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God Protects Jeremiah - The Book of Jeremiah · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee.
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  Speaker 1: Obey I beseech thee the voice of the Lord, which
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  Speaker 1: I speak unto thee, so it shall be well unto thee,
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  Speaker 1: and thy soul shall live. Jeremiah 38.20 With each new
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  Speaker 1: breath I take today, I will give thanks for the
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  Speaker 1: words found in the Bible. As in the days of Jeremiah,
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  Speaker 1: I thank you in advance for sending people my way
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  Speaker 1: like the Ethiopian eunuch in today's reading. When others seek
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  Speaker 1: to throw me into a cistern and try to muddy
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  Speaker 1: my character and name, I thank you that through the
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  Speaker 1: clothing of kindness and humility you will provide a way
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  Speaker 1: for me out of that muddy pit. When the hands
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  Speaker 1: of influence shift around me because I have integrity, I
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  Speaker 1: will receive uncommon favor and uncommon choices regarding the desires
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  Speaker 1: of my heart, even in the midst of my enemies.
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  Speaker 1: No matter what may come my way, I am resting
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  Speaker 1: in the finished work, God. I am at peace because
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  Speaker 1: I know that I am a child of God. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 1:38
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• 2:04
  Speaker 2: Learn more by visiting chministries.org. God Protects Jeremiah.
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  Speaker 3: In our last story, we learned about King Zedekiah's stubbornness
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  Speaker 3: against the Babylonians. He fought against them despite Jeremiah's warnings.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah continued to warn people that fighting against Babylon was
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  Speaker 3: a vain attempt, like grasping at air. Those warnings got
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah beaten and thrown into prison. Now Jeremiah remains in
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  Speaker 3: the courthouse as a captive and watches as the Chaldeans
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  Speaker 3: and Babylonians pick apart Judah piece by piece. In this story,
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  Speaker 3: we watch the demise of Judah through the eyes of Jeremiah.
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  Speaker 3: The old prophet is beaten, stripped of wealth, and thrown
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  Speaker 3: into mud by his own people. It would be foreigners
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  Speaker 3: and enemies that show him kindness, inspired by the book
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  Speaker 3: of Jeremiah.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 4: Bible in a Year podcast. Thanks for joining us. In
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  Speaker 4: our last episode, we saw a desperate but still prideful king, Zedekiah,
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  Speaker 4: seeking good news from Jeremiah. He was holding out hope
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  Speaker 4: that Judah could hold off the Babylonian onslaught and drive
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  Speaker 4: them out of the land. But Jeremiah was not in
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  Speaker 4: the business of telling people what they wanted to hear.
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  Speaker 4: He was God's man, God's messenger, even if the message
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  Speaker 4: was one of judgment he delivered. This cost Jeremiah, including
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  Speaker 4: scorn and beatings from those who opposed him. Still, devastation
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  Speaker 4: was coming from the Chaldeans. And today, we'll hear of
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  Speaker 4: the things Jeremiah experienced as Judah crumbled. God will call
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  Speaker 4: him to sacrifice his own wealth and freedom for the
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  Speaker 4: sake of others. And through it all, the Lord will
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  Speaker 4: be with him, protecting his prophet and using him to
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  Speaker 4: tell a story of ultimate redemption. So, let's listen today
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  Speaker 4: to God's Word.
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  Speaker 3: The prophet Jeremiah had been shut up in the courthouse
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  Speaker 3: of Zedekiah for a long while. During that time, King
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  Speaker 3: Nebuchadnezzar began his second wind of attacks against Judah. The
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  Speaker 3: Chaldeans broke down the walls and burned the city streets,
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  Speaker 3: and Nebuchadnezzar waltzed in without struggle. The land was large.
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  Speaker 3: It would take the Babylonians weeks to reach Jerusalem. There
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  Speaker 3: was a sense of urgency in King Zedekiah as he
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  Speaker 3: rallied more men to fight. He fought against Nebuchadnezzar and
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  Speaker 3: the Chaldeans despite Jeremiah's warnings. One day, Jeremiah was praying
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  Speaker 3: in a solitary part of the courthouse. God whispered to
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  Speaker 3: him as he once did to Elijah. In that still
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  Speaker 3: and quiet voice, the Lord made his will known to
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  Speaker 3: the prophet. Your uncle Hanamel will visit you in desperation.
