12 Jeremiah spoke to all the officials and all the people, saying, “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the words you have heard.  Now therefore,  mend your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord  will relent of the disaster that he has pronounced against you.  14-15 But as for me, behold, I am in your hands. Do with me as seems good and right to you. Only know for certain that if you put me to death, you will bring innocent blood upon yourselves and upon this city and its inhabitants, for in truth the Lord  sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.” 16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man does not deserve the sentence of death, for he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.” 

17-19 And certain of the elders of the land arose and spoke to all the assembled people, saying,  “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and said to all the people of Judah: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “‘Zion shall be ploughed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.’ Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death?  Did he not fear the Lord and entreat the favour of the  Lord, and did not the Lord relent of the disaster that he had pronounced against them?  But we are about to bring great disaster upon ourselves.”

20-24 There was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord, Uriah the son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-jearim. He prophesied against this city and against this land in words like those of Jeremiah.  And when King Jehoiakim, with all his warriors and all the officials, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah heard of it, he was afraid and fled and escaped to Egypt. Then King Jehoiakim sent to Egypt certain men, Elnathan the son of Achbor and others with him, and they took Uriah from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, who struck him down with the sword and dumped his dead body into the burial place of the common people. But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death. Jeremiah 26:12-24 English Standard Version

Today's reading tells of three faithful prophets who were threatened with death because of the message of God's judgement on Jerusalem that they preached. One was Jeremiah. What was his defence against the threat made against his life ? (vs 14-15)

He resigned himself to whatever they would decide, but warned them of the bloodshed they would be guilty of if they killed him. In Jeremiah's case the officials realized he was preaching the same message as the prophet Micah (whose book we have in the Bible) had preached, and that the leaders in Micah's day had heeded the prophet's warning. (vs 17-19) So Jeremiah's life was spared.

But in vs 20-24 we're also told of a prophet named Uriah who was saying the same things Jeremiah was preaching. In his case the King and his officials sought to kill him and he fled for his life to Egypt. Tragically, the King had him brought back to Judea and executed him. We see something similar in the New Testament. A God fearing man named Stephen was stoned to death, while the apostle Peter was dramatically rescued by God from prison and lived to serve many more years. So too over the years some Christians have perished in persecution, while others escaped or were delivered from it.  

Perhaps the application we should make from these things are the words of the Psalm writer who said: “I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love!” (Psalm 31:14-16) Yes, our times are in God’s hands. He is able to deliver us if that is His will - but even if He doesn't – let us still not deny the Saviour, or change the message He has given us to tell to the world.