August 15, 2016 Bible Study — Those Who Speak God’s Word Will Face Opposition

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on Jeremiah 26-27.

    Jeremiah prophesied that the Temple and all of Jerusalem would be destroyed if the people did not turn from their sins. Rather than support him the priests and prophets, the religious leaders, accused him of treason and demanded that he be put to death. I will be perfectly honest, as I read this I was a little confused as to who wanted to have Jeremiah killed and who defended him. However, it seems to me that those who wanted to be perceived as religious (the prophets, priests, and the people who were in the Temple at the time) were outraged that Jeremiah suggested that God had withdrawn His protection from Jerusalem. Some of the secular authorities intervened and saved Jeremiah from the mob. However, at the end of this portion of the passage, we are told that another prophet speaking the same message as Jeremiah (or, at least a very similar one) was killed on the orders of the king. The most important part of this passage, in my opinion, is the reminder that calling sinners to repentance can be dangerous, especially when those sinners perceive themselves to be righteous.