Jeremiah 26:18

Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest. MICAH - (). MORASTHITE - called so from a village of the tribe of Judah. HEZEKIAH. The precedent in the reign of such a good king proved that Jeremiah was not the only prophet, nor the first, who threatened the city and the temple without incurring death. THE MOUNTAIN OF THE HOUSE AS THE HIGH PLACES OF A FOREST - Moriah, on which stood the temple (peculiarly called "the house"), shall be covered with woods instead of buildings. Jeremiah, in quoting previous prophecies, never does so without alteration; he...

We ought to notice the time, for it might seem strange, that when that holy king was anxiously engaged in promoting the true worship of God, things were in so disordered a state as to call for so severe a denunciation. If there ever was a king really and seriously devoted to the cause of religion, doubtless he was the first and chief exemplar; he spared no labor, he never seemed to shun any danger or trouble, whenever religion required this; but we find that however strenuously he labored, he could not by his zeal and perseverance succeed in making the whole people to follow him as their leader. What then must happen, when those who ought to shew the right way to others are indifferent and slothful? In the meantime the good princes were confirmed by the example of Hezekiah, so that they did not faint or fail in their minds when they saw that success did not immediately follow his labors,...

16-24 When secure sinners are threatened with taking away the Spirit of God, and the kingdom of God, it is what is warranted from the word of God. Hezekiah who protected Micah, prospered. Did Jehoiakim, who slew Urijah, prosper? The examples of bad men, and the bad consequences of their sins, should deter from what is evil. Urijah was faithful in delivering his message, but faulty in leaving his work. And the Lord was pleased to permit him to lose his life, while Jeremiah was protected in danger. Those are safest who most simply trust in the Lord, whatever their outward circumstances may be; and that He has all men's hearts in his hands, encourages us to trust him in the way of duty. He will honour and recompense those who show kindness to such as are persecuted for his sake....

Verse Jeremiah 26:18. _MICAH THE MORASTHITE_] The same as stands among the prophets. Now all these prophesied as hard things against the land as Jeremiah has done; yet they were not put to death, for the people saw that they were sent of God....

JEREMIAH'S TRIAL AND DELIVERANCE. EXPOSITION The prophecy in Jeremiah 26:2 is a summary of that contained in Jeremiah 7:1; the narrative, which stands in no connection either with Jeremiah 24:1 or Jeremiah 27:1, relates the consequences of that bold declaration of the word of the Lord. The present position of the chapter is only surprising to those who assume that the works of the prophets were necessarily arranged chronologically. How many violations of chronological order meet us in other books, e.g. in Isaiah. It is only reasonable to

MICAH THE MORASTHITE PROPHESIED IN THE DAYS OF HEZEKIAH KING OF JUDAH,.... Or, Micah of Maresha, as the Targum. Mareshah was a city of the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:44; the native place, of this prophet; who appears, by the following quotation, to be the same Micah that stands among the minor prophets; and who is also so called, and lived in the times of Hezekiah, Micah 1:1; AND SPAKE TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH; very openly and publicly, and just as Jeremiah had done, Jeremiah 26:2; SAYING, THUS SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS, ZION SHALL BE PLOUGHED [LIKE] A FIELD, AND JERUSALEM SHALL BECOME HEAPS; Mount Zion, on part of which the temple was built, and on the other the city of David, together with

CHAPTER 26 Threatened with Death and His Deliverance _ 1. The temple like Shiloh, and Jerusalem to be a curse (Jeremiah 26:1) _ 2. Threatened with death (Jeremiah 26:8) 3. Jeremiah's defense (Jeremiah 26:12) 4. History remembered and the prophet's deliverance (Jeremiah 26:16) Jeremiah 26:1. We are now taken back to the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim. (Compare with chapter 7.) The Lord still waits in patience for their repentance. With holy boldness the prophet stands in a place w

JEREMIAH 26. DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE FORETOLD: JEREMIAH'S PERIL (608 B.C.). Jeremiah is told to proclaim in the Temple (_cf._ Jeremiah 19:14; probably at some festival) a perilous message (keep not back a word, Jeremiah 26:2), in the hope that it may produce a change (Jeremiah 18:8). Unless the people obey Yahweh, He will destroy the Temple, like that of Shiloh (Jeremiah 7:14) and make the city (an example of) a curse (Jeremiah 29:22). The priests and prophets declare that Jeremiah must die for this blasphemy ...

MICAH. The prophet whose book is called after his name. Contemporary with Hosea and Amos in Israel, and with Isaiah in Judah. See App-77. THE LORD OF HOSTS. See note on Jeremiah 6:6; 1 Samuel 1:3. ZION SHALL BE PLOWED, &C. See note on Micah 3:12. A prophecy which was wholly fulfilled as to the Jewish Zion (south of Moriah), but not as to the traditional Zion, south-west of Jerusalem. See App-68....

See introd. summary to ch....