All Mixed Up - Jeremiah 26

ONE WOULD THINK it would be the priests and prophets that would have enough discernment to see that Jeremiah was from God and/or enough humility to engage in reform and repentance in order to avoid destruction. We expect our religious leaders to be more spiritually attuned to God, to be discerning, to understand what is in our best interests. And, at this point, Jeremiah was even still offering a way out of the doom he was predicting:

"Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from his evil way. Then I will relent and not bring on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done."

Nevertheless, getting rid of him seemed to the prophets and priests to be in their best interest. It also was according to the precedent they had set with the prophet Uriah, whom they had killed. Letting Jeremiah continue would mean that they had erred with Uriah, which was perhaps an error they did not wish to admit. Unfortunately for them, both Uriah and Jeremiah were speaking the true words of the Lord.

Thankfully the officials and people respond to Jeremiah's defense of himself and prevent him from being killed:

12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and all the people: "The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and this city all the things you have heard. 13 Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the LORD your God. Then the LORD will relent and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15 Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the LORD has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing."

So we have prophets and priests versus officials and people. In this case, the officials and people are the ones who are able to think back to Micah and the relenting of the Lord after the people repented, a more relevent precedent than the self-serving precedent of the prophets' and priests' own wicked actions against Uriah.

How, Lord, can we know what our own motives are? How can we know when we are listening to you and when we are not? How can we know when our religious leaders are listening to you and when they are not? I struggle to know whether I am being honest with myself and about myself. Are my worst thoughts/fears about myself always the truest ones?