John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 40:1-4

"The word which came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, after that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah, that were carried away captive unto Babylon. And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, Jehovah thy God pronounced this evil upon this place; and Jehovah hath brought it, and done according as he spake: because ye have sinned against Jehovah, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which are upon thy hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will look well unto thee; but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee; whither it seemeth good and right unto thee to go, thither go." — Jeremiah 40:1-4 (ASV)

Here Jeremiah elaborates on what he had briefly touched upon before. The Hebrews were accustomed, in a few words, to state the substance of the whole, and then to explain more extensively what they had briefly said.

Jeremiah had previously told us that some of the Babylonian generals had been sent to release him from prison, and he added that he had been committed to the care of Gedaliah, who had been appointed over the poor of the land. He now tells us that he, still bound with chains, had been brought out to Ramah in that miserable condition.

These things appear inconsistent, but, as I have said, we must remember that there is an omission in the summary mentioned earlier. For, in the first instance, Jeremiah only said that he had been freed from his chains; but he now states the manner more distinctly, and, as it were, the different parts of the transaction. Therefore, this order should be especially noted.

Moreover, this chapter begins in such a way that he seems throughout the chapter to have forgotten the introduction. He says that a word came to him; he afterwards declares historically how he had been brought to Ramah, then that he had been released there, and also that Gedaliah was appointed over the remainder of the people.

In short, there is not in this long passage any mention of prophecy. Instead, a whole historical narrative is inserted before the Prophet expresses what God had committed to him, after the city was taken and after he had been restored to his former liberty.

Therefore, when he says here that a word came to him, we must wait until he has completed what we find in this chapter, for he will then return to this prophecy.

Let us now consider the words. He says, After Nebuzaradan dismissed him from Ramah, etc.; Jeremiah had been brought to this place by the guards, when he was still bound with chains.

There is then no doubt that the leaders of the army had ordered Jeremiah to be brought there after he was taken out of the court of the prison, and that he was brought there in the presence of all the people. It is also probable that all the Jews who were to be led into exile were brought there too. They were mustered there so that none might escape, for they would have slipped away here and there if they had not been delivered to guards.

When, therefore, all the captives were there, Nebuzaradan ordered Jeremiah to be brought out, not for the sake of degrading him, for, as we have seen, the king had been concerned about his life. No doubt this courtier wished to gratify his king in every way.

But it was, on the contrary, for the purpose of an indirect reproof to all the people. It was as if he would honor the servant of God, who had so faithfully warned them for so long a time—even over forty years—and would set before them their wickedness and also their ingratitude for having so cruelly treated God’s servant.

This then was the reason why Nebuzaradan wished Jeremiah to come bound with chains and to be released in the presence of all the people: it was so that the Jews might at last be ashamed of their pride and impiety against God, and of their ingratitude towards the holy Prophet.

Nebuzaradan then did not treat Jeremiah reproachfully; but he brought him out in chains so that he might publicly expose the wickedness of the whole nation.

He says that an option was given him by Nebuzaradan. If Jeremiah wished, he could remain in his own country and choose the best place for himself, and the situation most agreeable to him. But if he preferred to go to Babylon, he could go there. This, certainly, was a liberal offer.

The Prophet was not only freed from prison and loosed from his chains, but liberty was given to him in such a way that he alone was free, while the whole nation was reduced to bondage. For those who remained had no liberty to go elsewhere.

But Nebuzaradan here gave a free option to Jeremiah, so that he was free either to live in Chaldea, to remain in any place he wished, or to go to any part of the earth.

But before he says this, he administers reproof to the people, and says, Jehovah thy God hath spoken evil on this city; and he hath brought it, and made it to come. Here Nebuzaradan undertook the prophetic office and spoke highly of God’s righteous vengeance on the people.

There is no doubt that God had raised up such a teacher for the Jews, for they had for more than forty years obstinately rejected celestial truth. God had not ceased kindly to invite them to repentance and to promise them pardon and salvation, if they repented.

