Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender to the Babylonian officers, you and your family will live, and the city will not be burned down. But if you refuse to surrender, you will not escape! This city will be handed over to the Babylonians, and they will burn it to the ground.’”
Jewish officials continued to hound Jeremiah, seeing him as a traitor who undermined the morale of the troops. Surrender was an unthinkable option, so to preach about it and recommend it was nothing less than treason. His trip to the bottom of the pit nearly cost him his life until he was rescued by Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian. However, Jeremiah continued to speak out what God had told him.
There are several sections in the Book of Jeremiah where he complains and feels let down by God. No wonder he is often regarded as a miserable prophet – but he is not! The fact is that he learned to be honest with God about his feelings – and that is no bad thing if we are serious pray-ers.
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