27:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah early in the reign of Josiah’s son, King Zedekiah of Judah.

 

Some Greek texts list Zedekiah as king, but others list Jehoiakim. King Zedekiah was the actual king at this time, but there were some copyist errors in some of the later Greek texts. King Zedekiah was the last King of Judah before the Babylonian captivity.

 

27:2 The Lord told me, “Make a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and put it on your neck. 

 

The “yoke” in Hebrew is actually plural. A yoke was placed on an ox to make him work more efficiently. Jeremiah was to place an oxen yoke around Jeremiah's neck, symbolizing a servant animal. Jeremiah made five other yokes for five other kings.

 

27:3 Use it to send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon. Send them through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to King Zedekiah of Judah. 

 

These five nations were paying tribute to Babylon. An envoy was an ambassador. These six ambassadors were meeting in an attempt to combine and defeat Babylon. 

 

27:4 Charge them to give their masters a message from me. Tell them, ‘The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says to give your masters this message.

 

These six ambassadors were to deliver their yokes and give their kings a message from the Lord God of Israel. 

 

27:5 “I made the earth and the people and animals on it by my mighty power and great strength, and I give it to whomever I see fit.

 

The ambassadors were to tell their kings that the God of Israel is the Creator of all things. He can give authority to anyone that He wishes.

 

27:6 I have at this time placed all these nations of yours under the power of my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have even made all the wild animals subject to him.

 

God placed all of the nations of the world at the time under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

 

27:7 All nations must serve him and his son and grandson until the time comes for his own nation to fall. Then many nations and great kings will in turn subjugate Babylon.

 

All nations must serve King Nebuchadnezzar, his son, and his grandson. Nabonidus was the son and Belshazzar was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar. All nations would serve these three kings until their fall. Belshazzar would fall in 536 B.C., while his father Nabonidus was out of the country on a military expedition. After this time, the Medes and Persians would become the new rulers of the world.

 

27:8 But suppose a nation or a kingdom will not be subject to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Suppose it will not submit to the yoke of servitude to him. I, the Lord, affirm that I will punish that nation. I will use the king of Babylon to punish it with war, starvation, and disease until I have destroyed it.

 

If any nation does not willingly place their neck under the yoke of Babylon, then they would all die of war, starvation, and disease.

 

27:9 So do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim to predict the future by divination, by dreams, by consulting the dead, or by practicing magic. They keep telling you, ‘You do not need to be subject to the king of Babylon.’ 

 

God warned these six nations not to listen to false prophets. These false prophets were using occultic measures to receive their information. Their information was coming from the demonic world.

 

27:10 Do not listen to them, because their prophecies are lies. Listening to them will only cause you to be taken far away from your native land. I will drive you out of your country and you will die in exile.

 

These false prophets would predict lies to these Gentile kings. If these six nations listen to these false prophets, then God would drive them out of their own land and they would all die in exile.

 

27:11 Things will go better for the nation that submits to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon and is subject to him. I will leave that nation in its native land. Its people can continue to farm it and live in it. I, the Lord, affirm it!” ’ ” 

 

If these six nations would live under the yoke of Babylon, then they would survive and prosper in their own land.

 

27:12 I told King Zedekiah of Judah the same thing. I said, “Submit to the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. Be subject to him and his people. Then you will continue to live. 

 

King Zedekiah of Israel was given the same message as these other five nations.

 

27:13 There is no reason why you and your people should die in war or from starvation or disease! That’s what the Lord says will happen to any nation that will not be subject to the king of Babylon. 

 

In order to protect thousands of lives of their subjects, these kings must submit to the yoke of Babylon.

 

27:14 Do not listen to the prophets who are telling you that you do not need to serve the king of Babylon. For they are prophesying lies to you. 

 

Jehovah warned these five nations a second time not to listen to false prophets.

 

27:15 For I, the Lord, affirm that I did not send them. They are prophesying lies to you. If you listen to them, I will drive you and the prophets who are prophesying lies out of the land and you will all die in exile.” 

 

If the kings listen to these false prophets, then they would be removed from their throne, deported to Babylon, and they would die in exile.

 

27:16 I also told the priests and all the people, “The Lord says, ‘Do not listen to what your prophets are saying. They are prophesying to you that the valuable articles taken from the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon very soon. But they are prophesying a lie to you. 

 

Israel failed to keep the Sabbath for 490 years, so she was to be captive in Babylon for seventy years. These false priests were telling the captives that they would soon return back to Judah.

 

27:17 Do not listen to them. Be subject to the king of Babylon. Then you will continue to live. Why should this city be made a pile of rubble?’ ”

 

King Zedekiah was a puppet king over Judah, but he paid tribute to Babylon. As long as he paid tribute, then he would be allowed to live and reign as a puppet king in his luxurious place in Judah. Jeremiah told these six kings to keep their position as puppet kings and they would live, prosper, and save the lives of their people.

 

27:18 I also told them, “If they are really prophets and the Lord is speaking to them, let them pray earnestly to the Lord who rules over all. Let them plead with him not to let the valuable articles that are still left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace, and in Jerusalem be taken away to Babylon. 

 

Jeremiah told King Zedekiah that if these men were real prophets, then they should pray that Babylon would not attack them again and plunder the temple utensils.

 

27:19 For the Lord who rules over all has already spoken about the two bronze pillars, the large bronze basin called ‘The Sea,’ and the movable bronze stands. He has already spoken about the rest of the valuable articles that are left in this city. 

 

God did not allow King Nebuchadnezzar to take away all of the temple utensils during his first and second deportation.

 

27:20 He has already spoken about these things that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiakim’s son King Jeconiah of Judah and the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem away as captives.

 

King Jeconiah was carried away at the second deportation.

 

27:21 Indeed, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all has already spoken about the valuable articles that are left in the Lord’s temple, in the royal palace of Judah, and in Jerusalem.

 

Jehovah has already decided the future status of the temple utensils.

 

 27:22 He has said, ‘They will be carried off to Babylon. They will remain there until it is time for me to show consideration for them again. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’ I, the Lord, affirm this!” 

  

If Israel refuses to obey God in this matter, then the temple utensils would be taken by Babylon. Some of them would be restored during the reign of the Persian kings.