Men of conviction

Brothers, on this occasion I want to tell you the story of a man named
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who became a national hero in his native India and
later called Mahatma (composed in Sanskrit and Hindi of mahā: 'great' and ātmā: 'soul'.
‘soul’). Why was this man known? For having a tremendous conviction that led him
led to practicing peaceful civil disobedience against the British empire of which
India was a colony. He claimed India's independence, as well as abandonment.
of all kinds of violence against human beings. One of its most famous phrases says
since I am imperfect and need the kindness and tolerance of others,
I must also tolerate the defects of the world until I can find the secret that
let me find a solution for you." He was a pacifist and sadly he was never able to find
that secret which could remedy the evils of this world and the imperfections and
darkness that exists in the heart of every man in this world. However, it passed to the
history for your great and determined conviction. Today I want to talk to you about that great and
wonderful secret that can bring peace and true transformation to every man and
woman upon the face of the earth: the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise,
I want to talk to you about the conviction that God commands us to have in order to live the gospel and
proclaim the gospel at all times and in any situation we may find ourselves in.
Today, please brothers, join me in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 26:

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to
Jehovah, saying: Thus says Jehovah: Stand in the courtyard of the house of Jehovah, and speak
to all the cities of Judah, that come to worship in the house of the Lord, all the
words that I sent you to speak to them; do not hold back a word. Perhaps they will listen, and they will turn back.

each one from his evil way, and I will regret the evil I plan to do to them for the
the wickedness of their works. You will tell them, then: Thus says the Lord: If you do not listen to me to
walk in my law, which I placed before you, to heed the words of my servants
the prophets, whom I send to you early and without ceasing, whom you have not heard, I
I will place this house as a Silo, and I will set this city as a curse to all the nations.
from the earth. And the priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking
these words in the house of the Lord. And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that
Jehovah had commanded him to speak to all the people, the priests, and the prophets and
the whole town seized him, saying: Surely you will die. Why have you prophesied
in the name of Jehovah, saying: This house will be like Shiloh, and this city will be desolate
until no one was left? And all the people came together against Jeremiah in the house of
Jehovah. And the princes of Judah heard these things, and they went up from the king's house to the
house of Jehovah, and they sat at the entrance of the new gate of the house of Jehovah.
Then the priests and the prophets spoke to the princes and to all the people,
Saying: This man has incurred the death penalty; because he prophesied against this.
city, as you have heard with your ears. And Jeremiah spoke to all the
princes and all the people, saying: The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and
against this city, all the words you have heard. Improve now your
ways and your works, and hear the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will repent
of the evil that has been spoken against you. As for me, here I am in your
hands; do with me as you see best and most right. But know for sure that if I
you will spill innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city and upon its
inhabitants; because truly the Lord sent me to you to say all these
words in your ears. And the princes and all the people said to the priests and
prophets: This man has not incurred the death penalty, because in the name of Jehovah
our God has spoken to us. Then some of the elders rose up
land and spoke to all the assembly of the people, saying: Micah of Moresheth prophesied
In the time of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying: Thus has
thus saith the LORD of hosts: Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become
piles of ruins, and the hill of the house like mountain peaks in the forest. Were they perhaps killed?
Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah? Did he not fear Jehová, and prayed in the presence of Jehová, and
Did Jehovah repent of the evil that he had spoken against them? Shall we then,
we such great evil against our souls? There was also a man who
prophesied in the name of Jehovah, Uriah son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath-jearim, who
he prophesied against this city and against this land, according to all the words of
Jeremiah; and the king Jehoiakim and all his nobles heard his words, and all his...
princes, and the king sought to kill him; understanding this, Uriah was afraid, and fled to
Egypt. And King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt, to Elnathan son of Achbor and others.
men with him, to Egypt; who brought Uriah out of Egypt and brought him to the king
Joacim, who was killed by the sword, and threw his body into the graves of the common people. But the
the hand of Ahikam son of Shafan was in favor of Jeremiah, so that they did not deliver him.
in the hands of the people to kill him

Let us pray to the Lord.

