Jeremiah, the Prophet -
God’s Word is Forever
A Closing Program Skit to demonstrate Prophecy and how the Bible was
protected.
Adapted
by Elizabeth Blomgren,
eablomgren@sbcglobal.net,
from the play “God’s Word is Forever.” Please direct any specific questions to
her.
Characters,
in order of appearance:
Narrator, should be a good reader
Jeremiah, The prophet of God, lived about 627-580 BC
(should be tall and
thin,
has few lines)
The Jailer, can double
as one of the king’s strong-arm men
Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe and friend (must be able to read well)
A crowd of people at the Temple Gates (all ages, all sizes)
Mi-chai-ah, a prince, the son of Gemariah, a member of the king’s court
Mi-chai-ah’s Wife, can double as a servant of the King
Jehudi, the king’s secretary and attendant
E-li-sha-ma, the scribe in the king’s court
King Jehoiakim
Three servants of the king
King’s strong-arm men
Scenery
and Props:
Prison
- back bars across the exit door on the left side, fixed to open
Small
table and stool, rather large ink pot, numerous rolls of paper, a pen-- bigger
than normal so the audience can see it.
Gate of Jerusalem - pulpit
area, crowd eases in through side doors,
Office of the King’s scribe -
table and one or two chairs
“Winter House” of the king -
big chair for king covered with bright material, pretend fire
Scroll – If you use computer
paper that is on a roll, the pages can be torn out as called for.
Costumes:
King should be garbed in finery
Jeremiah - white, close fitting robe of a priest of that day
Baruch - long,
dark robe
All other players should wear some type of head coverings and simple clothes
NARRATOR: The time is about 600 years before Christ in
Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet is in prison. According to Jeremiah 36, reads
from the Bible “And
it came to pass in the forth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah King of Judah
that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD saying, ‘Take thee a roll of
a book and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against
Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nation, from the day I spoke
unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day. It may be that the
house of Judah will hear the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may
return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their
sin.’
“Then
Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Ne-ri-ah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of
Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon the roll of a
book...”
As the Jailer and Baruch come down the aisle, the Jailer is talking.
JAILER: Baruch, the truth of the matter is I think King Jehoiakim has forgotten that the old prophet, Jeremiah, is locked up. So, as far as I’m concerned, you can stay as long as you like and write ‘till the sun goes down if you want to.
Opens cell door. Jeremiah stands up, wiping his
eyes as if crying.
Just look at Jeremiah! Weeping again! I call him the
weeping prophet.
Leaves door open, key in lock.
I’ll be around, if you need anything. Jailer leaves.
JEREMIAH: Ah,
Baruch, I’m glad you could come!
BARUCH:
Jeremiah, my friend, why do you weep so early in the morning?
JEREMIAH: “My heart within me
is broken...because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.”
BARUCH: Do you have something
special that you want me to write down?
JEREMIAH: Yes, yes! The words
of the LORD, which have come to me again. They are not words to bring joy. Rather
sorrow. But they must be written. And they must be read to all the people.
BARUCH: as he brings out table and stool We’ll have more room if I move this table and stool, and the jailer won’t care. As I came through the city, I heard that a day of fasting has been proclaimed for Jerusalem and all of Judah.
JEREMIAH: That means King Jehoiakim is worried about the approach of the Babylonian army, and well he should be! Jehovah will use the Babylonians to destroy this land!
BARUCH: Many people will be
coming to the temple for the day of fasting. It is too bad you cannot go to the
temple and speak to them the words of the LORD.
JEREMIAH: For a long time the
king has forbidden me to go into the temple. And as you see, I am shut up. You
must go, and read the words of the LORD. You shall read them in the
ears of all Judah that come out of their cities, and to all the inhabitants of
Jerusalem.
Jeremiah
strides back and forth as he dictates to Baruch.
“It may be they will present
their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil ways; for
great is the anger and fury that the LORD has pronounced again this
people.” Now write this:
“Out of the north evil shall
break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.” Thus says the LORD. “And I will utter my judgments
against them, for all their wickedness...”
NARRATOR:
All of the people gathered at the gate of the temple on the day of fasting. Reads from the Bible “Then read Baruch
from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house
of the LORD ... the entry of the new gate of the LORD’s house, in the ears of all
the people.”
Baruch
enters immediately, from right stage, holding up Jeremiah’s scroll.
