July 15, 2008
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Jeremiah 21
Jeremiah began his ministry during the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC). When Josiah was killed by the Egyptian Pharaoh Neco, the people put his son Jehoahaz (609 BC) on the throne. He lasted three months. When Neco found out who had been made king, he took Jehoahaz prisoner to Egypt and made his older brother Jehoiakim (another son of Josiah, 609-598 BC) king. When he died, his son Jehoiachin became king (598-597 BC) but he only lasted three months until Nebuchadnezzar came and seized Jerusalem and took Jehoiachin to Babylon as his prisoner. Nebuchadnezzar then made Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, king. Zedekiah was another son of Josiah. He ruled from 597-586 BC. He was the last king until Nebuchadnezzar came and destroyed Jerusalem.
Jeremiah’s messages will now change. Instead of being general messages, he is given specific messages for various kings, for the people, and for the prophets. The messages are NOT in chronological order.
Jeremiah 21:1-2 KJV The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, (2) Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.
Zedekiah was a bad king. He wants to know what God has to say but doesn’t want to follow it.
Jeremiah 21:3-4 KJV Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: (4) Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.
It is thought that this message came in the ninth year of Zedekiah (589 BC) which was the year Nebuchadnezzar began his two year siege of Jerusalem (2Ki. 25:1).
Your own weapons will hurt you.
Jeremiah 21:5-7 KJV And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. (6) And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. (7) And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
This prediction was fulfilled in 586 B.C. when Zedekiah was blinded and taken to Babylon and other leaders were executed (Jer. 39:5-7; 52:24-27).
God loves us but He is holy and righteous. He needs to judge sin. He warned then over and over. They didn’t listen.
Romans 1:17-32 KJV For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (19) Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (20) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (21) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (22) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (23) And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. (24) Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: (25) Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (26) For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (27) And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (28) And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; (29) Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, (30) Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, (31) Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: (32) Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Romans 1 says men are without excuse. They deny God.
Zedekiah is being warned but he sill will not repent.
Jeremiah 21:8-9 KJV And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. (9) He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.
If you stay in the city = sword, famine and pestilence.
Go out surrender = life spared.
In obeying God they would have to disobey man.
Jeremiah is telling the people that the only way to survive is to surrender to the king of Babylon. For most people, how would that come across? It would seem like Jeremiah was a traitor.
Jeremiah 21:10-14 KJV For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. (11) And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD; (12) O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. (13) Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? (14) But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
Revelation 20:1-15 KJV And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (3) And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (4) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (5) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (7) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, (8) And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (9) And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. (10) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (11) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Those who rejected God will be judged. Every idle word spoken brought into judgement. Any man not in the book of life throw in the lake of fire.
REJECT SALVATION AND GOD WILL JUDGE
Salvation is a gift. God wants you to be saved. All you have to do is accept the blood atonement Jesus did for you. Open your heart by faith and you will be saved. God loves you. His son died for you, but you must receive the gift.
Comments (1)
Hebrews makes a good case