Verse1 starts with Zedekiah. The end is near. (although we're less than half way through Jeremiah, so not so near)
Before getting into the text, I want to capture a thought I had when I was getting ready to do this post.
It struck me as remarkable that the Lord is going through all of this with all of these prophets knowing full well that the end was coming. He knew what the Judians would and wouldn't do and He still gave them so many opportunities. I know there are a lot of debates about free will and predestination, and I know the real answer is a mystery somewhere between them. However, the fact that God sends multiple prophets and goes through so much drama to keep engaging with the people and leaders of Judah tells us about our Lord. He is faithful and long suffering and gives us every chance of our own. That's the main lesson I took from Revelations as well. God will chase down every last person who will give their hearts to Jesus. It will be a bloody scene with much suffering, but He'll do what it takes. A love we just cannot comprehend.
Ok, to the text.
Zedekiah is another son of Josiah. That always depresses me. He did so much the right way and from an early enough age you'd have thought his kids would have been a priority; but his kids were probably raised by people who were saturated in the worldly, idolatrous culture.
Th rest of verse 1 tells us Jeremiah received a word from the Lord.
Verse 2 tells us that God is, once again, using a very visual analogy for the message. Again, this has a different tone than the other prophets, in my estimation. Jeremiah is to make actual yokes and bonds and put them on himself as a visual aid for the message.
Then, in verse 3, Jeremiah is supposed to reach out to the leaders in neighboring nations--Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon when they come into Jerusalem to meet with Zedekiah.
In verse 4, Jeremiah is supposed to speak to these traveling ambassadors with his message from God that they are to take back to their masters.
- I have made the earth
- I made the beasts and the humans
- I have the power to use my outstretched arm to give it to whoever pleases me
- I gave it Nebuchadnezzar, My servant, including the beasts if the field
- I gave him the land for him and through his grandson when they will become servants to others
- Since I have given it to him for this season, any nation that won't submit to his yoke, I will punish them-sword, famine, pestilence, until they are destroyed.
It's interesting to me how much positive regard the Lord has for Nebuchadnezzar. Tribal thinking always seeps in and I pick my heroes and villains. Even though Judah is being idolatrous, I'm still a loyal team Judah. But God sees the bigger picture and He raises up whoever He wants to get to His bigger purpose. I'm doing a deep dive Bible study into Daniel and you see even more of the care the Lord expresses for Nebuchadnezzar. He works hard to bring him under the mantle of the Lord and we see it happen after he becomes a beast and finally recognizes the true God of the universe.
Jeremiah strongly advises them to NOT listen to their own prophets, sorcerers, soothsayers, dreamers, and diviners. These false prophets offer comforting prophesies that they don't need to serve the king of Babylon. They are lying to you to set you against the Lord and to end in your destruction. But if you will bring your neck under Babylon's yoke in this moment, I will let you keep your land in the long run.
Jeremiah emphasizes that he's already given these same messages and details to Zedekiah. Anyone following the advise of the false prophets will perish.
In verse 16 Jeremiah moves on to the priests and offers further specifics, if they follow the lies of the false prophets all of the vessels from the Lord's house will be brought to Babylon. The Ryrie Study Bible footnote notes that conquering armies usually bring all the images found in the defeated nation's temples back to their temple as a symbol of conquering the weaker god as well as the people. But Judah didn't have any images of their invisible God, so Babylon decided to bring the vessels to Babylon. They already brought the Temple implements when Daniel and his crew were taken captive in the first wave under King Jehoiamkim.
In verse 16 Jeremiah reiterates that they should not listen to the false prophets. They should submit to serving the king of Babylon. It's such a strange message- to submit to Babylon. But that's a lesson in and of itself. If everything else fails, the Lord will flip the world upside down and let us end up in dire circumstances. We're still expected to serve the Lord first; but not kick against the situation He allowed.
The rest of the chapter discusses what vessels will be taken. The little stuff, like spoons and other implements were take in the first wave. So what's left are the big things, such as the pillars and the giant cleansing sea. The Lord, via Jeremiah assures them that it is all going to be taken and God will bring it home in the fullness of time. He even challenges the false prophets to say otherwise as proof of who can truly see the future.
It's a tough place to be to want our way when we find ourselves facing a season of serving Babylon; but if we remember who the lord is and what we know to be true about His character, He will see us through and being us home with the remnant. I think of those hostages taken on October 7, 2023 and everything they had to endure. It's really unimaginable. I pray for them and their families as they try and rebuild a life back home. And pray for those still held captive. And pray for the families of those who will never be able to come home.
Somehow I know that God can redeem even these atrocities.
Amen.