Jeremiah 26

REVIEW OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I. Facts to Master

Time, place, and results of the message delivered in Chapter 26.

Verdict rendered by the princes in the case of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:16).

Name of the earlier prophet who prophesied against Jerusalem in the name of the Lord (Jeremiah 26:17-19).

Name of a prophet who had been slain in the reign of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 26:20-23).

The name of the prince who intervened on behalf of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:24).

That which Jeremiah sent to the neighboring kings (Jeremiah 27:2-3).

Names of five countries which had sent ambassadors to Jerusalem in the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah.

The one into whose hand God had given the world (Jeremiah 27:6).

The title which is given to the king of Babylon (Jeremiah 27:6).

The length of time during which all nations must serve Babylon (Jeremiah 27:7).

Various types of prognosticators among the nations (Jeremiah 27:9).

Those who urged Zedekiah not to serve Babylon (Jeremiah 27:14).

The predictions of the false prophets regarding the Temple vessels already taken captive (Jeremiah 27:16).

One of the important functions of a true prophet (Jeremiah 27:18).

Specific parts of the Temple yet in danger of going to Babylon (Jeremiah 27:19).

Identity of Jeconiah (Jeremiah 27:20).

Name of a prophet who confronted Jeremiah in the Temple (Jeremiah 28:1).

That which Hananiah did to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 28:10).

The fate of Hananiah (Jeremiah 28:16-17).

The two men by whose hand Jeremiah sent his letter to Babylon (Jeremiah 29:3).

The advice which Jeremiah gave to the captives in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:5-7).

Two false prophets mentioned in Jeremiah’s letter and their fate (Jeremiah 29:21-22).

The name of a priest in Jerusalem who received a letter from Babylon protesting the activities of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:24-28).

The fate of Shemaiah the fake prophet (Jeremiah 29:32).

II. Questions to Ponder

What was it in Jeremiah’s message that so upset his hearers? Jeremiah 26:1-7.

Was Uriah a faithful prophet? Why did not God protect him as he protected Jeremiah?

What is the gist of Jeremiah’s defense during his trial? Jeremiah 26:12-24.

Why the reference to Micah the Morashtite during the trial of ?Jeremiah 26:18.

Why does God have the right to appoint the World Ruler? Jeremiah 27:5.

What is so significant about the title My Servant? Jeremiah 27:6.

Why does God specify that the beasts of the field were given to Nebuchadnezzar? Jeremiah 27:6.

How is Jeremiah 27:7 to be harmonized with Jeremiah 25:11

Why did Jeremiah say Amen to the false prophecy of Hananiah? Jeremiah 28:6.

Summarize Jeremiah’s argument in Jeremiah 28:8-9.

Why did Jeremiah simply walk away after Hananiah took the yoke off his neck and broke it? Jeremiah 28:11.

Why did Zedekiah have to send an embassy to Babylon? Jeremiah 29:3.

Why does Jeremiah tell the captives to pray for the peace of Babylon? Jeremiah 29:7.

Jeremiah 26:1-3

1. A divine directive (Jeremiah 26:1-3)

Four specific points relating to a divine directive which came to Jeremiah are brought out in Jeremiah 26:1-3. First, there is a word as to the time of the directive. The word of the Lord came to the prophet in the beginning of the reign of king Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 26:1). This probably refers to the year 608 B.C. Righteous Josiah had been slain the year before in the battle of Megiddo; Jehoahaz his son had been able to hold the throne only three months before being deposed and deported by Pharaoh Necho. Now wicked Jehoiakim was sitting on the throne of David. These were turbulous times. World supremacy was being contested on the banks of the Euphrates river. No doubt the inhabitants of Jerusalem were jittery. Would the combined force of the Assyrian and Egyptian armies be able to withstand the armies of the Chaldeans There were ominous implications for Judah no matter which force emerged as world conqueror.

The divine directive contains a specific word as the place Jeremiah is to preach (Jeremiah 26:2). He is to go to the court of Solomon’s Temple and preach to the masses of people who assembled there from all the cities of Judah to worship the Lord. On a previous occasion in the reign of Josiah, Jeremiah had stood in this same courtyard and preached the word (see Jeremiah 7:1 to Jeremiah 8:3). Many scholars, perhaps a majority, believe that chapter 26 contains a summary of that earlier message and relates the consequences of it. However the grounds for equating the Temple sermon of chapter 7 and the Temple sermon of chapter 26 are singularly and collectively weak.[234] There is not one hint of hostility to Jeremiah’s first Temple sermon. The message no doubt received a sympathetic hearing in the days of good king Josiah. But now the climate has changed. The religious and civil authorities are in no mood to tolerate criticism.

