Jeremiah 37 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 37 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 36 FSI|<Prev]]   [\[Bible\]](Bible%20Books%20Navigation.md)   [[Jeremiah 38 FSI|Next>]] [[Jeremiah 37|Verse list view]] > [Jeremiah 37:1](Jeremiah%2037.md#^1) note > > Now there is a new king reigning, Zedekiah. But notice who's ruling -- King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It is a time of great tribulation. Babylon is deciding who will be king, they are in charge. ^jer37-1 > [Jeremiah 37:2](Jeremiah%2037.md#^2), [3](Jeremiah%2037.md#^3) note > > This is an interesting set of verses. In verse 2, God says that Zedekiah, his servants and the people of the land did not listen to Jeremiah. But then in verse 3, Zedekiah sends to Jeremiah to pray for them. Isn't this typical? People don't want to listen to God, they don't want to serve and obey Him. Yet they realize that somehow God is in charge, that somehow He can make a difference. And so they go to someone they despise like Jeremiah and ask him to pray for them. And this happens commonly today where some will ask for prayers for this situation and that situation, but they aren't about to bow down before God with a broken and contrite heart themselves. They think that this man (Jeremiah in this case) has some kind of an "inside line" or a special case with God. So way back in their mind they still recognize that God is on the Throne. And they're right about that. ^jer37-2-3 > [Jeremiah 37:4](Jeremiah%2037.md#^4), [5](Jeremiah%2037.md#^5) note > > For a very brief period of time things appear to be looking up. For a moment the city had a respite from the siege. ^Jer37-4-5 [Jeremiah 37:6](Jeremiah%2037.md#^6), [7](Jeremiah%2037.md#^7), [8](Jeremiah%2037.md#^8), [9](Jeremiah%2037.md#^9), [10](Jeremiah%2037.md#^10) note > > What God is teaching is the most fundamental principle that we should ever know. And that is that God is the Ruler, He is the Governor, He is the Judge, He is the King over all the earth. And when the Bible speaks about God as the supreme Ruler we know that He is the Judge. And when we think about a judge, we think about a person sitting on a judgment seat, making decisions about whether a person was right or wrong and passing sentence on that individual. But in the Bible, the word Judge encompasses all that God does as the supreme Ruler of the world. He has established all of the laws by which He governs. He is in charge of *everything*, and every human being stands before the judgment seat of God -- because He Is God. > > We know, for example, that God determined that Christ would be the High Priest. He also determined that Christ is the Lamb of God, as we see Christ praying that the cup might pass from Him, yet "Not My Will, but Thine be done." This is all a mystery in the Godhead and we don't really understand it, of course. But when God as the Judge set up His whole salvation program He is the supreme Authority. He set up the plan where the Word of God, the message of the Bible itself, would be the Law of God that would serve to condemn those who rebel against the Law of God. That was established by God the Judge. In [Revelation 20:11](Revelation%2020.md#^11), [12](Revelation%2020.md#^12) we find a tableau, that is, a 3-dimensional illustration of God sitting on the Throne as King and Judge of all the earth and is in control of the whole universe that will flee away (see also [Ps 9:19](Psalm%209.md#^19), [20](Psalm%209.md#^20), [67:4](Psalm%2067.md#^4), [72:1](Psalm%2072.md#^1), [2](Psalm%2072.md#^2), [3](Psalm%2072.md#^3), [4](Psalm%2072.md#^4)). > > So when we go back to Jeremiah 37 we find that God is moving the pieces around. Babylon has already come and destroyed many of the cities of Judah, and it looks like they're about to finish off Jerusalem. But then God raises up Egypt. They're coming to help Judah which relieves some of the pressure on Jerusalem while Babylon repels Egypt. So God tells them that He is in charge and even if there were just a few wounded men left in the Babylonian camp they would still destroy Jerusalem. God is going to accomplish His Will according to His Plan. ^jer37-6-10 > [Jeremiah 37:11](Jeremiah%2037.md#^11), [12](Jeremiah%2037.md#^12) note > > Remember Jeremiah had earlier purchased the field in Anathoth ([Jer 32:7](Jeremiah%2032.md#^7), [8](Jeremiah%2032.md#^8)), his home town ([Jer 1:1](Jeremiah%201.md#^1), [29:27](Jeremiah%2029.md#^27)), for 17 shekels of silver ([Jer 32:9](Jeremiah%2032.md#^9)). So perhaps Jeremiah planned to go