It Didn’t Have to Happen Like This
Jeremiah 39:4-8
In Jeremiah 39 we discover one of the most tragic chapters in all of Jeremiah. The prophet Jeremiah has warned about the very circumstance that has now come to pass: if the Jewish people do not turn from their rebellion and turn back to God, the consequences will be that the Babylonian army will come and besiege the city of Jerusalem and destroy it. But what happens to Zedekiah, king of Judah, didn’t have to happen. God told him, through Jeremiah, that he and his family would be spared. So, what changed? What choices did Zedekiah make to circumvent the promise of God?
Choice #1 – Jeremiah 37:1-3 – Zedekiah paid no attention to the words that the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, but he still wanted Him to answer his prayers. Zedekiah was expecting blessings without obedience.
Choice #2 – Jeremiah 37:16-17 – King Zedekiah had Jeremiah brought to the palace, where he meets with him privately. Zedekiah never wanted to openly identify with God, only privately, secretively, behind the scenes. Like Zedekiah, we lose sight of God when open faith becomes hidden faith.
Choice #3 – Jeremiah 38:1-10 – Zedekiah sides with a group of people who want to throw Jeremiah into an empty cistern but later he listens to Ebed-Melech the Cushite, and has Jeremiah taken out of the cistern. Zedekiah stops doing the right thing in favor of the popular thing.
Choice #4 – Jeremiah 38:17 – Jeremiah tells Zedekiah, “If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.” The key word is the word surrender. Zedekiah shows us that we will start to lose sight of God when we are too proud to surrender.
Discussion Questions
Zedekiah made a series of choices that led him away from God. What specific attitudes caused his rebellion? How do we see these attitudes being lived out around us today and how do they affect our culture.
Since Christians, in America, are not being arrested and tortured for our faith, why are we afraid to speak up for Jesus and the truth of the Bible?
Give an example of someone doing the popular thing as opposed to the right thing. In Jeremiah 38 Ebed-Melech the Cushite opposed the king. Have you ever opposed the decisions of another? What was the result?
Why is surrender so difficult? What do you need to surrender to God?