Je 38
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Then 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 (Jer 38:1), Jeremiah said to all the people,
Thus saith the LORD, He that remains in this city shall die by the sword, or the famine, or the pestilence: but he that shall surrender to the Chaldeans will live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it. Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let's put this man to death: for he is weakening the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all of the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man is seeking not the welfare of this people, but the hurt. Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king can do nothing against you. Then they took Jeremiah, and cast him in 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 (Jer 38:2-6).
Very graphic, sad picture of a man who is being punished for doing the will of God. The Bible speaks about being punished for doing good. If you take it well, then surely God dwells in you. Many times we are punished for doing evil. There's no credit or value of taking that well. But if when you are doing good you suffer for it and you take it well, then that gives some real proof of the Christian experience. You see, it is possible to suffer according to the will of God or it is possible to suffer as the result of doing the will of God. It is wrong to think that because you are a child of God that somehow God is going to miraculously spare you from trouble. That you won't have any problems because you surrendered your life to the Lord. That is not true. As a child of God, we are exposed to the wrath of this world that is stored up against God. Now they cannot strike God so they strike God's representatives. The world does not want to hear the truth of God. And if you dare to speak the truth of God, the world will hate you.
Jesus said if you were of the world then the world would love you. But you are not of the world. You're a threat to the world. They don't want to hear the truth of God's Word. Especially do they not want to hear of the coming judgment of God against the wicked. And that's the message that Jeremiah was declaring. "God is going to judge you for your iniquities. The judgment of God is coming. There's no sense trying to defend yourself against the Babylonians because God has already determined to give you into their hands. And if you try to defend yourself, you're only going to die either by the sword or the pestilence or the famine. Now if you'll surrender, you'll live. You'll be saved alive. But if you resist, they're going to kill you." Now these men said, "Hey, king, that's treasonous. You see, he is demoralizing all of the army. These guys aren't wanting to fight because he's demoralizing them, telling them they're going to get beat. Now, we ought to kill him." And Zedekiah said, "Well, he's in your hands. I won't do anything against you." So they grabbed Jeremiah and let him down in this dungeon. And in the bottom of the dungeon, no water, just this mire. And Jeremiah began to sink in this mire.
Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king was sitting in the gate of Benjamin; Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spoke to the king, saying, My 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 likely to die there for hunger where he is: for there is no more bread in the city. Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take with you thirty men, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he dies. So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and they 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. And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under your armpits there. And Jeremiah did so. So they drew up Jeremiah with the cords (Jer 38:7-13),
He was no doubt stuck in the mud in the bottom and so they had to, made sort of a sling and put it under his arms and all with the rotten rags so it wouldn't hurt him too bad. And then the cords underneath, and they gently lifted him out of this mire into which he had sunk there in the bottom of the dungeon.
and so they took him out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained there in the court of the prison. Then 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 you a thing; now don't hide anything from me. Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto you, will you not surely put me to death? and if I give you counsel, you won't listen to me anyhow (Jer 38:13-15).
Why do you want me to tell you anything? If I tell you the truth you'll put me to death. If I tell you what's really happening, you're not going to listen anyhow, so what's the use?
So Zedekiah the king swore 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 your life (Jer 38:16).
So Zedekiah made a covenant with Jeremiah that he would neither kill him nor turn him over to the men who wanted to kill him.
Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If you will assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then your soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and you shall live, and your house (Jer 38:17):
You and your whole house will be able to live if you'll just go over and surrender. If you'll just go out and surrender to them, you'll be able to live and your whole family.
But if you will 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 you will not escape out of their hand. And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that have fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me. But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beg thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live (Jer 38:18-20).
So here is Jeremiah pleading with Zedekiah. "Now look, they won't deliver you to the Jews. I beg you, listen to what God has to say. Obey the Lord, it's for your own good."
To me it is always strange that people will reject God's truth. So many times we find ourselves in a position of seeing what's happening. Seeing what's going to happen. Seeing the path that a person is on and knowing that it's a path of destruction. And we beg them, "Look, don't do that." And you hear all of these lame excuses that they have for going on in their sin. And you can see how it's destroying them. And you plead and you beg, but they won't hearken. Oh, how sad and tragic that is when people turn a deaf ear to the voice of God. When people refuse to hearken to the warnings that God sends. What's left? If you won't listen to God, if you won't listen to the warning of God, what's left? God has left no alternative. He must then bring His judgment against the wicked. He gives man every opportunity to turn. He sends His servants to plead with men to turn. And if they refuse the voice of God, God has left no choice. There comes, then, that certain judgment of God against the unrighteous and the ungodly.
Jeremiah said, "If you will go, it will be well with you and you will live."
But if you refuse to go, this is the word that the LORD has showed me: And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house will 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. So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire. Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Don't let any man know these words, and you will not die. But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come unto you, and say unto you, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, don't hide it from us, and we will not put you to death; also what did the king said unto you: Then you shall 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 (Jer 38:21-26).
"Just tell them that you asked me not to send you back to Jonathan's house," which Jeremiah did ask the king. He said, "Please don't send me back to Jonathan's house lest I die there." So the king said, "If they ask you what you said to me, just tell them that you asked me not to send you back to Jonathan's house," which thing Jeremiah did ask him. Then all of the princes came 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 (Jer 38:27).
Jeremiah didn't tell them all the truth, but told them a truth, but not all of the truth.
So Jeremiah remained there in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken (Jer 38:28).
God gave every opportunity unto Zedekiah to spare himself and the people if he would only listen and obey the voice of God.