If we could summarize the Word we have just read, we could

to say that, even in the midst of times of spiritual darkness, God speaks to His people,
calling them to repentance and salvation, through the mouths of men whom He Himself has
called to be faithful and convinced of the message entrusted to them. Therefore, they must
be willing to pay a very high price because that is the mission that God has given them
Given. God calls us to be men and women of conviction, because our faith will be
tested, our motivations will be put in the oven of affliction and our
the determination to be faithful to the Lord will be tested to the utmost, in order to
stretching, breaking, and molding ourselves to the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A man of conviction has a life based on

Word of God (v. 1-7)

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to
Jehovah, saying: Thus says Jehovah: Stand in the courtyard of the house of Jehovah, and speak
to all the cities of Judah, that come to worship in the house of the Lord, all the
words that I sent you to speak to them; do not hold back a word. Perhaps they will listen and return.
each one from their evil way, and I will regret the harm I plan to do to them for the
the wickedness of their deeds. You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: If you do not listen to me to
walk in my law, which I set before you, to heed the words of my servants
the prophets, whom I send to you early and without ceasing, whom you have not heard, I
I will set this house as a Silo, and I will set this city as a curse to all nations.
from the earth. And the priests, the prophets, and all the people heard Jeremiah speak
these words in the house of Jehovah

This story takes place at the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, the penultimate king of Judah. His
his original name was Eliakim ("God establishes"); but Pharaoh king of Egypt changed it.
the name Joacim or Joaquim ("God raises") and made him tributary:
Then Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of Josiah his
father, and changed his name to Joacim; and he took Joacaz and brought him to Egypt, and
he died there. And Joachim paid Pharaoh the silver and the gold; but he had the land appraised to
give the money according to the command of Pharaoh, taking the silver and gold from the people
from the land, each according to the assessment of his estate, to give it to Pharaoh
Jehoahaz

He was the father of Joaquin, also known as Coniah or Jeconiah, the cursed king by
God:

As I live, says the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet ring on my right hand,
my right hand, even from there I would tear you away. I will deliver you into the hands of those who seek your
life, and in the hands of those whose sight you fear; yes, in the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon, and in the hands of the Chaldeans. I will take you and your mother who gave you captive.
the light, the foreign land where you were not born; and there you will die. And to the land to which they with
All the soul longs to return, there they will not return. Is this man Jeconiah a vessel
Despised and broken? Is it a thing that no one values? Why were they thrown away?
and their generation, and thrown to lands they had not known? Land, land, land! listen
Word of Jehovah. Thus says Jehovah: Write what will happen to this man
childless, a man to whom nothing prosperous will happen in all the days of
his life; because none of his descendants will succeed in sitting on the throne of David,
to reign over Judah” (Jeremiah 22:24-30)

During the third year of his reign, Babylon also came and besieged Jerusalem and took away
a first contingent of exiles to Babylon, including Daniel and his
friends

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon besieged Jerusalem. And the Lord delivered into his hands Jehoiakim king of Judah,
and part of the utensils of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his
God, and he placed the utensils in the house of the treasure of his God. And the king spoke to Aspenaz,
chief of his eunuchs, who brought from the children of Israel, of the royal lineage of the princes,
boys in whom there would be no blemish, good-looking, well-taught in all
wisdom, wise in science and of good understanding, and suitable to be in the palace
the king; and that he would teach them the letters and the language of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed them
ration for each day, from the provision of the food of the king, and of the wine that he drank; and
that they were raised for three years, so that at the end of them they could present themselves before the king. Among
these were Daniel, Hananiah, Misael, and Azariah, of the sons of Judah. To these the chief of
the eunuchs gave names: they named Daniel, Belteshazzar; Ananias, Shadrach; Mishael,
Mesach; and to Azariah, Abed-nego” (Daniel 1:1-7)

Later, Babylon would defeat Egypt and take its place as a world power.
who would continue enslaving Judah (Jeremiah 46:2-28). He was an evil man:

Joachim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eleven years in
Jerusalem. The name of his mother was Zebudah daughter of Pedaiah, of Rumah. And he did evil.
before the eyes of the Lord, according to all the things that their fathers had done
Kings 23:37)

