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Text: Jeremiah 34
Control of Israel for King Nebuchadnezzar meant access to the Mediterranean Sea and ultimately access to Europe. This was the human side of the Babylonian invasion. The divine storyline was that Judah abandoned God’s call and would pay the price for it. Nebuchadnezzar installed King Zedekiah after he received a rich donation to his Babylonian kingdom. And at first, Zedekiah was compliant with the puppet arrangement, but things would change.
Destruction is coming, but protection is given to the king who is faithful (vss 1-7)
- Amidst this looming destruction, a glimmer of hope emerged. A message from the prophet Jeremiah resonated with King Zedekiah – protection would be granted to the faithful. Despite the chains of captivity, Zedekiah had the power to shape his own destiny.
- Jeremiah says to King Zedekiah, you’ve done well in honoring the sabbath and liberating the Hebrew servants, but you will still become a captive in Babylon. However, since you’ve done well, you’ll be able to live out your life in peace. There is no changing the reality of Babylonian captivity. But you can control how you’re going to live during the captivity.
- God will honor King Zedekiah’s obedience to God’s words even in this one thing and allow Zedekiah to live out his days in peace. God was willing to honor the smallest obedience.
Jerusalem had lost its will to do right (vss 8-11)
- The covenant between Zedekiah and the people was an agreement to free the Hebrew slaves. However, the people broke this commitment by re-enslaving their fellow Hebrews. The violation of the covenant reflects a lack of integrity and honesty. They’ve lost their will to do the right thing.
- Jerusalem faced a harsh reality. The will to do right had waned, and greedy pleasure had eroded integrity. With Nebuchadnezzar’s pressure momentarily lifted, the influential Jews returned to their enslaving ways, betraying their own covenant. In the midst of confusion and fleeting respite, the people lost their moral compass. They failed to realize that doing right transcends circumstances and reveals true character. Jerusalem, supposed to be the center of righteousness, had become a hollowed-out symbol of a lost nation. Negotiating morality and compromising values had stripped away their integrity. They were adrift, detached from their divine purpose. King Zedekiah would restore slavery and bring the full curse of God upon his life.
- But this only happens when you make doing the right thing a matter of negotiation. When doing right is about pros and cons and not about character you’ve lost whatever integrity you had.
- The laws supposed to be governing Jerusalem were a matter of REVELATION, not negotiation.
God will change his mind and turn against those who go back on their promises (vss 12-22)
- Verses 15-16 describe returning back to sin when King Nebuchadnezzar took the pressure off.
- God will change his mind according to the response of the people.
- 2 Peter 2:18-22
- But God will bring King Nebuchadnezzar back in fury according to verses 21-22.
