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Judah's Remnant - The Book of Jeremiah · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Yet a small number that escape the
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  Speaker 1: sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into
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  Speaker 1: the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah
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  Speaker 1: that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn
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  Speaker 1: there shall know whose words shall stand, mine or theirs.
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  Speaker 1: Jeremiah 44.28 Dear God, as you continue to elevate me
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  Speaker 1: to places of influence and leadership, Unlike those in today's reading,
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  Speaker 1: I confess that my desire is to be in the
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  Speaker 1: complete and unwavering plan of the Lord. I confess that
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  Speaker 1: when I am given a word of warning or correction,
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  Speaker 1: I will not allow pride and ego to respond in me.
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  Speaker 1: I will not run in the direction of what you
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  Speaker 1: freed me from in previous years. Instead, I will plant
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  Speaker 1: my feet firmly on the words of your prophets and
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  Speaker 1: watch my life flourish and grow because I learned to
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  Speaker 1: move and act at the sound of your voice. I
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  Speaker 1: decree and declare, that I am no longer a slave
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  Speaker 1: to my past, but a servant to my future. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 3: Judah's Remnant In our last story, Jeremiah witnessed the downfall
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  Speaker 3: of Judah. King Nebuchadnezzar used the Chaldean army to lay
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  Speaker 3: waste to all of Jerusalem. Hundreds of thousands of people
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  Speaker 3: were taken captive, and the remaining rulers of Judah were
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  Speaker 3: beheaded and trampled. Jeremiah, however, was spared from the Babylonians.
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  Speaker 3: He was given a choice to go to Babylon and
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  Speaker 3: live comfortably or remain with his peoples. Now we see
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  Speaker 3: the remaining Judeans trying to rebuild their city. However, even
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  Speaker 3: in the tragedy of loss and tyranny, there still remains
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  Speaker 3: greedy people hungry for power. Inspired by the book of Jeremiah.
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  Speaker 2: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of The
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  Speaker 2: Bible in a Year. In our last episode, we heard
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  Speaker 2: of the demise of Zedekiah, who resisted God's will and
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  Speaker 2: the Babylonian army to the bitter end. We saw the
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  Speaker 2: contrast between his attitude and arrogance and that of the
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  Speaker 2: great prophet Jeremiah, who obeyed God's will and even sacrificed
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  Speaker 2: his own comforts for the safety and the sake of others. Today,
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  Speaker 2: we'll hear how the remnant of Judah, who remained after
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  Speaker 2: the Babylonian conquest, will attempt to rebuild a broken city.
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  Speaker 2: God will bless the efforts of those who sought to
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  Speaker 2: live peacefully with their oppressors, But yet we'll see how
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  Speaker 2: the desire for power and control still overshadows the attempts
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  Speaker 2: to put the city back together again. Let's listen now
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  Speaker 2: to God's Word.
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  Speaker 3: Judah had been captured. King Nebuchadnezzar demolished Jerusalem's defenses and
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  Speaker 3: reduced the holy temple into a pile of rubble. The
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  Speaker 3: wealthiest and most educated of Judah were carted off to Babylon.
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  Speaker 3: There they were forced to contribute to the Babylonian economy.
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah remained in Judah at Mitzpah along with the poorest
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  Speaker 3: of the country who were left to remain. There they
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  Speaker 3: were governed by a man by the name of Gedaliah.
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  Speaker 3: He swore to the remnant, saying, We must not be
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  Speaker 3: afraid to serve the Chaldeans and Babylonians. I will represent
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  Speaker 3: us to them and plead for their favor day and night.
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  Speaker 3: Gedaliah led the remaining Hebrews as they worked to the fields,
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  Speaker 3: rebuilt homes, and stored up food for themselves. Each few
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  Speaker 3: weeks a tribute would be required of them, and Gedaliah
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  Speaker 3: would deal with their oppressors peacefully. Gedaliah desired for the
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  Speaker 3: remaining survivors of the Babylonian conquest to survive. Not only
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  Speaker 3: did they survive, but the Lord blessed their hand, and
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  Speaker 3: their crops grew in great abundance. However, there were some
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  Speaker 3: who were determined to fight against the Chaldeans. Ishmael, a
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  Speaker 3: man of royal blood, hated that Gedaliah would submit to
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  Speaker 3: Babylon with such ease. So he conspired against him to
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  Speaker 3: assassinate him. Gedaliah slept in his home soundly after a
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  Speaker 3: hard day at work. A shadow moved across the room
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  Speaker 3: towards his bed. As the shadow grew larger over his bed,
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  Speaker 3: Gedaliah drew his sword and caught the figure off guard.
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  Speaker 3: It was not Ishmael, but his friend Johanan. Gedaliah put
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  Speaker 3: down his sword and took a deep breath. Both men
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  Speaker 3: were silent for a moment. Let me defend you, Johanan
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  Speaker 3: whispered to his friend. If you die, all the Judeans
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  Speaker 3: will be scattered. Let me go and assassinate him before
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  Speaker 3: he does so to you. Gedaliah was old friends with Ishmael.
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  Speaker 3: He could not believe he would do such a thing.
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  Speaker 2: No, he replied.
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  Speaker 3: We cannot be killing one another. Too many have been lost.
