Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon"
Text: Jeremiah 29:15
RESISTING JEREMIAH’S LETTER TO THE CAPTIVES
While some may respond to what Jeremiah had written, there would be others who would resist. Those who resisted offered a different alternative word.
“Because you have said,
‘The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon’—
therefore thus says the LORD
concerning the king who sits on the throne of David,
concerning all the people who dwell in this city,
and concerning your brethren
who have not gone out with you into captivity—”
Jeremiah 29:15-16
1. “Because you have said, ‘The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon'”
a) The resistant ones
i) They rejected Jeremiah’s word outright.
ii) They came up with an alternative.
b) They insisted:
i) The LORD had raised up prophets in Babylon.
ii) Jeremiah was not in Babylon and his letter offering advice did not go down very well with them.
iii) This was the alternative offered to counter Jeremiah’s word.
2. “Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king who sits on the throne of David,
concerning all the people who dwell in this city, and concerning your brethren who have not gone out with you into captivity”
a) The LORD had a further word to those who were resisting and rejecting the advice Jeremiah had written to the Captives.
b) Three groups were mentioned:
i) The reigning king sitting on David’s throne. This was King Zedekiah.
ii) All the dwellers in the city of Jerusalem.
iii) Brethren who have not gone out into captivity and are still living in Judah.
c) These were deceived.
i) They were led to believe that they would not experience worse trials.
ii) Things would return to normal before too long.
iii) The thought of being in Captivity for 70 years was hard to accept.