Sat.’s Devo - God Saves Jeremiah

Read: Jeremiah 26:1-27:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 25:16 During the reign of Jehoiakim, God had Jeremiah go to the courtyard in front of the Temple and announce to all who came there to worship. If they refused to repent from their sins, God would destroy this Temple like he did the one in Shiloh, the place the Tabernacle had been. When the false prophets and the priests heard what Jeremiah said they mobbed him and wanted to kill him. How dare he say that their Temple was going to be destroyed! The officials ran over to the palace and had a hearing to decide Jeremiah’s fate. Jeremiah testified in his own behalf and told them that the Lord had sent him to say everything he had said and he had to obey. If they stopped their sinning, they could stop God’s wrath but if they didn’t, then what he said would happen. As for himself, they could kill him if they wanted to but they would be responsible before God for what they did. The officials told the people and the priests that Jeremiah had done nothing worthy of death. The older wise men told them of Micah, a prophet who had told Hezekiah the same thing and he and the people repented and begged for mercy and God gave them mercy. Then another prophets named Uriah predicted the same thing Jeremiah was saying and had to flee to Egypt for his life. King Jehoiakim had sent his men to bring him back from Egypt and had him killed and buried in an unmarked grave. Ahikam son of Shaphan stood up for Jeremiah and persuaded the court not to turn him over to the mob. Shaphan had been the scribe or royal secretary for Josiah. He had been the one that King Josiah had sent to ask the Lord for mercy when he found the copy of the law and realized they had done everything that would make God mad. His son Ahikam was following in his father’s footsteps. Ahikam would have a son named Gedaliah. He would also be a righteous person who would be chosen by the Babyloniahn to govern Jerusalem when they took over. In the beginning of Zedikiah’s reign, the Lord told Jeremiah to make a yolk and fasten it to his neck with leather straps. He was to send this message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon by their ambassadors that were visiting King Zedikiah. God had given their nations over to the Babylonians and they should submit to them if they didn’t want to be destroyed by them. They should not listen to their lying prophets. He told the same thing to King Zedikiah. If he wanted to live he should submit to the Babylonians. He should not listen to his lying prophets. They were telling the king that the things the Babylonians had taken from their Temple would soon be returned. They should be praying that what was left in the Temple and their own possessions were not taken to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar had left some of the things in the Temple when he took Jehoiachin to Babylon but they would be taken to Babylon also. They would stay there until God sent for them and then they would return. In Thessalonians, Paul was ending his letter with a lead for prayer. He wanted prayer that the Lord’s message would spread rapidly and be honored wherever it went. He also wanted them to join him in praying safety from the wicked and evil people who were not believers. Paul commanded them to stay away from people who claimed to be believers but refused to work for themselves. He told them to never tire of doing good. Lord, may we be laborers in your field and not idle. Thank you that you are in total control of the nations of the earth. Everything is subject to your Word and your power.