Jeremiah – Page 5 – Be Still…

Jeremiah 38:14-28 – A Secret Meeting

a man half in the shadows putting his finger to his mouth as if to say "sssssh"

We are told in this reading how long Jeremiah will remain a prisoner. No more wondering if there will be a jail break! When Zedekiah’s eleven-year reign ends with Babylon conquering Jerusalem, Jeremiah will be free for a while. We know the circumstances that prompt Jeremiah’s freedom, but we don’t know how far into the king’s reign we are in this moment.

Do you think Jeremiah was feeling any hope at this special summons from the king? Jeremiah was certainly blunt and to the point when the king demanded the truth. “Jeremiah said, ‘If I tell you the truth, you will kill me. And if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me anyway.’” Did Jeremiah’s boldness surprise you in how he addressed the king?

Jeremiah 38:1-13 – Now That’s the Pits!

Read Jeremiah 38:1-13

abandoned cistern made out of brick and rock

The life of the prophet Jeremiah has had some very unpleasant moments. Of course, we are privy to only a portion of what he experienced. But today’s circumstance was certainly the “pits.” I recall using that word regularly to describe all the unpleasant things a teenager might encounter. It’s been decades since I used that little phrase. Certainly, Jeremiah had to be glad that his time in the “pits” didn’t end in death!

This was an interesting interlude of the unfolding drama of Jeremiah’s imprisonment. Jeremiah has had a rough road. Now the king’s officials want him dead because his message hurts the morale of the fighting men and people left behind. Heaven forbid! It’s one thing if morale is being affected by negative talk, but Jeremiah’s prophecies, while not at all “pleasant,” sounded God’s warning and promise of hope for the redeemed.

Jeremiah 37:1-21 – Serve Despite the Chaos

Read Jeremiah 37:1-21

letters of word CHAOS made out of emojis

There’s a lot happening in this chapter. First, we have a king asking for prayer. Then, Egypt approaches with the apparent intention of helping Judah, and the Babylonians leave. Then Jeremiah loses his freedom to walk about when he is wrongly accused and put in a dungeon before being upgraded to prison in the royal palace.

We’re given a bit of a time stamp to this story as well. We’ve got a big jump in time from our last reading (remember this book is not chronological). Jeremiah is in the middle of the siege. God’s prophecies were coming true in real time for Jeremiah. Many people had already been taken into exile and there is only a small number remaining. “But neither King Zedekiah nor his attendants nor the people who were left in the land listened to what the Lord said through Jeremiah.” Where have all the faithful people gone? Are they all in Babylon already? Jeremiah is on his own.

Jeremiah 36:21-32 – What Happened to the Scroll?

Read Jeremiah 36:21-32

Can you believe what the king did to the scroll? At least he had it read to him before he destroyed it. But the fact he was not moved to repent is serious business. I was surprised by this line: “Neither the king nor his attendants showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard.” How could they hear all of that and have no fear of the LORD? What a calloused heart King Jehoiakim must have had to simply burn up God’s word with no remorse. I picture him taking delight in the power he wielded. Sad. Very sad.

God desires our devotion and was hopeful his prophetic words on the scroll would pierce the king’s cold heart. God gave the king a chance to get it right, but the king failed. The king’s actions were brutal as he slashed the scroll and burned it up. How disappointed God must have been to see such a response! Can you think of a time when someone responded to you in a totally unexpected way that hurt you?

Jeremiah 36:1-20 – Introducing Baruch

Read Jeremiah 36:1-20

quill and scroll paper with Hebrew writing

What a drama we see unfold before our eyes in this reading! And in just twenty short verses we covered the span of a year. I always like when we get those nuggets of exactness on which to create our mental picture of what’s happening in that moment. God was hopeful, “Perhaps the people of Judah will repent when they hear again all the terrible things I have planned for them.”

Faithful Jeremiah listens to God about writing it all down. What surprises me here is that all this time, Jeremiah was not keeping written notes of his prophecies from God. I suppose that’s because I journal a lot! I pour my heart out to God and keep track of answered prayer.