Jeremiah Freed
40: 1-6

Jeremiah freed DIG: What “word” comes to Jeremiah (39:11-14)? How did the prophet’s prediction about Ramah (31:15) come true in his day? In Jesus’ day (Matthew 2:18)? Why does Nebuchadnezzar grasp what no Judean king ever did? Why would Nebuzaradan offer to take care of Jeremiah in Babylon? Why did Yirmeyahu say no?

REFLECT: How do you respond to unexpected setbacks? Have you ever been “freed” by an unbeliever to pursue God’s will? If so, how did that feel?

586 BC after the fall of Yerushalayim

Jerusalem had fallen. The prophet was therefore vindicated. YHVH will not be mocked. And for mocking God, Zion was destroyed. Life, however, went on. The third deportation (to see link click Gt – In the Thirty-Seventh Year of the Exile Jehoiachin was Released from Prison) did not empty the Land. People still lived there, and because people still lived there, there was a need for order and governance. But a different kind of governance. On which would be loyal, trustworthy and committed to Babylon. She had the “right” and the power to have her own kind of government in Y’hudah.

The word came to Jeremiah from ADONAI after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah (40:1a). But no divine word followed! The clause is to be understood as a general introduction to the whole narrative that follows. The actual word comes later in Chapter 42. Ramah is several miles north of Zion and served as a point of departure for the captives to be taken to Babylon. It was the home of Samuel and it was also near the place where Jacob buried his favorite wife Rachel.

After Yirmeyahu had been released from the courtyard of the guard (39:14) in the City, he was walking down the streets Yerushalayim soldiers were gathering up the captives. The prophet was mistakenly taken captive again because the soldiers did not recognize him. Although Nebuchadnezzar had ordered that the prophet was to be treated with consideration (39:12) it is easily understood how the command may have been overlooked in the fog of war. He was caught up in a later roundup and bound in chains. However, the mistake was rectified at Ramah. Nebuzaradan had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Yerushalayim and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon (40:1b).

Nebuzaradan recognized the sovereignty of God in the fall of Jerusalem. So the narrative places the theological explanation in the mouth of the Babylonian military officer, much like Mark placed the final confession of Messiah in the mouth of a Roman soldier, “Surely, this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39). When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “the LORD you God decreed this disaster for this place, and now ADONAI has brought it about; He has done just as He said He would. All this happened because you people sinned against God and did not obey (Hebrew: shema) Him” (40:2-3). Once again, the astounding contrast between the spiritual insight of these Gentiles and the spiritual blindness of the Jews. He also recognized the reason for the judgment . . . they had sinned against God and did not obey Him. He was not a believer, but he did have spiritual insight.

Nebuzaradan gave Jeremiah a choice. But in that choice there was extreme irony. On the one hand, Yirmeyahu was entirely vindicated. On the other hand, to be so well treated by the occupying force can hardly be a popular outcome. It is the treatment given to someone who has become a traitor. Consequently, in the very moment of his vindication, the prophet is marked as a traitor by the priests and the false prophets he had condemned (26:11 and 38:4). He said: Today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come and stay in Judah (40:4a).

Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please” (40:4b). This phraseology is very similar to what Abram said to Lot overlooking the plain of the Jordan toward Zoar, and what Abimelech, king of Gerar, said to Abraham at Gerar, in the land of the Philistines near the Egyptian border: So Abram said to Lot, “The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I’ll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I’ll go to the left” (Genesis 13:9 NLT).

Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please” (Genesis 20:15 NASB). Abraham could go to Gedaliah at Mizpah, a few miles further north of Ramah, or go to Babylon with Nebuzaradan.

However, before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan said: Go back (shuwb) to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please (40:5a). Jeremiah did not respond verbally. What is being said here is that Jeremiah did not return (shuwb) an answer. Nebuzaradan took his silence (he did not want to insult the commander of the imperial guard) to mean he didn’t want to go. So after a while . . . Nebuzaradan said: All right, then go back to Gedaliah.

Yirmeyahu is not a traitor. He chose poverty in the Land rather than wealth in Babylon. He did not leave his people voluntarily.

Nebuzaradan provided for Yirmeyahu. Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go (40:5b). So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah (the most northern city in Y’hudah) and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the field (40:6). Jeremiah did not return to Jerusalem because, no doubt, he felt that his place was by the side of Gedaliah to help him in his difficult task of governorship over a stricken land.

After the Fall of Jerusalem
40:1 to 44:30

586 BC after the fall of Yerushalayim

Jerusalem fell, but not all the Jews were killed or sent into exile. Nebuchadnezzar followed a humane policy (40:7-43:7). He appointed a fellow Jew, Gedaliah, as governor and seemingly gave him sufficient authority to carry out his responsibilities. Gradually, Gedaliah was able to bring a measure of order to the ravished land. His loyal supporter and spokesman for all the army officers, Johanan, warned that Ishma’el was plotting against his life. But Gedaliah rejected the warning, which proved only too accurate. Ishma’el slaughtered most of a large band of pilgrims from Samaria making their way to mourn over the fallen City. Johanan overtook Ishma’el and released the prisoners, but Ishma’el escaped. Johanan and many others stopped at Geruth Kimham (a stopping place for caravans and their camels to stay overnight) near Bethlehem to decide their course of action. In the account of these crucial events, Jeremiah’s name is not mentioned.

The next section (43:8-44:30) deals with Yirmeyahu and his relationship with the remnant of Jews. When they sought his counsel, he advised them to return to their homes in Y’hudah. However, they fled with him and Baruch to Egypt where he predicted that Nebuchadnezzar would then attack Egypt. There was a lot of tension between Jeremiah and the remnant. He told them that they were suffering because of their idolatry, and that they would die in the coming Babylonian invasion. They answered that they had prospered while freely worshiping the Queen of Heaven, and when they stopped all their troubles began! Jeremiah’s last recorded words are a repetition of the warning.³⁶⁰

The Image of Gold and the Blazing Furnace
Dani’el 3: 1-30

The Image of Gold and the Blazing Furnace DIG: What did King Nebuchadnezzar do and why? The king’s huge gold image and invited guests speaks to what tendency in people? At the dedication ceremony for his gold image, what was the king’s audience commanded to do? By whom? What was the result? Who refused to worship the image of gold? Why would the astrologers tip off the king? Why was the king furious? What test does King Nebuchadnezzar propose? Who is he really testing? For you, what is the climax in the classic testimony by Dani’el, Hananiah, Misha’el and Azariah? What were they sure about? What were they unsure about? What was remarkable about the blazing furnace? Who is killed? Why? Who manages to survive? How? How do you explain the mysterious fourth figure? What does King Nebuchadnezzar make of the three servants of El ‘Elyon? Why? Do you think this experience made a believer out of King Nebuchadnezzar or not? Why?

REFLECT: How is YHVH with you when you are suffering? What have your sufferings to do with standing up for what you believe about YHVH? Have you ever betrayed your own beliefs and bowed down to some “golden image” of today? When? For how long? What did you learn? What are you still learning? How can you remain faithful? How does the king’s affirmation of El ‘Elyon reinforce your belief about Jesus (Phil 2:6-11)? How much are you now willing to risk in order to obey a clear commandment of God?

Shortly after the Destruction of Solomon’s Temple in 586 BC

The Building of the Image: In Second Kings 25:8 we are told that on the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon demolished Jerusalem. Thinking that he was greater than the God of Isra’el, who was unable to save His City or His Temple, King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits, or ninety feet high and six cubits, or nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. The king made an image that Dani’el described to him in Chapter 2; however, instead of a mixture of metals, he made the image overlaid with pure gold. In Nebuchadnezzar’s thinking, he wanted Babylon to last forever and no succeeding kingdoms would come after him.

He then summoned all the civic and military leaders, the satraps (chief rulers of a province), prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other lesser provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So they stood before it (Dani’el 3:2-3). At this point nothing is said about the worship of the image, only the dedication of the image. Going did not compromise their faith. Interestingly enough, Dani’el plays no role in this chapter, we’re not told of his whereabouts.

Everyone obeyed and came together and stood before the image. Then the herald loudly proclaimed: Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do. As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. All this was based upon the pagan model of that day: the right of the state is the law of the state. Therefore, to worship the law of the state is to submit one’s self to that state. But if they were a conquered people, they were admitting that the conquering god was more powerful than their own national god. And by worshiping the conquering god, they were pledging allegiance to the state of that god. Now if you were polytheistic, as most of the conquered peoples were, this would not violate your conscience. It wouldn’t be rejecting your national god; it was merely a statement of loyalty and nothing more. So if you were a polytheist, you would have no problem with this.

Centuries later we have a modern example of this pagan concept in the Nazi state. On July 29, 1936, the head of the Hitler Youth Baldur von Schirach, made a speech in which he said. “One cannot be a good German and, at the same time, deny God. But a declaration of faith in the eternal Germany is, at the same time, a declaration of faith in the eternal God.” In other words, “If we act as true Germans, we act according to the laws of God. Whoever serves Adolph Hitler serves Germany, and whoever serves Germany serves God.”³⁵⁷

Several years later Paul Schneider stood lined up with the other prisoners at Buchenwald concentration camp. It was April 20, 1938, Hitler’s forty-ninth birthday and, in tribute, the prisoners were ordered to remove their berets and venerate the Nazi swastika flag. At once all whipped off their headgear. But the guards observed one man who would not “bow” to the swastika . . . Paul Schneider. They beat him with twenty-five lashes with an ox-hide whip. That was only the first time he was beaten because he refused to worship the idol.³⁵⁸

Whoever does not fall down and worship the idol will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace (Dani’el 3:4-6). Probably like the lime-kiln, with a vertical shaft and an opening at the bottom for extracting the fused lime. It was usually built by a cliff so you approach the top from the cliff, or there would be an incline leading up to the top. The Persians are said to have had similar ovens for the execution of criminals. Such cruel punishment was common in Babylonia and Assyria (Jeremiah 29:22). You had a choice, fall down before the image or fall down into the blazing furnace. The rabbis teach that this was a deliberate attempt to lead the Jews astray, and so cause them to forfeit God’s favor and their right to the promises of YHVH.

Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down on their knees and on their faces and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up (Dani’el 3:7) – except for the three Jews still standing. They were quickly noticed.

The Accusation Against the Jews: At this time some magi, nationalists, came forward and denounced, literally to eat the pieces of the Jews. That word refers to slander and malicious accusations that devours the accused piece by piece. They saw an excellent opportunity of displaying their anti-Semitism against the “foreign nobodies” who were occupying positions that they considered they were more entitled to hold. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – who do not respect Your Majesty. They felt that Babylonians should be in those positions, not Jews. Then they get specific: They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up” (Dani’el 3:8-12).

The faith of the children of Abraham: Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned them by their Babylonian names: Shadrach (meaning command of Aku, the Babylonian god of the moon), Meshach (meaning who is like Aku) and Abednego (meaning servant of Nebo, the Babylonian god of wisdom); but their Hebrew names were actually Hananiah (meaning God is gracious), Mishael (meaning who is like YHVH), and Azariah (meaning ADONAI has helped).

So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar angrily said to them: Is it true that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up. Remember, he didn’t owe these three men anything. It was Dani’el who had interpreted the dream. And their appointment to high office was at Dani’el’s request. So as far as Nebuchadnezzar was concerned, they owed Nebuchadnezzar something, not the other way around. But before throwing them in the fiery furnace, he decides to give them a second chance, saying: Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very well. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. And then, in light of his recent destruction of Tziyon, he said: What god will be able to rescue you from my hand (Dani’el 3:13-15)? Well . . . he was about to find out.

Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah replied to him, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. By dropping the king’s title, the three Jews implied that he was but a mortal being who had no right to demand of them an act that violated their conscience. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But, even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Dani’el 3:16-18). That’s hutzpah!

The miraculous deliverance by ADONAI: Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with them and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual, but he wasn’t thinking very clearly because that would only decrease their time of suffering. And commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah and throw them into the blazing furnace. So these righteous sons of Abraham, wearing their fancy clothes for the dedication, their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took them up and the three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace (Dani’el 3:22-23).

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied: Certainly, Your Majesty.” He suddenly changed from anger to astonishment: Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods, an angel (Dani’el 3:24-25).

Nebuchadnezzar approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servant of the Most High God (Hebrew: El ‘Elyon), come out! Come here!” So they came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair on their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them (Dani’el 3:26-27). So the fire that was meant to destroy them caused them no harm. There were no roasted Hebrew nationals!

King Nebuchadnezzar worships the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: Then Nebuchadnezzar said: Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel (just like an angel delivered Dani’el from the lion’s den in Chapter 6) and rescued His servants! They trusted in Him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

Therefore, I decree that the people (to the same people he had issued the decree to worship the golden image before) of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way. Then the king increased the wealth of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon (Dani’el 3:28-30). There is no way that Nebuchadnezzar would have destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple after making such a declaration. Thus, it must have been after Zion and the Temple had been destroyed. (to see link click Gb – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC).

The furnace story tells of deliverance, but it is also about worship. It tells me that what’s really important is that I keep the first commandment (see the commentary on Exodus Dp – You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me) even if it kills me. And now that we live in a post-empty-tomb time there is even more reason to remain faithful. Os Guinness tells of one of the periodic efforts to wipe out religious belief in the former Soviet Union. The communist party sent KGB agents to the nation’s churches on Sunday morning. One such agent was struck by the deep devotion of an older woman who was kissing the feet of a life-size carving of Christ on the cross. He asked her, “Babushka [Grandmother], are you also prepared to kiss the feet of the beloved general secretary of our great Communist party?” She shot back, “Why, of course. But only if you crucify him first.”³⁵⁹

Gedaliah Ruled For 3 Months in 586 BC

Gedaliah ben Ahikam was appointed governor. His father had once saved Jeremiah’s life (26:24). His grandfather Shaphan was one of Josiah’s high officials (Second Kings 22:3), and gave strong support to Josiah’s reform movement. Gedaliah himself had been one of Zedekiah’s chief officials. Since Jerusalem was uninhabitable, the seat of government was placed at Mizpah. Yirmeyahu, who received preferential treatment by the Babylonians, was placed with other refugees under Gedaliah’s care at Mizpah.

Even though Gedaliah tried hard to appease the population, his plan failed (40:7-12). After a time a certain Ishmael, a member of the royal house who must have escaped from the Babylonians (with the backing of the king of Ammon), assassinated Gedaliah, who, though warned of the plot, would not believe the warning. Ishmael and his fellow conspirators also slew the Babylonian garrison and innocent people who were present. The news of this shameful act reached Johanan ben Kareah, who was absent from Mizpah when the slaughter took place. He pursued Ishmael with a band of armed men, but Ishmael escaped to Ammon. Gedaliah’s friends in Mizpah, fearing repercussions from Nebuchadnezzar, determined to flee to Egypt, taking with them an unwilling Jeremiah (to see link click Gh – The Flight to Egypt).

Whether because of this senseless massacre, or for some other reason, there was a fourth deportation of exiles in 582 BC (see Gt – In the Thirty-Seventh Year of the Exile Jehoiachin was Released from Prison). What happened to Judah thereafter we are not told. The lights had gone out and would not be turned on again for many years. Nothing more is heard of the land of Judah for over forty years, although we know a little more about the exiles in Babylon. The story does not resume until the Babylonian Empire itself was destroyed by Cyrus the Persian and the exiled Jews were repatriated to resume their life in their homeland.

After the conquering of Jerusalem the Babylonians selected the leading people of the city for deportation. The tactic was to remove every one of influence and leadership – artisans, merchants, political leaders, military generals – so that the general populace would be dependent on and submissive to the invaders. Without the leaders the people, like sheep, would submit to the puppet king and the occupying army with a minimum of resistance. It is interesting that Jeremiah was left behind. He had been ignored for so long as a leader by his own people that the Babylonians didn’t consider him important enough to exile.

After four deportations, Isra’el was taken into exile. The people were uprooted from the place in which they were born. The land that had been promised to them, which they had possessed, in which their identity as a people of God had been formed, was gone. They were forced to travel across the Middle Eastern desert seven hundred miles, leaving home, Temple and hills. In the new land, Babylon, customs were strange, the language confusing, and the landscape oddly flat and featureless. All the familiar landmarks were gone. The weather was different. The faces were anonymous and obscure.

No matter how awful the situation may seem, the God of Isra’el is still sovereign and in control. He never forgets the nation that He chose to be His own treasured possession (Exodus 19:5). God’s desire is to bring them back to Himself with their hearts seeking God. Though He disciplines them, still God protects them and watches over them wherever they go (see the commentary on Esther Bk – The Triumph of the Jews), for their good. This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 29:10-14).

The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on
Tisha B’Av in 586 BC

586 BC at the end of Zedekiah’s eleven-year reign

Two Temples stood in succession on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. The First Temple was constructed by King Solomon, based on detailed plans that God had given to his father, King David through the prophet Nathan. King David had wanted to build it himself, but was told that his son would be the one to do it (First Kings 5:3-5).

