Jeremiah 34 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin
After King Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylon in 589 BC, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem and the two remaining fortified cities in Judah, Lachish and Azekah, both southwest of Jerusalem in 588 BC. (See 2 Chronicles 11:5-12 for a list of all fifteen fortified cities established by King Rehoboam years before). It was during this siege that the Lord came to Jeremiah, and he told the king that Jerusalem would be burned with fire and that he, the king, would be captured and delivered into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. He is also promised to see the king face to face, but not for very long since the King would gouge out his eyes. He also would speak with face to face before being thrown into prison. Nevertheless, Zedekiah is told that he will not die in battle but in peace and that his subjects would burn incense on his behalf out of respect for him in his burial. (See 2 Chronicles 16:14 for a similar burning of spices at King Asa’s burial).
As we read a few days ago, the king did not respond well to this word from the Lord, and thus he imprisoned Jeremiah in the court of the guard according to Jeremiah 32:2. Then sometime after this, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah again and he once again confronted the king. While the Babylonians were at the gates laying siege, King Zedekiah agreed to make a proclamation of liberty to all the Jewish slaves within the city. And he and the people actually made a covenant with God, vowing to obey the Lord in releasing their brothers from captivity since they had exceeded the amount of time allowable for such bondage and so they freed all their slaves. In the covenant, the king and all the officials, the priest and the people all passed between two parts of a calf that had been cut in two for such a ceremony, suggesting that they themselves would be cut in two in the same way if they didn’t keep their word.
But as God’s providence unfolded, the Babylonians quickly retreated from the city when they heard that the new Pharaoh of Egypt was coming out to meet them in battle. And when the Babylonians left, the Jews disregarded their vow unto God and immediately re-enslaved their Jewish brothers. As a result, the Lord spoke through Jeremiah again to the king and his men, saying that since they had broken their covenant vows unto God and to men, they had profaned God’s name by their actions and would suffer the consequences.
Jeremiah tells them in v.17 that He proclaims to them the same kind of liberty that they had given to their brothers, a liberty to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine, promising them that they would indeed be like the two portions of calf that was torn in two during the covenant ceremony. He promised that they would be dragged through the streets and become food for the birds of the air and beasts of the earth. All of this would take place when the Lord moved the Babylonians to attack them once more. But this time the Babylonians would break through and end up burning the city to the ground. (See Jeremiah 52:4 for the actual event.)
The key issue in this prophecy seems to be Israel’s faithlessness both to God as well as to men. In Romans 3:2-4 Paul explains that the Jews were entrusted with the very oracles of God. And as His people they testified to God’s goodness, justice and faithfulness. But then the question is asked, “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?” Paul quickly responds saying “By no means! Let God be true though everyone were a liar.” The reason that God brings such an awful judgment upon Jerusalem is not only that they had sinned against their fellow man, but in their role as the people of God they had represented God in freeing the slaves and then disparaged his name by re-enslaving them.
Indeed, we must be saved by grace alone through faith in Christ Jesus alone because we are all faithless, but when the Spirit sets us aside for God’s service, he gives us the very mind of Christ, empowers us to do what is good and just, making us not only a believing people but a faithful people. But if we act like the faithless Jews did, the Lord will discipline us as well, for Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:13 “if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” As you meditate on this passage this morning, pray to the Lord that he would make us all a faithful people that none of us would deny the Lord by our works.