Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / God Protects Jeremiah

Transcript

God Protects Jeremiah · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey I
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: beseech thee the voice of the Lord, which I speak
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: unto thee, so it shall be well unto thee, and
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: thy soul shall live. Jeremiah 38.20 With each new breath
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: I take today, I will give thanks for the words
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: found in the Bible. As in the days of Jeremiah,
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: I thank you in advance for sending people my way
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: like the Ethiopian eunuch in today's reading. When others seek
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: to throw me into a cistern and try to muddy
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: my character and name, I thank you that through the
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: clothing of kindness and humility you will provide a way
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: for me out of that muddy pit. When the hands
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: of influence shift around me because I have integrity, I
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: will receive uncommon favor and uncommon choices regarding the desires
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: of my heart, even in the midst of my enemies.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: No matter what may come my way, I am resting
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: in the finished work, God. I am at peace because
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: I know that I am a child of God. In Jesus' name, Amen.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: an incredible Bible story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: God protects Jeremiah. In our last story, we learned about
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: King Zedekiah's stubbornness against the Babylonians. He fought against them
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: despite Jeremiah's warnings. Jeremiah continued to warn people that fighting
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: against Babylon was a vain attempt, like grasping at air.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: Those warnings got Jeremiah beaten and thrown into prison. Now
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah remains in the courthouse as a captive and watches
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: as the Chaldeans and Babylonians pick apart Judah piece by piece.
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: In this story, we watch the demise of Judah through
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: the eyes of Jeremiah. The old prophet is beaten, stripped
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: of wealth, and thrown into mud by his own people.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: It would be foreigners and enemies that show him kindness,
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: inspired by the book of Jeremiah.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important, that we
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: to get a copy of The Jesus Book, simply go
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: you for your support. In our last episode, we saw
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: a desperate but still prideful king, Zedekiah, seeking good news
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: from Jeremiah. He was holding out hope that Judah could
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: hold off the Babylonian onslaught and drive them out of
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: the land. But Jeremiah was not in the business of
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: telling people what they wanted to hear. He was God's man,
• 3:39
  Speaker 3: God's messenger, even if the message was one of judgment
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: he delivered. This cost Jeremiah, including scorn and beatings from
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: those who opposed him. Still, devastation was coming from the Chaldeans.
• 3:54
  Speaker 3: And today, we'll hear of the things Jeremiah experienced as
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: Judah crumbled. God will call him to sacrifice his own
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: wealth and freedom for the sake of others. And through
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: it all, the Lord will be with him, protecting his
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: prophet and using him to tell a story of ultimate redemption. So,
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: let's listen today to God's Word.
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: The prophet Jeremiah had been shut up in the courthouse
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: of Zedekiah for a long while. During that time, King
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: Nebuchadnezzar began his second wind of attacks against Judah. The
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: Chaldeans broke down the walls and burned the city streets,
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: and Nebuchadnezzar waltzed in without struggle. The land was large.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: It would take the Babylonians weeks to reach Jerusalem. There
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: was a sense of urgency in King Zedekiah as he
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: rallied more men to fight. He fought against Nebuchadnezzar and
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: the Chaldeans despite Jeremiah's warnings. One day, Jeremiah was praying
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: in a solitary part of the courthouse. God whispered to
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: him as he once did to Elijah. In that still
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: and quiet voice, the Lord made his will known to
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: the prophet. Your uncle Hanamel will visit you in desperation.
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: He will want to sell you his land in Anathoth.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah's eyes widened at the words of the Lord. Anathoth
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: was already under siege from Babylon. Any land his uncle
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: would want to sell him would be utterly worthless. It
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: was the Lord's intention for Jeremiah to use his money
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: to redeem his uncle and save him in hard times.
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: Sure enough, the next day Hanamel came to visit his
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: nephew at the courthouse. He begged Jeremiah to buy the
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: land off him. He said that he desired for the
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: land to stay in the family. However, Jeremiah knew it
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: was because the Babylonians had taken it, and the land
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: was of no use to anyone now. Buying the land
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: would be relieving his uncle of a burden. Jeremiah knew
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: that the Lord had called him to this. So he
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: bought the land and gave the deed to his friend
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: Baruch for safekeeping. The deed would be an image of
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: future redemption. To own that land would mean certain Babylonian slavery.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: So Jeremiah redeemed his uncle so he could be free.