In the fourth year of his reign in 833 BC, King Solomon found himself at peace with his neighbors and began the construction of the Temple. The site chosen by his father King David was the top of Mount Moriah, where Abraham had once proved his readiness to offer up his dearly beloved son in obedience to God’s command.

Tens of thousands of men were needed to perform the many tasks required for the gigantic undertaking. Men were sent to Lebanon to cut down cedar trees. Stones were hewn near the quarries, and then brought up to Moriah, there to be fitted together. In the valley of the Jordan the bronze was cast. Craftsmen were brought in from Tyre to help perfect the work. Ships set sail eastward and westward to bring the choicest materials for the adornment of the House of God.

It took seven years to complete the Temple. In the twelfth year of his reign, in 827 BC, King Solomon dedicated the Temple and all its contents. The ark of the Covenant was brought into the Temple amidst inaugural celebrations that lasted for seven days.

For the next 410 years, the Jewish people would bring daily offerings in this magnificent edifice, and here the nation would gather three times a year to “see and to be seen by the face of God.” Here the divine Presence, the Sh’khinah glory, was manifest. The sages recorded ten daily miracles – such as the wind never extinguishing the fire on the altar – which attested to God’s presence in the Temple. This was the archetype of the “dwelling for God in the physical world” that is the purpose of creation.

Solomon’s reign was a golden era. His capital became the center of wisdom, riches, and splendor. Monarchs as well as ordinary people came to gaze on all the marvels to be seen there, and left wide-eyed with amazement and awe. The land of Isra’el developed into a great center of commerce. The Jews lived in peace and happiness, every man under his vine and under his fig tree.

At the end of King Solomon’s life, he was guilty of indiscretions, unbefitting to his great stature. God told him he would be punished. After his death, the kingdom would be torn in two. And indeed, after Solomon’s death, the ten northern tribes refused to accept his son Rehoboam as their king. In 796 BCE, the country was divided into two kingdoms: the kingdom of Isra’el in the north and the kingdom of Judah (containing Jerusalem) in the south.

The kings of the kingdom of Isra’el practiced idolatry, but so did many of the kings of the kingdom of Judah. God sent prophets repeatedly to admonish the Jews, but they refused to change their ways, choosing instead to deride these prophets as false messengers coming to discourage them with predictions of destruction.

In one awful example, in 661 BCE, the prophet Zechariah ben Jehoiada chastised the nation for their sins, warning them of the grave punishments that would befall them if they would not change their ways. Rather than accept his rebuke, the nation stoned Zechariah to death in the Temple courtyard (2 Chronicles 24:21). The rabbis teach that this occurred on Yom Kippur, and that rather than allowing Zechariah’s blood to settle into the earth, God caused it to bubble up. The people tried to cover it with earth, but it continued to seethe for the next 252 years, until the destruction of the Temple.

As a result of the disobedient and corrupt behavior of the Jews, God did not provide either kingdom with the peace and security that the united kingdom had enjoyed under Solomon’s reign. Their common enemy was the Assyrian empire to the north.

In 555 BCE, Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom, fell to the Assyrians, and the kingdom of Isra’el came to an end. Scores of thousands of the conquered people were led into captivity. They were transported to distant provinces of the Assyrian empire, and they disappeared completely. The Assyrians repopulated the land with exiles that had been uprooted from other countries, whose descendants came to be called the Samaritans or Kuttim (2 Ki 17:24). The rabbis teach that no trace has been found of the Ten Tribes.

The kingdom of Judah miraculously survived the Assyrian threat and lasted another 150 years. Their kings were not uniformly evil as the kings of the kingdom of Isra’el had been; they had several truly righteous monarchs – notably among them Hezekiah and Josiah – and enjoyed occasional bouts of resurgent spiritual health. But eventually, they would fall victim to the Babylonians.

Jeremiah prophesied about the Babylonian threat and warned the Jews of the terrible devastation they would incur if they did not stop worshipping idols and mistreating each other. But his melancholic prophecies, recorded in the book of Jeremiah, went largely unheeded by the Jews, who mocked and persecuted him.

Some eighteen years before the destruction of the Temple God then spoke to Jeremiah, saying: Take for yourself a scroll and write upon it all the words that I have spoken to you concerning Isra’el and concerning Judah. . . . Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the evil that I plan to do to them, in order that they should repent, each man of his evil way, and I will forgive their iniquity and their sin (to see link click Df – Jehoiakim Burns Jeremiah’s Scroll).

Jeremiah summoned his devoted disciple, Baruch ben Neriah, and dictated to him a heart-rending and graphic warning of the coming doom; this prophecy eventually became known as the book of Lamentations (“Eichah”). In this scroll, Jeremiah described and mourned the devastation that God would wreak upon Jerusalem and the Holy Land: children starving; cannibalism on the part of hunger-crazed mothers, the city abandoned. Baruch followed Jeremiah’s instructions. He publicly read the scroll in the Temple.

When Jehoiakim was informed of this event, he asked that the scroll be read to him. After hearing but a few verses, the king grabbed the scroll and callously threw it into the fireplace. The rabbis teach that when Jeremiah was informed of the king’s actions, he sat and composed another chapter that he added to the book. This book of Lamentations is read in the synagogue every year on the eve of the Ninth of Av.

The Assyrians had long dominated the Middle East, but their power was waning. Even with the help of the Egyptians, who were getting stronger, the Assyrians were not able to fight off the Babylonians. These three empires were engaged in a power struggle, and the southern kingdom of Judah was caught in the middle.

In 601 BC, Jehoiakim tried to form an alliance with Egypt. The Jews thought, despite Jeremiah’s prophecies, that this would keep them safe. But instead, the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, marched on Judah. He pillaged Jerusalem and in the second deportation, he took tens of thousands of Jews to his capital in Babylon; all the deportees were drawn from the upper classes, the wealthy, and craftsmen. Ordinary people were allowed to stay in Judah, and Nebuchadnezzar appointed a puppet king, Zedekiah, over Judah.

Later, Zedekiah was weak and foolishly courageous, and (despite Jeremiah’s repeated admonitions not to) he tried to break free from the Babylonians. So Nebuchadnezzar marched on Jerusalem again. This time he would not be content with making Judah into a vassal state. On the tenth of Tevet, 588 BC, Nebuchadnezzar began the siege of Jerusalem.

Twenty months later, after a long siege during which hunger and epidemics ravaged the city, the city walls were breached on the ninth of Tammuz 586 BC. King Zedekiah tried to escape through an eighteen-mile long tunnel, but enemy soldiers who, while chasing a deer, saw him emerging captured him in the plains of Jericho. He was brought before Nebuchadnezzar in Riblah. There Zedekiah’s sons and many other Jewish personages were slain before his eyes; then his eyes were put out, and he was led in chains to Babylon.

On the seventh day of Av, the chief of Nebuchadnezzar’s army, Nebuzaradan, began the destruction of Jerusalem. The walls of Yerushalayim were torn down, and the royal palace and other structures in the City were set on fire.

The rabbis teach that when Nebuzaradan entered the Temple he found the blood of Zechariah seething. So he asked the Jews what this phenomenon meant, and they attempted to conceal the scandal, but he threatened to comb their flesh with iron combs. Therefore, they told him the truth: “There was a prophet among us who chastised us, and we killed him. For many years now his blood has not rested.”

Nebuzaradan said, “I will appease him.” He then killed the members of the Great and Small Sanhedrins, then he killed youths and maidens, and then schoolchildren. Altogether, he killed 940,000 people. Still the blood continued to boil, whereupon Nebuzaradan cried: “Zechariah, Zechariah! I have slain the best of them; do you want all of them destroyed?” Then, at last, the blood sank into the ground (Talmud, Gittin 57b).³⁵⁶

On the ninth day of Av, toward evening, after sundown, or the beginning of a new day, the Holy Temple was set on fire and destroyed. The fire burned for 24 hours. That is why Jeremiah 52:12 says the tenth of Av.

Everything of gold and silver that still remained was carried off as loot by the Babylonian soldiers. All the beautiful works of art with which King Solomon had once decorated and ornamented the holy edifice were destroyed or taken away. The holy vessels of the Temple that could be found were brought to Babylon. The high priest Seraiah and many other high officials and priests were executed. In addition to the 940,000 people killed by Nebuzaradan, millions more were killed inside and outside of the city. Many thousands of the people that had escaped the sword were taken prisoner and led into captivity in Babylon, where some of their best had already preceded them. Only the poorest of the residents of Jerusalem were permitted to stay on to plant the vineyards and work in the fields.

Thus ended the empire of David and Solomon; thus the magnificent City and Holy Temple were destroyed. God punished His people for deserting Him and His statutes. All this had been predicted in the Torah, and it truly came to pass with all the horror of which Moshe had warned. Jeremiah also promised that the Jewish people would return to Jerusalem (Jeremiah 30:10-22, 32:15).

For this our heart has become faint, for these things our eyes have grown dim. For Mount Zion, which has become desolate; foxes prowl over it. But You, O God, remain forever; Your throne endures throughout the generations. Why do You forget us forever, forsake us so long? Restore us to You, O God, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old (Lamentations 5:17-21).

The Second Temple was called Herod’s Temple and would be destroyed by the Romans (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD).

The Fall of Jerusalem
Jeremiah 39:1-14 and 52:4-27;
Second Kings 25:1-21 and Second Chronicles 36:15-21

The fall of Jerusalem DIG: Imagine living in the City of David during the twenty-month Babylonian siege (Second Kings 25:1-3). What would you fear the most? Jeremiah had been predicting the fall of Tziyon ever since ADONAI first called him as a prophet some forty years earlier. Who were the kings that heard his message since then (see Ai, Bm, Ca, Du, Dz)? What violence is Zedekiah forced to endure, which he would sooner have not seen (verses 5-9)? Do you feel sympathy for him? Why or why not? Who does the king of Babylon (and God) spare and why? Why did Babylon deport the ruling class and leave the poor people to tend the land (Second Kings 24:12-14)? Why does Nebuchadnezzar treat Jeremiah so well? Why did Ha’Shem spare Ebed-Melech? What did a foreign language have to do with the fall of Jerusalem?

REFLECT: Why have you been in a “no win” situation, as was Jeremiah? Whom did God use to get you out of that tough spot? Have you ever picked a fight with someone, only to find out too late that you had bitten off more than you could chew? What happened? How do you think Yirmeyahu and ADONAI felt when Zion finally fell (see the book of Lamentations)? To whom could you show kindness and help out of a tough spot?

Tisha B’Av 586 BC at the very end of Zedekiah’s eleven-year reign

The prophet had long since made clear that Jerusalem had only two choices: surrender and live, or resist and die. Under the leadership of Zedekiah, Judah exercised its choice, and made the wrong choice. It resisted Babylon. In 38:1-6 it is clear that this policy had the militant support of the princes. In so doing, according to the prophet, Y’hudah resisted YHVH and therefore died. This chapter describes the result of that disastrous choice.³⁴⁹

ADONAI, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through His messengers the prophets again and again, because He had pity on His people and on His dwelling place the Temple. But they mocked and scoffed at His prophets, and despised His words until the anger of ADONAI rose up against His people to the extent that there was no longer any remedy (Second Chronicles 36:15-16; also see Jeremiah 5:10-13 and 7:12-15). Jeremiah had consistently detailed to Zedekiah the deep costs of the defiance of Babylon. Now all the threats had come to fruition. In this account, there is no mention of the prophet nor of the God whom he bore witness. Only judgment.

This is how Jerusalem was taken: In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month (Tevet or December/January) in 588 BC, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem (under God’s leading) with his whole army. This date marked the beginning of the siege. They encamped outside the City built siege works all around it and laid siege to it. The City was kept under siege for twenty months, until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah’s reign.

By the ninth day of the fourth month in 586 BC, the famine in Jerusalem had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. Then, about a month later, the City wall was broken through and what was left of the Jewish army fled. Nebuchadnezzar then killed hundreds of thousands with the sword in the Sanctuary, and did not spare young men or young women, the elderly or the infirm (Jeremiah 39:1-2, 52:4-7a; Second Kings 25:1-2; Ezekiel 24:1-2; Second Chronicles 36:17).

Then the City wall was broken through and all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, and Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon (Jeremiah 25:3). There were two generals/officials named Nergal-Sharezer. The first one is Nergal-Sharezer lord of Sin-Magir the Rabsaris. He came from the town of Samgar-Nebo, which was sometimes known in Babylonian literature as Sin-Magir. So he was a mayor of a specific city in Babylonia and he also had the military title of Rabsaris. The second man was also known as Nergal-Sharezer. He is known in Babylonian writings as Neriglissar, the Rab-mag or chief of princes (it was not unusual for the Babylonians to have more than one name). He was married to the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and would later murder Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Evil-Murdock, and reign as king of Babylon from 559 BC to 556 BC.

The prophecies of Yirmeyahu were beginning to be fulfilled very quickly. When Zedekiah king of Judah and his soldiers saw the Babylonian dignitaries sitting in the Middle Gate, they realized that the City had fallen. Then the king, his family and the whole army fled at night (so they wouldn’t be easily seen) and slipped through the gate between the two walls by way of the king’s garden near the Pool of Siloam. The royal family and a small group of ragtag soldiers were in the steep ravine near where Hinnom and Kidron Valleys unite. Climbing over the Mount of Olives they fled toward the Arabah, which is also known as the Jordan Valley in the area of Jericho (Jeremiah 39:3-4; 52:7b; Second Kings 25:4). Zedekiah tried to escape through an eighteen-mile long tunnel, but enemy soldiers who, while chasing a deer, saw him emerging captured him on the plains of Jericho.

Zedekiah was trying to get across the Jordan River at the very same location that Isra’el crossed over coming into Canaan (Joshua 3:1-17). Now Zedekiah, the last king of Isra’el was trying to escape the land of Canaan the same way! The king was without courage, resolve, or resource. He neither resists nor surrenders, but jumps ship in a disgraceful way. He abdicated his royal office and his royal responsibility, leaving the people in the lurch.

The king came very close to his goal of escaping, coming up short only a mile or two from the Jordan River. But the Babylonian army pursued Zedekiah and his little entourage, and overtook them on the plains of Jericho. All Zedekiah’s soldiers were separated from him and they scattered trying to save themselves (Second Kings 25:5). The Babylonian army captured Zedekiah and took him to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah (his field headquarters) in the north at Hamath just south of Syria. There the Babylonian King waited while his generals conducted the sieges of Jerusalem and Tyre (Jeremiah 52:8-10 and 26-27; Lamentations 4:19-20; Second Kings 25:6, 20-21). In like manner Pharaoh-Necho after his victory over the Babylonians at Carchemish in 609 BC, returned to Riblah and summoned Jehoahaz from Jerusalem before him (Second Kings 23:33).

Therefore, the Jewish puppet king was captured after fleeing 25 miles from Jerusalem to Jericho, then he was taken another 25 miles back to Yerushalayim and then another 180 miles north to Riblah. This would have taken several days. One wonders the thoughts going through his mind being as he was transported in chains with his family. Did he fear the worst, or did he hold out hope that Nebuchadnezzar would be merciful towards him. What would happen to his family? What would happen to the nobles captured with him? He would soon find out. Those who were associated with Zedekiah were killed.

Evidently the king’s daughters (Jeremiah 38:23, 41:10, 43:6) were allowed to live. It seems strange that the Babylonians did not round up such politically significant people. But they might have been young girls because Zedekiah was only 32 at that time. The Babylonian garrison at Mizpah must have known about them. Surely, then, this must have been a generous gesture to gain the goodwill of the Jewish population.³⁵⁰

Jeremiah’s prophecy had been fulfilled to the letter. Zedekiah did not die by the sword (39:18), but he was disgraced. The Babylonian king pronounced judgment on him. He had the sons of Zedekiah killed before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. This would be the last thing Zedekiah would see as long as he lived. The thing he could never forget. Then the Nebuchadnezzar put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon, where he put the Jewish king in prison until the day of his death (Jeremiah 39:6-7, 52:8-11; Second Kings 25:7). The eyes’ being gouged out was a common form of punishment in ancient times. It is mentioned in the Code of Hammurabi. The Septuagint text of 52:11 specifies that Zedekiah was put in the “house of milling” until the day of his death, that is, he did women’s work, which calls to mind Samson’s fate: Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison (Judges 16:21).

So Zedekiah’s defiance ended in Babylon. It was as though there was never an option for the king except Babylon. Either he would go willingly (as the prophet had urged) or violently (as finally happened). Zedekiah was the second king of Y’hudah in Babylon (to see link click Du – Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC). One, Jehoiachin, was taken willingly; the other, Zedekiah, defiantly. Jehoiachin was treated humanely . . . Zedekiah brutally. Babylon was the place where the Judean kings congregated and died. How they went influenced their treatment in exile.³⁵¹

The Mormons teach that Zedekiah’s son Mulek escaped death and traveled across the ocean to the Americas, where he founded a nation that later merged with another Israelite splinter group, the Nephites. However, anthropologist Dr. Thomas W. Murphy concluded in his groundbreaking article Lamanite Genesis, Genealogy and Genetics in 2013 that DNA research lends no support to the traditional belief about the origins of the Native Americans, and he likens the Book of Mormon to inspirational fiction. In fact, not one single pot, or artifact of any kind has ever been found from the three Indian tribes, the Lamanites, Jaredites and Nephites, supposedly spread out over North, Central and South America. The book of Mormon has no maps and no credibility. A warning from YHVH is given in Second Peter 2:1: There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies.

