Jeremiah 21: 1 – 14
How about helping us out
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying, 2 “Please inquire of the LORD for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all His wonderful works, that the king may go away from us.” 3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel: “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and I will assemble them in the midst of this city. 5 I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath. 6 I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence. 7 And afterward,” says the LORD, “I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence and the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword. He shall not spare them or have pity or mercy.”? 8 “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him. 10 For I have set My face against this city for adversity and not for good,” says the LORD. “It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.”? 11 “And concerning the house of the king of Judah, say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, 12 O house of David! Thus, says the LORD: “Execute judgment in the morning; And deliver him who is plundered out of the hand of the oppressor, lest My fury go forth like fire and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. 13 “Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain,” says the LORD, “Who say, ‘Who shall come down against us? Or who shall enter our dwellings?’ 14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings,” says the LORD; “I will kindle a fire in its forest, and it shall devour all things around it.”?
The more I study the book of Jeremiah the More upset I get about the arrogance of the people in their treatment of my Holy God Yahweh. However, I then realize that I am just as evil and if it is not for the loving Long Suffering of my God I could easily be responding today the same way these evil people act.
If you have ever looked at someone and thought they must be ruled by the Devil, you might not have been far off the mark.
People are a lot eviler than we tend to think and sometimes they are so seasoned at what they do that it takes us years to realize just how evil they really are.
But it’s not your fault. They are master manipulators. They take every advantage of people to get their way, get the things they want, and leave people feeling lost and broken.
There are many of them out there, and you might be interacting with an evil person regularly, but you’ve just decided to label them as such.
Here are some signs someone who you know is an evil person. I want you to take a hard look at yourselves and see if any of these points are talking about you. If so, write them down and ask our Wonderful Counselor to help you change.
. They enjoy watching other people be in pain.
If they laugh or smile even slightly at the thought or sight of someone suffering, this could mean trouble. No one should look down on someone’s pain for the gain of pleasure for themselves.
. They need to control everything.
Evil people need to have their way, and they will do everything they can to ensure that. At every turn, they are injecting their opinion and action into a situation to ensure it goes a certain way.
. They hide their true selves.
It is like the old saying, ‘they do not do what they say.’ They hide their true selves as much as possible and that means getting caught in lies on many occasions.
. They leave you with a weird feeling whenever you are around them.
If you feel drained and tired after being around someone who is evil, you get that weird feeling in your stomach when you are around them, and something about them just doesn’t sit right with you; you might be onto something. Don’t ignore your gut instincts about people. You are usually right.
5) They manipulate everyone.
Evil people try to turn the attention away from you toward them. They’ll kick up a fuss if they aren’t getting their way, and guilt people into doing things for them.
. They show no remorse.
Even after hurting someone, whether by accident or on purpose, they don’t show any remorse. They never apologize.
. They are mean to other people.
Why would one human being be mean or cruel to another human being? Aren’t we all just trying to get through this life together?
It turns out that evil people take a great deal of joy in hurting other people and if your friend is always stabbing someone in the back, chances are they are not really your friend at all.
. They don’t take responsibility for their actions.
There’s no situation in which an evil person would stand up and say “yes, that was my fault.” They are always blaming someone else when something goes wrong and they love to play the victim.
. They come with a reputation.
If you’ve heard about this person before meeting them, chances are the reputation is true. For the most part, a person’s reputation really does precede them, and if you get weird vibes that go along with such a reputation, you are probably correct in assuming something is not right with this person.
. They only come around when they need something.
What’s worse than a friend that stabs you in the back? A friend that only calls when they need something. And that something usually means you need to go way out of your way to help them out, which you do, because they lay on a thick guilt trip and get you to do the things they want you to do – every time.
. They think it’s funny when they insult you.
There’s something sick and twisted about a person who tries to laugh at your expense and insults you while trying to be funny. The two don’t go together, and it’s even worse when people try to undermine you with humor. It’s uncomfortable for everyone. Toxic people don’t understand how humor should be used, and it’s a clear sign that you should steer clear from them.
. They make people feel stupid.
Whether you are sharing a dream or a fear, a toxic person will find a way to tell you that it’s stupid. This can be destructive for many reasons, not the least of which is that it makes you feel like they don’t care about you and what happens to do.