"When Joakim began to reign, he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned for eleven years in
Jerusalem; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God. And he went up against him.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and brought him to Babylon bound with chains. Also
Nebuchadnezzar brought the utensils of the house of Jehovah to Babylon, and placed them in
his temple in Babylon. The other deeds of Jehoiakim, and the abominations that he did, and
what was found in it is written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah; and he reigned in
"His place Joaquín his son" (2 Chronicles 36:5-8) that exploited his people to pay
taxes to Pharaoh and still live comfortably:

Woe to the one who builds his house without justice, and his chambers without equity, using his...
neighbor for free, and not giving the salary for his work! For he says: I will build for myself
spacious house, and airy rooms; and it opens windows for her, and covers it with cedar, and paints it
vermilion. Will you reign, because you surround yourself with cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, and did he make
judgment and justice, and then did it go well for him? He judged the cause of the afflicted and of the
needy, and then it was good. Is this not knowing me? says the LORD. But
your eyes and your heart are only for your greed, and to spill innocent blood, and
for oppression and to cause harm. Therefore, thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim
son of Josiah, king of Judah: They will not mourn for him, saying: Alas, my brother! and Alas,
sister! they will not regret it, saying: Oh, lord! Oh, your greatness! In the grave of
the donkey will not be buried, dragging him and throwing him outside the gates of Jerusalem
Jeremiah 22:13-19
His reign lasted only 11 years before he was killed and the kingdom of Judah was further exploited.
by Egypt. One of the acts that illustrates the evil and apostasy of this man is the
burning of the scroll of the Law:

And Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah, in a
book roll, all the words that Jehovah had spoken to him. Then he sent
Jeremiah to Baruch, saying: I have been forbidden to enter the house of the Lord.
Come in, then, and read from this scroll that you wrote from my mouth, the words of the Lord to
the ears of the people, in the house of the Lord, on the day of fasting; and you will read them also to
the ears of all those from Judah who come from their cities. Perhaps their prayer will reach.
to the presence of the Lord, and let each one turn from his evil way; for great is the
the fury and the anger that Jehovah has expressed against this people. And Baruch son of Neriah made
according to all the things that Jeremiah the prophet commanded, reading in the book the
words of Jehovah in the house of Jehovah. And it happened in the fifth year of Joacim son
from Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast in the presence of
Jehovah and all the people of Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of
Judah and Jerusalem. And Baruch read in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of
Jehovah, in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, to the
the entrance of the new door of the house of Jehovah, to the ears of the people. And Micaiah son of
Gemariah, son of Shaphan, having heard all the words of the Lord from the book,
descended to the king's house, to the secretary's chamber, and behold, all the
princes were sitting there, namely: Elisama the secretary, Delaiah son of Semaiah,
Elnathan son of Acbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the
princes. And Micaiah told them all the words he had heard when Baruch read in
the book to the ears of the people. Then all the princes sent to Jehudi son of
Netanias, son of Selemias, son of Cushi, to say to Baruch: Take the scroll in the
what you read to the ears of the people, and come. And Baruch son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and
he came to them. And they said: Now sit down and read it to us. And Baruch read it to them. When
they heard all those words, each one turned in fear to his companion, and
they told Baruch: Without a doubt we will tell the king all these words. They then asked
Baruch, saying: Tell us now how you wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all these
words. And Baruch said to them: He dictated to me from his mouth all these words, and I wrote them.
with ink in the book. Then the princes said to Baruch: Go and hide, you and
Jeremiah, and no one knows where you are. And they entered where the king was, to the courtyard,
having deposited the roll in the chamber of Elisama the secretary; and they related it to the ears
of the king all these words. And the king sent Jehudi to take the scroll, which he
took from the chamber of Elisama the secretary, and Jehudí read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears
of all the princes who were with the king. And the king was in the winter house
in the ninth month, and there was a burning brazier before him. When Jehudi had
after reading three or four pages, the king tore it with a scribe's razor and threw it away in
the fire that was in the brazier, until the whole roll was consumed over the fire that
in the brazier there was. And they had no fear nor did the king and all his
servants who heard all these words. And although Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah
they begged the king not to burn that scroll, but he refused to listen to them. The king also commanded to
Jerameel son of Hamelech, to Seraiah son of Azriel and to Selemiah son of Abdeel, to
that they should take Baruch the scribe and the prophet Jeremiah; but the Lord hid them.
And the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after the king had burned the scroll, the words
that Baruch had written from the mouth of Jeremiah, saying: Take another scroll and
write in it all the first words that were in the first scroll that was burned
Joachim king of Judah. And you shall say to Joachim king of Judah: Thus says the Lord: You have burned
this roll, saying: Why did you write in it, saying: Certainly the king will come
Babylon will destroy this land, and will leave no men or
animals? Therefore, thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall not have
who sits on the throne of David; and his body will be cast into the heat of the day and into
ice of the night. And I will punish his wickedness in him, and in his offspring and in his servants; and
I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the men of Judah,
all the evil that I have announced to them and they did not listen. And Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to
Baruch son of Neriah, the scribe; and he wrote in it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words
from the book that Joacim king of Judah burned in the fire; and even more were added to them
many other similar words" (Jeremiah 36:4-32)
The prophet Jeremiah was given to minister in the last years of the kingdom of Judah and see the
fall of the people of God due to apostasy, immorality, and general corruption that
I lived