The valuable treasures of the Temple were looted and the Sanctuary itself was burned and reduced to rubble, along with the palaces. On the tenth day of the fifth month of Av, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the whole Babylonian army under Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard came and broke down the walls around Jerusalem. Every important building was burned down. They set fire to the royal palace, which Solomon had spent more time building than the Temple (First Kings 7:1, 2 Chronicles 8:1), and the Temple itself was burned, God’s Temple (52:12-14).

Perhaps the most noticeable thing in the report of the destruction is the restrained understatement. The narrative offers no interpretive comment about the calamity. No didactic point is scored. No moral explanation is offered. No theological connection is proposed, not even a reference to the prophet Jeremiah. It is as though the narrative wants us to attend only to the dread and brutality present in the scene.³⁵²

Jeremiah survived to see the sad accomplishment of all his darkest predictions. He witnessed all the horrors of famine, and, when that had done its work, the triumph of the enemy. He saw the strongholds of the City torn down; the palace of Solomon, The Temple of God, with all its courts, the roofs of cedar and gold, leveled to the earth, or burned up; the sacred vessels, the ark of the covenant itself, with the cherubim, pillaged by profane hands. Never did a city suffer a more miserable fate; never was a city lamented in language so pathetic.

Second Kings 25:8 has the seventh day of the month of Av. Jews around the world observe a day of mourning on the ninth day of the month of Av, or Tisha B’av because of the destruction of the Temple (see Gb – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC). The rabbis teach that Nebuzaradan entered Jerusalem on the seventh day, then set it on fire on the ninth day and it burned until the tenth day. Since the destruction of the Second Temple, a Jewish fast is kept on the ninth of Av. So the siege lasted 20 months, from the 10^th of Tevet 588 BC to the 9^th of Av 586 BC.

Tziyon was then destroyed. Yirmeyahu’s prophecies continued to be fulfilled. The Babylonian soldiers broke up the two bronze pillars, twelve bronze bulls under the bronze basin, which the priests used for washing, and the ten moveable stands, which held the waster for rinsing the things used for the burnt offerings (Second Chronicles 4:4-6). Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference (27 feet high and 18 feet around), and each was four fingers thick and hollow. The bronze basin measured ten cubits in diameter and five cubits high (7 feet high). Each of the ten movable stands were four cubits long, four wide and three high (about 6 feet long and wide and about 4 ½ feet high). The Babylonians carried the bronze to Babylon.

The two pillars were named Yachim, which means, “He will establish,” and boaz, which means “in His strength.” Together they represented, “He will establish in His strength.” The bronze capital on top of one pillar was five cubits high (7.5 feet) and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. Pomegranates were a common ancient decoration (Exodus 28:33-34). The other pillar with its network was similar. There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides. The total number of pomegranates above the surrounding network was a hundred. Each capital had two rows of pomegranates so there were 200 pomegranates of brass on each capital. Then there were two pillars for a total of 400 pomegranates.

They also took away the pots (used for the removal of fats and ashes of the sacrifices), shovels (to move the ashes from the bronze altar to the pots), wick trimmers (of the lamps), sprinkling bowls (used to sprinkle blood at the base of the bronze altar), dishes (used for burning incense) and all the bronze articles used in the Temple service. The commander of the imperial guard simply packed up and took away the censers and sprinkling bowls – all were made of pure gold or silver (Jeremiah 39:8, 52:13-14 and 17-23; First Kings 7:15-37, 42-44 and 48-51; Second Kings 25:8-10, 13-17; Second Chronicles 3:15 and 36:15-19). This fulfilled the prophecy in 27:19-22.

There is a hint here about the fate of the ark of the Covenant (see the commentary on Exodus Fr – The Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace). If Yirmeyahu would have hidden the ark, the Bible would have said something about it. Also, there were Jews living when the Second Temple was rebuilt seventy years later and if the ark had been hidden they would have known about it. It was a tendency of the Babylonians to strip gold, silver and brass from anything valuable and burn the rest. As Ha’Shem had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon king of Isra’el had made for the Temple of God, including the golden lampstand (Second Kings 24:13). If the ark was stripped of its gold and wood burned, why didn’t YHVH protect it as He had done in the past? The Sh’khinah glory of ADONAI had departed from the Temple and from Isra’el signifying God’s divine protection had been removed.³⁵³

There have been ten national calamities that are remembered on Tisha B’av (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD).

The last nine days of the Three Weeks, the mournful period before Tisha B’Av start on the first of the Jewish month of Av and occupy a special status. During the nine days, foods traditionally associated with joy, such as wine and meat, are forbidden, except on Shabbat. Bathing, beyond what is absolutely necessary, is prohibited, as is doing laundry, and buying or wearing new clothes.

The nine days culminate in the fast of Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av, a day that is spent entirely in mourning – by fasting, praying, sitting on stools instead of chairs and reading the book of Lamentations. The Mishnah, in Masekhet Taanit 29b, decrees that these additional restrictions are only valid in “shavua she-hal bo,” or the week that Tisha B’Av occurs. Many Sephardic Jews observe the restrictions only within this period.

The third deportation: Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the remnant of people who remained in the City and who had escaped the sword; along with the rest of the populace and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. They became servants to him and his successors until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The Babylonians always took the best and the brightest back to Babylon, like Dani’el and Ezeki’el. But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poorest people to work the vineyards and fields because they were no threat to Babylon. The Land enjoyed its seventy sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 39:9-10, 52:15-16; Second Kings 25:11-12; Second Chronicles 36:20-21).

The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers to prevent them from leading another revolt. Of those still in the city, he also took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and royal advisors for the same reason. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land. Sixty common people were found in the City. The residents of Jerusalem were treated more harshly than those outside of Zion. In other words, the poorest in Yerushalayim went into captivity, while the poorest outside the City did not. Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah where his field headquarters were located; where he had those leaders executed. So Judah went into captivity, away from her land (Jeremiah 29:24-32 and 37:3, 52:24-27; Second Kings 12:9-16, 22:3-7, 23:4, 25:18-21; Second Chronicles 6:13-15). Notice that it does not use the figure of seventy years here, and for good reason (see Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule).

Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given special orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, “Take him and look after him. Don’t harm him but do for him whatever he asks.” We don’t know how Nebuchadnezzar knew about Jeremiah, but he obviously did. So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief military commander, Nergal-Sharezer a high official (who would eventually become king of Babylon), and all the other officers of the king of Babylon sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan (who would become the next king of Judah after Zedekiah) to take him back to his home (Jeremiah 39:11-13). The fact that these important men were given the responsibility of releasing Jeremiah from jail shows how important God’s prophet was to Nebuchadnezzar.

No doubt there is some irony in the fate of Zedekiah and the destiny of Jeremiah, the two treatments reported back to back. The defeated Zedekiah is brutalized. Yirmeyahu is found by the Babylonians in a royal prison, an enemy of the king. Jeremiah, however, is recognized as a friend of the empire and treated well. The narrative makes nothing of the irony of Jeremiah’s position. He had been accused of being a traitor. Now his preferential treatment by Babylon would seem to vindicate him from the false charges of the citizens of Zion. Once again the narrative passes over the obvious issue in silence. Jeremiah had urged the Judeans to “submit and live.” Now, as one who “submitted,” he was permitted to “live.”³⁵⁴

Isaiah had been told: Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people (Isaiah 28:11). The foreign lips and strange tongues He was referring to were the Assyrians. Because the Jewish religious leaders did not believe the prophet’s message, the Assyrian army would invade the northern kingdom of Isra’el. And when they heard those strange tongues, it would be a sign of their own unbelief (see the commentary on Isaiah Fm – With Foreign Lips and Strange Tongues God Will Speak to This People). The northern Kingdom fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC.

The final blow was dealt a hundred and thirty-six years later when the same thing happened to the southern Kingdom. People of Judah, declares ADONAI, I am bringing a distant nation against you – an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand (Yirmeyahu 5:15). The hearing of the Babylonian tongue would be a sign of their own unbelief.

This passage is referred toin the New Covenant where Rabbi Sha’ul quotes from Isaiah and says: Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers, but for unbelievers, specifically unbelieving Jews, the unbelievers of this people (1 Cor 14:21-22). The purpose of tongues in a church or synagogue is not to bring unbelievers to faith. It has the same purpose it had in Isaiah 28. It is a sign of Jewish unbelief. It is not to bring them to Messiah, because Paul, quoting from this verse says, that even then they will not listen (First Corinthians 14: 21b). Therefore, tongues are a sign of cursing because of Jewish unbelief, a sign of blessing because the Dispensation of Grace had begun (see the commentary on Hebrews – The Dispensation of Grace), and a sign of authority (from apostles, prophets, or a nation, authenticating that it was God who was speaking). Peter, for example, had the keys to the Kingdom and would be responsible for ushering in the three major ethnic groups to the faith in the first century, Jews, Samaritans, and the Gentiles (Acts 10:44-46).

Moses said that if the Israelites did not serve God joyfully and gladly then they would serve the enemies of the LORD. Isra’el’s enemies would put an iron yoke around their necks until they were destroyed (Deuteronomy 28:32). He continued to say: Yes, ADONAI will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand (Deuteronomy 28:49). If Judah had believed Jeremiah’s message there would not have been any invasion. Therefore, just as Isra’el’s disobedience in Deuteronomy led to the use of tongues as a sign of Jewish disobedience in the Land, so Isra’el’s disobedience in the rejection of the Messiah led to the use of tongues as a sign of Jewish disobedience in the Church Age.

The last phrase is telling: So he remained among his own people (Jeremiah 39:14). Of course, Jeremiah was not a deserter. He was the one who cared the most about his people and risked the most for them. In the end, there is perhaps an ironic reversal of positions. The king who should have cared about the survival of his people was then removed from his people and incapable of helping them. While Yirmeyahu, who seemed a defeatist, was the one who then lived in solidarity with the people who survived in the City. Without any obvious didactic message, the narrative bears witness to the truth, validity and effectiveness of Jeremiah’s message. Jeremiah’s power had been made perfect in weakness (First Corinthians 12:9).³⁵⁵

Jeremiah Thrown into a Cistern
38:1-28 and 39:15-18

Jeremiah thrown into a cistern DIG: What does this “gang of four have against Jeremiah? Why does the prophet react to them the way he does? Why don’t they just kill Yirmeyahu and get it over with? In using a cistern to do the job, what might the king be secretly hoping? Who stands up for the prophet and why? Why the details about the thirty men and the old rags? Is Jeremiah reluctant to answer Zedekiah, or is he simply negotiating (compare Yeshua’s same predicament in Luke 22:66-67)? Why didn’t Zedekiah either kill God’s prophet or listen to his counsel? What does he stand to lose either way? Why is the king afraid to surrender (verse 19)? Who else is he afraid of (verses 24-26 and 16)? What one word describes Zedekiah? Who were those women? Is the omission of true and relevant facts the same as lying? Do you always try to tell the truth, or is there a time for discretion, or silence as in Yirmeyahu’s case?

REFLECT: What has been your spiritual low point? Where did you receive help? Were any “old rags” or trusted friends used in your rescue? Like king Zedekiah, do you come off as “everybody’s friend?” Explain? When was the last time you were in a no-win situation? How did you handle it? Who do you know that shows interest in Christ time after time, but never really takes the step of faith? What fears lie behind the mixed feelings? Are there any areas of your life that you have not given totally to Yeshua? Why? What needs to happen to change that? Who can you talk to about it?

587 BC at the end of the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

It was a late, ominous time for Jerusalem and for its king . . . Zedekiah. Once more, this narrative concerns a confrontation between the king and the prophet. They are the two principle actors in the story, and they embody two contrasting perspectives. The king is fragile and desperate. His only concern in this account is the development of a policy of survival for Zion. His counterpart, the prophet, is by now persona non grata among the leaders of Yerushalayim, for he was not supportive of their fanciful policies. While Jeremiah’s position had important implications for the survival of Judea that was not his major concern. He was obsessed with the will and purpose of YHVH as the foundation of public life of Y’hudah. The conclusions the prophet draws from his discernment about the will and purpose of ADONAI are not conducive to the survival of Zion as seen by the king.³⁴⁶

Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern: We are very close to the end of the long rule of the Davidic line. No wonder there is tension, hostility, distrust and panic among the leaders. Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pash’chur, Jehukal son of Shelemiah, and Pash’chur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people. Apparently, Jeremiah’s transfer to the courtyard of the guard (37:21) provided him an opportunity to address the people. At that time the prophet declared: This is what ADONAI says: Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives . . . they will live. And this is what the LORD says: This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it (38:1-3). The reason Shephatiah, Gedaliah, Jehukal, Pash’chur and the other officials of Judah wanted to kill Yirmeyahu was because of the prophet’s insistence that they surrender to the Babylonians.

The officials of Y’hudah had such power that, humanly speaking, if Jeremiah allowed his mind to wander from his calling he might have been intimidated by them. It is probably more correct to say that Zedekiah allowed them to have this power. The prophet was correct in his assessment when he asked the king not to send him back to the house of Jonathan or he would die there (37:20). Then the officials said to the king, “This man should be put to death for two reasons. First, he is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. And second, treason, this man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.” He is in your hands, king Zedekiah answered: The king can do nothing to oppose you (38:4-5). What a coward.

Perhaps the officials were afraid to murder the prophet outright and shrank from superstitious dread from such an act; but they conspired on a plan that would accomplish the same result. So they took Yirmeyahu and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. The cisterns of the time were typically shaped like a huge bottle, with a large diameter but only a small opening at the top, which was often covered with a stone. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern. It seemingly had contained water earlier, but it had been depleted during the siege and at this point it had no water left in it, only mud, and Yirmeyahu sank down into the mud (38:6). Yirmeyahu was fully aware that he wouldn’t last very long in it.

This was the third time Jeremiah was imprisoned. First, Pash’chur had him beaten, put in stocks and then put in prison (to see link click Da – Jeremiah and Pash’chur). Secondly, after Yirmeyahu was falsely accused of desertion, he was beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a temporary prison (see Fm – Jeremiah in Prison). And thirdly, here, where he was put into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard, and left to die.

But once again God fulfilled His promise to Jeremiah that he would not die at the hands of men (1:19). The LORD used Ebed-Melek, a God-fearing Cushite from Ethiopia, and an official (Hebrew: saris, meaning eunuch) in the royal palace as His servant. The name Ebed-Melek is made up of two Hebrew words meaning the servant of the king. He was an Ethiopian and not a Jew. As a eunuch, the Torah excluded him from the congregation of Isra’el (Deuteronomy 23:1). But when he heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern, the Cushite knew the prophet would die from either suffocation or exposure if not rescued quickly. Being lead by YHVH, Ebed-Melek immediately went to the king and confronted him with the injustice that he had permitted.

While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate (because of the heavy traffic through this gate, it became a convenient place for the administration of justice), Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and sought him out, saying to him, “My lord king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done trying to kill this man. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city” (38:7-9), a natural exaggeration in the effort to plea for Jeremiah’s release. The thought being that the shortage was so severe that no one would think about feeding Yirmeyahu who would be hidden away out of sight.

As astonishing as the eunuch’s boldness, was the king’s lack of anger. Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.” Why thirty men? Thirty was too many to merely lift Yirmeyahu out of the cistern, but it was enough to stop any interference from the four bloodthirsty officials. So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some of the old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes to Jeremiah in the cistern. The eunuch didn’t want any ropes to cut into the prophet. He was really looking out for God’s messenger. Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Yirmeyahu, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. That Gentile gave Yirmeyahu much more respect than the Jews did. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard (38:10-13).

Yirmeyahu was never popular. He was never surrounded with applause. However, he was not friendless. In fact, Jeremiah was extremely fortunate in his friendships. Twenty-one years earlier the prophet was almost murdered, but Ahikam ben Shaphan intervened and saved his life (see Cg – Jeremiah Threatened With Death). Baruch was his disciple and scribe, loyal and faithful, sticking with him through difficult times to the very end in Egypt. And Ebed-Melek the Ethiopian eunuch, came to his aide. “One friend in a lifetime is much,” wrote Henry Adams (American historian and member of the Adams political family 1838-1918), “two are many; three are hardly possible.” Jeremiah had three.

