Jeremiah 34:15
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Recently you repented and did what pleased Me; each of you proclaimed freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before Me in the house that bears My Name.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
In this chapter we have two messages which God sent by Jeremiah. I. One to foretel the fate of Zedekiah king of Judah, that he should fall into the hands of the king of Babylon, that he should live a captive, but should at last die in peace in his captivity (Jer 34:1-7). II. Another to read the doom both of prince and people for their treacherous dealings with God, in bringing back into bondage their servants whom they had released according to the law, and so playing fast and loose with God. They had walked at all adventures with God (Jer 34:8-11), and therefore God would walk at all adventures with them, in bringing the Chaldean army upon them again when they began to hope that they had got clear of them (Jer 34:12-22).
Open source ↗34:15-16 The slaveholders had done what was right in releasing their slaves; they had obeyed God’s command. But their covenant had been made in the Temple, and when they broke their covenant, they defiled God’s name and treated it with contempt (in violation of Deut 5:11).
Open source ↗Cross-references
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After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD
So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.
hereby join with their noble brothers and commit themselves with a sworn oath to follow the Law of God given through His servant Moses and to carefully obey all the commandments, ordinances, and statutes of the LORD our Lord.
For day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God. They ask Me for righteous judgments; they delight in the nearness of God.”
They have placed their abominations in the house that bears My Name, and so have defiled it.
I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.
And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days he was instructed by Jehoiada the priest.
‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.
Make and fulfill your vows to the LORD your God; let all the neighboring lands bring tribute to Him who is to be feared.
And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. He did everything as his father Joash had done.