Jeremiah 21:1-14
The prophecies of Jeremiah are not recorded in the order in which they were pronounced. The one in this chapter takes us back to the time of the last king of Judah. On being attacked by his formidable neighbour, Nebuchadnezzar, king Zedekiah sent two messengers to the prophet to beg him to inquire of the LORD. In fact, this was the very best thing that he could do. But in reality, he and his people were seeking deliverance without prior repentance, pretending to ignore this indispensable condition. But God does not grant one without the other. After all that Jeremiah had said in the preceding chapters, such a request amounted almost to insolence. Therefore the LORD replies in the severest terms. Not only the king of Babylon, but He Himself will fight against Judah. He will smite men and beasts with a great pestilence, as He did the flocks of the Egyptians in olden times (Exodus 9:1-7). Even so, alongside this way of death, there still remained a way of life for this people . . . but this necessarily involved the confession of their sins and submission to God’s will. This way is still open today; is each one of us committed to it?