Jeremiah 37:11-21--Jeremiah Imprisoned

Jeremiah 37:11-21
English Standard Version

Jeremiah Imprisoned
11 Now when the Chaldean army had withdrawn from Jerusalem at the approach of Pharaoh's army, 12 Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there among the people. 13 When he was at the Benjamin Gate, a sentry there named Irijah the son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.” 14 And Jeremiah said, “It is a lie; I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But Irijah would not listen to him, and seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. 15 And the officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they beat him and imprisoned him in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for it had been made a prison.

16 When Jeremiah had come to the dungeon cells and remained there many days, 17 King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, “Is there any word from the LORD?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” 18 Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’? 20 Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there.” 21 So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard. And a loaf of bread was given him daily from the bakers' street, until all the bread of the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.

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As hinted in yesterday's text, Jeremiah would be arrested and impassioned (again) because the king did not like what he had to say.  There were made up charges by a man named Irjah that Jeremiah was deserting to the Chaldeans (the Babylonians).  Although it was a lie, Jeremiah was imprisoned without any evidence or a real trial.  After several days, the king called Jeremiah to see if he would change his prophecy after spending a few days in the dungeon.  This makes it obvious that the charges were because the politicians did not like the message the LORD had given Jeremiah.  They did not have an arm long enough or strong enough to reach the LORD, so they instead attacked His messenger.

Jeremiah gave the king the same message he had been giving all along.  The king would be delivered over into the hand of the king of Babylon.  Jeremiah then questioned his imprisonment.  He wanted to know what crime he had committed that was deserving of this.  He also added that it is the false prophets who should be punished for giving the king and the people false hole and lying in the name of the LORD.

Jeremiah asks to be released so that he will not die in the prison (I don't take Jeremiah to be overly dramatic, so the conditions there must have been abysmal).  They kept Jeremiah imprisoned, but did so in court of the guard and the king ordered that he be given fresh bread every day until the city's supply of bread was gone.  In this the LORD gave favor to Jeremiah and kept His prophet alive so that he could continue to give the LORD's message to the king and the people (and his prophecy was given for our benefit too).