Jeremiah Chapter 21
Jeremiah 21
Speaking to King Zedekiah
Jeremiah 21:1-2, The Messengers from King Zedekiah
Jeremiah 21:1-2, “The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us, for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us, if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.”
Jeremiah 21 moves forward suddenly in time. The previous chapter was connected to events during the reign of Jehoiakim, but this chapter brings us to the reign of Zedekiah, near the final siege of Jerusalem. By this point, Babylon is no longer a distant threat. Nebuchadrezzar, also called Nebuchadnezzar, is making war against Jerusalem itself.
Zedekiah sends messengers to Jeremiah. This is striking because Judah had spent years rejecting Jeremiah’s warnings, mocking his message, persecuting him, and preferring the words of false prophets. But when the crisis arrives, the king wants a word from the LORD. He sends Pashur the son of Melchiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to inquire of God.
This Pashur is not the same Pashur from Jeremiah 20 who struck Jeremiah and put him in the stocks. That earlier Pashur was the son of Immer. This Pashur is the son of Melchiah. Yet both men represent the religious and political circles of Judah that sought Jeremiah only when his prophetic office could be useful to them.
Zedekiah asks, “if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works.” He likely hopes for a miracle like the deliverance of Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah, when the Assyrian army was destroyed by the angel of the LORD.
2 Kings 19:35, “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand, and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”
But Zedekiah wants deliverance without repentance. He wants the benefits of God’s wondrous works without submission to God’s word. This is the same error that has marked Judah throughout Jeremiah. They want God as rescuer, but not God as Lord.
Jeremiah 21:3-6, The Message to Zedekiah about Jerusalem’s Coming Conquest
Jeremiah 21:3-6, “Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast, they shall die of a great pestilence.”
Jeremiah answers boldly. He does not flatter the king. He does not offer false hope. He tells Zedekiah exactly what the LORD says.
God says He will turn back the weapons of war in their hands. Judah’s military efforts will fail. Their weapons will not drive back Babylon. Their defense will collapse because their problem is not merely Babylon. Their problem is that the LORD Himself is against them.
God says the Chaldeans, who are besieging the city outside the walls, will be assembled into the midst of the city. This means the siege will succeed. The walls will be breached. The enemy will enter Jerusalem.
The most terrifying statement is, “I myself will fight against you.” Earlier generations knew God as the One who fought for Israel. Now Judah must hear that God will fight against them. The language “with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm” recalls the language of God’s mighty deliverance from Egypt, but now that power is turned against rebellious Judah.
Deuteronomy 26:8, “And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders.”
The God who once used His strong arm to redeem Israel from Egypt will now use His strong arm to judge Judah because they have hardened themselves in covenant rebellion.
The judgment will come “in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.” This is not uncontrolled emotion. It is holy wrath against long continued sin, idolatry, injustice, and refusal to hear God’s word.
The inhabitants of the city, both man and beast, will be struck by pestilence. War brings disease. Siege brings famine, uncleanness, death, and plague. Jerusalem’s suffering will be comprehensive.
Jeremiah 21:7, The Message to Zedekiah about His Own Terrible Fate
Jeremiah 21:7, “And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life, and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword, he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.”
Those who survive pestilence, sword, and famine will not escape. They will be delivered into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon. Zedekiah himself is named. His royal office will not protect him. His servants and the people remaining in the city will share the judgment.
The phrase “into the hand” is repeated, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar, into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life. Judah will be completely handed over. The king who hoped for a miracle will receive the judgment Jeremiah had warned about for years.
This prophecy was fulfilled with terrible precision.
2 Kings 25:6-7, “So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah, and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.”
Nebuchadrezzar would not spare, pity, or show mercy. This does not mean God lacks mercy. It means that Judah’s long refusal of God’s mercy left them exposed to the cruelty of the enemy. They rejected the compassionate warnings of the LORD, and now they would face the pitiless sword of Babylon.
Jeremiah 21:8-10, The Message to Jerusalem in Light of the Coming Conquest
Jeremiah 21:8-10, “And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence, but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD, it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.”
The LORD now speaks to the people. He sets before them “the way of life, and the way of death.” This language echoes earlier covenant choices set before Israel.
Deuteronomy 30:15, “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.”
Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell, but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
In Jeremiah 21, the choice is applied to the immediate crisis. The way of death is to remain in the city and resist Babylon. The way of life is to go out and surrender to the Chaldeans. This would have sounded like treason to many in Jerusalem, but it was actually obedience to God’s word.
Jeremiah is not pro-Babylon. He is pro-LORD. If God had commanded resistance, faithfulness would have meant resistance. But God had decreed judgment, and the only path of life was humble surrender to that judgment.
This is a deep spiritual principle. When a man is fighting against God, his only hope is surrender. To keep resisting God is death. To yield to God, even when yielding is humiliating, is life.
“He shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.” This means the surrendering person will preserve his life like spoil taken from battle. He may lose possessions, status, pride, and comfort, but he will live.
The reason surrender is the only path is stated plainly, “For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good.” If Babylon alone were against Jerusalem, courage might be enough. If siege were merely a military problem, strategy might help. But the LORD has set His face against the city. Therefore resistance is foolish.
Jerusalem will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire. This is the coming end of the city that refused to hear God’s word.
Jeremiah 21:11-12, A Call to the House of David to Repent
Jeremiah 21:11-12, “And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD, O house of David, thus saith the LORD, Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.”
