"They will not hand you over," Jeremiah replied. "Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared. But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me:"
Jeremiah 38:20-21NIV
Visualize weak King Zedekiah; a man of little faith, seeking out Jeremiah for advice; as the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem unfolds. Consider the emotions; perhaps fear, dismay, anguish, and uncertainty that Zedekiah experienced upon hearing God's word, spoken by the prophet Jeremiah...to leave Jerusalem, surrender to Babylon and go into Babylonian exile!
Zedekiah voices concerns about being mistreated by the Jews of Babylon, and not concerns of being mistreated by the native Babylonian people.
God spoke to the leadership and people of Jerusalem through the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. The leadership and people did not listen to the prophecy. In fact, they ignored the word of God as spoken by the prophets.
We, today, have been given the Word of God, the Bible, to
guide us on our path of life. How do we respond to God's Word as spoken to us today? Do we spend time in the Word? Do we generally embrace and act on God's guiding Word, or do we hesitate, like Zedekiah, thinking about the potential mistreatment that we might receive?
Somehow it is difficult to envision Zedekiah putting on the full armor of God as mentioned in Ephesians 6: The belt of truth, feet fitted with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and prayer in the Spirit.
How would you respond if God told you to go to Babylonian exile?
In what ways have you surrendered, so that your life is spared?
Are there any ways you have not surrendered?
How do you put on the full armor of God?
Pray for an ever increasing and strengthening faith in the Lord.
In Christ,
David P
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