May 28, 2023
Passage Read: Jeremiah 37-40
Meditation Verse: 38:17
Thought
Zedekiah could have saved Jerusalem, if he had only humbled himself and surrendered to the Babylonians. The city and the temple would have been preserved. But he refused to believe Jeremiah, and so all this disaster fell on them and the city. It is dreadful to ignore the Word of the Lord, costly to the one who leads the rebellion and to all who follow him. The one who really has the best interests of those he leads will make every effort to listen to, honor and obey the Lord. But Zedekiah and the people refused to listen to Jeremiah.
Application
So I must be very diligent to listen to and obey the Lord and His Word, for my own sake and for the sake of those under me. While I must set that example for others, it's no guarantee that the others will be safe, unless they too follow or improve on my example of obedience, so I need to urge them to obey as well.