Scripture Daily

Context No. 115 of 4322 · Jeremiah

Context · Reflection

Jeremiah 37:1-5: in context

1Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 2But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, listened to the LORD’s words, which he spoke by the prophet Jeremiah. 3Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “Pray now to the LORD our God for us.” 4Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, for they had not put him into prison. 5Pharaoh’s army had come out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

Zedekiah is the last king of Judah, installed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar after Babylon deported his predecessor. This passage sets up the final siege, and it says two things about him that do not fit together comfortably.

First: neither he, nor his officials, nor the people of the land listened to the words the LORD spoke through Jeremiah. Second, in the very next verse: King Zedekiah sent to Jeremiah, saying, please pray to the LORD our God for us. He does not want the message and he does want the prayers. The book records both without comment.

The occasion is a moment of false relief. Pharaoh's army has marched out of Egypt, and the Babylonians besieging Jerusalem have withdrawn to deal with them. The pressure lifts, and the king sends for prayer at exactly the point where things look like they might turn. Jeremiah's answer, in the verses following, is that the Egyptians will go home and the Babylonians will come back and burn the city. Zedekiah wanted a prophet's access to God without a prophet's message. Where am I asking for the blessing attached to something I have already decided not to listen to?

Sources