In this message we will begin to consider Israel's stubbornness in their sinning against Jehovah and Jeremiah's firmness in his speaking for Jehovah.
While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon with all his army was fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities, Jeremiah was sent by Jehovah to speak to Zedekiah king of Judah (34:1, 6-7). Jeremiah was to tell Zedekiah that Jehovah was giving Jerusalem into Nebuchadnezzar's hand to be burned with fire and that Zedekiah would not escape from his hand. Rather, Zedekiah would surely be captured and given into Nebuchadnezzar's hand, but he would die in peace (vv. 2-5).
Jeremiah 34:8-22 describes Zedekiah's dishonesty in keeping God's commandment and Jehovah's punishment. King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to set free their servants, but afterward they turned around and brought their servants back into subjection. Then Jehovah spoke through Jeremiah that because they profaned His name when they turned and took back the servants, not listening to Him, transgressing His covenant, and not establishing the words of the covenant they had made before Him, He was proclaiming liberty to them to sword, to pestilence, and to famine. He would make them a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth, giving them—the princes, the eunuches, the priests, and all the people—into the hand of their enemies who sought their life, and their corpses would be food for the birds and the beasts. Jehovah would also give Zedekiah king of Judah and his princes into the hand of their enemies who sought their life and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, which had withdrawn from them and would be brought back by Him to fight against Jerusalem, capture it, and burn it with fire. Moreover, Jehovah would make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.