While Yirmeyahu had been put into Malkijah’s cistern in the courtyard of the guard (38:6), the word of ADONAI came to him saying: Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Ethiopian, “This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: I am about to fulfill My words against this City – words concerning disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes.” But I promise that I will rescue you on that day; you will not be given into the hands of those [court officials] you fear. I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in Me” (39:15-18). God promised to do for Ebed-Melek exactly what He would not do for Zedekiah. The contrast was sharp. The Ethiopian trusted in God while Zedekiah did not.

Ebed-Melek risked his life when he confronted Zedekiah about Jeremiah. Being a foreigner he had no legal rights. He was going against popular opinion in a crisis that was hysterical with wartime emotion. That didn’t matter. A friend is a friend. The Cushite didn’t indulge in sentimental pity for Yirmeyahu, philosophically lamenting his fate; he went to the king, he got ropes, he even thought of getting rags for padding so that the ropes wouldn’t cut, he enlisted help, and he pulled the prophet to safety. He acted on his friendship.

The simple fact that Jeremiah had friends says a lot about the prophet. He needed friends. He was well developed in his internal, private life. It was impossible to deter him from his course by hostility or by flattery. He was used to the solitude. But he needed friends. No one who is whole is self-sufficient. The whole life, the complete life, cannot be lived by arrogant independence. A person without friends is a person in trouble. Our goal cannot be to not need anyone. One of the evidences of Jeremiah’s wholeness was his ability to receive friendship, to let others help him, to be open to mercy. It is easier to extend friendship to others than to receive it ourselves. In giving friendship we show strength, but in receiving it we show weakness. But well-developed people are never fortified behind doctrines or projects, but rather they are active in a wide range of relationships.³⁴⁷

Zedekiah questions Jeremiah for the third time: Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet a third time and had him brought to the [private] entrance to the Temple of ADONAI. Then surprisingly, the king opens his heart to the priest from Anathoth. “I am going to ask you something, the king said to the prophet, “Do not hide anything from me.” Yirmeyahu said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.” But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly to Jeremiah, “As surely as ADONAI lives, who has given us breath, I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you” (38:14-16). But if you notice, he did not promise to follow Jeremiah’s counsel.

This led God’s messenger to move from his former courtesy to great frankness. Then Jeremiah explained as before: This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live. But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will not escape from them (38:17-18). The two options Jeremiah provided for the people, he now provides for their king. Nothing had changed.

Then the king unburdens himself, confessing his fear of those in the City who have already deserted to the enemy: I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me (38:19). Many Jews had gone over to the Babylonians (39:9, 52:15, 21:9, 38:2) from Jeremiah’s own advice. He was afraid they would mistreat him. The word mistreat means to abuse by mockery or physical abuse. One usually comes with the other (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Lu – Jesus’ First Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of Man).

The final warning to the last king of Judah: Jeremiah reassures the king that his fear is an empty one. They will not hand you over, Yirmeyahu replied: Obey the LORD by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared. But if you refuse to surrender, this is what ADONAI has revealed to me (38:20-21). The relationship between the two is strange: on the one hand, the king, who presumably has all the power and whom Yirmeyahu has treated respectfully but who cannot face down his own officials in their opposition to the prophet. On the other hand, YHVH’s messenger, whom the king seems utterly dependent for advice, is being variously restricted.

Then the prophet goes on to share with him a vision he has had of the women of the palace taunting their king as they are led out to captivity. Zedekiah would be both mocked and abused physically: All the women left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Zedekiah would be mocked. But not by those he feared (38:22a), but by the women of his own royal harem! Sometimes a defeated king would merely be made a vassal without the humiliation of having another king take over his harem. But having another king take over your harem was the ultimate mockery for a king (Second Samuel 16:20-22). Those women will sing a taunt (mocking) song:

The first line is a paraphrase from Obadiah 7: Your own close friends misled you and took advantage of you. The second line is a flashback to Jeremiah’s own recent experience in the cistern of 38:6, in which he sank down into the mud. Now it would be Zedekiah who would sink down into the mud, but he wouldn’t have Ebed-Melech to lift him out like Yirmeyahu did. Now that your feet are stuck in the mud, they have abandoned you (38:22b). Therefore, Zedekiah’s fear of mocking would come true if he disobeyed Jeremiah’s counsel, and it would come both from women (38:22) and men (39:6-7).

All your wives and children will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon; and this city will be burned down (38:23). By following a policy against which Jeremiah had persistently but unsuccessfully warned him, Zedekiah was responsible for the City being destroyed by fire.

Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know about this conversation, or you may die (38:24). If the officials hear that I talked with you (and they probably would, since what happens in a court can rarely be kept secret), and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’ then tell them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there’ (38:25-26).” Jeremiah was not to tell the full truth, but then again, he would not be lying. But he obviously didn’t tell them the whole truth. Jeremiah could not communicate with these officials even if he had wanted to, without betraying a confidence.

And just what Zedekiah feared did come true. All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king (38:27).

And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured (38:28). He remained until the bitter end. One sees in this steadfast resolve to stay with the struggle to suffer along with everyone else to the bitter end, a modern parallel in the commitment of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German theologian and martyr of the Nazi era, who in 1939 made the courageous decision to leave New York, where he had gone for a brief sojourn and where he had been offered safe haven, and return to Germany, where he felt the obligation to join in the struggle with his own people until the war ended. His last act before being hanged by the Gestapo was to celebrate communion with his fellow prisoners.³⁴⁸

A Warning to Zedekiah
34: 1-22

A warning to Zedekiah DIG: Under a twenty month long siege with no allies to airlift food (Second Kings 25:1-3), how was Judah able to hold out for so long? What has God already told Zedekiah about the war (21:1-10)? What was the condition that Zedekiah would die peacefully? Who became slaves in ancient Isra’el and why? Who do you think Zedekiah declared freedom for the slaves? Why do the slaveholders refuse to honor their covenant with God? How would the LORD treat those who violated His covenant? Why the uproar over the slaves? How would it feel to be freed, then enslaved again? How will ADONAI discipline those who broke their vow? What does that say about Him? About them?

REFLECT: What blessing has the Lord given you recently that you didn’t deserve? How did it make you feel? If this were the only biblical basis for learning how God cares about the poor, what would you conclude about ADONAI? About the poor? About rich landowners and officeholders? If your COO or government leader reneges on a pledge to your people, what happens? Anything? Who are the “slaves” in your country today? Is your messianic synagogue or church proclaiming their freedom, as did Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2) and Yeshua (Luke 4:18)? Do you feel “enslaved” in any way? What would “freedom” mean to you? What can you do for those enslaved as you once were?

587 BC at the end of the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Hophra became Pharaoh of Egypt in 588 BC and succeeded in inciting Zedekiah to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar (Ezekiel 17:3-21). Bad decision. As a result, the Babylonians then came and laid siege to Jerusalem. The Jews were desperate. So in trying to find favor with God they freed their Hebrew slaves in accordance with the Torah (34:8). During the siege there wasn’t much work to be done anyway so it was really to their advantage to let their slaves go so they wouldn’t have to feed them. When the Egyptians came to Judah’s aid, Babylon withdrew to confront the threat (to see link click Fm – Jeremiah in Prison). When the siege was temporarily lifted, the slave owners felt the danger had passed and forced the Jews back into slavery. That showed that their original motivation for freeing the slaves was not to follow Torah, but their own selfish interests. Once the Egyptian army was defeated, the Babylonians returned and besieged the City, which fell in 586 BC.

A warning to Zedekiah: While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples in the empire that Babylon had already conquered were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, “This is what ADONAI, the God of Isra’el, says: Go to Zedekiah king of Judah” (34:1-2a). And tell him: This is what the LORD says: I am about to give this City into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down. You will not be executed but will surely be captured and given into his hands. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon (34:2b-3). There would be no escape. Jerusalem would fall within a year.

Yet hear ADONAI’s promise to you, Zedekiah king of Judah. “You will not die by the executioner’s sword. [If] you heard the word of YHVH, [then] you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire in honor of your predecessors (Second Chronicles 16:14, 21:19), the kings who ruled before you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, ‘O Master,’ I Myself (in the emphatic state) make this promise,” declares the LORD (34:4-5). The Talmud records that it was the custom to make a funeral bonfire of the bed and other articles as a mark of honor to the deceased (Sanhedrin 52b). Spices and various perfumes were also laid on the bed (Second Chronicles 16:14). Clearly the cruel fate suffered by Zedekiah suggests that the king did not listen (39:5-7; 52:11). The king found it impossible to accept the only choice of life offered by the prophet, the choice of submission to Imperial Babylon.³⁴⁴

The message was delivered. Then Yirmeyahu the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and all the other cities of Judah that were still holding out – Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah and marked the extent of Nebuchadnezzar’s advance southward (34:6-7). The fulfillment of these prophecies can be seen in 39:5-7 and 52:8-11.

Freedom for slaves: The dire peril of the nation had pricked their national conscience and some effort at repentance was made. The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah had made a solemn covenant with all the people in Yerushalayim to proclaim freedom for the slaves. Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage (34:8-9). These were not lifelong slaves, but Jews who had fallen into debt. The old peasant properties had been destroyed in the wars; the heavy tribute had ruined the poorer people. Wealth had accumulated in comparatively few hands, so that the poor, seeing no alternative but starvation, had been forced to sell their children and themselves into slavery. They had to serve for six years to pay off their debt and were released on the seventh, or Sabbatical Year.

So all the officials obeyed (Hebrew: shema) and people who entered into this human covenant among them and agreed that they would no longer hold them in bondage. They obeyed (shema), and set them free (34:10). It is noteworthy that the national repentance took the form of respecting the rights of the weakest and most downtrodden of the people. This is characteristic of the Torah and of Judaism.

But afterward, when the danger from Babylon had seemingly passed, they turned (shuwb), and took back the slaves they had freed and returned (shuwb) them again to slavery because of the report that Pharaoh Hophra’s army was approaching and the lifting of the siege was at hand (34:11). There is something symbolic about the fact that one of the last acts of the people of Judah in Tziyon was to re-enslave the slaves that they had freed just prior to the destruction of the City and a return to slavery themselves.

The violation of the Torah: Then the word of ADONAI came to Yirmeyahu. God responded to the breaking of the Torah. This is what the LORD, the God of Isra’el, says: I made a covenant with your ancestor (the I is emphatic) when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery (Exodus 21:2-11; Leviticus 25:39-46; Deuteronomy 15:1 and 12-18). I said: Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free, Your ancestors, however, did not obey (shema) or listen to Me. In parallel fashion, Zedekiah’s contemporaries also did not listen. The problem now was that the slaves that were released had already served their six-year penalty; in fact, they may have served more than six years! That is why Zedekiah had to issue a proclamation to free them. Recently you (the you is emphatic) repented (shuwb) and did what is right in My sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people. You even made a covenant before Me in the House that bears My Name (34:15). Zedekiah probably made this proclamation in the Temple compound itself, which would have added to the solemnity of the announcement. Obeying (shema) Torah always pleases God. But obedience was followed by disobedience: now you have turned around (shuwb) and profaned My name, the oath that they took must have included the divine name. Each of you has taken back (shuwb) the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again (34:12-16).

The judgment of God: Once again Judah proved herself to be in active disobedience, and once again a clear statement of God’s judgment was given. Therefore this is what ADONAI says: You have not obeyed (shema) Me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim “freedom” for you, declares the LORD – “freedom” to fall by the sword, plague and famine. Because of their treachery in proclaiming a genuine emancipation for their slaves, Ha’Shem proclaimed an indisputable “emancipation” for them. They would be liberated from their disobedience and deceit and delivered over to the famous triad of the sword, disease and starvation (34:17a).

I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth. Those who have violated My covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before Me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked between its pieces (see the commentary on Genesis Eg – I am the LORD, Who Brought You Out of Ur of the Chaldeans to Give You This Land). Now it is the people of Y’hudah who are cast as the ritual calf who would be cut, which of course meant brutalized and killed. The leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests and all the people of the Land who walked between the pieces of the calf, I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them. Their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals (34:17b-20). Not only would the guilty be slain, but their bodies would not even receive an honorable burial.

The final judgment pronounced concerned the king who would be handed over to the Babylonians. I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who want to kill them, to the army of the king of Babylon, which has been temporarily withdrawn from you. I am going to give the order, declares ADONAI, and I will bring them back (shuwb) and besiege this City (see above). They will fight against it, take it and burn it down. And I will lay waste the towns of Judah so no one can live there (34:21-22). There is not a single known case where Jews continuously occupied a town of Judah through the seventy-year exile period (see Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule).

The main point of this section is clear. The practice of Torah and the implementation of the commandment to release the slaves would generate safety and wellbeing for Zion. Disobedience to the Covenant meant invasion from Babylon. The first step toward death was economic chaos with in the City itself. Such chaos reflected the rebellion in Judah. The reference to the Exodus (above) is a reminder that ADONAI’s initial act of rescue was a gesture of liberation in which the slaves of Egypt were rescued from their economic plight of helplessness. Y’hudah was expected to continue to reenact that miracle of new economic beginnings in its own day by freeing the slaves. The re-enslaving of their slaves showed how hard their hearts were and was outward evidence to prove the Israelites had no love for YHVH or for His Word. Their pride in themselves and their selfish lack of love for God was what brought the Babylonian exile on the Jews.³⁴⁵

David Will Never Fail to Have a Man Sit
On the Throne of the House of Isra’el
33: 14-26

David will never fail to have a man sit on the throne of the House of Isra’el DIG: Why was the promise of a righteous king so appealing to the exiles? What two offices does ADONAI once again promise to establish (23:5-6)? When were these promises first made (Genesis 22:17; Numbers 25:13; Second Samuel 7:12-16)? Why might the people need reassurance that God will still keep His word as always? Who will ultimately fulfill both offices? How so (Luke 1:32-33; Hebrews 7:11-25)? Are the Gentiles justified in saying Ha’Shem has rejected the house of Isra’el and the house of Judah? Who rejected whom?

REFLECT: Yisra’el and Y’hudah needed constant reassurance. Why do you need to be reminded of ADONAI’s promises? Which promise, recorded in Yirmeyahu, do you need to remember right now? Which promise can you remind someone else of?

587 BC at the end of the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The greatest blessing of all will be Isra’el’s promised King reigning in righteousness. In relationship to Yerushalayim: The days are coming, declares the LORD. When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the twenty-fourth of twenty-five times that Yirmeyahu uses one of these phrases. In this case the context is the far eschatological future when God will fulfill the good promise He made to the people of Isra’el and Judah (33:14).

In those days, at that time I will cause to spring up for David a Branch of Righteousness (33:15). This is the twenty-fifth and last time that one of these phrases above will be used in Jeremiah. The means by which the Davidic Covenant will be fulfilled is the messianic reign of Yeshua Meshiach. The emphasis is on Christ Himself: He will do what is just and right in the Land.

In those days Judah will be saved, Yerushalayim will live in safety. Yirmeyahu already told us that His name is ADONAI our Righteousness (23:6), but now God revealed that Tziyon would bear the same name! This is the name by which it will be called: ADONAI Tzidkenu, or, ADONAI our Righteousness (33:16 CJB). That certainly didn’t happen when the exiles returned to rebuild their Temple and their City. Therefore, this prophecy could only take place in the far eschatological future. And in those days when the people call Jerusalem “the Holy City,” the name will be appropriate.

These verses are virtually identical to 23:5-6; however, in 23:5-6 the masculine noun he is used where the feminine noun she is used in 33:15-16. In addition, in 23:5-6 the closing emphasis is on the Messiah, the name by which He will be called, where in 33:15-16 the closing emphasis is on Jerusalem, the name by which she will be called. Lastly, in 23:5-6 the Hebrew perfect tense for Christ is used emphasizing the completed action of absolute righteousness, whereas in 33:15-16 the Hebrew imperfect tense for Yerushalayim is used emphasizing an incomplete action of imputed righteousness. Yeshua is described as a righteous branch, whereas Tziyon is described as a branch of righteousness.

The word tzidkenu is derived from tsedek – or righteousness. It originally meant to be stiff or straight. There is certainly no more significant word in the TaNaKh. The Hebrew word cannot be adequately translated by any one English word. It signifies God’s dealings with mankind under the ideas of righteousness, justification and acquittal. The word tsedek is also used of a full weight or measure toward YHVH in the spiritual sense. Thus, Isra’el was commanded to walk in the paths of righteousness and to offer the sacrifices of righteousness, putting their faith, belief and trust in ADONAI (Psalm 4:5). These sacrifices are also described as a broken spirit and a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17), because of failure to measure up to such a full standard of righteousness. For as Job says: How can a man be righteous with God (Job 9:2)?

