King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 7 notes
1In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,
2Thus 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:
3If 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.
GOD IS SO MERCIFUL. The master communicator he is.
He did everything to prevent Israel from going into captivity.
Even up until the last moments God wanted to save them and rescue them from the coming wrath.
However, I wonder why God continued to warn them when he himself had prophesied that he would take them into captivity.
I believe it was to fulfill all righteousness and leave them without excuse.
We see from the wording of the verse that it was to fulfill all righteousness, because he says
"if so be they will hearken..."
4And 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,
5To 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;
6Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.
7So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.
8Now 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.
9Why 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.
God specifically told him not to diminish what he was about to say, only for him to be arrested, and God did nothing about it nor stopped it.
Obedience to God's word doesn't always exempt you from its negative consequences.
10When 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.
11Then 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.
12Then 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.
13Therefore 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.
14As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.
15But 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.
16Then 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.
IS IT NOT FUNNY that the politicians rather appealed to the religious leaders for pardon 🙏?
They were more reasonable than the priest and saw the sense and good in what Jeremiah was saying.
He was not worthy of death ☠, but the priests thought 💭 otherwise.
This is just like Jesus; Pilate saw him not worthy of death, but the high priests and his team saw otherwise.
What an irony, that it took the princes, i.e. the politicians, to bring the voice of reason to the priests and the prophets, who were the religious leaders — what an irony indeed.
17Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,
18Micah 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.
19Did 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.
The politicians were more sensible and spiritually honest and humble than the priest and prophets — what an irony.
20And 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:
21And 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;
22And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.
23And 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.
Was this verse a counter to the first illustration, that a certain precedent had also been set historically, where a man who claimed to have prophesied in the name of the Lord was murdered by the king?
So they were justified in killing Jeremiah?
24Nevertheless 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.