BARUCH: talking to the people, Hear now the words of the LORD. This word came unto Jeremiah
the prophet, from the LORD, and I did write from the mouth of Jeremiah all the
words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon this roll of a book. Begins reading, Thus says the LORD; “Out of the north evil shall
break forth ... The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land,
and shall destroy both man and beast.”
...Thus says the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah:
“He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David. And his dead body shall be
cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.
“And I will punish him and his seed and his
servants for their iniquity: and I will bring upon them, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have
promised ... because they would not listen to me...” voice trails off
MI-CHAI-AH:
to his wife, This is an alarming prophecy! It will have to be reported to
King Jehoiakim!
MICHAIAH’S WIFE: The Babylonians coming to destroy us? The king is going to die? It’s unbelievable!
MICHAIAH: My dear wife, it’s best that you return to our house immediately! I’ll go and tell the other nobles and courtiers and see what they think about reporting this thing to the king!
MICHAIAH’S WIFE: Where will you find the nobles and princes this time of the afternoon? Will they still be at the king’s palace?
MICHAIAH: My father and most of the others will be in the office of E-li’-sha-ma, the scribe, at a meeting called by the king’s secretary, Je-hu-di. Jehudi will know whether or not it’s best to tell the king what Jeremiah has prophesied! Jehudi knows the king and all of his moods! He may think it best that this thing read to the people not reach the ears of King Jehoiakim!
Michaiah
moves from the temple gate to the office of E-li-sha’-ma. Jehudi, the scribe and
the nobles are gathered in the office. Elishama is seated, with papers in his
hand. Jehudi is bent over, looking at the papers. There are four other
courtiers watching the scribe and Jehudi intently. When Michaiah enter, all
turn around to look at him.
NARRATOR: reading from the Bible “Then
Mi-chai-ah went down into the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber; and lo,
all the princes sat there.
enter
Michaiah
“Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.”
MICHAIAH: I tell you, sirs, the prophecy of Jeremiah which Baruch read at the temple gate is most alarming! If it comes true, we are all doomed! Especially the king!
DELAIAH: I hate to think what the king may do when he hears that Jeremiah has prophesied that the king will die!
ELNATHAN: It’s impossible to keep something like this from the king! Somebody will tell him!
GEMARIAH: It is
best that we tell him. Would you not agree, Jehudi?
JEHUDI: I agree
with you. The king must be told, the sooner, the better.
ZED-E-KI-AH: Before we tell King Jehoiakim, we must know exactly what
Jeremiah the weeping prophet is saying this time. For years Jeremiah has warned
of the wrath of the LORD. But so far as I know this is the first time he has said that the king
of Babylon will destroy this land and that King Jehoiakim will die!
GEM-A-RI-AH: Je-hu-di,
go and bring Baruch here. And we will require him to read the prophecy to us.
Then, we can tell the king.
JEHUDI: Gem-a-ri-ah,
your words are wise. Starts out the door I’ll be right back.
Spotlight follows Jehudi. He overtakes Baruch as he is
returning from the temple to Jeremiah’s cell. As he gestures to Baruch in
pantomime and they turn to go back to where the courtiers are waiting.
NARRATOR: “So
Baruch the son of Ne-ri-ah took in his hand, and came unto them. And they said
unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears.” So, Baruch read it in their
ears. “Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid
both one and other, and said unto Baruch, ‘We will surely tell the king of all
these words.’”
GEM-A-RI-AH: My friends,
we have heard Baruch read the words of the LORD as they came to
Jeremiah. Terrible things are foretold here in this scroll: the destruction of
the land, dishonor and death of the king, and evil upon the men of Judah--all
because we have not obeyed the LORD. This frightens me!
DEL-AI-AH: You are not alone, Gemariah! It strikes
terror in my heart also!
EL-NA-THAN: It is alarming! To think that the King of Babylon will come
and utterly destroy both man and beast! What shall we do?
JEHUDI: All of us will go to the king’s winter house,
where now he sits warming himself. And we will tell the king. But let me
caution that we use the utmost diplomacy. You know the king!
MI-CHAI-AH: Should we not let Baruch come and read it
to him?
ALL NOBLES: not in chorus,
but all at the same time Oh, no, no! That would never do! I think
not! That would be the wrong thing to do!
JEHUDI:
to Baruch Baruch, go quickly and get Jeremiah and
hide! Let no man know where you hide! There will be no measuring the king’s
wrath when he hears this.
E-LI-SHA-MA: Perhaps the scroll should be left here.
It will be safe here.
