CompleteConcise
This chapter brings us very close to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, since the story is set at the end of the reign of Zedekiah; we have in him, I. A general idea of the bad character of that reign (v. 1, 2). II. However, the message that Zedekiah sent to Jeremiah to desire his prayers (v. 3). third The flattering hopes that the people had conceived, that the Chaldeans would abandon the siege of Jerusalem (v. 5). 4. The assurance that God gave them through Jeremiah (now at liberty, v. 4) that the Chaldean army would renew the siege and take the city (v. 6-10). V. The arrest of Jeremiah on the pretext that he was a deserter (v. 11-15). MOUNTAIN RANGE. The kindness that Zedekiah showed him when he was in prison (vv. 16-21).
Here it is, 1. Jeremiah's preaching despised, ver. 1, 2. Zedekiah succeeded Conias, or Jeconias, and although he saw in his predecessor the fatal consequences of despising the word of God, he paid no attention, nor did he pay more attention than others before him.Not before, not beforecourtiers,nor did the people of the land listen to the words of the Lord,although they had already begun to be fulfilled. Keep in mind that those who have miserably hard hearts actually see God's judgments on others and feel them on themselves, and yet they will not humble themselves or pay attention to what he says. These had sufficient evidence that it was the Lord who spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, but they did not listen. 2. Jeremiah's prayers are desired. Zedekiah sent messengers to him, saying:Pray now to the Lord our God for us.He did it before (ch. 21:1, 2), and one of the messengers, Zephaniah, is the same here and there. Zedekiah is commendable for this, and shows that he had something good in him, some sense of his need of God's favour, and of his own unworthiness to ask it for himself, and some value to good people and good ministers, they were interested in Paradise. Keep in mind that when we are in anguish, we should desire the prayers of our ministers and Christian friends, since in this way we give honor to prayer and esteem our brothers. Kings themselves should regard their praying people as the strength of the nation, Zac. 12:5, 10. And yet this only helps to condemn Zedekiah out of his own mouth. If, indeed, he considered Jeremiah a prophet, whose prayers could be useful both to him and to his people, why then did he not believe him andhear the words of the LordWhat did he say for him? He desired his good prayers, but he did not accept his good advice, nor was he governed by it, although he spoke for God, and Zedekiah seems to have known it. Keep in mind that it is common for those who want to be prayed for who do not want to be counseled; but here they are wrong, because how can we expect God to hear others speaking to him for us, if we do not hear them speaking to us about him and for him? Many who despise prayer when in prosperity will be content with it when in adversity. Nowgive us your oil.When Zedekiah sent the prophet to pray for him, he had better send the prophet to pray with him; but he thought he was below him: and how can those who do not stoop to his services expect the comforts of religion? 3. Jerusalem flattered by the withdrawal of the Chaldean army from it. Jeremiah was now at liberty (v. 4); heI went in and out among the people,he could speak freely with them and be spoken to by them. :15), according to which, when the king of Babylon came to punish him for his treason, the king of Egypt, although he no longer came in person after the great defeat that Nebuchadnezzar gave him in the reign of Jehoiakim (2 Kings 24 : 7), but sent some forces to the relief of Jerusalem when it was besieged, hearing of the proximity of which the Chaldeans raised the siege, probably not out of fear of them, but in politics, to fight them at a distance, before any of them. they. Jewish forces could join them. By this they were encouraged to hope that Jerusalem would be delivered forever and ever from the hands of her enemies, and that the storm would pass. Note that sinners often harden their security by the intervals of the judgments and the slowness of their proceedings; and those who are not awakened by the word of God, may justly be lulled to sleep by God's providence. 4. Jerusalem threatened with the return of the Chaldean army, and with its ruin. Zedekiah sent Jeremiah to ask him to pray for them, so that the Chaldean army would not return; but Jeremiah sends him a message that the decree had gone out, and that it was folly for them to expect peace, since God had begun a controversy with them, which he would close:Thus says the Lord: Do not be deceived,v. 9. Note that Satan himself, although he is the great deceiver, could not deceive us if we did not deceive ourselves; and so sinners are their own destroyers for being their own deceivers, which is an aggravating factor that so many times they are warned and warned not to deceive themselves, and they have the word of God, whose great object is to disappoint them. Jeremiah does not use dark metaphors, but states them clearly: (1) That the Egyptians must withdraw and return or be forced to return toyour own land(Ezekiel 17:17), which was said of old (Isaiah 30:7), and here it is said again, see. 7. The Egyptians will help in vain; they will not dare to face the Chaldean army, but will hastily retreat. Keep in mind that if God doesn't help us, no creature can. Just as no power can prevail against God, no one can prevail without God or make up for his distance from us. (2.) That the Chaldeans will come back and renew the site, and process it with more vigor than ever:they will not leaveforever (v. 9);they will come again(v. 8); They shouldfight the city.Keep in mind that God has sovereign command over all hosts of men, even those who do not know it, who do not possess it, and they were all created to serve his purposes. He directs his marches, his countermarches, his retreats, his returns, as he pleases; and furious armies likestormy winds,in all their movementskeeping your word.