In previous weeks we’ve seen time and time again how the prophet Jeremiah had warned the people of Judah. He told them if they continued in their sin that God would deliver them over to the Babylonians. Then, when the people didn’t turn to God, God’s judgment was pronounced as sure to come. Yet, even in this, Jeremiah pleaded with them to submit to Babylon and specifically that King Zedekiah of Judah ought to surrender to King Nebuchadnezzar. The captivity was sure, but there would be less pain if they would simply submit.
Unfortunately, despite Jeremiah’s faithfulness to share God’s message, the people didn’t listen. Jeremiah, in obedience to God, warns them again and again and the message falls on deaf ears. We see the consequences of this in Jeremiah 39. Zedekiah was told to submit to Nebuchadnezzar, but instead he rebels. When Jerusalem’s wall is broken down, he flees. Nebuchadnezzar’s men catch him and the last thing he sees before he is blinded is the killing of his sons. All of this would’ve been avoided had they simply listened to God’s pleas through the prophet. The temple wouldn’t have been destroyed, and Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, and Zerubbabel wouldn’t have to later concern themselves with it. The walls wouldn’t have been destroyed, and Nehemiah wouldn’t have had to concern himself with rebuilding. The final conquest and razing of Jerusalem would’ve been avoided had King Zedekiah simply obeyed God and surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar.
This passage, like many others, teaches us of the faithfulness of God. In this sense, His faithfulness is a fearful thing. When God threatens to bring judgment, He fulfills His word. Many parents will threaten their children with various consequences for disobedience, and when the child disobeys it’s hard for parents to follow through. The proposed consequences are intended as a deterrent that will turn them towards obedience, and then they might look you straight in the face as they disobey. It puts dad or mom in the hot seat because now the question is, “Will you hold up to your word to bring consequences?”
God isn’t like the parents who threaten and then don’t act. He pronounces judgment under certain conditions, and He fulfills His Word. He might give opportunities for repentance, but there comes a time when judgment is sure. The Apostle John once wrote, “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12). Throughout the New Testament we see the gospel proclaimed that forgiveness of sin is in Christ and in Christ alone. Just as the prophets of old pleaded with God’s people to turn from their sin or face the consequences of judgment, so the Christian today is entrusted with God’s message that people ought to turn to Christ or they will one day face judgment and eternal separation from God. God is a faithful God who keeps all of His promises. The ones we like, and the ones that cause us to tremble.
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