Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"Your close friends have set upon you"
Text: Jeremiah 38:22
THE CHOICE OF ZEDEKIAH
Jeremiah laid before the king the danger of not surrendering to Babylon. An even clearer word was revealed to Zedekiah.
“But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the LORD has shown me:
‘Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house
shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon’s princes,
and those women shall say:
‘Your close friends have set upon you
And prevailed against you;
Your feet have sunk in the mire,
And they have turned away again.’
‘So they shall surrender all your wives and children to the Chaldeans.
You shall not escape from their hand,
but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon.
And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.””
Jeremiah 38:21-23
1. “But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the LORD has shown me”
a) Refusal to surrender:
i) This was the option that Zedekiah was mulling over.
ii) There was a faction among the princes that had chosen this stance.
b) The word that God had shown to Jeremiah.
i) This was not a new word at all.
ii) Consistently, Jeremiah had revealed to the nation what must be done.
iii) Surrendering at this point of time was the only sane choice.
2. “Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s house
shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women shall say”
a) Who would be left behind?
i) The womenfolk of the king’s house.
ii) These would be delivered to the Babylonians.
b) These women would then take up this taunt against king Zedekiah.
3. “Your close friends have set upon you and prevailed against you;
your feet have sunk in the mire, and they have turned away again”
a) The women folk seemed to have better understanding than the king.
b) They noted “the close friends” of the king.
i) They had risen against the king.
ii) They had prevailed against him.
iii) These were false friends!
c) What would happen to king Zedekiah?
i) He would be stuck.
ii) His feet would be stuck in the mire, as it were.
iii) These false friends were not standing with him.
iv) They will turn away… again!
v) Unfortunately, Zedekiah could not discern truth and falsehood.
vi) He had been deceived by his “close friends” all this while.
4. “So they shall surrender all your wives and children to the Chaldeans.
You shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon.
And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire”
a) All his wives and children would be given over to the Babylonians.
b) Zedekiah cannot hope to escape from Nebuchadnezzar.
c) His defiance would result in making King Nebuchadnezzar so angry,
that he would burn down the city of Jerusalem.