Jeremiah 21:8

Jeremiah 21:8 says, 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.  God told Jeremiah to tell the people of Judah that they were going to give them a choice.  They could either stay in the city and die, or they could leave the city and live under the rule of the Chaldeans.  If we refuse to acknowledge Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, then whether we die quickly or slowly, we will always be under the power of sin and will certainly die a spiritual death.  Verse nine adds, He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.  Jeremiah's message to the king from God was that they could surrender and live under the power of the Chaldeans or they could resist and die.  We will never defeat the evil of this world by our own ability.  Verse ten continues, For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.  Jeremiah was to tell the king that God had given the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon.  Verse eleven states, And touching the house of the king of Judah, say, Hear ye the word of the LORD;   God told Jeremiah to tell people of Judah to hear the word of God.  If we do not hear and accept the word of God today calling us to salvation, one day we will hear it pronouncing our doom, and then it will be to late for us to finally acknowledge Him.  Verse twelve adds, O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.  God once again calls on the people of Judah to return to Him and to begin to live by His word.  They were to not just profess to be His people and do whatever they wanted to do, but they were to actually start living by His guidance.  Professing to be a follower of Christ without living by His commands is never enough.  We must do what His word tells us to do.  Verse thirteen declares, Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?  God said that He was against those who claimed that nothing was going to happen to them.  The people of Jerusalem were attempting to claim the protection of God while disobeying His teachings.  Verse fourteen concludes, But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.  God said that He was going to punish them because they had earned His punishment.  We either accept the gift of salvation through Christ or we earn the punishment of God for our sins.  The choice is ours.