Fri.’s Devo - Judah’s Last King

Read: Jeremiah 37:1-28:28; 1 Timothy 6:1-21; Psalm 89:38-52; Proverbs 25:28 Zedekiah was the last king of David’s line to rule Judah. He was appointed by the king of Babylon. Zedekiah refused to heed the words of Jeremiah yet he sent word to Jeremiah to pray for them. Zedekiah had hired Egypt to come help them but they only made it to the southern border before the army of Babylon met them. The Babylonians had left besieging Jerusalem to fight them and keep Egypt from coming to Judah’s rescue. Zedekiah sent messengers to ask Jeremiah what would happen and he told them. The Egyptians would turn around and go back to their own land and not rescue them. The Babylonians would return to Jerusalem and finish what they started. Jerusalem would be burned to the ground. Jeremiah left Jerusalem to go see about the land he had bought from his cousin but was stopped by the sentry at the Gate of the city. They accused him of escaping to deflect to the Babylonians. Jeremiah told them that that was absurd but they locked him up in a dungeon cell anyway. Zedekiah sent for him to be brought secretly to his palace where he asked him if he had any messages from the Lord. Jeremiah had one: You will be defeated by the Babylonians. Then Jeremiah asked what his crime was. He begged not to be returned to the dungeon because he would die. The king had mercy and moved him to the palace prison. From there Jeremiah could tell the people that their only hope was to surrender to the Babylonians. The officials did not like what he was telling the people and they had him lowered into a cistern in the prison yard so he could no longer influence the people. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian who was an important court official heard about what they had done to Jeremiah and went to the king to beg the king to save Jeremiah’s life. He allowed him to draw Jeremiah out of the cistern and he was allowed to walk freely in the palace prison. Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and asked if he had any word for him from the Lord. Jeremiah told the king that if he would surrender to the Babylonians he and his family would be allowed to live and the city would not be burned down. Zedekiah told Jeremiah that he was afraid to surrender. He was afraid that the king would hand him over to his own people who had gone over to their side and they would be brutal to him. Jeremiah promised him that this would not happen. If he refused to surrender then all the women in his palace would be given to the officers of Babylon. His wives and children would be led out to Babylon and he would not escape. The city would be burned to the ground. Zedekiah made Jeremiah promise not to tell anyone about their conversation. The king’s officials did come to Jeremiah to ask him why the king had called him, but Jeremiah kept his promise and didn’t tell. Jeremiah remained a prisoner until Jerusalem was captured. Paul gave instructions to the slaves to respect their masters especially if their masters were believers. Paul taught them to be content no matter what their circumstance was because this proved a person’s godliness. Everything we have was given to us, and we can not take any of it with us when we die. The love to be rich can be a distraction that leads to ruin and destruction. He told the rich to not be proud or trust in their money which was so unreliable. Money is meant to be a means to do God’s work and share with others. Lord, may we have your heart in all that we have and say. May we be content in all the circumstances that You put us in and may we have discernment to know when it is you that placed us in the trial or our own decisions. Help us to be quick to repent and turn back to your will.