The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth,
In the land of Benjamin. The word of the Lord that came to him in the days of Josiah son of
Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It also came to him in days of
Joachim son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of
Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month" (Jeremiah 1:1-3)

The message that Jehovah gave to Jeremiah was a message of repentance and judgment to
Judah for his wickedness. There was still hope for them, but the content of the message and the
the situation of the people augured that the response Jeremiah would find from the people would not
It would be the best, in fact, her very life would be in danger.

However, God commands his servant not to omit any word, to preach.
and I announced boldly, urgently, and insistently, 'maybe they will listen and each one
turn from your wicked way and I regret the evil I think to do to them because of
the wickedness of their deeds" (vv. 2-3). Jeremiah was to announce the message publicly, in
the courtyard of the Lord's house, where the cities of Judah had come to worship, be
out of religiosity or ignorance, not understanding that their rituals did not reach the heart of
God, but although their lips honored Him, their hearts were far from Him.
The message of Jeremiah included the offer of forgiveness and salvation, but also the
component of the judgment: if they did not listen to obey, despite having been called
repeatedly to repentance, there would be no more forgiveness, but the house of the Lord
it would be devastated and the entire city of Jerusalem would be set as a curse and an example of the
judgment of God for all the nations of the earth.
We see that Jeremiah obeyed and all the people, priests, prophets (false prophets) and
officials heard the message of this true servant of the Lord, faithful, brave and
consecrated.

A man of conviction fears God more than man.

(v. 8-15)

And when Jeremiah had finished speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to say
he spoke to all the people, the priests and the prophets and all the people cast him out
man, saying: Surely you will die. Why have you prophesied in the name of Jehovah,
saying: This house will be like Silo, and this city will be devastated until nothing remains.
inhabitant? And all the people gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. And the
princes of Judah heard these things, and went up from the king's house to the house of the Lord,
and they sat at the entrance of the new door of the house of the Lord. Then they spoke
the priests and the prophets to the princes and to all the people, saying: In punishment of
death has come upon this man; because he prophesied against this city, like you.
you have heard with your ears. And Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and to all the
people, saying: The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city,
all the words you have heard. Improve now your ways and your works,
And you will hear the voice of the Lord your God, and the Lord will repent of the evil He has spoken.
against you. As far as I am concerned, here I am in your hands; do with me
as best and straight as you see fit. But know for certain that if you kill me, blood
innocent you will cast upon yourselves, and upon this city and upon its inhabitants; because in
Indeed, the Lord sent me to you to say all these words to you.
ears

