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Grasping at Air · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out. And
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  Speaker 1: the king asked him secretly in his house and said,
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  Speaker 1: Is there any word from the Lord? And Jeremiah said,
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  Speaker 1: There is. For he said, Thou shalt be delivered unto
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  Speaker 1: the hand of the king of Babylon. Jeremiah 37.17 When
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  Speaker 1: life deals me hard blows, that I am left on
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  Speaker 1: my knees, gasping at air. Like Jeremiah, I will remember
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  Speaker 1: your empowering words of wisdom found in the Bible. In
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  Speaker 1: the face of adversity, I will not relent, so that
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  Speaker 1: I can appease the itching ears of those wanting me
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  Speaker 1: to cower underneath the weight of their criticism. When these
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  Speaker 1: moments arise, I will hold my head up and look
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  Speaker 1: up to the heavens, where my help comes from. I
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  Speaker 1: will not place my hope in man. Instead, I will
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  Speaker 1: put my trust in the Creator of heaven and earth.
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  Speaker 1: Strengthen my stance. Season my words. Let my life serve
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  Speaker 1: as a conduit for your glory. I will not back
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  Speaker 1: down from doing and saying what is right. even if
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  Speaker 1: it means I lose favor with others. Because I'd rather
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  Speaker 1: have the favor of God on and over my life
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  Speaker 1: than the temporary favor of man. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
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  Speaker 1: hear the Bible come to life, stay tuned for The
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  Speaker 1: Bible in a Year, brought to you by Bibleinayear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Grasping at Air.
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  Speaker 3: In our last story, we witnessed the brutal downfall of Judah.
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  Speaker 3: King Nebuchadnezzar, armed with the entire Chaldean army, obliterated Judah
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  Speaker 3: and its defenses. Homes burned, captives were taken, and the
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  Speaker 3: temple was lost. The only glimmer of hope was in
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  Speaker 3: the words of Jeremiah from the Lord. God promised them
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  Speaker 3: a future and a hope in him. He promised that
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  Speaker 3: when the time came, he would rescue them. In this story,
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  Speaker 3: we learn about Jeremiah's interaction with King Zedekiah.
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  Speaker 2: Before the Chaldean onslaught.
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  Speaker 3: King Zedekiah held on to the vain hope that Judah
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  Speaker 3: could rise against King Nebuchadnezzar and his armies. However, Jeremiah
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  Speaker 3: assured him that it was the Lord's will that Judah followed.
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  Speaker 3: inspired by the books of Jeremiah, 2 Chronicles, and 2 Kings.
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  Speaker 4: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 4: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
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  Speaker 4: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
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  Speaker 4: to send you my daily devotional that will give you
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  Speaker 4: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
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  Speaker 4: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 4: the pillow, There are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 4: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 4: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 4: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 4: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing
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  Speaker 4: Word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
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  Speaker 4: So visit jackgram.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 4: That's jackram.org. In our previous episode, we heard how Judah
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  Speaker 4: was overtaken by the mighty Babylonians and King Nebuchadnezzar. Despite
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  Speaker 4: warning after warning and calls to return to God, the
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  Speaker 4: people refused, so God sent the Babylonians in and they
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  Speaker 4: pillaged the nation, killing so many men and women and
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  Speaker 4: children and taking captive God's people. But God sent a
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  Speaker 4: word of hope reminding them of His undying faithfulness and
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  Speaker 4: plans for them in the future. In today's reading, we
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  Speaker 4: go back a bit in time before the fall of
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  Speaker 4: Judah when Zedekiah ruled. The Chaldeans were coming and Judah
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  Speaker 4: would soon be devastated. Zedekiah held out hope for victory,
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  Speaker 4: but as Jeremiah revealed to him, God's will was being
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  Speaker 4: done and nothing could prevent it. Let's hear now from
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  Speaker 4: God's Word.
