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It has finally happened. Babylon is bearing down on Judah and God is allowing it to happen. He has warned them over so many chapters of this coming doom if they did not repent of their sins. Ironically, the first person they call is… wait for it… wait for it… Jeremiah! This is the same man they laughed at, mocked, put in stocks, and beat when everything was going well for them. The same man who back in Jeremiah 38 had been cast into the dungeon for his alleged disloyalty to the kingdom. Now, King Zedekiah is desperate and in that desperation, he is hoping the Lord will intervene for Judah.
But it’s too little, too late. The Lord answers through Jeremiah…
‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I am about to repel the weapons of war in your hands, those you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall, and I will bring them into the center of this city. [5] I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, with anger, rage, and intense wrath. [6] I will strike the residents of this city, both people and animals. They will die in a severe plague.
Jeremiah 21:4-6 CSB
God goes on to say that if they surrender, they will live, but if they try and stay in the city, they will die by sword, famine, or plague. In other words, surrendering = life. Not much has changed today.
It’s easy to relax and ignore God when things are going well and we’re comfortable. But as soon as everything blows up we come running back begging for his help. Yet in this, God still offers grace. It is the grace of surrender. None of these people deserve to live, but Jeremiah tells them that if they surrender they will at least be able to stay alive. They will be in captivity, but they will be alive. If not, then they will die a horrible death. This is a metaphor for our relationship with God. When we do things “our way” we will experience pain and exile. When we surrender everything over to the Lord, He promises life.
These people have wanted nothing to do with God for several chapters now. Their disobedience has been offensive and completely selfish. They have worshiped false gods and even sacrificed their own children to them. The fact that God would still allow them to live is a testament to his grace and mercy. We must understand that God does not have to give these people a path to life. They deserve death just like we do. But in His grace, there is a path to life, and the same is true today.