Sometimes Jeremiah was a melancholy man with tendencies toward pessimism and depression. But who could blame him for being anxious and sad? The prophetic messages he was given were filled with doom and the powerful people he had to speak to treated him badly.

Life was hard and God told Jeremiah it was only going to get worse. He wasn’t allowed the comfort of a wife and children, and when God sent the best part of the population of Jerusalem off to Babylon, Jeremiah had to stay with the scared and worried people who were left behind.

Other prophets disputed his preaching, and then he was accused of being a traitor. When the chief priest at the temple beat him and put him into the stocks for a day Jeremiah felt God had let him down.

“You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me.” Jeremiah 20:7

Where were the blessings that came from obeying the Lord? Sadly, things actually went from bad to worse in today’s reading.

Jeremiah is Imprisoned

Jeremiah was offered the opportunity to purchase land from relatives in Benjamin (Jeremiah 32) and as he was leaving Jerusalem to go claim the property, Irijah the captain of the guard stopped him and accused him of deserting to the Babylonians.

“‘That’s not true!’ Jeremiah said. ‘I am not deserting to the Babylonians.’ But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.” Jeremiah 37:14-15

Jeremiah was left there in the dungeon for so long he thought he was going to die and when King Zedekiah sent for him he begged not to be returned to that prison.

Zedekiah asked Jeremiah, “Is there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah 37:17

Despite the punishment Jeremiah had already experienced, he couldn’t bring himself to lie to the king.

“‘Yes,’ Jeremiah replied, ‘you will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.’” Jeremiah 37:17

Jeremiah’s Prison Sentence is Commuted

Jeremiah asked the king why he had been imprisoned when he had committed no crime. He also wondered why Zedekiah asked him for prophetic words when he had other prophets who were willing to tell him what he wanted to hear.

Zedekiah didn’t answer Jeremiah’s questions, but he also didn’t send him back to prison. Instead he had him held in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread everyday. Apparently, Zedekiah wanted Jeremiah to remain alive.

Jeremiah is Dropped Into a Cistern

King Zedekiah may have wanted to keep Jeremiah around, but others wanted him dead. He wouldn’t stop saying things they didn’t want to hear. To the officials of Jerusalem it sounded like Jeremiah was on Babylon’s side and was a traitor to his own people.

“‘This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live.” Jeremiah 38:2

“Then the officials said to the king, ‘This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.’” Jeremiah 38:4

What people thought the prophet’s words meant depended upon the point of view of each person who heard them. Jeremiah was trying to save the people of Judah, but the officials thought he was betraying them. Jeremiah was frustrated at being so misunderstood.

The king reluctantly agreed to let the city officials decide what to do with Jeremiah. Instead of putting the prophet to death, they dropped him into a muddy cistern without food or water and waited to let nature take its course.

Ebed-Melek, an Ethiopian employee in the palace, saved Jeremiah’s life when he appealed to the king on his behalf. Zedekiah sent thirty men with Ebed-Melek and they lifted Jeremiah out of the mud as gently as possible. After that he remained in the courtyard of the guard and no one tried to kill him again.

King Zedekiah’s Troubles

“King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the Lord. ‘I am going to ask you something,’ the king said to Jeremiah. ‘Do not hide anything from me.’” Jeremiah 38:14

Jeremiah was wary of the king’s questions because he knew that anything he said might be misconstrued. He resisted saying anything to the king at all until Zedekiah swore an oath that he would not kill Jeremiah or hand him over to anyone else to kill him.

Then the prophet said again that it was best for everyone in Jerusalem to surrender to Babylon.

“‘This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live. But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will not escape from them.’” Jeremiah 38:17-18

Zedekiah was more afraid of his own exiled people than he was of Babylon. If he surrendered, the Babylonians might hand him over to his angry countrymen who blamed him for the fall of Jerusalem.

“‘They will not hand you over,’ Jeremiah replied. ‘Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you and your life will be spared.’” Jeremiah 38:20

King Zedekiah had a lot to think about after his conversation with Jeremiah. He swore the prophet to secrecy, and told him what to say if he was questioned. Jeremiah honored the king’s request and their conversation remained private.

The Prophet Ezekiel

Meanwhile, in Babylon God was giving extraordinary visions to the exiled prophet Ezekiel. His visions seem like hallucinations until they are put into context with the rest of Scripture.

For instance, in Exodus 24:9-11 we read about the time God invited Moses, Aaron, and seventy of Israel’s elders to come up Mt. Sinai and dine with him. Over their heads was a bright blue pavement, the color of lapis lazuli, with God’s feet resting on it. They had been given a glimpse into God’s dwelling place in eternity.

In Revelation 4:1-11 the Apostle John also saw God’s throne, and much of what he saw is similar to what Ezekiel saw in his vision beside the Kebar River. There was brilliant light, thunder and lightning, crystal pavement, sparkling gems and rainbows. There were four living creatures, each with four faces and outspread wings. On the throne was the figure of a man and to Ezekiel he appeared to be formed of fire and glowing metal.

God On the Move

One of the differences between John’s vision and Ezekiel’s is that John saw God seated in heaven, ready to judge, but Ezekiel saw God on the move. In Ezekiel’s vision the Lord flew over the face of the earth, riding above the four living creatures, each mounted on a brilliant wheel that sped them along in every direction. The Lord Almighty let Ezekiel see God visiting the earth.

Both John and Ezekiel had to describe the indescribable sight of God, using their limited vocabulary and earthly comparisons. They could never really do justice to what they saw, but Ezekiel tried.

“Brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” Ezekiel 1:27-28

And with that vision God called Ezekiel to be his prophet.

“The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days – deeply distressed.” Ezekiel 3:14

Ezekiel was another prophet called to accept a difficult assignment. But while Jeremiah was a melancholy man, Ezekiel was fiery and passionate, with the energy and drive to carry out tough assignments. God knew his prophets well and he matched each man with the visions and messages that suited his abilities.