As the pressure of enduring the two years of Babylonian siege against the walls of Jerusalem intensified, Zedekiah, Judah’s final king, began to have second thoughts concerning his decision to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar. The king also began to reconsider his opinion concerning Jeremiah, the Lord’s prophet. The priests, the royal officials and public opinion had encouraged Zedekiah to continue to reject Jeremiah’s words and to consider Jeremiah as an unpatriotic, pro-Babylonian sympathizer.

King Zedekiah sent to meet the prophet at “the third entrance to the temple of the Lord.” This must have been a clandestine meeting and “the third entrance” may refer to the private royal entrance to the Temple Mount that is accessed from the palace.

Zedekiah had threatened Jeremiah’s life on several occasions and handed him over to be imprisoned or abused by his royal administrators. Every time Jeremiah’s word had been spoken to King Zedekiah it had been rejected, refuted or rebuked. So, Jeremiah’s suspicion of danger and anticipated rejection were well founded.

Jeremiah’s advice to Zedekiah continues to be the same: surrender and you will spare your life, the lives of your family and the city. If you decide to reject God’s Word and rebel against Nebuchadnezzar then you will lose the city, and your family will accuse you of misleading them instead of protecting them.

Zedekiah seems to fear the Jews that have already surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar and are waiting outside the city in a holding center. Many of these people are likely Zedekiah’s political enemies who Zedekiah anticipates will be more than happy to see Zedekiah neutralized and without his royal protection. But, this was the risk God wanted Zedekiah to face as he chose between fighting in self-willed rebellion or humbly submitting to God’s declared will that was manifesting stronger and clearer as each day past.

Although the ultimatum Jeremiah gave Zedekiah is consistent, clear and simple, the faith and humility required to make the right choice was much more complicated than Zedekiah could manage to unravel. Zedekiah will suffer the worst fate.

Also, consider Jeremiah’s resolve and clear, unwavering commitment to the Lord and to the Truth. At a time when King Zedekiah still had the authority to release Jeremiah and to make Jeremiah’s life pleasant in so many other ways, Jeremiah chose to remain true to the Lord. This decision meant Jeremiah would remain a prisoner under the persecution of the king and his officials. How easy would it have been for Jeremiah to slightly compromise the message and the mission by justifying the value found in meeting the king halfway? Jeremiah could have reasoned like a mere man who does not have ears to hear or eyes to see the Lord and his will. Jeremiah surely could have “logically” found a way to receive some temporal relief. Instead, Jeremiah lays down an ultimatum that forces the king to make a choice that will determine the king’s future, but also determines how the king will deal with Jeremiah in the immediate future.

“If you want to learn something that will really help you, learn to see yourself as God sees you and not as you see yourself in the distorted mirror of your own self-importance. This is the greatest and most useful lesson we can learn: to know ourselves for what we are, to admit freely our weaknesses and failings, and to hold a humble opinion of ourselves because of them.”
– Thomas A Kempis
(1380-1471) in his book
“The Imitation of Christ”
in Germany (read it here)