[234] For a discussion of these arguments, see comments on chapter 7.

The divine directive to Jeremiah also contains a specific obligation (Jeremiah 26:2 b). The Lord commands Jeremiah not to diminish a single word from the message he had received from God. This commandment is reminiscent of the initial instruction given to Jeremiah at the time of his call when he was told, whatsoever I shall command you, you shall speak (Jeremiah 1:7). The Lord knew that Jeremiah needed to be reminded of this obligation at this point in his ministry. Even the most stalwart man of God might be tempted to omit or water down certain unpopular and unpleasant portions of his message when faced with the prospects of arrest, imprisonment and possibly death. No longer would Jeremiah enjoy the protection of the pious Josiah; he would feel for the first time the full impact of public hostility.

The divine directive also included a note as to the purpose for Jeremiah’s preaching on this occasion. Jeremiah’s message was harsh. It was a message of judgment. But the object of all that he said was the salvation of the nation. Perhaps they will hearken! This verse reveals the eagerness of God to turn away from His announced purpose to destroy the nations. If they would only repent! What fantastic possibilities can be set in motion through sincere repentance! If Judah would turn away from rebellion against God then He could repent or relent with regard to his intentions to destroy the land (cf. Jeremiah 18:8).

Jeremiah 26:1-10

PART THREE CHAPTER THIRTEEN

JEREMIAH FACES OPPOSITION

Jeremiah 26:1 to Jeremiah 29:32

The material in Chapter s 26-29 is primarily biographical in character and written in the third person. Some autobiographical material is also included here (see Jeremiah 27:1 to Jeremiah 28:4). The most unique literary feature of this section is chapter 29. This chapter contains the complete text of a letter sent by Jeremiah to the captives in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1-23) and also parts of two letters, one of which was sent to Shemaiah, and the other sent by him (Jeremiah 29:24-32). The materials in this section come from two different periods of the prophet’s ministry. The events in chapter 26 take place in the early days of Jehoiakim. Chapter s 27-29 cover events about fifteen years later, in the fourth year of king Zedekiah when there was general unrest throughout the Babylonian empire. False prophets in Judah and in Babylon were encouraging Jews to join in the rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar. In continuing to counsel submission to Babylon Jeremiah aroused the hostility of the civil as well as the religious authorities of the nation.

Jeremiah 26:1-24

I. THE ARREST AND TRIAL OF THE PROPHET Jeremiah 26:1-24

The faithful proclamation of the word of God is dangerous business. Amos, the prophet from Tekoa, was openly rebuked by Amaziah the high priest of Bethel and was ordered to leave the country (Amos 7:10 ff.). Zechariah the son of Jehoiada was stoned to death by the order of the pompous king Joash because he had the audacity to rebuke the king for apostasy (2 Chronicles 24:20 ff.). Legend has it that Isaiah was sawn asunder by wicked Manasseh. It was the faithful proclamation of the word that got Steven stoned, John beheaded and Peter imprisoned. The ministry is a hazardous vocation! It is no place for those with weak knees and faint hearts! In the present chapter Jeremiah is put on trial for his life because of his uncompromising and forthright presentation of the word of God.

A. The Arrest Jeremiah 26:1-10

TRANSLATION

(1) In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD, saying, (2) Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the house of the LORD, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which are coming to worship at the house of the LORD, all the words which I command you to speak unto them. Do not omit a word! (3) Perhaps they will hear and turn each man from his evil way, that I might relent concerning the calamity which I am planning to bring upon them because of their evil deeds. (4) Say unto them, Thus says the LORD: If you will not hearken unto Me, to walk in My law, which I have set before you, (5) to hearken unto the words of My servants the prophets whom with urgency and persistence I have been sending unto you (although you have not obeyed); (6) then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse to all the nations of the earth. (7) And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD. (8) And it came to pass when Jeremiah had finished speaking all which the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, You shall surely die! (9) Why have you prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall become like Shiloh and this city shall become desolate without inhabitant? And all the people had assembled against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. (10) And hearing these things, the princes of Judah went up from the house of the king to the house of the LORD and sat down at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD.

