September 12, 2020: Day 21 – Jeremiah 21

All of a sudden things have changed.  The king of Israel sends a message to  Jeremiah because what was foretold about the enemy presence of Babylon was beginning to take place.  He sends to Jeremiah Pashhur and Zephaniah, both of whom were really high up in the church hierarchy.  Remember Pashhur, “terror all around”, the boss of Jeremiah who beats him up and throws him in prison?  Well, the king sends him to ask Jeremiah to appeal to the Lord for safety and salvation as Babylon is breathing down their necks.  

I am sure that Jeremiah is not only surprised but also probably saddened by the state in which his country and his church finds itself.  He probably wants to reach out in concern and care and start all over with the clay, but the jar has already been broken.  He has to say the words that the Lord has put on his lips.  The words are not at all what the King would want to hear.  

God promises that He will be on the side of those who are attacking Israel and Judah.  Did you get that.  He will not be on the side of Israel and Judah, but against them.  He will be on the side of Babylon.  He is going to make sure that Israel and Judah do not win.  Oh, and just in case you think you can escape from God’s judgment, verses 11 to the end remind us  that even if you are hiding in the cleft of the rock, if you do not obey the Lord, then you too will  find yourself punished “according to the fruit of your doings.”  We need to be reminded of how we fall in that same boat, that we will not escape judgment thinking that we may somehow be missed, or thinking that our cultural Christianity might protect us.