 In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. 2 Thus the Lord said to me: “Make yourself straps and yoke-bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the sons of Ammon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon by the hand of the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them this charge for their masters: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: This is what you shall say to your masters: 5 “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. 6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. 7 All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.
8 “‘“But if any nation or kingdom will not serve this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, declares the Lord, until I have consumed it by his hand. 9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’10 For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish. 11 But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, to work it and dwell there, declares the Lord.”’” 12 To Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people and live. 13 Why will you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, as the Lord has spoken concerning any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon,’ for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you. 15 I have not sent them, declares the Lord, but they are prophesying falsely in my name, with the result that I will drive you out and you will perish, you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.” 16 Then I spoke to the priests and to all this people, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, ‘Behold, the vessels of the Lord's house will now shortly be brought back from Babylon,’ for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you. 17 Do not listen to them; serve the king of Babylon and live. Why should this city become a desolation? 18 If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, then let them intercede with the Lord of hosts, that the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon. 19 For thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the pillars, the sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away, when he took into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— 21 thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: 22 They shall be carried to Babylon and remain there until the day when I visit them, declares the Lord. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.” Meditation If God’s sovereignty does not make you uncomfortable then you are living with blinders on. Truly, God is “working ALL THINGS according to the council of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). God uses suffering in His service, kings and presidents as pawns, and international diplomacy as the stage to display His plan for redemptive history. Jeremiah makes everyone with king Zedekiah uncomfortable when he busts into their gathering wearing a yoke and bars around his neck. Jeremiah’s message made people more uncomfortable. Repeated multiple times (11, 12, 17), Jeremiah communicated God’s message for Jerusalem to submit to the yoke of their enemy, Babylon, to such an extent that to rebel against king Nebuchadnezzar would be to rebel against God Himself. The Lord of creation (5-6) is the Lord of history (7-8) and He is using even our enemies for His sovereign plan. To put this in perspective, this is as if God told Americans to welcome the rule of Russia, China, or Iran. If I preached this in our pulpit I would be run out before I prayed the prayer of commitment! For Jeremiah, the focus is on God and His sovereign rule and reign over history. Truly, God will redeem all He allows. After 70 years of exile the remnant would return (22). But until then, God’s people had to trust God’s plan. Likewise, today we must embrace God’s sovereign rule and reign over the unstable headlines of our lives. Jesus is King (Colossians 1:15-17) and He is on the throne making all things new (Revelation 21:6). Richly Dwelling -Does God’s total sovereignty over all of life, death, and the rise and fall of empires make you uncomfortable? Why or why not? -Where do you reject the reality of God’s sovereignty, finding strength and security in powers of this world? -Jesus is the king over everything. How can you submit your fears and hopes to Him, trusting His character and covenant faithfulness? Key Verse 12 To Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people and live. Comments are closed.
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