COMMENTS

Jeremiah was a soldier on a holy crusade, carrying out the instructions of his heavenly Superior. Acting under a divine directive (Jeremiah 26:1-3), Jeremiah preaches a stirring message (Jeremiah 26:4-6) which arouses the anger of those who heard him (Jeremiah 26:7-10) and nearly costs him his life.

Jeremiah 26:4-6

2. A stirring message (Jeremiah 26:4-6)

Jeremiah’s sermon in the courtyard of the Temple must have been quite a bombshell! It stirred a hornet’s nest of opposition. Doubtlessly in Jeremiah 26:4-6 only a brief summary of the sermon preached on this occasion has been preserved. Had the entire message been recorded it would probably have included a stinging indictment for injustice, hypocrisy and rebellion against God. No doubt it included threats of the enemy from the north which would devastate the land. The summary which has been preserved here contains two points of emphasis. First, there is an oblique call for repentance (Jeremiah 26:4-5). Jeremiah is here threatening the people that if they do not do certain things they will be punished. This is tantamount to calling upon the people to act in certain ways. Basically Jeremiah is calling upon them to hearken to the Lord. This involves two distinct responses on the part of the people. First they must listen to the voice of God as it was recorded in the ancient law of Moses. While he frequently condemned formalism and ritualism Jeremiah never minimized the importance of obedience to the written law of God. Second, the people must listen to the contemporary spokesmen of God, the prophets. The people thus far had failed to give credence to the words of God’s servants even though He had persistently sent them unto the nation (Jeremiah 26:5).

In no uncertain terms Jeremiah spells out the consequences of impenitence in this Temple sermon (Jeremiah 26:6). Two distinct threats are contained here in the summary of his message. First, God threatens to make this house, i.e., the Temple, like Shiloh. The shrine at Shiloh had been destroyed centuries before, apparently by the Philistine invasion during the judgeship of Eli (1 Samuel 4:10-11). A persistent delusion in the days of Jeremiah was that God would never allow His sanctuary to be destroyed by any foreign enemy. The prophet here marshals the facts of history to support his contention that no spot was too sacred to be decimated when God pours out His wrath upon a sinful people. The second threat in Jeremiah 26:6 concerns the city. God would make it a curse among the nations of the earth. That is to say, God would so destroy Jerusalem that when anyone wished a pronounce a curse on a city he would say, May such and such a city become like Jerusalem!

Jeremiah 26:7-10

3. An angry response (Jeremiah 26:7-10)

Those who were assembled in the court of the Temple that day listened sullenly and indignantly as the mighty man of God delivered the word (Jeremiah 26:7). Though Jeremiah saw the scowling faces, the clenched fists, the threatening gestures yet he continued boldly to rebuke, threaten and exhort his audience. At the conclusion of his sermon the people, led by their priests and prophets, seized Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:8). Death! they cried. You have spoken words worthy of death, Jeremiah! Buffeted, battered and berated by the angry throng Jeremiah remembered the words God had spoken to him at his call: they shall fight against you; but they shall not prevail (Jeremiah 1:19).

One wonders what the fate of the prophet might have been had not certain princes arrived from the royal palace (Jeremiah 26:10). Apparently they had heard the commotion in the Temple court and had hastened there to determine the cause of the tumult. Their arrival seems to have had a soothing effect upon the hostile crowd. After order was restored the princes sat down at the entrance of the New Gate to conduct a formal, legal inquiry into the matter.

Jeremiah 26:11-15

B. The Trial Jeremiah 26:11-24

The proceedings at the New Gate were similar to those in any court of law. Formal charges were lodged against Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:11) and then the prophet was allowed to speak in his own defense (Jeremiah 26:12-15). A legal precedent was cited which seems to justify acquittal (Jeremiah 26:16-19). But then a counter-precedent which would demand the death of the prophet was submitted to the court (Jeremiah 26:20-23). The account closes with an explanation of how Jeremiah escaped death at the hands of his adversaries (Jeremiah 26:24).

1. Indictment and defense (Jeremiah 26:11-15)

TRANSLATION

(11) And the priests and the prophets said unto the princes and unto all the people, saying, A sentence of death for this man! For he has prophesied against this city as you have heard with your own ears. (12) Then Jeremiah said unto all the princes and unto all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the things which you heard. (13) And now amend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will relent concerning the calamity He has spoken against you. (14) And as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do to me as it is good and right in your eyes. (15) But you surely know that if you proceed to put me to death you will surely be bringing upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants innocent blood; for truly the LORD did send me unto you to speak in your presence all these words.

