Jeremiah 37 Devotional

The Same Word in Private

“Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and received him in his palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there a word from the LORD?” “There is,” Jeremiah replied. “You will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.””Jeremiah 37:17 (BSB)

When Babylon's army pulls back as Egypt approaches, King Zedekiah asks Jeremiah to pray for the city (37:3-5), though neither he nor the people intend to obey what the LORD has said (37:2). God warns them not to deceive themselves. Even if only wounded soldiers were left in the Babylonian camp, they would rise and burn the city (37:9-10).

Jeremiah is then arrested on a false charge of deserting, beaten, and jailed (37:13-16). Later the king sends for him secretly and asks for any word from the LORD. There is, and it has not changed: Zedekiah will be handed over to the king of Babylon (37:17). He tells the truth, then asks for mercy. He is moved to the guard's courtyard and given a loaf of bread every day until the city's bread runs out (37:21). James warns that hearing the word without doing it is self-deception (James 1:22). God's word does not shift with the setting or the asking, and neither does his care for those who carry it.

To think about: Are you asking God for a word while hoping it will be different from what he has already said?