Jeremiah 34
COMMENTARY:
: 2 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: I remember when I was a freshman student at Moody Bible Institute I was selected to speak to the student body concerning a mission’s trip we had taken during Spring break. I can remember stepping out onto the stage and being struck by the magnitude of the auditorium. As I approached the podium I began to sweat. This was the biggest event of my Christian life. I will probably always remember that day and yet it pales in comparison to being in the presence of the Almighty God. When He commands us to go and to speak, we need to be very attentive and prompt to do His wishes. Jeremiah had become accustomed to speaking before the king of Israel, he had also spoken before the priests and officials on numerous occasions. Yet, when the Lord spoke it took on a new urgency. “Go and speak” that is the command! When He says the same to us are we obedient and prepared to go no matter who it is that He leads us to speak to? So often we can say “Here am I, send me!” but then never respond when He asks us to move out. It is one thing to say we are ready it is another to actually do it! Jeremiah stepped up and out for the Lord!
CHALLENGE: The old saying is words are cheap, action is costly is appropriate here! Let’s not talk but act when the Lord calls us to go and speak today. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
: 8 This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them. (1865 “liberty” [darowr] means release, run free, emancipation, release of prisoners, or freedom.)
DEVOTION: The city of Jerusalem was under siege by the king of Babylon. Zedekiah was king. Jeremiah brought him a message from the LORD regarding his status in the future.
Zedekiah was going to be taken captive by the king of Babylon. He was going to live in Babylon and die in peace. His future was assured by the LORD.
He proclaimed that all those who had Hebrew slaves were to set them free. The command of the LORD was that after six years the slaves were to be given their freedom. In the past, the children of Israel had not kept the covenant God had established in the wilderness. They were being disobedient.
Now with the threat of conquest, Zedekiah told everyone who owned Hebrew slaves to set them free but after they realized what they had done they took them back. They gave the slaves false hope.
God sent Jeremiah to the king and proclaimed that HE was going to judge them for their actions. They were obedient for a short time but then they didn’t care about the LORD’S command. HE gave a command that the slave owners were not to live.
We are to live under the law of liberty according to the New Testament. There is in our human nature to go to extremes. We can either be too strict or too liberal. There is a balance that we need to work for in our lives.
The nation of Israel was not being obedient and so they were too liberal in their actions. God had to judge them for these actions.
Why? The children of Israel were to care for their own. If they were not obedient regarding their fellow Hebrew citizens, what were they doing to others?
CHALLENGE: The LORD wants obedience. HE doesn’t give false hope, so HE doesn’t want others to give false hope, especially those who claim to be followers of HIM.
: 9 That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. (2670 “free” [chophshiy] means liberty, no longer or not under the ownership, authority, or in the servitude of another, or to make him a freed man.)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel were given instructions regarding their relationship to each other. They were not to keep their fellow Hebrews in slavery for long periods of time but they were to set them free.
The LORD made a distinction between those who were Jews and those who are not Jews regarding the length of their time of serving as slaves to fellow Jews. This was a rule that they were to follow, so that, they could set their fellow Hebrew or Jew free.
However, this was a law of the LORD but it was not followed by the Jews because they wanted to keep those who were servants, slaves all of their lives. This was a sin in the eyes of the LORD and HE had to judge them for their mistreatment of their fellow Jews.
There was to be forgiveness of debt after a certain time period.
Obedience to the LORD was something they didn’t think was important and because of this attitude the LORD sent them into slavery in Babylon.
God wants us to be obedient to HIS commands even today or their can come judgment even while we are still alive, as well as, when we die and go into eternity. Judgment doesn’t have to wait for death.
Our responsibility is to be obedient NOW, so that, we can be given the blessings of the LORD now and into eternity.
CHALLENGE: As a believer are you and I being obedient in our relationship to fellow believers today? Are we treating them as we would like to be treated? Remember the LORD judged Israel for their mistreatment of fellow Israelites. HE can do the same now to us.
: 16 But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids. (2490 “polluted” [chalal] means to wound, to dissolve, to profane, to break ones’ word, prostitute, or stain.)
