people who could have helped him. No Israelite came. None of the children of Israel came.

It was a eunuch. A servant who worked in the king's household. Named Ibn Malik.

A minority from out of Africa. Out of Sudan or Ethiopia. He comes to Jeremiah's rescue.

And he lifts him out of the pit. He lifts him. He takes some ropes and he lifts him up out of the pit.

Now because of Ibn Malik's obedience. He was given the same promise that Rahab was given. When Jericho was about to fall.

Look at Jeremiah 39. Verse 15. Go and speak to Ibn Malik the Ethiopian saying.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Behold I will bring my words upon this city for evil and not for good. And they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.

But I will deliver thee in that day. You see he was not afraid to identify with the righteous. The message of righteousness and holiness.

When everybody was turned against it. When everybody was turned against it. He was not afraid.

He went to Jeremiah and lifted up and he said. Bless your heart pastor. We need your message in the church today.

You get out of that pit. And because he did that. He said I will deliver thee in that day.

Saith the Lord meaning the day of judgment. And thou shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. But I will deliver thee and thou shall not fall by the sword.

But thy life shall be for a prey unto thee. Because thou hast put thy trust in me. Saith the Lord.

Hallelujah. And this is the same promise to you and I. To anybody tonight who will put his trust in the Lord. When everything and everyone is against them.

The Lord says thy life shall be a prey unto thee and to me. In other words. When everyone else is falling.

When everything is coming under judgment. When everyone else is being devoured by the lion. The Lord said I'm going to keep you.

I'm going to mark you. I'm going to protect you. Thy life shall be a prize unto thee.

Here's a few more of them. Listen. Isaiah 31, 4 and 5. For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me.

Like as the lion and the young lion warring on his prey. When a multitude of shepherds. In fact why don't you turn to it.

Why don't you turn to it. It's Isaiah 31. Isaiah 31.

Verses 4 and 5. Thus saith the Lord. For thus hath the Lord spoken unto me. Like as the lion and the young lion warring on his prey.

When a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him. He will not be afraid of his voice. Nor abase himself for the noise of them.

So shall the Lord of hosts come down to fight for Zion. And for the hill thereof. In other words.

When everybody is going in one direction. Away from the Lord. When the lion roars.

You'll not abase yourself. You'll not give in to it. And he said the Lord of hosts will come down.

And fight for Zion. And for the hill thereof. As birds flying so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem.

Defending he will also deliver it. And passing over he will preserve it. And then turn to Isaiah 49.

Because here. It says. The prayers.

Will become the prey. The devourers will become the devoured. Isaiah 49.

Verse 24. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty. Or the lawful captive delivered.

But thus saith the Lord. Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away. And the prey of the terrible shall be delivered.

For I will contend with him that contended with thee. And I will save thy children. I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh.

And they shall be drunken with their own blood. As with sweet wine. And all flesh shall know.

That I the Lord am thy savior. And the redeemer. And the mighty one of Jacob.

And here's one more. Don't turn to it. Jeremiah 30.16. It says.

Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured. All thine adversaries. And every one of them shall go into captivity.

And they that spoil thee shall be a spoil. And all they that pray upon thee. Will I give for a prey.

Hallelujah. I had a couple. Shared with me recently.

They live in this city. They're ministers in this city. They live in Brooklyn.

And he's praying upon them every day. And if you're in a situation like that. You know what the word of God says? The word says don't retaliate.

Just remember this. That the one who's praying upon you. Is going to be the prey one day.

That ought to make you glad. That ought to make you happy. Now I wouldn't advise you to say.

In the midst of it. Here's one day. God's going to kill you.

I wouldn't say that to him. But in your own heart. You can rejoice and say.

And all they that pray upon thee. Will I give for a prey. Hallelujah.

Listen. You're a prey unto God. Hallelujah.

You're a prize unto him. Let me close. Let me take you back to Africa.

East Africa. They call it a deer. That the lions could not catch.

Try as they may. They just could not catch it. In fact if lions could talk.

That deer would be the talk of the jungle. And it would be sought after. And even preyed upon with more vigor.

It would be highly prized by every lion. By every devourer. What I want to tell you.

There is such an animal. There is such a deer. It's me.

It's the church. It's the righteous remnant. You see there's a reason.

That the deer cannot be caught. It's in Psalms 41 and 1. It says as the deer paneth after the water brook. So paneth my soul after thee.

And those who drink from the fountain of living water. Which is Jesus Christ. They are set aside.

They are marked in this jungle. The Lord says thy life will I give unto thee. For a prey or a prize in all places.

Wherever you go. Because you're drinking from my fountain. And demons and devils cannot touch you.

The lion may roar. He may pray. But he cannot get his prize.

Because we are marked with eternity. We're a prize unto God. Waiting to be snatched by the lion of the tribe of Judah.

And may you never forget that. May that promise sink into your heart. He's made your life as a prey.

Unto him and unto yourself. He's preserving you unto the day of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Let's stand together.

They are praising thee when they come to Times Square Church. No, it doesn't matter.