Jeremiah 34

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Jeremiah 34:1-22 (KJV) 

1 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, 

God spoke to Jeremiah during the fight.

Nebuchadnezzar, his army, the kingdoms under his authority, and all the people fought against little Jerusalem and against all the cities near Jerusalem.  This leads me to think that Nebuchadnezzar heard about the power of this tiny nation in comparison to his nation so he brought much more than he possibly needed.  Why? because God sent him to overtake Judah and He was with Him to remove them from the land He promised them because of their disobedience.  If God wanted to defend Judah, it would not have mattered how much power Necuchadnezzar brought.  He would have been defeated just because he thought about bothering Judah.  Again, because God wanted Judah removed, he sent Nebuchadnezzar.

2 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: 

3 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. 

Zedekiah thought that this was a war like any other nation coming against Judah.  He refused to hear Jeremiah as a spokesman for God. Now God is lovingly letting him know again more details about his fate.  Jeremiah's prophesies are happening, but Zedekiah has not put two and two together yet; perhaps he did not know God to treat Judah in such a manner as having them removed from the land he promised, no matter how they behaved.

Our actions display our faith.  If we continue to sin thinking our consequences are disconnected from our wrong choices, we have been decieved.

4 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: 

Zedekiah learns of his death.

5 [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. 

Zedekiah will have a royal funeral.  To hear God say how you are going to die is mind-boggling,  I think.  God said I pronounce your death and people will mourn because you are dead.

6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spake all these words unto Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem, 

Jeremiah continued telling Zedekiah what God told him to say.

7 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. 

Jeremiah spoke while the war was going on.

8 [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; 

God spoke to Jeremiah after Zedekiah told the people to proclaim freedom;

9 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. 

Zedekiah told the people to let the slaves go free because their time was up.  I wonder if Zedekiah thinks of this because God was angry and he was trying to do something good to make God ease up.

10 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.

The people obeyed Zedekiah and let the people go free.

 11 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. 

But then they changed their mind and told the people you cannot have your freedom papers.  

12 Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 

Then God spoke to Jeremiah concerning the people's action;

13 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, 

14 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. 

God told Jeremiah the law concerning the voluntary slavery act.  He said your ancestors did not obey and now you are doing as they did.

Even in hard times God expects us to do what is right.

15 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: 

You started out obeying what I said by letting the people go and you did right in My face and in My house:

16 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. 

But you made My Word stink by going back on your word in letting them go.

17 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. 

Since you did not give them freedom, I will give you the freedom to die and be removed all over the earth. 

18 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, 

God said  the men who transgressed my covenant by customary acts of making a promise,

19 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; 

All those who made this covenant and shed the blood of animals;  all those who swore by the blood of the animal they sliced in half;

20 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.

Because you did not keep your word, I will see to it that your life is taken.  You will not have a funeral, your bodies will lie in an open field and the birds and beasts of the earth will eat for meat. 

21 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. 

As for Zedekiah and those on his team, I will turn over to the king of Babylon's army.

22 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.

I will command your enemies' army to return and set this city on fire and it will not have anyone left to inhabit it.