Even in the midst of apostasy, spiritual darkness, and debauchery, God continues
speaking in His mercy to His people through faithful men whom He has
call to proclaim His word. God's solution to the evil of this world
it is His Word proclaimed through faithful men.
The prophet Jeremiah embodies one of these faithful men, who despite the
prevailing conditions in the kingdom of Judah, obeys the command of the Lord and proclaims
openly and faithfully the Word of God to all the people.
The reaction of the priests, the prophets, and all the people was to seize him and
to condemn him to death for prophesying that the house of Jehovah and the city of
Jerusalem would be destroyed. Here we see two important things:
Those called to teach the Word of God and those called to receive the
God's word is against Jeremiah. There is no sign of repentance, they do not
they heard this message from the Lord, they are not looking at the causes that lead the Lord to
to pronounce such a terrible judgment. What they are witnessing is the affront to the status and honor of
a city and a temple that only worship the Lord in appearances, but whose heart is
completely far from Him.
These men are joined by the political leaders of Judah, who come from the house
from the king to the temple of the Lord and they convene an assembly, where the priests and prophets
Jeremiah is once again accused and condemned to death for prophesying against the.
city and the temple, just as the Lord had sent them. Something that is surprising is the
degree of spiritual darkness in which the religious leaders of the kingdom found themselves
Judah. Both the prophets and the priests did not know the Law, and if they knew it, they
they twisted to fit their perverted reality. Likewise, they prophesied without the Lord
they sent them and prophesied lies to the people, making them trust in the goodness and grace of the
Sir, even when they had not repented of their sins, of their wickedness and of their evils.
roads

Because of the prophets, my heart is broken within me, all my bones

I tremble; I am like a drunkard, and like a man dominated by wine, in front of
Jehovah, and before His holy words. Because the land is full of adulterers; to
due to the curse, the land is desolate; the desert grasslands have dried up; the
their career was bad, and their courage is not right. Because both the prophet and the
the priests are wicked; even in my house I found their wickedness, says the Lord. Therefore, their
the path will be like slides in darkness; they will be pushed, and they will fall into it; because
I will bring evil upon them in the year of their punishment, says the Lord. In the prophets of
In Samaria I have seen foolishness; they prophesied in the name of Baal and led my people astray.
people of Israel. And in the prophets of Jerusalem, I have seen foolishness; they committed adultery,
they walked in lies, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that none could
Turn from your wickedness; they all became like Sodom, and its inhabitants
like Gomorrah. Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts against those
prophets: Behold, I will make them eat wormwood, and I will make them drink water of gall; because
from the prophets of Jerusalem came hypocrisy over all the earth. Thus it has been said
The Lord of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you;
they feed on vain hopes; they speak visions of their own heart, not from the mouth of
Jehovah. They boldly say to those who irritate me: Jehovah said: You will have peace; and to
Anyone who follows the stubbornness of their heart says: No harm will come upon us.
you. For who has been in the secret of the Lord, and has seen and heard his word?
Who was attentive to his word, and heard it? Behold, the tempest of the Lord
will come out with fury; and the storm that is prepared will fall upon the head of the
evil. The fury of the LORD will not turn away until he has done it, and until he has...
the thoughts of his heart are fulfilled; in the last days you will understand it
faithfully. I did not send those prophets, but they ran; I did not speak to them, but
they were prophesying. But if they had been in my secret, they would have made my voice heard
words to my people, and they would have brought him back from his evil path, and from wickedness of
His works. Am I a God close at hand, says the Lord, and not a God far away?
Will any hide in secret places that I do not see? Says Jehovah, do I not fill...
Jehovah, the heaven and the earth? I have heard what those prophets said, prophesying
Lie in my name, saying: I dreamed, I dreamed. How long will this be in the heart
of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their heart? Do not
They think about how they make my village forget my name with their dreams that every
one tells his companion, as if his parents forgot my name because
Baal? The prophet who has a dream, let him tell the dream; and he to whom my...
word, tell my true word. What does straw have to do with wheat? says
Jehovah. Is not my word like fire, says Jehovah, and like a hammer that breaks the
stone?” (Jeremiah 23:9-29)

The spiritual darkness of Israel emanated from the spiritual darkness of the leaders.
religious. If the light stops shining, all that remains in the world is darkness and
darkness. These men were so blind that despite being just a few years away from
total disaster, they do not repent, they do not examine themselves, they do not seek the Lord nor cry out for Him
mercy, but they desperately want to silence one of the few voices that
he discovers their sin and condemns them.