DEVOTION: This chapter is about partial obedience. The LORD gave Jeremiah instructions regarding setting the Jewish slaves free. These instructions were part of the law the LORD gave in the wilderness before they entered the Promised Land.
However once they had entered the Promised Land their fathers had disobeyed the LORD and not set the Jewish slaves free after they had served them six years. On the seventh year they were to be released.
This had not been happening in Judah and Jerusalem. The LORD commended them to obey this ancient law HE had given them. They renewed their covenant to the LORD to let the Hebrew servants go free. They let them go free but then turned around and put them into subjection again. This displeased the LORD.
When the LORD is displeased, HE has to pass judgment. In this judgment those who had rescinded their actions were to be cursed with dead. Their dead bodies were going to be food for the fowl of the heavens and to the beasts of the earth.
The New Testament gives special instructions to those who are employers concerning those they employ. The LORD gives us special instructions regarding our relationship with other Christians. If we mistreat those who are employees under us – will the LORD be pleased? If we mistreat those who are working for us in the local church – will the LORD be pleased? Remember that those who are believers under us are under the protection of the LORD. We will not be blessed if we mistreat the people of God who are in our service. Remember that God wants us to help all those who are in serve for one reason or another.
Let us not profane the name of the LORD by our actions toward those who need our help. Let us obey the LORD’S commands regarding our treatment of those around us.
CHALLENGE: It is a stain on the LORD if we mistreat others. We are HIS representatives to the world.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
House of the LORDverse 15
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORDverses 4, 5, 12
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13, 17, 22
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign, Plural name)verses 2, 13
God of Israelverses 2, 13
LORD says through Jeremiah to Zedekiahverse 2
Behold I will give Jerusalem into the
hand of the king of Babylon and
he shall burn it with fire
Word of the LORDverses 4, 8
LORD, God of Israelverses 13-22
I made a covenant with your fathers in
the day that I brought them out
of the land of Egypt- out of the
house of bondmen
At the end of seven years let you go every man
his brother an Hebrew- but your fathers
hearkened not
I proclaim a liberty for you, says the LORD
everyone to his brother, neighbor
I will make you to be removed into all
the kingdoms of the earth
I will give the men that have transgressed
MY covenant -which have not performed
The words of the covenant which they
had made before ME when they
cut the calf in twain, and passed
between the parts thereof
I will even give them into the hand of their
enemies and into the hand of them
that seek their life and their dead bodies
shall be for meat to the fowls of the heaven,
to the beasts of the earth
I will give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes
into the hand of their enemies
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Nebuchadnezzar – king of Babylonverses 1-3, 7, 21
they will fight against Jerusalem and burn it
His armyverse 1
Kingdoms of the earthverse 1
Fought again Jerusalem and cities of Judahverses 1, 7
Land of Egyptverse 13
All the kingdoms of the earthverse 17
Enemiesverses 20, 21
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
False hopeverses 8-11
Broke the covenantverses 11, 16
Disobedience to the LORDverse 14
Not listening to the LORDverses 14, 17
Polluted God’s nameverse 16
Transgressed God’s covenantverse 18
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Libertyverses 8, 15-17
Covenantverses 8, 10, 13, 15, 18
Obeyedverse 10
Do right in God’s sightverse 15
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jeremiah – prophetverses 1, 6, 8, 12
Sent to speak to Zedekiah
Jerusalemverses 1, 7, 8, 19
All the cities of Judahverse 1
Israelverse 2
Zedekiah – king of Judahverses 2-6, 8, 9, 21
Not escape from Babylon
He shall go to Babylon
Needed to hear word of the LORD
“You shall not die by the sword”
Made a covenant with people at Jerusalem
let manservant and maidservant
that are Hebrew go free
Judahverses 2, 6, 7, 19, 21, 22
Cities of Judah: Lachish and Azekahverse 7
Hebrew or Hebrewessverses 9, 14
Jewverse 9
Entered into a covenantverse 10
princes and people
Manservant and maidservant – go freeverse 10
obeyed
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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