29 July 2022

You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord: If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set before you, and to heed the words of my servants the prophets whom I send to you urgently—though you have not heeded— then I will make this house like Shiloh, and I will make this city a curse for all the nations of the earth. 

From Jeremiah 26:1-9, NRSV

These are the words that the prophet Jeremiah was required to speak to the cities of Judah. It was the Lord’s hope that his people would repent and turn back and thus avert the disaster towards which they were heading. However, Jeremiah’s words did not bring about the desired result but angered the people. The reference to Shiloh was a reminder of the place from which the Ark of the Covenant had been stolen by the Philistines and the destruction of the temple there. Not only were the people angered but they began to direct their anger at Jeremiah whom they felt was not on their side and who indeed wanted them to suffer.

• • Why do you think Jeremiah became the focus for the people’s anger?
  • What are the issues that cause discontent in our own communities and how can we help to resolve this?

Pray for a situation in which people known to you are in conflict.