JEREMIAH 34A
Zedekiah was to go to Babylon verse 1- 3
The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD
when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon – and his army
and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion
and all the people fought against Jerusalem
and against all the cities thereof – saying
Thus says the LORD – the God of Israel
Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah – and tell him
Thus says the LORD
BEHOLD – I will give this city into the hand
of the king of Babylon and he shall burn it with fire
and you shall not escape out of his hand
but shall surely be taken
and delivered into his hand
and your eyes shall behold the eyes of the
king of Babylon
and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth
and you shall go to Babylon
Zedekiah to die in Babylon verse 4- 5
YET hear the word of the LORD
O Zedekiah king of Judah
Thus says the LORD of you
You shall not die by the sword
BUT you shall die in peace
and with the burnings of your fathers
the former kings which were before you
so shall they burn odors to you
And they will lament you – saying
Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word
says the LORD
Jeremiah delivered this message to Zedekiah verse 6- 7
THEN Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words unto
Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem
WHEN the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem
against all the cities of Judah that were left
against Lachish – against Azekah
For these defensed cities remained of the cities of Judah
False hope given to Hebrew slaves in Jerusalem verse 8- 11
This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD
after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all
the people which were at Jerusalem
to proclaim LIBERTY unto them
that every man should let his manservant
and every man his maid servant
being a Hebrew or a Hebrewess – go free
that none should serve himself of them
to wit – of a Jew his brother
Now when all the princes – and all the people
which had entered into the covenant
heard that every one should let his manservant
and every his maidservant – go free
that none should serve
themselves of them any more
THEN they OBEYED
and let them go
BUT afterward they turned
and caused the servants and the handmaids
whom they had let go free – to return
and brought them into subjection
for servants and for handmaids
Jeremiah delivers message regarding covenant verse 12- 16
THEREFORE the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD
saying
Thus says the LORD – the God of Israel
I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that
I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt
Out of the house of bondmen – saying
At the end of SEVEN years let ye go every man
his brother a Hebrew which hath been sold unto you
And when he hath served you SIX years
you shall let him go free from you
BUT your fathers hearkened not unto ME
neither inclined their ear
And you were now turned – and had done right in MY sight
in proclaiming LIBERTY every man to his neighbor
And you had made a covenant before ME in the house
which is called by MY name
BUT you turned and polluted MY name
and caused every man his servant
and every man his handmaid
whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure
TO RETURN
and brought them into subjection to be unto you
for servants and for handmaids
LORD judges for broken covenant verse 17- 20
THEREFORE thus says the LORD
You have not hearkened unto ME – in proclaiming LIBERTY
every man to his brother every man to his neighbor
BEHOLD – I proclaim LIBERTY for you – says the LORD
to the sword – to the pestilence – to the famine
And I will make you to be removed into all the
kingdoms of the earth
And I will give the men that have transgressed MY covenant
which have not performed the words of the covenant
which they had made before ME
when they cut the calf in twain
and passed between the parts thereof
The princes of Judah – and the princes of Jerusalem – the eunuchs
and the priests – and all the people of the land
which passed between the parts of the calf
I will even give them into the hand of their enemies
and into the hand of them that seek their life
and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the
fowls of the heaven and unto the beasts of the earth
Total destruction promised by the LORD verse 21- 22
And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the
hand of their enemies and into the hand of them that seek their life
and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army
which are gone up from you
BEHOLD I will command – says the LORD
and cause them to return to this city and they shall fight against it
and take it and burn it with fire
and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘Go and speak to Zedekiah king
of Judah and tell him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will give this city
into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
Devotion: I remember when I was a freshman student at Moody Bible Institute I was selected to speak to the student body concerning a mission’s trip we had taken during Spring break. I can remember stepping out onto the stage and being struck by the magnitude of the auditorium. As I approached the podium I began to sweat. This was the biggest event of my Christian life. I will probably always remember that day and yet it pales in comparison to being in the presence of the Almighty God. When He commands us to go and to speak we need to be very attentive and prompt to do His wishes. Jeremiah had become accustomed to speaking before the king of Israel, he had also spoken before the priests and officials on numerous occasions. Yet, when the Lord spoke it took on a new urgency. “Go and speak” that is the command! When He says the same to us are we obedient and prepared to go no matter who it is that He leads us to speak to? So often we can say “Here am I, send me!” but then never respond when He asks us to move out. It is one thing to say we are ready it is another to actually do it! Jeremiah stepped up and out for the Lord!
Application: The old saying is words are cheap, action is costly is appropriate here! Let’s not talk but act when the Lord calls us to go and speak today. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 8 This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim libertyunto them. (1865 “liberty” [darowr] means release, run free, emancipation, release of prisoners, or freedom.)
DEVOTION: The city of Jerusalem was under siege by the king of Babylon. Zedekiah was king. Jeremiah brought him a message from the LORD regarding his status in the future.
