The Strand Study Bible

JEREMIAH 20:16

JEREMIAH 22:3

1176

2 Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; 1 for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us. 3 Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: 4 Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, 2 I will turn back theweapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. P 5 2 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. P 6 2 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. P 7 And afterward, saith the LORD, 3 I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy. P 8 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. 9 2 He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and fall eth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. P

10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, 4 and he shall burn it with fire. P 11 And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD; 12 O house of David, thus saith the LORD; 2 Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings. P 13 Behold, 5 I am against thee, O inhab- itant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? 14 2 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it. P READ NEXT - Jeremiah 37:3-5 Jeremiah 22 The promise of Judah/Jerusalem’s fall to Babylon (Fulfilled - II Ki 25 - 586 BC) 1 Thus saith the LORD ; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, 2 And say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates: 3 Thus saith the LORD; Execute ye judg- ment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the (Note - This portion of Jeremiah’s prophecy took place in the 1st year of King Zedekiah’s reign) Date Written - 597 BC/AM 3403

1. II Ki 25:1 2. Fulfilled - II Ki 25 (Fall of Judah) 3. Fulfilled -

II Ki 25:4-7 (Zedekiah’s Captivity) 4. Fulfilled - II Ki 25:9 (Jerusalem Burned) 5. Ezk 13:8

21:2 It is interesting to note that when king Zedekiah finally realized that he and his city were about to be taken that he went straight to straight to Jeremiah ( Enquire, I pray thee ), the very man who’s message he had always abhorred. Those who preach God’s Word faithfully will be vindicated in the end. NOTE – There is coming a day in America (soon) when those who have mocked preachers for preaching against alternative lifestyles, abortion, alcoholism, government and corporate greed, intellectualism, and the sewage that pours out of Hollywood will turn to those they’ve mocked for answers. It’s (almost) never too late to turn back to God and His Word and to fix those things in your life that are wrong (vs 8). Just don’t take too long… God’s patience can and does run out (Prov 1:24-33 and Num 14:23,29 ). 21:8 God offers us ( Behold, I set before you ) the opportunity to follow His way (life) or our own way (death). Though His way appears “narrow minded” (Mt 7:13-14), His way leads to more of this life (Prov 3:1-2), abundant life (Jn 10:10), and eternal life (Jn 3:15). 21:9 Jeremiah’s message of abandoning the city ( but he that goeth out ) and surrendering to Babylon was interpreted as treason by those who defended their way of life. Learn to defend truth , not the temporal lifestyle you wish to live. NOTE – Because the people of God are so often focused on this life instead of the next, they miss the things that are happening around them. There are some who walk among us (men like Jeremiah and Daniel) who are so in tune with God and His Word that they can see things that we cannot ( I Chro 12:32 and Dan 5).