Put Your Trust in the LORD

Jeremiah 39:1-18 

(2 Kin. 25:1–12; Jer. 52:4–16)

1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem, and besieged it. 2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was penetrated.

3 Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sarezer, Rabmag, with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.

4 So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king's garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the plain. 5 But the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had captured him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him. 6 Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah. 7 Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. 8 And the Chaldeans burned the king's house and the houses of the people with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those who defected to him, with the rest of the people who remained. 10 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah the poor people, who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, 12 "Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you." 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon's chief officers; 14 then they sent someone to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people.

15 Meanwhile the word of the LORD had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, 16 "Go and speak to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I will bring My words upon this city for adversity and not for good, and they shall be performed in that day before you. 17 But I will deliver you in that day," says the LORD, "and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me," says the LORD.'"

Jerusalem finally fell to the Babylonian army after being attacked for about a year and a half.  The walls were eventually broken through as the defense weakened over time through starvation and the weariness of constant battle.  The princes of Babylon came to Jerusalem and king Zedekiah ran for his life with his fighters that were left.  The Chaldeans caught them in Jericho’s open ground and brought them back to Jerusalem to face their predestined end as Jeremiah had told the king.  The king of Babylon executed all Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes before extinguishing those as well.  Judah’s ruler was then bound and carried into captivity while his house and the city were burned behind him to cut off all apparent hope of return to fight another day.  The prophesied destruction of Jerusalem and its rulers was accomplished by God through the hand of the foreign king as told through Jeremiah to them all.  They had refused to repent and worship God, and their self reliance and nationalistic pride led to their captivity as their enslavement to sin instead of submission to Him had brought this harsh correction upon them.  Only the poor were left behind in the area of Jerusalem to tend the crops and vineyards left to them by Nebuzaradan the captain of the Babylonian guard.  This same Nebuzaradan was given orders by king Nebuchadnezzar to release Jeremiah and protect the prophet.  He was also to give the messenger of God all he asked for, presumably because he had been telling the people of Judah to surrender all those years, and just as probably while not grasping fully that it was the LORD God who was really saying these things to punish and discipline a remnant of His disobedient people before setting them free from Babylon and punishing her in the fullness of time after the appointed seventy years.  Before Jeremiah was set free, however, he had given assurances to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian (Jeremiah 38:7, 13) who had helped the man of God from death due to the wrongful imprisonment before.  The man was set free and kept alive for his faithfulness because he had trusted in the LORD.  That was faith under fire and part of God’s plan of deliverance for both Jeremiah and himself along with a future remnant of Gods people.  The people would be again set free from captivity as from Egypt (Jeremiah 7:25, 11:7, 23:7) in whom they now had put their trust in instead of in God according to his word through the prophet Jeremiah.  Do we put our trust in God alone through Christ by faith alone, or do we try to free ourselves in a nationalistic worship and reliance?  Only God delivers and only He controls the rise and fall of nations and their rulers (Job 12:23).  Yes, God’s chosen nation and people is not the United States or any other kingdom of man, but is the Kingdom of God that is the church (1 Peter 2:9), which includes the remnant of Israel along with all those called out from every nations in Christ as one new people who were not His people before (Romans 9:24-26).  May we then learn from Judah’s example and only put all our trust with God-given faith in the Lord who delivers us, even when we suffer and experience correction (Hebrews 12:5-6, 10-11).  Put your trust in the Lord!  Yes, God will deliver those from sin, death, and Hell who trust and act in belief on what He has said and done in Jesus Christ.  Just as the offer to those here through the prophet, so now to all through the final prophet over all prophets, the Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-4).  Our life eternal is the prize freely offered to us.  Trust, believing and receiving Him and His work of deliverance from God’s due wrath on our sin, and continue to trust Him for everything every day.