JEREMIAH 21
The prophet delivered three messages, and the first was to the king (vv. 1–7). Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, rebelled against Babylon and ended up being captured and seeing his sons slain (
The second message was to the people (vv. 8–10), giving them the choice between life or death. Because of this counsel, Jeremiah was considered a traitor; but it was God’s word to the people, and those who obeyed it lived.
The recipients of the third message were members of the house of David, Judah’s kings (vv. 11–14). Josiah was Judah’s last good king; the four kings who followed him were evil men whose doom Jeremiah announced. Had the kings led the nation in repentance, God would have shown mercy, but they persisted in their sins.
Jeremiah was not a popular preacher, but his message was faithful. Those who heeded him lived; those who resisted the Word died.