"Why will you die...?" (Jeremiah 27:13). 

God tells the remnant of Judah to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar because it is His will. Any other choice will bring God's judgment of sword, famine and pestilence. Yet, surrender is not even a consideration for Zedekiah and the people. Instead, they are discussing whether to fight or to flee to Egypt. So God asks what appears an absurd question: "Why will you die?" Why would they choose death? God has promised them life and prosperity in Babylon. God has even told them how long they would be there - 70 years - before He brings them back. But the king and the people have blocked their ears from hearing divine wisdom. 

Every time I knowingly sin against the Lord I think I must be crazy. I surmise that either I don't believe in Him or else I'm crazy. For me unbelief seems farther from reality than insanity. I confess my depravity, my inadequacy; I humble myself; I admit that in myself I cannot achieve any good. Then I praise God for His unfailing mercy and grace; He does not give me what I deserve; His salvation rests on Christ's righteousness and not my own. 

Were Zedekiah and the people of Judah crazy or unbelieving? Why would they choose death?! I cannot tell for sure; however, I do not see them humbling themselves, repenting and seeking God's mercy and grace. 

Friends, we are not much different than unfaithful Judah. We are not much different than the majority of men and women who perished in the Negev (i.e. during the 40 years of wandering). We are not much different than the millions that died outside the ark when the flood waters covered the earth. Yet, if God allows you even a tinge of guilt ("Today, if you hear His voice.."), don't harden your hearts with an attitude of rebellion. Instead, I urge you to humble yourselves. God has extended His mercy to even the worst of sinners (think Manasseh, think the Ninevites) when they humbled themselves. Humble yourselves and repent and seek to return to the LORD. Even if you sin a thousand times; even if you feel helpless to change; even if you recognize the insanity of your rebellion; even so, humble yourself and repent. Why will you die?!

And they brought Uriah from Egypt and led him to King Jehoiakim, who slew him with a sword and cast his dead body into the burial place of the common people (Jeremiah 26:23).

We are told that Uriah had prophesied against the city in words similar to that of Jeremiah. He fled to Egypt after he learned that the king planned to kill him. But he was caught in Egypt, brought back to King Jehoiakim, and then put to death.

But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not given into the hands of the people to put him to death (Jeremiah 26:24).

Even though Uriah was put to death, Jeremiah was not put to death, being helped by people like Ahikam.

As we read these two accounts, let us understand that not all the faithful servants of God live. They are not all nor always protected by God from the schemes of wicked men. While we read many Scriptures that speak of God's deliverance of the righteous from the hands of the wicked, we must understand that while God does deliver the righteous from the wicked, it is not a foregone conclusion or something that binds the sovereign Lord to always deliver. Thus, we read in Hebrews:

Some [people of faith] faced jeers and flogging,and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning;they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground (Hebrews 11:36-38).

These faithful people suffered and died for their faith. They were not delivered in their lifetimes. So we should understand that God does just as He pleases for His highest glory. He is sovereign over believers and unbelievers alike, for they are all His creation. Consider the message God sends to the nations around Judah:

I have made the earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face of the earth by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is pleasing in My sight. Now Ihave given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the wild animals of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will make him their servant (Jeremiah 27:5-7).

In Jeremiah's day God had given Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon the authority over the nations, at least until the time would come for Babylon to be subservient to the nations. Thus, Jeremiah's call for Judah and the nations to bend their necks to Nebuchadnezzar was not primarily a call to surrender to a stronger power but a call to obey God.

Friends, let us also acknowledge the sovereignty of our God and make it our priority to simply trust Him and obey His Word. Let us not chase after false prophecies and new signs from the likes of those coming out of Kansas City and IHOP. I trust that God will deal with them, as he dealt with Hananiah (cf. Jeremiah 28:15-17), Shemaiah (cf. Jeremiah 29:31-32), and the rest of the false prophets of old that prophesied rebellion against God's true Word. But you, dear friends, must not believe in their lies and false prophecies. Why seek for more, as if chasing the Spirit in some 24/7 prayer house, or a retreat, or a revival or a prophecy room, when the Spirit is already in you (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:12; 6:19) and God says that all you need is His Word to fulfill every good work (cf. 2 Timothy 3:!6-17)?

Wow! Who is to be believed?! The officials, priests and prophets versus Jeremiah. It is so often the case that the true prophet of God is in the minority. Also, as Jeremiah argues, the true prophet of God rarely prophesies peace, and the few that do have a greater burden of proof:

From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true." (Jeremiah 28:8-9).