The attack against Jeremiah was an attack against the Word of God and against the God of the
Word. They were rebels at heart, a nation with a stiff neck, that it
all they wanted was to maintain their position of power, status, comfort, and benefits.
of their cauterized conscience. They did not love God, they did not love the Word of God, they did not
they were willing to repent and preferred to live in the lie that "everything was

In the face of false accusations, Jeremiah bravely presents his defense. In this
the assembly is not judging just a man, it is judging the Word of God and it
is accusing God of acting consistently with His Word. The Lord does a lot
he announced that if the people rebelled and went after false gods, he would judge them and cast them out
the nations. God announced that while it is true the temple was the dwelling of his glory,
if they perverted it, God would deliver that temple to ruin and destruction:

So Solomon finished the house of the Lord, and the house of the king; and all that Solomon had
he proposed to do in the house of Jehovah, and in his own house, he was prospered. And it appeared
Jehovah spoke to Solomon at night, and said: I have heard your prayer, and I have chosen for myself this
place for a house of sacrifice. If I close the heavens so that there is no rain, and if
send the locust to consume the land, or if I send pestilence to my people; if they
humble my people, over whom my name is invoked, and they will pray, and seek my
face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and
I will forgive their sins, and I will heal their land. Now my eyes will be opened and attentive
my ears to the prayer in this place; for now I have chosen and sanctified this house,
so that my name will be in it forever; and my eyes and my heart will be there
forever. And if you walk before me as David your father walked, and do
all the things that I have commanded you, and you shall keep my statutes and my decrees, I
I will confirm the throne of your kingdom, as I promised David your father, saying: You will not lack
man who rules in Israel. But if you turn back and abandon my statutes and
commandments that I have set before you, and you go and serve other gods,
and you will worship them, I will uproot you from my land that I have given you; and this house that I have
sanctified to my name, I will cast her away from my presence, and I will put her for mockery and
scorn of all the towns. And this house which is so exalted, will be a terror to all the
What will happen, and he will say: Why has the Lord done this to this land and to this house? And he will...
They will answer: Because they left the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land
from Egypt, and they have embraced foreign gods, and they worshiped and served them; therefore he has
brought all this evil upon them" (2 Chronicles 7:11-22)

The only thing God was doing was fulfilling His Word and exercising His right.
as Lord of all the earth and as Owner and Master of Israel. They did not fulfill the
covenant, then God in His patience sent them prophets time and again, but they did not
they obeyed, so now we see that God, His anger already filled, executes His judgment against
Judah
Jeremiah makes several things clear:

God himself sent him to prophesy against the temple and against Jerusalem. Jeremiah
is acting under the authority of God and speaking the Words of God, so all
Opposition to Jeremiah is a direct opposition to the Lord.
Despite the announcement of the trial, there is still hope for the Lord's mercy, yes
they regret their bad ways. God will not execute judgment if they
They change their wrongdoing and truly seek God.
Jeremiah is not going to change his message, nor is he going to lower the tone of what God
he is only speaking to please the people or even to save his life. The
he knows the price of his call and is willing to pay it. However, he announces
clearly, if they kill him, that would add one more sin to the many sins he already has
the people have sinned before the Lord, for he is innocent, he has only done what he
The Lord has sent you to do.