Zedekiah was going to be taken captive by the king of Babylon. He was going to live in Babylon and die in peace. His future was assured by the LORD.
He proclaimed that all those who had Hebrew slaves were to set them free. The command of the LORD was that after six years the slaves were to be given their freedom. In the past, the children of Israel had not kept the covenant God had established in the wilderness. They were being disobedient.
Now with the threat of conquest, Zedekiah told everyone who owned Hebrew slaves to set them free but after they realized what they had done they took them back. They gave the slaves false hope.
God sent Jeremiah to the king and proclaimed that HE was going to judge them for their actions. They were obedient for a short time but then they didn’t care about the LORD’S command. HE gave a command that the slave owners were not to live.
We are to live under the law of liberty according to the New Testament. There is in our human nature to go to extremes. We can either be too strict or too liberal. There is a balance that we need to work for in our lives.
The nation of Israel was not being obedient and so they were too liberal in their actions. God had to judge them for these actions.
Why? The children of Israel were to care for their own. If they were not obedient regarding their fellow Hebrew citizens, what were they doing to others?
CHALLENGE: The LORD wants obedience. HE doesn’t give false hope, so HE doesn’t want others to give false hope, especially those who claim to be followers of HIM.)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. (2490 “polluted” [chalal] means to wound, to dissolve, to profane, to break ones’ word, prostitute, or stain.
DEVOTION: This chapter is about partial obedience. The LORD gave Jeremiah instructions regarding setting the Jewish slaves free. These instructions were part of the law the LORD gave in the wilderness before they entered the Promised Land.
However once they had entered the Promised Land their fathers had disobeyed the LORD and not set the Jewish slaves free after they had served them six years. On the seventh year they were to be released.
This had not been happening in Judah and Jerusalem. The LORD commended them to obey this ancient law HE had given them. They renewed their covenant to the LORD to let the Hebrew servants go free. They let them go free but then turned around and put them into subjection again. This displeased the LORD.
When the LORD is displeased HE has to pass judgment. In this judgment those who had rescinded their actions were to be cursed with dead. Their dead bodies were going to be food for the fowl of the heavens and to the beasts of the earth.
The New Testament gives special instructions to those who are employers concerning those they employ. The LORD gives us special instructions regarding our relationship with other Christians. If we mistreat those who are employees under us – will the LORD be pleased? If we mistreat those who are working for us in the local church – will the LORD be pleased? Remember that those who are believers under us are under the protection of the LORD. We will not be blessed if we mistreat the people of God who are in our service. Remember that God wants us to help all those who are in serve for one reason or another.
Let us not profane the name of the LORD by our actions toward those who need our help. Let us obey the LORD’S commands regarding our treatment of those around us.
CHALLENGE: It is a stain on the LORD if we mistreat others. We are HIS representatives to the world.)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
- Chastity (Purity in living)
- Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
- Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
- Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
- Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
- Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
- Frugality (wise use of resources)
- Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
- Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
- Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
- Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
- Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
- Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
- Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
- Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
House of the LORD verse 15
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 4, 5, 12
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 2, 4, 5, 8,
12, 13, 17, 22
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name) verse 2, 13
God of Israel verse 2, 13
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Nebuchadnezzar – king of Babylon verse 1- 3, 7, 21
Kingdoms of the earth verse 1
Land of Egypt verse 13
All the kingdoms of the earth verse 17
Enemies verse 20, 21
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
False hope verse 8- 11
Broke the covenant verse 11, 16
Disobedience to the LORD verse 14
Not listening to the LORD verse 14, 17
Polluted God’s name verse 16
Transgressed God’s covenant verse 18
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Liberty verse 8, 15- 17
Covenant verse 8, 10, 13, 15,
18
Obeyed verse 10
Do right in God’s sight verse 15
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah – prophet verse 1, 6, 8, 12
Jerusalem verse 1, 7, 8, 19
Israel verse 2
Zedekiah verse 2, 4, 6, 8, 21
Judah verse 2, 6, 7, 19,
21, 22
Hebrew or Hebrewess verse 9, 14
Jew verse 9
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
QUOTES
34:17–20 In one of the most stinging rebukes of the people found in the book, the Lord announced the fate of the rebellious people. They had not given freedom to the slaves, so, by use of irony, God was now going to give them freedom. It was not a freedom they would desire but freedom to fall by the sword, plague, and famine (a frequently repeated triad in Jeremiah, e.g., 21:7). The severity of his punishment would be interpreted by other nations as the deity’s wrath on his own people and would make Judah abhorrent to them (see 15:1–4).
The punishment of those who violated their covenant would be more severe than a slap on the wrist. God announced that he would treat them like a calf they cut in two by making them walk between its pieces. The threat is based on the practice described in Gen 15:9–17 (cf. Judg 19:29; 1 Sam 11:7, where the cutting of the animal in pieces served a different purpose). In the ANE various ceremonies were used to seal a covenant once an agreement had been reached. It could be a shared meal between the covenanting parties, each one licking a piece of salt (Num 18:19), giving an article of clothing to the other (1 Sam 18:1–4), sprinkling blood (Exod 24:6, 8), or walking between the cut up pieces of an animal. The latter practice symbolized that each of the contracting parties was pronouncing a curse on himself that he would be cut up in pieces if he violated his part of the covenant.
