By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher
Text: Jeremiah
37:1-21
Psalm
20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
(ESV)
Some have said that trust
is earned. While there may be some truth in this, the truth is we all trust in
something with the object of our trust being what we treasure in our heart (Luke
12:34; Matthew 6:21). It is, therefore, possible for one to place their
trust in something that has not earned it in their lives because it is
something they treasure in their lives. In Jeremiah
37:1-21 we observe king Zedekiah placing his trust in the Egyptian army for
deliverance instead of in God.
The text begins with the
appointment of king Zedekiah by king Nebuchadnezzar as king of Judah replacing
Coniah the son of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah
37:1). The text then lets us know that neither Zedekiah nor his servants listen
to the words of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah (Jeremiah
37:2). However, even though Zedekiah does not believe the words of the Lord
spoken by Jeremiah, we see him summon Jeremiah twice in this text (Jeremiah
37:3, 17). The text is broken down into three sections,
1)
Zedekiah’s first summon of Jeremiah (Jeremiah
37:3-10) – Zedekiah sends Jehucal and Zephaniah to Jeremiah, asking
Jeremiah to pray for them to the Lord God (Jeremiah
37:3). The context of this request is Jeremiah remaining free to roam among
the people and the withdrawal of the Chaldeans from Jerusalem because the
Egyptian army had come out from Egypt (Jeremiah
37:4-5). Due to his unbelief in the words of the Lord coming from Jeremiah,
one could conclude that the withdrawal of the Chaldeans causes king Zedekiah to
believe the Chaldeans will not invade Jerusalem. He may also have believed Jeremiah
would change his mind and stop saying the Chaldeans would invade Jerusalem. However,
Jeremiah remains true to the Lord and speaks the words the Lord has given him (Jeremiah
37:6-10).
2)
Jeremiah imprisoned (Jeremiah
37:11-15) – After the withdrawal of the Chaldean army, Jeremiah leaves
Jerusalem for the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there from among the
people (Jeremiah
37:11-12). At the Benjamin gate, Jeremiah is falsely accused of deserting
to the Chaldeans (Jeremiah
37:13). Jeremiah then confronts his accusers, calling them liars (Jeremiah
37:14). This enrages Jeremiah’s accusers, leading to them beating Jeremiah
and imprisoning him at the house of Jonathan the secretary (Jeremiah
37:15).
3)
Jeremiah summoned a second time (Jeremiah
37:16-21) – King Zedekiah summons Jeremiah a second time, asking for any
word from the Lord. Jeremiah once again remains true to the Word of the Lord
given to him, telling Zedekiah he will be delivered into the hands of the king
of Babylon (Jeremiah
37:16-17). Jeremiah then confronts king Zedekiah, asking what wrong he has
done that justifies imprisonment (Jeremiah
37:18). Jeremiah then asks the king where are his prophets who prophesied
that the king of Babylon would not come against Judah (Jeremiah
37:19). Jeremiah then asks the king not to send him back to the house of
Jonathan where he would surely die to which the king commits Jeremiah to the
court of the guard with a daily provision of bread (Jeremiah
37:20-21).
After he is appointed
king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, king Zedekiah seeks counsel from Jeremiah (Jeremiah
37:1-3). While it is possible he seeks counsel from Jeremiah to hear from
the Lord, Jeremiah
37:2 tells us that king Zedekiah does not listen to the words of the Lord from
Jeremiah. It is more likely king Zedekiah seeks counsel from Jeremiah,
believing he may change his prophecy about the pending Babylonian invasion and
seventy years of exile (Jeremiah
37:15-21 after the withdrawal of the Chaldean army (Jeremiah
37:5). If king Zedekiah believed he would receive a different prophecy from
Jeremiah, he was wrong for the word from the Lord is that the Chaldean army
will return after the armies of Egypt withdraw (Jeremiah
37: 6-10). After Jeremiah’s imprisonment, Zedekiah may have believed
Jeremiah would change his mind, but Jeremiah tells him he will be delivered
into the hands of the king of Babylon (Jeremiah
37:16-17). King Zedekiah and the people of Judah and Jerusalem have a false
sense of security, believing the army of Egypt will protect them from the
Chaldeans instead of repentance and returning to God.
The application of this
passage in our lives today is a warning not to have false security in the
created things of this world but to place our trust in God. While it is not
typical today for one to place trust in horses and chariots (Psalm
20:7), we can seek false security in our career, job, education, our
wealth, physical strength, or mental acuity. While these things are not bad, primarily
placing one’s trust in them will lead to disappointment. King Zedekiah will be
disappointed when delivered into exile by the very king who appointed him as
king of Judah. Not only will Zedekiah suffer disappointment, but he also takes
the entire nation of Judah with him. The situation for Judah and us will change
when we learn to place our trust in the Lord and not our own understanding,
allowing the Lord to guide us (Proverbs
3:5-6).
The foundation of
trusting in God is our trusting in the shed blood of Jesus on the cross to
forgive our sins. If you are reading this and have not prayed to accept Jesus
as your savior, I encourage you to do so now by praying with me,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans
3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans
6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my
sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1
John 1:9). I believe you died, spent
three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord
of my life.
I encourage everyone reading this to search their hearts and
ask God to reveal anything in their lives that they trust in more than God. Then
pray and study the Word of God, allowing the Holy Spirit to increase your trust
in God, replacing what you are currently trusting in. I pray God will challenge
and bless everyone reading this post.
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