Jeremiah 39:1-40:6; 45, 52

Finally the day came when all the punishment God had promised through Jeremiah came to pass.  The scene was powerful when the princes of Babylon sat in the middle gate of the city (the gate between the upper and lower parts of Jerusalem).  These mighty men, undoubtedly dressed in their official robes, represented the gods (Nergal-Sharezer and Samgar-Nebo are names taken from those gods) and the government of Babylon (Rab-saris, ruler of the eunuchs or ‘civil servants’ as we might say; Rab-mag, ruler of the wise men).  This would have instilled great fear in those left in the city, and in those, including the king, who had fled to the south in vain to escape the impending horrors (40:4-9).  God had warned His people of these “horrors” and had given them a means of escape.  For most His gracious offer had been rejected.

But God had also made other promises, promises of deliverance.  Peter reminds us in 2 Peter 2:9, “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” (cf. Ps. 34:15-19).  The Lord has many ways to do this, but is always faithful.  This tragic event in history is no different.

·        39:9: Those who defected to the Babylonians were delivered.  The label defector is usually not good.  But God made the choice of faith clear (Jer. 17:5-8): only those who gave themselves up would be saved (21:9).

·        39:11-14: Jeremiah was delivered and permitted by God to remain with the new governor, Gedaliah.  This had been God’s promise (15:19-21).

·        39:15-18: Ebed-Melech, who had been influential in delivering Jeremiah from confinement in the cistern, and who was a godly man in an ungodly government, also was delivered.  This also had been God’s promise.

·        45:1-5: We also find out later that Jeremiah’s trusted aide, Baruch, had also been promised deliverance from the Babylonians.  Again, God kept His word.

·        52:28-30: Of course, people already taken captive to Babylon were also blessed by God, as He had promised in the letter recorded in Jer. 29.

·        52:31-34: And also delivered, in time, was Jehoiachin.  He had been king briefly after the death of his father Jehoiakim.  He had been taken to Babylon.  He was also known as “Coniah”, and would not reign because of the evil of his father; yet God here shows mercy towards the end of his life.

Whatever else we may glean from this, the point is that the faithful God is the sovereign God!  This is the most hopeless situation for the people of Judah.  The intimidation of the princes of Nebuchadnezzar might even cause the righteous to despair.  But may our faith never be so frail.  Remember: Nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing, is too difficult for God (32:17).  God knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation.  GOD CAN AND WILL KEEP HIS WORD.