Topical Bible: Rulers: Wicked: And Persecuting Jeremiah

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The prophet Jeremiah, often referred to as the "weeping prophet," faced significant persecution from the rulers of his time. His ministry, which spanned the reigns of several kings of Judah, was marked by his unwavering commitment to delivering God's messages, even in the face of severe opposition and hostility from the ruling authorities.

Jeremiah's Call and Mission

Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet during the thirteenth year of King Josiah's reign (Jeremiah 1:2). His mission was to proclaim God's impending judgment on Judah due to their persistent idolatry and disobedience. Despite the initial reforms under Josiah, the subsequent kings did not follow in his footsteps, leading to increased wickedness and corruption.

Persecution Under King Jehoiakim

King Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, was particularly hostile towards Jeremiah. Jehoiakim's reign was characterized by a blatant disregard for God's law and a propensity for violence and oppression. Jeremiah's prophecies against Jerusalem and the temple were met with fierce resistance. In Jeremiah 26, the prophet's life was threatened after he delivered a message of destruction against the city. The officials and people seized him, declaring, "You must surely die!" (Jeremiah 26:8). However, the elders of the land defended Jeremiah, recalling the precedent set by the prophet Micah, and he was spared.

Jehoiakim's animosity towards Jeremiah is further illustrated in Jeremiah 36. When Jeremiah's scribe, Baruch, read the scroll containing Jeremiah's prophecies, Jehoiakim reacted by cutting the scroll with a knife and burning it in the fire (Jeremiah 36:23). This act of defiance against God's word exemplified the king's wickedness and his refusal to heed divine warnings.

Suffering Under King Zedekiah

King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, also played a role in Jeremiah's persecution. Although Zedekiah occasionally sought Jeremiah's counsel, he lacked the courage to act on the prophet's warnings. The princes of Judah, who were influential in Zedekiah's court, were vehemently opposed to Jeremiah. They accused him of demoralizing the troops and the people by prophesying the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians.

In Jeremiah 38, the princes demanded Jeremiah's death, arguing that his words weakened the resolve of the soldiers. Zedekiah, succumbing to their pressure, allowed them to imprison Jeremiah in a cistern, where he sank into the mud (Jeremiah 38:6). It was only through the intervention of Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian official, that Jeremiah was rescued from this dire situation.

Jeremiah's Endurance and Faithfulness

Throughout his ministry, Jeremiah remained steadfast in his commitment to God's call, despite the relentless persecution from the rulers of Judah. His experiences serve as a testament to the challenges faced by those who speak truth to power. Jeremiah's life and ministry highlight the tension between divine authority and human governance, illustrating the consequences of rejecting God's word.

Jeremiah's perseverance under wicked rulers underscores the prophet's role as a faithful servant of God, willing to endure suffering for the sake of delivering God's message to a rebellious nation. His account is a powerful reminder of the cost of discipleship and the enduring nature of God's truth, even in the face of human opposition.

Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 38:5,6
Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

That it is not Lawful for the Well Affected Subjects to Concur in ...
... it, we shall not join until our rulers join first ... not to have associated with these
persecuting servants, and ... children of men and that the wicked walked round ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/section iv that it is.htm

1 Cor. Iii. 3-Jan
... For it may be that rulers are wicked and polluted ... was more vehement than any one
in warring and persecuting? ... before he hath been casting down the rulers of the ...
/.../homilies on the epistles of paul to the corinthians/homily viii 1 cor iii.htm

Demonstration xxi. --Of Persecution.
... Gomorrha ought they to dwell with the rulers of Sodom ... took to wife the daughter of
the wicked and unclean ... midst of the day, that the persecuting people which ...
/.../aphrahat/aphrahat select demonstrations/demonstration xxi of persecution.htm

Thessalonica
... "He made His grave with the wicked, and with the ... Jesus of Nazareth, whom he had been
persecuting in the ... drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 22 thessalonica.htm

Messiah Despised, and Rejected of Men
... would not have joined with them in persecuting the prophets ... could say, Have any of
the rulers or Pharisees ... the powers of darkness and from wicked men, when He ...
/.../newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xvii messiah despised and.htm

Treatise on Christ and Antichrist.
... at meeting thee: all the mighty ones, the rulers of the ... shalt not abide, enduring
for ever, a wicked seed ... and to glorify himself as God, persecuting the saints ...
/.../treatise on christ and antichrist.htm

Of Antichrist, and his Ruin: and of the Slaying the Witnesses.
... The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers. ... Now
they will have none to put them upon persecuting of the saints! ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/of antichrist and his ruin .htm

Interpretation of Prophecy.
... (4.) No persecuting power comes ... of the triple league between Satan, wicked kings,
and wicked priests for ... the vain conspiracy of the heathen rulers against the ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxviii interpretation of prophecy.htm

A Plea Regarding Christians by Athenagoras, the Athenian
... there be any good reason for persecuting us, because we ... prince of matter became
negligent and wicked in managing ... said, the Egyptians had gods for their rulers. ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/a plea regarding christians by.htm

Acts of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul.
... But the rulers of the Jews assailed Peter. ... affirms himself to be; but this is a most
wicked man, and ... I am the truth which you persecutest; cease persecuting me ...
/.../unknown/acts of the holy apostles peter and paul/acts of the holy apostles.htm