True Loyalty

Read Jeremiah 39:1-14

Nebuchadnezzar's raids now became a full-scale invasion, bringing utter defeat and ruin to Zedekiah and the city of Jerusalem. It is clear that Nebuchadnezzar was well-informed about the part that Jeremiah had played in recommending surrender, and this accounts for his lenient treatment of the prophet.

And so Jeremiah became, in the eyes of the people, not only a defeatist but also a traitor - a "Quisling." But these are emotive words. "Patriotism," said Edith Cavell, "is not enough." We are subject to a higher loyalty than any country can demand. Our ultimate loyalty must always be to God.

Loyalty to the laws of God has compelled many people to stand against their national leaders. Some have paid for their opposition with their lives. No, patriotism by itself is never enough. God asks us first and foremost for loyalty to Himself and to His laws. Having said that, if we do put God first then, in the long run, we are also serving the best interests of our country. Jeremiah could have claimed to be the real patriot. He who serves God faithfully also serves his country.

Prayer: Keep me clear-sighted enough to see, O Lord, just where Your honor and Your glory lie. Amen.

Are You Willing to be Misunderstood?

Read Jeremiah 38:14-23

Have you ever found yourself in the strange position of only being really brave if you were willing to be thought a coward? True courage for Zedekiah meant refusing to fight to the end as the princes advised but, instead, following Jeremiah's counsel and surrendering without striking a blow. At heart he probably agreed with the prophet, but he was "afraid of the Jews" (v.19) and so refused to surrender the city.

The Christian must be ready for this sort of situation. Sometimes, for example, we can only really be kind by appearing to be cruel; and a person who is secretly generous often has to bear being thought of in public as mean or tight-fisted. It has in fact been said that the deepest form of humility is that which can accept without protest the charge of being proud.

It is one thing for people to misread our actions, but much harder to bear when they misunderstand our motives. Paul experienced this. People thought that his refusal to take a salary (I Corinthians 9) was due to the fact that he was not a real apostle unlike Peter, whereas all the time it was due to his desire not to be a burden to the growing Christian churches. It remains the case that loyalty to Christ is easily misinterpreted by those who do not know Him.

Prayer: Lord, help me always to be true to You, even if other think me false. For the sake of Christ my Lord. Amen.

Image: Jeremiah before King Zedekiah.

A Word in Season

Read Jeremiah 38:1-13

As a pessimist, Jeremiah was just about tolerable, but as an out-and-out defeatist it was impossible to have him around any longer! In times of war, such people were imprisoned for spreading alarm and despondency, for "weakening the hands of the soldiers", and, accordingly, Jeremiah ended up in jail.

Time would show that all along Jeremiah had been speaking in the best interests of the people; his policy would be vindicated. To brave men, surrender is always hateful in the extreme, but it is sometimes better for all concerned than fanatical and hopeless resistance.

But, of course, the point here is not that Jeremiah was giving his own counsel or advice. Indeed, he probably hated the idea of surrendering to the murderous Babylonians as much as anyone else did, but he could only say what the Lord had told him to say (v.2). He could not alter it. Israel had sinned; they had to accept what was coming to them.

It is pleasant enough when you can say what people want to hear, but as God's servant you have to speak His words whatever the reaction. True, in the end there is always good news to proclaim; there is a remedy that is wonderful to hear; but it is a remedy that can only be received by those who have admitted their need, and pocketed their pride.

Prayer: Save me, O Lord, from watering down Your message out of fear of what others may say or think. For Your love's sake. Amen.

Image: Jeremiah in the pit.

God's Word Unfettered

Read Jeremiah 36:11-26

There is something faintly amusing about Jehoiakim solemnly cutting Jeremiah's prophecy into pieces and throwing it into the fire. It's a little like King Canute sitting on the shore ordering the tide not to come in. The Word of God cannot be fettered or chained; neither can it be destroyed. The Word of God "abides forever" (I Peter 1:25), as King Jehoiakim found out, to his cost.

Throughout history there have been "Jehoiakims". Think back to the time when the English Bible was publicly burned by those who wanted its message to remain obscure and unknown. Or, what about Spain in the days of the Inquisition, or Eastern Europe under communism? Sadly, the same conditions exist for many Christians in Moslem lands. A new threat has emerged in recent years in militant secularism. In some places, sections of the Bible are regarded as hate-speech. A prominent actor declared, recently, that he always removes certain sections from Leviticus from the Gideon Bibles he finds in his hotel rooms, because he does not agree with the content. There are still those who believe that they can shackle the Word of God.

