Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"Pray now to the LORD our God for us"
Text: Jeremiah 37:3
THE REQUEST FOR INTERCESSION
Zedekiah faced a political crisis. The Babylonians were already in Judah. The Egyptians had appeared on the scene. What should Zedekiah do next?
“And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah,
and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest,
to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
‘Pray now to the LORD our God for us.’
Now Jeremiah was coming and going among the people,
for they had not yet put him in prison.
Then Pharaoh’s army came up from Egypt;
and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them,
they departed from Jerusalem.”
Jeremiah 37:3-5
1. “And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah,
and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
‘Pray now to the LORD our God for us'”
a) The delegation from Zedekiah:
i) Jehucal the son of Shelemiah.
ii) Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest.
iii) Little is known of these two men.
iv) They were sent to Jeremiah the prophet.
b) The request from the king.
i) They were to request Jeremiah to pray to the LORD God.
ii) He was asked to intercede for the nation of Judah.
2. “Now Jeremiah was coming and going among the people,
for they had not yet put him in prison”
a) He was still enjoying relative freedom.
b) He was not yet put in prison.
c) Jehoiakim could not locate Jeremiah and thus could not jail him.
3. “Then Pharaoh’s army came up from Egypt;
and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them,
they departed from Jerusalem”
a) Pharaoh’s army had come up from Egypt.
i) Pharaoh had a political interest in controlling Judah.
ii) Thus, he had sent a large army to Judah.
b) The Chaldeans had assessed the situation at hand.
i) They would not be able to defeat the Egyptians and Judah at the same time.
ii) They had just made a tactical withdrawal.
iii) This does not mean that they were defeated by the Egyptians
nor does it suggest that they were afraid of them.