the risk of the prophet

JEREMIAH 26:16-24

Then said the princes and all the people unto the priest and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.
Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying,
Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jeruslaem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the Lord, and besought the Lord and the Lord repented him of the evil which he pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.
And there was also a man that prohesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah;
And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sough to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt:
And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.
And the fetched forth Urijah 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.
Nevertheless 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.

Those who spoke out against killing Jeremiah said that Jeremiah was not worthy of death - they said that he spoke the word of God. Others spoke about another prophet and another king...king Hezekiah sought the Lord and the Lord repented of the evil that He had pronounced against them. So they argued might we do great evil against their souls if they did not fear the Lord and if they killed the Lords prophet. Then they spoke of Urijiah and king Jehoiakim...Urijiah preached the same as Jeremiah and king Jehoiakim wanted him dead...Urijiah being afraid fled to Egypt...king Jehoiakim sent after him and then slew him with a sword. Jeremiah for the time being is spared.

The prophets of God speak His word to whomever and wherever God sends them. Some are sent to those who repent of evil and they receive the mercy of God. And others kill or attempt to kill Gods prophets. These men and women do not take the word of God lightly. They have been mocked, scorned, imprisoned, beaten and killed. Pray for those who risk humiliation, rejection and even death to bring us and others the word of our Lord God.