August 25th
Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 37–39 Psalm 79& 2 John 1
Scripture Focus
“Even if you were to destroy the entire Babylonian army, leaving only a handful of wounded survivors, they would still stagger from their tents and burn this city to the ground!” (Jeremiah 37:10)
“They were furious with Jeremiah and had him flogged and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary. Jonathan’s house had been converted into a prison.” (Jeremiah 37:15 NLT)
“Jeremiah was put into a dungeon cell, where he remained for many days.” (Jeremiah 37:16 NLT)
“Listen, my lord the king, I beg you. Don’t send me back to the dungeon in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for I will die there.” So King Zedekiah commanded that Jeremiah not be returned to the dungeon. Instead, he was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace. The king also commanded that Jeremiah be given a loaf of fresh bread every day as long as there was any left in the city. So Jeremiah was put in the palace prison.” (Jeremiah 37:20–21 NLT)
“So these officials went to the king and said, ‘Sir, this man must die! That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few fighting men we have left, as well as that of all the people. This man is a traitor!’” (Jeremiah 38:4 NLT)
“So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.” (Jeremiah 38:6 NLT)
“My lord the king,” he said, “these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone.” (Jeremiah 38:9 NLT)
“So they pulled him out. So Jeremiah was returned to the courtyard of the guard—the palace prison—where he remained.” (Jeremiah 38:13 NLT)
“But I am afraid to surrender,” the king said, “for the Babylonians may hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them. And who knows what they will do to me!” (Jeremiah 38:19 NLT)
“Jeremiah replied, ‘You won’t be handed over to them if you choose to obey the Lord. Your life will be spared, and all will go well for you.’” (Jeremiah 38:20 NLT)
“The king of Babylon made Zedekiah watch as he slaughtered his sons at Riblah. The king of Babylon also slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. Then he gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in bronze chains to lead him away to Babylon. Meanwhile, the Babylonians burned Jerusalem, including the royal palace and the houses of the people, and they tore down the walls of the city.” (Jeremiah 39:6–8 NLT)
Reflection
Two men. Two choices. Two very different outcomes.
No one can stop God. He is the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. When He speaks, when He makes a promise, His word will come to pass—no one can stand in the way.
We see this truth in Jeremiah’s life. He suffered greatly for delivering God’s message: flogging, dungeon cells, starvation, and even being lowered into a cistern of mud. Yet Jeremiah kept speaking because the fear of the Lord burned within him stronger than the fear of men. His life shows us that obedience to God, even through suffering, is never wasted.
On the other hand, King Zedekiah heard the same word from God through Jeremiah: surrender, and you will live. Obey, and the city will be spared. But fear gripped him. Fear of men, fear of humiliation, fear of what could happen if he trusted God’s way. His fear led to disobedience, and his disobedience brought destruction—not only upon himself, but upon his family, his city, and his people.
Fear is one of the enemy’s greatest tools. It clouds our trust in God and tempts us to choose compromise instead of faith. Where Jeremiah trusted and endured, Zedekiah feared and resisted. One man’s obedience preserved his life. The other man’s fear cost him everything.
In the end, Jeremiah’s words proved true because they were God’s words. The impossible happened—the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem exactly as the Lord declared. Zedekiah lost his sons, his sight, his freedom, and his throne. But Jeremiah was released, spared, and continued his ministry as God’s prophet.
Lesson for Me
I can either walk in faith like Jeremiah or be paralyzed by fear like Zedekiah. Fear leads to compromise, disobedience, and destruction, but faith leads to life, strength, and testimony of God’s faithfulness.
Application Questions
1. Where in my life am I tempted to let fear dictate my choices instead of trusting the Lord?
2. When God’s Word gives me a hard instruction, do I obey like Jeremiah—or shrink back like Zedekiah?
3. How can I remind myself daily that no one and nothing can stop God’s plans?
4. What does Jeremiah’s perseverance in suffering teach me about remaining steady when following Jesus gets hard?
Prayer 🙏
Lord, help me to be like Jeremiah—steady, faithful, and burning with reverence for You, no matter what trials I face. Keep me from being like Zedekiah, ruled by fear and unable to trust Your way. Strengthen my faith so I walk in obedience and courage, knowing that no one can stop Your purposes. Let my life bear witness that You are the Almighty God, and Your word always proves true. Amen.
Journaling
Sit quietly before the Lord. Ask Him: Where am I letting fear rule me instead of trusting You? Write down what He shows you. Then write a prayer of surrender, giving Him those fears, and declaring His promises over your life.
