Jeremiah 26:24 Komentář

As in the history of the Acts of the Apostles that of their preaching and that of their suffering are interwoven, so it is in the account we have of the prophet Jeremiah; witness this chapter, where we are told, I. How faithfully he preached (Jer 26:1-6). II. How spitefully he was persecuted for so doing by the priests and the prophets (Jer 26:7-11). III. How bravely he stood to his doctrine, in the face of his persecutors (Jer 26:12-15). IV. How wonderfully he was protected and delivered by the prudence of the princes and elders (Jer 26:16-19). Though Urijah, another prophet, was about the same time put to death by Jehoiakim (Jer 26:20-23), yet Jeremiah met with those that sheltered him (Jer 26:24).

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 26 This chapter gives an account of Jeremiah's preaching; of his being apprehended by the people; of his defence of himself, and acquittance upon it. The time when, place where, and persons to whom the prophet delivered his discourse, are pointed at in Jer 26:1; the substance of it was, that if the people of the Jews would repent of their sins and turn from them, the Lord would avert the evil he had threatened them with; but if not, he would make their temple like Shiloh, and their city a curse to all the earth, Jer 26:3; upon hearing which the people seized him, and vowed he should die, because he had prophesied of the destruction of their city and temple, Jer 26:7; which the princes hearing of, came from the king's house to one of the gates of the temple, and sat as a court of judicature; to whom the priests and prophets accused Jeremiah of the above things as worthy of death, Jer 26:10; and before whom the prophet made his defence, alleging his mission and orders from the Lord; and therefore, instead of recanting, repeats his exhortation; and as for himself, he was not careful what they did to him; but advises them not to shed innocent blood, since it would bring evil upon them, Jer 26:12; upon which the princes acquit him, and declare him innocent, Jer 26:16; and this is confirmed by a like instance of Micah the prophet, in the times of Hezekiah, who prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem, and yet was not put to death, Jer 26:17; and by a contrary instance of Uriah, in the then present reign of Jehoiakim, who had been put to death for the like, but wrongly, Jer 26:20; and, in the issue, Jeremiah, through the good office of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, particularly, was saved from being put to death, Jer 26:24.

Nevertheless, the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah,.... Though this instance was urged as a precedent to go by, being lately done; or though the king's cruelty had been so lately exercised in such a manner; yet this man, who had been one of Josiah's courtiers and counsellors, Kg2 22:12; stood by Jeremiah, and used all his power, authority, and influence, in his favour: that they should not give him into the hand of the people, to put him to death; that the sanhedrim should not; who, by the last precedent mentioned, might seem inclined to it; but this great man, having several brothers, as well as other friends, that paid a regard to his arguments and solicitations; he prevailed upon them not to give leave to the people to put him to death, who appear to have been very fickle and mutable; at first they joined with the priests and false prophets against Jeremiah, to accuse him; but upon the judgment and vote of the princes, on hearing the cause, they changed their sentiments, and were for the prophet against the priests; and now, very probably, upon the instance of Urijah being given as a precedent, they altered their minds again, and were for putting him to death, could they have obtained leave of the court; and which only Ahikam's interest prevented. Next: Jeremiah Chapter 27

Jeremiah needed the help of Ahikam. How much more do we need that of God.

