Jeremiah 26

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Jeremiah 26:1-24 (KJV) 

Jeremiah reviews how chapters 1 through 25 took place:

1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,

 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: 

Jeremiah recalls that God told him to go to His House and speak to His people that came to worship in His House. God instructed Jeremiah to say only what He said and not to remove one Word He was giving him to tell the people of His House.

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. 

Tell them what I said and perhaps they will listen and I will not destroy them for the sins they won't stop committingv.

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,

 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; 

6 Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth. 

God told Jeremiah to say, if you do not listen to Me and do what I said, I will destroy you like I did Shiloh.  What happened in Shiloh?

Shiloh was the place the Ark of the Covenant resided before Solomon's temple was built.  The Ark of The Covenant was placed in Shilo.  The people sinned and again and again against God.  They were accustomed to having the presence of God with them by seeing the visibility of the Ark.  When the Philistines came upon them, they shouted so loud that the Philistines took notice of the noise because the noise was so loud that the noise shook the earth.  But that did not stop the Philistines from attacking the Israelites and they won and took what they were shouting about, the Ark of the Covenant.  God said I will have obedience rather than sacrifice.  The shout meant nothing if we are not obedient.  The ark was stolen and Shilo was destroyed.

7 So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.

The people heard Jeremiah speaking in the House of The Lord!

 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. 

The people and the leaders told Jeremiah they would kill him.

People still today want to kill the Word of God spoken to them in a manner they do not like.

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 people asked Jeremiah why did he say what he said?  The people were against Jeremiah.  Instead of being against Jeremiah, all they had to do was check God's Word to see if what he was saying was true.  That still applies today.  If you do not believe the propehet of God, check God's Word and see if the truth is being spoken.

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]. 

 A group of princes came to the place Jeremiah was after hearing what was going on at God's House.

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. 

Then the leaders spoke to the leaders above the leaders of the church and toldl them that Jeremiah deserved to die after saying what God has spoken.

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 said, I came to tell you what God said. That is all and  you want to kill me?  Read for yourself and see if I am lying.

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. 

Stop sinning and God will not do to you what I just told you.

14 As for me, behold, I [am] in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. 

Hey! it is one of me and many of you, I can't fight against you, do to me what you want.

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. 

You can kill me but know that you will be killing an innocent man.  And if you kill an innocent man you know the law, you will cause blood on yourself and the city and all the people: for God sent me to say what I said and I did.

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. 

Then the same people and the princes who showed up said this man is telling the truth and he has done nothing worth of death.

17 Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying, 

Then the older people got up and said,

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. 

This is spoken by the prophet Micah in the book of Micah.

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. 

Check your books and look at what happened when king Hezekiah was rebuked by the prophet, did he kill the messenger?  If wel kill Jeremiah do you realize what will happen to us?

20 And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah:

Jeremaih was not the only man telling the people what God said; there was also another man named Urijah who spoke as Jeremiah.

 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; 

When the leaders and the king and his might men heard that Urijah spoke the Words of Jeremiah, they put a hit out on his life; Urijah got scared and ran to Egypt;

22 And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, [namely], Elnathan the son of Achbor, and [certain] men with him into Egypt. 

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. 

The king sent men to Egypt and caught Urijah and killed him and cast his body into the common people grave yard.

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. 

Jeremiah had one person known in this chapter to stand along with him and Jeremiah was not given to the people to take his life.  God will put the right people in your life  so we can finish the course He has assigned for His purpose through Jeremiaha and us.