In today’s study we are going to witness how the evil king of Judah sends his representative to Jeremiah. He wants Jeremiah to put in a good word for him so that Nebuchadnezzar will stop his attack against Judah. His scheme does not work with our Holy and Great Father God Yahweh. He will not like the answer given back to him.
This section proceeds in logical sequence although not chronologically, and will center on three special themes, firstly on the fact that all hope for Judah in the short term has now gone, secondly that the promises of the false prophets suggesting that any of the current sons of David will be restored to the throne are invalid, and thirdly that while final blessing ‘in coming days’ will truly be at the hands of a son of David, it is meanwhile to be stressed that that ‘son of David’ will not be one of the current regime.
The chapter begins by making clear that prior to the future coming of the exalted son of David the doom of Jerusalem under the present sons of David is certain and will unquestionably happen (echoes of Isaiah). Neither Zedekiah nor any of his current relations (Jehoahaz who had been taken to Egypt and Jehoiachin who had been taken to Babylon) are therefore to be the hope of Judah/Israel.
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying, 2 “Please inquire of the LORD for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all His wonderful works, that the king may go away from us.”
This passage contains YHWH’s response when Zedekiah during the last torment of the siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC sent his ministers to Jeremiah to intercede for them before YHWH. Pashhur the son of Malchijah was a different Pashhur from the one mentioned in 20.1 who was the son of Immer (and who would have been carried off to Babylon after the earlier siege of 597 BC). He was one of those who had called for Jeremiah to be imprisoned because of his prophecies (38.1-4) and was probably the king’s chief minister. He was no friend of Jeremiah. He is not said to have been a priest, and both his own name and his father’s were apparently fairly common names. Zephaniah was a priest and appears to have been more neutral as appears from the fact that he read to Jeremiah the prophetic letter which was being circulated by Shemaiah the Nehelamite (29.29), and was not included within YHWH’s condemnation of Shemaiah. He is nowhere mentioned as one of Jeremiah’s adversaries. He was the second priest after the High Priest (52.24), probably holding the same position as that previously held by Pashhur the son of Immer, and he had previously been sent to Jeremiah when his intercession was being sought by Zedekiah at the time when the Egyptians had temporarily caused a raising of the siege (37.3). He was later handed over to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah along with the High Priest (2 Kings 25.18).
The sending by Zedekiah of his prime minister and the ‘second Priest’ is like the sending of an important deputation to Isaiah by Hezekiah in a comparable situation (2 Kings 19.2; Isaiah 37.2), something Zedekiah may well have had in mind. In that case it had resulted in a remarkable deliverance for Jerusalem, and Zedekiah clearly hoped for the same. But the difference lay in the fact that Hezekiah was held in greater regard by YHWH than Zedekiah, and had previously paid greater heed to His prophet, while the people were at that time not so steeped in idolatry and the Temple itself had recently been purified. Conditions were very different now. But in such a crisis where else could he turn?
Zedekiah’s request was that Jeremiah as the one whose prophecies had proved correct would ‘enquire’ on their behalf of YHWH, with the hope that YHWH ‘will deal with us according to all His wondrous works’ and would be the Savior of Israel/Judah as in the past. The expression ‘that he (Nebuchadnezzar) may go up from us’ simply signifies ‘that he may raise the siege’.
This is the first mention by name of Nebuchadnezzar. He succeeded Nabopolassar who died not long after Nebuchadnezzar’s great victory over the Egyptians in c. 605 BC. It was following that that he had initially subjugated Jerusalem during the reign of Jehoiakim. When Jehoiakim later withheld tribute, encouraged by Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Jerusalem which yielded to him in 597 BC when Jehoiakim was replaced on the throne by Jehoiachin. That was when Jehoiachin was carried off to Babylon, with Zedekiah being appointed to the throne by Nebuchadrezzar. But now Zedekiah had also rebelled, encouraged by Egypt but against the advice of Jeremiah, which was why Nebuchadnezzar was once more at the gates of Jerusalem.
3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah,
We are not told whether Jeremiah did ‘enquire of YHWH’, but we do learn that he had a very definite message for Zedekiah from YHWH, which he now sent through the illustrious messengers. It was a message of ‘no hope’, in accordance with what he had earlier made clear in his prophecies.
3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah,
YHWH’s sad message was that not only would He not help them but that, rather than making them strong in the use of their weapons (see Psalm 18.34), He would in fact turn their own weapons against them, or at least render them useless, so that they would not be successful in the defense of the city (there is perhaps a hint here of conflicts within the city as arguments arose as to whether they should surrender or not). It is made clear that at this stage Nebuchadnezzar and his Chaldean (Babylonian) army were outside the walls, besieging the city and seeking to break them down.
5 I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger and fury and great wrath.
Indeed YHWH declared that He Himself would be fighting against Jerusalem with all His power and might, ‘with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm’. For His ‘anger (root - heavy breathing) and wrath (root - heat) and great indignation (root - bitterness)’ were levelled at Jerusalem. The three words are very expressive,
6 I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence.
Initially His anger would be revealed by ‘a great pestilence’ within the city, striking at the defenders and smiting both man and beast. In a besieged city, short of water and food, and weakened by starvation disease was a common problem.
7 And afterward,” says the LORD, “I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence and the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword. He shall not spare them or have pity or mercy.”
And then once starvation and pestilence had done their worst it would all prove in vain, for the end would come. Those who remained after the pestilence, and the famine, and the sword would be delivered into ‘the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, and of their enemies, and of those who sought their lives’. There would be great slaughter, and he would not ‘spare them or have pity or show mercy’ because they had not surrendered. Note the threefold repetitions emphasizing the completeness of the devastation.
8 “Now you shall say to this people, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
These words are a deliberate ironic parallel with Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 30.15, 19, ‘behold I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil’, but it will be noted that there is no mention of ‘good’. Here it was literally a stark choice between living and dying. He was not offering a life of well-being, but simply the stark possibility of survival for those who would surrender to the Chaldeans before it was too late. For them there would then be a life of poverty or exile. But at least they would be alive.
We must not underestimate Jeremiah’s courage in saying all this. While he was simply bringing out the hopelessness of the situation because of what YHWH had said, he could have been seen as actually recommending desertion in the face of the enemy and hardening himself against offering hope.
9 He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him.
For the truth was that he had no hope to offer. The time for hope was past. As with Pharaoh in Egypt in the time of Moses they had hardened their hearts too often. The only hope of anyone for survival would lie in deserting the city and going over to the besieging Chaldeans. Only those who did this would live, seizing their lives as though they had hunted them down with great difficulty and taken them as a prey 5). All the remainder would die by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence. If there were dissensions in the city it could be that the alternative had been on offer that those who wished to do so could surrender to the Babylonians, for the less people left in the city the more food and water for those who remained. The Babylonians on the other hand would offer less severe terms to deserters both because they would see them as ‘friendly’ and because it would mean less defenders in the city and could cause a lack of morale there.
10 For I have set My face against this city for adversity and not for good,” says the LORD. “It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.”?
YHWH then finalizes His message of doom by emphasizing that He has set His face against the city for evil and not for good. This was the prophetic and certain ‘word of YHWH’. It would thus be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, who would burn it with fire. Burning with fire was a regular end for cities which had constantly rebelled, and which did not surrender immediately. It was literally fulfilled (52.13).
Jeremiah now makes a general plea to ‘the house of David’ to cease being presumptuous and to fulfil its responsibilities as the house of David with regards to justice and fair play, (an idea which will be continued in 22.1-4). Had it done so the present troubles could have been avoided. This new emphasis on ‘the house of David’ (verse 12) and ‘the throne of David’ (22.2, 4, 29) demonstrates that he is seeking to establish the standard of righteous kingship which alone could have safeguarded the house of Josiah from its fate. It was because no representative of the house of David could be found who fitted his description that Shallum (Jehoahaz) would be left in Egypt and Jehoiachin (Coniah) would be left in Babylon, while Jehoiakim and Zedekiah were totally unworthy. That was why in the end Jerusalem’s fate would come upon it. It would be because the house of David had failed in its responsibility. And, as we have seen earlier, this was because YHWH would fill them with drunkenness along with the priests, prophets and inhabitants of Jerusalem (13.13). On the other hand, had they responded to YHWH by obeying the covenant, especially as focused in restraining themselves from trade on the Sabbath Day, which might also have affected the numbers attending the Temple for idolatrous worship, the house of David would have gone forward in triumph and have been established for ever (17.25). This emphasis on the house of David, and what was required of it, is preparing the way for the fact that one day a representative of the house of David called ‘the righteous Branch (or Shoot)’ would arise who would rule righteously and truly (23.5). It is, however, stressed that the Righteous Branch (or Shoot) will not be a direct descendant of Jehoiachin. (Compare how Immanuel was not to be a direct descendant of Ahaz, being born of a virgin - Isaiah 7.14 - there also spoken to ‘the house of David’ - Isaiah 7.2, 13). His coming will only occur ‘in coming days’ after the Exile.