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  Speaker 3: He will want to sell you his land in Anathoth.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah's eyes widened at the words of the Lord. Anathoth
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  Speaker 3: was already under siege from Babylon. Any land his uncle
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  Speaker 3: would want to sell him would be utterly worthless. It
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  Speaker 3: was the Lord's intention for Jeremiah to use his money
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  Speaker 3: to redeem his uncle and save him in hard times.
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  Speaker 3: Sure enough, the next day Hanamel came to visit his
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  Speaker 3: nephew at the courthouse. He begged Jeremiah to buy the
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  Speaker 3: land off him. He said that he desired for the
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  Speaker 3: land to stay in the family. However, Jeremiah knew it
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  Speaker 3: was because the Babylonians had taken it, and the land
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  Speaker 3: was of no use to anyone now. Buying the land
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  Speaker 3: would be relieving his uncle of a burden. Jeremiah knew
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  Speaker 3: that the Lord had called him to this. So he
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  Speaker 3: bought the land and gave the deed to his friend
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  Speaker 3: Baruch for safekeeping. The deed would be an image of
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  Speaker 3: future redemption. To own that land would mean certain Babylonian slavery.
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  Speaker 3: So Jeremiah redeemed his uncle so he could be free.
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  Speaker 3: This is what the Lord would do for his people.
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  Speaker 3: He would pay the price of slavery so that his
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  Speaker 3: loved ones might live free. Jeremiah rejoiced in the Lord,
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  Speaker 3: but continued to feel sorrow in his heart for Judah's fate.
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  Speaker 3: Days passed, and the siege of Babylon continued. Jeremiah went
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  Speaker 3: to the roof of the courthouse. He could see the
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  Speaker 3: horrors of the Chaldeans in the distance. They had destroyed
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  Speaker 3: most of the walls of Jerusalem. Zedekiah and his men
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  Speaker 3: had destroyed a few of the homes to create a
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  Speaker 3: makeshift wall that to keep the Chaldeans out. When that
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  Speaker 3: didn't work, they stacked on dead bodies to turn away
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  Speaker 3: the enemy. God saw this, and his heart broke. The
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  Speaker 3: blighted wind came in from the north, and Jeremiah began
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  Speaker 3: to sob. The Lord spoke to him again, saying, I
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  Speaker 3: am the Lord who has made the earth. I will
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  Speaker 3: restore this city once again. I will heal them and
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  Speaker 3: reveal my goodness. The Lord's words touched Jeremiah's heart as
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  Speaker 3: he looked upon the ashy city below How could God
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  Speaker 3: fix this? Jeremiah must have thought. I will cleanse my
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  Speaker 3: people from the guilt of their sins. I will forgive
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  Speaker 3: them and wash them clean. After this destruction, there shall
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  Speaker 3: again be the sound of wedding bells, the voice of
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  Speaker 3: a groom singing over his bride. All shall be made
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  Speaker 3: whole again, God declared. This was another image of what
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  Speaker 3: God would do in his people. Hundreds of years from then,
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  Speaker 3: a new king would arise and walk the streets of Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 3: He would enter and wash the people white as snow.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah continued to do his best to warn the people
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  Speaker 3: of Judah as they passed by the courthouse. He told
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  Speaker 3: them they had a choice, remain in Judah and be
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  Speaker 3: made captives, or flee to the Chaldeans and be spared.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah's words were like poison to the men trying to fight.
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  Speaker 3: The princes and commanders marched to the king and said,
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  Speaker 3: You cannot let this man live. His words are quenching
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  Speaker 3: the fire of our soldiers. Every time they hear him speak,
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  Speaker 3: they lose more hope for victory. I agree, King Zedekiah replied.
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  Speaker 3: Do as you wish with him. My hands are clean
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  Speaker 3: of it. The king's answer only partially pleased the princes,
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  Speaker 3: for they desire Jeremiah dead, but did not want his
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  Speaker 3: blood on their hands. Jeremiah was praying to the Lord
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  Speaker 3: in his room when he heard the door creak open.
