Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Jeremiah Chapter 37
Metaphysically Interpreting Jeremiah 37:1-10
37:1And Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah. 37:2But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of Jehovah, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.
37:3And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto Jehovah our God for us. 37:4Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people; for they had not put him into prison. 37:5And Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt; and when the Chaldeans that were besieging Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they brake up from Jerusalem.
37:6Then came the word of Jehovah unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 37:7Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me: Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land. 37:8And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with fire. 37:9Thus saith Jehovah, Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us; for they shall not depart. 37:10For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yea would they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
Metaphysically Interpreting Jeremiah 37:11-21
37:11And it came to pass that, when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, 37:12then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to receive his portion there, in the midst of the people. 37:13And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he laid hold on Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou art falling away to the Chaldeans. 37:14Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I am not falling away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him; so Irijah laid hold on Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes. 37:15And the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that the prison. 37:16When Jeremiah was come into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;
37:17Then Zedekiah the king sent, and fetched him: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from Jehovah? And Jeremiah said, There is. He said also, Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon. 37:18Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, Wherein have I sinned against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison? 37:19Where now are your prophets that prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land? 37:20And now hear, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be presented before thee, that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there. 37:21Then Zedekiah the king commanded, and they committed Jeremiah into the court of the guard; and they gave him daily a loaf of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city was spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
August 20, 1911: Jeremiah 37:4-21
There is a wide demand for a book explaining the symbolism of the Bible, and those who are asking for such a book are presuming that it can be written out so plainly that anyone can take it, and without previous study interpret the deepest metaphysical writings of all the ages. Such a book may be written, but it will be as full of mystery as the Bible to those who are ignorant of the human mind and its relation to Divine Mind. When men learn the constituent parts of their souls, their bodies, and the Spirit, they will have no trouble in discerning the symbolism of the Scriptures; but this understanding must first be attained.
Man is potentially the “image and likeness” of God, but not actually that “image and likeness” until he is conscious of it. All spiritual development is to bring to consciousness that which already is. Involution is the creative work of God; evolution is the receptive work of man. The “children of Israel” are the thoughts that have been receptive to Spirit, until a certain degree of consciousness has been attained, which remains in the soul as the true Ego through all its incarnations. It may be submerged again and again, but it is somewhere in the field of consciousness, and the possessor is a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, regardless of the race in which he lives from age to age.
The Chaldeans are the psychic thoughts that connect the individual soul with the soul of the earth and the heavenly bodies. They are not spiritual, but shine by borrowed light. The Babylonians are the mixed, confused thoughts of the material world. The Egyptians are thoughts pertaining to the subjective substance. The Assyrians are the destructive, undisciplined thoughts.
The I Am can make active and dominant in consciousness any thought realm it identifies itself with. When man evolves according to Divine Law, he is careful to “watch and pray.” He thus identifies himself with God and is righteous. When man grows lax in this identification, he gradually falls into error and ignorance, until he is besieged on every side by unspiritual, oppressive conditions. This is the state in which this lesson portrays the “children of Israel.”
Jeremiah the prophet is spiritual Faith. When ignorance and wickedness rule, it is bound in the dungeon of materiality. When the extremity is great and the usual mortal aids are powerless, then the Ego (king Zedekiah) turns to submerged Faith and asks the outcome. Jeremiah is called the “sorrowful prophet,” because he nearly always looked on the dark side and prophesied evil. When one's faith is pressed upon by thoughts of discouragement and condemnation, the Ego should deny the belief in material bondage and affirm the Living substance of Spirit as the One Reality. King Zedekiah set Jeremiah free, and gave him daily a loaf of bread, which represents this denial and affirmation. Stimulate your faith in God by word and use. Faith is man's most marvelous faculty, and if you have it in the very smallest degree (a grain of mustard seed) you can remove mountains.
– UNITY magazine.
November 27, 1949: Jeremiah 37:15-17
Can the personal will (Zedekiah) or any other dominant part of persionality (the princes) relieve us of the duty of expressing the truth? No. Spiritual faith (Jeremiah) continues to make clear to us the connection between cause and effect. “Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 01-30-2014
