Slices
Prepare
Which nation in our times do you think God is most pleased with?
Bible passage
Judah to serve Nebuchadnezzar
27 Early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 this is what the Lord said to me: ‘Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. 3 Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. 4 Give them a message for their masters and say, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell this to your masters: 5 with my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. 6 Now I will give all your countries into the hands of my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. 7 All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him.
8 ‘“‘If, however, any nation or kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. 9 So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, “You will not serve the king of Babylon.” 10 They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. 11 But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares the Lord.’”’
12 I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, ‘Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live. 13 Why will you and your people die by the sword, famine and plague with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? 14 Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, “You will not serve the king of Babylon,” for they are prophesying lies to you. 15 “I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. “They are prophesying lies in my name. Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”’
16 Then I said to the priests and all these people, ‘This is what the Lord says: do not listen to the prophets who say, “Very soon now the articles from the Lord’s house will be brought back from Babylon.” They are prophesying lies to you. 17 Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you will live. Why should this city become a ruin? 18 If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead with the Lord Almighty that the articles which remain in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem will not be taken to Babylon. 19 For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the bronze Sea, the movable stands and the other articles that are left in this city, 20 which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem – 21 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: 22 “They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them,” declares the Lord. “Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.”’
Explore
It is good to ask two questions about any portion of scripture. What can we learn? And what should we then do? I do not know exactly why God prompted Jeremiah to make a yoke and wear it at an international conference. I am not clear why he concerned himself with these particular ancient kings and kingdoms. Even with the benefit of hindsight, I do not really understand why God’s purpose was for Babylon to subjugate Judah and all the other nations (v 7). And, in all honesty, left to my own devices, the destiny of the Temple furnishings (v 19) would not have troubled me overmuch.
Ancient Scriptures are sometimes baffling. However, my puzzlement is not important. These are not sentences about which we are asked to form opinions. This is the holy Word of God, given to us for our benefit and to his glory. One key thing which we can learn – or be reminded of – is that God is in control. His righteous plan is the one which is declared here, and it involves the whole of humanity, with repercussions echoing down the ages. One thing we can do, as our own age reels in turmoil around us, can be found in verse 11. Thank God if we can ‘… remain in our own land … to live there’. Then we are very fortunate people, and God would not want us to forget it.
Respond
Pray for the rulers of the great nations of the twenty-first century.
Deeper Bible study
‘Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”’1 Exercise this privilege today.
Three times in this chapter Jeremiah tells his hearers not to listen to the false prophets. The events took place between Nebuchadnezzar’s first invasion of Jerusalem, when he confiscated some of the implements of worship from the Temple (597 bc), and the siege when Temple and city were destroyed and the population exiled (587 bc). Holladay suggests the possibility of a rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar around 594 bc and dates the chapter then.2 The false prophets were suggesting that those implements of worship would soon be returned and the exile would not happen (vs 9,14,16).
The Lord told Jeremiah to put a yoke on his neck to symbolise the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar3 and advise the ambassadors of the surrounding nations, Zedekiah, and the priests and the people that the Lord, the Creator of all, gives authority to whomever he pleases. He had given authority and power to Nebuchadnezzar his servant. Judah and the surrounding nations would be subject to him until God handed his kingdom over to others and restored his people to their land.
We can read this chapter on two levels. The first level concerns the history of God’s Old Testament people. When God had promised to give them the land, he also announced that rebellion would result in exile.4 God was using Nebuchadnezzar to bring that about. This was a message that needed to be heard, and the false prophets had muted it. The other level is a reminder that God is involved in the affairs of the nations. He was then and he is now. The so-called superpowers are subject to God, who does what pleases him. That can give us courage in the face of a world that sometimes seems out of control.
Sometimes it is difficult to sift fake news from reality. Ask the one who claimed to be the ‘truth’ for discernment, to follow the true and ignore the false.
1 John 14:6 2 William L Holladay, Jeremiah 2, Fortress, 1989, p118 3 See Jer 28 4 Deut 2
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Lamentations 1,2; John 19
Pray for Scripture Union
This month Local Mission Partner Christian Schools Workers Hastings will be using the resource GSUS Live in secondary academies. Please pray that doors will be open, strong relationships will be formed and that the young people will be stimulated to think about Jesus and all that he has done for them.
