Read: Jeremiah 26:1-27:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 25:16
God sent Jeremiah to stand in the court of the king and tell them one more time to turn from their evil ways and follow him. He was giving them one last warning. It reminds me of a mother giving her toddler one last chance to choose to obey before she spanks him. You can fell the compassion and pain in God’s heart. He doesn’t want to bring destruction on them; he wants them to make the right choice.
Instead of making the right choice, the priests and prophets asked the officials and the people to sentence Jeremiah to death. Jeremiah argued that God had sent him and if they would repent maybe God would relent on his punishment but if they didn’t and killed him they would be adding innocent blood to their list of offenses. The officials and the people wanted to listen to Jeremiah and save his life. So did the elders.
Jeremiah gave his testimony and said that God had sent him to prophesy against that house and that city. He told them that if they repented, God would repent of what he was going to do. The officials didn’t think there was evidence to kill him since he was speaking for God. Some of the elders reminded the people of Micah who had prophesied the same thing years ago during Hezekiah’s reign. Hezekiah humbled himself and God didn’t bring the destruction. Uriah also prophesied against Jerusalem under Jehoiakim’s rule and when the king tried to kill Uriah, he fled to Egypt. Jehoiakim sent his men to fetch Uriah, brought him back and killed him and threw his body in in the burial place of the common people. This added to Jerusalem’s sins.
The scribe Ahikim supported Jeremiah who helped keep him from not being put to death.
God told Jeremiah to wear a yoke made from straps and crossbars and told him to put it on his neck and prophesy. They would be put under the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon for a time, then many nations and kings would conquer him.
Anyone who refused to serve Nebechadnezzar during this time of his rule would be punished with sword, famine or plague. So he warned the people not to listen to their false prophets who prophesied peace because peace would not come. All the vessels in the temple would be carried to Egypt along with the people. But, one day, God would bring them back to their land.
Paul told his followers to to stay away from believers who sinned and didn’t walk the Christian walk. They were to not to associate with him to make him feel ashamed. He was not to be regarded as an enemy but warned out of love.
It has been believed that we are not to judge, but we are to judge others actions in love. In the Bible, God was always raising up people to point out the sins of the people so that they could repent and be restored. We are to do the same with love.
Lord, help us to speak truth in love.
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