“The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, the God of Israel; Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. And you shall not escape from his hand, but shall surely be taken and delivered into his hand; your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, he shall speak with you face to face, and you shall go to Babylon.’ ” ‘You shall not die by the sword. You shall die in peace; as in the ceremonies of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so they shall burn incense for you and lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!” For I have pronounced the word, says the Lord.’ ” (vv.2-5)
Here the LORD told Zedekiah (through Jeremiah the prophet) that he would speak with king Nebuchadnezzar face to face before he would be carried away into captivity in Babylon, that he would not die by the sword, but die in peace. Yet Ezekiel prophesied that Zedekiah would never see Babylon (Ezekiel 12:12-13), seemingly bring this passage into contradiction. So which is true?
In second Kings 25:4-5, we read that Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem, captured Zedekiah who was trying to escape the city, had his eyes poked out, and took a blind Zedekiah back to Babylon. Thus, Zedekiah saw king Nebuchadnezzar face to face and went to Babylon, but, just as Ezekiel prophesied, he never saw it. What strikes me here is Jeremiah told Zedekiah he would not escape the king, yet he tries anyway. Really? God’s Word through His prophet has been spot on all the way through Zedekiah’s lifetime, yet he went his own way. And there in lies not only his problem, but ours as well.
The Psalmist wrote, “The sum of Your Word is truth, and every one of your righteous ordinances is everlasting” (Psalm 119:160). Meaning, God’s Word should to be taken seriously for it is everlasting truth backed by righteousness. And, as a result, there are consequences for going against God’s Word, for both individuals and nations.
I pray that God would grant us both individually and collectively as a nation, the wisdom and strength to follow His Word all the days of our existence.
The Truth: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.” (Psalm 128:1)
Here the LORD told Zedekiah (through Jeremiah the prophet) that he would speak with king Nebuchadnezzar face to face before he would be carried away into captivity in Babylon, that he would not die by the sword, but die in peace. Yet Ezekiel prophesied that Zedekiah would never see Babylon (Ezekiel 12:12-13), seemingly bring this passage into contradiction. So which is true?
In second Kings 25:4-5, we read that Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem, captured Zedekiah who was trying to escape the city, had his eyes poked out, and took a blind Zedekiah back to Babylon. Thus, Zedekiah saw king Nebuchadnezzar face to face and went to Babylon, but, just as Ezekiel prophesied, he never saw it. What strikes me here is Jeremiah told Zedekiah he would not escape the king, yet he tries anyway. Really? God’s Word through His prophet has been spot on all the way through Zedekiah’s lifetime, yet he went his own way. And there in lies not only his problem, but ours as well.
The Psalmist wrote, “The sum of Your Word is truth, and every one of your righteous ordinances is everlasting” (Psalm 119:160). Meaning, God’s Word should to be taken seriously for it is everlasting truth backed by righteousness. And, as a result, there are consequences for going against God’s Word, for both individuals and nations.
I pray that God would grant us both individually and collectively as a nation, the wisdom and strength to follow His Word all the days of our existence.
The Truth: “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.” (Psalm 128:1)