The LORD now addresses the royal house, “O house of David.” This matters because God had made covenant promises to David concerning his throne and seed.
2 Samuel 7:12-16, “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod men, and with the stripes the children men, But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee, thy throne shall be established for ever.”
The Davidic covenant guaranteed the ultimate fulfillment of David’s throne in the Messiah, but it did not excuse the wickedness of individual kings. The house of David still had to obey God, administer justice, and protect the oppressed.
The command is, “Execute judgment in the morning.” The king and royal officials were supposed to administer justice promptly and faithfully. Morning may refer to the usual time for hearing cases, but the idea also includes urgency. Justice must not be delayed.
They must “deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor.” Civil authority is accountable before God to restrain evil, punish wrongdoing, and protect victims. Judah’s rulers had failed in this basic duty. Their corruption was not merely theological. It was also governmental and judicial.
Psalm 82:3-4, “Defend the poor and fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy, rid them out of the hand of the wicked.”
If they refuse, God’s fury will go out like fire and burn with none to quench it. The fire of judgment is connected to “the evil of your doings.” They cannot blame Babylon, bad luck, or political circumstances. Their own evil has brought the fire.
Jeremiah 21:13-14, The Devouring Fire
Jeremiah 21:13-14, “Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD, which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD, and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.”
The LORD speaks to Jerusalem as “inhabitant of the valley” and “rock of the plain.” Jerusalem was geographically strong, surrounded by valleys and set in a defensible location. Its people felt secure. They asked, “Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?” This is the voice of false confidence.
Their confidence rested in position, walls, temple, history, and royal identity. But none of these can save a people when God says, “I am against thee.” The strongest city is weak when the LORD opposes it.
God says He will punish them according to the fruit of their doings. This is consistent with Jeremiah’s earlier teaching.
Jeremiah 17:10, “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
Judah’s judgment is not arbitrary. It is fruit. They planted rebellion, and now they will harvest destruction. Their doings have produced this outcome.
God will kindle a fire in the forest, and it will devour all things round about it. The forest may refer to Jerusalem’s royal structures, perhaps the palace complex associated with cedar from Lebanon, or more broadly to the city and its proud strength. Either way, the image is destruction by unquenchable fire.
The city that thought no one could enter its dwellings will be burned. The people who trusted location and structure instead of the LORD will learn that no refuge can protect a rebellious people from God’s judgment.
Doctrinal and Practical Notes
Jeremiah 21 teaches that men often seek God only when consequences arrive. Zedekiah ignored the prophetic warnings for years, but when Babylon besieged Jerusalem, he wanted Jeremiah to inquire of the LORD.
Jeremiah 21 teaches that wanting deliverance is not the same as repentance. Zedekiah wanted God’s wondrous works, but he did not come with a broken heart or obedient surrender.
Jeremiah 21 teaches that past miracles do not guarantee present rescue. God delivered Jerusalem in Hezekiah’s day, but He would not deliver Jerusalem in Zedekiah’s day because the moral and covenant situation was different.
Jeremiah 21 teaches that the worst judgment is not merely having enemies against you, but having God against you. The LORD Himself said He would fight against Judah.
Jeremiah 21 teaches that when God’s judgment is fixed, the only path of life is surrender. Remaining in Jerusalem meant death. Surrendering to the Chaldeans meant life.
Jeremiah 21 teaches that surrender to God may look like defeat before men. Those who went out to Babylon would be called traitors by many, but they were the ones obeying God’s word.
Jeremiah 21 teaches that civil rulers must execute justice and deliver the oppressed. The house of David was accountable to rule righteously, not merely preserve power.
Jeremiah 21 teaches that religious and political privilege cannot protect a stiff necked people. The temple, Davidic throne, city walls, and royal history did not save Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 21 teaches that false security is deadly. Jerusalem trusted its position and asked who could come against it, but no earthly defense can stand when God says, “I am against thee.”
Jeremiah 21 teaches that judgment comes according to the fruit of doings. Judah’s destruction was the harvest of long rebellion.
Summary
Jeremiah 21 jumps forward to the final period of Jerusalem’s crisis under King Zedekiah. As Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon makes war against Jerusalem, Zedekiah sends Pashur the son of Melchiah and Zephaniah the priest to ask Jeremiah to inquire of the LORD. Zedekiah hopes the LORD will deal with them according to His wondrous works and make Babylon depart.
Jeremiah answers with a severe word. God will not deliver Jerusalem. Instead, He will turn back the weapons in their hands, bring the Chaldeans into the city, and fight against Judah Himself with an outstretched hand and strong arm, in anger, fury, and great wrath. Pestilence will strike man and beast.
Zedekiah, his servants, and the surviving people will be delivered into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar. He will strike without pity, mercy, or sparing. The people are then given a choice, the way of life and the way of death. Those who remain in the city will die by sword, famine, and pestilence. Those who go out and surrender to the Chaldeans will live, because God has set His face against the city for evil and not for good.
The chapter then addresses the house of David. The royal house is commanded to hear the word of the LORD, execute judgment in the morning, and deliver the plundered from the oppressor. If they refuse, God’s fury will burn like unquenchable fire. Jerusalem, confident in its location and strength, asks who can come against it. God answers that He is against the city and will punish it according to the fruit of its doings, kindling a fire that will devour all around it.