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  Speaker 3: He turned around and saw the princes and some guards
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  Speaker 3: with clubs and ropes. More beatings. Jeremiah had become accustomed
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  Speaker 3: to them by now. He had come to expect brutality
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  Speaker 3: over kindness. The men beat him and bound him. Jeremiah's
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  Speaker 3: bruised and bloody body was dragged through the courtyard towards
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  Speaker 3: an old cistern. It was deep and no longer flowing
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  Speaker 3: with water. However, it was filled with mud and moss.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah was let down into the cistern on ropes. His
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  Speaker 3: feet touched the mud below, and he tried to find
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  Speaker 3: steady footing. He sank. The mud consumed him, and darkness
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  Speaker 3: enveloped him. Ebed the Ethiopian eunuch was strolling around the
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  Speaker 3: courtyard when he heard the snickering of passing walkers. It
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  Speaker 3: came to his attention that Jeremiah was tossed into the
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  Speaker 3: muddy cistern to rot with no food or water. He
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  Speaker 3: immediately went to the king and said, This is truly evil.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah is a man of God and was left in
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  Speaker 3: that well to starve. Give me permission to fish him
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  Speaker 3: out before judgment falls on all of us. The king
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  Speaker 3: gave his passive permission, and immediately Ebed gathered thirty men
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  Speaker 3: to tie clothing together to make a rope. Ebed brought
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  Speaker 3: the makeshift rope and his men down to the cistern.
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  Speaker 3: He peered down to see Jeremiah's motionless body consumed by
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  Speaker 3: the mud. We are going to rescue you, he shouted.
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  Speaker 3: When the rope comes down, tie it under your arms.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah was barely conscious. He had gone days without food
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  Speaker 3: or water and was beginning to think he would die
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  Speaker 3: there in that cistern. He was pulled out and given
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  Speaker 3: a little food to eat and water to drink. Not
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  Speaker 3: much could be spared since Judah was still in decline.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah remained in the courthouse, recovering from his near-death experience
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  Speaker 3: in the cistern. He was quiet of late and filled
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  Speaker 3: with contemplation. The prophet was about to go to sleep
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  Speaker 3: when his door opened. He had been summoned to meet
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  Speaker 3: King Zedekiah. Jeremiah was escorted out of the courthouse. He
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  Speaker 3: walked next to the guard past the palace. He had
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  Speaker 3: thought he would meet the king in the palace as usual. However,
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  Speaker 3: they were making their way towards the temple. It was late,
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  Speaker 3: and the distant sound of war had subsided for the night.
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  Speaker 3: All that remained was the silent crackling of fire and
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  Speaker 3: the moving breeze. Jeremiah saw King Zedekiah sitting at the
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  Speaker 3: steps of the third gate of the temple. He approached
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  Speaker 3: the king. There was silence for a moment as the
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  Speaker 3: king looked blankly into the distance. There was a crack
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  Speaker 3: in his normally impassive and expressionless face. Zedekiah sighed. I
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  Speaker 3: will ask you this one question, the king said, still
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  Speaker 3: looking blankly into nothing. Hide nothing from me. I only
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  Speaker 3: want the truth. The truth usually gets me beaten or worse,
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah replied. The king looked at Jeremiah somberly. I swear
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  Speaker 3: you will not be harmed, nor will I deliver you
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  Speaker 3: back into the hands of those who want you dead,
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  Speaker 3: the king paused. He looked like a defeated man, a
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  Speaker 3: weary man. What will come of us? Zedekiah asked. There
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  Speaker 3: were cracks in his voice as he spoke. Jeremiah sat
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  Speaker 3: beside the king, looking into the nothingness next to him.
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  Speaker 3: If you surrender, your life will be spared. The city
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  Speaker 3: won't be burned to the ground. You and your house
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  Speaker 3: shall live, he explained. But if you do not surrender
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  Speaker 3: and you continue fighting, many more will die. This city
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  Speaker 3: will be reduced to ashes. I fear that if I surrender,
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  Speaker 3: I will be given over to the men who deserted
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  Speaker 3: Judah to be with the Chaldeans. They are not happy
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  Speaker 3: with me and will kill me, the king confessed. Jeremiah
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  Speaker 3: shook his head. You won't be given to them. Heed
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  Speaker 3: God's warnings now and the Lord will deal well with you.
