Jeremiah 34

Jeremiah 34:1-7

In this chapter we have two messages which God sent by Jeremiah. (1.) One to permit the fate of Zedekiah king of Judah, that he should fall into the hands of the king of Babylon, and live and die in captivity, ver. 1—7. (2.) Another to read the deep faith of prayer and praise for bringing back above Jeremiah: tell Mosley, whom they had released according to the law, ver. 8—11. therefore God will bring the Chaldean army upon them again, when they began to hope they were yet clear of them, ver. 12—21.

1. THE word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, 1 when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people sought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof: saying, 2. Thus faith the LORD the God of Israel, Go; and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him; Thus faith the LORD, Behold, 3 I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and 4 he shall burn it with fire. 5. And 5 thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand, and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and 6 he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon. 7. Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah, Thus faith the LORD of thee, Thou shalt not die by the Israel. 8. But thou shalt die in peace, and wish 9 the bornings of thy fathers the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn nearer for thee, and 10 they will lament thee, saying, Ah loot: for I have pronounced the word, faith the LORD. 11. Then Jeremiah the people: make all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem. 12. When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Laxbih, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.

This prophecy in its days precedes the former, being, it seems, the cause of Jeremiah’s commitment to the court of the prison, chap. XXXI. 2-5. It was directed particularly to Zedekiah, and, though a king, the prophet faithfully delivered it, v. 6. for they who will be true to their truth must not flatter nor fear the greatest. Matters were now brought to a very desperate point: but two cities, Azekah and Lachith, remained to Judah; and these, as well as Jerusalem, were now involved by the army of Nebuchadnezzar, v. 7. yet Zedekiah and the people perished in their obituary, and refused to surrender. Heretofore.

1. That doom is read. Jerusalem should be burnt to the ground, himself made a prisoner, and, though attempting to escape, shall be seized and brought to the king of Babylon, and carried by him into a miserable captivity: the just punishment of his rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar, and disobedience to the warnings of God.

2. A gleam of mercy breaks through the gloom. God affirms him, and his word cannot fail, he shall not be put to death, but do to peace, on his bed, treated kindly by the king of Babylon; or, it may be, to peace with God, his suffering in Babylon having been blessed to bring about his repentance; and, though a captive, he should be honourably interred, with the usual respect paid to the kings of Judah, and with the lamentations of the people, deeply afflicted with his loss. Note, They who at last, though late, return to God, will find peace with him; and, however, for ever their afflictions may have been, they will have reason to bless God for them as their chief mercies. The prison that leads to repentance is far preferable to the palace that is the scene of iniquity.

3. ¶ This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim ’liberty unto them; 9. ‘That every man should let his man- servant, and every man his maid- servant, King an Hebrew or an Hebrew, go free, that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. 10. Now when all the princes, and all the people which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his man- servant, and every one his maid servant go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed and let them go. 11. But afterwards they turned and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids. 12. ¶ Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 13. Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying, 14. ‘At the end of seven years, let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers bearked me unto me, neither inclined their ear. 15. And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour, and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name. 16. But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasors, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. 17. Therefore thus saith the LORD, Ye have not bearked unto me in proclaiming liberty every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, ‘I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine, and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. 18. And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof, 19. The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land which passed between the parts of the calf, 20. I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life; and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the sows of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth. 21. And Zedekiah king of Judah, and his princes, will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the v. 1. II.

king of Babylon’s army which are gone up from you. 22. ¶ Behold I will command, saith the LORD, and cause them to return to this city, and they shall fight against it, and rake it, and burn it with fire, and I will make the cities of Judah a defolution without an inhabitant.

6. 8-22. This prophecy was delivered during that interval when Nebuchadnezzar had raised the siege of Jerusalem to go to meet the army of Egypt which was advancing to relieve it.

7. The occasion of the prophecy was their unjust and hypocritical conduct towards their servants. The law had enjoined them every servant year to recede their brethren, who the poverty or debt had been sold for bondmen, in gratitude for their own deliverance from Egypt. But this, amongst their other sins, their fathers had neglected, 2. and they kept them still in servitude, notwithstanding the year of recede was passed: and, custom having authorized the evil, it was become general. But, when the Chaldean army belonged the city, as the prophets no doubt had before rebuked them for such an avowed disobedience to the law, they now laid the mantle to boast, convicts of the evil of the praetors, and an edict was published by the king, princes, and people, for a general recede; and, to confirm it, they made a solemn covenant in the temple to abide by God’s law for the future, passing between the parts of the divided calf, as imprecating God’s wrath, that they might be thus cut afunder, if they failed of performing their engagement. In consequence of this, all their servants and handmaids were set free, as was right in God’s sight, v. 15. but when the siege was raised, and the storm foamed to be blown over, they again forced them to return to servitude, committing a most flagrant piece of injustice to them, playing a part most hypocritical and affronting to God, and justly bringing upon their heads the earth of a broken covenant. Note, (1.) The reformations which fear and danger make are seldom sincere or abiding. (2.) The most solemn bonds and vows will not long restrain those whose hearts are not right with God. (3.) If God’s reprieve are abused, and made an encouragement to perish in the ways of wickedness, he will then proceed to execution; for none ever yet hardened their hearts against him and proffered.

8. God pronounces judgment upon them for this treacherous dealing. He dismisses them from his service and protection, v. 17. devotes them to famine, pestilence, and the sword; the men who have transgressed the covenant shall be as the calf they divided, even the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the Land, who had so solemnly sworn to observe it, v. 18, 19. Given up into the hands of the Chaldeans, they are doomed to a miserable death, their carcasses unburied, shall be cast as dung upon the earth, and be meat for the beasts and birds. Nor may they think, because the king of Babylon is gone up from them, that they are safe. He shall return infallibly, beings, sown, and burn Jerusalem, with all the other cities of Judah, spread defolution on the land, and leave it as an uninhabited wilderness, dragging Zedekiah and his princes, with the remnant that escape the twain, into an ignominious captivity, to know themselves the miseries of that servitude which they had made so heavy to their brethren. Note, (1.) The sinner’s security is a sad postage of his defolution. (2.) Promising beginnings, to which the end does not correspond, only bring more aggravated guilt, and faste defolution. Apollates, who were once profetious, shall receive greater damnation.