Jeremiah 34 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 34 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 33 FSI|<Prev]]   [\[Bible\]](Bible%20Books%20Navigation.md)   %%[[Jeremiah 35 FSI|Next>]]%% [[Jeremiah 34|Verse list view]] > [Jeremiah 34:1](Jeremiah%2034.md#^1), [2](Jeremiah%2034.md#^2), [3](Jeremiah%2034.md#^3), [4](Jeremiah%2034.md#^4), [5](Jeremiah%2034.md#^5) note > > When we read this passage, particularly the latter half of verse 3 through verse 5, this is not that threatening at this point. It's almost like God is telling Zedekiah, "It's not really going to be that bad." If we go back to when God first spoke to King Zedekiah in [Jeremiah 21:3](Jeremiah%2021.md#^3), [4](Jeremiah%2021.md#^4), [5](Jeremiah%2021.md#^5), [6](Jeremiah%2021.md#^6), [7](Jeremiah%2021.md#^7) God put it in a bit more forceful and threatening negative language. He tells them there that they are going to be destroyed by the sword. Terrible things are going to happen to them. And then in that chapter God tells them that those who give themselves up to the king of Babylon and allow themselves to be taken captive that their lives would be spared. > > But now some years have gone by. Zedekiah reigned for 11 years total, and now they're getting very close to the end of his reign. Babylon has been hammering at the gates of Jerusalem. They've already destroyed quite a few of the neighboring cities of Judaea so that there are very few left. And now God comes to Zedekiah with a somewhat different message. Zedekiah shall go to Babylon and both see and speak with King Nebuchadnezzar mouth to mouth. Zedekiah shall *not* die by the sword but shall die in peace, and people will sorrow and lament for him that he has died. And this seems to be a very hopeful thing compared to what we read in Jeremiah 21 that Zedekiah and all the people would die with the edge of the sword and that even God Himself would fight against them. It went from a message of no hope, that they would be destroyed, to now where it seems like everything is going to be fine. > > So let's follow through to see what actually happened to Zedekiah. In [Jeremiah 52:5](Jeremiah%2052.md#^5), [6](Jeremiah%2052.md#^6), [7](Jeremiah%2052.md#^7), [8](Jeremiah%2052.md#^8) we find the end of Zedekiah. And we find that the end wasn't quite as hopeful as it appeared here in Jeremiah 34. Now, instead of trusting and obeying God and giving himself up, he is still trying by his own wits and his own strength to say alive. Nevertheless they do not strike him down, he is not killed by the sword. Then we read in [verse 9](Jeremiah%2052.md#^9) what God stated here in Jeremiah 34, he was indeed taken captive and was carried to the King of Babylon. So there he stands looking into the eyes of the king where Nebuchadnezzar is going to pass sentence on him. > > But now it becomes a lot more terrible, as we read in [Jeremiah 52:10](Jeremiah%2052.md#^10), [11](Jeremiah%2052.md#^11) that Nebuchadnezzar slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then killed the princes of Judah. Then he put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him in chains and put him in prison. He did not pronounce execution upon Zedekiah with the sword, he is going to die in prison. Now, this does not mean that he did not die in peace. As we read in [2 Kings 25:27](2%20Kings%2025.md#^27), [28](2%20Kings%2025.md#^28), [29](2%20Kings%2025.md#^29), [30](2%20Kings%2025.md#^30) another king of Judah, Jehoiachin, was lifted up out of prison by Evilmerodach, a later king of Babylon, and elevated to great privileges as a former king. So as time passed the kings were at least treated with some respect in an honorable fashion. So regardless, we know that Zedekiah died in peace and that he was lamented and honored in his death. > > So here in Jeremiah 34 God comes to Zedekiah with a softer message than how He had spoken to him earlier. But then something very curious follows in the next several verses. ^jer34-1-5 > [Jeremiah 34:6](Jeremiah%2034.md#^6), [7](Jeremiah%2034.md#^7) note > > These 2 verses are just a little insight into the context where Nebuchadnezzar has been pressing very hard in battle against Judah, and it's almost over for Judah. ^jer34-6-7 > [Jeremiah 34:8](Jeremiah%2034.md#^8), [9](Jeremiah%2034.md#^9), [10](Jeremiah%2034.md#^10) note > > This is absolutely surprising and curious that Zedekiah made this covenant with the people to let all those who were servants go free. As we'll see when we get to [verse 14](Jeremiah%2034.md#^14), God states that none of the fathers before Zedekiah gave ear to this command to do this at the end of every seven years. > > Why does God introduce this here? They are right on the threshold of destruction. City by city around Jerusalem has already been destroyed, the enemy is pressing hard. And now God guides them into an obedient situation that had never been followed before. So it's incredible that now, in this very last time, they get the message that they better obey this and let their bond servants go free. > > This law that God had given regarding the year of release is seen in [Deuteronomy 15:1](Deuteronomy%2015.md#^1), [2](Deuteronomy%2015.md#^2), [3](Deuteronomy%2015.md#^3), [4](Deuteronomy%2015.md#^4). Now, in [verse 14](Jeremiah%2034.md#^14) it speaks about the servant having worked 6 