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah rejoiced in the Lord, but continued to feel sorrow
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: in his heart for Judah's fate. Days passed, and the
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: siege of Babylon continued. Jeremiah went to the roof of
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: the courthouse. He could see the horrors of the Chaldeans
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: in the distance. They had destroyed most of the walls
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: of Jerusalem. Zedekiah and his men had destroyed a few
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: of the homes to create a makeshift wall to keep
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: the Chaldeans out. When that didn't work, they stacked on
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: dead bodies to turn away the enemy. God saw this,
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: and his heart broke. The blighted wind came in from
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: the north, and Jeremiah began to sob. The Lord spoke
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: to him again, saying,' I am the Lord who has
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: made the earth. I will restore this city once again.
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: I will heal them and reveal my goodness.' The Lord's
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: words touched Jeremiah's heart as he looked upon the ashy
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: city below. How could God fix this? Jeremiah must have thought.
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: I will cleanse my people from the guilt of their sins.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: I will forgive them and wash them clean. After this destruction,
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: there shall again be the sound of wedding bells, the
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: voice of a groom singing over his bride. All shall
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: be made whole again, God declared. This was another image
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: of what God would do in his people. Hundreds of
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: years from then, a new king would arise and walk
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: the streets of Jerusalem. He would enter and wash the
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: people white as snow. Jeremiah continued to do his best
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: to warn the people of Judah as they passed by
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: the courthouse. He told them they had a choice, remain
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: in Judah and be made captives, or flee to the
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: Chaldeans and be spared. Jeremiah's words were like poison to
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: the men trying to fight. The princes and commanders marched
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: to the king and said, You cannot let this man live.
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: His words are quenching the fire of our soldiers. Every
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: time they hear him speak, they lose more hope for victory.
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: I agree, King Zedekiah replied. Do as you wish with him.
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: My hands are clean of it. The king's answer only
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: partially pleased the princes. for they desire Jeremiah dead, but
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: did not want his blood on their hands. Jeremiah was
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: praying to the Lord in his room when he heard
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: the door creak open. He turned around and saw the
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: princes and some guards with clubs and ropes. More beatings.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah had become accustomed to them by now. He had
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: come to expect brutality over kindness. The men beat him
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: and bound him. Jeremiah's bruised and bloody body was dragged
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: through the courtyard towards an old cistern. It was deep
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: and no longer flowing with water. However, it was filled
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: with mud and moss. Jeremiah was let down into the
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: cistern on ropes. His feet touched the mud below, and
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: he tried to find steady footing. He sank. The mud
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: consumed him, and darkness enveloped him. Ebed the Ethiopian eunuch
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: was strolling around the courtyard when he heard the snickering
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: of passing walkers. It came to his attention that Jeremiah
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: was tossed into the muddy cistern to rot with no
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: food or water. He immediately went to the king and said,
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: This is truly evil. Jeremiah is a man of God
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: and was left in that well to starve. Give me
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: permission to fish him out before judgment falls on all
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: of us. The king gave his passive permission and And
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: immediately Ebed gathered thirty men to tie clothing together to
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: make a rope. Ebed brought the makeshift rope and his
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: men down to the cistern. He peered down to see
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah's motionless body consumed by the mud. We are going
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: to rescue you, he shouted. When the rope comes down,
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: tie it under your arms. Jeremiah was barely conscious. He
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: had gone days without food or water and was beginning
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: to think he would die there in that cistern. He
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: was pulled out and given a little food to eat
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: and water to drink. Not much could be spared since
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: Judah was still in decline. Jeremiah remained in the courthouse,
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: recovering from his near-death experience in the cistern. He was
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: quiet of late and filled with contemplation. The prophet was
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: about to go to sleep when his door opened. He
• 10:35
  Speaker 2: had been summoned to meet King Zedekiah. Jeremiah was escorted
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: out of the courthouse. He walked next to the guard
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: past the palace. He had thought he would meet the
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: king in the palace as usual. However, they were making
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: their way towards the temple. It was late, and the
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: distant sound of war had subsided for the night. All
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: that remained was the silent crackling of fire and the
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: moving breeze. Jeremiah saw King Zedekiah sitting at the steps
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: of the third gate of the temple. He approached the king.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: There was silence for a moment as the king looked
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: blankly into the distance. There was a crack in his
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: normally impassive and expressionless face. Zedekiah sighed. I will ask
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: you this one question, the king said, still looking blankly
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: into nothing. Hide nothing from me. I only want the truth.
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: The truth usually gets me beaten or worse, Jeremiah replied.
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: The king looked at Jeremiah somberly. I swear you will
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: not be harmed, nor will I deliver you back into
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: the hands of those who want you dead, the king paused.
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: He looked like a defeated man, a weary man. What
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: will come of us? Zedekiah asked. There were cracks in
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: his voice as he spoke. Jeremiah sat beside the king,
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: looking into the nothingness next to him. If you surrender,
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: your life will be spared. The city won't be burned
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: to the ground. You and your house shall live, he explained.
