BIBLE CHARACTER: Urijah

“Faithful unto Death”…..

Embedded deeply in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah is a short summary of the life of a man named Urijah. Few people will have heard of him. In fact, no details about him can be found anywhere else in the Bible. However, the brief account of his life has been included in Holy Scripture for a purpose. Although in the eyes of men his life may have appeared insignificant, or even wasted, God has seen fit to preserve the record for our instruction.

 

The brief record of his life is found in Jeremiah 26:20-23. His name means flame of Jah, and he certainly shone brightly in a very dark day. His father’s name was Shemaiah, meaning Jah has heard. At once it is clear that a godly background existed. His grandparents were surely people of faith who had prayed for a son whom they named Shemaiah in recognition of the fact that God had heard. Did Shemaiah anticipate that his son, in time, would be “a burning and a shining light” as John the Baptist later would be (Jn.5:35)? The thoughts are certainly intriguing.

 

Urijah grew up at a very bleak time in Judah’s history. Jehoiakim (meaning Jehovah will raise) occupied the throne for eleven years. He had no respect for the Word of God, and when it was read to him by Jehudi, he cut it up with a knife and cast it into the fire (Jer.36:23). It is important to note the context of Jeremiah 26. Jeremiah had been told to proclaim fully to the people the message God had given him, not diminishing from so much as a word, “because of the evil of their doings” (v.1-3). The priests and prophets who heard Jeremiah declared that he was “worthy to die” because he had “prophesied against this city” (v.11). Jeremiah was unrepentant. He had simply proclaimed the Word of the Lord; if they put him to death, they would “bring innocent blood” upon themselves (v.15). “The princes and all the people,” however, viewed matters differently, declaring, “This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God” (v.16). The elders of the land referred to Micah who had prophesied earlier during the reign of Hezekiah and had not been put to death (v.18,19). Why therefore should Jeremiah die?

 

 

“AND THERE WAS ALSO A MAN”

Those words at the beginning of Jeremiah 26:20 are significant. Standing shoulder to shoulder with Jeremiah and Micah was Urijah from Kirjath-jearim “who prophesied in the name of the LORD”. Years before, the ark of God had been kept for a time in the town. This may account for Urijah’s God-fearing ancestry and his own faith. Urijah “prophesied against this city [Jerusalem] and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah” (v.20). We must not miss a vital connection here. Urijah “prophesied in the name of the LORD” and proclaimed a message which was in agreement with Jeremiah’s. At once we see that he was a faithful man of God.

 

Like so many others who have been true to the Lord, Urijah was the victim of opposition. In his case it was immense. “And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death” (v.21). Overnight Urijah became a wanted man with a price on his head. It is difficult to imagine how he must have felt. He had simply delivered the message God had given him, yet now he was being hunted by the armies of the king. “All his mighty men” as well as “all his princes” seemed to be against him. How could he withstand such forces? It is hardly surprising that “he was afraid, and fled” (v.21).

 

 

CRITICAL VOICES

From the comfort of our armchairs it is easy to criticize the actions of another person – and even to quote verses of Scripture. Urijah fled into Egypt, often a picture of the world in the Word of God. Rather than saying, “He shouldn’t have done that,” we ought to ask what we would have done under such circumstances. Could we have successfully stood against the forces which Urijah faced? Surely he would have preferred escaping to Kirjath-Jearim, but perhaps he chose Egypt so as not to endanger his own family. When we do not know all the facts, it is better to avoid passing judgment.

 

Egypt proved to be no safe haven. King Jehoiakim sent his men into Egypt and brought Urijah back to Jerusalem. Within a short time he had sealed his testimony with his own blood. The king “slew him with the sword,” before casting his dead body “into the graves of the common people” (v.23) in an act of utter disrespect.

 

However, rather than being forgotten, as Jehoiakim intended, this man’s memory lives on. His name has been permanently recorded in Scripture to inspire us. The Lord has promised, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev.2:10). At the end of the day it is His assessment that counts.