Jeremiah 51

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Jeremiah 51:2

Opposition of Pashhur

Pashhur is the son of the priest Immer (Jeremiah 20:1). Immer is a descendant of Eleazar. He belongs to the sixteenth division of those appointed to do priestly service (1 Chronicles 24:14). Pashhur is therefore a very privileged and at the same time very responsible man. In addition, he is also chief officer in the house of the LORD. He is a kindred spirit of the chief officer of the temple about whom we read in the book of Acts, who is present to imprison Peter and John, also because of words displeasing to the religious leaders (Acts 4:1-3).

Pashhur hears the words of Jeremiah. He does not like those words because they only cause unrest among the people and he cannot use that. God’s words reveal his evil mind. The cause is that he is not willing to bow to the call to repentance. He considers himself important. He also resents the thought that Jerusalem and the temple will be given up to the enemy. He takes that as preaching against the city of the great King and against the house of the LORD, which, according to his view, will never be given up by the LORD. Jeremiah is accused of the same thing the Lord Jesus was accused of, as well as Stephen (Matthew 26:59-61; Acts 6:13-14).

Instead of standing beside Jeremiah and supporting his words, he reveals himself as an adversary (Jeremiah 20:2; cf. Amos 7:10-17). He has “Jeremiah the prophet beaten”, which underscores the wickedness of Pashhur’s attitude. Pashhur proves to be an enemy of the words of God spoken by the prophet. Those words are intolerable to him. He imprisons Jeremiah in a cell built to the house of the LORD. This is Jeremiah’s first captivity. The blocks into which he is put is not only to shackle him, but also to torment him (cf. 2 Chronicles 16:10a; Job 13:27; Jeremiah 29:27). The Hebrew word for block, mahpeketh, means ‘to cause pain’.

It is the ancient truth that the prophets of God are persecuted, most violently by the leaders of God’s people. Jeremiah here is again a picture of the Lord Jesus, the perfect Prophet, Who is also beaten when He gives His testimony before the religious leaders (Matthew 26:67-68; Micah 5:1; cf. Acts 23:2).

The upper Benjamin Gate is possibly the courtroom; in the gate justice is done (Deuteronomy 16:18; Deuteronomy 17:8). In this place of justice and so close to the house of the LORD, in His presence, before His face, great injustice takes place. This is also how it went with the Lord Jesus. Where there should be protection of the God-fearing prophet, great injustice is done to him.

The next day, Pashhur releases Jeremiah. Possibly he has thought that Jeremiah has learned his lesson and will stop preaching his morbid message. But then he is very much mistaken. Jeremiah addresses the word to him (Jeremiah 20:3). It is a word of judgment. The name he gives Pashhur, “Magor-missabib”, means ‘terror on every side’. Jeremiah explains the meaning of this name (Jeremiah 20:4). Pashhur will have terror everywhere, inwardly and outwardly. The man will be surrounded by terror. All who love him will be gripped by fear. All who love a man like Pashhur share in his fate. They are like him. Family members will be killed and others captured and taken away to Babylon and killed there.

Also all the wealth of Jerusalem and all her produce, all the costly things and treasures, of which Pashhur may possess a lot, will be given into the hand of the enemy (Jeremiah 20:5). The enemy will rob them and bring them to Babylon. Here Babylon is mentioned by name for the first time.

Then Jeremiah addresses Pashhur personally. Pashhur, along with all the inhabitants of his house, his family members, will also go into captivity to Babylon and die there (Jeremiah 20:6). In that fate will also share all his friends against whom he prophesied lies and who believed them. How great is the responsibility of a preacher!

Jeremiah 51:3

Opposition of Pashhur

Jeremiah 51:4

Opposition of Pashhur

Jeremiah 51:5

Opposition of Pashhur

Jeremiah 51:6

Opposition of Pashhur

Jeremiah 51:7

Opposition of Pashhur

Jeremiah 51:8

Jeremiah’s Inescapable Calling

The courageous, fearless man before men, who has just testified vigorously before Pashhur, struggles and wrestles with God in His presence. He now pours out his complaint before the LORD. We see something similar with Elijah (1 Kings 18:21; 30; 36-40; 1 Kings 19:1-4). Jeremiah complains that he should never have begun his service, but that the LORD deceived, persuaded, indeed, forced him to it (Jeremiah 20:7; Jeremiah 1:4-10; 17-19). Every servant should be able to say that to some degree. Enthusiastically stepping into service for the Lord without fear and cost calculation, is not the start that proofs the calling (cf. Matthew 8:19-20).