COMMENTS

The false prophets and priests open the formal trial proceedings with their accusation against Jeremiah. They demand a judgment of death. Apparently they feel that Jeremiah has prophesied falsely in the name of the Lord and therefore was worthy of the death penalty (Deuteronomy 18:20). They could not conceive of such threatening prophecy coming from the Lord. To declare that the Lord would destroy the Temple was blasphemy, a capital crime! It seemed to be an open and shut case. Everyone in the court had heard Jeremiah’s sermon.

It is to the credit of the princely tribunal that they gave Jeremiah an opportunity to defend himself. Laetsch calls Jeremiah’s defense a masterpiece of brevity and convincing argumentation. He does not retract any statement he has made nor does he make any apology. In his defense he makes four points: (1) The Lord sent me with this message (Jeremiah 26:12). (2) If you repent of your sins no calamity will befall you (Jeremiah 26:13). (3) You may do with me as you please (Jeremiah 26:14). He seems to be saying here that he is willing to die for what he has done if the court deem that an appropriate punishment. (4) If I am executed you will be guilty of shedding innocent blood (Jeremiah 26:15). Jeremiah closes his defense as he had begun, by affirming in no uncertain terms the divine origin of his message. This may have been Jeremiah’s finest hour. The court could not help but be impressed by the unshaken conviction of this man of God.

Jeremiah 26:16-19

2. A legal precedent (Jeremiah 26:16-19)

TRANSLATION

(16) Then the princes and all the people said unto the priests and the prophets, There will be no judgment of death for this man! For he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God. (17) Now certain men from the elders of the land had arisen and said unto all the assembly of the people, saying, (18) Micah the Morashtite was prophesying in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he said unto all the people of Judah, swing, Thus says the LORD of hosts: Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps and the mountain of the house as high places of a forest. (19) Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all of Judah make any attempt to put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and make entreaty before the LORD, and the LORD relented concerning the calamity which he had spoken concerning them? But we are on the verge of doing great harm unto our souls!

COMMENTS

It does not seem to have taken the princes long to reach a decision regarding the case. This man is not worthy of death for he has spoken in the name of the Lord (Jeremiah 26:16). The people seem to have concurred with their judicial officers in the decision. They too had been convinced by Jeremiah’s defense. It was the testimony of the elders of the people (Jeremiah 26:17) which seemed to sway the court and lead to the verdict announced in Jeremiah 26:16. A casual reading of the standard English translations might lead one to think that the testimony of the elders followed the verdict of acquittal. The Hebrew would certainly allow and logic seems to demand that this testimony preceded the verdict of the princes and people. Usually the term elders refers to those who held an official status in the community. Here however it seems best to take the word in its literal sense. These men because of their age and experience occupied a position of honor and respect among the people. Their testimony would bear considerable weight.

The elders cite the case of Micah who made pronouncements against Jerusalem very similar to those which Jeremiah had made. Micah was from the town of Moresheth-gath (Micah 1:14) and so here is called the Morashtite (Jeremiah 26:18). The elders recalled and quoted the exact words of Mic 3:12. A direct citation of this kind occurs nowhere else in prophetic literature. Over one hundred years elapsed between the time of Micah and the present incident and yet these elders were able to quote verbatim the same text of Micah which has come down to the present time. This is a rather remarkable testimony to the accuracy of the transmission of the Hebrew text in that early time.

The point that the elders are making is not merely that Micah, a recognized man of God from an earlier period, had prophesied negatively against Judah. There is more to their argument. They point out that king Hezekiah did not punish Micah for such negative prophecy (Jeremiah 26:19). On the contrary Hezekiah had heeded the warning of Micah and had led the people in a great revival. As a result God had relented with regard to the pronouncement of doom against Jerusalem. The elders conclude their testimony by declaring therefore we shall be procuring great evil against our souls if we execute Jeremiah now.

