Fri.’s Devo - Jeremiah’s Defense

Read: Jeremiah 26:1-27:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 25:16 God sent the word through Jeremiah that if the people wouldn’t listen to the prophets they would be destroyed just like Shiloh was. Jeremiah spoke this to all the people in front of the Lord’s Temple. When he finished saying it, the people mobbed him and wanted to kill him. When the officials of Judah heard what was going on they rushed over and took everyone to the New Gate to have court. The priests and false prophets spoke first. They wanted Jeremiah to be killed for prophesying against the city. They called him a traitor. Then Jeremiah spoke and told them that he was only saying exactly what the Lord told him to say. He told them again that if they would stop sinning, God would change his mind about the disaster he had announced against them. He told them that if they killed him they would be killing an innocent man. The official ruled that Jeremiah had done nothing worthy of death. Some of the wise men stood and calmed the people with the story of Micah who prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah about the same thing. They didn’t kill him but they repented instead and God didn’t destroy them. Then Uriah rose up and prophesied the same disaster. The kings sent someone to kill him but Uriah escaped to Egypt. King Jehoiakim sent one of his men to capture Uriah and bring him back where he was killed and buried in an unmarked grave. Lastly, Ahikam stood up for Jeremiah and persuaded the court not to turn him over to the people to be killed. In the beginning of Zedikiah’s reign the Lord told Jeremiah to make a yoke and fasten it to his neck with leather straps and sent messages to the king of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon. Their ambassadors were to take word to them that God was in control of the world and He would give all the nations, them included over to Babylon. He would punish any nation that refused to be his lave. They would be punished with war, famine, and disease until Babylon ruled them. Any nation that submitted to Babylon would be allowed to stay in their own country and farm the land as usual. This message was repeated to Judah. Jeremiah begged them to surrender instead of bringing such disaster upon themselves. He spoke to the priests and the people telling them not to listen to their false prophets that said that Babylon was going to return the treasures of the Temple they had stolen. That was a lie. Everything in Jerusalem would be taken to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar had left some of the treasures in Jerusalem when he took Jehoiakim prisoner but he would return and take everything of value that he had left. They would stay there until God sent for them to return to Jerusalem. Paul’s prayer was that the message of Christ would spread through the world. He had tried to be an example of how to live as a follower of Christ so that they could see what Christ’s ambassador should look like. He wanted them to be able to follow his lead and lead many to Christ themselves. He encouraged them to work hard and not be idle and to not meddle with others businesses. Never get tired of doing good. He prayed that God’s peace would fill them.