King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 10 notes
1Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,
2Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.
3Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.
The Lord of hosts, the mighty man of war... had by his wisdom and watchers and divine beings on the ground assessed all the data and knew that surely Jerusalem and Judah shall fall.
I believe data on the size of the army of the Chaldeans, other battles to be fought aside Jerusalem, ammunition and supplies left etc. had been provided, and it was obvious Jerusalem would fall.
4Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
5Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.
After all the good Jeremiah had done in warning the king 👑, and at this time that his warnings ⚠ were being fulfilled right before their eyes,
he allows the leaders to have their way, as such weak-willed politicians tend to be.
With the truth staring at him, all he needed to do was repent and ask the way out.
He should have put on ashes and sackcloth and fasted so the Lord has mercy on him.
Was he not the same king that secretly desired of a word from Jeremiah, yet he wanted not to repent, so turned a deaf ear to the Lord?
Now he hands over Jeremiah to these wicked people, though Jeremiah had pleaded not to be sent back there.
That request was granted, but for a while, it seemed.
6Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.
7Now when Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;
8Ebed-melech went forth out of the king’s house, and spake to the king, saying,
9My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.
10Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.
Hmm. This king... He was in a quagmire... Everything was falling apart, so he himself approved something and later another thing else.
The game of politics: after having approved the imprisonment of Jeremiah, now he commands his release to a different group of people, to go with thirty men in case there was hindrance.
Why couldn't or didn't he ask the first group to go release Jeremiah? Because the game of politics must be well played, lest you destroy your kingdom and that which you have built.
The same king that agreed for Jeremiah to be put to death, barely days later agreed to have him freed. He who has the ears of the king must be feared.
I see also the pressures of the kingdom. His city and rulership was under threat, and he was going to do all in his power to keep power. He had many voices speaking to him, and he had to, in the midst of the myriads of suggestions, choose what was best.
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.
I am beginning to understand why he would not heed Jeremiah's words. There were many different voices, including other prophets, saying the opposite.
Not to mention the fact that he was an idolater, and succumbing to Jehovah would mean him worshipping him only.
So in the corridors of power, the fact that you are right and have the truth does not mean you will be heard. So you have got to be smart and work your way for your truth to be heard and taken.
This indeed is the corridors of power. The forces are many there.
11So Ebed-melech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.
12And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.
13So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
14Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.
15Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?
16So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.
17Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:
Ah... The way out was given, but it was not to be heeded.
He was too far down the pit of self-hope and the delusion of kingship to heed this warning.
Jeremiah knew by now that they would not heed, but he had to try at least.
18But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
19And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.
20But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
21But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me:
22And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah’s house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.
23So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.
24Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.
25But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:
The king's hands and reign was faint and not as it ought to be. Some of his own people, the Jews, had defected to the Chaldeans, and he had to be tactful with the rest of the people who were still with him.
Similar events happened in David's time, where he had to find a smart way of getting rid of Joab, though Joab was heartless and killed all potential successors.
The games of power: kings may have the appearance of omnipotence, but power is indeed fragile and must be handled and harnessed wisely, lest you lose it all.
It can be very fragile.
When his predecessor was captured (Jehoiakim), he was chained and put in prison; he was suddenly rendered to nothing and indeed made to feel that way. All his resolve and kingliness was taken from him. The point was to render him hopeless.
26Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan’s house, to die there.
27Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.
28So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.
Again another strategic imprisonment... i.e. he was in the prison, and by now, after all these years, the Chaldeans might have heard of this prophet who had been prophesying in their favour, or
when they invaded the king's house and asked what Jeremiah's crime was, it was told them that he prophesied of this day, and thus they set him free.