Why are the Jehoiakims of the world doomed to failure in the long run? Why has the Bible survived for so long? The answer is that the power of the Bible comes from God. For millions of people the Bible is the only book which answers the searching questions in the heart of every man and woman. As long as these questions remain (which will be as long as human beings exist), there will continue to be a hunger for the truths which the Bible contains, and an unceasing demand for it. Despite what people say about it, and despite its woeful neglect by some councils of the modern church, the Bible will remain what it has been throughout the centuries, the most powerful and the most precious book in the world. How could it be any other way, since the Bible is God's self-revelation, it is the Word that points to the Word-made-flesh, in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord God, for all those who have given their lives to preserve and promote Your Word. Help me to value the privilege and freedom that they have bought for me. In the name of Christ, my Lord. Amen.

Image: Jehoiakim burns Jeremiah's prophecy.

God's Word Must Speak

Read Jeremiah 36:1-10

Exasperated by Jeremiah's apparent defeatism, the authorities had obviously banned him from making any further public statements. Now the only way he could get his message across was through his faithful secretary, Baruch.

Jeremiah's enterprise. Here was a man burdened with a tremendous message for his people. Prevented from speaking, Jeremiah went into print, so to speak, a simple but effective method of accomplishing his task. Paul faced a similar problem and overcame it. See II Timothy 2:9, God's Word cannot be chained or muzzled.

Where there is a will, a way can be found to transmit the Gospel. History is full of stories of men and women who risked their lives in an attempt to bring the message to those who needed to hear it. Death is better than a guilty silence.

Baruch's courage. Many secretaries remain anonymous, some do not wish to be identified with their bosses' opinions. Baruch was not like that. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Jeremiah. He was willing to speak Jeremiah's message, and to share his fate (v.19,26). He joins that great army of "second violins", people like Aaron, Jonathan, John the Baptist, and Silas. These were the men whose loyalty and devotion made the work of others possible.

Prayer: Lord, make me willing to play the second fiddle if necessary in order to make the Gospel known. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

Image: Jeremiah and Baruch.

Head or Heart?

Read Jeremiah 31:27-34

There are really only two kinds of religion, however many there may seem to be.

1. There is religion based on head-knowledge. Jeremiah points back to when God had given the Israelites His commandments (v.32). From then on, they knew (with their heads) what was right and what was wrong. Whatever God had said, "you shall..." was right, and whatever He had said, "you shall not..." was wrong. Many Christian people today live by a code that goes something like this: "You shall help your neighbor, be faithful to your husband or wife, give your children a good start in life, do your duty to God," and so on. The trouble is, with the best will in the world, they break their own rules (v.32).

2. There is religion based on heart-knowledge. When Jeremiah talked about the "new covenant" (v.31), he was looking ahead to the cross of Calvary. Read Matthew 26:28 where Jesus claims that His blood is the sign of a new covenant - a new way of knowing God. Now, notice: Christ's way is not just a matter of obeying new rules and trying one's best. As a Christian, I have the Lord in my heart! Now, read Jeremiah 31:33 and 34, and ask yourself whether this is your kind of religion.

Prayer: I pray, Lord, for all who have never invited Christ into their hearts. Show them the true and living way; through the blood of Jesus. Amen.

Image: Moses and the Ten Commandments - the Old Covenant.

Pessimism or Sanctified Realism?

Read Jeremiah 31:1-9

Gloomy old prophet? Jeremiah deserves the title no more than Winston Churchill did in the 1930's, when he foresaw the situation which was to develop into World War II. There is a world of difference between a gloomy defeatist and a perceptive strategist; between a pessimist and a realist; and Jeremiah was a realist. Look where it took him in today's reading.

To a beaten and penitent people there was something even better than the promises of material prosperity, and that was that God still loved them "with an everlasting love" (v.3). That sounded good, but what did it mean? Surely, God could never be with them again as He had been in the past? Why, yes! God was not going to send them back to their beloved homeland, but bring them Himself (v.8) and lead them (v.9). How wonderful! But once they were resettled, would He not then leave them to get along as best they could? They could hardly expect God to take full responsibility for them after the way they had let Him down. not so; for this amazing God, whom they had so often disobeyed and deserted, would again be a Father (v.9) and a Shepherd (v.10) to them. This really was good news. Jeremiah saw beyond the pain to the promise.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for the promise that, despite my failures, You will continue in Your faithfulness to me. For such amazing grace I give You praise. Through Christ my Lord. Amen.

Image: Jeremiah proclaims jubilation.