Hearers or doers of the Word? (Jeremiah 37)
Jer 37:1-21
During my career as Old Testament lecturer, I encountered a number of students who would come to me after their essays failed to make the mark. Some were belligerent, disputing their result, others asked lots of questions about where they went wrong and how they could do better. I would spend a considerable time explaining, giving examples, and generally trying to make things as concrete and understandable as possible. Sometimes the students who were willing to make corrections had a lightbulb moment and I thought, finally, they got it. Then they would go away to rewrite their work and submit a piece that repeated the exact same mistakes. It was as if they had not heard a single word I said.
Zedekiah’s inquiry
When God said of Jehoiakim that he did not listen (Jer 36:31), his was a stubborn rejection of God’s Word. Our reading takes place about ten years after he died and his son was deposed and taken to Babylon (2 Kings 24:6-17). Since then, Jehoiakim’s brother, Zedekiah had been on the throne, but now the final siege of Jerusalem has already begun. Zedekiah is a different character from his brother, not explicitly opposed to God but a weak individual, pushed around by his officials and by events, prodded by the prophet, but never quite coming to straight and clear convictions and actions. The juxtaposition of Scripture’s verdict that he did not listen and the information that he sent a delegation to Jeremiah for prayer creates a discordant note (Jer 37:2-3). God’s answer suggests that the request for intercession was really an inquiry to hear God’s interpretation of events (Jer 37:7). Yes, the siege was lifted when Babylon went to meet the Egyptian army (summoned for help by Judah), but will it last? The Lord’s reply is a warning for Zedekiah not to deceive himself that Jerusalem will be rescued (Jer 37:8-10). Yet there is no response of the king recorded.
Jeremiah’s arrest
The episode of Jeremiah’s arrest reflects a vicious attack on him by the officials that involves beatings and dreadful conditions that will prompt the prophet to ask for the king’s leniency (Jer 37:15, 20).[1] Once again, there is a juxtaposition, this time of Zedekiah’s angry and vindictive officials and the king’s secret search for an answer from Jeremiah (Jer 37:17). He must have known what his subordinates were doing to Jeremiah, yet he does not intervene. On the other hand, his furtive approach in seeking an answer from Jeremiah suggests a certain recognition that the latter speaks for God. The king wants to hear God’s Word and he even eases the prophet’s conditions of imprisonment (Jer 37:21), but there is no particular response or action taken about God’s verdict, no remorse or inquiry as to what to do.
How do we listen?
Our reading highlights that there is more than one way not to listen. Open rebellion and refusal to hear is one, but it is possible to pray and seek God for answers and yet not respond with obedience. There are people who profess to be Christians, who have seemingly made a faith commitment, yet show no clear indication in their life of a consistent walk with God or seeking Christian fellowship. They may know the Christian language and even use it from time-to-time, accept the validity of prayer and the reality of God but show no growth in the faith. It is even possible to experience God’s help and acknowledge it as such, as well as hear Him speak through Bible reading or sermons, yet resist His will in certain areas. May we be people who live lives that are consistently oriented towards God and hear not only with ears but with our heart for obedience.
[1] Jeremiah’s intent to take possession of some land is sometimes related by interpreters to the buying of his cousin’s land in Jer 32:8-9. However, the latter event took place after Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard (Jer 32:2). If the two incidents are connected, then possibly Jeremiah heard of the land to be redeemed and was going to buy it but was then prevented from doing so when arrested. His cousin then came to him instead later. We have no way of knowing for sure, though the matter may have been entirely unrelated given that Jeremiah 32 gives no indication of a prior history. Further, would he have gone out on his own initiative to buy such a piece of land when he struggled to understand why God wanted him to buy it in the first place later (Jer 32:25)?
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