(Verse 20 onwards) There was also a prophet man in the name of the Lord, Uriah, the son of Shemai from Kiriath-Jearim, and he prophesied against this city and against this land, according to all the words of Jeremiah. And King Jehoiakim and all his powerful men and officials heard these words, and the king sought to put him to death. But Uriah heard about it and was afraid, so he fled and went to Egypt. And what follows: King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt, including Elnathan son of Achbor, and his men with him, but it is not found in the Septuagint. Your question: And they brought Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him to King Joakim, and he struck him with a sword, and cast his body in the graves of the common people. However, the great Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he would not be handed over to the people to be killed. It is asked why Uriah the son of Shimei from the town of Kiriath-jearim, who prophesied the same things as Jeremiah, was terrified and fled to Egypt, and when he returned, he was killed; and yet Jeremiah was able to escape, even though he certainly did not flee, but boldly persisted in his previous judgment, and was freed from the judgment of both the common people and the rulers, as well as the advice of the elders, against the accusers, the priests, and the false prophets. To briefly respond to this: it is not at all possible to know the judgment of God, since the same cause and the same opinion result in one person being punished and another being set free. Unless, perhaps, we can respond by saying that Uriah was condemned and killed by the accusers and the people, while Jeremiah was reserved for the judgment of God in order to preach to the rest of the unfortunate people and bring them to repentance. This is indeed also read in the Acts of the Apostles, where we learn that the Apostle James (Acts 12) immediately endured the sentence of Herod and was rewarded with martyrdom, while blessed Peter and the other Apostles were reserved for the teaching of the Lord. And the steadfastness of the prophet Uriah is worth noting, as he did not change his opinion even when he was brought back from Egypt, but rather, seeing that death was being planned against him, he still spoke the words that the Lord had commanded. And his fear and flight and entry into Egypt are not signs of unfaithfulness, but rather of prudence: so that we do not offer ourselves to dangers in vain. Otherwise, we also read of the Lord and Savior falling into the hands of those who pursued him (Luke 4, John 8); and he commanded the Apostles: 'When they persecute you in this city, flee to another' (Matthew 10, 23). It is also asked how Joacim, the king of Judah, of small and weakened empire, and already on the verge of perishing, had the power to send to Egypt and bring back Uriah. This is easily solved if we consider that he was appointed a ruler by the king of Egypt, Nechao, and this prophecy was made at the beginning of his reign. Although Jeremiah was freed by the help of the Lord, it is also attributed to Uriah as the one through whom the Lord freed his prophet. This Uriah is, of course, the son of Stephan, as we will read later, when Jeremiah is freed from the danger of death by the advice and assistance of Abdelech the Ethiopian eunuch (Jeremiah 38).

JEREMIAH DECLARED WORTHY OF DEATH, BUT BY THE INTERPOSITION OF AHIKAM SAVED; THE SIMILAR CASES OF MICAH AND URIJAH BEING ADDUCED IN THE PROPHET'S FAVOR. (Jer. 26:1-24) in the court--the largest court, from which he could be heard by the whole people. come to worship--Worship is vain without obedience (Sa1 15:21-22). all the words-- (Eze 3:10). diminish not a word-- (Deu 4:2; Deu 12:32; Pro 30:6; Act 20:27; Co2 2:17; Co2 4:2; Rev 22:19). Not suppressing or softening aught for fear of giving offense; nor setting forth coldly and indirectly what can only by forcible statement do good.

Ahikam--son of Shaphan the scribe, or royal secretary. He was one of those whom King Josiah, when struck by the words of the book of the law, sent to inquire of the Lord (Kg2 22:12, Kg2 22:14). Hence his interference here in behalf of Jeremiah is what we should expect from his past association with that good king. His son, Gedaliah, followed in his father's steps, so that he was chosen by the Babylonians as the one to whom they committed Jeremiah for safety after taking Jerusalem, and on whose loyalty they could depend in setting him over the remnant of the people in Judea (Jer 39:14; Kg2 25:22). people to put him to death--Princes often, when they want to destroy a good man, prefer it to be done by a popular tumult rather than by their own order, so as to reap the fruit of the crime without odium to themselves (Mat 27:20). Next: Jeremiah Chapter 27

The narrative closes with a remark as to how, amid such hostility against the prophets of God on the part of king and people, Jeremiah escaped death. This was because the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with him. This person is named in Kg2 22:12, Kg2 22:14, as one of the great men sent by King Josiah to the prophetess Hulda to inquire of her concerning the book of the law recently discovered. According to Jer 39:14; Jer 40:5, etc., he was the father of the future Chaldean governor Gedaliah.