Since God had not ceased for so long a time, and continually to address them according to His paternal goodness, and at the same time had spoken to the deaf, they deserved to hear such a preacher as Nebuzaradan. He now contemptuously upbraided them that they had brought this evil on themselves, because they had been disobedient and rebellious against God, as they had not obeyed His word.

A remarkable example is presented to us here, so that we may learn that when God addresses us by His servants, we ought immediately to render obedience to Him. Let us learn to fear when He threatens us, and learn to entertain hope when He offers His favor to us.

For if we reject the Prophets when they are sent to us, other teachers will arise who will deride us; and though they may be ungodly themselves, they will still upbraid us with our impiety.

This then is the doctrine we ought to gather from this passage, in which we see that Nebuzaradan, as if gifted with the prophetic spirit, severely rebuked the people.

He, indeed, addressed Jeremiah and seems to have included him with the people when he said, Thy God hath spoken—because ye have sinned and have been rebellious.

But Nebuzaradan, no doubt, thus highly commended the faithfulness of Jeremiah because he had been true and faithful in his vocation and office. He then did not count him as one of the people, nor did he mean that Jeremiah had sinned with others or had been rebellious against God.

But, in the first place, he addressed Jeremiah, Thy God, he said. This was expressed by way of honor, meaning that God was the God of Jeremiah.

For though the people boasted that they were holy, Nebuzaradan here indirectly condemned their foolish boastings, since he intimated that Jeremiah alone was worthy of being considered one of God’s servants. It was as if he had said that the Jews were unworthy of the honor of glorying in God’s name, or of professing it: Thy God then hath spoken.

The rest tomorrow.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as You have promised that we shall be to You as the apple of Your eye—O grant, that we may ever flee under the shadow of Your mercy, and that this alone may be our tranquility in times of confusion and misery. May we, at the same time, rely in confidence on Your help, so that we may, in sincerity, perform what You command us and what is our duty, so that we may, by experience, find that all those who obey Your voice are really sustained by Your hand, and that those are never disappointed who look for the certain reward of their obedience from You. And may we carry on the warfare so perseveringly in this life, that we may know that there is a reward laid up for us in heaven, when Christ Your only-begotten Son shall appear. Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]

We began yesterday to explain the words of Nebuzaradan which he spoke before all the Jews. We have said that though he directed his words to Jeremiah, yet what he said referred to the whole people.

For he spoke in praise of Jeremiah and endorsed his prophecies; he therefore concluded that the people deserved their extreme punishment.

He says that God had spoken, not that he had faith in the words of Jeremiah, but only so far as he saw that they were useful for his purpose.

He gladly laid hold of what he approved, as ungodly men do, who embrace what is useful for them in God's Law and the Prophets, though they do not regard them with much reverence; and yet they pretend a great concern for religion.

Such was the case with Nebuzaradan. When he had gained the victory over the Jews, he boasted that he was the minister of God.

Jehovah, he says, has spoken, as if he had said that the Jews suffered such punishment as they deserved, because God had long before declared that He would punish them.

And then he adds that God had done as He had spoken, because they had sinned and hearkened not to His voice. Nebuzaradan was no better; but as I have already said, he boldly reproved others.

This is a common thing with hypocrites and all despisers of God; they are judges in another’s cause, but do not look, as one has said, on the other side of the wallet. Thus all are keen and ready enough to condemn others.

We have an example of this here in Nebuzaradan, for, as if he were the lawful judge of the people, he declared that the destruction of the city and Temple had not happened by chance. Instead, it was a just punishment inflicted by God on the wicked, because they had obstinately rejected the prophetic doctrine and had been intractable and disobedient.

Nor is there indeed any doubt, as we hinted yesterday, that God, in order to expose the Jews to greater shame, raised up this prophet for them.

For when Jeremiah addressed them for their safety, while there was still time to repent, they had perversely rejected that favor from God.

They then deserved to be addressed by a foreign teacher who offered them no benefit, but instead exulted over them, as this unbelieving heathen did in the present instance.

As for the option given to Jeremiah, we said yesterday that it was made openly in the presence of the Jews, so that Nebuzaradan might wound them more deeply.

But at the same time, it was God’s purpose to make the perseverance of His servant an example, as we shall see later.