Jeremiah, the imprisoned prophet

Political prisoners, men removed from society because of their outspokenness against the government, are not new. Neither is religious persecution.

Jeremiah 37

• Evil King Zedekiah again asks Jeremiah to intercede with God on behalf of the king (v. 1-5).
• Again God says “No.” to the king’s request (v. 6-10; and He promises that the Babylonians will invade Jerusalem.
• Jeremiah is arrested and thrown into a dungeon; but the King reduces the sentence (v. 11-21).

Jeremiah 38

• Lesser government officials, objecting to the prophet’s preaching, condemn him to the dungeon (v. 1-6).
• An Ethiopian intercedes successfully to the King for Jeremiah (v. 7-13).
• The King, in a private meeting with the prophet, learns how to survive the coming invasion (v. 14-23).
• On the king’s advice and warning, Jeremiah gives an evasive answer to the inquisitive princes (v. 24-28)

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Pray for us

Desperate and unbelieving men often turn to God for help; and just as often they do not follow the divine wisdom.

Jeremiah 21

• King Zedekiah asks for God’s help (v. 1-2).
• God refuses (v. 3-7).
• God had already told Zedekiah and the others how to live; but they had refused Him (v. 8-10).
• No amount of human effort to the contrary will prevent God’s judgment upon them (v. 11-14).

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Collapse in the Middle East

Ezekiel 32

• Pharaoh, like a wild creature, will be caught and killed. (v. 1-6)
• Pharaoh’s fall will be like extinguishing the light of the sun and stars. (v. 7-10)
• Pharaoh’s sin will bring economic collapse. (v. 11-16)
• Pharaoh will not be alone in this judgment. (v. 17-32)

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The time of the heathen

God foretells the fall of Egypt at the hands of the Babylonians.

Ezekiel 30

• “The day of the Lord” is not always a reference to a most distant end-of-the-world event. (v. 3)
• When a great nation collapses, it often takes other, lesser, nations with it. (v. 5)
• We must always realize the hand of God in world events. (v. 8)
• Idols and images must cease. (v. 13)

Ezekiel 31

• If the great Assyrian empire could not withstand the judgment of God, then the Egyptians should not hope to survive. (v. 3)
• “Eden”, the “garden of God”, is not always a reference to Genesis 1. (v. 9, 16, 18) Remember this when thinking that Ezekiel 28:12-13 must be about Satan.)

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