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  Speaker 3: Refuse and all your house will be captive to Babylon,
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  Speaker 3: he said with a pleading tone. Zedekiah rose up from
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  Speaker 3: the temple steps and began to walk away. He paused
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  Speaker 3: and turned to Jeremiah, saying, Do not speak of our
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  Speaker 3: conversation tonight, and I will let you live. So Jeremiah
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  Speaker 3: remained in the courthouse as the city was breached. Jeremiah
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  Speaker 3: woke up to the earth shaking beneath him. The Chaldeans
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  Speaker 3: had taken another side of the wall. The rocks fell
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  Speaker 3: to the floor and shook the earth. Zedekiah had not
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  Speaker 3: listened to the words of Jeremiah and raised his sword
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  Speaker 3: against the Chaldeans. However, he was met with a force
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  Speaker 3: too great to comprehend. Jeremiah watched from a distance as
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  Speaker 3: Zedekiah's army retreated to the palace gardens. One by one,
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  Speaker 3: they were picked off. Spears were driven through their hearts
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  Speaker 3: and their heads were put on pikes. Tears streamed down
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah's face as he watched King Zedekiah beg for mercy.
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  Speaker 3: The king was beaten, bound, and sent off to Babylon.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah sat in his room and waited. He knew it
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  Speaker 3: was only a matter of time before the Babylonian commanders
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  Speaker 3: stormed to the courthouse in search of wealth. The captain
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  Speaker 3: of Babylonian guard, Nebuchadnezzar, had his men search the courthouse.
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  Speaker 3: They took captives, gold, silver, and precious documents. They scoured
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  Speaker 3: every room and closet until it was empty. Jeremiah's door
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  Speaker 3: burst open. and he was drug out into the courtyard
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  Speaker 3: before Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah leaned in to receive another beating. However,
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  Speaker 3: he was met with a warmness from the captain. King
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  Speaker 3: Nebuchadnezzar had heard of Jeremiah. He heard of his warnings
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  Speaker 3: to the people of Judah and took pity on Jeremiah
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  Speaker 3: for being a messenger of reason. Although Babylon was evil,
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  Speaker 3: there was a glimmer of mercy in their actions towards Jeremiah.
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  Speaker 3: He was given food, water, and a bodyguard to escort
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  Speaker 3: him back to his home. He was also offered a
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  Speaker 3: place beside Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah had a privilege no one else
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  Speaker 3: in Judah had. A choice. A choice to remain with
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  Speaker 3: his people or live in the comforts of Babylon. With
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  Speaker 3: that freedom, he chose to dwell among the remaining inhabitants
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  Speaker 3: of Judah. There he cared for them in his old
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  Speaker 3: age and helped them pursue God despite their suffering. As
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah looked into the distance, he could see a pillar
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  Speaker 3: of flames where the temple was being burned. Everyone watched
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  Speaker 3: in sorrow as the temple crumbled. Jeremiah's heart swelled with sadness.
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  Speaker 3: He did not turn his eyes from the temple. As
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  Speaker 3: he stared out at the distance, he remembered the image
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  Speaker 3: God showed him of the potter and clay. The old
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  Speaker 3: pot was broken so a new one could emerge more beautiful.
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  Speaker 3: Out of death would come new life. This was the
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  Speaker 3: rhythm of creation. This was the way of the Lord.
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  Speaker 4: As we begin today's reading, Jeremiah is confined to Zedekiah's
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  Speaker 4: courthouse while the king and his armies try in vain
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  Speaker 4: to hold off the assault of Nebuchadnezzar's forces. But at last,
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  Speaker 4: the Chaldeans broke through the walls and the Babylonian king
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  Speaker 4: entered the land headed for Jerusalem and King Zedekiah. Judah
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  Speaker 4: was in ruins. Cities set ablaze as the Chaldeans marched through,
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  Speaker 4: taking and doing whatever they pleased. And so in this context,
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  Speaker 4: the Lord spoke one day to Jeremiah. This time, the
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  Speaker 4: message was not for Zedekiah or the people of Judah.
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  Speaker 4: It was for Jeremiah himself. God told him his uncle
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  Speaker 4: Hanamel was going to come to him desperate and try
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  Speaker 4: to sell his land to Jeremiah. His property had no
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  Speaker 4: value as the Babylonians had taken that part of Judah.
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  Speaker 4: This wasn't an investment opportunity for Jeremiah. It was a sacrifice.
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  Speaker 4: Buying the land from Hanamel would take an enormous burden
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  Speaker 4: off the shoulders of his uncle and rescue him from
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  Speaker 4: certain slavery. Jeremiah was faithful to the Lord's will and
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  Speaker 4: bought the land. It was a redemptive act that gave
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  Speaker 4: Hanamel a freedom he had done nothing to earn and
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  Speaker 4: had no hope to attain on his own. Through Jeremiah's sacrifice,
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  Speaker 4: God was showing his people what he would do for
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  Speaker 4: them and for us, paying the price for our freedom.
