Jeremiah 39 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 39.

Meditate on and memorize verses 17-18.

“But I will deliver you on that day,” declares the LORD,

 “and you will not be given into the hand of the men whom you dread.

 For I will certainly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword;

 but you will have your own life as booty

because you have trusted in Me,” declares the LORD.

If you have been reading through Jeremiah, you have encountered the people in this chapter, and now you know the rest of their stories.  Jeremiah 39 records important events which occurred in 588 BC, during the third and final siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians.

King Zedekiah and his family were captured.  His young children were slaughtered before his eyes and his eyes blinded by the Babylonians, so the last thing he saw was his children being killed. God punished Zedekiah for breaking covenant promises, idolatry, and rebellion against Him (Jeremiah 34).

Jeremiah was released from prison and moved freely throughout Judah.  God left His faithful preacher with “the poorest people who had nothing” (Jeremiah 39:10).  The ones who appeared rejected by God were actually loved by Him.  He allowed Jeremiah to remain in Judah and be their shepherd.

Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian slave who had the courage to rescue Jeremiah from the cistern (Jeremiah 38), was delivered from the disaster that occurred in Jerusalem.  Life was his reward because he obeyed and trusted God.

With whom do you most relate in this chapter?  Are you experiencing God’s discipline because of disobedience?  Do you feel rejected by the LORD?  Is God asking you to care for the rejected?  Do you trust God to deliver you from what you dread?

Pray Jeremiah 39:17-18 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, please deliver _______ and me from the hand of the men we dread.

Rescue us and do not let us fall; give us life.  We trust in You!

For the sake of Your name, Jesus~”