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Wow! That’s what it
felt like reading this today. I couldn’t
stop, because I wanted to ride it out.
King Zedekiah begged Jeremiah to pray to God for them. God simply answered that it was time to get
ready. It was gonna happen.
Jeremiah was imprisoned in a dungeon, then the courtyard of
the guards, then lowered into a deep, muddy well. But a man interceded for him with the king
and at least got him removed from the well.
The king them secretly met with him to ask what would happen. God told Jeremiah to tell him that he must obey God and surrender to Nebuchadnezzar in order to live. Zedekiah said what we all often say: “I’m afraid!” And he let his fear override his trust in the Lord. Rather than surrendering, he tried to leave
the city under the cover of darkness.
The result of his disobedience was that he watched his sons being killed
and was then blinded so that the last image he’d remember would be their
death. He was taken in chains to Babylon. Look what
his fear cost him!
The local commander of the Babylonian force was tasked with
finding Jeremiah and giving him whatever he needed. This was not
collaboration. This was God using an enemy to take care of His faithful servant. Jeremiah chose to remain in Judah amidst the destruction, rather than living a life
of luxury in Babylon. He moved in with
the appointed governor, who was likely seen as an enemy collaborator by the
guerilla forces still roaming the countryside.
It wasn’t long before the governor was assassinated, along with many
others. The soldiers who did it then
asked Jeremiah to pray to God for them and ask where they should go and what
they should do. They devoutly promised
to do it.
The message God sent made it clear that God already knew that they too would
disobey Him: “If you stay in Judah, I will build you up….
Don’t be afraid … I am with you … If you
make up your mind to go and live in Egypt you will die there in war, from
hunger or from terrible diseases… I will
show My anger against you when you go to
Egypt … You will never see Judah
again … DON’T GO TO EGYPT! Be sure you understand this; I warn you
today that you are making a mistake that
will cause your deaths … So today I have told you but you have not
obeyed the Lord your God … So now be sure
you understand this: You want
to go to live in Egypt, but you will die
there by war, hunger, or terrible diseases.”
Stubborn and hard hearted, they headed to Egypt anyway, even
making Jeremiah go with them! When they
arrived, God gave Jeremiah another action sermon: “Take some large stones. Bury them in the clay in the brick pavement
in front of the king of Egypt’s palace.
Do this while the Jews are
watching you … Say: ‘I will soon send for My servant, Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon. I will set his throne over
these stones I have buried … He will come here and attack Egypt. He will
bring death to those who are supposed to die.’”
It wouldn’t do them any good to try to sneak back to Judah,
for God wasn’t going to allow delayed
obedience either.
The questions God had for them should shake us to
the core as well:
“WHY are you doing such great harm to yourselves? … WHY
do you WANT to make Me angry? … You will destroy yourselves … You are still
too proud. You have not learned to respect Me or to follow My teachings.”
It was all now too late.
The last ones who’d escaped destruction had blown their chance to re-form the nation. God said, “I am determined to bring disasters on you … I have sworn by My great
name … I am watching over them, not
to take care of them, but to hurt them. The Jews who live in Egypt will die from swords or hunger until
they are all destroyed.”
God may have established them as His chosen people, but they
had spat in His face, cursed Him, and overrun His mercy and grace. He was giving them what they deserved.
Father God, on this Thanksgiving Day, I am so thankful that You planted us and built us up here in America. For
236 years You have watched over us and blessed us as a nation and the
world because of us. Yet now it seems
that Your people have become a minority here.
The majority seem to want nothing to do with You. They do not trust You. It’s never been this way before. Like Zedekiah, I’m afraid. I know that we
are not yet to the point Israel and Judah had reached. There is
still a faithful remnant. And You are still God. Soften hearts and wake up souls, Father. Cause people to fear You and to understand
what their apostasy is doing to our land.
As in the past, where apostasy brought drought and famine, we see
drought gripping our nation even now. Please
bring spiritual revival. Please make
sure we have something to be thankful for next year.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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