Jeremiah on Trial

Today’s Reading: JEREMIAH 26:1–19

This is an illustration of both Jeremiah’s challenging ministry and the Lord’s sovereignty in seemingly precarious circumstances.
* It may not be obvious from the excerpt, but this is presented as a sort of court case.
* Jeremiah is on trial for his life, defending himself from the accusation of blasphemy.

The announcement, “You shall die,” is a formal (if premature) verdict.
* Jeremiah is guilty unless he can prove his innocence.
* So, he states his case with boldness.

First, he repeats his prophetic warning for even the immediate audience to repent—an interesting strategy, for sure.
* He puts himself in their hands: “Do with me as seems good and right to you.”
* And he warns of the certainty of guilt as well as the fulfillment of his prophecy, as it is truly from the Lord.
* Not much of an argument, unless the officials accept his prophecy of destruction.

But God turns their hearts trough the memory of a prophecy of one of Jeremiah’s predecessors, Micah (Micah 3:12, specifically).
* What’s interesting, here, is that the ones who are convinced are the rulers and government officials, not the spiritual leaders.
* Presumably, the priests would have known Micah’s prophecy better than anyone, but they missed it.

And in that is our warning, I think.
* Let’s not call ourselves spiritual and find ourselves striving against the Spirit because we have ignored what the Lord has already spoken.