BARUCH: Very well. I will leave it with you hands scroll to Elishama and when things are such that it is possible, I shall come for it.
Baruch hurries out, right
stage, and courtiers prepare to go to king’s quarters.
King Jehoiakim sits in a large chair, with blankets
wrapped about himself. There is an open fire in front of him. Three women
servants are scurrying around, trying to make the king comfortable--with wine
and more blankets. King Jehoiakim is in a foul mood and is complaining about
the cold.
NARRATOR: “Now the king sat in the winter house in the ninth month; and
there was a fire on the hearth burning before him...” voice trails off
KING J: What a wretched cold day! Put more wood on the fire! And bring
me some more wine! hands goblet to one of servants What’s a man supposed to do to keep warm on a winter day like this!
1ST SERVANT: Let me wrap this blanket about your feet,
King Jehoiakim.
KING: No! No! I’m cold as a frozen frog! But I don’t want my feet
covered up, like some old woman!
2ND SERVANT: Here’s your
wine, sir.
KING: after a big gulp of wine Where’s Jehudi?
3RD SERVANT:
He has gone to the scribe’s office, remember?
KING: Go get him! What’s a secretary for if he’s always going off to
the scribe’s office! Tell Jehudi I said to come here, right now!
3RD SERVANT: Yes, sir! Starts to hurry out; but meets Jehudi and the
delegation of courtiers. She hurries back to the king.
Here is Jehudi coming now! And many
of the princes with him.
KING: growling Ah-h-h! Wonder
what this is all about! You servants be gone! Servants have no business in the
king’s room when matters of state are discussed.
Servants leave quickly. Jehoiakim turns toward Jehudi
and courtiers.
Now, now, what could be bringing all of my princes in
to see me at one time? I know! You are cold! And you want to warm yourselves by
my fire! Well, gather ‘round!
EL-NA-THAN: No, no, King
Jehoiakim. It is a day to draw nigh to a fire; but we have come about a matter
far more serious than the cold winds that sweep through the streets of
Jerusalem today and chill the very marrow in our bones. We have word of an evil
wind that is coming!
KING: Don’t speak in riddles about the wind! Get to the point! What is
it?
GEM-A-RI-AH: The prophet
Jeremiah has made a prophecy which came to him as the word of the LORD.
And he caused this prophecy to be read at the temple gate. Many people heard it
and we consider it a serious matter.
KING: That’s nothing to
lose sleep over! Old Jeremiah has been talking about the word of the LORD
ever since I can remember--even when my father Josiah was king of Judah. Nobody
pays any attention to that old weeping prophet’s lamentations!
GEMARIAH: This time, though, King Jehoiakim, the people listened! For
the prophecy was such that it struck terror into all our hearts. Baruch, the
scribe employed by Jeremiah, has read the prophetic scroll to us, and we
thought you should know about it.
KING: Where is this prophecy?
JEHUDI: We left the scroll in the office of
E-li-sha-ma, your scribe.
KING: Go get it! Jehudi hurries away to get the scroll. The
king keeps talking. Such is the life of the king of Judah! I
have enough to worry me without something like this dire thing old Jeremiah has
foretold-- whatever it is. It is true that the Babylonians are a threat, but
the thing I’m interested in--as all of you well know--is my plan to build
another palace! One even larger than this one. waves his arm You should just see the plans I’m drawing up!
JEHUDI: returns with the
scroll, starts to hand it to the king Here
is the Jeremiah scroll.
KING: Don’t hand it to me! Read it to me!
JEHUDI: Very well, sir. The whole thing?
KING: You
read me part of it, I’ll see how it sounds, and then I’ll tell you how much
more to read.
JEHUDI: reading “The word of the LORD which came unto
Jeremiah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah king of Judah--“
KING: interrupting Never mind the preliminaries! Everybody knows this is the fourth year of my reign! And, that I am
the son of Josiah! Get to the thing this foolish prophet has foretold!
JEHUDI: reading “Out of the north evil shall break forth ... a
whirlwind of the LORD is gone forth in fury ...”
KING: impatiently That doesn’t mean a thing! Hand me that leaf! Jehudi hands over
a page. The king wads up the paper, throws it into the fire. Now, read some more!
JEHUDI: reading “The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy
this land, and shall destroy both men and beast--“
KING: Give me that! As he grabs the page,
he tears the page in two before he throws it into the fire. So the king of Babylon is going to destroy the land!
Well, I can destroy this prophecy! Read on!
