Jeremiah Stands Up to Deadly Threats

Scripture

By Elder Janice Hall

Lesson Text: Jeremiah 26:1, 4-15
Related Scriptures: Jeremiah 26:16-24; 1:4-19; Acts 3:11-4-22; 5:12-26; Matthew 23:33

We see in our lesson text today that Jeremiah is in danger of death, because of the words he was commanded to speak. He was receiving opposition from the priests, prophets and the people and the charges against him were brought to the princes of Judah. Jeremiah continued to defend and explain his message.

Continuing in Jeremiah 26:16-24, we find out that Jeremiah would not be condemned because they knew the message was from God. The elders understood that it was wrong to oppose Jeremiah and try to persecute him. Jeremiah 1:4-19 describes the call and preparation  of the young Jeremiah. Although reluctant, God gave him the strength to walk in his calling.

At this point in Acts 3:11-4 :22, Peter began to preach to the crowd who had gathered because of the healing of the lame man. The focus of the sermon was about Jesus, which angered the religious leaders and consequently Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin court. In Acts 5:12-26, we see God chose to do miraculous works through the hands of the apostles. There were new believers that had emerged and there was a great expectation of miracles among the early Christians. Matthew 23: 33-36 reveals how Jesus prophesied about how the leaders would continue to reject the prophets, and all that Jesus wanted was for them to repent so they would not face judgment.

Synopsis

By Brittenne Boykin

In today’s lesson the Prophet Jeremiah finds himself once again on the opposite side of popular opinion. If you have ever been persecuted for standing for truth then you can surely identify with the Prophet Jeremiah! Jeremiah had the difficult job of speaking truth to power. Power that came in the person of a very wicked king,  while calling the people of God to repent and turn back to him.

God commanded Jeremiah to remind the people that they had refused to listen to His prophets (Jeremiah 26:5). God used Jeremiah to inform the people that should if they continue to turn a deaf ear, judgment was imminent. This did not go over well with the people. It went so poorly that the people threatened to kill him (Jeremiah26:8). 

Jeremiah made it known again that it was the Lord’s words he had spoken and boldly submitted himself to them to do with him as they would (Jeremiah 26:14) Jeremiah found courage to stand for what was right and speak the truth even at his own risk. He began and ended with the assurance that what he had said and done, God had commanded.

Practical Application

By Elder Janice Hall

When we look at our lesson today, we are grateful for the excellent and well thought out submission of the Lesson text along with the Related Scriptures. We are given an concise exposition of the Synopsis of Jeremiah 26:1, 4-15 to learn more of the life of the Prophet Jeremiah. So while approaching the Practical Application section, one may ask, how does the life of Jeremiah’s pending death threats, proclaimed prophecies, and serious issues relate to my daily life? Let’s fast forward from 608 B.C. to August 1, 2021.

When exploring this lesson and the life of Jeremiah, we can see common themes that point to our walk with Christ today. We can extract some familiar terms such as: chosen, command, commissioned, call, courageous, choice, compromise, and loving concern. As chosen vessels of Jesus Christ, we are commissioned to share the good news with all people with a call to repentance to also trust in Jesus Christ. We are careful not to compromise the word of God, and believe Him for the courage to relay the truth as did Jeremiah. Once we have accepted to follow Jesus Christ we look to be obedient to the call on our lives, to further the kingdom.

In faith, the Prophet Jeremiah was obedient to deliver the message even though it was not popular. We can be encouraged to address the difficult issues of today, such as the sinfulness of the present day. Jeremiah made it clear that his ministry and his message were not a matter of choice, but of loving concern. The choice was left to the people, but Jeremiah wanted them to realize it was a choice with consequences. We can be encouraged to continue to be diligent to stand for the truth of the word of God to a lost and dying world, whether it is received or not, we remain steadfast!