ADONAI is Himself perfect righteousness; He is the perfectly righteousness One (Psalm 129:4). As an el-Tsedek – a righteous God, there is no one to compare with Him (Isaiah 45:21). As the Psalter says: The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2). His work is perfect and all His ways are just. A trustworthy God who does no wrong, He is righteous and straight (Deuteronomy 32:4). His righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and His statutes are righteous forever (Psalm 119:142 and 144). Righteousness and justice are the very foundations of His throne (Psalm 89:14 and 97:2). Consequently, in all His dealings He is righteous.³⁴³

In promise of eternity: For this is what the LORD says: David will never fail to have a man sit on the throne of Isra’el (33:17). Some have felt that this promise was incorrect because the throne did cease in 586 BC (to see link click Gb – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC), when Jerusalem fell (see Ga – The Fall of Jerusalem). However, ADONAI did not promise an unbroken monarchy, but an unbroken line of descendants from David who would be qualified to sit on that throne when it was reestablished. David’s line would not fail before the righteous Branch came to claim His throne (Luke 1:31-33). The genealogy of Luke shows that promise was fulfilled as Messiah was able to trace His physical line through Mary back to David (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ai – The Genealogies of Joseph and Mary). There are descendants of David qualified to sit on that throne today, but we don’t know who they are. But when the Messianic Kingdom is established, Yeshua will rule and reign from His throne in the Most Holy Place (see the commentary on Isaiah Db – The Nine Missing Articles in Messiah’s Coming Temple).

Nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before Me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices (33:18). Again, the promise was not that the sacrifices would continue unabated, because they did cease in 586 BC after the destruction of Solomon’s Temple by the Babylonians, and cease again in 70 AD after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans. The promise was that the priesthood would not be extinguished. These sacrifices will be part of the millennial Temple system. During the Messianic Kingdom believers will be instructed to participate in a physical observance, or a communion, in remembrance of the death of Messiah. But for Isra’el in the Kingdom there will be a different memorial: the sacrificial system will serve the same purpose as communion. It will be the, do this in remembrance of Me, for the Jews. The Levitical priests, who are descendents of Zadok, would be honored with this special ministry in the Millennial Temple (see Gs – God Shows a Vision of the Millennial Temple).

In relationship to the Davidic Covenant and the priesthood: The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, This is what the LORD says: The Covenant with David is as dependable as the sequence of night and day (Second Samuel 7:12-16). If you can break My Covenant with the day and My Covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, then My Covenant with David my servant – and My Covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before Me (Numbers 25:10-13) – can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne (33:19-20). In other words, the rhythms of night and day are not “natural” phenomena, but happen in regular ways because God has promised that each of them will have an assured and regular time of presence. These words of reliability and predictability of night and day are seen as the most extreme statement possible concerning the LORD’s faithful, powerful capacity to do what He promises. ADONAI will keep His word, not only for night and day, but also for king and priest. God’s love for Isra’el is just as sure as His ordering of creation.

A second guarantee is an appeal to the Abraham-Sarah promise about the multiplication of the house of David and the house of Levi. ADONAI says: I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore (33:21-22). Since YHVH is a covenant keeper and not a covenant breaker, these two houses are guaranteed survival for eternity. The threat of all dynasties, royal and priestly, is to be without heirs. Because these dynasties are assured countless heirs, their futures are utterly secure. Isra’el’s security rests only upon God’s good Word that lives in the face of worldly circumstances.

In relationship to eternity: Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, “Have you not noticed that the Gentiles are saying: ADONAI has rejected the two kingdoms (the northern kingdom of Isra’el and the southern kingdom of Judah) He chose?’ So they despise My people and no longer regard them as a nation” (33:23-24). The Ruach Ha’Kodesh is not interested in identifying who the Gentiles are, whether it be the Babylonians or some other surrounding Gentile nation. The fact was that the exile had led some to conclude that God’s chosen had become God’s rejected. But nothing could be further from the truth.

This is what the LORD says: If I have not made My Covenant with day and night and established the laws of heaven and earth, then I will reject the descendants of Jacob (the house of Levi) and David My servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God will no more reject the descendants of Levi, or fail to select from David’s descendants rulers for the Jews, than He would break the order of day and night. Their future is secure: For I will restore their fortunes and have mercy on them (33:25-26). It was precisely in exile, when all seemed lost, that mercy (not receiving what you do deserve) comes to the fore as YHVH’s primal way of dealing with the Israelites.

The Promise of Restoration
33: 1-13

The promise of restoration DIG: This chapter summarizes some themes from earlier in Jeremiah’s life. How might it also be an extension of his Book of Comfort in Chapters 30 and 31? Why does Jeremiah say a second time in 33:1? With the siege of Zion still underway, what must have happened to their hope, necessitating this second word? What three things does the LORD promise to do in and for His people? Toward what end does God bless them? What signs of hope are conveyed by the sights and sounds of verses 10-11 (also see 7:34, 16:9, 25:10)? What other activities would you use to express the same hope?

REFLECT: Have you ever doubted God’s faithfulness? Why? What hope do you have in the times when you are unfaithful to YHVH? Some people have mixed thoughts on these promises of a Messiah. Do you ever wonder why ADONAI seems to wait so long to act? What answers seem to satisfy you for the time being? Isra’el needed constant reassurance. Why do you need to be reminded of the LORD’s promises? Which promise, recorded in Jeremiah, do you need to remember right now?

587 BC at the end of the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

While Yirmeyahu was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the LORD came to him a second time (the first time was in 32:1). The second message must have come shortly after the first. The prophet was held as a political prisoner and wrote words of hope, resolutely contradicting not only the present condition of his people, but resolutely overriding his own personal circumstances. This is what ADONAI says: He who made the earth, ADONAI who formed it and established it – YHVH is His name (33:1-2). God did not create the earth and then retire. He proceeded, and continues, to establish it. Never withdrawing. He is ever active in the unfolding of our development.

The Creator of heaven and earth then promised to be available to the exiles who thought they were abandoned. The LORD of all power is the One who attends to the powerless. ADONAI who seemed to be absent is present, findable and approachable. Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know (33:3). The word translated unsearchable pictures an impregnable city protected by high walls – an apt image during the siege of Jerusalem. The idea is that YHVH’s people don’t learn the hidden things of the LORD by “storming the gates” through their own strength but by seeking Him through prayer and obedience. Because Yirmeyahu asked ADONAI to teach him, to show him the “hidden things” that related to the future of his people, the prophet knew the City was destined for destruction.

The present judgment of Jerusalem: For this is what the LORD, the God of Isra’el, says about the houses in this City and the royal palace of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword in the fight with the Babylonians: “They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in My anger and wrath. I will hide My face, withdraw My protection, from this City because of all its wickedness” (33:4-5). Their resistance, however heroic, is futile and only adds to the heaps of the slain. What happened in 586 BC would happen to an even greater degree in 70 AD (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Mt – The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple on Tisha B’Av in 70 AD). YHVH had turned His face away. No wonder the Judeans could not understand what was happening to them.

The near historical healing of Jerusalem: The defiled nation would be healed and cleansed. Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Isra’el back (shuwb) from captivity in Babylon and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the iniquity (Hebrew: avon) they have committed against Me and will forgive all their sinning (Hebrew: chata) and rebellion (Hebrew: pasha) against Me. As if to emphasize her guilt, three different Hebrew words for sin are used here. Then Tziyon would bring joy and glory to the LORD and be a testimony to all the nations of the world of the marvelous goodness and grace of God. Then the name of this City will bring Me joy, praise and glory before all the Gentile nations of the earth that hear about all the good I am doing for them; they will be overcome with fear and trembling at all the good and peace I am securing for it (33:6-9). The Gentile nations will shake and tremble because when God does this for Judah, at that time He will judge the Gentile nations.

The near historical return of peace and joy to Jerusalem: Again we have a contrast between the past and the future. Here is what ADONAI says: You say that this place is a wasteland, with neither people nor animals in the cities of Judah, and that the streets of Yerushalayim are desolate, without people or animals – no inhabitants (The readers of the scroll of Jeremiah in exile would understand this because it would have already happened). Three times earlier Jeremiah said people and animals would be removed from the cities of Judah and the streets of Zion along with the sounds of a wedding (7:34, 16:9 and 25:10). Yet the deserted City would one day be filled with people praising YHVH and expressing their joy to one another. There will again be heard the voices of those who sing, “Give thanks to ADONAI-Tzva’ot, for ADONAI is good, for His grace continues forever.” These words are given as the benediction in Jewish weddings. As they bring offerings of thanksgiving into the house of ADONAI. For I will cause those captured from the land to return (shuwb), as before, says ADONAI (33:10-11 CJB). This is seen as the removal of previous judgments – a fresh start.

The flocks will flourish: The pasturelands, ruined by devastating judgment, would one day be full of flocks and herds, and the little towns would once more enjoy happiness. ADONAI-Tzva’ot says: In this place, which is a wasteland without people or animals, and in all its cities, there will once again be pasturelands where shepherds can let their flocks rest. In the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah, flocks will again pass under the hand of the One who counts them, says the LORD (33:12-13). What is referred here is the Jewish mode of tithing sheep. As the sheep passed through a narrow gate, one–by-one, the person counting stood by, holding in his hand a rod colored with ochre. Every tenth sheep he touched with his rod, thus putting a mark on it.³⁴¹ In other words, things will return to normal. This description of the Land reiterates the same reference points of 32:44: the territory of Benjamin, villages around Jerusalem, the towns of Judah, the towns of the hill country, the western foothills and the Negev. These six geographical points emphasize it will be true of the whole Land. All the Land will be restored and healed.

The fresh metaphor that reshapes the text is that of flock, shepherd and pasture. The tranquil pastoral scene of grazing with adequate food, water and protection will again be established. To be counted by the shepherd means that the shepherd knows the name of each sheep, counts them, and pays attention to any missing one. After a season of chaos, such an image speaks of a settled, well-organized, caring and attentive community with healing governance. This scene witnesses the radical, healing restoration intended by God.³⁴²

The Interpretation of the Symbolic Action
33: 1-26

587 BC at the end of the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Jeremiah interprets his ninth symbolic action of buying a field in Anathoth (to see link click Fs – Jeremiah Buys a Field). This chapter is divided into two sections. First, the near historical restoration of Judah seen in 33:1-14. The futility of resistance to Babylon is again stressed, and the promise of a return from captivity is repeated. Second, the far eschatological restoration of the united nation of Isra’el is seen in 33:15-26.

I Am the LORD, the God of All Mankind,
Is Anything Too Hard For Me?
32: 26-44

I Am the LORD, the God of all mankind, is anything too hard for Me? DIG: What comfort does God offer in verses 26-29, in verses 36-41, and in verses 42-44? If the spiritual health of Anathoth is at all like the other Israelite towns in verses 30-35, what will probably be the fate of Yirmeyahu’s newly acquired property (11:21-23)? Why then does YHVH ask Jeremiah to buy the field? What do you think the rest of the City would have thought about this crazy real estate transaction?

REFLECT: When have you stepped out on faith and then had seriously reconsidered, even rescinded, your actions? If you ever challenge the LORD about the way things work out for you, how does God answer? What kind of answers do you expect?

587 BC at the end of the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

ADONAI responds to the three points mentioned in Jeremiah’s prayer (to see link click Ft – Jeremiah Prays for Wisdom) with three points of His own.

Conformation of God’s power: Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, “I am ADONAI, the God of all mankind. Is there anything too hard for Me (32:26-27)? God emphatically echoes and confirms what Yirmeyahu had said about Him earlier: ADONAI, God! You made the heaven and earth by your great power and outstretched arm; nothing is too hard for you (32:17 CJB). Indeed, YHVH is the Creator of heaven and earth . . . nothing is impossible for Him (Numbers 16:22 and 27:16). Neither the most bitter hatred of the strongest of His enemies, nor the doubts and misgivings of His perplexed and puzzled child can nullify the plans and purposes of an omnipotent God.³³⁷

We need to hear that God is still in control. We need to hear that it’s not over until He says so. We need to hear that life’s mishaps and tragedies are not a reason to bail out. They are simply a reason to sit tight. Corrie ten Boom used to say, “When the train goes through the tunnel and the whole world gets dark, do you jump out? Of course not. You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through.” How do you deal with discouragement? What is the cure for disappointment? Go back and read the story of God. Read it again and again. Be reminded that you aren’t the first person to weep. And you aren’t the first person that needed to be helped. Read the story and remember . . . because the story is yours!³³⁸

The near historical destruction of Jerusalem: It is not impossible for God to destroy Jerusalem. Therefore, this is what ADONAI says: I am about to give this City into the hands of the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. The Babylonians who are attacking this City will come in and set it on fire; they will burn it down, along with the houses. And the reason for the City’s fate: The people aroused My anger by burning incense on the roofs to Ba’al and by pouring out drink offerings to their gods (32:28-29). In the holocaust the flat roofs of the houses where pagan worship was conducted would also be destroyed and thus the provocation of the previous centuries would cease.

The people of Isra’el and Judah have done nothing but evil in My sight from their youth, from the nation’s beginning; indeed, the people of Isra’el have done nothing but arouse My anger with what their hands have made, declares the LORD. From the day it was built until now, this City has so aroused My anger and wrath that I must remove it from My sight. The people of Isra’el and Judah have provoked Me by all the evil they have done – they, their kings and officials, their priests and prophets, the people of Judah and all segments of society living in Yerushalayim (32:30-32). Yerushalayim herself had become the scene of so many evil practices.

They turned their backs on Me and not their faces; though I taught them persistently through My Torah, but they would not listen or respond to discipline (32:33). That is, they regarded themselves as autonomous, outside the claims of the Torah and beyond the obligations of the covenant. Thus autonomy was the worship of other gods, which in fact are only projections of self-interest.³³⁹ They set up their vile images in the house that bears My Name and defiled it (Ezeki’el 8:1-18). They built high places for Ba’al in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molek, though I never commanded – nor did it enter My mind – that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin (32:34-35). The destruction of Jerusalem was also caused because of human sacrifice.

The far eschatological restoration of Jerusalem: God finally answered the question put to Him earlier: Why do You have me buy this field for money (32:25)? ADONAI summarizes the past concerning Zion, Judah and Isra’el. You are saying about this City, “By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon,” but this is what the LORD, the God of Isra’el, says: I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in My furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back (shuwb) to this place and let them live in safety (32:36-37). Though Replacement Theology agrees that the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem; it totally misses the point when it tries to make the remainder of this section about the Church (see the commentary on Acts Ag – Replacement Theology and Acts).

The same people He scattered, He will regather. They will be My people, and I will be their God (32:38). Is the context here the Church? No! It’s Isra’el. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear Me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them (32:39). None of this took place after the return from Babylon, nor is this true today. All has not gone well with Isra’el and their children as we have seen in the Holocaust. No, only during the Messianic Kingdom will these words find fulfillment. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to hold Me in reverence, so that they will never depart from Me (32:40). I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in the Land with all My heart and soul (32:41). None of the prophets looked forward to physical restoration only; the return was also to be spiritual.

This is what ADONAI says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them. This cannot be translated calamity against the Jews and prosperity on the Church, as some maintain. Once more fields will be bought in this Land of which you say, “It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.” But it will become prosperous again: Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes, declares the LORD (32:42-44).

God was saying to them, “Don’t despair. It’s My judgment. Face it. Accept the suffering. Experience the chastening action. I am not against you. I am for you. I have not rejected you.” Judgment is not the last word for the elect. It is never the last word. Judgment was necessary for Isra’el because of centuries of hardheartedness. When the people were outwardly prosperous, they believed that nothing could interrupt or interfere with their self-satisfied lives. During those years Yirmeyahu preached judgment. Now the calamity was all around them, they believed that nothing could make things any better. So the message of hope was no more believed than the message of judgment had been.

Hope is buying into what we believe. We don’t turn away in despair. We don’t throw up our hands in disgust. We don’t write this person off as incorrigible. We don’t withdraw from a complex world that seems too much for us. It is, of course, far easier to languish in despair than to live in hope, for when we live in despair we don’t have to do anything or risk anything. We can criticize others all day long and not fear any reprisals. It’s fashionable to espouse the latest cynicism. If we live in hope, however, we go swim against the tide.

It is an amazing fact that in the flurry and panic of that day in Yerushalayim, the single act of faith and hope was that Jeremiah bought a field in Anathoth for seventeen shekels of silver. That act of faith made the word of God visible, made a foothold of it for anyone who wanted to make a way out of the chaotic despair into the ordered wholeness of salvation. Many would find their way out. It is not easy to act in hope because most of the immediate evidence is against it. So we live in a dilemma. If we live in faith and hope we must regularly defy the “wisdom” of our society. This takes courage; however it is our only option. It is the only solution that survives the decay of today and the scrapheap of yesterday.³⁴⁰

Jeremiah Prays for Wisdom
32: 16-25

Jeremiah prays for wisdom DIG: How does Jeremiah’s prayer serve as a witness to all those present? Is this a prayer of affirmation or resignation? Why do you think so? What truths did Yirmeyahu proclaim about God’s nature? How did Jeremiah summarize the LORD’s role and Isra’el’s role in their relationship throughout history? Why was Jeremiah left to marvel over what he had just done? How does the prayer end? Why?

REFLECT: Where do you think the world will be in seventy years? Wow! How hard is it for you to put stock in the present when the world looks so grim? What investment would the LORD want you to make in the future of your world, as a testimony of your radical faith in God? Where do you look to for wisdom?

