Jeremiah 21

CHAPTER 21

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request (21:1–14)

1–2 The first twenty chapters of Jeremiah have come in roughly chronological order; the remaining chapters are arranged on the basis of subject matter rather than chronology. Here in this chapter, Jeremiah jumps forward to the ninth year of the reign of Judah’s last king, Zedekiah. Zedekiah had foolishly rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and now Babylon was attacking Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 24:1820; 25:1; Jeremiah 52:1–4). In desperation, Zedekiah asks Jeremiah to inquire of God and find out whether the nation can be saved (verses 1–2). Sadly, Zedekiah was more interested in avoiding trouble than he was in avoiding the sins that had caused the trouble!

3–7 Jeremiah’s answer is not what the king was hoping for! The nation cannot be saved. The king’s weapons of war will be turned against him; God will gather the besieging Babylonians inside the city (verse 4)—that is, God will help them break through the walls. God Himself, instead of fighting for His people, will now fight against them. Instead of driving out pagan nations to place His people in the promised land, now God will drive out His people and place the nations there instead. Furthermore, Zedekiah and the other leaders of Judah will be handed over to the king of Babylon, and he will show them no mercy (verse 7). All this took place within two years of the time Jeremiah spoke these words (see 2 Kings 24:4–7; Jeremiah 52:7–11).

8–10 These verses were spoken by Jeremiah to the people. Through Jeremiah, the Lord offers the people a choice between surviving and being killed—between life and death (verse 8). If they surrender to the Babylonians and accept exile, they will save their lives; but if they resist the Babylonians and stay in the city, they will die⁷³ (verse 9). In either event, Jerusalem itself cannot be saved, because the Lord has determined to destroy it (verse 10).

11–14 These verses were likely spoken on an earlier occasion when there was still time for repentance on the part of the royal family, the house of David. God calls upon the king to act with justice— or else His wrath will break out upon the city⁷⁴ (verse 12).