Jeremiah complains how his service is being responded to. Everyone is laughing at him and mocking him. This is more than he can bear. His message is not pleasant either. He doesn’t like to bring it either. He even dislikes what he has to say. It is quite a struggle for the sensitive Jeremiah to shout out a message of violence and destruction (Jeremiah 20:8). That word of the LORD, which He has spoken in His law, he must bring, for the people transgress in a shameful way. But to that word, which is in him, the people respond with reproach and jeers. He receives their reproaches and derisions all day long.

Jeremiah has known times when he has wanted to bid the LORD farewell (Jeremiah 20:9) and throw in the towel. Yet this is impossible for him because the word burns like a fire in his heart (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:16; Amos 3:8b). It is shut up in his bones, which means that it is felt very deeply and intensely by him (Job 30:17; Job 33:19). Even when he tries his best to hold back his words, he cannot.

The false prophets don’t know such inner struggle. They do not reckon with God, but only with their own feelings and the will of the people. They talk to them and leave their conscience out of it. Then you will not encounter any opposition to your message.

We may also be overcome by the feeling that we no longer want to continue our service, that we no longer want to think about the LORD. After all, there is no point to it all. But then, like Jeremiah, we will still have no choice but to continue because we are inwardly convinced of the truth. The heart is burning, even though we are disappointed with the results of our service. When we see the state of corruption and the judgment that threatens, we cannot help but speak God’s words.

The reason for Jeremiah to resign his ministry is the evil rumor he heard from many (Jeremiah 20:10). This is indicated by the word “for” at the beginning of this verse. He is aware that his fellow citizens, with whom he has lived in peace, are bent on his downfall (cf. Mark 3:2; Matthew 22:15; 23; 35; Luke 14:1). The name he gave Pashhur, they now give him (Psalms 31:13). They want to do to him, what he prophesied about Pashhur and want to surround him with terror from every side. They want to frighten him so that he will stop with his preaching of doom.

Rumors buzz around him. He is being spied on. If only he says or does something wrong, if there is any stumble in word or deed, they seize him. He only has to slip up and he will be condemned as a traitor or blasphemer. In the eyes of his fellow citizens he sees hatred. They don’t seize him yet, but their constant talking about him as an undesirable person with an undesirable message does its job of eliminating him. It is unbearable when people around you are talking about you without ceasing. You can tell by the looks they throw at you and by the isolation you are placed in.

It is about you and directed against you. You feel how they all look in your direction, while you cannot defend yourself. This is called character assassination. Then it can become too much for you and you cry out that life makes no sense anymore, yes, that you even wish you had never been born. Jeremiah, after a burst of faith in Jeremiah 20:11-13, does just that in the verses that then follow.

Jeremiah 51:9

Jeremiah’s Inescapable Calling

Jeremiah 51:10

Jeremiah’s Inescapable Calling

Jeremiah 51:11

Jeremiah’s Inescapable Calling

Jeremiah 51:12

Jeremiah Clings to the LORD

Suddenly Jeremiah throws himself upon the LORD (Jeremiah 20:11). Suddenly he sees Him “like a dread champion” Who is with him. In the powerful language of faith, he measures the strength of his opponents not by his own strength but by that of the LORD. They will stumble and fail in their purpose, powerless as they are against the dread Champion. They will also be put to shame, for their course of action is not wise because it is without the LORD, yes, even contrary to Him. Their fate is in everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten, they will always be aware of it.

Jeremiah knows the LORD as “the LORD of hosts”, as the One Who is above all earthly and heavenly powers (Jeremiah 20:12). He knows that the LORD knows him as a righteous man and sees his whole inner self. Therefore, he prays with boldness that the LORD will show him His vengeance on his opponents. After all, he has made his lawsuit known to Him and has not acted as his own judge.

That thought even brings out in him the call to a song of praise (Jeremiah 20:13). He sees in faith the salvation of his soul from the hand of the wicked as the result of his prayer. He allows others to share in the joy of this deliverance and calls them to sing to the LORD and praise Him.

