Jeremiah 34:1-22

Jeremiah had bad news and worse news.  The bad news was actually almost good news but it is hard to call captivity good news.  Jerusalem is under siege and King Zedekiah is scrambling to do what he can to save the people and his city.  He calls the people to repent of their sinful practices of enslaving one another in hopes of gaining God’s favor and escaping the wrath of Babylon.  However, the people refused to obey and made things worse than they were before.  When we know what is right and refuse to do it we open ourselves up to very drastic consequences of sin in our lives.

ZEDEKIAH’S LIFE IS SPARED: We must not blame Zedekiah for the captivity of Judah just because he was king when it happened.  Many of the kings who had gone before him were far more evil than he was.  He just happened to be on the throne when all of this happened.  While he was far from perfect; he was also far from the most wicked of Israel’s kings.  The Word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah that Jerusalem would fall and Zedekiah would be taken captive and have a personal meeting with Nebuchadnezzar.  However, Zedekiah’s life would be spared.  Usually an opposing king would be killed in battle or, if taken captive, be executed in a very public and humiliating manner.  Zedekiah’s plight would be different.  He would be captive in Babylon but would not die by the sword.  He would live a long life and upon his death the people would mourn and burn incense in his honor.  God is just in the treatment of His children and is able to deliver those who seek to honor Him even if others do not follow.


JERUSALEM’S LIGHT IS SNUFFED: One of the reasons Zedekiah found favor in the eyes of the Lord was he called the people of Judah to repent of their sin.  God had commanded the nation not to enslave their fellow countrymen perpetually, but to set their slaves from within Israel free every seven years.  The nation had ignored this instruction and this was one of the many reasons God was judging them now.  Zedekiah realizes this and calls for the people to repent and free all of their brothers and sisters from slavery.  The people obeyed, but then went back on their word and made them slaves once again.  This kindled the wrath of God even hotter against the people and he promises to destroy them with the sword, disease and pestilence.  These would not be pleasant means of death.  It is a very dangerous thing to do what is right and then go back and do what is wrong once again.  When we turn from sin we must do so completely and permanently and not return to our former ways.  God wants to see permanent repentance and not shallow manipulation.

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