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  Speaker 3: King Nebuchadnezzar was breathing down the back of Jerusalem. The
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  Speaker 3: first raid on the temple was nothing compared to what
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  Speaker 3: was about to come. King Jehoiakim was taken to reside
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  Speaker 3: in Babylon and sit under the rule of the tyrant king.
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  Speaker 3: Pleased with the chaos, King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah, the son
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  Speaker 3: of Josiah, as king over Judah. The king of Babylon
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  Speaker 3: had already begun his tirade against Judah. It would not
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  Speaker 3: stand much longer. However, Nebuchadnezzar desired for the kingdom to
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  Speaker 3: remain standing a little longer while he warred against Egypt
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  Speaker 3: and Assyria. Although Zedekiah bore the name of his father,
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  Speaker 3: he was nothing like him. He was prideful and filled
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  Speaker 3: with blind rage. He watched as King Nebuchadnezzar burned down homes, farms,
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  Speaker 3: and temples. He hated Nebuchadnezzar, yet felt powerless against him.
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  Speaker 3: Holding on to hope that Judah may be saved, Zedekiah
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  Speaker 3: sent word to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, Jeremiah was among
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  Speaker 3: the people, doing his best to aid with medical attention
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  Speaker 3: and counsel. The first Babylonian raid was brutal, but nothing
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  Speaker 3: compared to what was to come. Jeremiah did his best
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  Speaker 3: to prepare the people for what was going to take place.
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  Speaker 3: He preached in the streets, helped men and women protect
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  Speaker 3: their children, and waited on the Lord. When the word
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  Speaker 3: from the king came, Jeremiah sought God's wisdom. The Lord
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  Speaker 3: spoke clearly and matter-of-factly. The Chaldeans are approaching and they
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  Speaker 3: will lay waste to the entire country. They will capture
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  Speaker 3: Jerusalem and it will erupt in flames. Do not give
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  Speaker 3: yourself false hope.
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  Speaker 2: You may think you can fight against them and win.
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  Speaker 2: You are wrong.
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  Speaker 3: To fight them would be grasping at air. Even if
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  Speaker 3: you slay them, the wounded will rise up and lay
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  Speaker 3: waste to the entire city. The word of God was
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  Speaker 3: sent as a response to King Zedekiah. They stung the king.
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  Speaker 3: They also stung Jeremiah, who did not want to see
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  Speaker 3: his city burn. However, he knew that this was the
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  Speaker 3: refining work of God. Zedekiah continued to rage against King Nebuchadnezzar.
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  Speaker 3: The Chaldeans were approaching, but were thwarted for a moment
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  Speaker 3: by the Egyptian army on the border. Judah held on
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  Speaker 3: to hope that Egypt may act as a wall between
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  Speaker 3: them and the massive army. As this was taking place,
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah traveled down to the land of Benjamin. When he
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  Speaker 3: was at the gate, the sentry named Erija stopped him.
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  Speaker 2: Halt, he yelled. The guard peered down at Jeremiah.
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  Speaker 3: His face was hard as stone. You are clearly going
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  Speaker 3: down to join the Chaldean army, he accused. Jeremiah scoffed
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  Speaker 3: at the notion.
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  Speaker 2: Of course not. What a stupid lie.
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  Speaker 3: Erija's fist hooked upward and landed directly in Jeremiah's belly.
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  Speaker 3: He fell to the ground, gasping for air. The stone-like
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  Speaker 3: guard took ropes and bound Jeremiah. He brought him to
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  Speaker 3: his feet and escorted him to the palace officials. In
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  Speaker 3: the palace courtroom, Jeremiah was berated by the judges and
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  Speaker 3: sentenced to a beating and imprisonment.
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  Speaker 2: Large men approached him.
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  Speaker 3: With his hands still behind his back, Jeremiah received the
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  Speaker 3: countless blows from.
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  Speaker 2: The palace guards.
