Jeremiah 26, Jeremiah’s Life Threatened

Freedom of speech is a highly prized freedom in our country, protected by the First Amendment to our Constitution. It was not a codified law in Judah. And Jeremiah almost lost his life because of it.

^26:1 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from Yahweh: ² “This is what Yahweh says: Stand in the courtyard of Yahweh’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of Yahweh. Tell them everything I command you; do not omit a word. ³ Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. ⁴ Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, ⁵ and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), ⁶ then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse among all the nations of the earth.’”

This is likely the same event as Jeremiah 7, this being a brief summary of what Jeremiah was to speak. In Jeremiah 7 the prophet railed against the prophets who told Judah they were safe because of God’s temple. He condemned their wrong living, their oppressing of immigrants, orphans and widows, their killing of innocent people, and their idolatry.

⁷ The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of Yahweh. ⁸ But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything Yahweh had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die! ⁹ Why do you prophesy in Yahweh’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?” And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of Yahweh.

The angry response from the crowd in the Temple court is headed by the priests and prophets, demanding Jeremiah’s death. They accuse him of wrongly prophesying in Yahweh’s name that Jerusalem and the temple will be deserted like Shiloh, the first site of the temple (or tabernacle) when Israel was first formed. God would not destroy His Temple.

¹⁰ When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of Yahweh and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate of Yahweh’s house. ¹¹ Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”

¹² Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: “Yahweh sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard. ¹³ Now reform your ways and your actions and obey Yahweh your God. Then Yahweh will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. ¹⁴ As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. ¹⁵ Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth Yahweh has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

The officials basically conduct a trial, with the priests and prophets as accusers/prosecutors. Jeremiah is the defendant, and his bravery is laudable. He repeats in summary form what Yahweh told him to speak and warns that killing him will be the shedding of innocent blood.

¹⁶ Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death! He has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our God.”

¹⁷ Some of the elders of the land stepped forward and said to the entire assembly of people, ¹⁸ “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘This is what Yahweh Almighty says:

“‘Zion will be plowed like a field,
    Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,
    the temple hill a mound overgrown with thickets.’

¹⁹ “Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah fear Yahweh and seek his favor? And did not Yahweh relent, so that he did not bring the disaster he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!”

²⁰ (Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim was another man who prophesied in the name of Yahweh; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. ²¹ When King Jehoiakim and all his officers and officials heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death. But Uriah heard of it and fled in fear to Egypt. ²² King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. ²³ They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)

²⁴ Furthermore, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, and so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

The officials, the elders, and Ahikam become Jeremiah’s defense attorneys. The officials argue that Jeremiah is only speaking what Yahweh told him to speak and shouldn’t be condemned for that. The elders remind everyone that the prophet Micah prophesied a hundred years earlier the destruction of the Temple in Hezekiah’s day and was not killed, but the people repented, and Jerusalem was spared by God. [Amazing that they could quote this hundred year old prophecy] Ahikam, a respected official in Josiah’s court (2 Kings 22:12,14) speaks as a character witness against Jeremiah’s conviction, and so, Jeremiah is acquitted.

Inserted into this narrative is an aside about another prophet named Uriah who preached the same message as Jeremiah and was killed for it (extradited from Egypt and slain by Jehoiakim, the current king). The threat to Jeremiah’s life was real.

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Discussion Questions:

1. Would you have been more like Jeremiah or Uriah?
2. Why might the priests and prophets have been so motivated to have Jeremiah killed?
3. Could Jeremiah have been spared death without the three different spokesmen for his defense?
4. Why do you think Jeremiah was spared death and not Uriah?