Journal Through the Bible: Week 74 Saturday

source

Jeremiah chapter 38

Certain men requested that Jeremiah be put to death for the charge of treason. King Zedekiah responded by saying, "He is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you." Wow! He could not even defend himself against his own countrymen yet he thought he could rebel against paying tribute to the king of Babylon!

The men didn't kill Jeremiah outright but they lowered him into a pit where he sunk into the mire. They left him there to die. But remember that God had promised Jeremiah that he would survive the siege and God is faithful! One man, Ebedmelech went to the king and begged to have Jeremiah removed. It took 30 men and rope made from rotten rags to get Jeremiah out of the pit.

King Zedekiah inquired once again of the LORD through Jeremiah. Then Jeremiah was kept as a prisoner in the court of the prison but was not returned to the former place where he was left to die. There he stayed until Jerusalem fell.

Does God issue any commands?

• In his third inquisition by the king Jeremiah told Zedekiah the words that God had told him to say to the king, namely that any who would surrender to Babylon would be kept alive and the city would not be burnt.

Does God make any promises?

• If the king and princes would surrender their lives would be spared and the city would not be burnt. But if they would not surrender to Babylon the city would be burnt and the wives and children would be abused.
• God promised that if the king surrendered he would not be turned over to the Jews who had aligned themselves with the Chaldeans.

Does this chapter teach anything about Jesus?

• It took much effort and disgusting rottenness to remove the result of sinful acts from Jeremiah. It took much effort on Jesus' part and disgusting rottenness to remove the result of sinful acts from each repenting sinner also.

Does this chapter teach anything about yet-future events?

• God clearly spelled out the events to come and the means of surviving them but they were unpleasant to King Zedekiah. Scripture clearly spells out the events yet to come and the means of surviving them but they are unpleasant to men.