Chapter 38 continues the narrative begun in the previous chapter by telling us what transpired after Jeremiah was accused of desertion and imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard. Things go from bad to worse for Jeremiah and for king Zedekiah. Yet in the midst of the mire, there are glimmers of God’s grace in the way God preserves the life of his faithful, suffering prophet. There are also glimpses of the inner workings of Zedekiah’s heart, especially the dynamics that keep him from trusting and obeying God.
Though under arrest and imprisoned in the courtyard, Jeremiah is not silenced. Evidently, he continues to proclaim a message of impending destruction for the city, encouraging people to surrender to the Babylonians (“whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live”—2). This message doesn’t sit well with some of the king’s officials; they complain to the king that Jeremiah is “discouraging the soldiers . . . as well as the people by the things he is saying to them” (4). Jeremiah is branded as a traitor, one who aids the agenda of the adversary. The officials contend he is “not seeking the good (שָׁלוֹם) of these people but their ruin” (4). Actually, the reverse is true.
Four officials are mentioned as petitioning the king to put Jeremiah to death for what they see as treasonous words. One of the men (Gedaliah) may have been the son of the Pashhur who had earlier punished Jeremiah (20:1-6). The king’s response to their request reveals his pattern of weak, unprincipled leadership. “‘He is in your hands,’ Zedekiah answered. ‘The king can do nothing to oppose you’” (5). He abdicates his role as leader; like Pilate, he washes his hands and claims to be innocent of the outcome.
God’s grace and fidelity to His promise to protect Jeremiah’s life (1:18-19) are seen in what happens next. First, the officials do not kill Jeremiah (though evidently given tacit permission to do so); instead, they lower him, Joseph-like, into a pit. Second, another court official, Ebed-Melech, takes it on himself to approach the king, accuse the other officials of acting “wickedly” (9), and plead for Jeremiah’s removal from the cistern. A third evidence of God’s preserving grace is seen in Zedekiah’s response: he uses his rediscovered royal authority to have Jeremiah extricated from the cistern and held (once again) in the courtyard of the guard (10-13). Fourth, he grants Jeremiah favour with the vacillating king so that Zedekiah uses his power to protect Jeremiah from the officials who are still seeking his life (16).
This chapter presents a contrast between Jeremiah and Zedekiah. Both are confined: Jeremiah in a courtyard; Zedekiah in a besieged city. Both have enemies who are (or at least may be) seeking to kill them: for Jeremiah, it’s some of the royal officials (4, 16); for Zedekiah, it’s (at least in his mind) some of the Jews who surrendered to the Babylonians (19). Both receive the word of the Lord: Jeremiah through revelation; Zedekiah through proclamation. The big difference between the two is their response to God’s word: Jeremiah trusts and obeys it; Zedekiah does not (20). For his courageous faith in God’s word, Jeremiah was lowered into a cistern and literally “sank down into the mud” (6). For his fearful disobedience to God’s word, Zedekiah would figuratively have his “feet . . . sunk in the mud” (22). Jeremiah would be lifted out of the “mud and mire” (Psalm 40:2), where Zedekiah would remain mired in a terrible situation. He would be captured, his city burned, his “trusted friends” would desert him (22) and his family killed before his eyes.
Zedekiah’s fear of man (“I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me”—19) trumps his fear of God. He swears by God’s name (16) but won’t trust and obey God’s word. He wants to hear what Jeremiah has to say (14) but won’t commit to doing what he hears. He leans on his “trusted friends” (“men of peace”—22) instead of trusting in the Lord. When faced with a binary choice to obey or disobey, he chooses to disobey by choosing not to obey. Sadly, his disobedience as a leader proves terribly costly, both for him and those he leads. The city, which could have been spared (17), is demolished. His family members, who could have lived (17), are killed before his eyes (39:6). Where Jeremiah is pulled out of the mud, Zedekiah and his people sink into it.
One touching aspect of this episode is the courageous action taken by Ebed-Melech to rescue Jeremiah from death in the cistern (7-13). Ebed-Melech (“servant of the king”) is one of the king’s officials (perhaps a eunuch) and was a foreigner (a Cushite—person of colour from the Upper Nile region). He approaches the king as he is “sitting in the Benjamin Gate” (7). Authorities often administered justice in the city gates, so perhaps Zedekiah was judging internal matters that day. Ebed-Melech publically accuses his fellow officials of “acting wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet” (8). The king orders Ebed-Melech to take thirty men (perhaps expecting resistance) and pull Jeremiah out of the pit (in spite of his earlier decision to allow the officials to punish Jeremiah—5).
Ebed-Melech is the Old Testament equivalent of the Good Samaritan, a foreigner who shows compassion when others will not. God uses an unlikely hero to fulfill His promise of protecting Jeremiah’s life. Because of Ebed-Melech’s courageous support of Jeremiah and his “trust” in the Lord (39:17), God promises to protect his life when the city falls (39:15-17). Here is another example that those from any nation who trust in the Lord and take action to live out their faith (in spite of the personal risk) are noticed and blessed by “the Lord Almighty” (39:16). God is no respecter of persons and desires to bless all who trust in Him.
One interesting side note relates to how Jeremiah answers the officials who want to know about his conversation with the king (24-27). Zedekiah tells Jeremiah to hide some of their private conversation from the officials for his safety’s sake. Jeremiah complies: “he told them everything the king had ordered him to say” (27) Though he regularly and fearlessly proclaims God’s message, he uses discretion as well.
Beginning with chapter 37 and continuing through chapter 44, we read the account of Jeremiah’s life and ministry during the siege of Jerusalem, the destruction of the city, the ensuing chaos and eventual flight to Egypt by the Jews who were not deported to Babylon. This is the darkest section of the book, set in the darkest period of Israel’s history. The book of Lamentations would have been written within the time period covered by chapters 37-44.
hroughout this terrible time, the leaders and people continue to dismiss or flatly deny Jeremiah’s messages from God; they do not “listen”—a keyword in the entire book but especially in chapters 37-44. They do not listen to Jeremiah’s words even though the words of the false prophets had already proven false. A half dozen years prior, in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign, Hananiah had predicted that within two years the Babylonian’s power would be broken (28:10-11). Ahab, Zedekiah (the prophet, not the king) and Shemaiah had predicted similar, sunny outcomes (29:20-32). Their prophetic words had not come true, while Jeremiah’s words had. In spite of this, Jeremiah is ignored, attacked, falsely accused, beaten, imprisoned, starved and ultimately taken to Egypt. Through it all, he continues to faithfully and courageously proclaim God’s word at great personal cost.
Zedekiah’s life provides a sad case study of a failed leader. He’s a king who asks Jeremiah to pray for the nation (3) and privately inquires about God’s messages (19; 21:1-2; 38:14). However, he does not listen to/obey God’s word: “Neither he [Zedekiah] nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention [listened] to the words of the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet” (2). He intervenes to spare Jeremiah’s life by moving him to a “better” prison (“courtyard of the guard”—21) and orders that Jeremiah receive bread until it runs out (21); however, he still leaves him imprisoned for no good reason (“What crime have I committed . . .?”—18). Zedekiah is a living example of the truth of Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” (See my notes on chapter 34).
In January 2018, we had our “first” grandchild. What a blessing! Jonathan Maynor Reed is also the first great-grandchild on Rick’s side (the 17th on Linda’s). We’ve just returned from the West Coast and had a great time with all four generations together at Christmas (see photos below).
In contrast to the Rechabites, who listened and obeyed the words of their forefather Jonadab (chapter 35), this chapter highlights the callous and defiant attitude of king Jehoiakim and some of his officials (not all!) to the word of the Lord.
(18). How long the process took, we aren’t told. However, we know that it’s not until the “ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim” that Jeremiah dispatches Baruch to read the scroll in the temple (9).
The king’s callous disregard for God’s Word is highlighted in the way he burns the “entire scroll” piece by piece (“three for four columns” at a time—23). In other words, he makes multiple decisions to reject and destroy the message God sent through Jeremiah. Rejecting the message, he calls for the arrest (and likely the death) of the messengers (26). He hears the message, but “did not “listen” to it (31).
Chapter 34 focused attention on the fickle king and people of Jerusalem; chapter 35 introduces the faithful Rechabites. Where Zedekiah, his officials and people vacillated in keeping their covenant promises, the Rechabites were faithful to their covenant promises. Where the Jews in Jerusalem did not obey the commands of the Lord; the Recabites obeyed the command of Jonadab, their forefather (16). Where the disobedient Jews would experience “every disaster . . . pronounced against them” (17), the Rechabites would “never fail to have a man serve me” (19). In these two chapters, we see the contrast between the way of death and the way of life.
Jeremiah is instructed by the Lord to invite the leaders of the Recabite clan into a side room in the temple and offer them wine. Whether or not Jeremiah knew they did not drink wine is not stated. Jeremiah obeys the Lord’s instructions and sets “bowls full of wine and some cups before the men of the Recabite family and said to them, ‘Drink some wine’” (5).
The Rechabites’ faithfulness to Jonadab served as an indictment of the nation’s infidelity to their God. They had not obeyed the Lord even though He had sent the prophets to remind and rebuke them (15). They had not turned from their “wicked ways” or reformed their rebellious actions (15). Instead, they had disobediently followed other gods in direct violation of His commands (15).
Chapter 33, which marks the final section of the “Book of Consolation” (30-33), contains a second message from the LORD given to Jeremiah while he was imprisoned in the courtyard (1). This indicates the message was given in the tenth or eleventh year of Zedekiah (32:1), just before the city would fall to the Babylonians.
The Lord invites Jeremiah to call on Him and ask Him to reveal “great and unsearchable things you do not know” (3). In context, this promise relates to God’s plans to restore and re-establish Israel after the impending destruction. God will indeed “slay” the inhabitants of Jerusalem in his “anger” and “wrath” (7). But His plans still give Israel a “hope and a future” (29:11). The reminder of chapter (33:6-26) details what this hopeful future looks like; God reveals great and unsearchable things that expand Jeremiah’s understanding of a bright national future for Israel.
Again, I’m struck by how the Lord is clearly the One accomplishing all this on behalf of His people: “I will bring them health and healing” (6); “I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity” (7); “I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed” (8); “they will be in awe and tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I will provide for it” (9). God is the prime mover: the healer, the restorer, the forgiver, the provider.
I see the promise to David as fulfilled in the coming of Jesus—the Branch of Jesse’s root who is called “our righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30). The Branch is said to “sprout from David’s line” in the future (“in those days”—15). This could imply there is a “dormancy” in the root, a time when nothing seems to be growing (i.e. exile to Christ). But once the Branch comes, David will “never fail to have a man sit on the throne” (17). Jesus reigns forever.