A man of conviction rests on the capabilities and the

the power that God gives him and not in his own strength (vv. 16-19)

And the princes and all the people said to the priests and prophets: He has not incurred
this man on death row, because in the name of Jehovah our God has us
Then some of the elders of the land rose up and spoke to all
the meeting of the people, saying: Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the time of Hezekiah
king of Judah, and he spoke to all the people of Judah, saying: Thus says the Lord of the
armies: Zion shall be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, and
the mountain of the house like forest peaks. Was he killed by Hezekiah, king of Judah?
And all Judah? Did they not fear the Lord, and prayed in the presence of the Lord, and the Lord repented?
of the evil that had been spoken against them? Shall we, then, do so great an evil against
our souls?
Jeremiah's defense produced a reaction among political leaders and the people.
who abandoned condemning him to death. The religious leaders, incredibly still
they remained hardened in their hearts to kill this true prophet of the Lord.
Some elders stood up and spoke to the assembly, calling to memory the
life, testimony and message of Micah of Moresheth ('Who is like Jehovah?'), prophet
who ministered alongside the famous prophet Isaiah and lived years before that
Jeremiah, in the times of King Hezekiah. This prophet, of the occupation of a farmer, received the
Word of the Lord and announced a message very similar to the leaders of the people of Israel
because of their sins:

I said: Hear now, princes of Jacob, and chiefs of the house of Israel: Does it not concern
Do you know what is just? You who hate what is good and love what is evil, who
you strip off their skin and flesh from the bones; for you also eat the flesh of my
people, and you skin them alive, and you break their bones and shatter them
as for the cauldron, and as for meats in the pot. Then you will cry out to the Lord, and you will not
he will answer; rather, he will hide his face from you at that time, because you have done
wicked deeds. Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray.
people, and they cry: Peace, when they have something to eat, and to the one who does not give them food,
proclaim war against him: Therefore, from the prophecy you will have night, and darkness of
to guess; and the sun will set upon the prophets, and the day will darken over them. And
the prophets will be ashamed, and the diviners will be confused; and all of them will be silenced
his lips, for there is no answer from God. But I am filled with the power of the Spirit
of Jehovah, and of judgment and of strength, to denounce to Jacob his rebellion, and to Israel his
sin. Now hear this, you leaders of the house of Jacob, and captains of the house of Israel, who
you abominate judgment, and pervert all justice; you build up Zion with blood, and to
Jerusalem with injustice. Its leaders judge for bribes, and its priests teach for
price, and its prophets prophesy for money; and they lean on the Lord, saying: Is it not
Jehovah among us? No harm will come upon us. Therefore, because of you
Sion will be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps of ruins, and the mountain
from the house like the peaks of the forest” (Micah 3:1-12)

Although the Word of God does not specify it, these elders say that King Hezekiah,
before the proclamation of the Word of God through the mouth of Micah, he feared the Lord, he
he humbled himself before the Word of the Lord and pleaded for the Lord's favor and mercy. The
The attitude of this man shaped the attitude of all the people of Judah, and for this reason, Hezekiah
he was the protagonist of one of the greatest revivals that has ever been experienced
the people of Judah. Due to this attitude towards the Word of God, the Lord acted and did not
he executed the judgment that he had announced for Judah. Throughout the reign of Hezekiah
there was peace, prosperity, and blessing. The attitude we have towards the Word of God
dictates much of God's dealings with us. The Lord blesses the people who
tremble and fear His Word, which gives a reverent place and builds his life on
she.
Micah is another example of a faithful servant ('But I am filled with the power of the Spirit
of Jehovah, and of judgment and of strength, to denounce to Jacob his rebellion, and to Israel his
"sin" - Micah 3:8) who proclaims the Word of God to the people without fear.
Hezekiah is the example of a man called to reign with a heart aligned with
heart of God (2 Chronicles 29:3-10). He trembled before the Word of God and obeyed it,
changing the destiny of the nation, from one of ruin and destruction, to one of the greatest
revivals that Judah once experienced.
If the political and religious leaders of Jeremiah's time condemned him to death,
they bore witness to evil and spiritual blindness, because their very ancestors
they trembled at the Word of God upon hearing the same message from God.

