Tuesday - Jeremiah 37 - Wasted Prayers

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UDAH’s king, Zedekiah, was certainly not a sincere man of faith. If anything, he was the furthest thing from that. Yet, despite his rebellion, he had the gall (or desperation maybe) to send a request to Jeremiah for the prophet to pray for him and for the people (Jeremiah 37:3). Jerusalem stood like a toddler in the middle of an intersection as the armies of both Egypt and Babylon ran free (Jeremiah 37:5). Amazingly, God listened to the plea of Zedekiah. Well, in a way He listened. He at least had a message in response to Zedekiah's inquiry. The message was that Egypt was no threat, but that Babylon would burn Jerusalem to the ground, no matter what. So, the answer to Zedekiah's desires was negative.

As things developed, Jeremiah headed out of town. But his movements were seen as treason, and he was both beaten and imprisoned for it (Jeremiah 37:15). Yet, to Zedekiah's credit, he sent and delivered Jeremiah, but did again ask Jeremiah concerning God's mercy toward him. And again, God's message through the prophet was exactly the same. Babylon was going to win (Jeremiah 37:17).  And, based upon the instructions that Zedekiah gave concerning Jeremiah's care, he knew that Jerusalem was doomed (Jeremiah 37:21). So, were the prayers that Zedekiah wanted futile? They were, but they didn’t have to be futile. Zedekiah knew what was coming (he had been told) and he knew what he was expected to do about it (he had been commanded to surrender to the Babylonians), but he was unwilling to yield.