"GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS"

May 27, 2011

"GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS"

Jeremiah 39

Truby McDougal

Central Truth

God is faithful all the time. He will do what He says He will do, and He is faithful to those who are faithful to Him.

"For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own life as booty, because you have trusted in Me," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 39:18)

The Fall of Jerusalem

1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. 3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king's garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him. 6 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. 7 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. 8 The Chaldeans burned the king's house and the house of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the people who remained. 10 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

The LORD Delivers Jeremiah

11 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, 12 “Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon 14 sent and took Jeremiah from the court of the guard. They entrusted him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he lived among the people.

15 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard: 16 “Go, and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. 17 But I will deliver you on that day, declares the LORD, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the LORD.’”

Jeremiah 39 is a great illustration of God's faithfulness. First, He is faithful in doing what He says He will do. Second, He is faithful to those who remain faithful to Him.

Jeremiah was warning others of God's Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19:5). Basically, if the people of Israel were obedient, God would bless them, but if they disobeyed, God would punish them. They continued to disobey, and Jerusalem fell into the hands of its enemies, the Babylonians. This fall of Jerusalem was so important it was recorded four different times in the Bible (Jeremiah 39 & 52; 2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36).

Zedekiah, king of Jerusalem, was a reflection of the people of the day. He ignored Jeremiah's warnings, and, as a result, he was forced to watch the murder of his sons before his own eyes were blinded (verses 6-7). Zedekiah feared man more than the Lord. Today, this is called people-pleasing and occurs each time our faith is guided not by what God says, but by what others think.

God is also faithful to those who are faithful in return. Jeremiah was the complete opposite of Zedekiah. He remained faithful to God and obedient to His Word. In return, God protected Jeremiah throughout the judgment of Jerusalem (verses 11-12). I struggled, however, with seeing God's faithfulness to Jeremiah beyond protection during this invasion. In his 40 years of ministry, Jeremiah was not acclaimed, respected, or loved; and he did not gather a large following. He was threatened, beaten, imprisoned, and almost killed twice. Why didn't God make him prosperous or protect him all the other times?

I recently heard someone say that obedience is not dependent on the outcome. By this the speaker meant that we aren't obedient because the outcome will be pleasant. Sometimes it's not. We are obedient because God is good, and we are not. God doesn't promise us a peaceful, easy life. But He does promise rewards we cannot imagine for those who are faithful. Zedekiah's faithlessness was not that he rejected God, but rather because he was passive, and it cost him greatly. Our faithfulness must always trust in God's provisions for us.

1. How strong is your faith when things are going well? How strong is it when things are going poorly?

2. What can you change today to have faith like Jeremiah?

3. Can you think of examples of God doing what He said He would do?

WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY

JEREMIAH 35-39 (MAY 23-27)

Read Jeremiah 38:1-13.

What did Jeremiah tell the people God had told him? How did the people respond to him? How do you think Jeremiah might have felt when he was stuck in the mud at the bottom of the cistern?

What did Ebed-melech do?

Now read Jeremiah 39:15-17. Who sent Ebed-melech to help Jeremiah?

Have you ever been persecuted for speaking God's truth? What happened? How did you feel when you were being persecuted? Did you ever feel like maybe God had forgotten you? What can you do when you are in the middle of the persecution?

Activity: Think about a situation in which you were being persecuted and another person came to help. Might have been a boss that stood up for you when you were doing the right thing or a friend at school that stepped in when another kid was making fun of you. Then, take time to write that person a note to say thanks for helping you to continue to do the right thing.