OUR FATHER WHO HOLDS US TO OUR VOWS

The city of Jerusalem was in a precarious state. She was surrounded by the armies of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was planning to invade the city and burn it to the ground.

Zedekiah, the king of Judah, was given a word from the Lord by the prophet, Jeremiah, declaring that Nebuchadnezzar was going to successfully take the city and burn it down and that Zedekiah would himself be captured and brought face to face with Nebuchadnezzar before he was taken off to Babylon.

Zedekiah along with other leaders in the city had made a covenant to release their Hebrew slaves so that they could go where they wished. Jeremiah chapter 34 verse 9 says it this way;

Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage.

However, after freeing their slaves, they changed their minds and re-enslaved the people they had just set free.

The Lord responded to the reversal in verse 18;

 “Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth

The violation of the covenant that the people of Judah had made before God regarding  the release of their slaves, brought down judgement upon judgement on them that amplified the misery of being successfully invaded by a foreign army.

Whereas prior to rescinding the freeing of their slaves, the king of Judah and the officials would have gone to Babylon and survived, now, they were condemned to be harshly treated by their conquerors and some would even die.

Such is the hazard of breaking formal covenants made before God.

May we always keep our vows.

Amen.