Jeremiah 27:1

The Bible says in Jeremiah 27:1-7, “In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. And now have I given all these lands unto the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.[7] And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.” A very important Biblical concept is being taught in these verses. Ultimately God decides who is in power in any individual nation. God also decides which nation becomes the most powerful compared to the other nations of the world.

Concerning these two issues: who is in power in any individual nation, and which nations are the most powerful, human being struggle mightily to try and determine the outcome. But the Bible is very clear: these human beings do not determine the outcome. God and only God determines who has the power. That is one of the reasons that Jesus is called King of kings and Lord of lords. To a believer the earth should be viewed as a hierarchy with God at the top making all the big decisions, and putting people in place in all the other positions below him. God raises up one and casts down another when and if He chooses. One of the consequences of such an arrangement is that every person at any level who has any power is responsible to God for how they use that power and will one day give account to God.

Another consequence to the truth that this world is ruled by a hierarchy with God at the top, and with all people of any power getting their position from God, is that every believer needs to be aware of this truth in their attitude and actions toward those in power. The principle is stated very well in Romans 13:1-7, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”

The Bible says in Jeremiah 27:8-11, “And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.” The spiritual principle found in these verses is very clear. When God sets up someone in authority on this earth, God expects that all people under that authority will be obedient to it. All authorities have been set up by God, from the family to every level of government and business. To resist any authority is to resist God. To rebel against any authority is to rebel against God. Christians should always be the best citizens of any country living under any form of government. That is why Jesus said in Mark 12:17 to believers of the first century who lived under the Roman government, “Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Living under authority starts in the home. That is why children are told in one of the Ten Commandments, “Honor your father and mother.” Children are also told in Ephesians 6:1, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right.” Wives are told in Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.” Citizens are told in Romans 13:1-3, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same.”

No leaders should use their authority to be tyrants. If they do, they will reap the consequences, not the least of which shall be to face God’s judgment. But to say that God wants you to be obedient does not mean that He is taking your freedom of choice away from you. Children eventually grow up and go out from under the authority of their parents. Some children might need to leave that authority even sooner. Some women for their own safety’s sake need to get away from an abusive husband. If you do not like the leaders that you are under, then in some countries you can work responsibly and honorably and legally to change the leadership through elections or other means. In other countries you may have to move to live under new leadership. There are always many options, but rebellion is never an option.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 27:12-13, “I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live. Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?” In Jeremiah 27:13 one of the great questions of the history of the human race is asked. “Why?” “Why will ye die?” It seems crazy, does it not? Why will people resist the gospel of Christ, when the only possible result will be their own destruction? How can a few years of rebellion against God be worth an eternity in hell? Think of the glories of heaven that they will miss: the beauty, the peace, and the love of God that they will not have. They could have had it, but they chose to reject it. As we preach the Gospel, all that we can do is ask the same question that is asked here in Jeremiah chapter 27. Why do people choose eternal death over eternal life?

The Bible says in Jeremiah 27:14-22, “Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you. Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD's house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste? But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon. For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city, Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem; Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem; They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.” Notice that God said about the false prophets in Jeremiah 27:15, “I have not sent them.” In order to be a person who brings God’s message, you must be “sent.” First you are called, and then you are sent. That is what was experienced by Jesus’ twelve apostles. We see in what happened with the twelve apostles how the process works: Jesus called the apostles, trained them, and then sent them out.

Jesus called Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4:18-19 that says, “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The call to believe in Jesus is also the call to follow Him. Jesus taught the apostles for three years. For example, it says in Mark 9:31, “For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.” Eventually the apostles knew enough to be sent out with the Gospel. The word “apostle” means literally “one who is sent.” Of course, the Lord wants every believer to be involved in some way in the spread of the gospel. Jesus said in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” The pattern is very clear: you are called to be a believer, then you are taught, then you are sent. What you are responsible for doing is to use the gifts that Jesus gives you in His service. It says in Ephesians 4:7-8, “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.[8] Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Find out what your gift or gifts are, and use them in His service. Some people make the mistake of trying to do something for which they are not gifted. Others fail to develop their gift or to use them. Paul wrote in First Timothy 4:14, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.”

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