Can’t Ignore the Words

In the ANE, authoritative speech established reality because it represented the will of the speaker. As a result, people didn’t just ignore Jeremiah, they wanted to prevent him from speaking. Because if it was from God and Jeremiah spoke it, it would happen. This is a different mindset than we have today, but understanding that context can help us to see little gems in the OT where speaking is more than just giving information verbally.