Come to Bethlehem and see Him whose birth the angels sing, Come, adore on bended knee, Christ the Lord, the newborn King. Jesus came to reign in the hearts of all who would receive Him. But most people refuse to submit to His rule. At His trial, the leaders of Israel rejected Heaven’s King, saying they preferred the harsh tyranny of Caesar instead. Everyone serves someone, even if that someone is themselves. But the message of Jeremiah 21-22 is that there is no good king but Christ. These two chapters show that the kings of Judah turned out to be a royal disaster. The very last king was Zedekiah, whom the Babylonians installed as interim king in Jerusalem. From 598 to 587 BC he served as their puppet, doing as he was told, hopelessly trying to preserve his nation. But after a decade of this, when Zedekiah rebelled, the Babylonian troops quickly appeared at the gates of Jerusalem. So with hypocritical piety, Zedekiah turns to Jeremiah. The people hadn’t listened to his teaching when they felt secure, but now that they were in trouble, the prophet is in high demand. Suddenly folks want to know what he has to say. The king hopes Jeremiah can get in touch with God, convincing Him to work wonders, as He had done in the past (v 1-2). But would they get a miracle now? Not a chance. Far from sparing the city, God is determined to destroy it. Whatever wonders He may have in store will be worked against Judah, for God will be fighting on the side of Babylon! His “outstretched hand and strong arm” will not be used to save His people, but to strike them down, and Zedekiah will not be among the survivors (v 3-7). God can perform miracles, but Zedekiah did not deserve one, and he will not get one. He had foolishly ignored God his whole life and then hoped to be saved at the last minute. Sometimes God saves people on their deathbeds, but those who procrastinate may never receive a later opportunity. In the face of the imminent onslaught, the people of Jerusalem must either surrender or perish. These were the understood terms of siege warfare. God calls it “the way of life and the way of death.” In this case, neither option was pleasant, but all choices have consequences, and it is always better to obey God’s Word than to keep resisting His commands (v 8-10). The chapter ends with one way out of this mess. Disaster could yet be avoided if there is an immediate return to social justice and personal righteousness (v 11-14). But there is no repentance, and the fires of wrath will be kindled. For further meditation: