Jeremiah's Trial
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In the last hundred years there have been several “trials of the century” many you’ve probably heard of. In 1995 O.J. Simpson was acquitted for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. In 1979 Serial killer Ted Bundy was sentenced to death. In 1971 5 members of the Manson family were sentenced to death for following the instructions of Charles Manson and killing 8 people.
All of these trials are remembered because they involved shocking crimes that came with the highest punishments for those found guilty.
Jeremiah’s trial isn’t as well known but it even more important to know about because of what it says about Jesus Christ and our salvation. More about that at the end.
The “Crime”
The “Crime”
(Jer 26:1-6)
Jeremiah’s trial occured before the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem so we need to keep in mind that the book of Jeremiah isn’t entirely chronological.
Jeremiah’s “crime” was preaching the word of God and in the summary version of the first 6 verses Jeremiah warns the people that if they don’t obey God he’s going to send them great disaster.
But in Jeremiah 7, Jeremiah’s sermon is given in more detail so let’s read specifically what God was commanding.
Instead, if you really correct your ways and your actions, if you act justly toward one another, if you no longer oppress the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow and no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods, bringing harm on yourselves, I will allow you to live in this place, the land I gave to your ancestors long ago and forever.
In short, stop treating people who are disadvantaged so poorly and God will let you live.
And keep the ten commandments. In verse 9 Jeremiah preached...
“ ‘Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known?
Jeremiah goes on to say that if you do then just get out of God’s house. God doesn’t want anything to do with you if you’re unwilling to repent.
So Jeremiah’s “crime” was telling the people about their sin. But Jeremiah didn’t just tell them about their sins so that they’d feel bad and so they’d know why they were being punished.
God wanted them to listen and repent.
Perhaps they will listen and turn—each from his evil way of life—so that I might relent concerning the disaster that I plan to do to them because of the evil of their deeds.
God’s doesn’t enjoy giving people what they deserve. He loves it when people listen and turn to Him.
If the people repented God would be faithful to forgive them. The purpose of the law wasn’t just about punishment. It was also about grace. It was given to show our sinfulness that we might repent and receive grace. (Romans 5:20-21).
But failure to repent has consequences. So Jeremiah preached about that, too.
You are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to me by living according to my instruction that I set before you and by listening to the words of my servants the prophets—whom I have been sending to you time and time again, though you did not listen—I will make this temple like Shiloh. I will make this city an example for cursing for all the nations of the earth.’ ”
Shiloh is an example of a city where God used to dwell. Before the temple in Jerusalem was built the ark of the covenant was in Shiloh but when the Israelites disobeyed God He allowed the Philistines to attack and carry the ark back to their homeland. So Shiloh is an example of what happens when God removes his protecting presence.
What are some examples of what happens when God’s presence is removed? We don’t need to look any farther than our rural communities where many churches are closed. Living in a small town may seem like a dream but drug abuse runs rampant. Hopelessness and suicide go up when Christ moves out of town.
Everyone needs law and grace. Some pastors only preach the law and others only preach grace and that’s a real crime. Jeremiah preached the law but he also preached grace for those who would listen and repent. And that was his “crime.”
The Arrest
The Arrest
Jeremiah was just trying to be faithful to God’s word and as a result they had him arrested.
The priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the temple of the Lord. When he finished the address the Lord had commanded him to deliver to all the people, immediately the priests, the prophets, and all the people took hold of him, yelling, “You must surely die!
Jeremiah hadn’t murdered anyone, he had preached a sermon but that was nearly as bad as murder in some people’s minds.
Notice in verses 9 and 10 that what they though was worthy of death was that Jeremiah said bad things about their church and their city.
Jeremiah 26:9 (CSB)
How dare you prophesy in the name of the Lord, ‘This temple will become like Shiloh and this city will become an uninhabited ruin’!”
How dare he be disloyal to the church building and unpatriotic! Now, I’m not in favor of disrespecting our nation but sometimes Christians act as if that is the greatest sin of all. In some circles, saying or doing something disrespectful about America is equivalent with the unpardonable sin.
And saying something bad about someone’s church is nearly just as bad.
These people were overly proud of the wrong things and when Jeremiah call them out on it, some wanted to kill him.
Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man deserves the death sentence because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own ears.”
Thankfully, that’s not the end of the story.
The Defense
The Defense
(Jer 26:12-19)
Thanks to the judges insisting that they follow procedure (vs 10) Jeremiah wasn’t murdered by the mob. Instead, he’s given a chance to mount a defense.
First, Jeremiah reminds them that he’s just obeying God.
Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people, “The Lord sent me to prophesy all the words that you have heard against this temple and city.
