Jeremiah 38-40

Jeremiah 38

Jeremiah continues saying:

• Those who surrender to Babylon will live.
• And resistance will destroy the city.

Officials accuse him of weakening morale and that Jeremiah should die.  King Zedekiah allows it.

Jeremiah is lowered into a mud-filled cistern to die.

Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian court official appeals to the king. He pulls Jeremiah out using ropes and cloths.

Jeremiah survives.

King secretly asks Jeremiah again: Is there a word from the LORD?

Answer unchanged: Jerusalem will fall.

Choice given:

• Surrender is to  live
• Resist is to destruction

Zedekiah decides to fearspeople more than God.

Jeremiah remains imprisoned.

Jeremiah 39

After long siege:

• Walls breached.
• Babylonian officials enter Jerusalem.

Judgment has been fulfilled. We will see more of the terrors in Lamentations. 

Zedekiah flees but is caught.

His Punishment:

• Sons killed before him.
• Eyes put out.
• Bound and taken to Babylon.
• His last sight is the kingdom destroyed.

 City Destroyed

• Temple burned
• Palace destroyed
• Walls torn down
• Population exiled
  • Only poorest left in land.

Nebuchadnezzar orders to protect Jeremiah. He is released from prison and cared for (and told by God in chapter 1) 

Because he trusted God, Ebed-melech will survive the disaster.

Jeremiah 40

Babylonian commander Nebuzaradan releases Jeremiah. He acknowledges judgment came because Judah sinned.

Jeremiah allowed freedom to go where he wants to, but he chooses to remain with the people.

Babylon installs Gedaliah over remaining Judah. They are told to submit peacefully and live.

People begin rebuilding life and hope briefly appears. Jews in neighboring places (where they fled) come back to Judah. 

Johanan the captain warns Gedaliah: Ishmael plans to kill Gedaliah. Gedaliah refuses to believe it.

• We know Ishmael was of royal blood and a Judean military officer. 

Johanan proposes to kill Ishmael and Gedaliah refuses, saying he is lying. 

Questions

Why did Nebuchadnezzar spare Jeremiah’s life? Did Babylon know of him from his teachings?

Application

We see people choose fear over and over again over obedience. When we place trust in what we can see instead of God, it can lead to destruction. Judgment happens for Judah after years of warnings. What warnings do we reject?  Do we put our faith in leaders instead of God’s Word?