For thus says the LORD of hosts: “Cut down her trees; cast up a siege mound against Jerusalem. This is the city that must be punished; there is nothing but oppression within her.
Here God Himself gives the order to besiege Jerusalem, and He names the reason: what is inside her walls. So why does the Lord call an army against His own city, and what charge makes that punishment certain?
The Command Comes From God
One commentator traces the order of events in this chapter and the reason given for the siege:
William KellyThis closing part of the charge adds to the terrors of the scene. First comes the call to the Benjamites to leave the doomed city. Zion was only a lovely and delicate woman, unable to defend her neighbours. Next, the prophet orders the besiegers to come against Jerusalem. The reason is the covetousness and deceit found everywhere. Her destroyers would be so eager that neither the heat of noon nor the darkness of night would slow them down. This left those shut inside in deep discouragement.
Who the Besieger Is
Jeremiah does not leave the attacking army vague. He has been pointing to one power since chapter 4:
H J VineFrom Jeremiah 4:3 to the end of Jeremiah 6 the prophet deals with the state of Israel. Long ago, chaos overtook the creation of Genesis 1:1. Now ignorance of God and injustice were bringing the same chaos on the nation. There was no man to save the sad situation! Therefore the instrument of God's anger is raised up! The event the book points to is about to happen! Nebuchadnezzar — the lion of Babylon — the destroyer from the north is coming!
An Instrument That Does Not Know It
So how much does God own of what such an army does? One writer holds both sides together: God uses the nations, and they still answer for their own pride:
James BoydGod put power into the hand of the Gentile. He gave success to his armies, even against the nation of His choice, and to the overthrow of the Zion He loved. Even so, He does not overlook the pride of heart, the lust of power, the self-will and violence of the rod He uses to correct His erring people. The nations invaded His land again and again, and destroyed life and property without cause. They were His instruments for correcting His obstinate and stubborn people. But doing the will of God was far from the thought of any one of them.
Oppression Inside Makes Judgment Certain
God names Jerusalem the city that must be punished, because oppression fills her. Scripture brings the same charge against her elsewhere. One writer explains why God's own city gets the sharper word:
William Kelly"Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city!" This is not Nineveh, but Jerusalem. The most solemn word of God is always kept for His own people, city, and sanctuary. Judgment must begin at His house: the sentence may end with His house, but judgment begins there… Once people give in to shameless evil, it always marks the fall of those who once had better light and gave it up.
The Door Still Left Open
The order to besiege is not the last word of the paragraph. Verse 1 told Benjamin to run, and verse 8 pleads with the city itself. Some did listen:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe children of Benjamin are urged to flee for safety because of the evil from the north. There were probably God-fearing men among the Benjamites. Those who heeded the call fled and escaped. Then comes a warning message: "Be warned, O Jerusalem, lest I turn from you in disgust, lest I make you a desolation, an uninhabited land." But they paid no attention.
Summary
- Cause. God orders the siege because of what is inside the walls: covetousness, deceit, and oppression. The enemy's strength is not the reason.
- Command. The armies do not decide to come; the prophet commissions them. The order to build the ramp and cut the timber is God's own.
- Instrument. God raises up Nebuchadnezzar, the destroyer from the north, as the tool of His anger. The destroyer still answers for his own pride and violence.
- Severity. God keeps His most solemn word for His own city. Privilege did not soften the sentence; it sharpened it.
- Escape. The same message that summons the besiegers tells the people to flee and be warned. Those who listened got out; the city did not listen.