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Jeremiah 21 (ESV)
1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchiah and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them: “Thus you shall say to Zedekiah, 4 ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands and with which you are fighting against the king of Babylon and against the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the walls. And I will bring them together into the midst of this city. 5 I myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath. 6 And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence. 7 Afterward, declares the Lord, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people in this city who survive the pestilence, sword, and famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of their enemies, into the hand of those who seek their lives. He shall strike them down with the edge of the sword. He shall not pity them or spare them or have compassion.’
8 “And to this people you shall say: ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war. 10 For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’
REFLECTION:
From the beginning of this chapter to chapter 28, Jeremiah predicted that King Nebuchadnezzar would besiege Jerusalem from 588 to 586 BC. The central message that Jeremiah preached was: Those kings and false prophets who lead the people astray will be judged by God. Jeremiah had predicted that Jerusalem would be destroyed, but he was denied and ridiculed by the leaders of the city. Zedekiah, King of Judah, decided to fight against Nebuchadnezzar. The politicians of the country urged King Zedekiah to ally with Egypt. It was not until the last resort that Zedekiah asked God for help, but he still ignored God’s warnings and did not confess his sins. King Zedekiah quoted historical events during the reign of Hezekiah, thinking that Jehovah miraculously saved them and saved Jerusalem from the destruction by Sennacherib, King of Assyria, and this time history will repeat itself. Jeremiah’s answer broke the illusion of Zedekiah. When Judah was taken into captivity in 586 BC, Zedekiah finally became the last king of Judah. Today, many people of God often forget God in good times, ignore God’s warnings, and ask God for help only until they are desperate. However, God wants to establish a long-term relationship with us. Think about whether you are trying to establish an intimate relationship with God in your daily life, or do you only find Him to relieve your problems when you are in trouble?
PRAYER:
Pray for God to enlighten you and give you a vigilant heart so that you do not leave God in a stable and prosperous life; resolve to God, whether it is smooth or difficult, you are willing to get close to God and experience God’s presence in your daily life, and establish an intimate relationship with Him.
HYMN:
Jesus I Need You – youtu.be/FNUcTLgAo4U
