Jeremiah 21:1

 Jeremiah 21:1 says, The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,  King Zedekiah sent a messenger to Jeremiah.  The messenger was a priest himself, and may have been one of those who was persecuting Jeremiah, but he had no choice but to obey the king, even if he did not obey God.  Verse two adds, Inquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.  Zedekiah asked that Jeremiah go to God for them, because Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon was making war with the people of Judah.  The king may not have been concerned with God before, but he was when defeat seemed inevitable, but even then he did not promise to obey God.  He only wanted God to deliver the nation from defeat.  We need to look to God at all times and not just in times of trouble, and even then we need to look to Him in obedience and not just to get us out of a bad situation.  Verse three states, Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah:  Jeremiah gave God's message to Pashur to carry to Zedekiah.  All we can do is give God's word to the people of the world.  Verse four declares, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. God's message was not what the king wanted to hear, but was that the nation of Judah was about to be defeated.  God had protected the people of Judah before, but they were being obedient to Him at those times, and now they had turned totally against Him.  We cannot refuse to accept God's law and guidance and expect Him to bail us out in times of trouble as well.  Verse five continues, And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.  God said not only was He not going to deliver Judah, but that He was going to fight against them.  If we are not following God, He will never be for us, and we better hope that we never reach the point that He fights against us.  Verse six declares, And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.  God said that He would smite Judah.  God doesn't need another army to defeat anyone who stands against Him, any more than He needs an army to protect those who stand for Him.  If we are God's people through faith in Jesus Christ, we are forever victorious over everything, no matter if we lose everything in this world.  Verse seven adds, And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.  God said that He was giving up the people of Judah into the hand of their enemies.  When we stand against God, if not in this life one day we are going to face total defeat.