Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"You shall not die by the sword"
Text: Jeremiah 34:4
A SMALL WORD OF COMFORT
There was little to encourage Judah and Jerusalem. The nation and its capital would be vanquished by the Babylonians. But there was a small word of comfort for Zedekiah.
“Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah!
Thus says the LORD concerning you:
‘You shall not die by the sword. You shall die in peace;
as in the ceremonies of your fathers, the former kings who were before you,
so they shall burn incense for you and lament for you, saying,
‘Alas, lord!’
For I have pronounced the word, says the LORD.’
Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words
to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
when the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem
and all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and Azekah;
for only these fortified cities remained of the cities of Judah.”
Jeremiah 34:4-7
1. “Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah!
Thus says the LORD concerning you: ‘You shall not die by the sword'”
a) This was a personal and direct word for Zedekiah.
b) He would not die by the sword.
i) He would not die in battle.
ii) He would not suffer the fate of many who were slaughtered in the battle field.
2. “You shall die in peace; as in the ceremonies of your fathers, the former kings
who were before you, so they shall burn incense for you and lament for you, saying,
‘Alas, lord!’ For I have pronounced the word, says the LORD.”
a) Zedekiah would die in peace.
b) He would die, lamented by many.
i) People would burn incense in remembrance.
ii) They would speak words of sorrow, “Alas, lord!”
c) This word was decreed by the LORD.
3. “Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem”
a) Jeremiah personally spoke to Zedekiah.
b) This message was delivered to him in Jerusalem.
4. “When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem
and all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and Azekah;
for only these fortified cities remained of the cities of Judah”
a) The occasion was grim.
b) Babylon was conquering the cities of Judah.
c) Only two fortified cities remained at that time:
i) Lachish
ii) Azekah
iii) Both fortified cities held out a little longer than others.