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  Speaker 4: It is an act of pure grace. The battle continued
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  Speaker 4: with Zedekiah and his forces fighting in futility against Babylon.
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  Speaker 4: Jeremiah watched in horror and grief as his homeland was destroyed,
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  Speaker 4: the dead bodies piling up left and right, and he
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  Speaker 4: wept for Judah. God spoke to him again with words
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  Speaker 4: of hope. Listen to God's promise found in Jeremiah 33,
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  Speaker 4: verses 6 through 8. Behold, I will bring it to
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  Speaker 4: health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal
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  Speaker 4: to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore
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  Speaker 4: the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and
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  Speaker 4: rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse
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  Speaker 4: them from all the guilt of their sin against me,
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  Speaker 4: and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin
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  Speaker 4: and rebellion against me. This is a tremendous promise from
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  Speaker 4: God's Word to all of us. When we confess our sins,
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  Speaker 4: turn our hearts to Him, even in the most challenging moments,
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  Speaker 4: His faithfulness, His goodness, all His promises are there to
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  Speaker 4: strengthen and help us and to encourage us and, yes,
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  Speaker 4: forgive us when we need forgiveness. God reminds Jeremiah and
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  Speaker 4: all of us that when we face adverse circumstances and
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  Speaker 4: God can use these things to cleanse us of our
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  Speaker 4: sin and our rebellion against him. So Jeremiah continued to
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  Speaker 4: do what God called him to do. And today we
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  Speaker 4: heard how yet again those who didn't want to hear
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  Speaker 4: of condemnation and judgment sought to take Jeremiah's life. He
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  Speaker 4: was seized and thrown into a cistern. But at the
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  Speaker 4: last moment, God sent a man to rescue him. We
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  Speaker 4: then hear an earnest conversation between Jeremiah and a weary king, Zedekiah.
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  Speaker 4: The arrogance and anger of the king seemed broken, replaced
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  Speaker 4: by fear of what would happen to him. Jeremiah came
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  Speaker 4: to him as a caring shepherd and a wise counselor,
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  Speaker 4: urging this man to surrender as much to God's will
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  Speaker 4: as to the Babylonians. But Zedekiah doesn't listen to the
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  Speaker 4: last warning and continues to flee and fight until one
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  Speaker 4: by one his men are killed, along with his sons,
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  Speaker 4: slaughtered right before his eyes. Zedekiah's eyes are gouged out,
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  Speaker 4: and he is taken away in captivity to Babylon. Such
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  Speaker 4: a tragic, sad ending that could have been avoided if
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  Speaker 4: only Zedekiah had listened to God's warnings. As for Jeremiah,
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  Speaker 4: he obeyed and found mercy in the sight of the Lord,
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  Speaker 4: even kindness by the Babylonian commander. He is given a
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  Speaker 4: choice to go to Babylon, to live in comfort, or
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  Speaker 4: to stay with his people. Jeremiah chooses to remain in
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  Speaker 4: Judah to serve his people even as Jerusalem and God's
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  Speaker 4: temple crumble to the ground. But this man of God
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  Speaker 4: knows that the Lord one day will make all things
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  Speaker 4: new because our God is always faithful to his word
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  Speaker 4: and his goodness and mercy is eternal. Let's pray. Lord God,
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  Speaker 4: may we always listen and obey you. May we always
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  Speaker 4: do your will and trust you. And when we disobey,
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  Speaker 4: may we find forgiveness as we confess our sins. Lord,
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  Speaker 4: we thank you for the story of Jeremiah and this
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  Speaker 4: man of God who was faithful to you all the
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  Speaker 4: days of his life. May we also live in commitment
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  Speaker 4: and consecration to you. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you
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  Speaker 4: for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm
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  Speaker 4: Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage you
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  Speaker 4: to download the Pray.com app and always make Bible reading
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  Speaker 4: and Bible study a priority in your life, along with prayer.
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  Speaker 4: If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you love.
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  Speaker 4: Let someone know, because by sharing this podcast, you can
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  Speaker 4: truly make a difference in someone's life. And if you
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  Speaker 4: want more resources from me, Jack Graham, as to how
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  Speaker 4: you can grow in your Christian life, then go to jackgraham.org.
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  Speaker 4: That's jackgraham.org. God bless you.