years and yet being released at the end of the 7th year, and that is because the 7th year was a sabbath year in which they would not have actually done work. > > Then in [Deuteronomy 31:10](Deuteronomy%2031.md#^10), [11](Deuteronomy%2031.md#^11), [12](Deuteronomy%2031.md#^12), [13](Deuteronomy%2031.md#^13) we learn that this was to occur during the Feast of Tabernacles when the Law was to be read, which points to the time at the end of the harvest when all of God's people shall be delivered by the Word of God. > > ^jer34-8-10 > [Jeremiah 34:11](Jeremiah%2034.md#^11) note > > But then the next thing we read is that as soon as they had let the bond servants go free, they afterward turned around and reneged on it. What occasioned this? > > These people had seen death, they saw the total destruction that was coming. Their back was against the wall, they were about to starve to death or be slaughtered and they knew the end was very close. So they therefore obeyed a law that had never been obeyed before to release the captives after 7 years. It's like when someone is on their deathbed and realizes they had better get their house in order because they're going to be dead shortly. They get very serious to prepare the record before they die. Or perhaps they released all of the servants in distress in order to prepare for what was about to come. > > But then the next thing you know they turned around and brought the captives *back* into service ([vv15](Jeremiah%2034.md#^15), [16](Jeremiah%2034.md#^16)). And this is because the armies of Nebuchadnezzar had temporarily left off his assault on Jerusalem (as we see implied at the end of [v21](Jeremiah%2034.md#^21) and [v22](Jeremiah%2034.md#^22) and in [Jer 37:5](Jeremiah%2037.md#^5)). So perhaps they thought something like, "Well maybe we're *not* going to be destroyed after all. So maybe now we can get out of this." So they brought them all back into servitude. > > Now this was obviously a test from God to ease the pressure from them, to see if they would follow through. And they failed the test. And it equates to the day in which we are now living during the tribulation period, which is a time of severe testing. They had set their servants free as they should, it was the first time in the history of Israel that this law had been obeyed, just to turn around and go back on it once the threat had let up a bit. > > This ties into [Revelation 3:10](Revelation%203.md#^10) where God speaks about the hour of temptation (testing) to try all who dwell upon the earth. And in [James 1:14](James%201.md#^14) we find a principle. When God presents before us the possibility of doing what is right or wrong, we can say we are being tested. And the real test is for someone who claims to be a child of God but yet they're not actually saved. So they have a strong desire for some thing of the world and struggle with "What shall I do?" It's a big test for them. > > So when we pray the Lord's prayer, for example, "And forgive us our sins...And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil" ([Lk 11:4](Luke%2011.md#^4)) we are actually praying for salvation: "Oh Lord, save me so that these things will not be tests for me. Deliver me from the evil of my old heart that I might be a child of God and delivered from that testing." This is parallel to [Revelation 3:10](Revelation%203.md#^10) where God *keeps* us from the hour of testing if we are saved. > > Now the beginning of the tribulation period was a time of enormous time of testing for the churches as they were being told to come out from them. Flee to the mountains, flee to Christ to escape the abomination of desolation. And it's a horrible test because they have their trust in the wrong place. They are locked in by the false teaching that Christ comes as a Thief in the night, but He does not come as a Thief in the night for the believers ([1 Thess 5:4](1%20Thessalonians%205.md#^4), [5](1%20Thessalonians%205.md#^5)). > > But here in Jeremiah 34 God focuses on the test of releasing their servants from servitude, and it's a test of the relationship that people have one with one another ([Mt 5:43](Matthew%205.md#^43), [44](Matthew%205.md#^44)). And they are doing the very opposite of loving their enemies, they are hating their own brothers and sisters by keeping them in bondage. They are doing despite and abusing their servants by not allowing them their freedom, it's showing that they absolutely do not love them. And this is a principle of the Gospel ([Is 58:6](Isaiah%2058.md#^6)). So God has chosen this very situation to illustrate what's going on in our relationship to our fellow man. > > We will consider more about this testing when we look at verses 17-19. ^jer34-11 > [Jeremiah 34:12](Jeremiah%2034.md#^12), [13](Jeremiah%2034.md#^13), [14](Jeremiah%2034.md#^14), [15](Jeremiah%2034.md#^15), [16](Jeremiah%2034.md#^16) note > > Read verses 8-11 and the notes for them first to get the backdrop plus more explanation for the statements in these verses which will not be repeated again here. > > So here God is describing how they had done the right thing to obey His voice in proclaiming liberty to the captives and servants, just to turn around and doubly disobey by going back on it once the pressure of impending destruction was off of them a bit. ^jer34-12-16 > [Jeremiah 