Jeremiah 37 “Hesitating and Delaying”

Jeremiah 37 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:                                                             

• Give Me Jesus – Jeremy Camp
• Take My Life – Chris Tomlin
• Trust In You – Lauren Daigle

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• Jonah And The Whale | Lego Bible Story Ai Animation – Lesson for Kids
• God Is Good | Cross Culture Norway VBS Music Video | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Proverbs 3:5-6 with Motions – Song for Kids
• ELEMENTARY WORSHIP | House of the Lord – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth are located in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

After King Jehoiakim died, his son Coniah (Jehoiachin) ascended the throne. But within three months, King Nebuchadnezzar carried him off to Babylon and placed Zedekiah—Josiah’s son and Jehoiakim’s brother—on the throne (v. 1). This fulfilled the prophecy in 36:30. As a puppet king, Zedekiah was supposed to remain loyal to Babylon, but he attempted to break free with Egypt’s help (v. 2).

He sent men to Jeremiah, asking him to pray for Judah (v. 3). This happened when the Babylonian army, which had been surrounding Jerusalem, temporarily withdrew to confront the Egyptian army coming from behind (vv. 4–5). Before the messengers sent by the king, the Lord told Jeremiah that the Egyptian army sent to help Judah would be defeated by the Babylonians and return home, and that the Babylonian army would come back to attack Jerusalem and ultimately destroy it (vv. 6–10).

Around that time, Jeremiah headed to his hometown of Anathoth to complete the deed transfer for the field he bought from Hanamel (32:1–15) (vv. 11–12). Just as he was about to enter the territory of the tribe of Benjamin, a guard arrested him, thinking Jeremiah was defecting to the Babylonians (v. 13). Jeremiah protested, but the guard refused to listen. Jeremiah was ultimately thrown into the underground dungeon of Jonathan the scribe (vv. 14–16).

After some time had passed, King Zedekiah summoned Jeremiah and asked if he had received any word from the Lord. Jeremiah replied that he had received a word saying that Judah and Jerusalem would be handed over to Babylon (v. 17), and he pleaded not to be sent back to Jonathan’s underground dungeon (vv. 18–20). King Zedekiah then had him moved to the courtyard of the guard, where he remained under confinement. The king ordered that Jeremiah be given a loaf of bread every day until the food in the besieged city ran out. It was the minimum needed for survival (v. 21).

Meditation:

Zedekiah’s attitude toward Jeremiah appears more favorable than that of his brother Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim tried to kill Jeremiah, but Zedekiah took Jeremiah out of the underground dungeon and confined him in the courtyard of the royal guard. He did not have the courage to release him as a free man, yet he was not hardened enough to leave him to die in the underground prison.

In times of crisis, he asked Jeremiah to pray for him. He also summoned Jeremiah privately to ask if there was any word from the Lord. But when Jeremiah delivered a message Zedekiah did not want to hear, he pushed him away again. From a human perspective, Zedekiah was a more decent man than Jehoiakim, but before God, there was hardly any difference. One was rejected openly, and the other was rejected while hesitating.

In Zedekiah’s attitude toward Jeremiah, we see ourselves. We do not want to turn completely away from God, because we are not sure if God might truly be alive. So, like Zedekiah, when we face a crisis, we pray for help and even expect God to bless us. But it stops there. We do not want to take God’s word seriously or obey it. We want to live as we wish, expecting God to watch us from a distance and help us whenever we need it.

That is serving an idol, not serving the almighty Creator God. If we truly know who God is, even if His word feels uncomfortable, inconvenient, or costly, we must obey.

Prayer:

Lord, we are Zedekiah. We cannot blatantly turn away from You, yet we do not want to obey You steadfastly. There is a slyness in us that wants to treat You like our servant. We are stiff-necked people whose knees have become hardened. Lord, break our necks and shatter our knees. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God desires not hesitant, selective obedience, but a sincere heart that listens and follows—even when His words feel uncomfortable or challenging.

• For Preschool-Elementary:
  • When do you usually pray to God? Is it only when you’re scared or in trouble, or also on normal days?
  • What is something God asks us to do that is sometimes hard?
  • How do you think God feels when we listen to Him even when it’s hard?
    
• Youth:
  • Why do you think Zedekiah wanted God’s help but didn’t want God’s command? Do you see that pattern in yourself sometimes?
  • What is one area in your life where you see yourself “hesitating” with God, like Zedekiah?
  • What does wholehearted obedience to God look like for a student in Fairfax County today?