August 9 A READ JEREMIAH 34–36
Before the Fall of Jerusalem
OVERVIEW
With the close of chapter 33, Jeremiah completes the written account of his preaching ministry to the rebellious nation. Throughout the rest of the book, the prophet emphasizes his personal experiences during the nation’s last days. Three events point out the advanced state of Judah’s decline: the broken covenant under Zedekiah, the contrasting faithfulness of the Recabite family, and the utter rebellion of Jehoiakim in burning the scroll of the Lord.
MY DAILY WALK
The next time you read your Bible, try this exercise. Whenever you come to a passage that points out your sin, tear out that page and burn it. Ridiculous? Of course. No one today would do what King Jehoiakim did to God’s Word . . . or would they?
Have you ever read a command in God’s Word you didn’t like and just ignored it and kept on reading? That’s a sure way to accomplish the same spiritual damage as the knife-wielding Jehoiakim.
How should you read the Bible? The key is a responsive heart. God wants his Word to change your life as it convicts you of sin and instructs you in righteousness. Ignoring God’s commands is dangerous business. In fact, it would be better not to know them at all. Is there a specific command from Scripture you have been avoiding? Jehoiakim learned the hard way that you cannot alter God’s truth by ignoring it.
IF YOUR STUDY OF GOD’S WORD DOES NOT CHANGE THE WAY YOU LIVE, EITHER YOU ARE ALREADY PERFECT OR NOT STUDYING CORRECTLY.
INSIGHT
God’s Commendation of a Nonconformist Family | Jer. 35:16
The Recabites made the nomadic way of life and abstinence from drink a religious obligation (35:13-16). God commended them, not for their rules, but for their faithfulness to those rules—a striking contrast to Judah’s infidelity to the covenant.
INSIGHT
Scripture in the Making | Jer. 36:1-32
Chapter 36 is a glimpse into the process by which God’s revelation to Jeremiah took written form. According to verse 4, Jeremiah told Baruch what God had revealed to him, and Baruch wrote it on a scroll. The transfer of God’s words from the prophet’s mind to the finished scroll was accurate (v. 18), and once written, the Lord stood by it as his revealed will (vv. 29-32).
A Warning for Zedekiah
1King Nebuchadnezzar* of Babylon came with all the armies from the kingdoms he ruled, and he fought against Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. At that time this message came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2“Go to King Zedekiah of Judah, and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down. 3You will not escape his grasp but will be captured and taken to meet the king of Babylon face to face. Then you will be exiled to Babylon.
4“‘But listen to this promise from the LORD, O Zedekiah, king of Judah. This is what the LORD says: You will not be killed in war 5but will die peacefully. People will burn incense in your memory, just as they did for your ancestors, the kings who preceded you. They will mourn for you, crying, “Alas, our master is dead!” This I have decreed, says the LORD.’”
6So Jeremiah the prophet delivered the message to King Zedekiah of Judah. 7At this time the Babylonian army was besieging Jerusalem, Lachish, and Azekah—the only fortified cities of Judah not yet captured.
Freedom for Hebrew Slaves
8This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah made a covenant with the people, proclaiming freedom for the slaves. 9He had ordered all the people to free their Hebrew slaves—both men and women. No one was to keep a fellow Judean in bondage. 10The officials and all the people had obeyed the king’s command, 11but later they changed their minds. They took back the men and women they had freed, forcing them to be slaves again.
12So the LORD gave them this message through Jeremiah: 13“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your ancestors long ago when I rescued them from their slavery in Egypt. 14I told them that every Hebrew slave must be freed after serving six years. But your ancestors paid no attention to me. 15Recently you repented and did what was right, following my command. You freed your slaves and made a solemn covenant with me in the Temple that bears my name. 16But now you have shrugged off your oath and defiled my name by taking back the men and women you had freed, forcing them to be slaves once again.
17“Therefore, this is what the LORD says: Since you have not obeyed me by setting your countrymen free, I will set you free to be destroyed by war, disease, and famine. You will be an object of horror to all the nations of the earth. 18Because you have broken the terms of our covenant, I will cut you apart just as you cut apart the calf when you walked between its halves to solemnize your vows. 19Yes, I will cut you apart, whether you are officials of Judah or Jerusalem, court officials, priests, or common people—for you have broken your oath. 20I will give you to your enemies, and they will kill you. Your bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals.
21“I will hand over King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials to the army of the king of Babylon. And although they have left Jerusalem for a while, 22I will call the Babylonian armies back again. They will fight against this city and will capture it and burn it down. I will see to it that all the towns of Judah are destroyed, with no one living there.”