Jeremiah 34 “The Sin of Treating God with Contempt”

Jeremiah 34 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:                                                             

• Give Us Clean Hands – Chris Tomlin
• Cody Carnes ~ Nothing Else
• Pat Barrett | Build My Life feat Chris Tomlin

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• What Is Honesty? – Lesson for Kids
• He Knows My Name – Song for Kids
• I Have Decided | Cave Quest VBS Music Video | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Won’t Worry ‘Bout A Thing | Shipwrecked VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth are located in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

The events recorded in chapter 34 occurred before the events recorded in chapters 32–33. When Babylon began attacking Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (v. 1).

The Lord first spoke about the fate of King Zedekiah. Jerusalem would be taken by Nebuchadnezzar, and Zedekiah would be taken to Babylon. However, the Lord said that he would die there in peace and that people would mourn for him (vv. 2–5). Jeremiah delivered this message to King Zedekiah, and around this time, most of the towns of Judah had already fallen into Babylonian hands (vv. 6–7).

Before these events, King Zedekiah had made a covenant with the residents of Jerusalem to free their slaves (v. 8). The Law forbids a Hebrew from taking another Hebrew as a slave, and if someone had been forced into servitude because of debt, the Law commands that they be released in the Sabbath year (the year that comes every seven years; Lev. 25). The nobles of Jerusalem had not kept this law. Faced with a national crisis, Zedekiah proposed that the nobles release their slaves according to the Sabbath-year law.

There were likely two reasons behind this proposal. First, it was an act of repentance for their injustice, hoping that God would show favor upon seeing their action. Second, once the slaves were freed, they could be mobilized for war. The slave owners accepted Zedekiah’s proposal because they were more urgently focused on defending themselves against Babylon’s attack (vv. 9–10). In the temple, they slaughtered a calf, cut it in half, and passed between the pieces as a solemn act of covenant-making, pledging to keep the agreement (v. 18).

Not long after, the king of Egypt, responding to Zedekiah’s request for help, marched up to attack Babylon. While the battle was ongoing, the Egyptian army attacked from the rear, so Nebuchadnezzar stopped his assault on Jerusalem and turned to fight the Egyptians. When Babylon’s attack ceased, the nobles of Jerusalem assumed the danger had passed and re-enslaved the people they had set free (v. 11).

At that moment, the Lord gave a message to Jeremiah (v. 12). The Lord first rebuked the people of Judah for failing to observe the Sabbath-year law regarding slaves (vv. 13–14). In their moment of crisis, they made a covenant in the temple to free their slaves and carried it out. Up to that point, they could have been commended. But they changed their minds and committed the evil of taking back the slaves they had freed (vv. 15–16). The Lord rebuked them for adding evil upon evil and declared that He would bring judgment upon them (v. 17). Those who passed between the two pieces of the calf and made the solemn oath would face destruction (vv. 18–20). Neither the king nor the officials would be able to escape this judgment (vv. 21–22).

Meditation:

There is a saying, “In the face of crisis, everyone becomes a theist.” When people encounter a crisis so great that human strength cannot solve it, they instinctively look for a transcendent power. In the midst of a national crisis, King Zedekiah searched for a way to gain God’s favor. While doing so, he remembered that the Sabbath-year law and the Year of Jubilee had not been observed in Judah for a long time. Zedekiah thought that if he enforced those laws, not only would he receive God’s favor, but he could also mobilize the freed slaves for war. He believed it was a brilliant solution that would accomplish two goals at once.

The nobles of Jerusalem agreed to Zedekiah’s proposal. Releasing their slaves seemed like a far smaller loss than losing the war. But when the immediate crisis disappeared because of Egypt’s military campaign, they changed their minds as easily as flipping their palms over and took back the slaves they had freed. What they did was not repentance arising from recognizing their wrongdoing but a trick for survival.

As I read and meditate on this story, the words “Do not treat God with contempt” come to mind. The New Korean Revised Version translates Galatians 6:7 as, “Do not deceive yourselves. God cannot be mocked.” King Zedekiah and the nobles of Jerusalem treated God lightly. They foolishly believed that God would be fooled by their schemes.

God looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). Whatever we do, we must do it sincerely. Otherwise, we cannot move His heart. God declares that He will judge the king and the nobles of Jerusalem for treating Him with contempt. Not long afterward, the Egyptian army suffered a counterattack by the Babylonians and retreated. The Babylonian army then turned back toward Jerusalem, resumed its assault, and eventually destroyed the city completely.

Prayer:

As we read about the nobles of Jerusalem, we see ourselves. Even though we know that You see everything in our hearts—even what we do not recognize—we are often not honest or sincere before You. We offer poor excuses and follow our corrupt desires. So today again we fall before You. Have mercy on us and help us treat You as the Lord You truly are. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God sees our hearts, not just our actions. When we try to “look good” on the outside but our hearts are not sincere, God knows. True obedience and true repentance come from honesty before God—not from trying to use God to solve our problems. God invites us to be real, honest, and sincere with Him.

• For Preschool-Elementary:
  • Why do you think God cares about our hearts, not just what we do on the outside?
  • Have you ever said “sorry” without really meaning it? How did it feel?
  • What is one honest prayer you can give to God today? (Something you’re happy about OR something that’s hard.)
    
• Youth:
  • Zedekiah and the nobles acted “good” only when they were scared. Why do you think it’s tempting to treat God that way?
  • What is one area in your life where it’s easy to appear OK outwardly but difficult to be honest inwardly—with God or with people?
  • What does real sincerity with God look like for you this week?