JEREMIAH LESSON 28
We will begin this lesson in Jeremiah 26:1 "In the beginning of
the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word
from the LORD, saying,"
Jehoiakim reigned many years, and all through his reign Jeremiah
brought warning from God of impending danger, if they did not repent.
We have already noticed that the chapters in Jeremiah are not in
chronological order. Some of the chapters we have already studied came
at the end of the reign of Jehoiakim's reign. For our study here, it
is not important when something happened, just to know that it did. We
are not doing a chronological study, we are doing a spiritual study.
The Word from the LORD, came through the mouth of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 26:2 "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:"
The court of the LORD's house is the same as the outer court of
the temple. Three times a year, all the Hebrews from around Jerusalem
came to the temple to worship. This would have included all of Judah,
as well as Benjamin. When they came to worship, Jeremiah was to stand
and give the exact words the LORD had put into his mouth to say. He
was not to alter the Word in any way. "Diminish" means shave off, or
remove. We must not water down God's Word.
Jeremiah 26:3 "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."
This seems as if it is very repetitious, and it is. We must
remember, however, that God is patient, and kind. He wants to make
sure all of them have been warned, and have had plenty of time to
repent, and turn from their wicked ways. II Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that
all should come to repentance." The desire of God's heart, is that
they will repent. They deserve to die for the evil they have done, but
God wants them to repent and be saved. I love the following promise
God made His people. II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are
called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my
face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Jeremiah 26:4 "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," Jeremiah 26:5 "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;" Jeremiah 26:6 "Then will I make
this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the
nations of the earth."
This was a stiffnecked people who would not hear the Word God had
sent them by His prophet Jeremiah. Much of this was said to the
priests in the temple area, and they did not accept it at all. They
wanted everyone to believe they were the voice speaking for God. They
not only did not hear themselves, but caused others not to hear, also.
Shiloh had been the earliest location of the sanctuary and had been
destroyed, because of unrepented sin of the people. It appears, the
Philistines had destroyed it. God is trying to make it clear that the
sanctuary was to remain only as long as true worship was going on.
Jeremiah 26:7 "So the priests and the prophets and all the people
heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD."
We see that Jeremiah boldly brought the Truth, God had revealed
to him. He did not make it lighter, just because the priests were
listening. They all heard the prophecy.
Jeremiah 26:8 "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."
They waited until Jeremiah stopped speaking, and then, they
grabbed him. They wanted to kill him, because they did not like the
message he brought. Priests, and those in authority, did not like the
message Jesus brought either, and they did kill His body. Death was
the penalty for blasphemy, or for pretending to be a prophet, when you
weren't.
Jeremiah 26:9 "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."
The reason he had prophesied is, because God told him to. He had
no choice in the matter. The priest had a great deal of authority over
the people at this time. They usually went along with his decision.
He wanted Jeremiah killed, because Jeremiah made him look bad before
the people. These people, including the priest, were so full of sin,
they did not recognize the sin.
Jeremiah 26:10 "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]."
They were just about to try to convict Jeremiah, when the princes
came up. The princes were the ones who usually tried the people on
charges. They have come to the rescue of Jeremiah. The entry of the
new gate was where trials were conducted.
Jeremiah 26:11 "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."
This was not a good reason for killing Jeremiah. The duty of a
prophet was to speak whatever God had put in his mouth. Had he been a
false prophet, then they could have accused him. They had no proof he
was a false prophet, only that he prophesied against the city.
Jeremiah 26:12 "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."
Jeremiah speaks in his own behalf here. He is saying, if you kill
me, you are coming against God who sent me.
Jeremiah 26:13 "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."
Jeremiah had the boldness of the LORD. He tells them, again, to
repent. We see that Jeremiah does not alter his message at all, even
in the face of death. He still warns them to repent.
Jeremiah 26:14 "As for me, behold, I [am] in your hand: do with
me as seemeth good and meet unto you."
In this, Jeremiah is saying, you may kill my body, but I will not
alter the message God sent to you. Look, with me, at what Jesus said
about fear of man. Matthew 10:28 "And fear not them which kill the
body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Telling God's Truth is
more important to him than physical life.
Jeremiah 26:15 "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."
Jeremiah is innocent of any wrong doing, and he tells them so. He
boldly says again, God sent him to bring this message to them. Their
sins are already bad enough, without killing an innocent prophet of
God.
Jeremiah 26:16 "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."
The princes and the people believed what Jeremiah had to say. The
priests and the false prophets had been bringing an entirely different
message, and this made them look bad. The people believe Jeremiah is a
prophet of God speaking the Words of their God to them.
Jeremiah 26:17 "Then rose up certain of the elders of the land,
and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,"
The elders speak for the people. They are their spokesmen.
Jeremiah 26:18 "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."
In Micah chapter 3, beginning with verse 9, we see the prophecy
that is spoken of here. Read all of it, from verse 9 to the end of the
chapter. Hezekiah let him speak, because he tried to do right in God's
sight.
Jeremiah 26:19 "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."
Most of them should have been very familiar with this, since it
happened just a few years earlier in their own land. This example
should surely make them think twice before killing Jeremiah. They knew
if he were of God, they would be damning themselves. The elders have
made a good point.
Jeremiah 26:20 "And there was also a man that prophesied in the
name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim, who
prophesied against this city and against this land according to all
the words of Jeremiah:" Jeremiah 26:21 "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;" Jeremiah 26:22 "And Jehoiakim
the king sent men into Egypt, [namely], Elnathan the son of Achbor,
and [certain] men with him into Egypt." Jeremiah 26:23 "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."
Urijah had been put to death by Jehoiakim for prophesying. It
appeared, he had brought a message similar to Jeremiah's. Possibly,
the reason that Jeremiah was treated more fairly, was because his
father was a priest. They would think twice before declaring that the
son of a priest was a false prophet.
Jeremiah 26:24 "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."
Even though they had killed Urijah for almost the same message
that Jeremiah brought, they decided Jeremiah was a true prophet of
God, and did not kill him. It seemed that Ahikam was the one who
swayed the group into believing in Jeremiah. Both of Ahikam's sons
seemed to believe in Jeremiah, as well.
Jeremiah 28 Questions
1. What type of study is "Love The Lord"?
2. Who was Jehoiakim's father?
3. Where was Jeremiah to stand and bring the prophecy?
4. Who was it spoken to?
5. Jeremiah was told, ___________ not a word.
6. What is the same as the court of the LORD's house?
7. What does "diminish" mean?
8. What would cause God to repent of the evil He had planned for
them?
9. Why had God planned this evil?
10. Why is this prophecy repeated many times?
11. Quote 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9.
12. Quote 2 Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14.
13. If they do not repent, God will make this house like ________.
14. Why did the priests not accept Jeremiah's message?
15. What was Shiloh?
16. Who heard the prophecy of Jeremiah?
17. The people, priests, and false prophets took Jeremiah, saying to
him, Thou _______ _______ ____.
18. What questions did they ask Jeremiah in verse 9?
19. What kept them from quickly convicting Jeremiah?
20. What complaint did they make against Jeremiah?
21. What was the duty of a prophet?
22. What answer did Jeremiah give to the charges {in verse 12}?
23. In verse 13, what does Jeremiah tell them to do?
24. What is Jeremiah really saying in verse 14?
25. Quote Matthew chapter 10 verse 28.
26. What did Jeremiah say would happen to them, if they put him to
death?
27. Why did the princes say, he was not worthy to die?
28. Who prophesied like Jeremiah in the days of Hezekiah, and was not
killed?
29. What was the name of the prophet that Jehoiakim had killed?
30. Who was with Jeremiah, and spoke out for him?
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