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Context No. 1554 of 4322 · Jeremiah

Context · Reflection

Jeremiah 21:1-7: in context

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying, 2“Please inquire of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may withdraw from us.” 3Then Jeremiah said to them, “Tell Zedekiah: 4‘The LORD, the God of Israel says, “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and I will gather them into the middle of this city. 5I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation. 6I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and animal. They will die of a great pestilence. 7Afterward,” says the LORD, “I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, even those who are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life. He will strike them with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them, have pity, or have mercy.”’

With Babylon besieging Jerusalem, King Zedekiah sends to Jeremiah, hoping for a favorable word: inquire of the LORD for us; perhaps he will do one of his wonders and make Nebuchadnezzar withdraw. But the answer Jeremiah brings is the opposite of what they hoped. God says he will turn back their own weapons against them, gather the besiegers into the city, and himself fight against them with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, in anger and wrath. He will strike the city with pestilence and hand its king and people over to Babylon, without pity or mercy.

The shocking word in this passage is that God declares he will fight against his own city, not for it. Zedekiah had hoped God would rescue Jerusalem as he had done before, that God was, as always, on their side. But because of persistent, unrepented rebellion, God had become their adversary; he would fight against them, not for them. This is a hard and sobering truth that cuts against a comfortable assumption. We are tempted to presume that God is automatically on our side, that his help is guaranteed to us regardless of the state of our hearts, that we can cling to what he opposes and still count on his rescue. Zedekiah presumed exactly that, and was met with the news that God was against him. God is not a talisman that guarantees our success no matter how we live; his help is not owed to us while we persist in the very things he opposes. There is a warning here against presuming on God while unrepentant, assuming his backing while clinging to our sin. It does not mean God abandons those who turn to him; the whole of scripture pleads with sinners to return and find mercy. But it does mean we cannot presume on his help while refusing to repent, cannot treat him as bound to be on our side regardless of our hearts. The sobering question Zedekiah's story raises is whether we, too, are presuming on a God we have not truly turned to, assuming he will fight for us while we cling to what he opposes.

Am I presuming that God is automatically on my side, his help guaranteed regardless of my heart, while I cling to things he opposes, and do I need the sobering reminder of Zedekiah that God's rescue is not owed to the unrepentant who assume his backing without turning to him?

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