Through the Bible: Jeremiahनमूना

King Zedekiah vs. Jeremiah

King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me. “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared.” 

Jeremiah 38:19-20 (NIV)

We see a huge contrast of faith and obedience between King Zedekiah and Jeremiah here.  King Zedekiah sought counsel from the Lord via Jeremiah a few times but he ignored his words in the end because he was afraid, and surrendering to Babylon was against his own will and position, as he may be mistreated. On the contrary, Jeremiah obeyed the Lord to deliver the ‘unwanted’ truths despite the threat of (or actually) being tortured or killed by King Zedekiah and his people. The outcome was obvious; Zedekiah’s legacy and life were ultimately destroyed, while Jeremiah was treated with respect and had God’s protection.

When we come to the crossroad of obedience, do we choose ‘us’ over Him?  Do we listen to the world or God?  When following Christ means giving up something our hearts hold dearly to, or comes with a ‘price’, can we still put Him above all?

Prayer

Father God, thank You for choosing us over and over again despite our past sins. Let us learn to be faithful too, despite our own preferences and wants. We could still choose You over and over again because God You are good and Your love for us is unfathomable! In Jesus' name, Amen.