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Devotional thoughts (Monday through Thursday mornings) from the pastor of Exeter Presbyterian Church in Exeter, NH // Sunday Worship 10:30am // 73 Winter Street

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Jeremiah 37

After the death of Josiah, there were four kings in Judah, but two of these (one a son and the other a grandson of Josiah) reigned for a very short period of time. The other two, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, were both sons of Josiah. They were also both wicked kings. During this time period the two great powers in this region of the world were the Egyptians and the Babylonians, and they were each involved in defining who would be in power in Judah.

Zedekiah was the final king of Judah before the destruction of Jerusalem. For some time the prophet Jeremiah had been warning rulers and people alike of the inevitable fate of the city at the hands of the Babylonians. During this time period, there had been many false prophets who gave a different message than that of Jeremiah, but by the time of this account, Jeremiah had been proven right through the unfolding of events, though the city had not yet been destroyed. We are told that the Babylonians had put Zedekiah in power.

Despite the fact that Jeremiah’s word was truly from God and recent events should have caused him to have the respect that he deserved, he was still treated as an unpatriotic enemy of the state. What is puzzling is that King Zedekiah sent a messenger to him asking that he pray to the Lord. Though the conduct of many may be very disorderly when it comes to their relationship with God, even irreligious men would rather not appear to be too disinterested in the power and wisdom of whatever gods may be available. They have something of a fear of the divine, though they will not truly submit to the Lord as their Lord, and have no real sense of His sovereignty and love.

About that time the Babylonians withdrew somewhat from their position near Jerusalem because of the movements of the Egyptian army. Despite this brief change of events, the Word of the Lord through Jeremiah remained consistent. The Babylonians would come back, they would capture the city, and burn it with fire. This was not a matter of the strength of the Babylonian army or the superiority of their forces over the Egyptians. The prophecies that come from God are not mere projections based on various strong powers among men. These are words that come from the one God who rules over all. They are expressions of His will, and He will not be stopped.

Jeremiah tells the messenger of the king that even if the men of Judah were able to defeat the Babylonian forces, and all that remained of that foreign power were wounded men recovering in their tents, still the city of Jerusalem would be captured and burned. Why is that? The issue here has never been the strength of men, but the judgment of God. The Babylonians have always been simply a tool of God for His purposes in dealing with His people. It is God who Zedekiah must deal with, and not the Babylonians.

During the brief withdrawal of Babylonian forces from the immediate vicinity, Jeremiah took advantage of the situation to attempt to travel to the land of Benjamin, not far from Judah. Knowing of Jeremiah’s uncompromising message of Babylonian conquest of Judah, one of the sentries seized Jeremiah, claiming that the prophet was deserting to the enemy. This he flatly denied, but the officials did not believe him and put him in a makeshift prison in the home of one of the leaders.

Once again, King Zedekiah wanted to have a conference with the prophet. He continues to show interest in the word from God that might come through this man. Why would the king who refused to follow the Lord, still want to hear a word from Jeremiah? Of course the word has not changed. The new word is the same as the old word. “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.”

Powerful men will attempt to use the world of spirituality for their own agenda. They come to a man like Jeremiah as they might consult a medium. The prophet seems to have some ability in spiritual realms. Maybe he can have some influence in heaven that will make things better. Their approach to the prophet is pagan. If a ceremonial dance could keep the Babylonians away, they would be happy to do that as well.

Men like Herod and Pilate had an interest in Jesus. They did not come to Him as the Son of God. They did not approach Him as the long awaited Davidic King. They understood that He had apparently performed miracles and they had some interest in that. They also observed that there was some controversy concerning Him, and that some people wanted to kill Him. If they could have used Him as a magician they would have been happy to do so, but they never would have bowed before Him as a Lord, and they never would have received Him as a Savior of sinners.

Such men do not demand consistency. The question of the righteous man inquires, “Where are those former prophets who told you that everything was going to go well?” This seems quite irrelevant to them. They don’t expect that there is one great God in heaven who is ordering everything according to one mighty and holy plan. They know that there is something to spirituality, and they might like to use it from time to time to get what they want. To such a man Jesus has almost nothing to say. But to the meek and lowly who would receive Him, the Lord of Glory has a true prophetic Word of life. He speaks this Word even to us today. “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give You rest.” This is a Word that is worthy of Your fullest obedient response. This is a prophet who speaks the truth.

posted by Pastor Magee @ 7:00 AM

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