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Jeremiah 38 (ESV)

1 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah was saying to all the people: 2 “Thus says the Lord: He who stays in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans shall live. He shall have his life as a prize of war, and live. 3 Thus says the Lord: This city shall surely be given into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon and be taken.” 4 Then the officials said to the king, “Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.” 5 King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands, for the king can do nothing against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.

REFLECTION:

Zedekiah, king of Judah, did not have his own opinion. He listened to everyone’s opinions, and his administration was chaotic. He not only obeyed Jeremiah’s request and transferred Jeremiah from the dungeon cells to the court of the guard (37:21), but also allowed everyone to kill Jeremiah, and he finally saved Jeremiah’s life (v16). Jeremiah was very unpopular at the time. His remarks kept hitting the morale of the army and the people. It was very frustrating at first but in fact what he conveyed were divine warnings and good advice. The leaders of Judah threw Jeremiah into prison, trying to put him to death. The “prison” is actually a cistern, an underground hole used to collect rainwater. The bottom of the cistern was dark and damp, with thick mud. Jeremiah faithfully preached God’s message, but he was persecuted and framed time after time by the leaders of Judah. For 40 years he has served God faithfully, but he has not been appreciated, loved or supported by anyone. Instead, he has been beaten, intimidated, and thrown into jail until he is expelled. Only the Gentile Babylonians still have a little respect for him. God never promised His servants to be free from oppression, and even loyal servants are not immune. However, God promised that He would be with them and give them the strength to face the difficulties and dangers. When you serve God, you sometimes seem to be trapped in a thick mud. You must remember that you are serving God, not pleasing people. God is with you and will lead and build your life. Zedekiah is difficult to choose between public opinion and God’s will. Reflect in your daily life, is it the opinion of others or the will of God that has more influence on you?

PRAYER:

Pray for God to give you a pair of sharp ears so that you can distinguish the voice of God among the voices of the world, and a pair of bright eyes that can focus on the holiness and glory of God in filthy and dark places; pray that God will strengthen your heart so that you will not be shaken by the vanity of the world, even if it seems so attractive to people.

HYMN:

To Be Pleasing You – youtu.be/24yda68_t-M