Jer-21

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The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying,

"Please inquire of Yahweh for us; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes war against us. Perhaps Yahweh will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may withdraw from us."

Then Jeremiah said to them, "Tell Zedekiah:

'Yahweh, the God of Israel says, "Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and I will gather them into the middle of this city.

I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, in wrath, and in great indignation.

I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and animal. They will die of a great pestilence.

Afterward," says Yahweh, "I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, his servants, and the people, even those who are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life. He will strike them with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them, have pity, or have mercy."'

"You shall say to this people, 'Yahweh says: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.

He who remains in this city will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; but he who goes out and passes over to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he will live, and he will escape with his life.

For I have set my face on this city for evil, and not for good," says Yahweh. "It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire."'

"Concerning the house of the king of Judah, hear Yahweh's word:

House of David, Yahweh says, 'Execute justice in the morning, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my wrath go out like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.

Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley, and of the rock of the plain,' says Yahweh. 'You that say, "Who would come down against us?" or "Who would enter into our homes?"

I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, says Yahweh; and I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it will devour all that is around her.'"

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Even after generations of sin and rebellion from God's people, still God has mercy and pity on them. Like those who painted the blood on their doorpost in The Passover, those who surrendered to the Chaldeans would live. This requires humility to acknowledge that we would not survive the siege, and humility to recognize that God has a right to tell me what to do, and it requires trust and faith to believe that if I surrender to the Chaldeans, they will not immediately kill me on the spot. Note here also, that God makes no promise that the Chaldeans will not beat me, or bruise me, or take me as their slave. But I will escape with my life. So following this command to surrender to them also requires faith and trust that whatever happens, no matter how painful it may be God will provide and protect me. Surely God did do exactly that, several times. Just look at the lives of Daniel and his peers. They were not only protected by God on several occasions but God gave them favor and elevated them to magnificent positions. It is worth it to trust in the Lord.