No Deliverance from Babylon (Day 37)

Read Jeremiah 21:1-14
 
   Chapters 21 thru 28, concerns Jeremiah’s messages to Israel on Nebuchadnezzar’s attacks on Jerusalem between 588 and 586 B.C. (2 Kings 25). King Zedekiah decided to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24), and the nobles advised allying with Egypt. Jeremiah pronounced judgment on the kings and false prophets for leading the people astray. 
   King Zedekiah probably is referring to God’s deliverance of Jerusalem from Sennacherib, king of Assyria, in the days of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36-37). But Zedekiah’s hopes were dashed. He was Judah’s last ruler during the time of the Exile of 586 B.C. 
 
   Pashhur, not the same one in chapter 20, came to Jeremiah for help. God still had work for Jeremiah to do. In living out our faith, we may find that rejection, disappointment, or hard work has brought us to the point of despondency. But we are still needed. God has important work for us as well. 
 
   Jerusalem was built on a plateau with valleys on three sides. Because of its strategic location, the inhabitants thought they were safe. But, Jeremiah had foretold Jerusalem’s destruction. The city’s leaders had denied his word and mocked his pronouncements. In desperation, king Zedekiah turned to God for help, but without acknowledging God’s warnings or admitting his sin. Too often we expect God to help us in our time of trouble even though we have ignored Him in our time of prosperity. But God wants a lasting relationship. Are you trying to build a lasting relationship with God, or are you merely using Him to escape trouble? What would you think of your family or friends if they thought you only as a temporary resource?