[:en]SCRIPTURE: JEREMIAH 21
“After that, declares the Lord, I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword;l he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion” (Jeremiah 21:7)
“Furthermore, tell the people, ‘This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; he will escape with his life” (Jeremiah 21:8-9)
“”O house of David, this is what the Lord says: ‘Administer justice every morning; rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done – burn with no one to quench it” (Jeremiah 21:12)
GOD REJECTS ZEDEKIAH’S REQUEST (vs. 1-14)
THREE MESSAGES DELIVERED BY jEREMIAH:
- To King Zedekiah (vs. 1-7) – Zedekiah requested Jeremiah to pray to God to deliver them from Babylon. But Jeremiah told him that it was God in his anger and great wrath fighting against them because people ignored the Lord.
- To the People (vs. 8-10) – God was giving them the choice between life and death. Those who will stay in the city will die by sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrender to the Babylonians will live.
- To the Members of the House of David – (vs. 11-14) – God was telling them to administer justice and rescue them from the hand of his oppressor. Otherwise, God’s wrath will break out and burn like tree to consume everything.
As a faithful preach of God’s Word, Jeremiah was not popular. But those who listened to him lived, but those who resisted his message died.[:]