Jeremiah 26

B. Controversies concerning false prophets chs. 26-29

These chapters contrast the true prophet of Yahweh with the false prophets. Distinguishing between them was difficult for Jeremiah’s contemporaries, but their essential difference is clear. The true prophets proclaimed the Lord’s words, and the false prophets announced their own messages (cf. 2 Peter 1:20-21). It is the response to Jeremiah’s preaching that these chapters stress, rather than the content of his preaching, which is the emphasis in chapters 1-25.

"The subject of the previous five chapters has been the certainty of judgment to come. In the next four chapters attention is directed to the man Jeremiah, who preached the message of judgment." [Note: Jensen, p. 76.]

1. Conflict with the people ch. 26

This section consists of four parts: a summary of Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon (Jeremiah 26:2-6), the prophet’s arrest and trial (Jeremiah 26:7-16), the elders’ plea for his life (Jeremiah 26:17-19; Jeremiah 26:24), and the incident involving Uriah and his execution (Jeremiah 26:20-23). As the other chapters in 26-45, this one contains an incident out of Jeremiah’s life.