Jeremias 37

1 THE WORD THAT CAME TO JEREMIAS FROM THE LORD, SAYING,

2 Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write all the words which I have spoken to thee in a book.

3 For, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel and Juda, said the Lord: and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they shall be lords of it.

4 AND THESE ARE THE WORDS WHICH THE LORD SPOKE CONCERNING ISRAEL AND JUDA;

5 Thus said the Lord: Ye shall hear a sound of fear, fear, and there is not peace.

6 Enquire, and see if a male has born a child? and concerning the fear, wherein they shall hold their loins, and safety: for I have seen every man, and his hands are on his loins; faces are turned to paleness.

7 For that day is great, and there is not such ; and it is a time of straitness to Jacob; but he shall be saved out of it.

8 In that day, said the Lord, I will break the yoke off their neck, and will burst their bonds, and they shall no longer serve strangers:

9 but they shall serve the Lord their God; and I will raise up to them David their king.

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12 Thus saith the Lord; I have brought on destruction; thy stroke is painful.

13 There is none to judge thy cause: thou hast been painfully treated for healing, there is no help for thee.

14 All thy friends have forgotten thee; they shall not ask at all, for I have smitten thee with he stroke of an enemy, severe correction: thy sins have abounded above all thine iniquity.

15 Thy sins have abounded beyond the multitude of thine iniquities, they have done these things to thee. Therefore all that devour thee shall be eaten, and all thine enemies shall eat all their flesh.

16 And they that spoil thee shall become a spoil, and I will give up to be plundered all that have plundered thee.

17 For I will bring about thy healing, I will heal thee of thy grievous wound, saith the Lord; for thou art called Dispersed: she is your prey, for no one seeks after her.

18 Thus said the Lord; Behold, I will turn the captivity of Jacob, and will have pity upon his prisoners; and the city shall be built upon her hill, and the people shall settle after their manner.

19 And there shall go forth from them singers, the sound of men making merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not at all be diminished.

20 And their sons shall go in as before, and their testimonies shall be established before me, and I will visit them that afflict them.

21 And their mighty ones shall be over them, and their prince shall proceed of themselves; and I will gather them, and they shall return to me: for who is this that has set his heart to return to me? saith the Lord.

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23 For the wrathful anger of the lord has gone forth, a whirlwind of anger has gone forth: it shall come upon the ungodly.

24 The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he shall execute , and until he shall establish the purpose of his heart: in the latter days ye shall know these things.

Jeremias 37 Commentary

Chapter 37

The Chaldean army will return. (1-10) Jeremiah is imprisoned. (11-21)

Verses 1-10 Numbers witness the fatal effects of other men's sins, yet heedlessly step into their places, and follow the same destructive course. When in distress, we ought to desire the prayers of ministers and Christian friends. And it is common for those to desire to be prayed for, who will not be advised; yet sinners are often hardened by a pause in judgments. But if God help us not, no creature can. Whatever instruments God has determined to use, they shall do the work, though they seem unlikely.

Verses 11-21 There are times when it is the wisdom of good men to retire, to enter into their chambers, and to shut the doors, ( Isaiah 26:20 ) . Jeremiah was seized as a deserter, and committed to prison. But it is no new thing for the best friends of the church to be belied, as in the interests of her worst enemies. When thus falsely accused, we may deny the charge, and commit our cause to Him who judges righteously. Jeremiah obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful, and would not, to obtain mercy of man, be unfaithful to God or to his prince; he tells the king the whole truth. When Jeremiah delivered God's message, he spake with boldness; but when he made his own request, he spake submissively. A lion in God's cause must be a lamb in his own. And God gave Jeremiah favour in the eyes of the king. The Lord God can make even the cells of a prison become pastures to his people, and will raise up friends to provide for them, so that in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 37

This chapter makes mention of the reign of Zedekiah, and what happened in it; of his message to Jeremiah, to pray for the kingdom; of the king of Babylonian's raising the siege of Jerusalem, on hearing the king of Egypt was coming to its relief; of the assurance the prophet gave that the Chaldean army would return again, and destroy the city; of the prophet's attempt to depart the city, his imprisonment, conversation with Zedekiah, and his clemency to him. A short account is given of Zedekiah, and of the disobedience of him and his people to the word of the Lord, Jer 37:1,2; of the message sent by him to the prophet to pray for them, Jer 37:3; the time, when Jeremiah was at liberty, and the siege of Jerusalem was raised, Jer 37:4,5; the prophet's answer to them from the Lord, assuring them the Chaldeans would return and burn the city, Jer 37:6-10; the prophet attempting to go out of the city is stopped, and charged as a deserter to the Chaldeans; is had before the princes, and beat and imprisoned, Jer 37:11-15; but the king sending for him out of prison, and having some private discourse with him, upon the prophet's expostulation and intercession, his confinement was mitigated, and bread allowed him, Jer 37:16-21.