Tag: King Zedekiah

Jeremiah 38:14-28 – A Secret Meeting

Read Jeremiah 38:14-28

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?

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Jeremiah 34:1-7 -A Promise from God

Read Jeremiah 34:1-7

rainbow in the sky in field with trees

We’re starting a new “unofficial” section of Jeremiah that seems to include a lot of narratives about Judah under siege in the years 588-587 B.C. The events won’t always be in chronological order, so that’s a good thing to keep in mind as you reflect on these passages. While we’ll be walking through some dark moments in the history of God’s people, we can shine the light of Jesus on all of it.

In our reading today, Jeremiah brings a specific message from the LORD to King Zedekiah. It’s not every day that God reveals to us exactly what is going to happen to us. Do you think it would be better to know exactly what was going to happen next in your life, even if it’s bad, or would you rather be unaware and just let things come?

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Jeremiah 21:1-10 – Bad News

Read Jeremiah 21:1-10

distortion of color with a man holding his ears full of anxiety

With this passage, we are entering into a new section of Jeremiah concerning prophecies focusing mainly on the Davidic kingship. It all begins with a request from the current king for reassurance from Jeremiah. Do you think King Zedekiah was surprised by Jeremiah’s message from God?

Clearly, King Zedekiah was clueless to the mess he and his people had created in Judah. He expected that God would help save them from the Babylonian attack. Had Zedekiah not been listening to Jeremiah’s prophecies up to this point? The news wasn’t good. God’s message was not “sugar coated” in the least. Here Zedekiah gets an earful of a message that is difficult for Jeremiah to bring.

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