Why does Jeremiah say that these prophets should intercede with the Lord, that the vessels that are left in the temple should not go to Babylon?

Jeremiah now invites these prophets to intercede for the nation. If they are true prophets, then they must pray that the vessels that are still left in the temple will not be taken to Babylon as well. This challenge places the prophets in a difficult situation. Interceding for the temple would mean that Jeremiah spoke the truth when he said that the temple was indeed in grave danger and that they had spoken a lie when they said the temple would soon be restored. Interceding would also mean that the prophets, like Jeremiah, would be calling the people to turn to the Lord in repentance so that the temple and the nation will be spared. No doubt, calling on these prophets to intercede is even now a genuine and sincere call from Jeremiah for both the prophets and the people to repent. Praying for the temple would be consistent with submitting to the Babylonians instead of resisting. Both would be an acknowledgement that the nation is indeed facing the Lord’s judgment.¹ In both cases, the false prophets saw no need for the nation to repent.

Calling the prophets to intercede for the temple would also be of great significance to all those exiled in Babylon after the final invasion of 587 BC. By refusing to pray for the safety of the temple and call the people to repentance, the false prophets reject Jeremiah’s message and stand by their own. But Jeremiah was ultimately shown to be the true prophet when the temple and Jerusalem were destroyed in 587 BC and the final exile took place. Those who were then living in exile would read these words and realize that Jeremiah had spoken the truth and was indeed sent by the Lord. This realization would have been one of the most important ways that the Lord brought about a change of heart in many of the exiles as they then turned to him in repentance.