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  Speaker 3: His ribs cracked and his face swelled from the impact
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  Speaker 3: of clubs. After a barrage of punches, the prophet was
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  Speaker 3: thrown into a prison cell. There he lay on the cold,
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  Speaker 3: damp floor, praying to God. He could not see from
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  Speaker 3: the swelling, and it hurt to breathe. Yet he knew
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  Speaker 3: that this was still nothing compared to what was about
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  Speaker 3: to come. Many days had passed, and Jeremiah was regaining
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  Speaker 3: use of his eyes and body. One morning Jeremiah's cell
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  Speaker 3: door opened. A bright light shone through.
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  Speaker 2: It was blinding.
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  Speaker 3: For a moment he thought it might be an angel
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  Speaker 3: of the Lord to rescue him. Upon further inspection, it
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  Speaker 3: was just a palace guard coming to fetch him. Jeremiah
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  Speaker 3: had not seen daylight in a very long time. The
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  Speaker 3: prophet was escorted into the throne room of King Zedekiah.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah inspected the king's eyes. They were weary from battling
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  Speaker 3: against the Chaldeans and Babylonians. Jeremiah could sense the growing
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  Speaker 3: rage inside him. Is there a word from the Lord
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  Speaker 3: regarding the future of Judah? The king asked impassively. There
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  Speaker 3: was a pause as Jeremiah scanned the room. Guards surrounded him,
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  Speaker 3: clubs in hand. He knew they would be angry at
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  Speaker 3: a bad word.' There is,' Jeremiah replied.' You and the
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  Speaker 3: entire country will be delivered into the hand of King Nebuchadnezzar.'
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  Speaker 3: Zedekiah rose from his throne with force and stormed towards Jeremiah,
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  Speaker 3: yet he continued to speak.' What crime have I committed
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  Speaker 3: to be put in your dungeon?' Jeremiah yelled. Was it
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  Speaker 3: a good report you wanted? You are surrounded by false
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  Speaker 3: prophets tickling your ears with good news. I simply tell
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  Speaker 3: the truth. Now please, do not send me back into
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  Speaker 3: that prison. I will surely die if you do. The
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  Speaker 3: king ceased his attack against Jeremiah. He relented and had
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  Speaker 3: the guards escort him to the courthouse. He remained under
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  Speaker 3: careful watch by the guards. No more beatings were given
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  Speaker 3: to him and he was allotted one loaf of bread
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  Speaker 3: a day. However, the bread would soon run out, for
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  Speaker 3: all of Judah was going to be ripped out from
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  Speaker 3: its foundation and taken by the forceful hand of King Nebuchadnezzar.
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  Speaker 4: Today's reading begins after the first attack of the Babylonians
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  Speaker 4: against Judah. The nation had already fallen to the foreign
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  Speaker 4: conqueror Nebuchadnezzar, and Jehoiakim had been sent away into exile
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  Speaker 4: into Babylon. Devastation and death came upon Judah as God's
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  Speaker 4: hand of judgment finally came down on the people. But
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  Speaker 4: things were going to get much worse. Nebuchadnezzar placed Zedekiah,
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  Speaker 4: the nephew of Jehoiakim, in the position of ruler. Zedekiah
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  Speaker 4: was not righteous like Josiah had been. Still, God continued
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  Speaker 4: to speak through Jeremiah, calling the people and the king
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  Speaker 4: to repent and to return. Jeremiah 37.2 reveals Zedekiah's response.
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  Speaker 4: Neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the
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  Speaker 4: land listened to the words of the Lord that he
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  Speaker 4: spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. Zedekiah hated Nebuchadnezzar and what
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  Speaker 4: Babylon was doing to Judah. But this was not righteous anger.
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  Speaker 4: It wasn't zeal for the Lord that made Zedekiah so indignant.
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  Speaker 4: It was his pride, the sense of being put to
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  Speaker 4: shame by the enemy. Yet despite all his rage, he
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  Speaker 4: knew he had no power to fight back. So he
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  Speaker 4: summoned Jeremiah and asked him to contend for Judah with God.