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: But if you do not surrender and you continue fighting,
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: many more will die. This city will be reduced to ashes.
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: I fear that if I surrender, I will be given
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: over to the men who deserted Judah to be with
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: the Chaldeans. They are not happy with me and will
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: kill me, the king confessed. Jeremiah shook his head. You
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: won't be given to them. Heed God's warnings now and
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: the Lord will deal well with you. Refuse and all
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: your house will be captive to Babylon, he said with
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: a pleading tone. Zedekiah rose up from the temple steps
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: and began to walk away. He paused and turned to Jeremiah, saying,
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: Do not speak of our conversation tonight, and I will
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: let you live. So Jeremiah remained in the courthouse as
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: the city was breached. Jeremiah woke up to the earth
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: shaking beneath him. The Chaldeans had taken another side of
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: the wall. The rocks fell to the floor and shook
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: the earth. Zedekiah had not listened to the words of
• 13:11
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah and raised his sword against the Chaldeans. However, he
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: was met with a force too great to comprehend. Jeremiah
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: watched from a distance as Zedekiah's army retreated to the
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: palace gardens. One by one, they were picked off. Spears
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: were driven through their hearts and their heads were put
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: on pikes. Tears streamed down Jeremiah's face as he watched
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: King Zedekiah beg for mercy. The king was beaten, bound,
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: and sent off to Babylon. Jeremiah sat in his room
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: and waited. He knew it was only a matter of
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: time before the Babylonian commanders stormed to the courthouse in
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: search of wealth. The captain of Babylonian guard, Nebuchadnezzar, had
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: his men search the courthouse. They took captives, gold, silver,
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: and precious documents. They scoured every room and closet until
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: it was empty. Jeremiah's door burst open. and he was
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: drug out into the courtyard before Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah leaned in
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: to receive another beating. However, he was met with a
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: warmness from the captain. King Nebuchadnezzar had heard of Jeremiah.
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: He heard of his warnings to the people of Judah
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: and took pity on Jeremiah for being a messenger of reason.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: Although Babylon was evil, there was a glimmer of mercy
• 14:29
  Speaker 2: in their actions towards Jeremiah. He was given food, water,
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: and a bodyguard to escort him back to his home.
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: He was also offered a place beside Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah had
• 14:41
  Speaker 2: a privilege no one else in Judah had. A choice.
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: A choice to remain with his people or live in
• 14:47
  Speaker 2: the comforts of Babylon. With that freedom, he chose to
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: dwell among the remaining inhabitants of Judah. There he cared
• 14:55
  Speaker 2: for them in his old age and helped them pursue
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: God despite their suffering. As Jeremiah looked into the distance,
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: he could see a pillar of flames where the temple
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: was being burned. Everyone watched in sorrow as the temple crumbled.
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah's heart swelled with sadness. He did not turn his
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: eyes from the temple. As he stared out at the distance,
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: he remembered the image God showed him of the potter
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: and clay. The old pot was broken so a new
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: one could emerge more beautiful. Out of death would come
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: new life. This was the rhythm of creation. This was
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: the way of the Lord.
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: As we begin today's reading, Jeremiah is confined to Zedekiah's
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: courthouse while the king and his armies try in vain
• 15:42
  Speaker 3: to hold off the assault of Nebuchadnezzar's forces. But at last,
• 15:47
  Speaker 3: the Chaldeans broke through the walls and the Babylonian king
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: entered the land headed for Jerusalem and King Zedekiah. Judah
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: was in ruins. Cities set ablaze as the Chaldeans marched through,
• 15:59
  Speaker 3: taking and doing whatever they pleased. And so in this context,
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: the Lord spoke one day to Jeremiah. This time, the
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: message was not for Zedekiah or the people of Judah.
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: It was for Jeremiah himself. God told him his uncle
• 16:14
  Speaker 3: Hanamel was going to come to him desperate and try
• 16:17
  Speaker 3: to sell his land to Jeremiah. His property had no
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: value as the Babylonians had taken that part of Judah.
• 16:25
  Speaker 3: This wasn't an investment opportunity for Jeremiah. It was a sacrifice.
• 16:31
  Speaker 3: Buying the land from Hanamel would take an enormous burden
• 16:34
  Speaker 3: off the shoulders of his uncle and rescue him from
• 16:37
  Speaker 3: certain slavery. Jeremiah was faithful to the Lord's will and
• 16:41
  Speaker 3: bought the land. It was a redemptive act that gave
• 16:45
  Speaker 3: Hanamel a freedom he had done nothing to earn and
• 16:48
  Speaker 3: had no hope to attain on his own. Through Jeremiah's sacrifice,
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: God was showing his people what he would do for
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: them and for us, paying the price for our freedoms.
