13 Dec. Jeremiah is charged with treason
“This message came from the LORD soon after Jehoiakim son of Josiah became king of Judah [in 610BC]. This is what the LORD said: ‘Jeremiah, stand in the courtyard of the Temple of the LORD. Give this message to all the people of the towns of Judah who are coming to worship at the Temple of the LORD. Tell them everything I tell you to say; don’t leave out a word…’”
“’Say to them, “This is what the LORD says: you must obey me and follow my teachings that I gave you. You must listen to what my servants the prophets say to you. I have sent them to you again and again, but you did not listen. If you don’t obey me, I will destroy my Temple in Jerusalem as I destroyed my Holy Tent at Shiloh…”’”
“When Jeremiah finished speaking everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests, prophets and all the people grabbed Jeremiah. They said, ‘You must die! How dare you prophesy in the name of the LORD that this Temple will be destroyed like the one at Shiloh! How dare you say that Jerusalem will become a desert without anyone to live in it!’…”
“Now when the officers of Judah heard about what was happening, they came out of the king’s palace and went up to the Temple of the LORD and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate. Then the priests and prophets said to the officers and all the other people, ‘Jeremiah should be killed. He prophesied against Jerusalem, and you heard him yourselves.’”
“Then Jeremiah spoke these words to all the officers of Judah and all the other people: ‘The LORD sent me to say everything you have heard about the Temple and this city. Now change your lives and start doing good and obey the LORD your God. Then he will change his mind and not bring on you the disaster he has told you about.’”
“’As for me, I am in your power. Do to me what you think is good and right. But be sure of one thing. If you kill me, you will be guilty of killing an innocent person. You will make this city and everyone who lives in it guilty too! The LORD truly sent me to you to give you this message.’”
(Jeremiah 26:1-15)
In today’s passage, Jeremiah was told by the LORD to prophesy to the people of Judah in the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem. He told them that the Temple would be destroyed unless the people changed their evil ways and followed the LORD’s teachings (see Jeremiah 26:1-6).
The people were furious with Jeremiah, who was arrested on a charge of treason:
"When Jeremiah finished speaking everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests, prophets and all the people grabbed Jeremiah. They said, 'You must die! How dare you prophesy in the name of the LORD that this Temple will be destroyed like the one at Shiloh! How dare you say that Jerusalem will become a desert without anyone to live in it!'" (Jeremiah 26:7-9)
When the king’s officers arrived on the scene, the angry mob demanded Jeremiah’s death:
“Then the priests and the prophets said to the officers and all the other people, ‘Jeremiah should be killed. He prophesied against Jerusalem, and you heard him yourselves.'" (Jeremiah 26:11)
Jeremiah reassured the people that his words were truly from God, and concluded: "Do to me what you think is good and right. But be sure of one thing. If you kill me, you will be guilty of killing an innocent person. You will make this city and anyone who lives in it guilty too!" (Jeremiah 26:14-15)
At the thought of being punished by God for killing one of the LORD’s prophets, the people changed their minds: "Then the officers and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, 'Jeremiah must not be killed. What he told us comes from the LORD our God.'" (Jeremiah 26:16)
The photo (by Wayne McClean) shows Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.
In Chapter 27, Jeremiah appeared before King Zedekiah [597-587BC], and in Chapter 28 he accused the prophet Hananiah of being a false prophet. You can read more from these chapters @ The Bible Journey | Jeremiah is charged with treason