A man of conviction pays the price and must take responsibility.

responsibility of your calling (v. 20-24)

There was also a man who prophesied in the name of Jehovah, Uriah son of
Semaías, from Kiriath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land,
according to all the words of Jeremiah; and the king Jehoiakim heard his words and
all his great ones, and all his princes, and the king sought to kill him; understanding this
Urías was afraid and fled to Egypt. And King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt, to Elnathan.
son of Acbor and other men with him, to Egypt; who brought Urias out of Egypt and
They brought him to King Jehoiakim, who killed him with the sword and cast his body into the tombs.
of the common people. But the hand of Ahikam son of Shaphan was in favor of Jeremiah, so that
do not deliver him into the hands of the people to kill him

Here we see another story that works as a contrast: where Micah preached with
fidelity and it was heard by a good ruler; we see Uriah, an unknown prophet
who preached the same message but was pursued by King Jehoiakim, an evil king,
who ended up killing him.
We don't know anything else about Uriah ('my light is Jehovah'), only that he had been
commissioned by the Lord with the same message as Jeremiah and Micah. Just as
they, he also preached faithfully the entrusted message and when King Jehoiakim
and his close ones heard the words, they tried to kill him. Here is where we see a
different reaction between Uriah and the others. While Jeremiah stood bravely
faced with the threat of death, Uriah was afraid, fled, and went to Egypt. His conviction was
he broke down for a moment and reacted with fear, seeking refuge in a pagan nation.
That did not stop Joacim, the evil king, for he sent men to Egypt, they captured him, they
they brought the king and killed him, throwing his corpse into a mass grave, a tomb of the
vulgar, as if he had never been called by God, as if the prophetic mantle had not
it would have been placed on him.

We do not excuse Joacim. This wicked king destroyed the Word of God, killed a
prophet of the Lord, and had corrupted the heart of his people so that now all of them
they opposed the truth and were about to kill another true prophet of the Lord. This
the wicked king condemned not only his own life but also that of his entire nation with the harshness of his
heart and its lack of fear of God and the Word of the Lord.
We also recognize that the price of serving God with conviction is high.
Jeremiah was about to die for his faithfulness to God. Uriah indeed died.
the hands of this king, but we cannot help but think that his fear of man unleashed
this fatal outcome. Dying in front of the man, remaining faithful until death has
another weight of testimony unlike dying hidden in a pagan nation,
escaping from man, fearing a king more than God who sent him.
Urias is an example of the price that must be paid for the ministry that God grants us.
entrustment and it is also an example of the danger we face when we fear more than
man of God.

Conclusions

In this narrative, we see three men called by God: Micah, Jeremiah, and Uriah.
None of them were perfect, none of them were capable by themselves of doing what
they did, but God empowered them, called them, put his Spirit in them and these
men were faithful to their calling and to the Word of God. These men lived with
conviction, one of them stumbled and feared man more than God and therefore paid with
your own life, because we are called to be responsible for what we teach and
we preach.

But beyond this, I want us to notice, brothers, that here we also see a type
wonderful of our Lord Jesus Christ, who testified to the truth of God
before the Jewish religious and political authorities (Pontius Pilate). Christ came to give
testimony of the truth of God:

Then Pilate went back into the praetorium, and called Jesus and said to him: Are you the
King of the Jews? Jesus answered him, Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you about me?
Others of me? Pilate answered him: Am I a Jew? Your nation, and the chief...
priests, they have delivered you to me. What have you done? Jesus replied: My kingdom is not
of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight so that I
was not delivered to the Jews; but my kingdom is not of this world. Pilate said to him then:
Then, are you a king? Jesus answered: You say that I am a king. For this, I was born.
And for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of
the truth, listen to my voice" (John 18:33-37)

and he was also willing to give his life for the sake of the Lord's commission.
God sent Jeremiah to proclaim the truth of God to the people. God sent His own
Son to announce the kingdom of God and to die for the sins of humanity. Christ, thus
like Jeremiah, was accused and judged unjustly. Jeremiah was delivered by the hand
of the Lord. However, God allowed His Son to be condemned and die on the cross
to shed his blood for the sins of all humanity, thus paying the penalty and
the wrath of God and providing salvation for all who believe.

Tonight I invite you to look at these three heroes of the faith, but above all I invite you
to look at the Author and finisher of faith: the Lord Jesus Christ, the man of conviction
by excellence, who out of love for the Father and obedience to God, suffered death and death
for the joy set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God:

our salvation.

Let us pray to the Lord.