34:17](Jeremiah%2034.md#^17), [18](Jeremiah%2034.md#^18), [19](Jeremiah%2034.md#^19) note > > v17: So God is pronouncing His judgment upon them now for failing this test, for going back on their covenant to release the captives. And He does so using language of proclaiming a *liberty* for them -- to the sword, to the pestilence, to the famine and to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. That is, just as their proclamation of liberty turned back to the captivity of their bond servants, so would it be done unto them. > > vv18-19: So in verses 18-19, God speaks of them not performing the covenant *they had made* before Him, "when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof," and all the people "which passed between the parts of the calf." Now, back in Genesis 15, God had made a Covenant with Abraham, with Abraham representing all of the *true believers*. And there were various animals that were cut in two ([Gen 15:9](Genesis%2015.md#^9), [10](Genesis%2015.md#^10)), similar to what we see here in Jeremiah 34 where they cut the calf in two. But then we get to the key of this Covenant when we look at [Genesis 15:17](Genesis%2015.md#^17), where there was *a smoking furnace and a burning lamp* that passed between those piece. > > Notice that it wasn't Abraham that passed between those pieces. He was the *beneficiary* of this Covenant that God is making ([Gen 15:7](Genesis%2015.md#^7)). It is the whole process of salvation that ends with the inheritance of the kingdom of God, which includes inheriting the new heavens and new earth and eternal life and everything that comes with it. So it is an agreement, a covenant, or a Law that's made by God Himself and He passed as a smoking Furnace and burning Lamp, which represents Christ as He suffered the fires of the wrath of God to pay the penalty that God demanded for the sins of His people. So the Covenant was ratified altogether by the work of God Himself. > > But here in Jeremiah 34. When they cut the calf in two, they passed through the parts of it. They are effectively saying that they agree to do this and that before God and that they will be their own guarantor that it will happen. They are effectively making their own covenant, it is their own law. So God is teaching through this that when they covenanted to set the slaves free, it was according to their own design. And then, of course, they changed their mind and decided that they were not going to set them free. In other words, they are effectively playing games with that law. > > We see another example of this self-made covenant when Israel was at the foot of Mount Sinai. There, they received the Law of God in [Exodus 19:7](Exodus%2019.md#^7). And their response is seen in [verse 8](Exodus%2019.md#^8), that they will do all that the LORD has spoken. They are saying that they will keep this Law. We see the same thing in [Exodus 24:3](Exodus%2024.md#^3) and in [Joshua 24:15](Joshua%2024.md#^15), [16](Joshua%2024.md#^16), [17](Joshua%2024.md#^17), [18](Joshua%2024.md#^18). Again, they are saying, "We will keep the covenant, we will be the guarantor." It was like they had passed between the pieces of the animals. And in the case with Joshua, he responded in [verses 19](Joshua%2024.md#^19), [20](Joshua%2024.md#^20), [21](Joshua%2024.md#^21) that they *cannot* keep the Law, but then you see how they absolutely insist that they will keep the covenant and obey God. (Now, in the case of Joshua, when he says that he and his house will serve the LORD in [Josh 24:15](Joshua%2024.md#^15) it is because he was full of the Spirit of wisdom, indicating that he was a child of God, that God ruled in His life and caused him to serve the LORD - [Deut 34:9](Deuteronomy%2034.md#^9). He was not attempting to get right with God by keeping the Law unto righteousness). This is explained further in [Romans 9:31](Romans%209.md#^31), [32](Romans%209.md#^32) -- see also [Hebrews 3](Hebrews%203.md) and [4](Hebrews%204.md). > > So this is parallel to what they are doing here in Jeremiah 34 in releasing the captives, thinking that if they *just* keep this law that no one had kept during the entire history of the nations of Israel and Judah that God will come to their aid. But they could not keep this law and so God likens them to those who pass through the pieces of the sacrifice on their own behalf. God is focusing on the fact that they had come up with their own set of rules, which ultimately points to anyone who is trusting in anything they do at all to get right with God, to make a contribution to their salvation. And God calls this a covenant with death ([Isa 28:15](Isaiah%2028.md#^15), [18](Isaiah%2028.md#^18)), a covenant of self-works that depends on "me" to make one's salvation possible is altogether heading for the wrath of God and eternal death. It will be of no avail. > > We can *only* come to God if *Christ* has become the Guarantor on our behalf, as typified by the smoking Furnace and the burning Lamp passing through the pieces. All of our sins had to be paid for by Christ, there is no other way, only Christ is the Way ([Isa 28:16](Isaiah%2028.md#^16)). ^jer34-17-19 > [Jeremiah 34:20](Jeremiah%2034.md#^20), [21](Jeremiah%2034.md#^21), [22](Jeremiah%2034.md#^22) note > > Study in progress 5.2026. > > ^jer34-20-22 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI