The Babylonians temporarily and briefly lifted their siege on Jerusalem when they heard of the approaching army of Egypt. Since Zedekiah had sent his men to request Jeremiah to pray for him, the prophet gave the king the word of the Lord to him in Jeremiah 37: 7-10. There were a few things Jeremiah declared would happen.
Firstly,
the Egyptians whom Zedekiah had solicited for help would retreat. Secondly, the
Babylonians would return, continue their attack, capture Jerusalem, and raze it with fire. Thirdly,
Zedekiah was not to deceive himself by thinking the Babylonians would go away
permanently, for they wouldn’t. Finally, God said, “For even if you (Judah)
had defeated the entire army of Chaldeans who were fighting against you, and
there were only wounded men left among them, each man in his
tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.” This was a guarantee that Judah would be
defeated by Babylon. Why? For this was a judgment decreed by God on Judah.
From these verses, there
are two lessons for us:
Firstly, we learn that we must
not deceive ourselves. Self-deception happens when one ignores fact and deny
the reality of the situation. This was God’s warning to Zedekiah.
Self-deception will blind a person from what will undoubtedly take place. In
Galatians 6:7 we are warned, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for
whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” The Law of Reciprocity is a
guarantee. If we deny God, He will deny us.
Secondly, we learn that God’s will is
irresistible. What He has said will definitely come to pass. No discussion will
ever make it go away nor would denying it make it go away. Forever, the Word of
God is settled. The certainty of what God has said is undeniable. We either
obey Him or face the consequences of disobedience. It is a choice we can make.
Choose this day to obey God, regardless!
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