11 “And concerning the house of the king of Judah, say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD,
In seeing it as spoken to all the house of Josiah we include all and have an explanation as to why no name is given. We should note in this regard that before being replaced each member had had their opportunity to consider their ways, however short, but sufficient to be seen as having ‘done evil in the eyes of YHWH’ (2 Kings 23.32, 37; 24.9, 19).
12 O house of David! Thus, says the LORD: “Execute judgment in the morning; And deliver him who is plundered out of the hand of the oppressor, lest My fury go forth like fire and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
The general plea is to ‘the house of David’ and it was that they should fulfil the requirements of that house and faithfully execute justice, and deliver the oppressed, with the warning that if they failed to do so YHWH’s wrath would go forth like an unquenchable fire, because of the evil of their doings. Jehoiakim had palpably failed to do so, as had Zedekiah, while Jehoahaz (Shallum) and Jehoiachin (Coniah) had seemingly equally clearly demonstrated their intentions as soon as they had received the throne, thus also disqualifying themselves.
‘Execute judgment in the morning’ indicates the action of a king who is diligent in respect of justice, who rises early before the heat of the day to hear cases and listen to the pleas and complaints of his people before the heat of the day rendered it impossible. This was something that even David had grown lax in, which had resulted in Absalom taking advantage of it (2 Samuel 15.2-4). It was by doing this that Solomon had established his reputation for wisdom (1 Kings 3.28). It was the sign of a righteous king and will be what the righteous Branch will do (23.5). The deliverance of the oppressed and the ensuring of fair justice for all were parallel requirements. The implication is that had the house of David done this there would have been no problems from Babylon, for then they would have been powerful (22.4). The following expression of YHWH’s severe anger (which was shortly to be fulfilled) demonstrates how crucial YHWH saw it to be.
13 “Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain,” says the LORD, “Who say, ‘Who shall come down against us? Or who shall enter our dwellings?’
The truth was that instead of Jerusalem having become a bastion of justice and fair play it had, under the successors to Josiah, become the home of presumption and arrogance with the people having the sense that they could do what they liked without having to face the consequences. They were so certain of their inviolability that they dismissed the possibility that Jerusalem could be taken. Such a statement would have been somewhat shaken by the events of 597 BC when Jerusalem had had to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, but once things continued reasonably smoothly they could soon have rationalized themselves into thinking that after all he had not ‘taken it’. They had simply re-negotiated their vassalship. Certainly, as we saw in verse 2, Zedekiah still hoped for inviolability.
The picture is of Jerusalem with its citadel on the rock rising above the surrounding ‘plain’, nevertheless being in a valley because it was surrounded by mountains higher than itself (Psalm 125.2 - which would be why the enemy ‘came down’ against them). This would explain the enemy ‘coming down’. But either way Jerusalem is indicated.
14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings,” says the LORD; “I will kindle a fire in its forest, and it shall devour all things around it.”?
However, their arguments would all have been very well if they had judged righteously, delivered the oppressed, and walked in obedience to the covenant. But the arguments did not stand up when they perpetrated injustice, themselves were the cause of oppression, and had forsaken the covenant. In other words, the fruit of their doings had cancelled out their inviolability. Thus they could be sure that YHWH, rather than defending them, would punish them in accordance with their behavior. And this was the sure and certain ‘word of YHWH’ (neum YHWH). For He would kindle a fire in her forest, and would devour all that was round about her, leaving her totally desolate.
The reference to forest may have been because at that stage (unlike later) Jerusalem was surrounded by forest so that its conflagration would have destroyed Jerusalem, or may indicate ‘the house of the forest of Lebanon’, the description of part of the king’s palace which was built of so many tall cedars that it was called by the name and contained his treasures (1 Kings 7.2; 10.17, 21), or may be seeing the great houses of Jerusalem as like a forest of trees (many would be constructed partly using oak or cedar). Some compare 22.6 where Jerusalem is (according to them) described as ‘the head of Lebanon’, that is, is as though covered with trees.