All the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem and “court officials” would be handed over to their enemies. They would not be given honorable burial, an omission that was considered a horrible fate by the Hebrews (cf. 7:33). Their unburied corpses would become food for birds and wild animals.
Whatever other lessons and warnings may be gleaned from God’s angry announcement of punishment, it reminds us that he takes covenants seriously. He does not require that we make them. It is better not to enter a covenant than to enter it and not keep it (cf. Num 30:2; Deut 23:21–23; Josh 9:15–18; Eccl 5:4–5; Matt 21:28–32). (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, pp. 310–311). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
17–22 In v.17 there is pungent play on the Hebrew word derôr (“liberty” or “release”). NIV puts it most effectively: “freedom.” Since they had not actually given the slaves freedom, God ironically declares that the people themselves would be freed—freed from his protecting hand. The guilty would be freed for doom and destruction. Because they had enslaved their brothers and sisters, they were to be subjected to their enemies. The ancient method of making a covenant is indicated in v.18 (cf. Gen 15:9–17). As in the Assyrian inscriptions, the intention was that, as they passed through the pieces of the divided sacrifice, they invoked on themselves a curse that, if they broke the covenant, they would be cut in pieces like the sacrificial calf (so Driver et al.). The Hebrew way of referring to making a covenant by saying “cut a covenant” obviously goes back to Genesis 15:9–17. Notice how large a number of the people (v.19) had contracted to release slaves. The heinousness of their sin is underlined by the punishment decreed for them (v.20). The Babylonians had only temporarily lifted the siege to meet Pharaoh Hophra (v.21, cf. 37:5, 7–10). The Lord assured Zedekiah and the people that the destruction would finally be consummated (v.22), and the Babylonians did return and destroy the city. (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 598). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
34:17–20. God’s punishment matched their sin. By revoking their covenant the people had not proclaimed freedom for those Israelites who were wrongfully enslaved. Therefore ironically God would give them freedom to die by the sword, plague, and famine (cf. comments on 14:12).
In making their covenant in the temple (cf. l) the people had slaughtered a calf … cut it in two, and walked between its pieces to signify their commitment to the bargain. By walking through the parts of the animal they were symbolizing the judgment that should befall them if they violated the agreement. They were to be hacked to pieces like the calf. Significantly when God made His covenant with Abraham, the patriarch did not pass between the parts of the animal. Only God did; apparently the blazing torch symbolized Him (Gen. 15:4–18, esp. v. 17). The Abrahamic Covenant rested on God’s character, not on man’s obedience.
God promised to treat those who broke the covenant like the calf they had slaughtered. All who made the agreement would be handed over to their enemies. Like the parts of the calf, their dead bodies would lie on the ground as food for both birds and beasts (cf. Jer. 7:33; 15:3; 16:4; 19:7). (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Jeremiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1178). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Jeremiah took advantage of this event to preach a sermon about Judah’s treachery against the Lord (34:12–22). God had set the Israelites free from Egyptian bondage and had made a covenant with them to be their God, but they broke the covenant and returned to idolatry. Now they broke the Law by enslaving their own people unjustly. By what they did in the temple and the way they treated their fellow Jews, they profaned the name of the Lord. They hadn’t really proclaimed freedom to their slaves, but God would proclaim “freedom” to the nation—“ ‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague, and famine” (v. 17, NIV). The prophet predicted a terrible death for all the treacherous people who had participated in the covenant, and his predictions came true (vv. 19–20). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 141–142). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
In the most solemn manner had Judah’s princes and people sealed the covenant which their cupidity caused them so readily to violate. They had “cut the calf in twain and passed between the parts thereof” (ver. 18). From of old this seems to have been a customary form for the contracting parties to a solemn covenant. A sacrifice was offered, and the pieces or parts thereof arranged in order on the altar; then the persons pledging themselves passed between the pieces. We see God pledging Himself thus in Abraham’s day. The patriarch was instructed to take “a heifer of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove and a young pigeon” (Gen. 15:9). All these were typical of the one true sacrifice—the Lord Jesus Christ—each representing Him in some special aspect. The young ox speaks of Him as the patient Servant, providing food for others. The goat is, in Matt. 25, used to picture the sinner, and points, therefore, to Him whom God made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. The ram is the consecration offering, and tells of His submissive obedience unto death. The turtle-dove, as others have suggested, is the bird of love and sorrow; and never was either love or sorrow so great as His. The pigeon, of course, is similar; and both being from the heavens, they pointed to the One who came from heaven to die on earth for our redemption. (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (pp. 179–180). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)