What is the meaning of Jeremiah 21:10? For I have set My face • The phrase pictures the LORD’s unwavering resolve; when God sets His face, His intention is fixed and immovable (Leviticus 20:5; Ezekiel 15:7). • This deliberate posture underscores that what follows is not a random calamity but the righteous judgment of a holy God (Isaiah 59:2). against this city • The city is Jerusalem, the very place that boasted God’s temple yet persisted in idolatry and injustice (Jeremiah 19:3–4). • Repeated warnings had been ignored, so the protective favor once enjoyed now shifts to determined opposition (2 Kings 23:26–27; Jeremiah 7:12–14). to bring disaster and not good • Covenant blessings and curses were clear: obedience brings life; rebellion invites calamity (Deuteronomy 28:15, 63). • God’s “disaster” is not capricious but a just response to entrenched sin, meant to expose evil and uphold His righteousness (Jeremiah 18:11; Amos 3:6). declares the LORD • This solemn signature guarantees the certainty of the message; when the LORD speaks, the matter is settled (Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 40:8; Ezekiel 36:36). • The authority behind the proclamation leaves no room for negotiation or doubt. It will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon • Nebuchadnezzar functions as God’s chosen instrument of discipline (Jeremiah 25:9; 27:6). • Even foreign rulers operate under divine sovereignty; the LORD rules over nations and uses them to accomplish His purposes (Proverbs 21:1; Daniel 2:37). who will destroy it with fire • The prophecy was literally fulfilled in 586 BC when Babylon torched the city and temple (2 Kings 25:9; Jeremiah 52:13). • Fire symbolizes complete judgment—nothing of self-reliant pride would remain to hinder future repentance (Lamentations 2:1–3). summary Jeremiah 21:10 reveals God’s resolute judgment on Jerusalem: He intentionally turns His face against the city, replaces blessing with calamity, authoritatively declares the sentence, hands Jerusalem to Babylon, and permits its fiery destruction. The verse reminds believers that persistent sin invites real, historical judgment, yet even such severe discipline flows from a God whose words are always true and whose purposes ultimately aim to purify and restore. |
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