The influence of these powerful persons produced a reaction in the minds of the people. Then the elders united in protesting against the decision of the priests regarding the fate of Jeremiah. They cited the case of Micah, who prophesied judgments upon Jerusalem, saying: “Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.” They put to them the question: “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 had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.” {4T 168.2}

Indflydelsen fra disse magtfulde personer fremkaldte en reaktion i folkenes sind. Da forenede de ældste sig i protest mod præsternes beslutning om Jeremias' skæbne. De kom med Mikas tilfælde, som profeterede domme over Jerusalem og sagde: »Zion skal pløjes som en mark, Jerusalem blive til grushobe, tempelbjerget til krathøj.« De stillede dem spørgsmålet: »Mon kong Ezekias af Juda og hele Juda dræbte ham? Frygtede de ikke Herren og bad ham om nåde, så Herren angrede det onde, han havde truet dem med? Vi er ved at bringe stor ulykke over vore sjæle."