Scripture: Jeremiah 38:1-28 (NKJV)
1 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the son
of Shelemiah, and Pashhur the son of Malchiah heard the words that Jeremiah had
spoken to all the people, saying, 2 “Thus says the LORD: ‘He who remains in
this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes
over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he
shall live.’ 3 Thus says the LORD: ‘This city shall surely be given into the
hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it.’”
4 Therefore the princes said to the king, “Please, let this man be put to
death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city,
and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man
does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm.”
5 Then Zedekiah the king said, “Look, he is in your hand. For the king can do
nothing against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the dungeon of
Malchiah the king’s son, which was in the court of the prison, and they let
Jeremiah down with ropes. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire. So
Jeremiah sank in the mire. 7 Now Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs,
who was in the king’s house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon.
When the king was sitting at the Gate of Benjamin, 8 Ebed-Melech went out of
the king’s house and spoke to the king, saying: 9 “My lord the king, these men
have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they
have cast into the dungeon, and he is likely to die from hunger in the place
where he is. For there is no more bread in the city.”
10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take from here
thirty men with you, and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon before he
dies.” 11 So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went into the house of the
king under the treasury, and took from there old clothes and old rags, and let
them down by ropes into the dungeon to Jeremiah. 12 Then Ebed-Melech the
Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Please put these old clothes and rags under your
armpits, under the ropes.” And Jeremiah did so. 13 So they pulled Jeremiah up
with ropes and lifted him out of the dungeon. And Jeremiah remained in the
court of the prison.
14 Then Zedekiah the king sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at
the third entrance of the house of the LORD. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I
will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.” 15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,
“If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you
advice, you will not listen to me.” 16 So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to
Jeremiah, saying, “As the LORD lives, who made our very souls, I will not put
you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your
life.”
17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the
God of Israel: ‘If you surely surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then
your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your
house shall live. 18 But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylon’s
princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans; they
shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.’”
19 And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have
defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they abuse
me.” 20 But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver you. Please, obey the voice
of the LORD which I speak to you. So it shall be well with you, and your soul
shall live. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the LORD
has shown me: 22 ‘Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah’s
house shall be surrendered to the king of Babylon’s princes, and those women
shall say: “Your close friends have set upon you and prevailed against you;
Your feet have sunk in the mire, and they have turned away again.” 23 So they
shall surrender all your wives and children to the Chaldeans. You shall not
escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon.
And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.’”
24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know of these words, and you
shall not die. 25 But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they
come to you and say to you, ‘Declare to us now what you have said to the king,
and also what the king said to you; do not hide it from us, and we will not put
you to death,’ 26 then you shall say to them, ‘I presented my request before
the king, that he would not make me return to Jonathan’s house to die there.’”
27 Then all the princes came to Jeremiah and asked him. And he told them
according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped
speaking with him, for the conversation had not been heard. 28 Now Jeremiah
remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And
he was there when Jerusalem was taken.
Devotion
O Lord, God of Hosts, God of Israel, You ever seek the welfare of Your people,
and never their harm. Your Word bids us to see this truth by faith, even when
the opposite seems apparent to our eyes. You revealed fully this truth through
Your Son, Christ Jesus, Who was mired in the filth of man’s sin and sank under
its weight into death and Hell. Yet through His suffering and death You have
worked salvation from sin, death and Hell for man. Even as You raised Christ
from the dead on the third day and gave to Him eternal glory, so You will raise
up on the last day the bodies of Your faithful ones and give to us eternal life.
Strengthen faith in each of us by Your Word and Your Spirit, so that we trust
in Your deliverance and live in confidence in You, whether we face the peril of
the sword, famine, or pestilence. Even when close friends set upon us, make us
mindful that You are our Ever-Faithful Friend. Cause us to be Your faithful
servants in the midst of evil, opening our mouths to speak against wickedness
in this world. Encourage us to bravely rescue those mired in injustice,
imploring the princes of this world to carry out their calling of ruling
justly. Make us ever mindful that in all things You work for the good of those
whom You have first loved and who love You in return. Through Jesus Christ, Our
Lord, we pray. Amen.
The Lutheran Herald is a publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of
North America. These daily devotions are authored by the bishop, pastors, and
deacons of the diocese. Daily posts are provided by The Reverend Jeffrey A.
Ahonen.
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