.JPG)
The Bible Breakdown
Bible reading plan and SOAP guide: www.experiencerlc.com/the-bible
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: www.brandoncannon.com
The Bible Breakdown
Jeremiah 38: This Ain't no Game
Ask a Question
Send Encouragement
|||| Take a Next Step ||||
SOAP Bible Study Method.
Bible Reading Plan.
Free Weekly Newsletter.
|||| Social ||||
Facebook.
Instagram.
X.
YouTube.
The More We Dig. The More We Find.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, jeremiah chapter 38, and today's title is this Ain't no Game. This Ain't no Game. I almost want to call it the cistern of shame, but that's not true. There's no shame in what's going to happen today, but it's going to get real in the life of Jeremiah. Jeremiah, he's going through it, man, this ain't no game and we're going to see it today and I'm rooting for him to make it. But we'll see if he does. But as we do that, it's like always.
Speaker 1:If you like what we're doing here, while you're opening up your Bible to Jeremiah 38, make sure you also like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you're leaving us a five-star review on the podcast. It really does help. Make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook. It is an amazing group of people doing wonderful devotions every day, and I firmly believe that the more we dig, the more we find, as we are growing this community together about discovering God's Word every day.
Speaker 1:Well, one of the things that I want us to look at as we're getting into Jeremiah chapter 38 is remembering the overall idea of Jeremiah's ministry, and he says a lot of negative things about the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem and all those things, but it's always with the idea of hope. Even as we were looking at the past couple of days, god is still trying to offer a way out for this nation and saying if you'll just repent? But at the same time, god knows they're not going to repent and so judgment's on its way. Well, even with that, that doesn't mean it's easy, because Jeremiah is going to face more and more persecution because of what he's going through, and I think that's an important message. Because, because of what he's going through and I think that's an important message because I don't know what environment you grew up in, but I've talked to a lot of people who grew up in one of two environments. On one side. They grew up in this environment where everything's sin, everything's horrible, everything's terrible and just all this legalism and judgment everywhere, and so they live their life terrified because they don't think God loves them at all.
Speaker 1:But then there's people who grew up on the other side, where they've been sold this lie that being a good Christian means that everything's going to go right, everything's awesome, there's no problems. If you're doing it right, you're never going to be sick, you know your dog's never going to get sick, the traffic lights will always be green, you always win all the contests in life. I mean just every good thing. Which is why, when people start to face persecution, sickness, difficulty, they wonder well, god, why would you do this to me? Or why am I not being a good enough Christian? Because people have, most of the time, been taught one of the two extremes Either everything's horrible or everything's supposed to be awesome only to realize that the reality is that life is in the middle, that there are bad things that happen to good people, and there's a thousand really good reasons for that, but God's also faithful, and so there's a thousand really good reasons for that, but God's also faithful, and so there's a. There's a balance. That's there, and I think it's important that we continually teach people that living for God it ain't no game, that it's real and there's real consequences and real joys, and all that in the middle. And we're going to see what Jeremiah goes through for the sake of honoring God and his life.
Speaker 1:So if you're ready Jeremiah, chapter 38, let's go through it with him. Let's read this together. Jeremiah's going to get thrown into a cistern which is a big hole. He's going to get thrown into a big old hole. So here we go. 38, verse 1, says this Now, shephatiah, son of Matan, gedaliah, son of Pasher, and Jekul, son of Shemaliah, and Pasher, son of Maccaja, heard that Jeremiah had been telling the people he had been saying.
Speaker 1:This is what the Lord says. Everyone who stays in Jerusalem will die from war, famine or disease, but those who surrender to the Babylonians will live. Their reward will be life. They will live. The Lord also says the city of Jerusalem will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it. These officials went to the king and said Sir, this man must die. That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few fighting men we have left, as well as that of all the people. This man is a traitor. King Zedekiah agreed All right. He said do what you like, I can't stop you.
Speaker 1:So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Micah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom and Jeremiah began to sink down into it. Now pause. So what's happening is they want to kill him. So basically, they threw him in this big old hole and they're going to wait for him to die. No food, no water. He's going to die and he's just going to slowly sink, almost like quicksand, until he's just going to die. And it's just a terrible thing. I mean, imagine that. How horrible. But look what happened.
Speaker 1:Verse seven but Ebed Melech, the Ethiopian and important court official, heard that Jeremiah was in the cistern and at that time the king was holding court at the Benjamin Gate. So Abed-Melech rushed to the palace to speak with him, my lord the king. He said these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread of the city is gone. So the king told Abed-Malach take 30 men with you, of my men with you, and pull Jeremiah out of the cistern before he dies. Pause again.