587 BC at the end of the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Pious men and women of the Bible are often seen as the subject of human weakness. Though filled with passionate faith, they do not always escape the chilling winds of skepticism. It is indeed, this obvious humanity of its heroes and heroines that make the Bible a help and inspiration to those who strive and aspire, yet fall and rise again. A wave of doubt now passes over Yirmeyahu when he contemplates how his transaction is not only a tragic precursor to the fall of Jerusalem, but also to the messages he had so often prophesied in the name of ADONAI of the overthrow of the Judean state. In anguish of spirit he prays to God and receives a reassuring answer.

God’s power: The sale of the property from Hanam’el to Jeremiah concluded with a prayer. This prayer differs greatly from Yirmeyahu’s usual style. It is more like a liturgy than one of his impassioned outbursts. After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD (32:16).

ADONAI, God! You made the heaven and earth by your great power and outstretched arm; nothing is too hard for You (32:17 CJB). This extreme statement seems to allude back to Genesis 18:1-10, where what was not impossible for God was the birth of a child to an old, barren couple. And yet, such is the mixture of faith and doubt that often is in the crisis of life. You display Your steadfast love (Hebrew: hesed), which God had persistently showed to the northern kingdom of Isra’el and the southern kingdom of Judah. That statement of God’s goodness, however, is balanced with the reality that Ha’Shem also repays (Hebrew: shalem) the guilt of the fathers into the lap of their children of those who hate Me (32:18a).

Then Jeremiah provides a list of the “impossibilities” YHVH has produced. Great, powerful God, whose name is ADONAI-Tzva’ot, Your purposes (counsel) are great and Your deeds are mighty! Your eyes are open to all the ways of mankind. Since nothing escapes Your notice, You can reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds merit (32:18b-19).

God’s character was displayed in His deeds throughout Isra’el’s history. From the time of the Exodus God’s signs and wonders (Deuteronomy 4:34, 26:8, 29:3 and 34:11) are remembered to this very day in Isra’el and among all mankind, and have gained the recognition that is still His. And in a reminiscence of Deuteronomy 4:34, Jeremiah declared: You brought Your people Isra’el out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. You gave them this Land You had sworn to give their ancestors, a Land flowing with milk and honey (32:20-22).

Isra’el’s disobedience: Unfortunately, when Isra’el took possession of the Land they did not obey Your prophets or follow Your Torah; they did not do what You commanded them to do. Therefore, YHVH’s actions turned from salvation to judgment and He had no choice but to bring all this disaster on them (32:23).

The pleadings were ignored and the judgment came. Babylonian armies captured the City and deported the queen mother, 10,000 high government officials, skilled laborers and soldiers of Jerusalem into exile in the second deportation. Eleven years (597 BC to 586 BC) followed in which the people who were left behind had a measure of personal freedom but were politically subject to Babylon. They could have continued decent lives in those conditions, but after several years of restlessness and agitation they plotted to throw off the Babylonian yoke by joining an alliance with Egypt. It didn’t work. The conspiracy provoked severe retaliation from Babylon. The Egyptians saw that they couldn’t profit out of the affair and abandoned the scene. The Babylonians hopelessly outclassed Judah’s militarily. To that point, it was the blackest time in her history. Doomsday was just around the corner. In a short time the City would be plundered and everyone marched off to exile. There was absolutely no hope at all.

At the time of the prayer the siege had been lifted, but it had been in progress some time before the Babylonian armies were pulled back to attack the advancing Egyptians. Yirmeyahu gives a picture of the conditions at that time: See how the siege ramps are built up to take the City. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the City will be given into the hand of the Babylonians who are attacking it. The whole sad story was playing out right before his eyes. Everything has happened just as you said (32:24 NLT).

Jeremiah’s dilemma: The point of Jeremiah’s prayer seems basically to be an expression of wonderment that, given the catastrophe at Judah’s doorstep, God would encourage Jeremiah to purchase land. The initial O ADONAI, God (used elsewhere in 1:6, 4:10 and 14:13) refers to an expression of uncertainty or puzzlement (not dismay or accusation) that Yirmeyahu raises about the land purchase. In a time of war and devastation, this peaceful, everyday act seems so absurd! This prayer is not a sign of crisis in the life of Jeremiah, but a matter of Jeremiah’s understanding about what YHVH is about in the matter of the land purchase. As He did with Moshe (see the commentary on Exodus At – I Am Has Sent Me To You), YHVH reveals more clearly what He is all about in response to being questioned.³³⁵

Jeremiah’s prayer ends with a great “yet.” Yet You, O ADONAI, God, have said to me, “Buy the field for money, and call witnesses; even as the City is being turned over to Babylonians (32:25 CJB). Jeremiah did what at the time appeared to be absolutely crazy because at that very moment the Babylonian army was camped on it! He himself was in prison with no prospects for getting out. The enemy was pounding the city walls and about to take the people off to exile. At that moment Yirmeyahu bought a field on which he would never plant an olive tree, prune a grapevine, or build a house . . . a field that in all probability he would never even see.

Why did Yirmeyahu do it? He did it because he was convinced that the troubles Judah was experiencing were at the very moment being used by God in what would eventually turn out to be the salvation of that land. For Jeremiah, it wasn’t so much that the Babylonians were camped on that field in Anathoth but that ADONAI was using that ground to fulfill His promises. Consequently, the prophet bought the field as an investment in Ha’Shem’s grand plan for Isra’el.³³⁶

Jeremiah Buys a Field
Jeremiah’s Ninth Symbolic Action
32: 1-15

Jeremiah buys a field DIG: At the end of Chapter 26, Jeremiah was last seen under arrest for preaching in the Temple. As this chapter opens in 587 BC, what is happening to the City and Yirmeyahu? Why? How then do you account for the intrusion and seeming irrelevance of Jeremiah’s cousin and God’s confirming word? At this time is the real estate market a buyer’s market, or a seller’s market? Why does Jeremiah have the right and duty to buy it (Leviticus 25:23-25; Ruth 4:1-4)? Why does he purchase the field? What proof did he have that it was the right thing to do? How do the parts played by Hanam’el, the witnesses and Baruch serve the overall point of this passage?

REFLECT: Of what comfort to you are long-range assurances of prosperity, when your present financial outlook is precarious (at best) or bankrupt (at worst)? What lessons of hope have you learned that could only have been taught to you through adversity, doom and gloom? The LORD gave Yirmeyahu advance confirmation of His will regarding Jeremiah’s purchase of the field from his nephew. Have you ever challenged God about the way things have turned out in your life? How did God answer? What kind of an answer did you expect? What role does God have in your decision making process?

Zedekiah revolted in 587 BC in the ninth year of his reign and the fall of Jerusalem
came in his eleventh year, so these events take place in the tenth year.

The one main point to Jeremiah’s ninth symbolic action (what might be called a parable in action) is that just as God’s promise that Jerusalem and Judah would be destroyed,
so will the eventual restoration of Jerusalem and Judah come true as well.

This chapter records a transaction revealing Jeremiah’s faith in the future of the people. Jerusalem was under siege; the prophet had foretold its downfall and the subsequent exile of the nation. At such a time of confusion and uncertainty, Yirmeyahu, at the bidding of ADONAI, purchases an estate in Anathoth from his kinsman, giving the deed of purchase to Baruch with the firm conviction that the nation would again return to her homeland. This incident alone is sufficient to free Jeremiah from the charge of pessimism. He was a realist and had not doubt about the imminent collapse of Judah, but simultaneously his trust in God’s word made him confident of her renewal.

The occasion: In the dark days of impending disaster, Yirmeyahu received a divine command and promise that must have seemed like mockery to him. This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem. Certainly Yirmeyahu’s words could only lower the morale of the troops who were mounting the defense of the City. Accordingly, Jeremiah was confined to King Hezekiah’s courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah (32:1-2). There was no regular prison system in those days, but there was always a way to keep troublemakers in “protective custody.”

Zedekiah rebelled because he thought he could count on the Egyptian army. And during the siege, because of their treaty with Egypt, Pharaoh moved toward Yerushalayim to try to help the Israelites. Nebuchadnezzar reacted to the Egyptian aggression by temporarily lifting the siege of Jerusalem and going out to meet Pharaoh’s army. Now during that time when the siege was lifted, Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned Jeremiah there (and he would actually stay imprisoned until after the fall of the City), saying: Why do you prophesy as you do (32:3a)? Why do you continue to insist that Tziyon will fall into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians?

These verses are a parenthesis to account for Jeremiah’s arrest. The prophet had announced: This is what ADONAI says, “I am about to give this City into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed” (32:3b-5). So these verses only present a general background for the narrative to follow; the inquiry of the king does not in fact relate in any specific way to what follows. All we know (yet again) is a grave threat to crown and City. The king does not really ask for information, but makes a plea for rescue.

The command: Then suddenly the word of ADONAI came to Jeremiah. He forewarned His prophet, “Hanam’el son of Shalum your uncle is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it” (32:6-7). As the nearest kinsman (we must assume that Hanam’el was childless), Jeremiah was the go’el and could purchase the land and keep it in the family. While members of the tribe of Levi had no special tribal territory assigned to them, the priests were allotted thirteen cities (Joshua 21:19), and the Levites forty-eight cities (Joshua 21:41; Numbers 35:2-9). Hence they were allowed to own real estate that could be bought or sold only to a fellow Levite (Leviticus 25:32-34).

But the village of Anathoth was already under Babylonian control so this purchase would appear to be foolish. Who would buy a parcel of land that had already fallen into enemy hands? During the interval when Nebuchadnezzar had temporarily lifted the siege to contend with Pharaoh’s army (to see link click Fm – Jeremiah in Prison) Hanam’el, Jeremiah’s cousin, came to the prophet and visited him in prison. Because of this apparent foolishness, ADONAI told Yirmeyahu in advance that Hanam’el would come so that the prophet would recognize God’s hand in the request.³³³

Then, just as the LORD had said, my nephew Hanam’el (Shalum was Jeremiah’s uncle, the brother of Jeremiah’s father) came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said: Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself (Jeremiah 32:8a). This was a principle from Leviticus 25:23-34 (see the commentary on Ruth Au – Na’omi Evaluates the Meeting). Hanam’el was in trouble financially and needed to sell his land to his creditors, and he was asking Jeremiah to keep it in the

The purchase: The fact that Hanam’el came to Jeremiah while he was imprisoned, confirmed to the prophet that it was indeed the word of ADONAI. So the transaction took place in prison. Jeremiah bought the field at Anathoth from his nephew Hanam’el and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver (32:8b-9). The price appears to be very low, but the field may have been small. It should also be kept in mind that the purchase price was determined by the number of years until the end of the Jubilee cycle when the estate would revert to the original owner. There is no suggestion in the text that the land was sold to Jeremiah at “panic value” due to the political situation.

Jeremiah signed and sealed the dictated deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. He took the deed of purchase – the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy – and he gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah (apparently detained with the prophet), in the presence of his nephew Hanam’el and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard (32:10-12). There were two copies, the “sealed deed” and the “open copy” these were not two separate pieces of papyrus but a single sheet. The procedure was that the terms of the deed were written out on the top half of the sheet, and then the top half was rolled up, tied, and sealed. Then the terms were written a second time on the bottom half, and the bottom half, or the “open copy” was there for all to read. The sealed half at the top was a guarantee that the terms of the bottom half would not be tampered with; if the wording was ever challenged, the top half would be opened for verification. This was done in accordance with the laws of their day. But at the time he did it, he was judged to be an impractical fool. Those watching him buy that field thought he was buying “a bridge to nowhere.”

In their presence Jeremiah gave Baruch these instructions, “This is what the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies, the God of Isra’el, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. (Those clay jars were like the ones found in Qumran with the Dead Sea Scrolls). The entire transaction concerning the field at Anathoth now comes into theological focus. For this is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in the Land” (32:13-15). From the mouth of God, we are given to discern the meaning of the economic-legal act. The triad of houses, fields and vineyards speaks of basic economic life. Those items will again be bought. The invasion of the Babylonians will indeed cause the economy to come to a halt. But this symbolic action showed that a remnant would be preserved and Jerusalem would eventually be restored.

Three months before his arrest, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that there “remains for us only the very narrow way, often extremely difficult to find (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Dw – The Narrow and Wide Gates), of living every day as if it were our last, and yet living in faith and responsibility as though there were to be a great future. Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in the Land (32:15), proclaims Jeremiah, in paradoxical contrast to his prophecies of woe, just before the destruction of the Holy City. It is a sign from God and a pledge of a fresh start and a great future, just when all seems black. Thinking and acting for the sake of the coming generation, but being ready any day to go without fear or anxiety – that, in practice, is the spirit in which we are forced to live. It is not easy to be brave and keep that spirit alive, but it is essential.”

While in prison, Bonhoeffer wrote to his fiancée Maria, “When Jeremiah said, in his people’s hour of most severe need, that houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in the Land, it was a token of confidence in the future. That requires faith. And my God grant it to us daily.”³³⁴

The Restoration of Isra’el and Judah Illustrated
32: 1-44

587 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This long passage seeks to find in the LORD’s resolve a way into the future for Isra’el and Judah, which had been estranged. But God always takes the first step toward redemption. Therefore, Jeremiah’s ninth symbolic act is central to this chapter (to see link click Fs – Jeremiah Buys a Field). That specific act becomes a taproot of reflection and generates a sweeping claim for the future, especially in 32:42-44.

Pharaoh as a Felled Cedar of Lebanon
Ezeki’el 31: 1-18

Pharaoh as a felled cedar of Lebanon DIG: Who does YHVH tell Pharaoh to consider? To what does ADONAI compare His country? How does Ha’Shem describe it? What was the sin of the cedar? How was it punished? By whom (30:10-11)? What will be the impact on the other trees? What lesson does the LORD want Pharaoh to learn from this allegory of the cedar tree?

REFLECT: Has God ever acted in blessing or judgment in the life of someone you know? What did you learn from that experience? Can you really learn from other people’s mistakes, or must you make your own? Everyone can’t have it “made in the shade.” Is it always true that for one person to have abundance, others must have less? If the world were a forest, how much of the water would you say you get? How much does your nation take? How does ADONAI measure success? In what area of your life do you feel like you are “branching out?”

This prophecy was given in Sivan, 587 BC, one year before the destruction of Jerusalem at the end of Zedekiah’s reign. However, the prophecy wasn’t fulfilled until sixteen years later in 571 BC.

The reflection of Assyria is held up to Egypt as an example of divine punishment for self-examination and arrogance. Mighty Assyria, the powerful conqueror of numerous nations, was no more. A similar fate will happen to Egypt, the mistress of many peoples. Only at the beginning and the end of the chapter is Pharaoh, the representative of Egypt, specifically mentioned; the middle section deals with the eminence and subsequent decline of Assyria as the example of Egypt’s doom.

Ezeki’el’s fourth prophecy against Egypt came in the eleventh year of Ezeki’el’s captivity, in the third month of Sivan (May-June) 587 BC on the first day, about fifteen months before the fall of Jerusalem, the word of the LORD came to me, saying: Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitudes (the people in general and probably the army in particular): Who can be compared with you in majesty? Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage for providing shade (Ezeki’el 31:1-3). As the cedar is taller than any other tree in Lebanon, so was Assyria the mightiest people at one time. Therefore, the greatness, the might and the power of the Assyrian empire are emphasized.

The waters nourished it, deep springs made it grow tall; their streams flowed all around its base and sent their channels to all the trees of the field. The deep rivers not only supplied the great rivers for the cedar, but also filled the smaller canals that nourished the other trees. Assyria received a continuous supply of nourishment from the deep as compared with the other nations. This thought is elaborated in the next verse. Therefore, it towered higher than all the trees of the field; its boughs increased and its branches grew long, spreading because of abundant waters (Ezeki’el 31:4-5). Assyria had all the natural resources it needed to build up its tremendous army. She was superior to all the other nations and seemed to be unbeatable.

Assyria also had tremendous influence and control over all the other nations. All the birds of the air nestled in its boughs, all the beasts of the field give birth under its branches; all the great nations lived in its shade. These are figures for the people who passed under Assyrian domination. In summation, Assyria was like a great cedar, majestic in beauty, with its spreading boughs or widespread conquests, for its roots went down to abundant waters (Ezeki’el 31:6-7).

Then the uniqueness of the glory of Assyria is highlighted. The cedars in the garden of God, or the world, could not rival it, nor could the pine trees equal its boughs, nor could the pine trees compare with its branches – no tree in the garden of God could match its beauty. But the supreme position held by Assyria was the work of God. I made it beautiful with abundant branches, the envy of all the trees in Eden in the garden of God (Ezeki’el 31:8-9). One of the reasons the Ruach ha-Kodesh connects, Eden, the garden of God, with Assyria is that Eden was in the territory that later became Assyria (Genesis 2 and 3).³³⁰

Assyria’s descent into sh’ol: Therefore, because of what follows, the sin of pride, this is what Adonai ELOHIM says: Because it towered on high, lifting its top above the thick foliage, and because it was proud of its height, I brought Assyria down and handed it over to the ruler of the nations (Nebuchadnezzar), for him to deal with according to the degree of its wickedness. The Babylonians destroyed Assyria, and the same one who brought Assyria down will bring Egypt down. I cast it aside (Ezeki’el 31:10-11), and the most ruthless of foreign nations (Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians) cut it down and left it to exist no more.

