Jeremiah 25:1-11 – The importance of obedience

The prophecy recorded in Jeremiah 25 occurred in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim. Let’s look at some background information to help us better understand the text.

Second Kings 23:36 said that Jehoiakim ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. Pharoah Neco had placed him on the throne and also made Judah a vassal state of Egypt. As Egypt’s vassal state, Judah also had to pay a yearly tribute to Egypt. In her position, Judah was unwittingly drawn into the conflict Egypt had with Babylon at the battle of Carchemish. Jeremiah 46:2 tells us that this was a battle that Egypt eventually lost to Babylon in the 4th year of the reign of Jehoiakim.

One other passage that will enlighten us is Daniel 1:1-6. Here we are told  that in the 3rd year of Jehoiakim’s reign, “…Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.” We are also told that “The  Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.” This was the time that some of the better-educated youth from Judah, including the Prophet Daniel, were deported to Babylon. For the first time that Judah came under the direct control of Babylon. Here was when Jeremiah saw with clarity how the prophecies concerning Judah’s captivity would come into fulfillment.

For 23 years since the days of King Josiah, Jeremiah had been proclaiming and prophesying God’s message to Judah faithfully, but the people refused to listen and obey. He had persistently urged the people to turn from their sins. Besides him, the Lord also sent other faithful prophets to proclaim the same, but they also refused to listen or take heed. Jeremiah 25:5-7 describe the message God sent to them through His faithful prophets. They were urged to turn from their evil deeds so that they could dwell in the promised land which God had given to their forefathers forever. They were also urged not to pursue other gods. They should neither serve nor worship them. For if they ignore God’s instruction, harm would be their experience. The people of Judah did not listen and instead continued to provoke God to anger with their evil deeds.

Because they refused to take heed to the warnings of the prophets, God was going to punish them. He would be using Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians from the north as His instrument to purge Judah. Joy, gladness, and celebration would be replaced by doom, despair, and desolation. All the pleasant experiences would cease, and they would be taken into captivity to serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.  

When must never take God for granted. Don’t test His patience. Take heed and obey His word when His grace is shown. The question the Prophet Samuel asked of the people of Israel is the question we must address. “Has the  Lord  as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?”(1 Samuel 15:22).  Nothing we can ever do for God will please Him more than our total obedience. The Lord delights in our obedience far more than anything we can ever do for Him. Let’s be God’s obedient people!