Jeremiah 37:1-10 Doomed!
Zedekiah is on the throne and he sends word for Jeremiah to pray for Judah. God says they are DOOMED to fall to the Chaldeans; Babylon.
We have shifted forward in time again today. We are with Zedekiah, the last king Judah had. He was put in place by Nebuchadnezzar when he took Jehoiakim’s son, Jehoiachin, away in chains. We also see that Pharaoh’s army has arrived to ‘help’ Judah defeat Nebuchadnezzar. This is where we pick up our story today.
There are a couple things that I find interesting about this ‘day’ in Judah. First of all is that Jeremiah has been prophesying for the span of four kings. And his prophecies haven’t changed in the least. His prophecies have been that God is bringing judgment on Judah from the north. Yet Zedekiah sends an official and the priest to Jeremiah and asks Jeremiah to pray for them.
The second thing is that Zedekiah is still claiming that they are serving God. When he sent his envoy his words were; “Please pray for us to the Lord our God” (verse 3b). He didn’t say, “The Lord your God” as we have seen in other instances. But “OUR God”, laying Judah under His rule while still refusing to listen to what He has to say.
Thinking about Zedekiah’s statement, I see it as a revelation from God. What I mean is, God has NEVER absolved Himself of being the God of Israel. Even when they were in their darkest times, He STILL called them His children; His chosen people. And as His children, God would discipline them.
Zedekiah was probably feeling good about where he stood when he asked Jeremiah to pray for the people. The armies of Egypt had arrived and Nebuchadnezzar’s army had left for their own lands. I’m not sure if Zedekiah’s request for prayer was a formality, a ritual, or a heart felt plea. I’m leaning towards the first or second because, if it was the third, the people would be doing some changing in response to Jeremiah’s earlier words. It looks more like Zedekiah was asking for a ritual blessing before heading off to battle. Like singing the national anthem before a sporting event.
Jeremiah wasn’t going to oblige the king’s request. He followed what God told him to do and no one else. And the answer he returned to Zedekiah was a jaw dropper! “Those you thought were here to help you will leave you ‘high and dry’. You will see their backsides as the ‘bug out’ and head home. You WILL face the army of Nebuchadnezzar and LOSE! Even if by some miracle you managed to defeat Nebuchadnezzar’s army, you will STILL go down in defeat. For they WILL burn this city to the ground. They will come off their sick beds to do so if need be.” What went unsaid is; “For it is I who am fighting against you.”
Can you imagine being in Zedekiah’s place? He really wants God’s blessing but he wants it on HIS OWN plans, not God’s. I may have actually been in this place myself a time or two. SO convinced that if God could just see it your way, He would be happy to go along. Sorry to say, it NEVER works. No matter how hard we pray, when God says “No”, He means it. The “Bless this Mess” signs are only half right. You start cleaning up the ‘mess’, especially things you need to repent of, and then He can direct you out of the mess. He will NOT bless the sin you are in, no matter how good your intentions are or how you will ‘use it to help others’.
Zedekiah could have evaded the disaster by simply surrendering to God and leaving his sins behind. As the king, he could have also brought the people to the place of following God. Josiah did. Zedekiah wanted his sin more than he wanted the blessings of God.
This DOES NOT mean that God has stopped loving you or that He is tossing you away. It means that there is discipline on the horizon if YOU don’t change. He loves us enough to discipline us. To bring us back into right relationship with Him. Judah and Israel would never again bow down to Baal after this lesson.
Father God, THANK YOU for bringing me out of the messes I got myself into. It wasn’t pleasant going through the lessons but they were and are necessary to keep my heart fixed on You. Whatever it takes Father, I’m Yours!
Holy Spirit, I found myself judging another for their judging of others. I know there are reasons behind this other person’s attitudes. It hurts me to hear these harsh words. I also know that I’m not innocent of that behavior, as my judging the other proves. Show me how to talk to this person when they slip into this mindset. Help me to ALWAYS lead with love and not anger during these times. Watch over my heart and mind as well as the other party’s.