Speaker 1:So how about the Zedekiah guy? He must be like bipolar or something, I don't know what it is. On one end these guys are like kill him, and he's like cool. Now this other guy says save him, and he's like cool. So who knows what's up with this guy. But thank goodness for this other guy, because God's going to use him to save Jeremiah's life. Verse 11. So Abed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room in the palace beneath the treasury where he found some old rags and discarded clothing. He carried these to the cistern and lowered them to Jeremiah on a rope. Abed-melech called down to Jeremiah. Verse 14,.
Speaker 1:One day King Zedekiah sent Jeremiah and had him brought to the third entrance of the Lord's temple. I want to ask you something, the king said, and don't try to hide the truth. Jeremiah said if I tell you the truth, you'll kill me. If I give you advice, you won't listen to me anyway. So King Zedekiah secretly promised as surely as the Lord, our creator, lives, I will not kill you or hand you over to the men who want you dead.
Speaker 1:Verse 17,. Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah this is what the Lord, god of heaven's armies, the God of Israel, says If you surrender to the Babylonian officers, you and your family will live and the city will not be burned down. But if you refuse to surrender, you will not escape. This city will be handed over to the Babylonians and they will burn it to the ground, but I am afraid to surrender. The king said, for the Babylonians, may hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them. Hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them and all who want and who knows what they will want to do to me. Then Jeremiah replied listen to this. He says you won't be handed over to them. If you choose to obey the Lord, your life will be spared and all will go well with you. But if you refuse to surrender this is what the Lord has revealed to me All the women left in your palace will be brought out and given over to the officers of the Babylonian army. Then the women will taunt you saying what fine friends you have. They have betrayed and misled you. When your feet sank in the mud, they left you to your fate. All your wives and children will be led out to the Babylonians and you will not escape. You will be seized by the king of Babylon and the city will be burned down. Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah don't tell anyone. You told me this or you will die. My officials may hear that I spoke to you and they may say tell us what you and the king were talking about. If you don't tell us, we're going to kill you. But if this happens, just tell them. You begged me not to send you back to Jonathan's dungeon for fear you would die there. Sure enough, it wasn't long before the king's officials came to Jeremiah and asked him why the king had called for him. But Jeremiah followed the king's instructions and they left without finding out the truth. No one had overheard the conversation between Jeremiah and the king. Jeremiah remained a prisoner in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured.
Speaker 1:Wow, what an interesting turn of events, especially in the life of Zedekiah the king. At one point, some people come and say kill him, cool. Next point save him, cool. Then he says can I talk to him myself? And he whispers Jeremiah, what exactly am I supposed to do here? And Jeremiah's like you're supposed to surrender you, idiot. And and he's like yeah, but if I do, I won't get to do it my way. And and Jeremiah is like, yeah, you lost that right a long time ago.
Speaker 1:But I love how he says but if you will obey the Lord, your life will be spared, life will be yours, and that's the reality that we live with. And that is our lives are not our own. We belong to the real King, king Jesus, are not our own. We belong to the real King, king Jesus, and if we do it his way, even when the world around us is falling apart, there's life there. I love that, but at the same time, this ain't no game, and that's one of the things that I think.
Speaker 1:I think that we have to try to make sure that we remember, because everyone's at a different place in their walk with God, but we all have at least one place in our life where we would say this is a hard thing, that I'm dealing with, this is a difficult thing. Other things, man, we can play around with, but this ain't no game right here. Well, in that area, we have to obey the Lord. If we choose to obey what God's word says live with integrity, live with righteousness, turn our back on sin, turn our eyes toward Jesus and live with the grace that God has given us there's life there. But we got to realize we can't play around with God. We can't play around and choose to obey what we want to obey and not obey what we don't want to obey.
Speaker 1:But we choose to obey God and everything, which is why we have to get into God's word, because I can almost hear people saying right now well, that's easy for you to say, pastor, there's so much in here, I don't know what to obey and what not to obey. That's why we learn God's word every day. And as we learn more about God's word every day, he slowly teaches us the kingdom principles that we need to live by, and so we don't have to know everything. But the question is do you know enough to make the next right decision? And as we do watch what God will do, let's pray together right now.
Speaker 1:God, thank you so much for today. Thank you, god, that you are with us in good days and in bad days. Lord, when everything seems to have just gone crazy, you're with us. I pray, lord you'll help us to take the next right step and that you'll have your way in our lives. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Don't forget. God's word says in Jeremiah 29, verse 13,. If you will look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Jeremiah, chapter 39.
