Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Jeremiah Chapter 26
Metaphysically Interpreting Jeremiah 26:1-24
26:1In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, came this word from Jehovah, saying, 26:2Thus saith Jehovah: Stand in the court of Jehovah's house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in Jehovah's house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word. 26:3It may be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way; that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings. 26:4And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah: If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you, 26:5to hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I send unto you, even rising up early and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; 26:6then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.
26:7And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah. 26:8And it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that Jehovah had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold on him, saying, Thou shalt surely die. 26:9Why hast thou prophesied in the name of Jehovah, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate, without inhabitant? And all the people were gathered unto Jeremiah in the house of Jehovah.
26:10And when the princes of Judah heard these things, they came up from the king's house unto the house of Jehovah; and they sat in the entry of the new gate of Jehovah's house. 26:11Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy of death; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.
26:12Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, Jehovah sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard. 26:13Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of Jehovah your God; and Jehovah will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you. 26:14But as for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as is good and right in your eyes. 26:15Only know ye for certain that, if ye put me to death, ye will bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof; for of a truth Jehovah hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears.
26:16Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets: This man is not worthy of death; for he hath spoken to us in the name of Jehovah our God. 26:17Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,26:18Micah the Morashtite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and he spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts:
Zion shall be plowed as a field,
and Jerusalem shall become heaps,
and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.26:19Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? did he not fear Jehovah, and entreat the favor of Jehovah, and Jehovah repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus should we commit great evil against our own souls.
26:20And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of Jehovah, Uriah the son of Shemaiah of Kiriath-jearim; and he prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah: 26:21and when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty-men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Uriah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt: 26:22and Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him, into Egypt; 26:23and they fetched forth Uriah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
26:24But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.
January 23, 1916: Jeremiah 26:7-19
There is always hope for the repentant sinner. A repentant state of mind is an exceedingly good state for one who has been on the error side. If you find yourself suffering the result of transgressed law, begin at once a righteous repentance.
In this lesson the Israelites are pictured in distress, the result of their failure to follow the commandments of the Lord. The land is full of idols, and immorality was rampant everywhere. Jeremiah prophesied disaster and desolation unless the people repented, and the priests proposed that he be put to death for speaking such words. The princes and the people listened to the warning voice and heeded it.
All the misery in the world today is the result of man's failure to obey God's laws. On every hand are prophets of the Lord calling attention to this truth, but as in the days of Jeremiah, the priests would have them and their message killed out. Instead of teaching the truth that disease of mind and body is the result of sin, the popular pastors of the people are helping in the futile search for material causes and drug remedies. They preach to the people about the idolatry of the Israelites, yet fail to see that they have made idols of and are giving God-power to ten thousand sensuous things. There certainly is great need of righteous repentance.
Sin is not such an awful thing in the sight of God. Jesus taught that even man had power to forgive sin. It is the unrepentant sinner who is the object of such concern. The sin against the Holy Ghost, that cannot be forgiven, is the determination not to repent nor ask for pardon. God is the Great Mind of the Universe, and when man takes the right mental attitude, an adjustment of the individual thought to the divine idea at once sets in. Then all things become possible and, although your sins be as scarlet, God can make you white as snow.
John came saying, “Repent ye, repent ye.” One version renders this, “change your mind, change your mind.” It is right thinking that strengthens the weak cells of the frail one, and purifies the muddy life stream of the congested body.
Although your sins be mountain high, a very little faith in the power of God will remove that mountain and cast it into the sea. Do not be discouraged because you have repented, have been forgiven, and then have sinned again and again. Plenty of people do that every day and God forgives them. They go steadily forward in righteousness, because they know how to repent. It is much better to put your energy into repentance rather than into regrets and agonies over your transgressions. Only repent, and ye shall be saved.
“And he spake unto them this parable, saying, What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over the ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance” (Luke 15:4).
– UNITY magazine.
January 23, 1916: Jeremiah 26:7-19
What is repentance? Repentance is that change of mind which turns will and desire away from sin and error toward righteousness.
What is remission of sin? It is release from the power of sin and from the possibility of suffering the results of sin.
Why is there need of remission? Because “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
What is sin? Sin is any departure from the Truth of Being.
What will be the result of perfect repentance and full remission of sin? Such an opening of the mind to the Truth and righteousness of the Christ Mind that the perfect body and eternal life will be demonstrated.
