Bible Chapter: Jeremiah 39 & 40

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
The city of Jerusalem was under siege for about 18 months. It was a devastating time, for they were cut off from any help.  There was no way to bring in food. This brought on a horrible famine, and the people were starving.  God had promised destruction of the city because of the sin of the people.
King Zedekiah suffered because he refused to listen to God and obey.  God longs to help people who are suffering and lost, but those who ignore His Word by keeping on their sinful lives will bring judgement and suffering on themselves. Something that seems so obvious, and yet people don’t see it is that if they would be willing to see the unhappiness and destruction that results from rebellion against God, they would turn to Him in repentance.  What the Bible reveals is that Satan has spiritually blinded and deceived so many people that they don’t see their condition and the horrific consequences ahead for eternity.
During this horrible time for the nation, Jeremiah was treated well. Nebuchadnezzar treated him kindly when they captured Jerusalem, putting him under protective custody.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
What happens when people don’t trust and obey God?  There are many things that happen.  Human pride and wisdom makes people think they can do anything they want and can control the outcome. That simply is not true.  We are seeing much evidence of that in the modern world.  In these chapters we see that the people were carried into exile. This was a common practice of the time for conquering empires to capture people and then scatter them throughout their empire. This forced the exiles to live in a new culture until they had adopted their ways. The national identity of the defeated nation was stripped away.  These events that happened after Jerusalem’s fall demonstrate that the people still refused to trust God.  We must trust and obey or there will be consequences to pay.

3.  How can I help someone?
People must see that they cannot control the outcome of events in the world.  There will always be evil people who are out to steal, kill and destroy. It is only as we live for the Lord that we can have His help and protection.