How can they hold Jeremiah responsible for what God says? Ministers make mistakes and they need to be held accountable but many times when people get upset with what a preacher says it’s often God they have an issue with. It’s the people that need to change, not Jeremiah.
So now, correct your ways and deeds, and obey the Lord your God so that he might relent concerning the disaster he had pronounced against you.
Now, notice that Jeremiah wasn’t really defending himself as much as he was defending God. Jeremiah was so sure he was in the right there was no way he was going to back down. Even if they killed him he wasn’t going to change his message.
As for me, here I am in your hands; do to me what you think is good and right.
A second part of the defense involved some of the officials that were present.
Then the officials and all the people told the priests and prophets, “This man doesn’t deserve the death sentence, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God!”
Apparently some of these officials were very familiar with their Bibles because next they referred to the precedent of the prophet Micah. About a hundred years earlier Micah had been charged with a similar “crime” and what happened to him?
Did King Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah put him to death? Did not the king fear the Lord and plead for the Lord’s favor, and did not the Lord relent concerning the disaster he had pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!”
Micah preached essentially the same message as Jeremiah but he wasn’t killed. In his case the people listened and repented and God spared the city.
Now in the middle of Jeremiah’s defense there is this interesting story about...
Uriah the Prophet
Uriah is meant to provide a contrast Jeremiah. Uriah was a prophet preaching a similar message to Jeremiah’s but he ran away to Egypt instead of holding fast.
King Jehoiakim, all his warriors, and all the officials heard his words, and the king tried to put him to death. When Uriah heard, he fled in fear and went to Egypt.
So the point is be like Jeremiah, not Uriah. Uriah’s fear is understandable but not an example to follow. God’s people are to stand firm not run away. Even if they mistakenly accuse us of wrong doing we shouldn’t go hide no matter what the consequences.
They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who executed him with the sword and threw his corpse into the burial place of the common people.
Jesus said it this way Matthew 10:39 “Anyone who finds his life will lose it, and anyone who loses his life because of me will find it.”
So, trust in Christ and you’ll be saved.
The Release
The Release
Now, at this stage in Jeremiah’s trial he’s starting to realize that he still has some friends in high places willing to listen.
But Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.
It seems that this man Ahikam was directly responsible for Jeremiah’s release.
Shaphan was the scribe who read the Book of the Law to King Josiah after it was rediscovered. Ahikam was his Shaphan’s son and apparently had some weight with the court. So Jeremiah was not handed over to be put to death.
But there is another man that we all know very well who was put to death despite being even more innocent than Jeremiah.
Another “Criminal”
Another “Criminal”
Jesus as he stood before Pilate was charged with deceiving the people and plotting to overthrow the throne. But he hadn’t done either.
Like Jeremiah, he was also charged with attacking the temple. The Sanhedrin called false witnesses forward to testify...
Matthew 26:61 (CSB)
“This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ”
They tough Jesus was planning to attack their sacred temple. But Jesus was completely innocent. He was talking about his own body not the literal temple.
For thirty years Jesus hadn’t committed a single sin yet he was treated like a criminal. Like Jeremiah, He had every right to defend himself but he didn’t. Mark 14:61 tells us that after all the accusations Jesus remained silent and did not answer in order to fulfill the words of the prophet Isaiah.
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter and like a sheep silent before her shearers, he did not open his mouth.
Jesus didn’t defend himself and no one stood up to defend him either. No one opened up his Bible and read from the Prophet Micah or Jeremiah about what would happen if they condemned an innocent man to death. They all knew but but they killed him anyway.
So the guilt for Jesus’ death is upon the Jews but it is also upon all of us because Jesus died for your sins, too. We, too are able to say as it does in Matt 27:25 “His blood be on us and on our children!”
So there are many similarities between Jeremiah and Jesus, and there are differences, too. Jeremiah was declared be innocent of his crimes, but Jesus was declared by those at his trial to be guilty.
But there is a higher court of law than the Romans or the Sanhedrin that had the last word regarding Jesus. As Jesus hung on the cross he made one final appeal to His Father in heaven.
And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” Saying this, he breathed his last.
God the Father overruled the verdict of the Sanhedrin and three days later raised Jesus from the dead as absolute proof.
In a similar way that Jesus appealed to the Father for himself he also made an appeal for you. As he hung on the cross Jesus cried out in Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing.”
So on the basis of Jesus’ innocence those who trust in Him are also declared righteous. In the Father’s eyes there is no condemnation for all the crimes we have committed against him. Like Jesus, our own death sentence has been overturned because Jesus paid for our crimes. So trust in Jesus so you too will be delivered from death.