Like Shiloh
Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen to me and follow my law, which I have set before you, and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened), then I will make this house like Shiloh and this city a curse among all the nations of the earth.’”
Jeremiah 26:3-6
God gives Jeremiah another message for the people in hopes that they would listen and repent. Ironically, it says they do listen (verse 7), but their response isn’t what was desired. They wanted to put Jeremiah to death! That wasn’t the desired response. Why do the people respond so vehemently against the idea of God’s house being made like Shiloh? What was Shiloh?
When the people of Israel first conquered the land, the tabernacle was set up at Shiloh (Joshua 18:1), where it remained for a couple of centuries. It’s mentioned in Judges and 1 Samuel. However, at some point, the site was destroyed, presumably by the Philistines. The difficulty is that the Bible doesn’t tell the story of its destruction. It simply disappears and a few passages hint back at its destruction. (See Psalm 78:60 and Jeremiah 7:12-14).
Jeremiah wants to make sure the people don’t think they’re invulnerable because God’s temple is in their city. Shiloh wasn’t immune to destruction, nor was Jerusalem.
Uriah the Prophet
(Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did.
Jeremiah 26:20
Jeremiah wasn’t the only prophet at that time. This chapter ends with a side story about the prophet Uriah, who is otherwise unknown. He preached a similar message as Jeremiah and wasn’t received well either. Unlike Jeremiah, when he felt in danger, he fled in fear to Egypt. He was caught and brought back to the king and put to death. Why is this short tale here? We need to recognize when the people are calling for Jeremiah’s death, these weren’t mere words. He was in real danger but was protected.
This makes me wonder: how many other prophets were there which we know little or nothing about? This chapter talks about (false) prophets opposing Jeremiah. Other passages talk about the “company of the prophets” (e.g. 2 Kings 2:15). The role of a prophet in that culture was a given, whereas they are unheard of in our day (at least in my culture). Even the New Testament mentions prophets being in the believing communities (See Acts 13:1, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11). Could we be missing something today?
To Ponder…
- If someone claimed to have a prophetic word from God, how would you respond? Would you believe it?
- When under pressure, do you give in to fear or trust the Lord?
