By Eugene Garner

PART II

A MIXTURE OF JUDGMENT and HOPE

(Chapters 26-36)

JEREMIAH - CHAPTER 26

    This chapter recalls an incident which took place in the early days of Jehoiakim's reign in Jerusalem, (2 Kings 25:36; 2 Chron. 36:4-5). The preaching of an unpopular message was no light matter in those days; the life of a faithful prophet was valued very cheaply, and was in constant jeopardy.

    In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD'S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word: 3 If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings. 4 And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you, 5 To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; 6 Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. 7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.

    1. Jeremiah was commanded by the Lord to stand in the court of the temple in Jerusalem, where people from all the cities of Judah came to worship, (vs. 2; comp. 7:2; 19:14; 2 Chron. 24:20-21; Lk. 19:47-48).
      a. There he was to proclaim "all the words" that the Lord commanded him to speak, (1:17; comp. 42:4; Acts 20:20-21).
      b. Nothing was to be diminished, modified or softened, (Deut. 4.2).
      c. There is no compelling reason to consider this to be the same occasion as that described in chapter 7.
    2. The Lord still had not abandoned Judah; perhaps, through the hearing of what He purposed toward their rebellion, they would so repent (36:3-7; Isa. 1:16-19) that He could abandon the judgment that He now purposed to bring upon her, because of her sin, (vs. 3, 13, 19, 18:7-8).
    3. Jeremiah is to remind them of their persistent refusal to obey the words of the former prophets which the Lord had repeatedly sent to them, (25:4).
    4. If they will not repent, and turn from their evil ways, (17:27; 22:5; Lev. 26:14-17; I Kings 9:6-7); if they will not give heed to God's law, and walk in His ways, (32:23; 44:10, 23); then He will surely judge them, (vs. 4-6).
      a. He will make the temple at Jerusalem as desolate as the one at Shiloh, (vs. 6a; 7:12-15; Psa. 78:59-61).
      b. And He will make Jerusalem a curse to all the nations of the earth, (vs. 6b; 24:9; 25:18; 2 Kings 22:18-20; comp. Jer. 7:12-15).
    5. So fully did Jeremiah proclaim this word that it was heard by all the priests, false prophets and people who worshipped in the temple, (vs. 7; comp. 5:30-31; Mic. 3:11).

    8 Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die. 9 Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. 10 When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD'S house. 11 Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears. 12 Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. 13 Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you. 14 As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. 15 But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.

    1. The people, probably agitated by the priests and false prophets, sprang into action immediately upon hearing Jeremiah's message of judgment against Jerusalem and the temple, (vs. 8-9).
      a. Together they called for his death! (vs. 8; comp. 2:30; 11:19; 18:23; Lam. 4:13-14; Matt. 21:35-36; 23:34-39).
      b. Why had he dared proclaim such an unthinkable thing in the name of Jehovah, their God? the implication is that he had spoken these words without divine authority, (vs. 9a; comp. Deut. 18:20).
      c. Thus were all the people gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, (vs. 9b; comp. Acts 3:11; 5:12).
    2. When the princes of Judah and Jerusalem heard what had happened, they left the king's palace and came to sit in the entry of the "new gate" of the Lord's house - the place of judgment. (vs. 10; comp. Acts 21:31-32).
    3. The priests and false prophets brought an indictment against the man of God - declaring him worthy of death; since the temple represented God's dwelling-place among His people, Jeremiah's message was viewed as an attack on the very sovereignty of God, (vs. 11; comp. Matt. 26:66; Jer. 38:14; Acts 6:8-14).
    4. Jeremiah spoke in his own defense, (vs. 12-14).
      a. The Lord had sent him to prophesy against Jerusalem and the temple all that he had spoken, (vs. 12; 1:17-18; comp. Acts 4:19-20; 5:29).
      b. He used the occasion to renew his call for repentance - that the Lord might turn from the evil He had pronounced against them, (vs. 13; 7:3-5; 18:8-11; 35:15; Joel 2:12-14).
      c. Then, addressing himself to the princes and the people, Jeremiah admitted that his life was in their hands, (comp. 38:5; Josh. 9:24-25) - asking only that they do what seemed to them GOOD and RIGHT, (vs. 15; comp. I Peter 2:23).
      d. He did, however, warn them that by killing him they would bring a curse upon the holy city for the shedding of innocent blood, (comp. Deut. 19:10; Jer. 7:6-7; Num. 35:33; Prov. 6:16-19).

    16 Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God. 17 Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying, 18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest. 19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.

    1. Now the princes and the people are arrayed against the priests and false prophets, (vs. 16; comp. 36:19, 25; 38:7-13).
      a. The professional religious leaders want Jeremiah out of their way!
      b. But, the people and princes declare that he does NOT DESERVE TO DIE; he has, obviously, spoken in the name of Jehovah! (comp. Acts 23:9, 28-29; 25:25; 26:31).
    2. Certain of the elders of Judah also came to Jeremiah's defense, (vs. 17-19).
      a. Addressing the assembly, he recalled how Micah had spoken a similar prophecy, in the days of Hezekiah - calling Judah back to Jehovah, her God, (vs. 18; Mic. 1:1; 3:12; 4:1).
      b. Hezekiah did not put Micah to death; rather, he reverenced and besought the Lord, who abandoned His purposed judgment, (vs. 19a; 2 Chron. 29:1-11; 32:26; comp. Isa. 37:1-4, 15-20).
      c. By murdering the courageous man of God, the people of Judah might bring great evil against their own souls, (vs. 1 9b; comp. 44:7; Heb. 2:10).

    20 And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah: 21 And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt; 22 And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt. 23 And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people. 24 Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.

    1. This incident illustrates the narrowness of Jeremiah's escape.
    2. Urijah was another prophet who pronounced upon Jerusalem a judgment similar to that spoken by Jeremiah, (vs. 20).
    3. When king Jehoiakim attempted to murder him, he fled to Egypt; but Jehoiakim sent to Egypt and had him extradited to Jerusalem - a simple matter in the case of one charged with treason, (vs. 21; 23a; comp. I Kings 19:2-4; Matt. 10:23).
    4. Jehoiakim slew this prophet with his own sword and cast his carcass into the burial grounds of the common people - as if he were a criminal! (vs. 23b; comp. 2:30).
    5. Jeremiah's life seems to have been guarded by the influence of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, (comp. 39:14; 40:5-6).
      a. The latter had served as Secretary of State under king Josiah, (2 Kings 22:8-11).
      b. Ahikam had also held a high position in the administration of Josiah, (2 Kings 22:12-14).
      c. A courageous, spiritual and God-fearing man, Ahikam wielded sufficient influence to run interference for Jeremiah against those wretched false prophets who yearned to silence his lips, (comp. 1:18-19; I Kings 18:4).