26:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah at the beginning of the reign of Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah.
The date of Jeremiah’s message was written about 609 B.C. Jehoiakim was an evil king of Judah. Chapters 26-51 will be written in 3rd person. These prophecies were probably written by the influence of Jeremiah’s scribe.
26:2 The Lord said, “Go stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. Speak out to all the people who are coming from the towns of Judah to worship in the Lord’s temple. Tell them everything I command you to tell them. Do not leave out a single word!
All of Judah came to Jerusalem for the feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, Jeremiah was to stand in the streets and prophesize to all of Judah. He was to give out the exact words of Jehovah. This meant that every word of the original texts were inspired. There are some minor spelling errors and omissions in the transmissions and in translations of the Bible, but there are no errors in the original texts. The Dead Sea Scrolls confirm the accuracy of the original texts.
26:3 Maybe they will pay attention and each of them will stop living the evil way they do. If they do that, then I will forgo destroying them as I had intended to do because of the wicked things they have been doing.
Jehovah has already stated that because of the sins of Manasseh. Jerusalem will be destroyed. However, this generation can delay destruction by being obedient to God’s word.
26:4 Tell them that the Lord says, ‘You must obey me! You must live according to the way I have instructed you in my laws.
Judah must obey the Mosaic Law to delay destruction.
26:5 You must pay attention to the exhortations of my servants the prophets. I have sent them to you over and over again. But you have not paid any attention to them.
Judah must obey the prophets to delay destruction.
26:6 If you do not obey me, then I will do to this temple what I did to Shiloh. And I will make this city an example to be used in curses by people from all the nations on the earth.’ ”
Shiloh was the first home of the Tabernacle in the promised land. She was destroyed for the sins of both the people and the priests during the days of Eli. If Jerusalem does not repent, then she will be destroyed just as Shiloh was destroyed. This was an important example, because Jerusalem felt that God would not allow her city to be destroyed for the sake of the temple presence. Jerusalem was treating the Temple like a good luck charm. God spared Jerusalem during the Assyrian invasion. As the Assyrian army of King Sennacherib camped outside of the army, the Angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. This past event caused Jerusalem to believe that Jehovah would save the temple again from the Babylonians. Jeremiah was prophetically informing the people that this was incorrect thinking which would eventually cause their death.
26:7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah say these things in the Lord’s temple.
All three categories of people heard this message.
26:8 Jeremiah had just barely finished saying all the Lord had commanded him to say to all the people. All at once some of the priests, the prophets, and the people grabbed him and shouted, “You deserve to die!
The people hated Jeremiah’s message so much, that they resorted to mob violence. They arrested him and issued him the death penalty without a trial.
26:9 How dare you claim the Lord’s authority to prophesy such things! How dare you claim his authority to prophesy that this temple will become like Shiloh and that this city will become an uninhabited ruin!” Then all the people crowded around Jeremiah.
The reason for the arrest was that Jeremiah was showing disrespect to the Jewish temple.
26:10 However, some of the officials of Judah heard about what was happening and they rushed up to the Lord’s temple from the royal palace. They set up court at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s temple.
The New Gate was the location of the Jerusalem courthouse. The officials placed Jeremiah on immediate trial.
26:11 Then the priests and the prophets made their charges before the officials and all the people. They said, “This man should be condemned to die because he prophesied against this city. You have heard him do so with your own ears.”
The upper classes of the Jewish society asked for the death penalty on the pretense of treason.
26:12 Then Jeremiah made his defense before all the officials and all the people. “The Lord sent me to prophesy everything you have heard me say against this temple and against this city.
Jeremiah’s legal defense was that Jehovah commanded him to go to the people with this warning message of death and destruction.
26:13 But correct the way you have been living and do what is right. Obey the Lord your God. If you do, the Lord will forgo destroying you as he threatened he would.
Jehovah reminded this official court that the people must correct their way of life in order to delay the temple destruction.
26:14 As to my case, I am in your power. Do to me what you deem fair and proper.
Jeremiah admitted that he was at the mercy of the court. He was not willing to change his testimony, because he knew that it was the truth.
26:15 But you should take careful note of this: If you put me to death, you will bring on yourselves and this city and those who live in it the guilt of murdering an innocent man. For the Lord has sent me to speak all this where you can hear it. That is the truth!”
Jeremiah was innocent of disrespecting the Jewish temple. If the officials executed Jeremiah, then they would be guilty of murdering innocent blood.
26:16 Then the officials and all the people rendered their verdict to the priests and the prophets. They said, “This man should not be condemned to die. For he has spoken to us under the authority of the Lord our God.”
Jeremiah was acquitted. He was not speaking under the name of Baal (or another false god). He was speaking under the name of Jehovah.
26:17 Then some of the elders of Judah stepped forward and spoke to all the people gathered there. They said,
The elders were the Jewish theologians who studied, recorded, and memorized the scriptures.
26:18 “Micah from Moresheth prophesied during the time Hezekiah was king of Judah. He told all the people of Judah, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “Zion will become a plowed field. Jerusalem will become a pile of rubble. The temple mount will become a mere wooded ridge.” ’
The elders quoted Micah 3:12, which had been recorded in writing over 100 years earlier. These theologians reminded the court that other prophets of God had made similar prophecies.
26:19 King Hezekiah and all the people of Judah did not put him to death, did they? Did not Hezekiah show reverence for the Lord and seek the Lord’s favor? Did not the Lord forgo destroying them as he threatened he would? But we are on the verge of bringing great disaster on ourselves.”
King Hezekiah did not put Micah to death for making a similar prophecy, because he feared Jehovah. Killing God’s prophet would bring great disaster upon Jerusalem.
26:20 Now there was another man who prophesied as the Lord’s representative against this city and this land just as Jeremiah did. His name was Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim.
Uriah was a contemporary prophet of Jeremiah who was giving out the same message of the destruction of the temple. Kiriath Jearim was a small city which was close to Jerusalem.
26:21 When the king and all his bodyguards and officials heard what he was prophesying, the king sought to have him executed. But Uriah found out about it and fled to Egypt out of fear.
God promised Jeremiah that he would not die by the sword. Uriah did not have this promise, so he fled to Egypt.
26:22 However, King Jehoiakim sent some men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor,
King Jehoiakim was an evil king of Judah who hated God’s word. He sent ambassadors to Egypt to find Uriah. Judah was a tribute city who was in a vassal relationship with Egypt.
Elnathan was the son of Achbor. Achbor was a godly man who served under the good King Josiah. He may have been the father of Nehushta, who was the mother of King Jehoiachin. He would later ask King Jehoiakim not to burn Jeremiah's first scroll. His son served under the evil King Jehoiakim.
26:23 and they brought Uriah back from there. They took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him executed and had his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.
King Jehoiakim murdered a prophet of God. His body was thrown into the Kidron Valley, which was on the east side of Jerusalem between the city and the Mount of Olives.
Political leaders today would like to kill teachers of the Word of God, but God appoints governments to protect the declaration of the gospel. When a government refuses to protect the issuance of the gospel, then God usually brings that government down. The United States is “too civilized” to murder sound Bible teachers. Instead, they censor the Word of God from educational institutions. This censorship of the Bible will most likely bring America to her knees.
24 However, Ahikam son of Shaphan used his influence to keep Jeremiah from being handed over and executed by the people.
Shaphan was a godly man who served under the good King Josiah. He raised godly sons and grandsons. His children protected Jeremiah from being executed.
It is important for parents to raise up godly children. One never knows what God will call them to accomplish.