Verse of the Week: V2 “And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.”
1. God Freed His Man (V1-6)
V4 “And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill into thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.”
God moved the heart of the captain of the Babylonian army to realize that the God of Israel was behind the defeat of His own nation, Israel. God also moved the captain to free prophet Jeremiah as well as take great care of him. Indeed, God not only delivered Jeremiah from death, but protected and blessed him through the Babylonians.
Proverbs 16:7
“When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
2. God Appointed His Man (V7-12)
V7 “Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;”
God moved the King of Babylon to appoint Gedaliah, one of the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, to be the governor of his people who were left behind. Indeed, God never fails to protect and provide for His people when we obey Him.
V9 “And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”
3. God Warned His Man (V13-16)
V14 “And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.”
God warned his man, Gedaliah, that Ishmael, one of the princes of Judah, was plotting to kill him, yet Gedaliah refused to take heed of the warning, and was eventually killed by Ishmael. Let us take heed when God warns us of impending dangers as God knows best.
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to trust You as You know best.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 06:02 pm
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Verse of the Week: V18 “For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.”
1. God’s Word Shall Come To Pass (V1-7)
V1 “In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it.”
The day of reckoning came as God’s Word through Prophet Jeremiah came to pass when the King of Babylon attacked Judah and killed the sons of King Zedekiah and his nobles. They then blinded Zedekiah and carried him to Babylon. Zedekiah was physically blinded for his spiritual failure to see the light of God’s Word and put his trust in God.
V7 “Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.”
2. God’s Love For The Poor (V8-10)
V10 “But Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.”
Though the Babylonians were ruthless to King Zedekiah and the people of Judah, they were compassionate to the poor. They not only spared their lives but gave them vineyards and fields for their survival. Indeed, this was God’s love for the poor people of Judah.
3. God’s People Shall Be Protected (V11-18)
V12 “Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.”
God protected his people, Prophet Jeremiah and Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian, who pleaded with King Zedekiah for Jeremiah’s life. Both men had put their trust in God and they were not only delivered from harm but the Babylonians even took great care of them.
V16 “Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.”
V18 “For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to put my trust in You and You alone.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 05:39 pm
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Verse of the Week: V10 “Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.”
1. The Man Of God Is Misunderstood (V1-6)
V4 “Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.”
The people he loved wanted him dead. This was the summary of the ministry of Prophet Jeremiah. He kept warning the people of Judah that God had prophesied to him that the Chaldeans would defeat Judah and in order for them to survive they had to surrender to become the prisoners-of-war. However, the princes or the leaders of Judah misunderstood Jeremiah and charged him for treason and arrested and threw him into a muddy hole, without giving him food and water, so that he would die a slow death of hunger and thirst.
V6 “Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.”
2. The Man Of God Is Rescued (V7-13)
V10 “Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.”
A stranger he did not know rescued him. It was not his own Jewish people but an Ethiopian, who courageously pleaded with the king and rescued Jeremiah from death.
V13 “So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.”
3. The Man Of God Is Courageous (V14-28)
V17 “Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:”
Despite almost losing his life, Jeremiah continued courageously warning his people to surrender in order to survive the impending invasion of the Chaldeans or the Babylonians.
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to be the man of God, courageous in crises.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 05:37 pm
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Verse of the Week: V6 “Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,”
1. God Reigns (V1-10)
V6 “Then came the word of the LORD unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,”
God reigns in heaven and earth as whatever He says shall be fulfilled and whatever He does shall be executed. Prophet Jeremiah trusted God and preached only the word of God. He kept warning the people of Judah that even though they might seem to defeat the Babylonians, ultimately the Babylonians shall defeat and destroy their city and people.
V10 “For though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.”
2. God Knows (V11-15)
V14 “Then said Jeremiah, It is false; I fall not away to the Chaldeans. But he hearkened not to him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.”
Prophet Jeremiah was charged with treason for trying to escape to the Chaldeans or the Babylonians, the enemy of his people. He was arrested, beaten and put in prison. However, Jeremiah continued to trust God, and believed that God knew that he was falsely accused by his people.
V15 “Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they had made that the prison.”
3. God Vindicates (V16-21)
V16 “When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the cabins, and Jeremiah had remained there many days;”
After many days, Jeremiah was vindicated by God from the false charge as King Zedekiah believed in him that he was truly a prophet of God. King Zedekiah commanded his guards that Jeremiah be transferred from the dungeon awaiting for his execution to the court of the prison under his watch care. King Zedekiah also commanded his guards to provide daily bread for Jeremiah for the rest of his stay in the court of the prison.
V21 “Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the baker’s street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to trust You in life or in death.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 03:20 pm
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Verse of the Week: V28 “Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.”
1. The Forgiving God (V1-10)
V3 “It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
Prophet Jeremiah called Baruch to write down the Word that God had spoken to him. The main message was that God would judge the people of Judah and the only way to avoid the judgment of God and for God to forgive them was for them to repent their sins.
V4 “Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.”
2. The Caring God (V11-26)
V23 “And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.”
King Jehoiakim not only refused to repent but allowed his servant Jehudi to throw the Word into the fire and commanded his servants to arrest Jeremiah and Baruch. However, the caring God hid both Jeremiah and Baruch from the wickedness of king Jehoiakim.
V26 “But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them.”
3. The Encouraging God (V27-32)
V28 “Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.”
King Jehoiakim thought that by burning the Word, both Jeremiah and Baruch would quit writing the Word. However, they kept on writing the Word. Indeed, God shall encourage His people and nothing shall hinder and destroy the Word, the work and the will of God.
V32 “Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.”
Prayer of the Week
Dearest God, please help me to keep on, keeping on for Your honour and glory.
Posted by: Pastor Davy Sim AT 03:16 pm
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