March 7, 2004 Jeremiah 26:8-15
But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die! Why do you prophesy in the LORD’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?” And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.
When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the LORD and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD’s house. Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”
Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard. Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God. Then the LORD will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”
When Jesse and Janie got married they both decided that they wanted a dog. After a long time of searching, they finally decided on a basset hound - you know - the real sad kind of looking dog from the old Hush Puppy shoe ads. They decided to treat this dog like a royal king. Every morning they’d make him some bacon and steak to eat. They’d give him a walk two times a day, and even take him on a car ride whenever he wanted. The only problem with old Charlie was that he kind of smelled, and the bacon they gave him was known to give him some serious gas problems. As much as they loved Charlie, they didn’t want him sleeping in their bedroom. So they put his little doggy bed outside their room in the hallway. But old Charlie always wanted to sleep in their room. One night, when Jesse was gone, Janie was lonely, so she decided to let Charlie sleep at the end of their bed on the floor. However, when Jesse came back from his trip, Charlie didn’t want to go back to the hall where he belonged. As a matter of fact, he liked it at the end of the bed so much, that he decided one night to jump up and sleep on the end of the bed. Little by little, Charlie ended up sleeping right in between Jesse and Janie. They loved the dog, but this was getting a little bit much. They couldn’t sleep because of the little room they had left on the bed along with the odor the dog was giving throughout the night. As a matter of fact, they were beginning to really despise this dog that they once loved so much. Now they had the uphill battle of them of getting the dog back in the hallway where he was supposed to be in the first place.
This little story of Charlie is really a slice of what happens in peoples’ lives - even Christians’ lives, quite often - more often than we’d like. Only the issue isn’t with pet dogs, but with friends, families, or neighbors. With begging, sympathy, and downright boldness, people like to push buttons. Like Charlie, behavior and boundaries are pushed to the limit. It can happen with a teenage child not coming home on time, or a little child having a temper tantrum. It can happen with a married adult spending too much time at work or taking too much time with other friends. If you don’t say anything, they realize they can carry it a little further. The temper tantrums become worse. The family time becomes less. The drinking becomes worse. For the Jesse’s and Janie’s, the people just staying within their boundaries and wanting a good night’s rest, the stench can eventually become unbearable. Something has to be either said or done. When these things happen, what Jesus said often comes true - “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ”‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ (Mt 10:34-36) Instead of there being love in a household, there is only anger. It’s a battle of light versus darkness, good versus evil.
That’s somewhat of the situation we have with Jeremiah in today’s text. The Israelites were not living according to His design, and He just couldn’t ignore it. He has to confront evil. As we look at this text today, I want to put yourself in Jeremiah’s and the people’s shoes - and put the question to you -
When the Time Comes, How Will You React?
I. The time
The time had more than come for the relationship between God and the Israelites. Here is a sampling of some things that had occurred up to this point in their history. In 5:1 God told Jeremiah - If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city. The city was full of dishonest dealers. Jeremiah responded in 5:3 O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent. Two chapters later God said that - They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind. (7:31) You have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem.’ (11:13) Throughout these sins God had sent warnings. In chapter 7 God said, when I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward. (22-24) These were not just occasional sins of weakness. This was tantamount to out and out rebellion.
All of these things happened PRIOR to today’s text, and God had already warned them about their behavior plenty of times. Yet in an impossible display of patience and love God decided to send Jeremiah to them AGAIN to try and straighten them out. He told Jeremiah to say, If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city an object of cursing among all the nations of the earth. (Je 26:4-6) Jeremiah said that God would “make this house like Shiloh.” Shiloh was originally a city in Ephraim and also the temporary home of the Ark of the Covenant - the place where Samuel grew up. Joshua chose the city as headquarters (18:1) and had the tabernacle erected there. It was primarily a religious center and secondarily a base for military operations. Archeological excavations showed that Shiloh was destroyed around 1050 B.C. apparently by the Philistines. In 1 Samuel 4 the Israelites tried to use the Ark as a kind of good luck charm in their battle. They trusted in the Ark instead of the God of the Ark. As a result, Eli’s two evil sons - Hophni and Phinehas died. Eli fell over in his chair and died when he found out about them. On top of all that, the ark was captured as well. Shiloh was basically the Vietnam of the Israelites. It had the meaning of “loser” behind it - where they lost their connection to God in the ark and their spiritual leader in Eli and his sons. So when God said, “this place will be like Shiloh,” God was saying that they would be wiped out and lose their connection to God if they didn’t start listening to His words and doing what the law required. There would have to be consequences.