May 28, 1922: Jeremiah 26:8-16
What does the prophet Jeremiah represent in man's consciousness? Jeremiah represents spiritual consciousness, connecting us with Divine Mind. Spiritual consciousness sees the result of neglecting to make daily contact with God in prayer and in observance of Divine Law, and prophesies disaster like that which came to Shiloh ([which place means] peace of mind).
What is it that would kill the inner urge to righteousness? The mind of sense that fails to see the result of neglecting continuous contact with God.
When one sees the necessity of a better observance of Divine Law, what should be done? One should repent, that is, change the thoughts that have been active in the attainment of selfish ends and make all thoughts active in attaining understanding of God and his laws.
Who are the idolatrous Israelites today? People who claim to serve God, who is Spirit, yet who have faith in the power of material things to save them from sickness, poverty, unhappiness, and other ills of mind and body.
What is the unforgivable sin? All sinful thoughts are forgiven, except the thoughts that do not ask forgiveness. One who is truly repentant, who willingly changes the thoughts of his mind to the thoughts of God-Mind, will surely be saved from sin and from the effects of sin in mind and in body.
May 25, 1924: Jeremiah 26:8-16
What is the meaning of the word Jeremiah? Jeremiah means “Jah is high.” Another definition is “The exalted one.” Spiritual discernment reveals Jeremiah to be man’s highest concept of the divine law and its workings in human consciousness.
As a nation, what was the condition of Israel in the time of Jeremiah, the prophet? Israel was in great distress, spiritually, mentally, and physically, the result of its failure to follow the commandments of Jehovah. The land was full of idols and immorality was rampant.
What was the message of Jeremiah to the children of Israel? The message of Jeremiah was a call to repentance for transgressed law. Jeremiah said that the sensuous lives of the people would end in disaster and desolation, unless they repented.
When Jeremiah prophesied the desolation that would come upon the children of Israel, how did they answer him? They said: “Thou shalt surely die,” but afterward the people said: “This man is not worthy of death; for he hath spoken to us in the name of Jehovah our God.”
Do we find in the world today any parallel of this condition of the children of Israel? Materialism is dominant today, not only in the world's affairs, but in its religions. The people are not searching out the divine law, neither are they looking to God to save them from their many ills of mind, body, and affairs.
Are there any prophets like Jeremiah in this day? A number of religious prophets are found today, usually outside of the popularly recognized religions. Statesmen like Lloyd George, and philosophers like H. G. Wells are prophesying disaster to the world’s civilization unless we incorporate the divine law into our affairs.
Was Jeremiah recognized by the priests and the prophets of the Jewish church as one of their authorized mouthpieces? No. Jeremiah, like Elijah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, was an outlaw prophet.
What evidence has everyone that the divine law has been transgressed? Each individual has evidence in the ills of his body that the divine law has been broken and that he is a sinner.
Who, above all other prophets, preached that sin is the cause of sickness? Jesus of Nazareth preached that sin is the cause of sickness and of death.
How shall we be redeemed from our worship of material idols such as money, houses, lands, position, religious rites and ceremonies, and the thousand and one graven images? We shall be redeemed from our materialism thinking about spiritual realities instead of about material things. As we think within ourselves, so we become. When we think about God we become Godlike. When we think about matter we become material. We must repent, change our minds. “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Then we shall escape the disaster that seems to be imminent.
May 12, 1929: Jeremiah 26:8-15
When Jeremiah prophesied the desolation that would come upon the children of Israel, how did they answer him? They said, “Thou shalt surely die” but afterward the people said, “This man is not worthy of death; for he hath spoken to us in the name of Jehovah our God.”
Do we find in the world today any parallel of this condition of the children of Israel? A parallel is to be found in the materialism that is dominant today, not only in the world's affairs, but in its religions. The people are not searching out the divine law; neither are they looking to God to save them from their many ills of mind, body, and affairs.
Was Jeremiah recognized by the priests and the prophets of the Jewish church as one of their authorized mouthpieces? No, Jeremiah, like Elijah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, was considered an outlaw prophet.
What evidence has each person that the divine law has been transgressed? Each individual has evidence in the ills of his body that the divine law has been broken and that he is a sinner.
Who, above all other prophets, preached that sin is the cause of sickness? Jesus of Nazareth preached that sin is the cause of sickness and of death.
How shall we be redeemed from our worship of material idols, such as money, houses, lands, position, religious rites and ceremonies, and the thousand and one other graven images? We shall be redeemed from our materialism by thinking about spiritual realities instead of thinking about material things. As we think within ourselves, so we become. When we think about God, we become Godlike. When we think about matter, we become material. We must repent, that is, change our minds. “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Then we shall escape the disaster that seems to be imminent.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-29-2014