GEM-A-RI-AH: But, king
Jehoiachim, perhaps it would be best not to burn this scroll!
KING: I know what I’m doing! Read, Jehudi!
JEHUDI: after some hesitation Now, King Jehoiakim, please remember that this was written at the hand
of the prophet of God. None of us had a thing to do with it.
KING: Read the scroll, Jehudi!
JEHUDI: reading “Thus
saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit
upon the throne of David...”
KING: grabbing the
paper from Jehudi No heir? No heir to sit upon this throne?
We’ll see! Tears the paper and throws it into fire. Keep reading, Jehudi!
JEHUDI: so fearful that
he begins to stutter “And-- And th-- And the Kin-- And the
King’s dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to
the frost!”
KING rising to his feet in rage So! I’m going to die like a donkey, am I?
Grabs whole scroll from
Jehudi, and then throws it on the fire.
We’ll see who is going to die and have his dead body
cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost! I’ll have the
heads of Jeremiah and his Baruch! Jehudi, call my special guards!
JEHUDI: Yes, sir. You mean the three who-- The three
who always--
KING: The three you call my “hatchet men”-- Je-rah-meel, Se’-rai-ah,
and Shel-emi’-ah! That’s who I’m talking about and you know it! They’re right
outside the door, and you know that, too! They guard me day and night!
Jehudi walks to door, beckons to persons outside, and
Jerahmeel, Seraiah and Shelemiah come in and stand before the king.
KING: You three are to
kill the prophet Jeremiah and the scribe Baruch! Do you understand what I mean?
JE-RAH-MEEL, SE-RAI-AH, and SHEL-E-MI-AH: in unison We understand!
As the three start to leave. Jehudi draws Shel-e-mi-ah
aside and whispers to him. The king pokes at the fire, so intent on destroying
the prophecy scroll that he does not notice Jehudi’s action. The spotlight
shifts back to Jeremiah’s prison cell.
The prison door is open. Baruch is helping Jeremiah
put on his cloak. Jeremiah has his arms full of rolls of paper.
BARUCH: We must hurry! The very last words Jehudi, the king’s secretary,
said to me was “Go quickly and get Jeremiah and hide! Let no man know where you
hide!”
JEREMIAH: The LORD will hide us! Bring the ink pot!
BARUCH: The ink? Grabs ink. The two run up the
aisle and out, as Jeremiah makes his final declaration.
JEREMIAH: Yes! We will write again all the former words of the LORD! And more, also!
The king’s three strong-arm men arrive at the prison
cell seconds after Baruch and Jeremiah have gone.
JE-RAH-MEEL: We’re too late! They’re both gone!
SE-RAI-AH: They won’t be hard to find. Come on, we’ll have ‘em before
daylight!
SHEL-E-MI-AH: Let’s not bother!
Jehudi said not to pain ourselves with trying to find Jeremiah the prophet, or
Baruch the scribe.
JE-RAH-MEEL: King Jehoiakim will be furious!
SHEL-E-MI-AH: He won’t be furious if he doesn’t know about it! Right?
SE-RAI-AH and JE-RAH-MEEL: Right!
As the three guards laugh among themselves
NARRATOR: Looks up This
is what happened when King Jehoiakim was told of the prophecy. Reading
from the Bible. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers, the
flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Look up No
man could destroy the words that God wanted man to hear. Many have tried
thorough through the years of time, but God has protected His words in His
Bible so that we can know Him, His son, Jesus, and His salvation for us.
The prophecy of Jeremiah came true. The Babylonians captured the people of Judah and carried them off to Babylon and King Jehoiakim died. The prophet Jeremiah and many other prophets pointed to the judgment of God upon the Hebrew people because they were rebellious, but they pointed also to the salvation of God through a Messiah. That Messiah was Jesus. The Old Testament prophecies were talking about the New Testament Christ that would save man from sin. The whole Bible is one message inspired by one God, even though it was written by 40 people over about 1600 years, and that one message is that:
God created and loves man,
Man sinned and needs to be saved from his sins,
God
provided that salvation thorough His son, Jesus Christ and He promises us life
everlasting for those who believe His Word.
The
Bible can be trusted. It is “a lamp to our feet and a light for our path.”
(Psalm 119:105)
Adapted from “A Biblical Skit for Ft. Rucker, Alabama
Protestant Youth of the Chapel (PYOC)” by the late Jewell Ellen Smith, whose
son David can be reached at e-mail address
DSmith1204@aol.com.
Click your browser’s “Back” button to return