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  Speaker 4: This was not a matter of Zedekiah honoring God. He
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  Speaker 4: was only looking for someone to grant his desires, to
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  Speaker 4: give him what he wanted. As absurd as this attitude seems,
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  Speaker 4: how often are our prayers selfish? We want God to
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  Speaker 4: do what we want him to do. But prayer is
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  Speaker 4: not changing God's mind. Prayer is finding God's mind. And
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  Speaker 4: when our motives are not right, our hearts are misguided,
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  Speaker 4: and we are self-seeking, God will not answer those prayers.
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  Speaker 4: Such was the case with Zedekiah. But God had a purpose,
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  Speaker 4: and it wasn't to appease the ego of this stubborn king.
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  Speaker 4: When the king's request came to Jeremiah, He went to God,
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  Speaker 4: likely knowing the answer would not be favorable. And it wasn't.
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  Speaker 4: God told Jeremiah that the Chaldeans were coming. The onslaught
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  Speaker 4: of their army would set the city ablaze. They were
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  Speaker 4: a force that would not, could not be stopped. This
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  Speaker 4: is not, of course, what Zedekiah wanted to hear. He
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  Speaker 4: wanted happy news, better news. He wanted to hear that
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  Speaker 4: Judah stood a chance, that they could fight off the
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  Speaker 4: enemy and emerge victorious. but victory was not to come.
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  Speaker 4: The Chaldeans were, and they would bring disaster, pain, and
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  Speaker 4: suffering to Judah. The news gave Jeremiah no joy, but
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  Speaker 4: he understood that this was how God was going to
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  Speaker 4: refine his people. In the end, the pain would be
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  Speaker 4: worth it if God brought his people back to himself.
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  Speaker 4: So Jeremiah continued his ministry. As he traveled to Benjamin,
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  Speaker 4: Jeremiah was accused of trying to desert to the enemy's side.
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  Speaker 4: It was an absurd accusation. but still it landed him
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  Speaker 4: in prison where he received beatings after beatings until one
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  Speaker 4: day Zedekiah summoned him again. The king wanted good news,
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  Speaker 4: but still Jeremiah had no good news. How could there
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  Speaker 4: be good news if the people refused to repent? So
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  Speaker 4: once more, Jeremiah spoke God's words, this time telling the
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  Speaker 4: king the entire nation would fall into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.
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  Speaker 4: The truth is there's no stopping the will of God
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  Speaker 4: nor the judgment of God when it comes. Jeremiah knew
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  Speaker 4: this and finally Zedekiah seemed to resign himself to this
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  Speaker 4: as well. The immediate future was grim for Judah. But
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  Speaker 4: as Jeremiah would later remind the people in exile, God's
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  Speaker 4: plans were to give his people a hope and a future.
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  Speaker 4: That's Jeremiah 29 and verse 11. Jeremiah continued to serve
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  Speaker 4: the Lord with courage and conviction. And though he wasn't
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  Speaker 4: immune from suffering or pain or many tears, God would
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  Speaker 4: protect him for his own purposes. And the next time,
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  Speaker 4: we'll hear how God once more protected his prophet. Dear God,
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  Speaker 4: we know that you are an awesome and mighty God,
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  Speaker 4: that your plans and purposes are always fulfilled. So may
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  Speaker 4: we in our prayers and in our purposes align ourselves
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  Speaker 4: with you. May we commit ourselves to knowing and doing
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  Speaker 4: what you want and not just what we want to hear.
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  Speaker 4: May we be courageous always and speak your word and
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  Speaker 4: speak your truth and live bravely in our world, whatever
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  Speaker 4: the cost. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's Bible
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  Speaker 4: in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 4: And before we go, I want you to know that
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  Speaker 4: I would love to send you my daily devotional to
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  Speaker 4: give you fresh encouragement every single day. So visit jackgraham.org
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  Speaker 4: to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's jackgraham.org.
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  Speaker 4: dot org.