1 The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said: 2 “Inquire now of the LORD for us because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the LORD will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”
3 But Jeremiah answered them, “Tell Zedekiah, 4 ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city. 5 I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath. 6 I will strike down those who live in this city - both man and beast - and they will die of a terrible plague. 7 After that, declares the LORD, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion.’
8 “Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the LORD says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; they will escape with their lives. 10 I have determined to do this city harm and not good, declares the LORD. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire.’
11 “Moreover, say to the royal house of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the LORD. 12 This is what the LORD says to you, house of David:
“‘Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of the oppressor
the one who has been robbed, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire
because of the evil you have done - burn with no one to quench it.
13 I am against you, Jerusalem, you who live above this valley
on the rocky plateau, declares the LORD - you who say, “Who can come against us? Who can enter our refuge?”
14 I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares the LORD.
I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you.’”
TODAY IN THE WORD (inc Ch 22)
After Caesar Augustus, also called Octavian, finally defeated Mark Antony at Actium, one of his priorities was to track down a particular Egyptian teenager. The boy’s mother went to great lengths to protect her son, but more than maternal instincts were involved – she was Queen Cleopatra and the boy was the only male heir of Julius Caesar. As long as young Caesarion lived, Octavian’s rule was threatened. Despite his status as heir, Caesarion was killed.
Today’s passage reviews both legitimate and illegitimate rulers on Judah’s throne, but ultimately it points to God’s preservation of the royal line for its true Heir. But first, the royal line had to be purged of sin and brought back to its function of administering justice (21:12).
The prophecy in Jeremiah 22 concerned Zedekiah, the last king of Judah before the Exile. This prophecy shows that the kingdom fell into destruction because it had forsaken justice, in addition to worshiping idols. Because Zedekiah and most of the kings before him persisted in sin, the kingdom became a desert (v 6) and an object of scorn for other nations (v 8).
The next prophecy concerned Shallum, also called Jehoahaz (vv 10–12). He was Josiah’s son and ascended to the throne in 609 B.C. He only reigned for three months before Pharaoh Neco banished him to Egypt, where he died.
Finally, the Lord denounced King Jehoiakim, Shallum’s brother, who turned out to be a wicked king. Despite being forced to pay a heavy tribute to Neco, Jehoiakim further taxed the people to pay for a huge palace. Unlike his father Josiah, Jehoiakim allowed pagan cults to return and added new ones from Egypt. He foolishly thought being king meant surpassing previous kings in their extravagance and spending.
APPLY THE WORD
We can learn several things from today’s history lesson. First, the Lord is completely faithful to His Word. He promised David a throne forever, and He fulfilled this through Jesus Christ. Second, God fulfills His promises in accordance with His perfect character. Evil kings could not remain on a throne that represented a holy God. On the one hand, this encourages us that God is faithful, even after much time passes. On the other hand, this challenges us that He will remove sin and evil before He brings about His promises.
After Caesar Augustus, also called Octavian, finally defeated Mark Antony at Actium, one of his priorities was to track down a particular Egyptian teenager. The boy’s mother went to great lengths to protect her son, but more than maternal instincts were involved – she was Queen Cleopatra and the boy was the only male heir of Julius Caesar. As long as young Caesarion lived, Octavian’s rule was threatened. Despite his status as heir, Caesarion was killed.
Today’s passage reviews both legitimate and illegitimate rulers on Judah’s throne, but ultimately it points to God’s preservation of the royal line for its true Heir. But first, the royal line had to be purged of sin and brought back to its function of administering justice (21:12).
The prophecy in Jeremiah 22 concerned Zedekiah, the last king of Judah before the Exile. This prophecy shows that the kingdom fell into destruction because it had forsaken justice, in addition to worshiping idols. Because Zedekiah and most of the kings before him persisted in sin, the kingdom became a desert (v 6) and an object of scorn for other nations (v 8).
The next prophecy concerned Shallum, also called Jehoahaz (vv 10–12). He was Josiah’s son and ascended to the throne in 609 B.C. He only reigned for three months before Pharaoh Neco banished him to Egypt, where he died.
Finally, the Lord denounced King Jehoiakim, Shallum’s brother, who turned out to be a wicked king. Despite being forced to pay a heavy tribute to Neco, Jehoiakim further taxed the people to pay for a huge palace. Unlike his father Josiah, Jehoiakim allowed pagan cults to return and added new ones from Egypt. He foolishly thought being king meant surpassing previous kings in their extravagance and spending.
APPLY THE WORD
We can learn several things from today’s history lesson. First, the Lord is completely faithful to His Word. He promised David a throne forever, and He fulfilled this through Jesus Christ. Second, God fulfills His promises in accordance with His perfect character. Evil kings could not remain on a throne that represented a holy God. On the one hand, this encourages us that God is faithful, even after much time passes. On the other hand, this challenges us that He will remove sin and evil before He brings about His promises.
