Jeremiah 26:20: "Now Uriah son of Shamaiah from Kiriath Jearim was another man who prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. When King Jehoiakim and all his officers and officials heard his words, the king sought to put him to death. But Uriah heard of it and fled in fear to Egypt. King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Acbor to Egypt, along with some other men. They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people."
When a people are disloyal to the Lord and follow instead their selfish desires, they will hate to hear words of truth from the Lord through His messengers. This certainly was the case with King Jehoiakim and the people of Judah during the days of Jeremiah. Jeremiah and other prophets had been sent by the Lord to these wicked people to call them to repent, with warning that the fullness of the Lord's wrath would fall upon them if they did not turn from their wickedness. God specifically instructed Jeremiah upon his calling as prophet that the people would fight against him . . . it would not be a popular ministry for those called to rebuke the wayward people of Judah. And many prophets of God suffered for fulfilling their responsibilities that the Lord had given them.
In the passage just before the cited verses above, Jeremiah had been summoned by the Lord to the courtyard of the Temple, to preach repentance. The priests, prophets, and the people at the Temple heard Jeremiah and seized him, threatening to kill him for such words of rebuke toward the people. Then, certain royal officials went to the King to tell him of the recent events and hoped to sway the king to kill the prophet of God. Jeremiah responded with a warning that if they killed him, who had come in the name of the Lord to speak the truth, they would be guilty of the death of an innocent man of God. The officials would back down this time; in a strange twist of events, these leaders feared that such punitive measures against Jeremiah would bring terrible disaster upon themselves (see 26:19).
Still, it was remembered that other prophets of God were not spared execution for prophesying against the wickedness of Judah. A prophet by the name of Uriah proclaimed the same warnings to Jehoiakim, and like Jeremiah was threatened for such words. Uriah attempted to flee for his life to the land of Egypt, but the King was so enraged by the audacity of this prophet, that he sent his henchmen to Egypt to find Uriah and bring him back presumably in chains to Judah for execution. I wonder sometimes what was racing through Uriah's mind when these bounty hunters captured him and shackled him to start the long trek back to Palestine. Day after day as he was forced a little further through the desert back to Judah, was he pondering his fate? Would the king who had been so determined to capture this man of God, relent of his anger and free the prophet of the order of execution? Would the prophet be subjected to heinous torture then be executed? Did he feel remorse that he had fled for his life in the first place? Was he determined to stand for God even if it meant his death? I'm sure that many thoughts raced through his mind as he was forced back to the court of Jehoiakim.
Whereas Uriah sought to save his life when the threats of execution first came his way, now the prophet found himself again before his accusers. Though we don't know the events that occurred just prior to the order of execution, I wonder if the king gave the prophet the opportunity of recanting of all of his proclamations in order to save his life. If this is the case, then we know from the outcome that Uriah stood for the LORD. In any event, the king ordered that his executioner draw his sword and put Uriah to death. Then in a demonstrative statement of disrespect for the emissary of the Lord, the king had the body of the prophet thrown into a common burial plot. I'm sure that Jehoiakim thought this execution would put fear in other prophets like Jeremiah who felt called to preach against the king and his subjects. Of course we know that God would not be mocked from such disdainful acts against His truth and His called ambassadors; true to His Word, the LORD would bring the mighty Babylonians to destroy these wayward people for their treasonous acts against the TRUE KING . . .THE LORD OF HOSTS.
There is a tremendous word for us in this passage. When God calls us to ministry, He doesn't promise that the road will be easy. There are likely to be hurdles and heartaches along the way. Though we may not find the same demise that Uriah faced, we still can be called to suffer for the cause of our Lord. This may take the form of alienation, betrayal, lost opportunity, or in some instances and settings, it may cost us our families, our homes, and even our lives. We don't know what the temporal future holds for us who are surrendered to our Lord as the One True King and Savior; still, we know that in eternity, our Lord will rectify all things and bless those who have been unjustly persecuted for Him.
Let us press on to be the people that God has called us to be, no matter what personal sacrifice we must give in exchange for such commitment. Whereas our surrender to the Lord may cost us everything, we know that the Lord will bless those who diligent seek Him and obey Him.
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