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: It is an act of pure grace. The battle continued
• 17:05
  Speaker 3: with Zedekiah and his forces fighting in futility against Babylon.
• 17:09
  Speaker 3: Jeremiah watched in horror and grief as his homeland was destroyed,
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: the dead bodies piling up left and right. And he
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: wept for Judah. God spoke to him again with words
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: of hope. Listen to God's promise found in Jeremiah 33
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: verses 6 through 8. Behold, I will bring it to
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: health and healing. and I will heal them and reveal
• 17:32
  Speaker 3: to them abundance of prosperity and security. I will restore
• 17:36
  Speaker 3: the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse
• 17:42
  Speaker 3: them from all the guilt of their sin against me,
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: and rebellion against me. This is a tremendous promise from
• 17:53
  Speaker 3: God's Word to all of us. When we confess our sins,
• 17:57
  Speaker 3: turn our hearts to Him, Even in the most challenging moments,
• 18:02
  Speaker 3: his faithfulness, his goodness, all his promises are there to
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: strengthen and help us and to encourage us and yes,
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: forgive us when we need forgiveness. God reminds Jeremiah and
• 18:14
  Speaker 3: all of us that when we face adverse circumstances, God
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: can use these things to cleanse us of our sin
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: and our rebellion against him. So Jeremiah continued to do
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: what God called him to do. And today we heard
• 18:28
  Speaker 3: how yet again those who didn't want to hear of
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: condemnation and judgment sought to take Jeremiah's life. He was
• 18:35
  Speaker 3: seized and thrown into a cistern. But at the last moment,
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: God sent a man to rescue him. We then hear
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: an earnest conversation between Jeremiah and a weary king, Zedekiah.
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: The arrogance and anger of the king seemed broken, replaced
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: by fear of what would happen to him. Jeremiah came
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: to him as a caring shepherd and a wise counselor,
• 18:59
  Speaker 3: urging this man to surrender as much to God's will
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: as to the Babylonians. But Zedekiah doesn't listen to the
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: last warning and continues to flee and fight until one
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: by one his men are killed, along with his sons,
• 19:13
  Speaker 3: slaughtered right before his eyes. Zedekiah's eyes are gouged out
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: and he is taken away in captivity to Babylon. Such
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: a tragic, sad ending that could have been avoided if
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: only Zedekiah had listened to God's warnings. As for Jeremiah,
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: he obeyed and found mercy in the sight of the Lord,
• 19:34
  Speaker 3: even kindness by the Babylonian commander. He is given a
• 19:38
  Speaker 3: choice to go to Babylon, to live in comfort, or
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: to stay with his people. Jeremiah chooses to remain in
• 19:44
  Speaker 3: Judah to serve his people, even as Jerusalem and God's
• 19:48
  Speaker 3: temple crumble to the ground. But this man of God
• 19:53
  Speaker 3: knows that the Lord one day will make all things
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: new because our God is always faithful to his word
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: and his goodness and mercy is eternal. Let's pray. Lord God,
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: may we always listen and obey you. May we always
• 20:11
  Speaker 3: do your will and trust you. And when we disobey,
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: may we find forgiveness as we confess our sins. Lord,
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: we thank you for the story of Jeremiah and this
• 20:22
  Speaker 3: man of God who was faithful to you all the
• 20:25
  Speaker 3: days of his life. May we also live in commitment
• 20:29
  Speaker 3: and consecration to you. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you
• 20:34
  Speaker 3: for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. And
• 20:38
  Speaker 3: before we go, I wanted to let you know that
• 20:40
  Speaker 3: the Bible in a Year podcast is an outreach of
• 20:42
  Speaker 3: PowerPoint Ministries and can only come to you each week
• 20:46
  Speaker 3: through the support of listeners like you. Your support today
• 20:51
  Speaker 3: is so important that we want to thank you for
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: your gift by giving you a copy of my book
• 20:56
  Speaker 3: called The Jesus Book. This book is a powerful guide
• 21:00
  Speaker 3: that shows how every book in the Bible points to
• 21:02
  Speaker 3: Christ and how you can better read and understand the Bible.
• 21:06
  Speaker 3: And How God's Word Transforms Our Lives. So to get
• 21:10
  Speaker 3: your copy of the Jesus book, simply go to jackgram.org
• 21:14
  Speaker 3: slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank you for
• 21:19
  Speaker 3: your support.