Day 703: In God's hands - Jeremiah 37 vs 11 - 21

11-13 Now when the Chaldean army had withdrawn from Jerusalem at the approach of Pharaoh's army, Jeremiah set out from Jerusalem to go to the land of Benjamin to receive his portion there  among the people. When he was at the Benjamin Gate, a sentry there named Irijah the son of  Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “You are deserting to the Chaldeans.” 14-15 And Jeremiah said, “It is a lie; I am not deserting to the Chaldeans.” But Irijah would not listen to him, and seized Jeremiah and brought him to the officials. And the officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they beat him and imprisoned him in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for it had been made a prison.

16-17 When Jeremiah had come to the dungeon cells and remained there many days, King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, “Is there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said,  “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” 18-20 Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in prison? Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’?  Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there.” 21 So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard. And a loaf of bread was given him daily from the bakers' street, until all the bread of the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard. Jeremiah 37:11-21 English Standard Version

In many cultures today when people become Christians they are often viewed with suspicion by the community. Verses 11-13 show that something similar happened to the prophet Jeremiah when he set off on a legitimate business matter. He was stopped and accused of trying to deflect to the enemy and imprisoned. The apostle Paul suffered such an experience too. As he was entering the temple in Jerusalem, Jews from Asia stirred up the crowd and grabbed hold of him, crying out: “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” (Acts 21:28) It was a completely false charge, but it started a process which eventually led to Paul's imprisonment in Rome. How did Jeremiah respond to what happened to him? (vs 16-17)

It did not stop him from speaking God's truth! His freedom or imprisonment was, humanly speaking, in King Zedekiah's hands. But Jeremiah faithfully told the King that the Babylonian army would be back, and Zedekiah would be taken into captivity. Jeremiah didn't change God's message to get the King's favour. That took courage. But what else did he do? (vs 18-20)

He plead his case before the King. He knew he had been wronged and he appealed for Zedekiah to intervene. The apostle Paul did that too. When he saw that the Jews weren't interested in justice but were determined to kill him, he said to the Roman governor who was questioning him: “I’m standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. If I’m a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.” (Acts 25:10-11)

The Bible doesn't forbid Christians from appealing to what laws there might be available to them. In the case of Jeremiah, he was transferred from a dungeon to a guardhouse, and in the case of Paul, he was sent to Rome and for some years was under what we would call 'house arrest'. In both cases their lives were spared for longer. But neither of them flinched from staying faithful to God and speaking the truth He had committed to them. Pray for organizations, such as the Christian Institute, who endeavour to use what legal options are available to defend Christians from the hostile and unjust charges of unbelievers. But be prepared also to stand firm. Your life is in God’s hands, not men’s.