Jeremiah 34: A Broken Covenant and a Looming Judgment
The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,
Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:
And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.
Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:
But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the Lord.
Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.
This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;
That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.
But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,
At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.
And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.
Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,
The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;
I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which are gone up from you.
Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.
Jeremiah 34 focuses on the events surrounding King Zedekiah's reign, a pivotal period marked by the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. This chapter reveals Zedekiah's character as a stubborn and rebellious leader, desperately seeking to escape the inevitable defeat at the hands of the Babylonians. Through Jeremiah, God persistently urged Zedekiah to cease his resistance and accept the impending discipline for the sins of Judah (Jeremiah 34:1-3).
Zedekiah's Futile Hope (Jeremiah 34:1-7)
The initial verses of Jeremiah 34 set the stage for the impending judgment. God's message to Zedekiah was clear: resistance was futile. It's noteworthy that God foretold Zedekiah would meet the King of Babylon face to face (Jeremiah 34:3), a prophecy fulfilled, albeit tragically, when Nebuchadnezzar blinded Zedekiah after capturing Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 25:7). However, amidst the judgment, God extended a measure of grace, promising Zedekiah a peaceful death and honorable burial (Jeremiah 34:5). This promise highlighted the path of obedience that Zedekiah ultimately chose to ignore.
The Covenant to Free the Slaves (Jeremiah 34:8-16)
Driven by desperation, Zedekiah attempted to gain favor with God by reviving an ancient Mosaic law. He commanded the release of all Hebrew slaves who had served for six years, according to the stipulation found in Exodus 21:2. Initially, the people obeyed, making a covenant before the Lord to set their fellow Jews free (Jeremiah 34:8-10, 13-15). This act of apparent repentance seemed promising.
However, the sincerity of their actions was short-lived. When the Babylonians temporarily withdrew from Jerusalem to confront the Egyptian army (see Jeremiah 37:5), the people seized the opportunity to re-enslave those they had freed (Jeremiah 34:11, 16). This blatant disregard for their covenant exposed the hypocrisy of their pledge. They interpreted the Babylonian withdrawal as a sign of God's deliverance, but their actions demonstrated a profound lack of genuine repentance. Their initial obedience pleased God, but their subsequent betrayal profaned His name (Jeremiah 34:15-16).
The Ironic Freedom (Jeremiah 34:17-22)
God, in turn, declared a bitter irony: a "freedom" to the sword, plague, and famine (Jeremiah 34:17). The people had ratified their covenant by passing between the divided halves of a sacrificial animal, a symbolic act of commitment. God declared that their corpses would suffer a similar fate (Jeremiah 34:18-20). The temporary reprieve from the Babylonian siege was just that—temporary. God promised to bring the Babylonian army back to Jerusalem to conquer and destroy it (Jeremiah 34:22).
The consequences were unavoidable. Zedekiah and the people of Judah could not escape the judgment they had brought upon themselves. The principle of sowing and reaping, as Paul later articulated in Galatians 6:7, held true: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."
Jeremiah 34 serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of genuine obedience and the consequences of broken covenants. It illustrates the futility of half-hearted repentance and the certainty of God's judgment on those who disregard His commands. It calls us to examine our own hearts, ensuring that our actions align with our words and that our commitment to God is unwavering.
The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth of his dominion, and all the people, fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities thereof, saying,
Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire:
And thou shalt not escape out of his hand, but shalt surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and thine eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with thee mouth to mouth, and thou shalt go to Babylon.
Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of thee, Thou shalt not die by the sword:
But thou shalt die in peace: and with the burnings of thy fathers, the former kings which were before thee, so shall they burn odours for thee; and they will lament thee, saying, Ah lord! for I have pronounced the word, saith the Lord.
Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defenced cities remained of the cities of Judah.
This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them;
That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go.
But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
Therefore the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondmen, saying,
At the end of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.
And ye were now turned, and had done right in my sight, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbour; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
But ye turned and polluted my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.
Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ye have not hearkened unto me, in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother, and every man to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a liberty for you, saith the Lord, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof,
The princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf;
I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life: and their dead bodies shall be for meat unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth.
And Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of them that seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which are gone up from you.
Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.
Jeremiah 34 focuses on the events surrounding King Zedekiah's reign, a pivotal period marked by the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. This chapter reveals Zedekiah's character as a stubborn and rebellious leader, desperately seeking to escape the inevitable defeat at the hands of the Babylonians. Through Jeremiah, God persistently urged Zedekiah to cease his resistance and accept the impending discipline for the sins of Judah (Jeremiah 34:1-3).
Zedekiah's Futile Hope (Jeremiah 34:1-7)
The initial verses of Jeremiah 34 set the stage for the impending judgment. God's message to Zedekiah was clear: resistance was futile. It's noteworthy that God foretold Zedekiah would meet the King of Babylon face to face (Jeremiah 34:3), a prophecy fulfilled, albeit tragically, when Nebuchadnezzar blinded Zedekiah after capturing Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 25:7). However, amidst the judgment, God extended a measure of grace, promising Zedekiah a peaceful death and honorable burial (Jeremiah 34:5). This promise highlighted the path of obedience that Zedekiah ultimately chose to ignore.
The Covenant to Free the Slaves (Jeremiah 34:8-16)
Driven by desperation, Zedekiah attempted to gain favor with God by reviving an ancient Mosaic law. He commanded the release of all Hebrew slaves who had served for six years, according to the stipulation found in Exodus 21:2. Initially, the people obeyed, making a covenant before the Lord to set their fellow Jews free (Jeremiah 34:8-10, 13-15). This act of apparent repentance seemed promising.
However, the sincerity of their actions was short-lived. When the Babylonians temporarily withdrew from Jerusalem to confront the Egyptian army (see Jeremiah 37:5), the people seized the opportunity to re-enslave those they had freed (Jeremiah 34:11, 16). This blatant disregard for their covenant exposed the hypocrisy of their pledge. They interpreted the Babylonian withdrawal as a sign of God's deliverance, but their actions demonstrated a profound lack of genuine repentance. Their initial obedience pleased God, but their subsequent betrayal profaned His name (Jeremiah 34:15-16).
The Ironic Freedom (Jeremiah 34:17-22)
God, in turn, declared a bitter irony: a "freedom" to the sword, plague, and famine (Jeremiah 34:17). The people had ratified their covenant by passing between the divided halves of a sacrificial animal, a symbolic act of commitment. God declared that their corpses would suffer a similar fate (Jeremiah 34:18-20). The temporary reprieve from the Babylonian siege was just that—temporary. God promised to bring the Babylonian army back to Jerusalem to conquer and destroy it (Jeremiah 34:22).
The consequences were unavoidable. Zedekiah and the people of Judah could not escape the judgment they had brought upon themselves. The principle of sowing and reaping, as Paul later articulated in Galatians 6:7, held true: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."
Jeremiah 34 serves as a sobering reminder of the importance of genuine obedience and the consequences of broken covenants. It illustrates the futility of half-hearted repentance and the certainty of God's judgment on those who disregard His commands. It calls us to examine our own hearts, ensuring that our actions align with our words and that our commitment to God is unwavering.