Nostalgia comes easily in an era of political polarization. Who wouldn’t prefer to live in a time of broad moral and ethical consensus, a time when people trusted each other because everyone shared a basic understanding of right and wrong? No, with violence in the streets and corruption in high places, it’s no wonder that many people long for “the good old days,” even though they might disagree on the time, location, and characteristics of those days.

But today’s passage reminds us that everyone is not blessed to live in times of peace and prosperity. No, in the days of King Zedekiah, the people of Judah were invaded by soldiers from Babylon, and their capital city of Jerusalem was under siege (21:4). And Jeremiah told them that their story would not, in fact, have a happy ending. No, he said that their city would be captured and many of its inhabitants would be killed (21:7). The political independence and economic prosperity that we all crave would be taken away from them. And God made it clear that this catastrophe was, in fact, a part of His own plan to bring judgment on His people (21:5-6).

So, how do we deal with imminent catastrophe? How do we handle defeat? Simply put, we must continue to trust the Lord, no matter how difficult such faith may be. God told the people of Jerusalem that, if they wanted to live, they had to leave their city, abandoning their independence and their possessions, and surrender themselves to the wicked, unbelieving Babylonians (21:9). And God called their leaders, the descendants of David, to do their job, administering justice in a righteous way, even though they were about to lose all of their political authority to do just that (21:12).

And remember: the Father called Jesus to the same sort of faithfulness. In order to accomplish our salvation, Jesus had to endure the greatest injustice and humiliation. He had to surrender to His enemies, allowing wicked unbelievers to beat Him and crucify Him. But the Son of David was determined to deliver His people, and so He submitted Himself to the Father’s will.

Yes, it may be hard for us to be faithful in these days of cultural decline, when our efforts to expand the Kingdom of God seem to be bearing little fruit. But instead of insisting that God give us worldly success, let’s determine to follow Him no matter what. Let’s continue to trust Him and to love one another – and leave the results to Him.

Jeremiah 21:1-12 (NASB)

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying,
2 “Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the LORD will deal with us according to all His wonderful acts, that the enemy may withdraw from us.”
3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows:
4 ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I shall gather them into the center of this city.
5 “And I Myself shall war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in anger and wrath and great indignation.
6 “I shall also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence.
7 “Then afterwards,” declares the LORD, “I shall give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword, and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes, and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”‘
8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
9 “He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty.
10 “For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the LORD. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.”‘
11 “Then say to the household of the king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the LORD,
12 O house of David, thus says the LORD: “Administer justice every morning; And deliver the person who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor, That My wrath may not go forth like fire And burn with none to extinguish it, Because of the evil of their deeds.