Jeremiah 26
Jeremiah 26 focuses in depth on the conflicts and tensions that arise because Jeremiah delivers God’s message, and on how human beings respond to God’s will. The chapter begins with Jeremiah’s sermon in the temple courtyard when Jehoiakim, the son of King Josiah, becomes king (verses 1–6). Jeremiah warns that unless the people of Judah and Jerusalem repent, God will destroy the temple like Shiloh. This message greatly shocks the priests, the prophets, and the people, and Jeremiah ends up facing a threat of execution (verses 7–11).
In response, Jeremiah defends himself, emphasizing that the words he delivered were God’s commands. He also says that if the people repent, God may remove the disaster (verses 12–15). After that, the officials and the people defend Jeremiah, testifying that his words align with the earlier prophecy of the prophet Micah (verses 16–19). Finally, the brief mention of the story of another prophet, Uriah, highlights how dangerous it can be to speak God’s words on his behalf (verses 20–24).
1verseIn the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the LORD:
2verse“The LORD says: ‘Stand in the court of the LORD’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah which come to worship in the LORD’s house, all the words that I command you to speak to them. Don’t omit a word.
3verseIt may be they will listen, and every man turn from his evil way, that I may relent from the evil which I intend to do to them because of the evil of their doings.’”
4verseYou shall tell them, “The LORD says: ‘If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law which I have set before you,
5verseto listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you, even rising up early and sending them—but you have not listened—
6versethen I will make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.’”
7verseThe priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the LORD’s house.
8verseWhen Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You shall surely die!
9verseWhy have you prophesied in the LORD’s name, saying, ‘This house will be like Shiloh, and this city will be desolate, without inhabitant’?” All the people were crowded around Jeremiah in the LORD’s house.
10verseWhen the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king’s house to the LORD’s house; and they sat in the entry of the new gate of the LORD’s house.
11verseThen the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and to all the people, saying, “This man is worthy of death, for he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your ears.”
12verseThen Jeremiah spoke to 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 you have heard.
13verseNow therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the LORD your God’s voice; then the LORD will relent from the evil that he has pronounced against you.
14verseBut as for me, behold, I am in your hand. Do with me what is good and right in your eyes.
15verseOnly know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants; for in truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
16verseThen the princes and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets: “This man is not worthy of death; for he has spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.”
17verseThen certain of the elders of the land rose up, and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying,
18verse“Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘The LORD of Armies says: “‘Zion will be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.’
19verseDid Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Didn’t he fear the LORD, and entreat the favor of the LORD, and the LORD relented of the disaster which he had pronounced against them? We would commit great evil against our own souls that way!”
20verseThere was also a man who prophesied in the LORD’s name, Uriah the son of Shemaiah of Kiriath Jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah.
21verseWhen 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 Uriah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt.
22verseThen Jehoiakim the king sent Elnathan the son of Achbor and certain men with him into Egypt.
23verseThey fetched Uriah out of Egypt and brought him to Jehoiakim the king, who killed him with the sword and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
24verseBut the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that they didn’t give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
Key Messages and Symbols
- God’s Warning and Patience: The message from God delivered through Jeremiah calls for repentance and turning back. It also shows that God’s judgment is not final and fixed, but may change depending on how humans respond.
- The Spokesperson of Truth and the Risk: Jeremiah boldly proclaimed God’s truth and was placed in a life-threatening situation, but in the end he is spared by God’s providence and people’s careful judgment.
- Lessons from History: Within the chapter, the examples of the past prophet Micah and the martyrdom of Uriah are both mentioned, reminding us that those who convey God’s words have always walked a path that is never easy.
Points to Ponder
- How am I responding to God’s word?
- When speaking the truth, like Jeremiah, sometimes becomes a threat, what decision can I make?
- Through the faith journey I have already walked and the community’s history, what message of warning and hope is given to us today?
Applying It to Myself
- I also learn that when I must speak the truth around me, I need a sense of balance that holds both courage and carefulness together.
- By remembering that I can hear God’s words and that a door to an opportunity to turn back is open, I will always listen humbly to God’s will.
