1. Perhaps the Lord will spare us (1-7)

Babylon was attacking Jerusalem. King Zedekiah hoped for a miracle and he sent two priests to Jeremiah to ask him to pray for the city. These men hated Jeremiah, but they knew that he was God's servant. God's answer was bad news. God himself was fighting against the city. He would strike them with a plague, then hand them over to the Babylonians.

2. A way of life and a way of death (8-14)

Jerusalem was perched on a high plateau and regarded herself as an impregnable fortress (13). But God himself would punish her for her sins. Jeremiah advised the people of the city to choose the way of life and surrender to the Babylonians, for to stay in the city was the way of death. The way of life for any city is to administer justice and protect the innocent (12). But it was too late for Jerusalem.

Application: Lord, give me courage to point to the way of life, no matter how unpopular it may be.
One Word: God's way is the way of life