Jeremiah 51:13

Jeremiah Clings to the LORD

Jeremiah 51:14

Jeremiah Clings to the LORD

Jeremiah 51:15

Jeremiah Curses His Day of Birth

In the verses before this (Jeremiah 20:11-13), the LORD stands before the eye of the prophet’s faith. In the verses that now follow, He no longer sees the LORD. He sees only the circumstances and himself. The result is that he sinks into a sudden depression. What he utters is reminiscent of what Job utters in the face of all the misery that has befallen him: “Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his [birth]” (Job 3:1). We get the impression that Jeremiah was familiar with the book of Job in which we see the ways of the LORD that He goes with Job. When we compare Job 3 with these five verses of Jeremiah, we see how much the complaints of these dedicated men are similar.

After the flare-up of confidence in the preceding verses, Jeremiah is again assailed by a feeling of hopeless misery (Jeremiah 20:14). From the heights of faith confidence, Jeremiah falls into deep despair. This despair is so strong that he curses the day of his birth. The day his mother gave birth to him, he denies the blessing. He finds the blessing of the birth of a child misplaced as far as his own birth is concerned.

Even the bringer of the good news of his birth to his father is cursed by him (Jeremiah 20:15). The birth of a son is the best news a man can receive. It means continuation of the family name. But Jeremiah says that his birth is no cause for rejoicing. He would be given a service not of bringing good news, but of bad news. The man who announced the news of his birth must suffer the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah (Jeremiah 20:16; Genesis 19:25). That man must be put in such great distress that he cries out all day with misery instead of being in a jubilant mood about his birth.

Actually, it is the LORD’s fault, because He allowed him to be born. After all, He could have killed him in the womb (Jeremiah 20:17). Then he would have it wonderfully peaceful now, because he would be dead in his mother’s womb. His mother would be his grave and there he would always have been. Things turned out differently. He came out of the womb (Jeremiah 20:18). But why? Is it really to see only trouble and sorrow and to end his days in shame? What a life and what a fate!

It is the last ‘why-question’. There is no answer given to this question. The LORD gives His servant time to think about it for himself and come to an answer. What we can say is that God holds the believer even though he feels alone and abandoned.

Jeremiah 51:16

Jeremiah Curses His Day of Birth

Jeremiah 51:17

Jeremiah Curses His Day of Birth

Jeremiah 51:18

Jeremiah Curses His Day of Birth

Jeremiah 51:19

Jeremiah Curses His Day of Birth

Jeremiah 51:21

Introduction

Here begins a new part of the book. We are here in the reign of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. After Jeremiah 1, Zedekiah is mentioned here again for the first time (Jeremiah 1:1; Jeremiah 21:1). In the following chapters we hear of him frequently. He is a wicked man, but also one who still wants a message from the LORD. It is the time when the king of Babylon has already laid siege to the city.

The Envoy of Zedekiah

Jeremiah is visited by two priests, Pashhur and Zephaniah (Jeremiah 21:1). Zedekiah has sent them to him. Possibly this is an encouragement to Jeremiah, who is so depressed, that at least to Zedekiah he is a true prophet of the LORD. Zedekiah wants Jeremiah to inquire of the LORD for him, that is, pray for him (Jeremiah 21:2). He has been cornered by Nebuchadnezzar and now wants outcome from the LORD. The name of Nebuchadnezzar is mentioned here for the first time.

Zedekiah wants the LORD to do a wonder for him, or deliver him in a wonderous way. He knows that the LORD has done many wonderful acts in the past, such as with his ancestor Hezekiah who also had to deal with a siege. Hezekiah then also sent an envoy to a prophet and was then delivered by the LORD from his enemies (2 Chronicles 32:20-21; Isaiah 37:1-4; 36-37). Would He “perhaps” want to do it now as well and, for their benefit, cause Nebuchadnezzar to go away?

Here we have a prayer from a wicked person that is an abomination to God and to which He does not listen (Proverbs 28:9). It is the kind of prayer that Pharaoh desires from Moses when he asks him to pray to be delivered from the plagues with which the LORD is striking his land (Exodus 10:17). The knowledge of God’s wonders that Zedekiah possesses is an intellectual knowledge and is not accompanied by faith in the God of wonders.

Jeremiah sends the two men back to Zedekiah with three answers, one for Zedekiah, one for the people, and one for the house of David. He tells the two men what to say (Jeremiah 21:3). The answer through Jeremiah’s mouth comes from “the LORD God of Israel” (Jeremiah 21:4). It is not the answer they have been hoping for, but a repetition of what Zedekiah already knows.

In this answer we often hear the LORD say “I will”. He will make the weapons they use against the enemy into weapons that turn against them. He will render them powerless against the enemy who is now outside the wall of the city, and He will bring the enemy into the center of the city. They will experience that He Himself will fight against them (Jeremiah 21:5). Nebuchadnezzar is not the real enemy, but the LORD! It must be a huge shock to Zedekiah to hear that.

The LORD fights against him in anger and wrath and great indignation because of his apostasy and that of the people. The “outstretched hand” and the “mighty arm” that once redeemed the people (Deuteronomy 4:34; Deuteronomy 5:15; Deuteronomy 26:8), now give the people over to misery, subjection and exile. The LORD in His anger has utterly turned against His people. Instead of a wonder of deliverance, the wrath of God unloads. This message is in stark contrast to what the false prophets have always said, who have always presented God as the Helper of Israel. Now He turns out to be their Adversary.

The inhabitants of the city will not only die by the sword of the enemy, but also by a pestilence that He will send (Jeremiah 21:6). Man and beast will be affected by it. Those who are still alive after the previous disasters, including Zedekiah and his servants, should not think that they have escaped God’s judgment (Jeremiah 21:7). The hand of Nebuchadnezzar is the hand of the enemy and is the hand of those who are after them. He will not spare them, but kill them by the sword without mercy. They need not expect pity nor compassion.

Jeremiah 51:22

Introduction

The Envoy of Zedekiah

Jeremiah 51:23

Introduction

The Envoy of Zedekiah

Jeremiah 51:24

Introduction

The Envoy of Zedekiah

Jeremiah 51:25

Introduction

The Envoy of Zedekiah

Jeremiah 51:26

Introduction

The Envoy of Zedekiah

Jeremiah 51:27

Introduction

The Envoy of Zedekiah

Jeremiah 51:28

The Choice

Jeremiah also gives a message from the LORD for the people (Jeremiah 21:8). Among them there are those who still want to be faithful, while the king is not. It is a message of hope. That message is the gospel, as it were, and connected to a choice. That choice is the way to life or the way to death (Jeremiah 21:9; Deuteronomy 11:26-28; Deuteronomy 30:15-20).

First, the way to death is presented. For this they do not have to do anything. The word “who” indicates that it is a personal choice and that the whole city is not expected to bow to God’s judgment. Each is personally responsible for the choice he makes. Those who remain in the city will die.

Whoever chooses the way of life must do something. He must leave the place, on which God’s anger rests and about which God’s anger will soon erupt, and go out and falls away to the enemy. Whoever does so will live and have his life as booty. To defect to the enemy means to bow to God’s judgment and that is always the way to life.

Judgment comes irrevocably (Jeremiah 21:10). The city is before the LORD’s face not for good, but for harm. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, who will burn it with fire. It is clear. The choice can be made.

Jeremiah 51:29

The Choice

Jeremiah 51:30

The Choice

Jeremiah 51:31

Exhortation to the House of David

Then there is another word from the LORD “to the household of the king of Judah” (Jeremiah 21:11). It is called upon to listen to the LORD. To that house, which is then addressed as the “house of David”, it is told to administer justice in the morning (Jeremiah 21:12; cf. Psalms 101:8; 2 Samuel 15:2). The call comes to a dilapidated house, a house where corruption and injustice reign supreme.

Who has been robbed, that is the widow, orphan and stranger, must be given justice. They are without support, without property and without freedom. Such socially vulnerable people easily fall into the hand of a ruthless man. Therefore, the house of David must administer justice. Failure to administer justice is a thing that causes the LORD’s wrath to go forth like fire. If justice is not administered, the wrath of the LORD will burn unquenchably over those evil deeds.

In their pride, those who dwell in the valley think that no one sees them and that no one will come to them to deal with them (Jeremiah 21:13). The rock in which they dwell, they believe, is untraceable and also impregnable. But they are not reckoning with the LORD. He will come to judge them and will deal with them in a perfectly righteous manner (Jeremiah 21:14). They will be punished according to the fruit of their deeds. Everything they have surrounded themselves with as with a forest will be devoured by the fire of His judgment.