The Assyrian Empire was totally destroyed and as a result of her judgment, all the other nations learned the lesson of not exalting themselves in their pride to bring about the same kind of judgment that Assyria suffered. But that cannot be said about Egypt because she did follow Assyria in her pride and Egypt will suffer at the hand of the same destroyers, the Babylonians. Its boughs fell on the mountains and in the valleys; its branches lay broken in all the ravines of the land. All the nations of the earth came out from under its shade and left it. All the birds of the air settled on the fallen tree, and all the beasts of the field were among its branches. The dead of Assyria will become food for birds and beasts of prey. To that end, the fall of Assyria should act as a warning to the other nations who may be tempted to follow her example. Therefore no other trees by the waters are ever to tower proudly on high, lifting their tops above the thick foliage. They, too, can be cut down and abandoned, so let them not be proud or overconfident. No other trees so well-watered are ever to reach such a height (Ezeki’el 31:12-14a):

So Egypt, like Assyria, is destined for death, for the earth below, among human beings, with those who go down to the pit, sh’ol the abode of the dead (Ezeki’el 31:14b). Here the emphasis is on the physical and spiritual death of Egypt.

Assyria’s fall as a warning to Egypt: Here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: The collapse of Assyria will cause a great deal of upheaval in the world and fill it with dismay. In figurative language, even the deep is plunged into mourning. On the day Assyria descended to Sh’ol, I caused the abyss to mourn and cover itself for her. I held back its rivers, so that its deep waters were stopped. The mourning was so great that it was as if the whole universe suddenly stood still. The streams that flowed all around its base and sent their channels to all the trees of the field are now dried up. I made Lebanon mourn for him, and all the field trees, the other important nations at that time, were overcome by fear for their own safety because of him (Ezeki’el 31:15 CJB).

At the sound of her fall I made the nations that were involved with Assyria either politically or economically shake, when I hurled it down to Sh’ol with those who descended to the pit. If Assyria could fall what future could they possibly have? All the trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, all the trees that were well-watered, that depended upon her for life, were consoled by the fall of Assyria in death below the earth (Ezeki’el 31:16). The sight of Assyria joining their company comforts the nations whose glory and power lay in the past.

The other nations descended with Assyria to sh’ol, to those who had already died, were killed by the sword, and were there to greet Assyria and her fighting arm (her army) those among the nations who lived in her shade (Ezeki’el 31:17).

For seventeen verses YHVH had been dealing with Assyria in the motif of a giant cedar tree, He now applies all these lessons to Egypt. After describing the eminence and decline of Assyria, the prophet reverts to his theme of verse 2. If the giant cedar, Assyria, can be cut down, could Egypt hope to escape? Which of the trees of Eden was your equal in glory or size? Egypt was like Assyria in two ways. She was like Assyria in her greatness and like Assyria in her fall. Yet you will be brought down below the earth along with the trees of Eden. You will lie there among the uncircumcised, which was considered a very demeaning and degrading death, with those killed by the sword. This is Pharaoh Hophra and all his multitudes (Ezeki’el 31:18). The concluding words indicate that the oracle of the chapter is ultimately directed at Egypt.³³¹

It requires no special powers of discernment to realize in reading the Ruach Ha’Kodesh’s indictment against Egypt that ADONAI is unalterably opposed to the pride of mankind. God will not tolerate any of its numerous ramifications, for He loves humility. Let us ask YHVH to humble us under His mighty hand so that He might lift us up when our time comes.³³²

A Lament Over Egypt
Ezeki’el 30: 1-26

A lament over Egypt DIG: What does ADONAI say He is going to do to Egypt? Why? What will be the effect on all Egypt’s military allies? Who will God use to punish Egypt? What kind of a nation are they? What are some of the specific things the LORD promises to do to Egypt? While Ezeki’el chanted this lament, the Babylonians laid siege to Yerushalayim. Did Egypt save the day (Jeremiah 37:6-8)? Why did ADONAI have “a bone to pick” with Pharaoh? Why do you think God didn’t want the Israelites to depend on Egypt for deliverance? Could the City have been saved from God’s judgment if He desired?

REFLECT: The people in Jerusalem hoped that Ezeki’el was wrong about the Babylonians and that Egypt would come to their rescue. Do you find yourself waiting for someone to rescue you? How do you feel “broken” and helpless? God had to take away Isra’el’s false hope in Egypt’s assistance before He could help them. Is ADONAI doing this in any area of your life? Are you responding? Are you listening or gripping onto your hopes more tightly? Do you know anyone with false hopes? How can you help them?

This prophecy was given in Nisan, 587 BC, one year before the destruction of Jerusalem at the end of Zedekiah’s reign. However, the prophecy wasn’t fulfilled until many years later in 571 BC. Ezeki’el’s second prophecy anticipates the coming judgment and defeat of Egypt; the forces of history and nature would combine to bring the mighty nation to her knees.

A far eschatological prophecy against Egypt: The word of ADONAI came to me. Son of man, prophesy and say that Adonai ELOHIM says: Wail, “Oh no! It’s today!” Go into deep mourning for the day is near, the Day of the LORD, a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles (Ezeki’el 30:1-3 CJB). The Day of ADONAI is the most common name for the Great Tribulation in the TaNaKh. That will be the time when the Gentiles will have their final judgment. It will be a day of clouds, emphasizing the Second Coming and judgment (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Jp – The Earth Will Mourn When They See the Son of Man Coming on the Clouds) when the time of the Gentiles will come to an end (see the commentary on Revelation An – The Times of the Gentiles). The Messianic Kingdom will be established on the ruins of the kingdoms of the Gentiles.

Since the context here is Egypt, Ezeki’el will deal exclusively with Egypt and her allies. The sword will come against Egypt, and as if it were a chain reaction, Ethiopia will be in anguish, when the slain fall in Egypt, when they take away her wealth during the Great Tribulation, and her foundations are torn down. Egypt will suffer the kind of massive desolation that will set the stage for her forty years of desolation (Ezeki’el 29:8-16). The allies of Egypt will also be judged: Ethiopia and Libya, Lydia and all Arabia, Kuv and the people of the covenant land will fall by the sword along with Egypt (Ezeki’el 30:4-5). This judgment, however, will lead to the national salvation of Egypt (see the commentary on Isaiah Eg – Blessed Be Egypt, Assyria and Isra’el).

ADONAI says this: Those supporting Egypt will fall; its arrogant power will be brought down; from Migdol to Aswan they will die by the sword, says Adonai ELOHIM. They will be desolate even far more apparent when compared with other desolate countries, likewise her cities in comparison with other ruined cities. They will know that I am ADONAI when I set fire (a common figure in the Bible for the devastation caused by war) to Egypt, and when her allies are destroyed. On that day when Egypt and her ally’s fall, messengers will go out from Me in ships to frighten Cush out of her complacency (Isaiah 18:2). Anguish will take hold of them on the day of Egypt’s doom, for it is sure to come (Ezeki’el 30:6-9).

A near historical prophecy against Egypt: Here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: I will destroy the hordes in Egypt through Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. God does use unbelievers to carry out his purposes. Nebuchadnezzar and his people, the most barbarous of the nations will be brought in to ravage the land. They will unsheathe their swords against Egypt and fill the land with corpses. I will dry up the life giving streams of the Nile and sell the land to an evil nation. The drying up of the Nile and destruction of its system of irrigation would inevitably bring desolation upon Egypt. Through the power of foreigners (the Babylonians) I will make the land and all that is in it desolate. I, ADONAI, have spoken (Ezeki’el 30:10-12 CJB).

Here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: I will destroy the idols; put an end to the false gods in Memphis, the capital of lower Egypt, a site for the temples of the Egyptian gods, Ptah and Apis. In the destruction of Egypt’s population, her religious institutions will also be involved. No longer will there be a prince from the land of Egypt; I will spread fear throughout the land. I will lay waste Upper Egypt, set fire to Zoan, in the eastern back of the second arm of the Nile, and inflict punishment on Thebes, the capital of upper Egypt is associated with the worship of the god Amon. I will pour out My wrath on Pelusium on the eastern frontier of Egypt, the stronghold of Egypt, and wipe out the hordes of Thebes. I will set fire to Egypt; Pelusium will writhe in agony. Thebes will be taken by storm; Memphis will be in constant distress. The young men of Heliopolis in lower Egypt and Bubastis, meaning “the city of the cat-shaped idol.” Cats were considered holy in this city and were actually mummified. Nevertheless, their little cat gods would prove worthless to them. Bubastis would still fall by the sword, and the cities themselves will go into captivity. Dark will be the day at Tahpanhes, one of the chief residences of Pharaoh, when I break the yoke of Egypt; there her proud strength will come to an end. She will be covered with clouds (in utter despair), and her villages will go into captivity in Babylon. Many of the Jews who fled after Gedaliah was assassinated, lived in Tahpanhes (Jeremiah 43:7). The tyranny that Egypt inflicted upon other nations will be inflicted upon her. All the places given in verses 13-18 seem to have been the centers of different forms of idolatry. So I will inflict punishment on Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD (Ezeki’el 30:13-19).

A third prophecy against Egypt came in the eleventh year, in the first month on the seventh day of Nisan (that date was April 29, 587 BC), the word of ADONAI came to me. It had been almost four months since his first prophecy against Egypt (see Fo – I’m Against You, Pharaoh, King of Egypt). Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt in an attempt to rescue Isra’el from Babylon (see Fm – Jeremiah in Prison). This near historical prophecy was recorded before the Babylonians defeated Egypt.³²⁸

God said: Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. This is a play upon words on the name of Pharaoh Hophra. The name Hophra means a strong-armed man. But now this strong-armed man has his arm broken. The allusion is to the advance of Pharaoh Hophra to relieve Jerusalem while the Babylonians besieged it. It brought only a temporary relief. The Egyptian army withdrew and the Babylonians renewed the attack. It has not been bound up to be healed or put in a splint so that it may become strong enough to hold a sword (Ezeki’el 30:20-21).

Therefore this is what Adonai ELOHIM says: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt. I will break both his arms (again a play on words according to his name), the good arm as well as the broken one, and make the sword fall from his hand. Defeat will follow defeat until Egypt is rendered completely powerless.

I will disperse the Egyptians as slaves among the nations under the control of Babylon, and scatter them through those countries. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand; Nebuchadnezzar would be God’s instrument for punishing Egypt. Here the Spirit of God is mocking a very common theme found in Egyptian paintings, sculpture and literature, which was a god giving a sword to Pharaoh. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will groan before [Nebuchadnezzar] like a mortally wounded man. I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall limp. Just as long as Aaron and Hur held up the arms Moses, God caused the Israelites to win and the Amalekites to be defeated (Exodus 17:11). So strengthening the arms of the king of Babylon would also mean certain defeat for the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he brandishes it against Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar was doing God’s work in Egypt just as he had done God’s work against Tyre. Egypt will be defeated and become part of the Babylonian empire. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. Then they will know that I am ADONAI (Ezk 30:22-26).

When one collects the number of references to the Day of the LORD in the Bible (see the commentary on Isaiah Eu – The Rapture and the Great Tribulation), one is struck with the fact that in a coming day ADONAI will no longer be silent in His government of the universe. He will take over and intervene manifestly in the consummation of the world’s affairs. How is it with your spiritual house? Is all in order?³²⁹

I’m Against You, Pharaoh, King of Egypt
Ezeki’el 29: 1-16

I’m against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt DIG: Later in this commentary, ADONAI depicts Tyre as a ship. How does He depict Egypt? Why is it appropriate? For what two things does God punish Pharaoh? How reliable was Egypt as a military ally (Second Kings 18:19-21)? How will ELOHIM punish Egypt? When will God re-gather her? How does this compare with the fate of Ammon (Ezeki’el 25:7)? Tyre (Ezeki’el 26:14)? Or Isra’el (20:36-38)?

REFLECT: Does God work in your life without you knowing it? On hindsight, when do you recall this happening? How does the LORD reveal His actions and plans to you? How can you better understand and fit in with His purposes? Is it good to rely on others or is it wiser to be as independent as possible? How would you define: (a) Dependence? (b) Independence? (c) Inter-dependence?

The prophecy was given in Tevet, 588 BC after the siege of Jerusalem began (to see link click Fk – Jerusalem as a Boiling Pot) and before the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. However, the prophecy wasn’t fulfilled until many years later in 571 BC.

Pharaoh Necho II had been defeated by Nebuchadnezzar at Carchemish in 605 BC. The Egyptian pharaoh was succeeded by his son Psammetichus II who died in 588 BC, and Psammetichus’ son, Pharaoh Hophra, followed him. Hophra besieged Tyre and Tzidon, but was unsuccessful against Cyrene and was deposed by Amasis in 569 BC. Zedekiah, and his predecessors Hezekiah and Jehoiakim, sought Egyptian help against the Babylonians. Ezeki’el predicted Egypt would be a poor ally in time of need. Isaiah (see the commentary on Isaiah Fr – Warning Against Alliance with Egypt) and Jeremiah before him had condemned Egypt.

Ezeki’el’s first prophecy was against Pharaoh individually and Egypt as a nation. On the twelfth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of Jehoiachin’s captivity, the word of ADONAI came to me, saying: Son of man, set your face against Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all Egypt (Ezeki’el 29:1-2). He was the fourth king of the twenty-sixth dynasty who reigned from 589 to 570 BC.

The near historical destruction of Pharaoh: Speak to him and say: This is what Adonai ELOHIM says: I’m against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. You are like a monster crocodile lying in the Nile River. You say, “The Nile River is mine. I made it for myself” (Ezeki’el 29:3). The Nile River, which overflowed its banks periodically and brought fertility to the land, was the source of Egypt’s prosperity and pride. Like the prince of Tyre, Pharaoh Hophra thought of himself as a god, the creator of the strength and prosperity of Egypt (see the commentary on Exodus Bc – Pharaoh as God and Upholder of Ma’at). He thought the position that his country occupied in the world at that time was due to his exceptional powers.

Like the crocodile is captured and drawn by hooks from the river, so will Egypt be defeated by her enemies and lose the wealth yielded by her river. But I will put hooks in your jaws and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales. I will pull you out from among your streams, with all the fish sticking to your scales (Ezeki’el 29:4). The fishes that adhere to the scales of the crocodile typify the whole nation. Both Pharaoh and common people will perish.

I will leave you in the desert, which spells certain death for the crocodile and fishes, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open field and not be gathered or picked up. I will give you as food to the beasts of the earth and the birds of the sky (Ezeki’el 29:5). The fallen Egyptian soldiers will not be given burial as human dignity requires, but will lie about abandoned and neglected. Egypt will be destroyed.

Then all those living in Egypt will know that I am ADONAI. Egypt, you have become like a [broken] walking stick to the nation of Isra’el, which provides no support and breaks when one leans upon it. She proved untrustworthy as an ally of Isra’el. When they grasped your hand, you splintered and threw all their shoulders out of joint; when they leaned on you. This was essentially what happened when Egypt rebelled against Babylon. Isra’el leaned upon Egypt, but Egypt collapsed and so did Isra’el. She proved to be a broken walking stick. People who depend upon Egypt find their support giving way so they fall and dislocate their shoulder. Isra’el broke when the Egyptians leaned on them and made them all wrench their backs (Ezeki’el 29:7-7 CJB).³²⁶

The far eschatological destruction of the land of Egypt: Therefore, Adonai ELOHIM says: I will bring the sword against you and kill both people and animals (Ezeki’el 29:8). This will be a total, not a partial, destruction. After his defeat at Cyrene, Pharaoh Hophra was strangled by his successor Amasis. However, what we are about to read in the following statements of this passage requires the fulfillment to go well beyond that of Hophra’s defeat and death. A literal interpretation does not fit ancient Egypt. The land of Egypt will become a desolate waste, and they will know that I am ADONAI. The Egyptians will know that the God of Isra’el, YHVH, is the true God . . . not Pharaoh. “The Nile is mine; I made it,” said Pharaoh (Ezeki’el 29:9); but YHVH is the Creator . . . not Pharaoh.

Therefore, Ha’Shem announces His judgment: I am against you and your Nile; and I will make the land of Egypt a totally desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan. The whole country will be punished; Migdol was a frontier fortress at the northeast corner of Lower Egypt and Aswan is in the extreme south as far as the border of Ethiopia (Ezeki’el 29:10). The point of the prophecy is that the total desolation will cover the entire country of Egypt from the north to the South. Then Ezeki’el goes on to deal with the extent of that desolation.