(3.) That Jerusalem will surely be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans:They will take you and burn you with fire,v. 8. The sentence passed on her will be executed, and they will be the executors. "Oh, but" (they say) "the Chaldeans withdrew; they abandoned the enterprise as impracticable." "And though they have," says the prophet, "no,even if it hurtshis army, so that many were killed and all the rest wounded, but thoseWounded men must rise up and burn this city."v. 10. This is designed to indicate that the doom imposed on Jerusalem is irrevocable and its destruction inevitable; it must be demolished, and these Chaldeans are the men who must destroy it, and now it is vain to think of fleeing from the blow or fighting against it. Bear in mind that whatever instruments God has determined to use in any service to him, be it mercy or judgment, they will accomplish that for which they were appointed, whatever may be the incapacity or incapacity under which they are or are reduced. Those for whom God has determined to save or destroy, will be saviors and destroyers will be, yes, although all have been hurt; for, when God has a work to do, he wants no instruments to do it, though they seem far from seeking it, so when he has chosen his instruments, they will do the work, though it seems very unlikely that they will do it.
We have here a further account of Jeremiah, who relates more passages about himself than any other of the prophets; for the stories of the lives and sufferings of God's ministers have been very useful to the church, as have their preaching and writings.
I. Here we are told that Jeremiah, when he had the opportunity to do so, tried to withdraw from Jerusalem into the field (v. 11, 12):When the Chaldeanstivoseparated from jerusalembecauseof Pharaoh's army,perceiving that they were advancing towards them, Jeremiah determinedgonnacountry, and (as read in the margin)flee from Jerusalem among the people,who, in this interval of the siege, went out into the country to attend to his business there. He struggled to slip through the crowd; for though he was a man of great eminence, he might well reconcile himself to darkness, though he was one in a thousand, he was content to lose himself in the crowd and be buried alive in a corner, in a hut. or he does not appear; your worries may call you there, but your neighbors (unless they've improved since 11:21) may discourage you from coming among them; or he may intend to hide somewhere where he is not known, and fulfill his own wish (ch. 9:2),Oh that I had a place to stay in the desert!Jeremiah found that he could do no good in Jerusalem; he worked in vain among them, and therefore he decided to leave them. Keep in mind that there are times when it is prudent for good men to withdraw into privacy, toEnter the chamber and close the doors on them,It's a. 26:20.
II. That in this attempt he was arrested as a deserter and imprisoned (v. 13-15):I was at the gate of Benjamin,By now he had made his point, whena wing captain,who probably had command of that door, discovered it andI take itin custody. was grandson of Hananiah, who, according to the Jews, was Hananiah, the false prophet, who challenged Jeremiah (ch. 28: 10), and they add that this young captain sympathized with Jeremiah on this account. He could not arrest him without some pretext, and what he accuses him of is,you have fallen to the chaldeansan unlikely story, as the Chaldeans had already left, Jeremiah was unable to catch up with them; or, if he could, who would go to a confused army? Jeremiah therefore rightly, and with the confidence and meekness of an innocent man, denies the accusation:"It is false; I do not fall into the hands of the Chaldeans;I go on my own lawful occasions." Note that it is nothing new for the best friends of the church to be represented in the interest of its worst enemies. Thus the blackest characters were placed in the purest and most upright minds, and of such a way. Malicious as this world is, innocence, nay, excellence itself, is no barrier against the basest slander. who judges justly. Jeremiah's protest of his integrity, though he is a prophet, a man of God, a man of honor and sincerity, although he is a priest, and is willing to say itin verboscerdotisna word of a priest,is not considered; but he is brought before the privy council, who, without examining him or the evidence against him, but on the mischievous hint of the captain, fell in love with him: theythey were angry;And what justice could be expected from men who, being angry, would not listen to reason? They beat him, without any regard for his coat and character, and thenput him in jailin the worst jail they had, whichin the house of Jonathan the scribe;or it had been his home, and he left it because of the inconvenience, but it was deemed good enough for a prison, or it was his home now, and perhaps he was a strict and stern man, who made it a house of cruelty. slavery for his prisoners. Into this prison Jeremiah was cast,in the dungeon,that it was dark and cold, damp and dirty, the most uncomfortable unsanitary place; in cells orcabins,there he must stay, among which there is no choice, because they are all miserable lodging places.Jeremiah was there many days, andApparently, no one approached him or asked for him. Look what a world this is. The wicked princes, who are in rebellion against God, lie quiet, lie in their palaces, while the pious Jeremiah, who is in the service of God, lies in pain, in a loathsome dungeon. It is good that there is a world to come.