Jeremiah 26:20-23

3. A counter-precedent (Jeremiah 26:20-23)

TRANSLATION

(20) But there was also a man who was prophesying in the name of the LORD, Uriah the son of Shemaiah of Kiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land just as Jeremiah had done. (21) When king Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and all the princes heard his words, the king sought to kill him. When Uriah heard of it he feared and fled and went to Egypt. (22) But king Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt, Elnathan the son of Achbor and certain men with him to Egypt. (23) And they brought Uriah out of Egypt and brought him unto king Jehoiakim, who smote him with the sword and threw his corpse unto the graves of the common people.

COMMENTS

It is impossible to determine precisely what the original relationship was between this paragraph and the trial of Jeremiah. Some hold that the account of the death of Uriah the prophet is a completely separate episode coming from later in the reign of Jehoakim and inserted here to emphasize the extremely precarious position which Jeremiah had just escaped. However the present writer is inclined to accept the old Jewish interpretation of the passage (found in the Siphre) that this episode was cited by Jeremiah’s accusers as a counter-precedent during the trial. Whichever view is adoptedand there are good arguments for boththe incident of Uriah the prophet certainly demonstrates the grave danger that outspoken men of God faced during the reign of the ruthless Jehoiakim.

Nothing is known of Uriah apart from that which is recorded here. The text relates that (1) he was the son of Shemaiah; (2) that he was from the city of Kiriathjearim seven miles north-west of Jerusalem; (3) that he prophesied against Judah and Jerusalem in the same manner as did Jeremiah; (4) that he fled to Egypt when his life was threatened by Jehoiakim; (5) that he was extradited from Egypt through the instrumentality of an Elnathan;[235] (6) that Jehoiakim slew him or had him slain with a sword; (7) that he was buried in the graveyard of the common people (Jeremiah 26:23).[236]

[235] This Elnathan is again mentioned in Jeremiah 36:12; Jeremiah 36:25. If identical with the Elnathan of 2 Kings 24:8, he was Jehoiakim’s father-in-law.

[236] Some form of degradation is obviously intended by the expression graves of the children of the people. Perhaps the idea is a common graveyard as over against a family sepulcher.

Why did Uriah flee from Jehoiakim? Was this not sinful cowardice on his part? It should be remembered that Elijah fled from the wrath of wicked Jezebel (I Kings 191-8). Jeremiah and Baruch hid on another occasion from this same Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36:19; Jeremiah 36:26). Joseph and Mary took the infant Jesus and fled to Egypt to escape the slaughter ordered by Herod (Matthew 2:13-23). John relates that Jesus hid himself from those who would have stoned him on one occasion (John 8:59). Paul secretly escaped from the city of Damascus to avoid those who were waiting to slay him (Acts 9:23 ff.) One is reminded of the advice which Jesus gave to his disciples: When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another (Matthew 10:23). From all of these references the principle emerges that a man of God should not knowingly place his life in jeopardy while he still has a mission to perform.

One other question with regard to the Uriah incident needs to be answered. Why was it that Jehoiakim was so easily able to secure the extradition of Uriah from the land of Egypt? Why could not or did not the king of Egypt grant asylum for the Judean fugitive? The answer probably lies in the fact that Jehoiakim of Judah was the vassal of Pharaoh Necho and a treaty must have existed between the two kings. Such treaties usually included a provision for reciprocity with regard to fugitives. The Uriah episode must have taken place during the first three years of Jehoiakim’s reign when he was an Egyptian vassal. In his fourth year Jehoiakim became a vassal to Nebuchadnezzar.

Jeremiah 26:24

4. Jeremiah’s deliverance (Jeremiah 26:24)

TRANSLATION

(24) But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah in order to prevent his being given into the hand of the people to slay him.

COMMENTS

Jeremiah had one very influential supporter during his trial. Ahikam son of Shaphan is credited with having influenced the court in favor of tolerance with respect to the prophet. Ahikam’s father, Shaphan, had served as secretary of state under Josiah (2 Kings 22:8). Ahikam himself was deputed by Josiah to consult with the prophetess Huldah concerning the law book which had been found in the Temple (2 Kings 22:14). The son of Ahikam, Gedaliah, befriended Jeremiah on several occasions (Jeremiah 36:10; Jeremiah 39:14; Jeremiah 40:5). Gedaliah was later appointed governor of the land by Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 40:5). From all of this one would conclude that Ahikam was a devoutly religious man as well as a man of quite some political influence. Here he courageously defends Jeremiah. His prestige is such that the enemies of the prophet could not carry out their scheme to get rid of Jeremiah. What a wonderful thing it is when there are God-fearing men in high places!