Tyndale Open Study NotesJeremiah 26

Jeremiah went on trial in front of the priests and prophets. The trial focused on the Temple's holiness because Jeremiah said the Lord would destroy both the Temple and Jerusalem.

Jeremiah stood in the Temple courtyard because the people of Judah gathered there for the yearly festivals.

The Lord gave the people a choice about their future. If they turned from their evil ways, the Lord would reconsider. The standard of judgment was his covenant with Israel (see Deuteronomy 5:1–21; 27:1–28:68). When Israel obeyed the covenant, the Lord blessed them. When Israel persistently and stubbornly disobeyed, the Lord eventually punished them.

The ancestors of the people chose disobedience, which led to the destruction of their sanctuary at Shiloh, north of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 7:12–15; 1 Samuel 1–4). In the same way, if the people in Jeremiah's time continued to disobey the covenant commands, the Temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed.

The crowd at the Temple wanted to kill Jeremiah for blasphemy because he spoke against the Temple. This charge carried the death penalty (Leviticus 24:16). The prophet's opponents argued that the Lord's holy Temple could not be destroyed. The priests and prophets believed the pagan idea that temples were indestructible because gods lived in them.

Court trials usually took place at a city gateway. At this time, city gateways were covered and had multiple chambers. This location was busy with city commerce. The city elders gathered here to offer their wisdom on legal conflicts. In this case, the officials were fair and allowed each party to present its side of the dispute.

Jeremiah said the Lord sent him to speak against the city and the Temple. He added that disaster would not happen if the people of Jerusalem obeyed the Lord.

Jeremiah calmly accepted the authority and trusted the officials with his life. However, he warned them they would be responsible if they killed an innocent man.

Jeremiah successfully defended himself. He convinced the officials and people of his innocence because he spoke for the Lord.

• In the ancient Near East, societies greatly respected wise old men. Few people lived to old age, and those who did had valuable memories.

• Micah of Moresheth lived during King Hezekiah's reign, from 728 to 686 BC, over 100 years earlier. Micah wrote a small collection of prophecies. The elders quoted a verse (Micah 3:12) predicting the destruction of Mount Zion and Jerusalem. These elders advised the people to follow Hezekiah's example by turning from sin and worshiping the Lord. Although the people of Judah decided not to harm Jeremiah, they ignored the second part of the elders' advice.

Ahikam served under King Josiah (2 Kings 22:12–14).