Jeremiah 21–25
The Holy Bible interpreted through Divine Principle insight and the words of True Father.
This study page continues Jeremiah with chapters 21 through 25. Commentary is attached where the text strongly reflects Divine Principle themes such as surrender to providential judgment, the failure of kings and shepherds, the promise of a righteous Branch, the separation of good and bad figs, and the seventy-year course of judgment over Judah and the nations.
21:1–7 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur... Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us... Then said Jeremiah... I myself will fight against you... and afterward... Zedekiah king of Judah... shall be delivered into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon.
21:8–10 And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. He that abideth in this city shall die... but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans... he shall live... For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good...
21:11–14 And touching the house of the king of Judah... Execute judgment in the morning... lest my fury go out like fire... I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings...
22:1–5 Thus saith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah... Execute ye judgment and righteousness... do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow... But if ye will not hear these words... this house shall become a desolation.
22:10–12 Weep ye not for the dead... but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more...
22:13–19 Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness... Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar?... Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice...? He judged the cause of the poor and needy... Was not this to know me? saith the LORD.
22:20–30 Go up to Lebanon, and cry... all thy lovers are destroyed... O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless... for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David...
Jeremiah 22 makes plain that kingship is measured by righteousness, justice, and care for the vulnerable. Divine Principle strongly resonates because God’s sovereignty is never divorced from moral order and public responsibility.
The contrast between luxurious building and failure toward the poor is powerful. True Father often emphasized that to know God is not a private claim only; it is demonstrated by living for others, especially the weak and mistreated.
The royal line is publicly judged, and the earth itself is summoned as witness. This strongly resonates because when central figures fail, the consequences are not merely personal but historical, affecting the providential throne and lineage course.
23:1–4 Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture... Therefore thus saith the LORD... I will gather the remnant of my flock... and I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them...
23:5–8 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth... and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
23:9–22 Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets... they run, and I sent them not... They say still unto them that despise me, The LORD hath said, Ye shall have peace... but who hath stood in the counsel of the LORD...?
23:23–40 Am I a God at hand... and not a God afar off?... Is not my word like as a fire?... and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?... the prophet, and the priest... every man's word shall be his burden...
Jeremiah 23 begins with judgment on pastors who destroy and scatter the sheep. Divine Principle strongly resonates because failed leadership is never a small matter in providential history; it directly wounds God’s flock and delays restoration.
The promise of the righteous Branch is one of Jeremiah’s greatest messianic passages. It strongly resonates because Heaven does not leave the failed throne unaddressed; God prepares a central king from David’s line who will truly execute judgment and justice.
The false prophets promise peace without standing in God’s counsel. True Father often emphasized that the deepest problem in religion is not lack of words, but words spoken without vertical connection to Heaven.
The living word is compared to fire and a hammer. This strongly resonates because Heaven’s word does not merely decorate the mind; it burns, breaks, tests, and remakes fallen reality.
24:1–3 The LORD shewed me, and, behold, two baskets of figs were set before the temple of the LORD... One basket had very good figs... and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten...
24:4–7 Thus saith the LORD... Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah... For I will set mine eyes upon them for good... and I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD...
24:8–10 And as the evil figs... so will I give Zedekiah... and the residue of Jerusalem... And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt... and I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them...
The vision of the figs overturns outward expectation: the captives carried away are the good figs on whom God sets His eyes for good. Divine Principle strongly resonates because Heaven’s chosen remnant may pass through humbling exile and yet be the very ones preserved for future rebuilding.
Those left behind in apparent stability become the evil figs. True Father often emphasized that external position, comfort, or official status do not prove Heaven’s favor; what matters is alignment with God’s providential purpose.
25:1–7 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah... from the thirteenth year of Josiah... even unto this day... I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened... Turn ye again now every one from his evil way...
25:8–14 Therefore thus saith the LORD... I will send and take... Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant... and this whole land shall be a desolation... and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon...
25:15–29 Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations... to drink it... For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished?...
25:30–38 The LORD shall roar from on high... and the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end... for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture...
Jeremiah 25 gathers years of rejected warning into one major sentence of judgment. Divine Principle strongly resonates because repeated refusal of Heaven’s word eventually gives way to a fixed historical course, here marked by Babylonian domination.
The seventy-year period shows again that providential judgment has measure and timing. True Father often emphasized that even severe courses unfold within Heaven’s order and are not endless or meaningless.
The cup given first to Jerusalem and then to the nations shows that God’s judgment begins with the called center but does not end there. This strongly resonates because Heaven governs all nations, and no one is exempt merely because another falls first.
The final roar from on high reveals the cosmic scale of God’s controversy with the earth. It strongly resonates because providence is not local sentiment only; it is the public government of Heaven over shepherds, peoples, and nations.
Jeremiah 21 shows a moment when political desperation tries to draw on Heaven without true repentance. Divine Principle strongly resonates because there are times in providence when a nation that has long resisted God can no longer presume upon miraculous rescue while refusing the word.
The shocking message is that life comes through surrender to Babylon rather than through patriotic stubbornness. True Father often emphasized that Heaven’s path can look humiliating outwardly, yet the true issue is obedience to God’s direction, not self-protective pride.
The royal house is judged by the fruit of its doings. This strongly resonates because leadership carries covenant responsibility; when it abandons justice, the throne itself becomes subject to Heaven’s fire.