Jeremiah 26 (HCSB)
Jeremiah’s Speech in the Temple
1 At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple and speak all the words I have commanded you to speak to all Judah’s cities that are coming to worship there. Do not hold back a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and return—each from his evil way of life—so that I might relent concerning the disaster that I plan to do to them because of the evil of their deeds. 4 You are to say to them: This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to Me by living according to My instruction that I set before you 5 and by listening to the words of My servants the prophets I have been sending you time and time again, though you did not listen, 6 I will make this temple like Shiloh. I will make this city an object of cursing for all the nations of the earth.”
Jeremiah Seized
7 The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the temple of the Lord. 8 He finished the address the Lord had commanded him to deliver to all the people. Then the priests, the prophets, and all the people took hold of him, yelling, “You must surely die! 9 How dare you prophesy in the name of Yahweh, ‘This temple will become like Shiloh and this city will become an uninhabited ruin’!” Then all the people assembled against Jeremiah at the Lord’s temple.
10 When the officials of Judah heard these things, they went from the king’s palace to the Lord’s temple and sat at the entrance of the New Gate. 11 Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man deserves the death sentence because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”
Jeremiah’s Defense
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and the people, “The Lord sent me to prophesy all the words that you have heard against this temple and city. 13 So now, correct your ways and deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God so that He might relent concerning the disaster that He warned about. 14 As for me, here I am in your hands; do to me what you think is good and right. 15 But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its residents, for it is certain the Lord has sent me to speak all these things directly to you.”
Jeremiah Released
16 Then the officials and all the people told the priests and prophets, “This man doesn’t deserve the death sentence, for he has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh our God!”
17 Some of the elders of the land stood up and said to all the assembled people, 18 “Micah the Moreshite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and said to all the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Lord of Hosts says:
Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become ruins, and the temple mount a forested hill.’
19 Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all the people of Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord and plead for the Lord’s favor, and did not the Lord relent concerning the disaster He had pronounced against them? We are about to bring great harm on ourselves!”
The Prophet Uriah
20 Another man was also prophesying in the name of Yahweh—Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like all those of Jeremiah. 21 King Jehoiakim, all his warriors, and all the officials heard his words, and the king tried to put him to death. When Uriah heard, he fled in fear and went to Egypt. 22 But King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor and certain other men with him went to Egypt. 23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who executed him with the sword and threw his corpse into the burial place of the common people.
24 But Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 4-5): In these verses, You remind me of the many times in the past and even in the present, that I have failed to listen to You and the instruction You provide to me, Father. Please forgive me for often faltering in this way. Forgive me for often relying on my own understanding through this life instead of listening to You. Thank You for always providing the perfect word and instruction to me, even though I do not always listen and accept what You have to say to me. Cleanse me of this stubbornness, Father, so that I may have open ears and a open heart anytime You are speaking to me through Your word.
PROMISE (verse 5): You make us a promise here that those who live by lies and deceit instead of Your word and Your truth will surely live a forsaken life full of pain and turmoil. Even the people of Judah initially had an extremely difficult time accepting this promise at first. They brought Jeremiah in with the expectation of death, but ultimately Your glory shined through Jeremiah and he was set free. The people of Judah seemed to finally understand and accept the promise You had given to them through Jeremiah.
ATTITUDE (verses 13-14): Help me to have an attitude like Jeremiah in these verses. When faced with adversity and trouble through Your name and glory, he remained strong and devoted to You through it all. He was about to be put to death, yet his focus never left You as his number 1 priority. Help me to have an attitude like this in those difficult times, Father. Help me to be more like Jeremiah, so that when I am being tested by others, I do not lose focus on You and have a righteous and God-centered attitude through all things in this life.
COMMAND (verse 4): Once again, You give us quite a simple command here, that seems to be extremely difficult for me to follow through all things in this life. You command us to listen to You and to live according to Your instructions. Help me to be better at following this command, Father. I know I won’t always succeed at this, but I do pray that with You by my side that I can slowly but surely live this life according to Your instructions more frequently than I did the day before. Continue to mold me and craft me in this life so that I can be more aligned with Your instructions the next day than I was the previous day.
EXAMPLE (verse 12-15): Jeremiah is such a bold and faithful person. After telling the people of Judah what You told him to say, the priests and such were in an uproar that someone like Jeremiah would prophecy in their temple. Jeremiah did not falter in any way, however, as he stuck to Your truths and Your words in all that he said and did in this moment. Even when they arrested him and were planning on killing him for the things he said, he did not sway in his devotion to You, Father. Help me to be more like Jeremiah in the difficult times of this life, Father, so that I may glorify You through those difficult times just as I do in the great times. Be with me through all things and remind me that You are there with me, no matter what I am going through in this life. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your always perfect and timely instruction right when I need it the most, Father.
*DAILY NOTE: I have struggled so much in my faith walk with You, Father, yet You continue to show me Your never-ending love, faithfulness, grace, and good counsel. Thank You for always lighting up my path for me, Father, even when I have been stubborn to walk it. Thank You for always trying to get me to listen to You, even when my curiosity and weakness often leads me down the dark paths in this life. Continue to work in me through the good times, Father, so that when those difficult times do come, which they will, I will be strong enough to remain in Your will for my life instead of straying into the darkness.
*GENERAL NOTE: I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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