CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Jeremiah 27
Chapter 27 of 52
Chapter Overview
What happens in Jeremiah 27
God tells Jeremiah to make a yoke and put it on his neck as a visual message to the kings of surrounding nations. God has given all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar. Any nation that submits to Babylon will be allowed to stay in its land, but those that resist will be destroyed. The false prophets who promise a quick return of the temple treasures are lying.
Scripture
Jeremiah 27
The Yoke of Babylon
Study note
God tells Jeremiah to make a yoke of straps and crossbars and wear it on his neck. He is to send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. God made the earth and gives it to whomever he chooses. He has given all these lands to Nebuchadnezzar. Nations that submit will stay in their land; those that resist will be destroyed.
1 Early in King Zedekiah's rule, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Zedekiah was the son of Josiah, king of Judah. In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 The Lord said to me, "Make a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars, and put it on your neck." Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck,
3 "Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Their envoys are now in Jerusalem. They came to see King Zedekiah of Judah." And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah;
4 "Give them instructions for their kings and say, 'The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, wants you to tell your masters this:'" And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters;
5 "'I am the one who made the earth, along with all the people and animals on it, using my great power and mighty arm. And I give it to anyone I choose.'" I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me.
6 "'Right now, I have given all these lands to my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even given him the wild animals to serve him.'" And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
7 "'Every nation will serve him, then his son, and then his grandson, until the time comes for his own land to fall. Then many nations and powerful kings will make Babylon serve them.'" And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
8 "'I will punish any nation that will not serve Babylon's king,' says the Lord. 'I will bring war, hunger, and disease. I will crush them through him.'" And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.
9 "'Do not listen to your prophets or fortune-tellers. Do not trust your dream readers, psychics, or magic workers. They say you will not have to serve Babylon's king. They are lying.'" Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:
10 "'They are telling you lies, and their lies will only get you dragged far from your homeland. I will force you out of your land and you will die.'" For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.
11 "'But any nation that bows under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him — I will let that nation stay in its own land,' says the Lord. 'Its people will continue to farm it and live there.'" But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
A Message to King Zedekiah
Study note
Jeremiah gives the same message directly to King Zedekiah of Judah. He urges him to submit to Babylon and live. The prophets who say otherwise are lying and were not sent by God.
12 I gave King Zedekiah of Judah the same message. I said, "Bow under the yoke of the king of Babylon. Serve him and his people, and you will live." I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.
13 "Why would you and your people choose to die by war, famine, and disease? That is what the Lord has promised will happen to any nation that won't serve the king of Babylon." Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?
14 "Don't believe the prophets who tell you, 'You won't have to serve the king of Babylon.' They are feeding you lies." Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
15 "'I did not send them,' says the Lord. 'They are lying to you in my name. If you listen to them, I will drive you out, and you will all die — both you and the prophets who are lying to you.'" For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.
Warning About the Temple Treasures
Study note
Jeremiah warns the priests and people not to listen to prophets who claim the temple vessels will be returned from Babylon soon. In fact, the remaining vessels will also be taken to Babylon. They will stay there until the day God brings them back.
16 I also told the priests and all the people, "The Lord says: Don't listen to the prophets who tell you, 'The treasures from the Lord's Temple will be brought back from Babylon soon.' They are lying to you." Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.
17 "Don't believe them. Serve the king of Babylon and stay alive. Why should this city be turned into ruins?" Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?
18 "If these men are truly prophets with the Lord's message, then let them pray to the Lord of Armies. Let them ask that the treasures still left in the Lord's Temple, the king's palace, and Jerusalem will not be carried off to Babylon too." But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.
19 The Lord of Armies has a word about certain items. He speaks of the bronze pillars, the bronze basin, and the stands. He speaks of all the costly things still in this city. For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city,
20 These are the items that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left behind. He left them when he took King Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim of Judah away from Jerusalem to Babylon. He also took all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem. Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem;
21 Yes, this is what the Lord of Armies says. He is the God of Israel. He speaks of the items still in the Lord's Temple, the king's palace, and Jerusalem. Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem;
22 "They too will be carried to Babylon and will stay there until the day I come for them," says the Lord. "At that time, I will bring them back and return them to this place." They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.
Key Themes
Themes in Jeremiah 27
Submission to God's sovereign planGod's authority over all nationsThe yoke as a symbol of servitudeRejecting false prophets' easy promisesGod using pagan rulers for His purposes
Apply This Today
Living Jeremiah 27
God sometimes works through unexpected and even unwelcome instruments. Submitting to God's plan, even when it involves hardship, is always wiser than following pleasant-sounding lies. True faith may require accepting difficult circumstances as part of God's larger purpose.
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