Today's Video Devotion

Thursday 7/4/24

A Drive Thru

๐Ÿ“บ๏ธ Jeremiah 37 ๐Ÿ”Š


1And king Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah.

 2But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.

 3And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.

 4Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison.

 5Then Pharaoh's army was come forth out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

 6Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah saying,

 7Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say to the king of Judah, that sent you unto me to enquire of me; Behold, Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.

 8And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it, and burn it with fire.

 9Thus saith the LORD; Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.

 10For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.

 11And it came to pass, that when the army of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army,

 12Then Jeremiah went forth out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to separate himself thence in the midst of the people.

 13And when he was in the gate of Benjamin, a captain of the ward was there, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah; and he took Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Thou fallest away to the Chaldeans.

 14Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

 15Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.

 16When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;

 17Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out: and the king asked him secretly in his house, and said, Is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, There is: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.

 18Moreover Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?

 19Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

 20Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the scribe, lest I die there.

 21Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Jeremiah

Date Penned: (627-586 BC)

Overview: To Urge God's People to Turn from Sin to God (c 1-52)

Theme: God's Judgement on Judah (c 1-45)

Message: Jeremiah is Put in Prison (v 1-21)


Jeremiah 37 Commentary 


(37:1) Zedekiah - King Jehoiakim died on the way to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:6). His son Coniah (also known as Jehoiachin) was appointed king, but Jehoiachin was taken captive to Babylon three months later. Nebuchadrezzar then appointed Zedekiah as his vassal in Judah. 


(37:2-3) Superficial Religion - King Zedekiah and his officials did not want to listen to Jeremiah's words, but they wanted the blessings of his prayers. They wanted a superficial religion that wouldn't cost anything. But God is not pleased with those who come to him only for what they can get rather than seeking to establish or deepen a relationship with him. We would not accept that kind of relationship with someone else, and we shouldn't expect God to accept it from us. 


(37:5) Correct Warnings - When Nebuchadrezzar besieged Jerusalem in 589 BC, Pharaoh-hophra marched against him at Zedekiah's invitation. Jerusalem looked to Egypt for help despite Jeremiah's warnings. But the Egyptians were no help, for as soon as the Babylonians turned on them, they retreated. Jeremiah's warnings had been correct. 


(37:17) A Fear of Rebuke - Ledekiah teetered between surrender and resistance. Too frightened and weak to exercise authority, he asked Jeremiah to come secretly to the palace, perhaps hoping for some better news from God. Zedekiah was desperate; he wanted to hear a word from the Lord, but he feared the political ramifications of being caught talking to Jeremiah.

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue in the Book of Jeremiah with chapter 37. In our text today, we see that King Zedekiah did not want to listen to Jeremiah's Words. Still, they wanted the blessing of His prayers. In making an application, we see that many today have the same attitude of wanting to have the blessings of God without having a relationship with God. Many want to use God as a drive-thru window to order blessings without knowing Him. God wants a relationship with you. How about you? Do you treat God as a drive-thru window? Let us learn from our text today and the Words of Jeremiah that many of us treat the Lord as a Drive-thru window instead of having a relationship with the God who loves us.

Thank You for Reading Today's Devotional
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๏ปฟSincerely,
Dr. Dave Burnette
Director, The United States Bible Society, Inc.
Closing Prayer

Father in the Name and through the Blood of Jesus we pray that we would Take Today's Reading of Your Word and Give Us Understanding of Its Text, that You Apply this Word to Our Lives, and that you would help us grow in You. Father, Finally we Pray for Your Kingdom to come, that Your Will to be Done here on Earth as it is in Heaven. That You would Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen

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