to Benjamin to look at the land. That may have been his intention, we don't really know. But what we do know when we get to [verse 13](Jeremiah%2037.md#^13) is that he didn't quite make it there. In the Gate of Benjamin he was accused of attempting to fall away to the Babylonians. > > This passage is not indicating that Jeremiah was trying to escape. God *had* given the command that the people of Jerusalem were to give themselves over as captives to Babylon. And that's why Daniel and his friends went into Babylon -- they were obeying the command. And we'll see this again in the [beginning of the next chapter](Jeremiah%2038.md#^2). But God left Jeremiah there to be the Word of God to Judah during this time (and he even later went down with those who went to Egypt). And it was very, very difficult for him. ^jer37-11-12 > [Jeremiah 37:13](Jeremiah%2037.md#^13), [14](Jeremiah%2037.md#^14), [15](Jeremiah%2037.md#^15) note > > So Jeremiah was in the Gate of Benjamin where there was a captain at the checkpoint who stopped him, accusing him of trying to flee. And remember, Jeremiah was looked upon as a traitor, as one who was working for Babylon as he is telling the people that Babylon is going to destroy them. So there was great enmity against him, just as there is great enmity against us when we tell those in the churches and congregations that God has spiritually destroyed them. > > So now they had a reason for why Jeremiah ought to be killed, and Irijah the captain took Jeremiah to the princes. And now they have Jeremiah, their enemy, right where they want him and cast him into the prison. ^jer37-13-15 > [Jeremiah 37:16](Jeremiah%2037.md#^16) note > > Jeremiah is now in a very grievous situation. He's down in the dungeon where he can be forgotten. And this is at a time when the city was beginning to starve, there was less and less food available. So it wouldn't take very long for Jeremiah to die in that prison. ^jer37-16 > [Jeremiah 37:17](Jeremiah%2037.md#^17) note > > When we study Zedekiah, we find that he was a very weak king. On one hand he was listening to God. But on another hand he was not listening to God. He certainly didn't want to obey God. And yet God is guiding him in such a way that he is learning what God's Will is. And as he inquired of the Word of the LORD from Jeremiah, he learns that he will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. Of course, this really puts Jeremiah on the spot as this is the most horrible news that Zedekiah could hear, that he would be completely defeated by Babylon. And this makes for an even more sensitive situation because, as we'll see in [verse 20](Jeremiah%2037.md#^20), Jeremiah pleads with Zedekiah to be delivered from the prison lest he die there. > > This shows the complete fidelity and faithfulness of Jeremiah. If Jeremiah was simply thinking about saving his own skin, he might have paused to try and think of a way to respond in a way that might not be too harsh. You know how sometimes when we have a piece of bad news to give someone we might try to sugar-coat it a little bit? We might talk around it a little bit so it doesn't sound quite as harsh. But Jeremiah doesn't do that, he gives him a forthright statement, "There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon." And that's exactly why Jeremiah was in the dungeon, that's why they wanted to kill him. So regardless of the danger of the prison to Jeremiah's life, he was not going to say less than the whole counsel of God. ^jer37-17 > [Jeremiah 37:18](Jeremiah%2037.md#^18), [19](Jeremiah%2037.md#^19), [20](Jeremiah%2037.md#^20) note > > While King Zedekiah is an enemy to Jeremiah and is ultimately responsible for Jeremiah being in prison, Jeremiah speaks to him with utmost respect. He is effectively saying, "Look, I'm only telling you the truth. The false prophets that have all told you good things that you want to hear, where are they now?" But then he makes supplication to the king for his life, "Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee." ^jer37-18-20 > [Jeremiah 37:21](Jeremiah%2037.md#^21) note > > You can see how desperate the situation is in Jerusalem. They're right on the edge of famine. Jeremiah is likely becoming more and more emaciated because how can he live on a crust of bread every day with a little water? And this is an illustration of what it is like under the wrath of God as He removes the bread of the Gospel. When that happens the people begin to starve spiritually. ^jer37-21 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI