This chapter contains the account of Jeremiah being cast into (and then rescued from) a cistern, and a final prophetic warning to King Zedekiah.
“Jeremiah said, ‘You shall not be given to [the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans]. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared. But if you refuse to surrender… All your wives and your sons shall be led out to the Chaldeans, and you yourself shall not escape from their hand, but shall be seized by the king of Babylon, and this city shall be burned with fire.’ ” (v20-21, 23 abr)
The king vacillates on killing / sparing Jeremiah, but he never waivers on disregarding God’s multiple warnings. He receives a steady diet of misinformation from his advisors / officials, which may have contributed to this stubbornness / pride.
This world is full of information, much of which is twisted by Satan the deceiver. It takes no effort whatsoever to hear and believe part-truths. There is effort required to discern God’s truth from the immeasurable background noise. Since discernment requires effort, many people don’t bother, and just believe whatever sounds good.
By humbling ourselves, and putting what we hear / believe on the table before God and the Holy Spirit, we allow God to help us discern fact from fiction. Testing our beliefs in the furnace of prayer and scripture can be a long process, however, when the falsehoods and half-truths burn up, we are left with pure gold: God’s truths.
In my opinion discernment is well worth the effort; we will have fewer false beliefs and spread less misinformation. We are also better equipped to help others discern truth in their lives (if invited to do so). Let’s eagerly seek the Lord’s discernment in all that we hear, so we don’t believe lies and unintentionally misrepresent Jesus to others.
Father God, our Lord of Wisdom and Sovereign Guide, thank you for Your steadfast leadership and heart for our wellbeing. Father please humble our hearts and keep us from prideful stubbornness. Holy Spirit please guide us in the Father’s ways in accordance with His words, that we may not be misled by the twisted ways of this world. Please keep our feet on the paths of righteousness, and our ears listening for the Father’s voice. May we model ourselves after You Jesus, our Way, Truth, and Life. Amen.
~ Conqueror in Training