In today’s text Jeremiah explains to them why he said what he said. “The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard. Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God. Then the LORD will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. These words really portray the heartache that God was going through in sending His prophet to His people. It’s portrayed in the words that Jeremiah says, “then the LORD will relent.” The word for relent also means to comfort oneself or ease oneself. God was really uncomfortable about this relationship He had with the Israelites. It’s as if He didn’t like having to threaten Shiloh on them. They should have known better than to behave the way they were. All he wanted them to do was reform. Then HE would be comforted. He didn’t want to bring disaster on them. But He would if He had to. He had no choice if they wouldn’t change. That’s what God send Jeremiah to tell them.
One of the most difficult things to do in life is to tell somebody that they’re doing something wrong. God doesn’t call on us to nit pick and judge every questionable thing in people’s lives. But I think all of us realize that there are times in our lives where everyone can see an obviously sinful lifestyle. A son starts living with his girlfriend, or a spouse starts abusing alcohol, or a child becomes openly defiant. You know it’s wrong and should be saying or doing something to condemn the behavior. When I was at the Seminary I had a supervisor who seemed to be flirting with his secretary. Sure enough, being the nosy young adults we were, we found a diary in her desk that wrote out the details of her affair. Yet if I remember correctly, all three of us never said a thing to him, even though we knew it was happening.
Why do we do that? I believe a part of us likes having Charlie in bed with us, even though he stinks and he’s overstepped his boundaries. At least we like to stay as neutral as possible or say “it’s none of my business”, even though it’s right under our noses or in our households. We think that all we can do is let Charlie go where he wants to. Why? Because Charlie makes us feel warm and cuddly - like we’re needed and wanted. We don’t like people getting angry with us - making enemies. We know that if we say something we’ll probably lose a friend - or at least hear a lot of whining and have to put up with a lot of complaining. What’s worse, is that sometimes the very people we’re supposed to be helping we sometimes support. The spouse buys alcohol for the alcoholic. The parent gives in every time the child has a tantrum. The professional term for those kind of people are called “enablers.” It all comes down to selfishness. “I don’t want to ruin my relationship with that person”, or “I don’t want to chase him away.”
The only thing this does is make the situation worse. Like it or not, sometimes you have to be the Jeremiah and tell the loved ones what God says about their behavior. Ignoring the problem only makes it worse and allows the person to grow farther and farther from God. You have the responsibility of telling someone that his behavior is not ok. They are on the road to Shiloh - and it’s not a road of peace. These aren’t just words - God will take action. That’s how Jeremiah responded, and it’s how God wants you to react. Sometimes you have to say something.
II. The reaction
I really don’t think it’s possible for us to envision exactly what God asked Jeremiah to do. Think about how absolutely fanatical the crowds can become over in Iraq for instance. You can have thousands of people walking wall to wall down the street with an frenzied look on their faces. It’s as if they’re rabid. Imagine walking in the middle of a bunch of Muslims and telling them God was going to destroy Mecca if they didn’t repent and believe in Christ. Think about the insanity of doing something like that. Yet Jeremiah said what needed to be said. You have to give him credit. He stood right in the middle of the temple and blurted it out - even after having been whipped and put in stocks.
And how did they respond? As soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the LORD had commanded him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized him and said, “You must die! Why do you prophesy in the LORD’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?” And all the people crowded around Jeremiah in the house of the LORD. When the officials of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the LORD and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate of the LORD’s house. Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!” What was interesting to me was to note WHO responded to Jeremiah’ message. It wasn’t just the “people”, but the so-called priests and prophets that led the way in seizing Jeremiah. So notice how they responded - “the people crowded against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.” Instead of repenting and examining their own lives, the Jews responded in anger and blood thirsty threats against the prophet God had sent - putting Jeremiah on trial - as if Jeremiah was the one to blame for just speaking God’s Word. So Jeremiah tried to reason with them, As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.
