Jeremiah 39:1-18
👉 Babylon attacked Jerusalem and, after two years of battle, took over the city.
When Zedekiah and the soldiers saw this – they fled at night.
(This is why true study and note taking is so helpful. It may seem okay that Zedekiah fled when the enemy came. But what had the Lord instructed him to do? See Jeremiah 38:17.)
👉 The Result of Zedekiah’s Disobedience:
- his sons were slaughtered
- all the nobles of Judah were slaughtered
- Zedekiah’s eyes were put out
- he was bound with chains and taken to Babylon
- his house was burned down
- the walls of Jerusalem were broken down
- the people were carried into exile in Babylon
- the poor were left behind to work the land
👉 What about Jeremiah?
- Nebuchadnezzar instructed that he be looked after
- that no harm be done to him
- that he be listened to
👉 Ebed-melech (the Ethiopian):
- would be delivered
- not given into the hands of the enemy
- protected because of his trust in the Lord
👉 I can’t help but imagine Zedekiah trying to defend his decision to run. “Lord, what did you expect me to do?”
“Well, Zed, how about exactly what I had already told you to do?”
But we do it too.
“Lord, I was wronged. How did you expect me to respond?”
“I could have stood up and said something, Lord, but they may have mocked me. What was I supposed to do?”
“But he/she is my enemy, Lord. What do you want from me?”
In most situations – we know how to respond. The Lord has given clear instructions. The real question is whether or not we will trust and obey what we’ve already been told.
Happy Saturday!
