Introduction and Context: The next chapters of Jeremiah can be confusing because they make continual references to historical events and people that the earlier chapters seem to ignore. I may have already said something about the historical context, but here it is again:

Josiah, the reformer-king, died on the battlefield of Megiddo in 609, trying to stop the northward march of Pharaoh Neco, who was at that time allied with the Assyrians.  After Josiah’s death, his son Jehoahaz was slated to become king, but the Egyptians carried him off to Egypt and put another son of Josiah’s, Jehoiachim, on the throne. Jehoiachim agreed to pay tribute to Egypt. But in just a few years, the power politics of the region shifted. The Chaldean (Neo-Babylonian) Empire under Nebuchadnezzar II defeated Egypt at Carchemish in 605 BC, and Jehoiachim changed allegiances; the kingdom of Judah began paying tribute to the Neo-Babylonians and did so for three years before the king attempted to rebel.  Nebuchadnezzar led a decisive assault on Jerusalem and it is believed Jehoiachim died in this assault (598). His son Jehoiachin, only 18, became king but was king only for three months. Jerusalem fell, and the young king was taken to Babylon, where he would remain for 40 years in exile. Nebuchadnezzar placed Zedekiah on the throne. He, Zedekiah, was a brother of reformer-king Josiah and uncle of the young, exiled king. Zedekiah agreed - for a time - to be a tribute-paying vassal of the Neo-Babylonians. He would be the last Judaean king.

Jeremiah 21 – Zedekiah is the king. Two leading officers of the Temple go to Jeremiah and ask him to appeal to the Lord to see if He doesn’t have some miracle up His sleeve to save them from the humiliation and dependency they are suffering as a kingdom.  Instead of comfort, however, Jeremiah tells them the Lord plans to fight against them Himself “in anger, and wrath, and great rage!” (21:5) If Zedekiah attempts to rebel, Judah's army will be defeated and everyone will be killed or captured by Nebuchadnezzar.

In words that both echo and mock the speeches of Moses, Jeremiah says, “See, I am giving you a choice between life and death.  Whoever remains in this city shall die by the sword or famine or pestilence.  But whoever leaves and surrenders to the besieging Chaldeans shall live and have his life as booty” (21:9). Sometimes - most times, I think - we read Jeremiah's words without really putting ourselves in his times and context. Just imagine what it might have been for some prophet to go to the President of the United States and tell him the Soviet Union was going to win the Cold War and that it would be God's Will if they did because of our long-standing unfaithfulness on matters of justice and faithfulness to a covenant we made with God. Imagine how he would have been received. That is exactly how he is received in his time. 

2 Corinthians 4 - Paul continues to defend the manner in which he has proclaimed the gospel—having been accused of being obscure or veiling it in some way.  He claims rather that some are not able to “hear” the gospel because “the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers” (4:4). Paul denounces the watering down of the word.  His way of preaching is to state “the truth openly in the sight of God” and leave it to others’ consciences and to God.  If there is a veil, then it is on those who “are not on the way of salvation” (JB 4:3).  God brings light to illuminate the darkness, and it is he who shines in our minds to radiate the knowledge of God’s glory.  We are only “earthenware jars” – “we see no answer to our problems but never despair. . .”  “We carry with us in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus too may always be seen in our body” (4:10). See Luke 9:22 for Jesus’ statement of his gospel—“whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

“So death is at work in us, but life in you” (4:12).  “Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (4:16). “[W]e look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal” (4:8). Great stuff, Paul.