Jeremiah 37:1-21
1 And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.
2 But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake bya the prophet Jeremiah.
3 And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.
4 Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison.
5 Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.
6 Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
7 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.
9 Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves,b saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.
10 For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but woundedc men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
11 And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,
12 Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separated himself thence in the midst of the people.
13 And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.
14 Then said Jeremiah, It is false;e I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.
15 Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.
16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins,f and Jeremiah had remained there many days;
17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.
18 Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?
19 Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?
20 Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
21 Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
Jeremiah 37:5. Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt. The Chaldeans were afraid of them, and raised the siege. But this joy to Jerusalem was of short continuance; the Chaldeans returned after the retreat of the Egyptian army, which had no object but to compel them to retire.
Jeremiah 37:13. Irijah took Jeremiah, saying, thou fallest away to the Chaldeans. Irijah, being captain of the guard at the gate, hated Jeremiah for what had happened to his grandfather, Hananiah, the false prophet. But Jeremiah's motive in trying to go to Anathoth, where his lands lay, was to get some subsistence. Here Irijah covered his malice with the cloak of zeal, as a soldier for the safety of the public.
Jeremiah 37:15. In prison, in the house of Jonathan the scribe. Jonathan was a secretary of state. In the East, as anciently in England, great men sometimes had prisons adjacent to their houses. The Lollards' Tower subsists to this day, adjacent to the palace of the archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth, where martyrs and reputed heretics have been confined.
REFLECTIONS.
Jeremiah, knowing his inspiration, was not elated with joy when the Chaldeans ceased to besiege Jerusalem to pursue the Egyptians: he knew they would return, and therefore warned them against security. Vain was their help from the reed of Egypt. But how absurd it is for persons to desire the prayers of ministers, when they will not regard their exhortations. So Zedekiah did; and this is too common a case in times of distress. Men are then glad of the prayers of their friends and ministers, whom they before slighted; they are desirous to receive consolation from those, from whom they never would receive advice. But there is little reason to hope for any success from such prayers, and ministers have no consolation to administer to the disobedient; for they must still say, as God says, There is no peace to the wicked.
The delay and suspension of divine judgments too often harden sinners in their evil ways. While the Chaldeans besieged Jerusalem, there were some signs of remorse among the people; when they retired, the Israelites grew bad again. This is often the case with sinners, because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed; and when judgments are at a distance, they go on to do wickedly. When God afflicts them, they entertain some serious thoughts and good resolutions; but when the affliction is gone, their goodness is gone also, and they return again to folly. Thus they deceive themselves. But the determination of God is peremptory, that except men repent they shall perish.
See the power of God over all creatures, Jeremiah 37:10. He is the supreme commander of all armies, and can do what he pleases with them. He is never at a loss for instruments; they may be weak and unlikely, but they shall execute his purposes. Whether we hope for nothing from them, or fear nothing from them, if God directs them they shall prosper. Without him, vain is the help of man: with him, sufficient is the power of the weakest. How much more reasonable then is it to fear Him, than any human power. The principal reflection here is, how wretched is the state of a sinner, who is always contending with his own conscience. There is something strangely unaccountable in the conduct of Zedekiah. He had seen the death of his brother, and the captivity of his nephew and sister, exactly answering the divine prediction by Jeremiah. He began his reign with these awful objects in view; he saw God's judgments on others, and felt them himself; yet he continued unhumbled. Sometimes he was under strong convictions; then infatuated by his evil counsellors. Sometimes he desired Jeremiah's prayers; then he consented to put him in prison. Then he sent for him to know what the Lord said; and yet rejected his commands. This is the case with many now: they show some reverence to God's ministers, and attend upon ordinances, yet continue unaffected and unsanctified. Often uneasy in their own minds, sometimes full of alarms and fears; then settle in a false peace. The wicked are like the troubled sea that cannot rest. If we desire to be easy and happy, let us reverence the word of God, hearken to the voice of his ministers, and keep a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man.