February 22, Jeremiah 21
"And to this people you shall say: 'Thus says the LORD: Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out and surrenders to the Chaldeans who are besieging you shall live and shall have his life as a prize of war." - Jeremiah 21:8-9
We all make choices every day. Most of them seem to be insignificant. What I choose to wear today or what I decide to eat for lunch is a small detail I won't even remember in a few days. But we recognize some choices are big ones, decisions that will affect the rest of our lives. When we choose a certain career path or marriage partner, that decision shapes us day by day for years to come.
After centuries of terrible choices, the last piece of the kingdom of Israel was about to come to a tragic end. They had chosen to serve false gods instead of the true and mighty God who had blessed them and given them their land. They chose to ignore the warnings and the prophets who delivered God's word to them. They chose ungodliness over holiness. God had been patient with them for generations and centuries. But finally, all their bad choices brought about their ruin. The nation would fall. Their temple and capital city would be destroyed. God had been their ally, giving them victory over their enemies. Now God would fight against them and empower their enemies to defeat them. Their foolish choices led to fatal consequences for the southern kingdom of Judah. They would fall, just as northern kingdom of Israel had fallen over a century before.
About 20 years passed between the words and events of Chapters 20 and 21. During that time, the people and their evil leaders saw Jeremiah's prophecies come true. The Babylonians invaded the land and took the smaller cities. The enemy forces were now besieging Jerusalem. Leaders who had mocked Jeremiah now came to him begging him to intercede for them with God. They still made no mention of their sinful disobedience or gave any indication of turning away from their sins. They just came crying, "Help!" But this time there would be no deliverance for the kingdom. God had determined it would be destroyed.
The nation was doomed, but God still offered a choice to the individuals. Many thousands would die from the famine, disease and the swords of the Chaldean warriors. But God offered the people a choice that would determine whether they would live or die. Jerusalem and everyone in it would perish. But God offered the people an opportunity to escape and flee to the countryside to avoid certain death from staying in the doomed city. They would escape with their lives, but they would still be carried away into captivity. Granted, it was a choice between two undesirable alternatives. They ran out of good choices because they persisted in making the terrible choice of disobeying God. But they could still choose to live by listening (for once) to God's faithful prophet and getting out of town before it was too late.
Centuries later, Jesus would warn his disciples about fleeing Jerusalem when the Romans were approaching. History tells us that not one Christian died in the massive slaughter and destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. In the same way, it seems that God warned the faithful remnant who served him and listened to Jeremiah. They would go into captivity for some years, but their lives would be spared. The Messianic promises would still come true through the offspring of those survivors.
There are some clear lessons for you and me in this chapter. We also make choices that lead to consequences. No good consequence ever comes from disobeying God. As God said, these people were being punished "according to the fruit of their deeds."
Let's also remember that it is not wise to neglect warnings from God. God may use your own Bible study, a preacher's words or even the words of a song to send us clear warnings about something we ought to do. Wise people will pay attention to those words of caution.
And let's remember that when God is for us, we cannot lose. But when he fights against us because we are not obeying him, we cannot win. Israel experienced both those situations. We'd do well to learn from their sad example and choose life instead of death.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—February 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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