Even before the king, who wished to question Jeremiah, the prophet has no intention of being false to his conscience and says what has been revealed to him: military defeat lies ahead, and it will not be accidental or episodic; the Lord, who many times fought on the side of the Israelites, is now...
Even before the king, who wished to question Jeremiah, the prophet has no intention of being false to his conscience and says what has been revealed to him: military defeat lies ahead, and it will not be accidental or episodic; the Lord, who many times fought on the side of the Israelites, is now fighting against them. But He is not the one who betrayed the people He Himself chose; that was done by those who for a long time and stubbornly turned away from their Creator. As the saying goes, do not spit into the well; now it is time to pay for unfaithfulness. Yet even while fighting against the people, the Lord continues to call them to come to their senses: even now He is ready at any moment to receive His prodigal sons.
This is where Jeremiah's tragic path begins. His bitter prophecies are perceived by his countrymen not as a call to rethink their deeds, but as preaching treason. Since then, a similar situation has repeated itself many times in history: bitter times came, and the people took the most clear-minded people, who dared to speak uncomfortable truth, for traitors. Only time showed that behind the harsh denunciations of such people there stood genuine love for their people far more often than behind the speeches of lying optimists and pseudo-patriots. But many, many people have had, and evidently will more than once still have, to repeat, or even multiply, the severe trials that fell to Jeremiah...
21 King Zedekiah in the siege sends to Jeremiah to enquire of the event, Jer 21:1-2.
He foretells a hard siege and miserable captivity, Jer 21:3-7.
He counsels the people to fall to the Chaldeans, Jer 21:8-10.
And upbraids the king's house, Jer 21:11-14.
21:2 Enquire - Zedekiah, as he was none of the best, so he was none of the worst of the kings of Judah. Having some reverence of God, he sends the prophet to enquire of the Lord.
21:8 Behold - I tell you the way you should take, if you would save your lives.
21:9 His life - This is a proverbial expression, signifying a man's possession of his life as a prey, or booty recovered from the enemy.
21:12 Execute judgment - That is, justice, without partiality, and do it quickly.
21:13 Of the valley - The inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem are here intended. Jerusalem itself was built in part upon the rocky mountain of Zion, but a great part was in the valley, and the higher mountains, about mount Zion, made that mountain itself, in comparison with them, as a valley. The plain - Though also a rock of the plain, that is, near to the plain. Which situation of this place, made the Jews think it to be impregnable.
21:14 The forest - By the forest he either means the forest of Lebanon or their houses, made of wood cut out of that forest.And it - And this fire shall not end in the destruction of this city, but in the total destruction of all the country round Jerusalem.