Chapter 37:11-21 (ESV) - Now when the Chaldean army had withdrawn from Jerusalem at the approach of Pharaoh's army, Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there among the people. When he was at the Benjamin Gate, a sentry there named Irijah the son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.” And Jeremiah said, “It is a lie; I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But Irijah would not listen to him, and seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. And the officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they beat him and imprisoned him in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for it had been made a prison.
When Jeremiah had come to the dungeon cells and remained there many days, King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, “Is there any word from the LORD?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in prison? Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’? Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there.” So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard. And a loaf of bread was given him daily from the bakers' street, until all the bread of the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
Question to consider: Why was Jeremiah leaving the city?
Today’s passage provided a little more clarity to the events that led up to Jeremiah’s imprisonment and eventual detainment in the court of the guard. I’d argue that though he was accused of deserting to the Chaldeans, this accusation would never have been brought had Jeremiah not been hated for bringing the LORD’s message of judgment against the city.
Jeremiah lived in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin just north of Jerusalem. Since Anathoth was a city of priests who served in the temple, it was within a Sabbath day’s walk. Instead of making a trip to Jerusalem to serve as priest, He was set aside by the LORD to deliver His word of judgment against Judah and plan of salvation during the exile and beyond. It would have been reasonable for Jeremiah to go back and forth between the cities to get food and supplies to sustain himself while He carried out the LORD’s important work of pleading with people to repent and flee the coming wrath.
Since there was a break in the siege, my guess is that Jeremiah was going to go back and get his affairs in order because he knew there would never be another opportunity. Instead of investigating his actions, the guard immediately leapt to the conclusion that Jeremiah was going to desert to the Chaldeans (another name for the Babylonians).
The fact that Zedekiah sneaked into his cell to inquire whether Jeremiah had received a word of the LORD reminds me of Herod’s encounters with John the Baptist. Though Zedekiah secretly believed Jeremiah was the LORD’s prophet, he couldn’t bring himself to oppose the message of the false prophets who insisted that the Babylonian withdrawal to face Pharaoh would be the end of Nebuchadnezzar.
Jeremiah used this as an opportunity to point out to Zedekiah that his so-called prophets were nowhere to be found, and their words to date had not come to pass as they proclaimed. While Zedekiah showed some pity on Jeremiah by removing him from the dungeon and making sure he was fed until the food ran out, Jeremiah was not set free to return to Anathoth.
While in the court of the guard, Jeremiah would get a visit from his cousin to let him buy a portion of the land of Benjamin. This would prove to be a comforting word of the LORD to Jeremiah in the midst of his persecution. Even if Jeremiah never made it back to his homeland, there would be a deed that outlived him stored in an earthen vessel.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for providing our daily bread and for our regular portion of the bread of life which sustains us and keeps us fixed on Christ Jesus until the day of His return. Amen.