No human foot will pass through it, and no animal foot will pass through it; it will be uninhabited for forty years (Ezeki’el 29:11). This was obviously not the case after Hophra’s defeat and subsequent life in ancient Egypt. It is no accident that the same amount of time that Isra’el spent in wilderness after leaving Egypt will also be the same amount of time that Egypt will be desolate in the future. The same amount of time Isra’el wandered around without a homeland in the past will be the same amount of time that Egypt will be without a homeland in the future.

Then Ezeki’el elaborates on this forty-year period. Yes, I will make the land of Egypt desolate, even when compared with other desolate countries, likewise her cities in comparison with other ruined cities. The extent of Egypt’s desolation will be obvious when compared with other ruined cities that had been invaded throughout human history. Egypt will be desolate for forty years. There has never been a period in Egyptian history where she has gone totally uninhabited of both people and animals for forty years. This could not have been fulfilled in the days of Pharaoh Amasis. And why will the land of Egypt be desolate? The One True God declared: I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them through the countries (Ezeki’el 29:12 CJB). This prophecy should be taken literally and placed in the first forty years of the Messianic Kingdom.

But there will be a future restoration of Egypt (see Dh – A Message Concerning Egypt). Later Egypt will be inhabited as in times past, declares ADONAI. However, as promised by Isaiah (see the commentary on Isaiah Eg – Blessed Be Egypt, Assyria and Isra’el), by Ezeki’el (Ezeki’el 29:13-16), and John (see the commentary on Revelation Fk – Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom), Egypt’s destruction will not be complete. But the long standing animosity towards Isra’el cannot be so easily erased in light of the principle of Genesis 12:3. So for the first forty years of the thousand year Millennial Kingdom, the Egyptians will be dispersed among the nations the world and the land of Egypt will lie uninhabited. The Egyptian dispersion, however, is not intended to be permanent just as Jewish dispersion was not intended to be permanent. So after forty years the Egyptians will be regathered as a nation and send representatives up to Zion to keep the festival of Sukk’ot (Zechariah 14:16-19).

For this is what Adonai ELOHIM says: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples where they were scattered. Just as there was and will be a regathering of the Jews at the end of the Great Tribulation (see the commentary on Isaiah De – God Is My Salvation, I Will Trust and Not Be Afraid); there will be a worldwide regathering of the Egyptians during the Millennial Kingdom. I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and return them to Upper Egypt, the land of their origin. But there they will be a humble kingdom (Ezeki’el 29:13-14 CJB), with Isra’el being the head of the nations in that day (see the commentary on Revelation Fi – The Government of the Messianic Kingdom).

Then Ezeki’el deals with the status of Egypt in the Messianic Kingdom. It will be the lowliest of the Gentile kingdoms on the earth at that time and will never again exalt itself above the other nations. Egypt will be the lowest of the low. Perhaps that may be one of the reasons why Egypt will be reluctant to send a delegation to the Holy City to observe Sukkot. Finally, everyone remaining from all the nations that came to attack Yerushalayim will go up every year to worship the king, ADONAI-Tzva’ot, and to keep the festival of Sukkot. If any of the peoples of the earth does not go up to Tziyon to worship the king, ADONAI-Tzva’ot, no rain will fall on them. If the people of Egypt do not go up, if they refuse to come, they will have no [annual] overflow [from the Nile]; moreover, there will be the plague with which ADONAI will strike the nations that don’t go up to keep the festival of Sukkot. This will be Egypt’s punishment and the punishment of any nation that doesn’t go up to keep Sukkot (Zechariah 14:16-19).

After Egypt is reestablished, after forty years of dispersion in the nations of the world, then Ha’Shem will make it so weak that it will never again rule over other nations. Egypt will no longer be a source of confidence for the people of Isra’el. That’s what got Isra’el into trouble in the past, but that will never happen again. This will be a reminder of their sin in turning to her for help (Second Kings 18:21, Isaiah 19:15-17 and 36:6, Ezeki’el 29:16) Trusting in Egypt brought about the fall of Jerusalem and Isra’el will not forget that lesson. Then they will know that I am Adonai ELOHIM (Ezeki’el 29:15-16).³²⁷

The Sin and Judgment of Egypt
Ezeki’el Chapters 29 to 32

It is clear that Jeremiah and Ezeki’el prophesied against Egypt at different times:
Jeremiah in 604-601 BC (to see link click Dh – A Message Concerning Egypt), and Ezeki’el in 587 BC.  Both prophecies, however, were fulfilled many years later in 571 BC when king Nebuchadnezzar attacked Egypt and took massive amounts of plunder as his reward.

The prophecy against Egypt is exceedingly fierce and detailed because of her importance as a world power and her influence upon Isra’el, which was particularly evil. Egypt’s sin was twofold. First, her arrogance was notorious, and secondly, her role in the history of Isra’el was that of a deceiver. As a great power, Egypt succeeded in subjugating Isra’el politically and imposing an alliance on her that proved to be, in the words of Isaiah, a broken reed (Isaiah 29:6 KJV) and a calamity in Isra’el’s foreign relations. The alliance was constantly denounced by the prophets not only as a political delusion, but also as a factor in weakening Isra’el’s reliance on ADONAI. Therefore, that reed needed to be broken indeed. So in these chapters Ezeki’el raised a lament over the doomed Pharaoh, and in graphic language pictures his descent into sh’ol where he joins the company of other fallen tyrants.

In these chapters there are five distinct prophecies against Egypt:

1. Fo – I’m Against You, Pharaoh, King of Egypt 29:1-16
2. Fp – A Lament Over Egypt 30:1-26
   
3. Fq – Pharaoh as a Felled Cedar of Lebanon 31:1-18
4. Gq – I Am Going to Give Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon 29:17-21
5. Gr – A Lament Over Pharaoh 32:1-32

Jeremiah in Prison
37: 1-21

Jeremiah in prison DIG: How would you make sense of Zedekiah’s feelings about the prophet? Why does Zedekiah respect him at times and then ignore him other times? Why does Jeremiah try leaving the City? Why doesn’t Irijah believe in him (21:8-10)? How does ADONAI use the evil events recorded in verses 14-21 for Jeremiah’s welfare and Zedekiah’s downfall? How does Yirmeyahu show his ability to think on his feet? Why is he persuasive? How did Jeremiah deal with the people of his day? What was it like to be with him when he wasn’t preaching a sermon or in the middle of a confrontation?

REFLECT: Do you know people who only want to hear “God’s will” that matches their own? Do you waver on ADONAI sometimes yourself? What did Jesus say about such behavior (Revelation 3:15-16)? Yirmeyahu has a trust problem, not altogether on his own making. How is trust built or broken? How can trust be rebuilt once broken? How do you make an appeal?

587 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim (37:1). Zedekiah was king for eleven years and all through those years he had conversations with Yirmeyahu. The king had mixed feelings about the prophet. Zedekiah respected him. How could he not? Jeremiah’s stature was immense, his integrity impressive, and his courage was legendary. But he was also an embarrassment, for the king permitted himself to be surrounded with the usual crowd of court officials, who were trying to gain advantage from their association with him. He knew full well that Jeremiah had a quiet contempt for such people.

In the summer of 588 BC Zedekiah had hope when the Egyptian army entered the land of Judah. Perhaps Zedekiah hoped that Yirmeyahu’s prayers would persuade God to grant a victory with the Egyptians and force Babylon out of Palestine. Babylon had just lifted her siege of Yerushalayim because Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt in an attempt to rescue Y’hudah from Babylon (to see link click Fp – A Lament Over Egypt). And when the Babylonians who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about the Egyptians, the Babylonians withdrew temporarily from the City to meet the challenge. It was during this lull that an incident of the shameful and treacherous treatment of the slaves took place (see Fy – A Warning to Zedekiah). One senses in Jeremiah that hopes were high that the Egyptians would prevail (34:8-11). Yirmeyahu, however, warned the people against undue optimism since the City of David was doomed. It was a very brief time, perhaps only a few weeks, when the Egyptians were defeated and the siege was resumed. This was a chance for those who believed Jeremiah’s message to flee. Unfortunately, we have no record of any who did.

But a similar opportunity happened much later in Jewish history where the righteous of the TaNaKh did escape. When the Romans put Jerusalem under siege there had also been a lull in the fighting in 69 AD after Emperor Nero committed suicide and General Vespasian returned to Rome to be crowned as the new emperor. As a result, army camps surrounded Yerushalayim but the war did not progress. The Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah recognized that the situation was a perfect reflection of Yeshua’s prophetic Word: When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains (Luke 21:20). This led to a mass exodus of messianic Jews from Tziyon and Judea. They escaped to the mountains that are mainly in the modern so-called West Bank. In Pella, on the other side of the Jordan, in the region of Decapolis, they sought shelter from the imminent cruelty of the Roman’s war against the Jews. There they were received as peace-loving citizens and protected by King Agrippa.³²¹ Not one single messianic Jew is known to have died at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD! Faith in Yeshua and His Word saved the lives of Jewish believers.

A weak, vacillating person, Zedekiah was appointed to rule, we suspect, because the Babylonians knew that he had no will of his own and would submit to what was commanded. What they failed to anticipate was that he would do whatever he was told by anyone who happened to be in the room with him. When the Babylonians temporarily withdrew their siege, the pro-Egypt group filled the king’s head with the idea that Judah could throw off Babylonian rule with the help of Egypt. He was easily swayed. Sometimes he would have qualms of conscience and call on Jeremiah for a consultation and, for a brief time, pay attention to the prophetic word. But nothing lasted very long. The man was a marshmallow. He fit into the plans stronger people had for him. He was not an evil person . . . just weak.

But neither Zedekiah, nor his attendants, nor the people of the Land listened (Hebrew sh’ma) to the words the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet (37:2). Zedekiah must have been one of the most difficult people in all of Jeremiah’s life. One king (Josiah) had been his close friend; one king (Jehoiakim) had been his relentless enemy. But this king was formless: he could never be counted on for anything, whether positive or negative. There was nothing to him. Meanwhile Yirmeyahu maintained his witness under the faithfulness of his God, quite apart from the fickle nature of his king.³²²

Scene One: Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah (who would shortly call for the prophet’s death in 38:4) with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah (who was a member of request for prayer on the part of Jeremiah in 21:1) to Jeremiah the prophet with this message, “Please pray to ADONAI our God for us” (37:3). Suddenly Zedekiah wanted prayer. Perhaps he hoped that YHVH would repeat the miracle of 701 BC when He eliminated the Assyrian armies surrounding Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah (see the commentary on Isaiah Gw – Then the Angel of the LORD Put To Death a Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Men in the Assyrian Camp). But Yirmeyahu had already told Zedekiah about the fate of the City and the commencement of the siege. Zedekiah’s and Judah had reached the point of no return and the king’s request for prayer was merely a matter of circumstances . . . not conscience.

God’s answer, however, was not one Zedekiah sought. Then the word of the LORD came to Yirmeyahu the prophet. This is what ADONAI, the God of Isra’el says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Me, “Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to support you, will go back (shuwb) to its own land, to Egypt. Then the Babylonians will return (shuwb) and attack this City; they will capture it and burn it down. Do not deceive yourselves, thinking that the Babylonians will leave you like the false prophets are saying. They will not! Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian army that is attacking you and only slain men were left in their tents, they would come out and burn this City down (37:4-10). Such words, coming at a time when the morale of the people had been boosted by the Babylonian withdrawal, could only arouse bitter and violent antagonism against the prophet from Anathoth.

The Holy City was under final attack by the Babylonians. It would soon fall. Jeremiah had given counsel to the leaders and had preached to the people that the Babylonian presence was the judgment of ADONAI: It should be accepted and submitted to. They had sinned and they were being judged. The judgment was God’s way of restoring wholeness.

People didn’t like that. They kept trying to find ways to avoid the reality of judgment, of right and wrong, of sin and irresponsibility. One of their substitute ways of thinking was in terms of loyalty and disloyalty. Patriotism was used to muddle their sense of morality. It was as if they were saying, “Our beloved country is being attacked and we must be loyal to it. In times of crisis it is not right to criticize your leaders. It is disloyal, an act of treachery.”

Scene Two: The arrest of Jeremiah took place at some time during the interruption of the siege when there was a certain freedom for people to move about outside the City.³²³ One day, after the Babylonian army had temporarily withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, Jeremiah started to leave Tziyon to go to his hometown of Anathoth three miles away in the territory of Benjamin to get his share of his property among the people there (see Fs – Jeremiah Buys a Field). But when he reached the Benjamin Gate on the north side of the City, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah ben Hananiah arrested him and said: You are deserting to the Babylonians (37:11-13)! This was understandable because Jeremiah had encouraged Zedekiah and the whole City to surrender and not fight the Babylonians (21:9 and 38:2). In fact, a number of Judeans did defect to the enemy (38:19 and 52:15). Plus, Yirmeyahu’s message of certain victory for Babylon was well known.

The priest from Anathoth had lived in the City of David his whole adult life. He had been a public figure for over forty years. He had established credentials as a loyal friend and adviser to the great King Josiah. Jeremiah had never for a moment rejected his identity as a Jew or exempted himself in any way from the obligations of a son of the covenant. He was no traitor. His message was from God, not himself. Most of the time he was not happy with the message he had to give. To anyone who knew him he was neither a bystander criticizing, nor a traitor propagandizing, but an insider agonizing.

Jeremiah said: “That’s not true! I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” He was merely going home. But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials who had served during the reign of Jehoiakim. Those officials who were loyal to him (26:16 and 24, 36:11-19 and 25) were all taken away in the second deportation to Babylon in 598 BC. Therefore, when Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah king, he appointed new government officials who were antagonistic towards the prophet. They were angry with Yirmeyahu and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a temporary prison. These men were upstarts who had no experience in government; hotheaded and shortsighted, they remembered how Jeremiah had compared them to bad figs (see Ei – Two Baskets of Figs). Apparently they had been waiting for any excuse to put the prophet in prison (see the commentary on the Life of Solomon Af – Prisoners for ADONAI). Yirmeyahu was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, which was part of Jonathan’s house, where he remained until the downfall of the City (37:14-16).

Irijah was a man who used his job to escape his responsibilities as a human being. He was a bureaucrat in the worst sense of the word, a person who hides behind the rules and prerogatives of a job description to do work that destroys people. Without considering morality or righteousness, God or person, he did his job. We meet these people all the time. Every day people are hurt or demeaned by office-holders who refuse to look us in the eye, shielding themselves behind regulations and paperwork, secretaries and committees. Irijah was that kind of a person.

The most famous twentieth-century instance of Irijah is Adolf Eichmann, a key figure in the murder of six million Jews in Nazi Germany. At his trial in Jerusalem it became quite clear that he had nothing against Jews . . . he was just doing his job. No great venom of hate flowed in him; he was simply being obedient to what his superiors told him. Unimaginable evil comes from these unlikely sources: quiet, efficient, little people doing their job, long since having given up thinking of themselves as responsible, morale individuals.³²⁴

The resumption of the siege by the Babylonians prompted Zedekiah to communicate with Jeremiah again. Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace (37:17a). The scene is just as moving as it is historically interesting. On the one hand was the prophet, disfigured by mistreatment, the prison atmosphere and hardships, but firm in his near historical prophecy, without malice, defiance, or exaggeration. He was physically subdued and emotionally humble. On the other hand was the king, who obviously had been led against his own will by his officials into rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar, anxiously watching the lips of the prisoner for a favorable word for himself, whispering secretly with the man whom his officials imprisoned for treason. Zedekiah was a pathetic follower. All his good intentions were worthless without some character behind it. It seemed as though the king was much more bound than the prisoner who stood before him!³²⁵

Scene Three: Then King Zedekiah asked him privately, “Is there any word from the LORD?” Something of Zedekiah’s character is revealed here. The meeting was secret because of the king’s fear of his officials. But even under duress Jeremiah could not compromise the truth: Yes, Jeremiah replied: You will be handed over to the king of Babylon. Then Jeremiah addressed Zedekiah respectfully and said to the King, “What crime have I committed against you or your officials or this people, that you have put me in prison? Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this Land?’ But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there” (37:17b-20).

The courtyard of the guard was located next to the palace (Jeremiah 32:2; Nehemiah 3:25) and seems to have been used for men who did not require strict confinement. It was there that Yirmeyahu was able to conduct the business concerned with the purchase of his cousin’s land in Anathoth (34:1-15).

The secret interview ended with a kindly gesture from the king. Zedekiah then gave orders for Yirmeyahu to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread in the City was gone. But it was a slim ration. The bread was literally a disk of bread, meaning one piece of something like modern pita bread. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard (37:21).

Jeremiah responded to Irijah and Zedekiah with relentless endurance. He did not bluster or curse. The prophet did not threaten or rail. Nor was he a lifeless doormat. The priest from Anathoth asserted his innocence and he endured. Yirmeyahu accepted this trivial stupidity with, it seems, composure, and persisted in his ministry as a prophet of God.