1-2 Zedekiah the son of Josiah - whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah - reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord that he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. 3 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of  Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray for us to the Lord our God.” 4-5 Now Jeremiah was still going in and out among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. The army of Pharaoh had come out of Egypt. And when  the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem.

6-9 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet: “Thus says the Lord, God of Israel: Thus shall you say to the king of Judah who sent you to me to enquire of me, ‘Behold, Pharaoh's army that came to help you is about to return to Egypt, to its own land. And the Chaldeans shall come back and fight against this city. They shall capture it and burn it with fire. Thus says the  Lord, Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from us”, for they will not go away. 10 For even if you should defeat the whole army of Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and there remained of them only wounded men, every man in his tent, they would rise up and  burn this city with fire.’” Jeremiah 37:1-10 English Standard Version.

Josiah had been one of Judah's greatest Kings. He arranged for repairs to the temple in Jerusalem during which a scroll of God's laws was found. When it's words were read to Josiah he tore his clothes in dismay because of how God's laws had been forgotten and neglected in the land. He began to make reforms and even “got rid of the mediums and psychics, the household gods, the idols, and every other kind of detestable practice, both in Jerusalem and throughout the land of Judah. He did this in obedience to the laws written in the scroll that Hilkiah the priest had found in the Lord’s Temple.” (2 Kings 23:24) Sadly, he was killed in battle against the Egyptians who then appointed Jehoiakim as King of Judah.

Power in the region swayed from the hands of Egypt to the Babylonians. After Jehoiakim died his son, Coniah, became King, but during his reign the Babylonians plundered Jerusalem and took away it's treasures and many leading citizens. They made Zedekiah King, which is where today's reading picks up the story. What are we told about Zedekiah, his officials, and most of the people of the land? (vs 1-2)

They had no time for the messages Jeremiah was preaching and the warnings from God he was giving! Yet what did they still do? (vs 3)

They knew he was a faithful servant of God so they asked him to pray for them! This still happens today. People with little time for God will go to Church once in a while to 'keep in His good books, or they'll ask those who they know to be Christians to 'say a prayer for them'.

Verses 4-5 explain that Jeremiah hadn't been arrested and locked up at that time, and a renewed siege on Jerusalem by the Babylonians was interrupted by an attack from the Egyptians who’d set out to help Judah. So King Zedekiah was hoping his problems were over. But what did God instruct Jeremiah to tell the messengers who'd come from Zedekiah? (vs 6-9)

The war was not yet over. The Babylonians would be back as soon as they had dealt with the Egyptians! Would that have been what the King wanted to hear? Jeremiah puts it even stronger in vs 10. Is there a lesson for us in this long time ago event?

I suggest we see again how we must never compromise anything that God has spoken. Jeremiah could’ve won more friends by softening what God had spoken. But he faithfully spoke what God had given him to say. If you read yesterday’s post from 2 Timothy you'll recall how the apostle Paul was urging Timothy to be faithful to God's word too. Many religious people these days are choosing to compromise God's message. May Jesus help us to remain faithful - whatever the cost.