“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am about to repel the weapons of war in your hands, those you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall, and I will bring them into the center of this city. I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a strong arm, with anger, rage, and intense wrath.  I will strike the residents of this city, both people and animals. They will die in a severe plague. Afterward—this is the Lord’s declaration—King Zedekiah of Judah, his officers, and the people—those in this city who survive the plague, the sword, and the famine—I will hand over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, to their enemies, yes, to those who intend to take their lives. He will put them to the sword; he won’t spare them or show pity or compassion.” Jeremiah 21:4-7

            God is not against you, but there are times when He must punish you (or a nation) for your sins.  In the case of Israel, God very patiently warned them for decades, actually a couple centuries, to stop worshiping other gods and marrying women from other belief systems.  This slowly began the process of turning Israel against God.  God saw it coming and told the prophets to warn His people.

            God was “for” the nation, until the nation was firmly against God.  Then, when it went too far, God stepped in and punished the nation severely.  We read passages like this in Jeremiah but need to remember this from God’s perspective.  David was king around 1000 BC.  This is 588 BC.  God saw the decline for 400 years, warned them over and over, then got to the point where enough was enough. 

            God is patient with us, for longer than we deserve.