Friday, November 18, 2022

angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary

Jeremiah 37:1-21

Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin[a] son of Jehoiakim. Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt. Then the Babylonians will return and attack this city; they will capture it and burn it down.’

“That’s not true!” Jeremiah said. “I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. They were angry with Jeremiah and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a prison.

Jeremiah was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, where he remained a long time. Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace, where he asked him privately, “Is there any word from the Lord“Yes,” Jeremiah replied, “you will be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon.”

King Zedekiah then gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.

Why?

Zedekiah did not ask for help from the Lord but relied on Egypt. But the Babylonians will return and attack this city. But neither king nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord has spoken through Jeremiah.

Jeremiah under this situation still said the truth, even though the Irijah did not listen to him. They thought Jeremiah is like the enemy of Babylon. 

Jeremiah is always honest said the word of the Lord. Even he was dangerous.

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百姓都聽耶利米的話,政治情勢迦勒底人圍城,埃及出兵,圍城已經解除。西底加知道神,但是只想從神得好處,不願聽從耶和華所安排的路。

神透過耶利米,讓人看見好像埃及可靠,但是迦勒底人還會再來,依靠耶和華才是永久的依靠。神的旨意必定成就,不要以為埃及出兵,就可以不必聽神的話,想聽耶利米說危機已經解除。西底加來找耶利米想私下聽耶利米的話。這裏耶利米反而來求西底加,他不是妥協,毫不留情面傳話。耶利米忠心說,不為自己說真話,但是不想做無意義的殉道。西底加王,不聽神的話,卻要聽神的話,基督徒也是常常徘徊在神和世界的道路的中間,做決定又希望有神的背書又滿足於自己的想法。亞哈王知道以利亞是先知,又想和世界巴力妥協。我們是否也是想走屬靈的道路,又有世界的好處。

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How?

To be a servant of the Lord, doing the mission to transfer the word of the Lord and not care about his life. For the Lord will protect us.

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