third That Zedekiah finally called him and showed him some favor; but probably not until the Chaldean army had returned and laid siege to the city again. When their vain hopes, upon which they fed (an infidelity to which they had once again enslaved their servants, ch. 34:11), were gone, then they were in greater confusion and dismay than ever before. Zedekiah says) "send the prophet with haste; let me converse with him." When the Chaldeans withdrew, he only sent the prophet to pray for him; but now that they had invested in the city again, he sent for him to consult him. Thus men will be merciful when pains come upon them. 1. The king sent for him to give him a private audience as God's ambassador. Hehe asked secretly in his house,to be ashamed to be seen in your company,"Is there a word from the Lord?(v. 17) any words of comfort? Can you give us any hope that the Chaldeans will withdraw again? they; but how can they expect it? What do they have to do with peace? Jeremiah's life and comfort are in the hands of Zedekiah, and he now has a petition to present to him for his favor, and yet, having this opportunity, he plainly says thatthere is a word from the Lord,but no words of comfort to him or his people:You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.If Jeremiah had consulted flesh and blood, he would have given him a plausible answer, and even though he hadn't told him a lie, he might have chosen to tell him the worst at this point; What occasion was there for it, when he had already told it so many times? But Jeremiah was someone he hadobtained mercy from the Lord to be faithful,and no, to obtain mercy from man, he would be unfaithful to God or his prince; that's why he tells her the truth, the whole truth. And since there was no remedy, it would be a kindness for the king to know his fate, which, not surprisingly, could be less frightening, and he could arrange to make the best of evil. Jeremiah takes advantage of this occasion to rebuke him and his people for the credit they gave to the false prophets, who told them thatthe king of babylonhe mustDo not comeat all, or, when he retired, shouldDo not comeagaincontrathey, v. 19"Where are your prophets now,Who told you that you should have peace? Note: Those who delude themselves with unfounded hopes of mercy will be justly rebuked for their folly when the event disappoints them. 2. He took advantage of this opportunity to present a private petition, like a poor prisoner, v. 18, 20. It was not in the power of Jeremiah to revoke the sentence that God had pronounced against Zedekiah, but it was in the power of Zedekiah to revoke the sentence that the princes had pronounced against him, and therefore, whenever he considered him fit for being used as a prophet, I would not consider him fit to be abused as the worst of evildoers. He humbly exposes the king:What offense have I committed against you, or against your servants, or against this people,what law have I broken, what harm have I done to the common good,you put me in jail?"And many who have been mistreated have been able to make the same appeal and do it well. He also pleads fervently, and very pathetically (v. 20),make me come backto that disgusting prison,to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest he die there.This was the language of innocent nature, sensitive to its own complaints and solicitous for its own preservation. Though he was by no means willing to die a martyr's death for God, yet having such a fair chance of relief, he would not let her escape, lest he die as his own murderer. When Jeremiah delivered God's message, he spoke as one in authority, with the utmost boldness; but when he presented his own petition, he spoke as one of authority, with the utmost submission:Close to me, I ask you, oh my Lord, the king! may my plea, I beg you, be accepted before you.Here is not a word of complaint from the princes who wrongfully committed it, no offer to bring a false imprisonment action against them, but all in the form of a modest plea to the king, to teach us that even when we act with the courage we it suits the faithful servants of God, but we must behave with the humility and modesty that make us obedient subjects of the government that God has placed over us. A lion in God's cause should be a lamb in yours. And we find that God gave Jeremiah favor in the eyes of the king. (1.) He gave him the order of him, made sure that he did not die in the dungeon, but ordered him to have the freedom of theprison court,where you can take a nice walk and breathe the fresh air. (2.) he gave him more than he asked, taking care that he did not die of want, like many who had his freedom, because of the narrowness of the place; he ordered hisdaily bread out ofpublic actions (since the prison was within the confines of the court),until all the bread is gone.Zedekiah should have released him, made him a privy counselor, because Joseph was released from prison to be the second man in the kingdom. But he didn't have the heart to do it; it was right that he did what he did, and he is an example of God's care for his suffering servants who are faithful to him. He can make even his confinement to their advantage and his prison yard green pastures for them, and raise up such friends to provide for themin the days of hunger they will be satisfied. At destruction and hunger you will laugh.