O. Addison Gethers
e-mail address [email protected] [email protected] twitter URL http//:twitter.com/OAddisonGethers Messenger contact window live/msn messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS rs ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, August 23, 2009 12:00 AM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Sunday August 23 > Day 235 > > Jeremiah 37-39 (The Message) > > Jeremiah 37 > In an Underground Dungeon > 1-2 King Zedekiah son of Josiah, a puppet king set on the throne by > Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon > in the land of Judah, was now king in place of Jehoiachin son of > Jehoiakim. But neither he nor his > officials nor the people themselves paid a bit of attention to the Message > God gave by Jeremiah the > prophet. > 3However, King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the > priest, son of Maaseiah, > to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "Pray for us-pray hard!-to the Master, > our God." > > 4-5Jeremiah was still moving about freely among the people in those days. > This was before he had > been put in jail. Pharaoh's army was marching up from Egypt. The Chaldeans > fighting against > Jerusalem heard that the Egyptians were coming and pulled back. > > 6-10Then Jeremiah the prophet received this Message from God: "I, the God > of Israel, want you to > give this Message to the king of Judah, who has just sent you to me to > find out what he should do. > Tell him, 'Get this: Pharaoh's army, which is on its way to help you, > isn't going to stick it out. > No sooner will they get here than they'll leave and go home to Egypt. And > then the Babylonians will > come back and resume their attack, capture this city and burn it to the > ground. I, God, am telling > you: Don't kid yourselves, reassuring one another, "The Babylonians will > leave in a few days." I > tell you, they aren't leaving. Why, even if you defeated the entire > attacking Chaldean army and all > that was left were a few wounded soldiers in their tents, the wounded > would still do the job and > burn this city to the ground.'" > > 11-13When the Chaldean army pulled back from Jerusalem, Jeremiah left > Jerusalem to go over to the > territory of Benjamin to take care of some personal business. When he got > to the Benjamin Gate, the > officer on guard there, Irijah son of Shelemiah, son of Hananiah, grabbed > Jeremiah the prophet, > accusing him, "You're deserting to the Chaldeans!" > > 14-16"That's a lie," protested Jeremiah. "I wouldn't think of deserting to > the Chaldeans." > > But Irijah wouldn't listen to him. He arrested him and took him to the > police. The police were > furious with Jeremiah. They beat him up and threw him into jail in the > house of Jonathan the > secretary of state. (They were using the house for a prison cell.) So > Jeremiah entered an > underground cell in a cistern turned into a dungeon. He stayed there a > long time. > > 17Later King Zedekiah had Jeremiah brought to him. The king questioned him > privately, "Is there a > Message from God?" > > "There certainly is," said Jeremiah. "You're going to be turned over to > the king of Babylon." > > 18-20Jeremiah continued speaking to King Zedekiah: "Can you tell me why > you threw me into prison? > What crime did I commit against you or your officials or this people? And > tell me, whatever has > become of your prophets who preached all those sermons saying that the > king of Babylon would never > attack you or this land? Listen to me, please, my master-my king! Please > don't send me back to that > dungeon in the house of Jonathan the secretary. I'll die there!" > > 21So King Zedekiah ordered that Jeremiah be assigned to the courtyard of > the palace guards. He was > given a loaf of bread from Bakers' Alley every day until all the bread in > the city was gone. And > that's where Jeremiah remained-in the courtyard of the palace guards. > > Jeremiah 38 > From the Dungeon to the Palace > 1 Shaphatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashur, Jehucal son of > Shelemiah, and Pashur son of > Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling the people, namely: 2"This is > God's Message: 'Whoever stays > in this town will die-will be killed or starve to death or get sick and > die. But those who go over > to the Babylonians will save their necks and live.' > 3"And, God's sure Word: 'This city is destined to fall to the army of the > king of Babylon. He's > going to take it over.'" > > 4These officials told the king, "Please, kill this man. He's got to go! > He's ruining the resolve of > the soldiers who are still left in the city, as well as the people > themselves, by spreading these > words. This man isn't looking after the good of this people. He's trying > to ruin us!" > > 5King Zedekiah caved in: "If you say so. Go ahead, handle it your way. > You're too much for me." > > 6So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malkijah the > king's son that was in the > courtyard of the palace guard. They lowered him down with ropes. There > wasn't any water in the > cistern, only mud. Jeremiah sank into the mud. > > 7-9Ebed-melek the Ethiopian, a court official assigned to the royal > palace, heard that they had > thrown Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was holding court in the > Benjamin Gate, Ebed-melek > went immediately from the palace to the king and said, "My master, O > king-these men are committing a > great crime in what they're doing, throwing Jeremiah the prophet into the > cistern and leaving him > there to starve. He's as good as dead. There isn't a scrap of bread left > in the city." > > 10So the king ordered Ebed-melek the Ethiopian, "Get three men and pull > Jeremiah the prophet out of > the cistern before he dies." > > 11-12Ebed-melek got three men and went to the palace wardrobe and got some > scraps of old clothing, > which they tied together and lowered down with ropes to Jeremiah in the > cistern. Ebed-melek the > Ethiopian called down to Jeremiah, "Put these scraps of old clothing under > your armpits and around > the ropes." Jeremiah did what he said. > > 13And so they pulled Jeremiah up out of the cistern by the ropes. But he > was still confined in the > courtyard of the palace guard. > > 14Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought > to the third entrance of > the Temple of God. The king said to Jeremiah, "I'm going to ask you > something. Don't hold anything > back from me." > > 15Jeremiah said, "If I told you the whole truth, you'd kill me. And no > matter what I said, you > wouldn't pay any attention anyway." > > 16Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah right there, but in secret, "As sure as God > lives, who gives us life, > I won't kill you, nor will I turn you over to the men who are trying to > kill you." > > 17-18So Jeremiah told Zedekiah, "This is the Message from God, > God-of-theAngel-Armies, the God of > Israel: 'If you will turn yourself over to the generals of the king of > Babylon, you will live, this > city won't be burned down, and your family will live. But if you don't > turn yourself over to the > generals of the king of Babylon, this city will go into the hands of the > Chaldeans and they'll burn > it down. And don't for a minute think there's any escape for you.'" > > 19King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "But I'm afraid of the Judeans who have > already deserted to the > Chaldeans. If they get hold of me, they'll rough me up good." > > 20-22Jeremiah assured him, "They won't get hold of you. Listen, please. > Listen to God's voice. I'm > telling you this for your own good so that you'll live. But if you refuse > to turn yourself over, > this is what God has shown me will happen: Picture this in your mind-all > the women still left in the > palace of the king of Judah, led out to the officers of the king of > Babylon, and as they're led out > they are saying: > > "'They lied to you and did you in, > those so-called friends of yours; > And now you're stuck, about knee-deep in mud, > and your "friends," where are they now?' > > 23"They'll take all your wives and children and give them to the > Chaldeans. And you, don't think > you'll get out of this-the king of Babylon will seize you and then burn > this city to the ground." > > 24-26Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Don't let anyone know of this > conversation, if you know what's > good for you. If the government officials get wind that I've been talking > with you, they may come > and say, 'Tell us what went on between you and the king, what you said and > what he said. Hold > nothing back and we won't kill you.' If this happens, tell them, 'I > presented my case to the king so > that he wouldn't send me back to the dungeon of Jonathan to die there.'" > > 27And sure enough, all the officials came to Jeremiah and asked him. He > responded as the king had > instructed. So they quit asking. No one had overheard the conversation. > > 28Jeremiah lived in the courtyard of the palace guards until the day that > Jerusalem was captured. > > Jeremiah 39 > Bad News, Not Good News > 1-2 In the ninth year and tenth month of Zedekiah king of Judah, > Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon > came with his entire army and laid siege to Jerusalem. In the eleventh > year and fourth month, on the > ninth day of Zedekiah's reign, they broke through into the city. > 3All the officers of the king of Babylon came and set themselves up as a > ruling council from the > Middle Gate: Nergal-sharezer of Simmagar, Nebushazban the Rabsaris, > Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, > along with all the other officials of the king of Babylon. > > 4-7When Zedekiah king of Judah and his remaining soldiers saw this, they > ran for their lives. They > slipped out at night on a path in the king's garden through the gate > between two walls and headed > for the wilderness, toward the Jordan Valley. The Babylonian army chased > them and caught Zedekiah in > the wilderness of Jericho. They seized him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar > king of Babylon at Riblah > in the country of Hamath. Nebuchadnezzar decided his fate. The king of > Babylon killed all the sons > of Zedekiah in Riblah right before his eyes and then killed all the nobles > of Judah. After Zedekiah > had seen the slaughter, Nebuchadnezzar blinded him, chained him up, and > then took him off to > Babylon. > > 8-10Meanwhile, the Babylonians burned down the royal palace, the Temple, > and all the homes of the > people. They leveled the walls of Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan, commander of the > king's bodyguard, rounded > up everyone left in the city, along with those who had surrendered to him, > and herded them off to > exile in Babylon. He didn't bother taking the few poor people who had > nothing. He left them in the > land of Judah to eke out a living as best they could in the vineyards and > fields. > > 11-12Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave Nebuzaradan captain of the king's > bodyguard special orders > regarding Jeremiah: "Look out for him. Make sure nothing bad happens to > him. Give him anything he > wants." > > 13-14So Nebuzaradan, chief of the king's bodyguard, along with Nebushazban > the Rabsaris, > Nergal-sharezer the Rabmag, and all the chief officers of the king of > Babylon, sent for Jeremiah, > taking him from the courtyard of the royal guards and putting him under > the care of Gedaliah son of > Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to be taken home. And so he was able to live > with the people. > > 15-18Earlier, while Jeremiah was still in custody in the courtyard of the > royal guards, God's > Message came to him: "Go and speak with Ebed-melek the Ethiopian. Tell > him, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, > the God of Israel, says, Listen carefully: I will do exactly what I said I > would do to this city-bad > news, not good news. When it happens, you will be there to see it. But > I'll deliver you on that > doomsday. You won't be handed over to those men whom you have good reason > to fear. Yes, I'll most > certainly save you. You won't be killed. You'll walk out of there safe and > sound because you trusted > me.'" God's Decree. > > > > > > > ~~~~~ > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > Also, follow my tweets on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/Donnie1261 > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/dbilg?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
