Jeremiah 21 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application
Jeremiah 21 Bible Study
INTRO AND TIMELINE:
Jeremiah was a priest who lived in Anathoth (3 miles from Jerusalem). His ministry was directed towards the people of Judah, immediately before and during their exile in Babylon. His work as a prophet dates from 627 BC through the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC.
Jeremiah is the longest book in the English Bible by word count. The book has 52 chapters.
Jeremiah prophesied under the following Kings of Judah:
Manasseh (687-642 BC)
Amos (642-640 BC)
Josiah (640-609 BC)
Jehoahaz (also known as Shallum, 609 BC)
Jehoiakim (also known as Jeconiah or Coniah, 609-598 BC)
Jehoiachin (598-597 BC)
Zedekiah (His reign ended when Babylon conquered Judah, (597-586 BC)
ZEDEKIAH’S CHARACTER:
2 Chronicles 36 gives us important insights into King Zedekiah’s attitude towards Jeremiah and Judah’s decline back into immorality after Josiah’s reforms.
2 Chronicles 36:11-16 - Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD, the God of Israel. All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the LORD that he had made holy in Jerusalem. The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy.
OUTLINE:
ZEDEKIAH SENDS MESSENGERS TO JEREMIAH (21:1-10):
King Zedekiah was being threatened by the Babylonians and their king, Nebuchadnezzar.
Zedekiah sent two men, Pashur and Zephaniah, to the prophet Jeremiah to ask if the Lord would be gracious to Judah and give them a victory over Babylon.
Jeremiah prophesied that God would do the exact opposite.
God would fight against Judah and cause the Babylonian siege to be successful.
God said, “I Myself will fight against you with outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger and in fury and in great wrath. And I will strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast. They shall die of a great pestilence” (21:5-6).
Those who didn’t die by the sword, famine, or pestilence, would be hauled in chains to Babylon as captives.
Zedekiah and his household would be among the captives.
Jeremiah was to tell the people to surrender to the Babylonians if they wanted to live. If they surrendered, their lives would be spared. They were not to follow foolish Zedekiah in his attempt to resist Babylon.
Jerusalem would burn and God was lighting the match!
A MESSAGE TO THE HOUSE OF THE KING OF JUDAH (21:11-14):
God, through Jeremiah, rebuked the kings of Judah for their evil deeds and for not upholding justice in the land.
He warned them they were not safe from His anger. They could not hide in the valleys or in the plains, God would find them.
If they hid in the forest, God would burn the whole thing down to punish them for their wickedness.
APPLICATION:
Jeremiah told the citizens of Jerusalem to give up on the city, escape outside the walls, and surrender themselves to the Babylonians.
God said in 2 Chronicles 36 that there was “no remedy” for Judah.
There is a point at which the culture of a church or a community can become so bad that the right decision is to abandon it and leave it to its fate.
You may have a group of friends that you want to influence for Christ, but it may be that they become so godless that you have to withdraw yourself.
You may hope to bring positive change to a drifting Church, but there is a point at which the best decision is to leave.
You are not obligated to go down with a sinking ship. If you’ve done your best and seen no reassuring shift, it may be time to leave.
