Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.
Jeremiah 32:3-4 (NIV)
“Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes.”
Jeremiah 32:3-4 (MSG)
“Zedekiah, king of Judah, had locked him up, complaining, “How dare you preach, saying, ‘God says, I’m warning you: I will hand this city over to the king of Babylon and he will take it over. Zedekiah king of Judah will be handed over to the Chaldeans right along with the city.”
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“For Zedekiah [the last] king of Judah had locked him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy [disaster] and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; and Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye…” -AMPLIFIED
“So you see that Jeremiah was shut up in prison at the time here mentioned. Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had treated him very harshly, because of his faithful utterance of the Word of the Lord. He was a true servant of Jehovah, yet he suffered much at the king’s hand.” ~Charles Spurgeon
Yesterday we learned that Jeremiah was being imprisoned and persecuted. Jeremiah explanation:
“This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. At that time, the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was imprisoned in the guard’s courtyard in the palace of the king of Judah.” -Jeremiah 32:1-2 (CSB)
And as we read further, verses 4-5, we learn that Jeremiah was imprisoned because of the words he had spoken, the prophecy that the Lord had given to him. Jeremiah explains further:
“Zedekiah king of Judah had ordered him held there and leveled this charge against him: Zedekiah: Why do you continue to prophesy such things? You tell us the Eternal says, “Look! I am going to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. King Zedekiah of Judah will not escape from the Chaldean forces. He will be turned over to the king of Babylon and have to stand eye-to-eye before this powerful ruler.” -(VOICE)
Zedekiah did not like what Jeremiah had to say. He considered Jeremiah a traitor, and so he had him arrested.
Sadly, Zedekiah did not want to hear what the Lord had in store for him, for the words that Jeremiah was speaking, the Message he had from the Lord was not uplifting. It was not warm and fuzzy; but it was the truth, and it was honest, and convicting.
Because Zedekiah did not want to hear what Jeremiah had to say about Babylon conquering the city of Jerusalem, and that he, the king of Israel, would be taken as a prisoner to Babylon, where he would stand trial and be imprisoned personally, he decided to shut Jeremiah up, to stop the flow of God’s Message, by putting Jeremiah in prison.
Zedekiah may not have wanted to hear what Jeremiah had to say, but Jeremiah had to speak the words that God had given to him to speak. He had no other choice. Remember what he told us back in chapter 20: “But when I tell myself, I’ll never mention Your name or speak for You again, it’s no use. The word of God burns in my heart; it is like fire in my bones. I try to hold it all in, but I cannot.” -Jeremiah 20:9 (VOICE)
Jeremiah had no choice, he had to speak the words of the Lord that had been given to him. God was trying to warn Zedekiah and the people of Judah. What Zedekiah failed to realize is that just because he chose to not listen, in no way changed the power of the words that the Lord had given to Jeremiah to speak. That prophecy would still come to pass.
“King Zedekiah had put him there for continuing to prophesy that the city would be conquered by the king of Babylon, and that King Zedekiah would be caught and taken as a prisoner before the king of Babylon for trial and sentencing.” -(TLB)
“This was the message that got Jeremiah thrown into prison. King Zedekiah didn’t like that Jeremiah told people that the Babylonians would succeed in conquering the city that Zedekiah and others tried so hard to defend. It was a message of defeat, that though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed.” ~David Guzik
What does Scripture have to say about how we should speak?
- Be careful of how we speak, our attitude and tone makes a difference. “A tender answer turns away rage, but a prickly reply spikes anger. The words of the wise extend knowledge, but foolish people utter nonsense.” -Proverbs 15:1-2 (VOICE)
- No foul or corrupt language should come out of our mouths, but speech that is uplifting and wholesome should. “Don’t let even one rotten word seep out of your mouths. Instead, offer only fresh words that build others up when they need it most. That way your good words will communicate grace to those who hear them.” -Ephesians 4:29 (VOICE)
- Always speak the truth. “Here are the things you must do: Speak truth to each other. Pursue justice in your courts. Render decisions that reflect truth and bring peace to the community. 17 Do not conspire to bring harm against one another. Do not make promises you don’t intend to keep. I hate all these things. So said the Eternal.” -Zechariah 8:16-17 (VOICE)
- Speak the truth in love. “But speaking the truth in love [in all things—both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head—Christ.” -Ephesians 4:15 (AMP)
- Encouraging words heal, but dishonest, devious words will crush the spirit. “A word of encouragement heals the one who receives it, but a deceitful word breaks the spirit.” -Proverbs 15:4 (VOICE)
Remember what the writer of Hebrews told us about the Word of God and the power behind it:
“For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account.” -Hebrews 4:12-13 (AMP)
So, what do we do when others don’t want to hear what we have to say? We can look to what Paul told Timothy and learn what our response should be when we are speaking the Word and others do not want to hear it. Paul said:
“And now I bring you this charge before God and Jesus the Anointed, the one destined to judge the living and the dead, at His glorious appearance and His kingdom: go out and preach the word! Go whether it’s an opportune time or not! Reprove, warn, and encourage; but do so with all the patience and instruction needed to fulfill your calling because a time will come when some will no longer tolerate sound teaching. Instead, they will live by their own desires; they’ll scratch their itching ears by surrounding themselves with teachers who approve of their lifestyles and tell them what they want to hear. They will turn away from the real truth you have to offer because they prefer the sound of fables and myths. But you must stay focused and be alert at all times. Tolerate suffering. Accomplish the good work of an evangelist, and complete the ministry to which you have been called.” -2 Timothy 4:1-5 (VOICE)
“If I speak what is false, I must answer for it; if truth, it will answer for me.” ~Thomas Fuller
My friend, remember to speak the Words of the Lord in love. How we deliver those words matters. Remember too, the Word of the Lord is powerful, and it will do what the Lord intends. We have this assurance from the Lord: “For as rain and snow can’t go back once they’ve fallen, but soak into the ground and nourish the plants that grow, providing seed to the farmer and bread for the hungry, so it is when I declare something. My word will go out and not return to Me empty, but it will do what I wanted; it will accomplish what I determined.” -Isaiah 55:10-11 (VOICE) Trust the Word of the Lord.
“Your words have power. Speak words that are kind, loving, positive, uplifting, encouraging, and life-giving.” ~Unknown
My Prayer:
Adonai Elohim, my Great Lord, your Word is powerful, and it will do exactly what you intend it to do. You have instructed me to use your Word, to speak your Word. I am to use it to encourage and help others, and I am to do so in love. Help me, please, Lord, not to speak out of anger, frustration, or resentment, but instead help me to have the attitude of Jesus. Jesus spoke out of love. He encouraged others to change, but He never forced Himself on them. He spoke, and He trusted that those Words would impact and change lives. Help me to do the same. As I speak your Words out of obedience, I will trust that you will do the work in the hearts and lives of others. You have promised that your Words will not come back void, and I am counting on that, Lord. Thank you.
Growing with God 