Jeremiah 37–41: Denial & Destruction

Read the Bible in 2011 ◊ Week 20: Friday

“Now when Jerusalem was captured in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchad-nezzar king of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it; in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city wall was breached.”
Jeremiah 39:1–2

Friday’s Bible reading of Jeremiah 37–41, records the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon, and the burning of the city. In chapters 37–38, just prior to the fall, Jeremiah is imprisoned in a dungeon, a guardhouse and a cistern for speaking the truth and the Word of the Lord; God’s judgment comes upon Judah, and the people can no longer deny that Jeremiah prophesied truly. Their imprisonment and persecution of him accomplished nothing for them except to give evidence of their continued rebellion.

Only the poorest of the land are left, and Nebuchadnezzar sends orders through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, that Jeremiah is not to be harmed. The prophet is released and told to stay in Judah or go wherever he pleases. Nebuchadnezzar has left Gedaliah has been left in charge of Judah, and Jeremiah goes to him.

Chapters 40–41 tells the story of more treachery and murder in Judah, and ends with those who are left getting ready to flee to Egypt out of fear of the Babylonians.

The remarkable thing I noticed in these chapters is the continued denial of the truth of Jeremiah’s prophecies by Zedekiah and other leaders even as they seen them being fulfilled in front of their eyes.

Denial is a such a dangerous thing. It is a façade of a thin layer of pretense covering truth. Sooner or later, the crust breaks and truth is evident. May God give us a love for His truth that gives us courage to not fall into denial’s trap.

_________
Isaiah 42 Photograph: ChristianPhotos.net – Free High Resolution Photos for Christian Publications