This is the same way the Jews responded about six hundred years later when Christ was under trial for a similar charge. Jesus came to them and said, “I’ve got a new temple for you to worship in. It’s not made of brick and stone - it’s made of my flesh and bone.” When Jesus told them to repent and change their religious ways - they didn’t like it. Mark 14 says, The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’” (Mk 14:55-58) No matter how much Pilate tried to reason with them, they were so appalled at the thought that their temple and their religion would become like Shiloh. They were so appalled, in fact that this time they made good on their threats, as they crucified Christ for a crime he didn’t even commit.
We’ve been looking at this text from the point of Jeremiah - assuming that we’d be the ones doing the correcting. But let’s put the shoe on the other foot and examine it from the Israelites point of view. The priests and prophets primarily responded in anger because their places of authority were being taken threatened. Their system was under fire. Each and every one of us has a religious system - a way of doing things that gives us a feeling of piety and importance. There was a young lady whose system involved waiting on her husband and children hand and foot. It’s what made her feel good and important - like she was doing “her duty”. But in the process she was raising lazy children. Now imagine trying to tell this loving and kind mother that she’s sinning by pampering her children. How will she respond? Or imagine the man who thinks he’s doing his duty by working overtime and providing his family with all the luxuries of life. In his mind he’s doing his best for his family. Try and tell him to get him out of his system of overtime because he’s neglecting his family - and how will he respond? You see, when we stop and consider that WE have some things to change when we’re already doing our best, we can very easily get defensive and angry. We say, “who are you to tell me to change my ways? You don’t know what I’m going through. I’m trying as hard as I can!” The last thing we want to hear is that we are doing something wrong.
Jesus was accused of plenty of things he didn’t do wrong. He was accused of insurrection, not paying taxes, and plotting to tear down the temple in Jerusalem. He was accused of breaking the Sabbath, being a drunkard, and blasphemy. It only got worse. On the cross he was accused of being a cheat, an adulterer, a liar, and every other kind of sin in the book. Worst of all, he was punished for those things, even though he didn’t deserve it. Instead of crying, “foul” or getting angry about it however, God cried “fair.” Jesus allowed Himself to be FALSELY accused, so we could be JUSTLY acquitted. That’s the message of the Gospel - not guilty, even though we are.
So when God points the finger into your life through friends and family - and they say to you, “don’t you realize you’re working too hard,” or, “don’t you see how you’re treating your husband”, or “you’ve got to stop spending so much!”, the proper response is not to be angry or excuse your behavior - even if you’re not getting a completely fair shake. Instead of getting defensive or angry at our accusers, like David all God wants us to say is, “God have mercy on me, a sinner.” That’s the right response. Proverbs 17 says, A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool. When we realize what Christ did for us, it makes it easy, because we know God isn’t looking for perfect saints. He’s looking for sinners that he can forgive and welcome into His kingdom. When we just confess our faults, God won’t hold us accountable and our friends will forgive us, because Jesus died for all of our sins.
I remember when I was older seeing some kids have a temper tantrum and not do what their parents were telling them to. I remember thinking to myself, “my kids are never going to get away with that! No way!” I envisioned myself as a strict disciplinarian who would be able to rule the house with an iron fist. Little did I know that children could be so stubborn, and I could be so soft. I never thought it would be so tough to raise kids, but now I know not to say “never.” You never know how you’ll do until you get there.
Sometimes life puts us in situations we don’t want to be. Charlie ends up sleeping in our bed, or we end up being the Charlie in the bed. Because of the natural inclination to sin, it’s hard for us to say tough things to be, and it’s hard for us to recognize when we’re being led down the path to sin. There may come a time that you need to rebuke someone, or that you may need to be rebuked. How will you respond? The truth is that I don’t know, and neither do you. But when we have a direct connection with God, it gives us the strength to do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said. When we look at Christ get accused so we get acquitted - it makes us more willing to air our sins and change our ways - because God is so willing to forgive. That’s what made Jeremiah strong. It’s what makes us strong - so that - God willing - we react in the right way. Amen.