The people are swayed in one direction and another, whether they are in Jerusalem or in Babylon. Who are they to trust? Will they trust their misguided king and his army of officials, priests and prophets that preach rebellion against Babylon and the prospect of near-term peace and prosperity? Or will they trust Jeremiah and a faithful few, who's only defense seems to be God's Word?

We have the luxury of narrative and historical insight, so that we know that Jeremiah and the faithful few were right while all the others were wrong. However, the important insight is not that we should always side with the few over the many, even though this is frequently true, but rather to stand upon the Word of God. Jeremiah's prophecies of judgment were consistent with a host of prophecies in Scripture going back even as far as Moses that warned the people of impending judgment for sin. He also credentialed his prophecies with a claim to absolute accuracy, even when these prophecies were unpopular and threatened his own life.

Friends, I hope you will take this principle to heart. Just as there were false prophets in Jeremiah's day, there were also false prophets in the first centuries of the Christian faith. What is more, the very same things that these false prophets were preaching in those early centuries, some are preaching today in the guise of a "new apostolic movement." It is not new, but since so much time has passed, the errors of the past are threatening to be repeated in our generation. Many embraced the false prophets then, causing a long period of crisis in the church, and it appears something similar may be happening today. The church survived the heresies of the early centuries by clearly recognizing and establishing the biblical canon, by which we have the sixty-six books that constitute our Bibles today. Perhaps something like this needs to happen today. We need a return to biblical orthodoxy.

What can you do? While there may be occasions to expose the lies, deceptions, and misguided teachings of these self-proclaimed prophets of God, a much more potent and enduring force for change is to practice and encourage everyone to read the Word of God for themselves. The Bible provides its own best defense, and the false prophets of our day prey upon the biblical ignorance of believers. Don't be one of them. This site was designed to encourage and help every believer to know God's truth in His Word.

If you have gotten lazy in your reading, study, and meditation on God's Word, decide today to make a renewed effort. Sometimes, you wonder if there are better or more important priorities. There should be no such struggle here. Everything should take second place to God's Word in your life. As you must eat and drink to survive, so you must read God's Word to thrive spiritually. 

Two concepts jumped out at me in the reading of today's passage.  Starting in Jeremiah 26:2 God tells Jeremiah to "not omit a word" from the prophetical warning to Judah.  This, in itself, is clear in that God's Word need not clarification nor abbreviation.  It is entirely accurate.  Later there are accounts of two false prophets, Hananiah & Shemiah.  Both, inaccurately, wrongly and without God's annointing, prophesied in the LORD's name (Jer. 28:2-4; Jer 29:26, 31).  God's response to these two examples provide a consistent consequence for intentionally and selfishly twisting and misrepresenting God Himself.  As commanded in Deut. 12:32 these false prophets were doing just a God had warned us not to do - "add to it nor take away from it."  2 Tim. 2:15 also tells us to "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."  This may appear to be a no-brainer but if you, like me, have found yourself in a conversation with another believer or non-believer alike where the conversation has met the limit of your knowledge of the Truth in one area or another, then you may have experienced a moment of truth, so to speak.  Without thinking I found myself trying to come up with a response that sounds good - in context or truth, alike - but in hindsight may have overstepped the boundaries of my knowledge.  This "slippery slope" of not knowing is one that I've navigated with a sometimes prideful approach.  In other times I have pulled back on the reigns and simply stated, "I'm not sure.  Let me research it a bit and get back to you."  In Paul's words we should be careful as not be a stumbling block (2 Cor. 6:3).  However, not wanting to sound ignorant or simply wanting to be able to give biblical advice can get in the way of obedience.  As the proverb goes we should nourish with our words not destroy (Prov. 10:21).  Remembering this simple truth in our conversations can deter one from speaking too much and when speaking do so with the right intent.

The other concept is one of a corporate or community leading/following.  Everyone faces the unpopular decision in life of standing firm in one's beliefs versus jumping on the band wagon and following the crowd.  Whether it results in unity with the crowd or a lonely position of one, the underlying principle for a Christian is the same.  Does my decision glorify God?  Jeremiah was faced with the unpopular stance of not following the crowd (Jer. 26:1-11).  In fact, the ironic thing with the crowd was they were the priests and prophets - supposedly the most spiritual group of all.  Jeremiah's decision was based on his faith and adhering to God's command even in the face of adversity and possible death.  Jeremiah even trusted God enough to tell the people of Judah that they could do whatever they wanted to him (however, they would reap the consequences of punishing an innocent man).  Whether it is at work or in social circles, we too may have similar opportunities to express our faith and may be tested in situations just like this.  Taking the unpopular but right side can be stressful or seemingly unbeneficial at the time but as in Jeremiah's case the immediate hardship is overshadowed by the long-term reward (Heb. 11:10,16).  This is faith, "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)