Digging Deeper – Hebrew Word Insights
To see God’s heart more clearly in this passage, let’s look at some of the Hebrew words and the richness they carry:
Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 37–39 Psalm 79& 2 John 1
Scripture Focus
“Even if you were to destroy the entire Babylonian army, leaving only a handful of wounded survivors, they would still stagger from their tents and burn this city to the ground!” (Jeremiah 37:10)
“They were furious with Jeremiah and had him flogged and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary. Jonathan’s house had been converted into a prison.” (Jeremiah 37:15 NLT)
“Jeremiah was put into a dungeon cell, where he remained for many days.” (Jeremiah 37:16 NLT)
“Listen, my lord the king, I beg you. Don’t send me back to the dungeon in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for I will die there.” So King Zedekiah commanded that Jeremiah not be returned to the dungeon. Instead, he was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace. The king also commanded that Jeremiah be given a loaf of fresh bread every day as long as there was any left in the city. So Jeremiah was put in the palace prison.” (Jeremiah 37:20–21 NLT)
“So these officials went to the king and said, ‘Sir, this man must die! That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few fighting men we have left, as well as that of all the people. This man is a traitor!’” (Jeremiah 38:4 NLT)
“So the officials took Jeremiah from his cell and lowered him by ropes into an empty cistern in the prison yard. It belonged to Malkijah, a member of the royal family. There was no water in the cistern, but there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and Jeremiah sank down into it.” (Jeremiah 38:6 NLT)
“My lord the king,” he said, “these men have done a very evil thing in putting Jeremiah the prophet into the cistern. He will soon die of hunger, for almost all the bread in the city is gone.” (Jeremiah 38:9 NLT)
“So they pulled him out. So Jeremiah was returned to the courtyard of the guard—the palace prison—where he remained.” (Jeremiah 38:13 NLT)
“But I am afraid to surrender,” the king said, “for the Babylonians may hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them. And who knows what they will do to me!” (Jeremiah 38:19 NLT)
“Jeremiah replied, ‘You won’t be handed over to them if you choose to obey the Lord. Your life will be spared, and all will go well for you.’” (Jeremiah 38:20 NLT)
“The king of Babylon made Zedekiah watch as he slaughtered his sons at Riblah. The king of Babylon also slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. Then he gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in bronze chains to lead him away to Babylon. Meanwhile, the Babylonians burned Jerusalem, including the royal palace and the houses of the people, and they tore down the walls of the city.” (Jeremiah 39:6–8 NLT)
Reflection
Two men. Two choices. Two very different outcomes.
No one can stop God. He is the Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. When He speaks, when He makes a promise, His word will come to pass—no one can stand in the way.
We see this truth in Jeremiah’s life. He suffered greatly for delivering God’s message: flogging, dungeon cells, starvation, and even being lowered into a cistern of mud. Yet Jeremiah kept speaking because the fear of the Lord burned within him stronger than the fear of men. His life shows us that obedience to God, even through suffering, is never wasted.
On the other hand, King Zedekiah heard the same word from God through Jeremiah: surrender, and you will live. Obey, and the city will be spared. But fear gripped him. Fear of men, fear of humiliation, fear of what could happen if he trusted God’s way. His fear led to disobedience, and his disobedience brought destruction—not only upon himself, but upon his family, his city, and his people.
Fear is one of the enemy’s greatest tools. It clouds our trust in God and tempts us to choose compromise instead of faith. Where Jeremiah trusted and endured, Zedekiah feared and resisted. One man’s obedience preserved his life. The other man’s fear cost him everything.
In the end, Jeremiah’s words proved true because they were God’s words. The impossible happened—the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem exactly as the Lord declared. Zedekiah lost his sons, his sight, his freedom, and his throne. But Jeremiah was released, spared, and continued his ministry as God’s prophet.
Lesson for Me
I can either walk in faith like Jeremiah or be paralyzed by fear like Zedekiah. Fear leads to compromise, disobedience, and destruction, but faith leads to life, strength, and testimony of God’s faithfulness.
Application Questions
1. Where in my life am I tempted to let fear dictate my choices instead of trusting the Lord?
2. When God’s Word gives me a hard instruction, do I obey like Jeremiah—or shrink back like Zedekiah?
3. How can I remind myself daily that no one and nothing can stop God’s plans?
4. What does Jeremiah’s perseverance in suffering teach me about remaining steady when following Jesus gets hard?
Prayer 🙏
Lord, help me to be like Jeremiah—steady, faithful, and burning with reverence for You, no matter what trials I face. Keep me from being like Zedekiah, ruled by fear and unable to trust Your way. Strengthen my faith so I walk in obedience and courage, knowing that no one can stop Your purposes. Let my life bear witness that You are the Almighty God, and Your word always proves true. Amen.
Journaling
Sit quietly before the Lord. Ask Him: Where am I letting fear rule me instead of trusting You? Write down what He shows you. Then write a prayer of surrender, giving Him those fears, and declaring His promises over your life.
Digging Deeper – Hebrew Word Insights
To see God’s heart more clearly in this passage, let’s look at some of the Hebrew words and the richness they carry:
- “Afraid” (יָרֵא – yārē’, 38:19)
This verb means to fear, to stand in awe, to be terrified. It can describe reverent fear of the Lord or paralyzing fear of people. Jeremiah lived with holy fear of God, which gave him courage. Zedekiah lived with fear of men, which destroyed him. - “Word” (דָּבָר – dābār, 37:6)
More than just speech, dābār means a decree, matter, or command that carries authority. When the dābār YHWH came to Jeremiah, it wasn’t optional advice—it was God’s binding declaration, certain to be fulfilled. - “Amen / Certain” (אָמֵן – āmēn, concept reflected in 37:10)
From the root ’āman (“to be firm, faithful, reliable”). It describes something trustworthy and unshakable. Even when the Babylonians looked weak, God’s word about Jerusalem’s fall was amen—firm and inevitable. - “Rule” (מָשַׁל – māshal, 38:5 context)
This verb means to rule, govern, or have dominion. Zedekiah clung to his fragile rule, but māshal ultimately belongs to God alone. Earthly kings fall, but God remains sovereign over nations.