Jeremiah 21
1. The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, 2. “Inquire, I beseech you, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon makes war against us; perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all His wondrous works, so that he may go away from us.” 3. Then said Jeremiah to them, “Thus shall you say to Zedekiah: 4. Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you outside the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. 5. And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. 6. And I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence. 7. And afterward,’ says the LORD, ‘I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and those who are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, to the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and to the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and he shall strike them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, nor have pity, nor have mercy.’
8. And to this people you shall say, Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. 9. (K) He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he who goes out, and falls to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be to him for booty. 10. For I have set My face against this city for evil, and not for good,’ says the LORD; ‘it shall be given to the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.’ 11. And concerning the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear the word of the LORD: 12. (K) O house of David, thus says the LORD: ‘Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver he who is robbed from 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. 13. Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain,’ says the LORD, ‘who say, Who shall come down against us? Who shall enter into our habitations? 14. But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings,’ said the LORD, ‘and I will kindle a fire in its forest, and it shall devour all things around it.’”
Jeremiah 21
OBSERVATIONS The Set-up 1. The fundamental premise for understanding the Bible is its writers and possibly its society in general contended that YHWH communicates to humans and they can understand it and that there are persons who can discern this communication. 2. The Hebrew Prophets were regarded as communication-partners with YHWH: they were seen as gifted or having the capacity to hear from as well as speak to YHWH and thus they were considered “called”, “holy”, or “sacramental”. 3. The Hebrew Prophets served within several capacities within and outside of the various levels of administration generally as “domestic/foreign policy advisors”. In this role, they articulated the “WORD of YHWH”: they explained what the will of YHWH is for the respective situations in their lives, what YHWH was doing in those situations, and what the appropriate human response to such was.
The Scenario 1. Jeremiah works in a precarious position: he is employed as a member of the royal counselors (prophets who work within the monarchy, sometimes called “cultic prophets” or “the prophetic guild”) but differs with the majority views that endorsed the sociopolitical operations of the king and his supporters. This causes Jeremiah angst (cf. 1:4-9). 2. Jeremiah is requested by the administration to consult YHWH regarding the war effort against Babylon with the hope that YHWH would grant favor in the form of victory (vv. 1-2). 3. Jeremiah replies with the “WORD of YHWH”: a. He gives his assessment of the situation: the war efforts against Babylon are futile and will result in the exile and destruction of the administration (vv. 4ff). b. In his opinion, the constitutional standards have been violated or compromised, warranting dismantling of the sociopolitical infrastructure (cf. vv. 12, 14)—YHWH is against the administration (cf. “city” vv. 4, 6, 7, 9, 10; “inhabitants” vv. 13, cf. 8, 9).
Jeremiah 21
TAKEAWAYS 1. Hierarchical or oppressive forms of governance are incompatible with the principles of Yahwism—the kingdoms of the world cannot be equated with the kingdom of God. 2. The sovereignty of YHWH (often called the “kingdom of God”) is His ability to work through, with, and in spite of human regimes to accomplish His will without being an accessory to their crimes and without violating their freedom (which He has given them). 3. The rule of YHWH is just and merciful: the punishment that He executes is in accordance with the covenant-standards that He has established with His covenant-partners and is tempered by His forbearance and forgiveness that enables His covenant-partners to live in spite of their violation of His covenant- standards. a. If YHWH were only merciful, humans would never be held accountable for their violations (sins) and righteousness (covenant-compliance) would be a fluke. b. If YHWH were only just, humans would not exist—they would be executed for their violations (sins). c. That YHWH is just and merciful expresses the awkward and uncomfortable yet appreciated human dilemma of ‘being undeserving’ [note: grace is uncontrollable, undeserved, unearned, unexplainable goodness).
May 7, 2020 jcr