Jeremiah 51:32

Exhortation to the House of David

Jeremiah 51:33

Exhortation to the House of David

Jeremiah 51:34

Exhortation to the House of David

Jeremiah 51:36

Introduction

In Jeremiah 22-23, Jeremiah gives a number of prophecies that are linked together by their content. Jeremiah 22 is about the political leaders of the people; Jeremiah 23 is about the Messiah in contrast to the false spiritual leaders. Both the political leaders, the kings, and the spiritual leaders, the prophets, with the exception of Jeremiah and a few others, are responsible for the national disaster.

Admonition to Righteousness

Jeremiah is commissioned to go down to the king’s house. It is a remarkable assignment in two ways. It means that the king’s house is in a dilapidated state, in the lowlands. It also means that Jeremiah is to go fearlessly into the lion’s den. This is reminiscent of Elijah’s attitude toward Ahab and John the baptist’s toward Herod (1 Kings 17:1; Mark 6:18). He must go without being summoned by the king, because the LORD says so.

He is to address the word to Zedekiah and address him in the full responsibility of his position as “king of Judah” and as the one “who sits on David’s throne” (Jeremiah 22:2). All who serve him and support him in that position and his people over whom he rules also need to hear the word of the LORD. In short, powerful words, Zedekiah and his people are told what the LORD expects of them (Jeremiah 22:3). It is to do justice and be merciful to the socially weak and to refrain from violence and bloodshed.

If the king will go before the people in repentance to God as he has gone before the people in rebellion against Him, they will be exalted and the kingship will be permanent (Jeremiah 22:4). After all, “righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34a). If they do not listen to these words of the LORD, the kingship will become a desolation (Jeremiah 22:5). To underscore and reinforce the certainty of His words so that they will be impressed by them, the LORD swears by Himself (cf. Jeremiah 49:13; Jeremiah 51:14; Genesis 22:16; Isaiah 45:23; Amos 6:8; Hebrews 6:13-18). There could not be a stronger endorsement of a declaration from God.

The LORD tells what the royal house means to Him (Jeremiah 22:6). It is to Him like “Gilead”, recalling the covenant between Jacob and Laban (Genesis 31:44-48). It is a place of testimony. That is what the royal house is to Him. It should be His witness. We too ought to be that today. The royal house is also like “the summit of Lebanon” to Him, magnificent and great, impressive.

However, the LORD must say what He is going to make of them because of their unfaithfulness. He will make them a wilderness and their cities uninhabitable. For this purpose He will set destroyers against them (Jeremiah 22:7). They will cut down and burn with their own methods everything that His people find beautiful and that gives the land prestige, so that only ashes remain. Their palaces and houses, which they have built with beautiful cedars, will be cut down and burned.

The sight will cause consternation among the nations as they pass by it, instead of the former admiration (Jeremiah 22:8). They will attribute the destruction of the city to the LORD. They will ask why He acted this way with the great city of Jerusalem, the city of great importance, where great kings have reigned. The answer sounds that it is because of the unfaithfulness of the people (Jeremiah 22:9; Deuteronomy 29:25-28; 1 Kings 9:8-9). That unfaithfulness is twofold. They have, on the one hand, forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and, on the other hand, bowed down to other gods whom they have come to serve.

Jeremiah 51:37

Introduction

Admonition to Righteousness

Jeremiah 51:38

Introduction

Admonition to Righteousness

Jeremiah 51:39

Introduction

Admonition to Righteousness

Jeremiah 51:40

Introduction

Admonition to Righteousness

Jeremiah 51:41

Introduction

Admonition to Righteousness

Jeremiah 51:42

Introduction

Admonition to Righteousness

Jeremiah 51:43

Introduction

Admonition to Righteousness

Jeremiah 51:44

Introduction

Admonition to Righteousness

Jeremiah 51:45

The Fate of Shallum (Jehoahaz)

In the following verses Jeremiah pronounces judgment on every son or grandson of Josiah who has reigned. Shallum (or Jehoahaz) is the first son on whom he pronounces judgment (Jeremiah 22:10-12); he has reigned only a few months. This is followed by the judgment on Eliakim (or Jehoiakim) (Jeremiah 22:13-19), who was made king by Pharaoh and reigned for ten years. After Jehoiakim, his son Coniah (or Jehoiachin), a grandson of Josiah, becomes king; he is taken away to Babylon after only a few months. Finally, judgment follows on Josiah’s third son, Mattaniah or Zedekiah, the last king of Judah.

Jeremiah says to the people as a whole, that they need not weep over a dead person or lament him (Jeremiah 22:10). Here we can think of the death of the God-fearing king Josiah, who was killed at Carchemish in 609 BC (2 Kings 23:29-30; 2 Chronicles 35:25; Zechariah 12:11). In any case, he is buried in the land, awaiting the coming of the Messiah.

They had better lament over him who “went forth from his place”, which is Shallum. Shallum was taken away by Pharaoh Necho 18 years earlier to Egypt, from where he will not return to see his homeland (2 Kings 23:31-34). Shallum is the fourth son of Josiah (1 Chronicles 3:15). The people elected him king (2 Kings 23:30b; 2 Chronicles 36:1). He is a full brother of Zedekiah. Their mother is Hamutal.

The LORD puts great emphasis on the origin and position of Shallum (Jeremiah 22:11). He is the son of the God-fearing Josiah, but has no part in his God-fearing. He is also “the king of Judah”, which gives him great responsibility to rule over God’s people according to God’s laws. However, he does not heed God, but does “evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Kings 23:32). This makes his unfaithfulness to Him so great, even though he only reigned for three months, and this makes the judgment of the LORD so just. Shallum has departed from this place, fallen away from His privileges. He will not return to it, for the judgment on him is final.

Once again the LORD emphasizes the finality of the judgment (Jeremiah 22:12). Shallum will die in the land of his exile and not see God’s land again. Possibly some may have hoped that this son of the God-fearing Josiah would return to deliver them, but such a hope is without foundation.

Jeremiah 51:46

The Fate of Shallum (Jehoahaz)

Jeremiah 51:47

The Fate of Shallum (Jehoahaz)

Jeremiah 51:48

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah pronounces woe on someone because of the unbridled lust for luxury that this person shows and that in a time of the greatest disaster (Jeremiah 22:13). Further on we read that it is Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 22:18). The people are impoverished (2 Kings 23:35) and few in number. Yet this king wants to live in opulence. To do so, he commits injustice and demands from his subjects what he needs for his self-indulgent life.

His subjects are here tellingly called “his neighbor”. To God, king and subject are equal. Both are subject to His will and law. But Jehoiakim thinks otherwise. He makes his subjects work for him without paying them the wages they deserve. By such a course of action, he brings the judgment of the LORD upon himself (Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Leviticus 19:13; James 5:1-6).

In his delusions of grandeur, he says he will build a house for himself of great dimensions and with spacious upper rooms (Jeremiah 22:14). Everything must serve him and give him prestige. The material must be indestructible and the colors must attract attention. Jeremiah ironically points out to him how he exercises his kingship (Jeremiah 22:15). Surely he wants to be king in handling cedar and show that he is the best at it?

Then he points him to his God-fearing father Josiah, but without mentioning his name. He did not lack food or drink, because he did “justice and righteousness”. This is what God expects of the king who rules over His people. Like a shepherd, such a person must pasture the flock and not exploit it for the satisfaction of his own lusts. And look how it went with Josiah: “Then it was well with him.” Jehoiakim would do well to follow that example.

Josiah cared for the socially weak and stood up for their rights (Jeremiah 22:16). His course of action brought blessing not only to himself but also to the whole people. Therefore it sounds again, but now in a general sense, with reference to the whole people: “Then it was well!” The LORD’s appreciation follows immediately when He questions that whoever acts as Josiah did shows that he knows Him. This is not a mere lip confession, but an act according to His will.

It takes more than ordinary courage for a simple priest like Jeremiah to look a haughty king like Jehoiakim sternly in the eyes and declare: “But your eyes and your heart are [intent] only upon your own dishonest gain” (Jeremiah 22:17). The man who is in a position of power pursues with his eyes and his heart only gain. His eyes follow his heart.

To possess the coveted, he does not shy away from using violence. Jeremiah also confronts him with his murdering, oppressing and exploitation. This king will stop at nothing to satisfy his unbridled lust for pleasure. To him, to rule means to dominate and exploit. He rules like a tyrant.

Without waiting for anything of a response from the king, the LORD informs Jehoiakim of his end (Jeremiah 22:18). Like Shallum (Jeremiah 22:11), he is again (Jeremiah 22:15) emphatically linked to his God-fearing father and his privileged and also responsible position of king of Judah. This makes the evil that he does so great and the judgment so righteous. Not only does God’s judgment strike him, but the judgment of his people on him is harsh as well. No one will shed a tear for him.

His death will be a relief, for his government is a reign of terror. No one will lament for him. Two categories are mentioned of whom it is said that they will not lament for him. The first category is his family. No one from his family will lament for him: “Alas, my brother!” Nor will there be any pity for his wife. None of the relatives will groaningly say to her, out of pity that her husband is dead: “Alas, sister!” His subjects are the second category. None of them will say: “’Alas for the master!’ or, ‘Alas for his splendor!’”

Not a single tear of sorrow flows, either among his family or his subjects. At the death of Zedekiah, who is after all also a wicked king, at least people will still cry “Oh, [my] lord!” (Jeremiah 34:5), but for this man there is no respect.

Not only will he not receive an honorable burial, but “he will be buried with a donkey’s burial”, that is, he will have no burial at all (Jeremiah 22:19). This is a huge disgrace. When a donkey dies in the city, the animal is dragged away and thrown outside the gate. With the same contempt they will deal with the corpse of Jehoiakim. Not having a burial means not being connected to the coming of the Messiah. “Beyond the gates of Jerusalem” means far away from the center of blessing for the whole earth.

Jehoiakim is called, challenged, by the LORD to climb the heights and call for help (Jeremiah 22:20). Lebanon and Bashan are high mountains. When he gets there, he will see that those from whom he expects his help have been broken. All covenants with other peoples he has relied on are to no avail. Peoples whom he has approached with love and who have helped him for wages have perished.

The LORD did speak to him (Jeremiah 22:21). He did so while Jehoiakim was in carefree rest. Here we see how dangerous such rest is. He was absorbed in it without any need of the LORD, but rejected Him. Very deliberately, he has told the LORD that he will not listen. The LORD knows him and knows that he is like that from his youth. Never has he listened to His voice. How dramatically hopeless is the situation of such a person.

Judgment also comes on the false shepherds of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 22:22). Instead of caring for the people, they, like Jehoiakim, oppressed the people. They themselves will be shepherded by wind, that is swept away by a storm wind. As a result, they will experience what their actions as shepherd lead to. And the lovers, the peoples on whom Jehoiakim has relied for protection, will go into captivity, so that their support will fall away. Yes, then he will have nothing left but shame and disgrace. That is the result of the evil he has committed.

With almost biting irony, Jeremiah holds out to Jehoiakim that he can imagine himself on Lebanon, because he lives in a house made of the cedars of Lebanon (Jeremiah 22:23). He has nestled there like an eagle, under the delusion of being untouchable (cf. Habakkuk 2:9). But that will change dramatically. False comfort and haughty pride will be broken when the siege and destruction will become reality.

Then the man who has set himself in a high and luxurious place will cringe because of the disasters that will come upon him. The contrast between his life of luxury and prosperity and his life under the calamities that befall him is evocative. Nothing of his opulence will give him any relief. This is how he will come to his end.

Jeremiah 51:49

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 51:50

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 51:51

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 51:52

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 51:53

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 51:54

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 51:55

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 51:56

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 51:57

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 51:58

The Condemnation of Jehoiakim

Jeremiah 51:59

The Rejection of Coniah (Jehoiachin)

Coniah, the son of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 22:24) and grandson of Josiah, is as bad as his predecessors. The LORD cannot maintain him on the throne of David. Even if he were a signet ring on the LORD’s right hand (cf. Haggai 2:23), because of his behavior He would pull it off. A signet ring is intimately connected to the person and expresses authority. Letters are sealed with a signet ring. The right hand represents power and the place at the right hand is the place of honor.

The judgment on him is set (Jeremiah 22:25). The LORD will no longer protect him. He withdraws His hands from him and gives him into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar and his people. His mother, who will have supported him in his wicked reign, will suffer the same fate (Jeremiah 22:26). Jeremiah mentions this deportation here for the second time (Jeremiah 13:18-19). There is no mention of a return to the promised land, no matter how much they will yearn for it (Jeremiah 22:27).

The LORD asks some questions about Coniah (Jeremiah 22:28). These questions are meant to provoke thought. What kind of man is Coniah? Is he useless or worthless? How is it that he and his descendants were forcefully removed from their land and ended up in a foreign land? Whoever answers these questions will be warned by them to stay close to the LORD and not become unfaithful to Him, or else he will share in the fate of Coniah. Contrary to this judgment of the LORD, some in their folly do value Coniah (Jeremiah 28:1-4).

After the probing questions, the LORD calls the whole nation to listen to His word (Jeremiah 22:29). The LORD calls out three times the name of those He is addressing. If a name is called twice, that is already penetrating. Here it happens three times. Then it is very probing.

The LORD’s word for the land is about how “this man” – the LORD does not even mention his name anymore – is to be remembered (Jeremiah 22:30). It is a man who should be entered in the history books as childless, and who is also not prosperous in his days. His memory is a terrifying example to all who read about him. He does have children (1 Chronicles 3:17), but for his descendants there is no hope of prosperity and no hope of government. There is no connection to the throne of David.

How is it, then, that this Coniah or Jeconiah nevertheless appears in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus given in Matthew 1 (Matthew 1:11)? Because in Matthew 1 the legal right to the throne is given. If we follow this genealogy, we see that after Coniah, no one from the line of David through Solomon sat on the throne. Zerubbabel, the grandson of Jeconiah (Matthew 1:12), returns from Babylon with the remnant and becomes governor over Judah (Ezra 3:2; Haggai 1:1), but is never king. Judah and Israel have never had a king since Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, was taken as a captive to Babylon. With Coniah, the royal line of descendants of David through Solomon who have sat on the throne of the LORD ends.

However, there is another genealogy that runs from David through Nathan. Therefore, we have two genealogies of the Lord Jesus in the New Testament. Matthew gives the Lord’s genealogy through David’s son Solomon (Matthew 1:1-15) and Luke gives the Lord’s genealogy through David’s son Nathan (Luke 3:23-38). Matthew’s genealogy ends with “Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah” (Matthew 1:16). This clearly shows that the Lord Jesus is not a physical descendant of Coniah.

The Lord Jesus is entitled to the throne and will reign over a penitent people. However, He was not born of the line of Coniah, which is the line of David that runs through Solomon, but He was born of Mary, who is descended from the line of David that runs through Nathan (Luke 3:23-38). He was not conceived by Joseph. As already mentioned, Joseph does descend from the line of David, but through Solomon and then also through Coniah (Matthew 1:7; 12; 16). Joseph is not the corporeal father of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and therefore as Man the Son of God (Luke 1:35). This emphasizes the importance of the virgin birth.

As a result, the promises of the LORD to David and Solomon have been fully fulfilled. David was promised that his house and throne would remain forever (2 Samuel 7:15-16). There are no conditions attached to these promises. Solomon was promised that his throne would be forever, with the condition attached that he must remain faithful (2 Samuel 7:13-14). He did not remain so and as a result he forfeited the kingship. Both of the LORD’s words have been fulfilled.

Spiritually speaking there is another serious lesson to be learned from the judgment on Coniah that he will be recorded as childless. Everyone who has been saved by the blood of Christ should have the desire to win people to Him. Whoever knows Christ has a treasure that he may pass on to people who do not know Him, so that they may be saved from an eternity without Christ. He who shirks this task will also come to be known as ‘childless’. He will not be able to point to spiritual offspring and that will be a great lack, both for himself and for Christ.

Jeremiah 51:60

The Rejection of Coniah (Jehoiachin)

Jeremiah 51:61

The Rejection of Coniah (Jehoiachin)

Jeremiah 51:62

The Rejection of Coniah (Jehoiachin)

Jeremiah 51:63

The Rejection of Coniah (Jehoiachin)

Jeremiah 51:64

The Rejection of Coniah (Jehoiachin)

KingComments on the Whole Bible

Ger de Koning is a Dutch Bible teacher associated with the Plymouth Brethren whose KingComments provides a complete verse-by-verse commentary on every book of the Bible. Written in accessible language with a devotional, Christ-centered approach, KingComments is freely available online and has been …

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Old Testament

GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOS JDG RUT 1SA 2SA 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH EZR NEH EST JOB PSA PRO ECC SOS ISA JER LAM EZK DAN HOS JOL AMO OBA JON MIC NAH HAB ZEP HAG ZEC MAL

New Testament

MAT MRK LUK JHN ACT ROM 1CO 2CO GAL EPH PHP COL 1TH 2TH 1TI 2TI TIT PHM HEB JAS 1PE 2PE 1JN 2JN 3JN JUD REV

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