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  Speaker 3: Weeks later, Gedaliah traveled to each village to check.
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  Speaker 1: Up on the people.
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  Speaker 3: As he was walking, Ishmael and a group of his
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  Speaker 3: men ambushed him. There was no time to react. Gedaliah
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  Speaker 3: was struck down with one swipe of Ishmael's blade. Over
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  Speaker 3: the next week, Ishmael began a tirade of killing. He
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  Speaker 3: slaughtered priests and servants that were loyal to Gedaliah. All
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  Speaker 3: those he did not kill, he took captive, and Ishmael
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  Speaker 3: assumed governance of the Judean remnant. However, Johanan would not
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  Speaker 3: allow his friend's death to go unpunished. He rallied the
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  Speaker 3: leaders of the remaining forces and marched against Ishmael. There,
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  Speaker 3: at the Pool of Gibeon, Johanan led a rescue mission
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  Speaker 3: to save Ishmael's captives. Johanan fought with the rage of
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  Speaker 3: a man who had just lost his friend. He wept
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  Speaker 3: as he swung his sword. Eventually, he backed Ishmael into
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  Speaker 3: a corner and the captives were released. However, Ishmael and
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  Speaker 3: eight of his men escaped to the Ammonites. Johanan knew
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  Speaker 3: that punishment awaited the remnant, since Gedaliah had been killed.
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  Speaker 3: So he gathered the remaining women and children and fled
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  Speaker 3: to Egypt to seek refuge. As Johanan and his people
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  Speaker 3: were making plans to leave, Jeremiah stopped them. He stood
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  Speaker 3: before the people and begged them not to go. He
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  Speaker 3: knew that only slavery awaited them in Egypt. The Lord
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  Speaker 3: has blessed our work here thus far. Our crops are steady,
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  Speaker 3: and our relationship with Babylon is mending. Do not leave,
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  Speaker 3: Jeremiah implored. But the people were still unsteady. They began
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  Speaker 3: to clamor and grumble. Jeremiah lifted his voice for all
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  Speaker 3: to hear and said, If you leave, famine and sword
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  Speaker 3: will follow you. The Lord desires for this remnant to
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  Speaker 3: build Jerusalem back to its former glory. Fear not, for
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  Speaker 3: there are great things ahead. As Jeremiah was speaking, Johanan's
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  Speaker 3: fist blew through his jaw. He fell to the floor. Disoriented,
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  Speaker 3: he looked to see Johanan's angry and worried face. You
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  Speaker 3: are a liar, Johanan spat. You are a tool of
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  Speaker 3: the Chaldeans and Babylonians, nothing more. So Johanan bound Jeremiah
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  Speaker 3: up and took him and the rest of the people
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  Speaker 3: out of Judah towards Egypt. Little did they know that
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  Speaker 3: the Lord had set in motion plans for Nebuchadnezzar to
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  Speaker 3: overtake Egypt as well. There would be no escaping God's will.
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  Speaker 2: In today's reading, Judah has been decimated by Babylonian forces.
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  Speaker 2: Most of the Judeans who were left alive were taken
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  Speaker 2: to Babylon as captives. The wealthiest were to integrate into
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  Speaker 2: Babylonian society and contribute to the nation's economy. But there
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  Speaker 2: was a remnant, the poorest population of Judah, left in
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  Speaker 2: their land to rebuild. And Jeremiah, the great prophet of God,
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  Speaker 2: remained as well. The Babylonians allowed a Judean to rule
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  Speaker 2: the people and ensure that they served Babylon and paid
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  Speaker 2: tribute when it was required. This duty was given to
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  Speaker 2: a man named Gedaliah. He was wise and wanted to
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  Speaker 2: see Judah rebuild and experience relative peace despite their terrible condition.
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  Speaker 2: So he resolved to deal peaceably with the Babylonians and
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  Speaker 2: the Chaldeans, making the best of a bad situation. Jeremiah
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  Speaker 2: was there to support him. God blessed the efforts of
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  Speaker 2: those who remained, and the land prospered. It was a
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  Speaker 2: glimmer of hope for Judah, a sign that God was
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  Speaker 2: still with them. But there were those who opposed Gedaliah
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  Speaker 2: and hated the foreign invaders. They didn't want to keep
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  Speaker 2: the peace, but continued to war against Nebuchadnezzar just as
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  Speaker 2: foolishly as Zedekiah had done. One such person was Ishmael,
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  Speaker 2: and he planned to kill Gedaliah and seize power. One night,
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  Speaker 2: Gedaliah was surprised in his room by a man he
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  Speaker 2: thought was there to kill him, but he was ready
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  Speaker 2: with his sword. As it turned out, however, it was
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  Speaker 2: a friend by the name of Johanan. Johanan cared a
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  Speaker 2: great deal for Gedaliah and did not want to see
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  Speaker 2: him fall to Ishmael, so he suggested they strike first,
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  Speaker 2: killing Ishmael before he could get to Gedaliah. Here we
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  Speaker 2: have two men, Gedaliah and Johanan, who both want the
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  Speaker 2: same thing, but have different approaches. Johanan is quick to
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  Speaker 2: turn the violence to defeat opposition from within. But Gedaliah
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  Speaker 2: wisely knows that if they begin war with each other,
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  Speaker 2: killing those who oppose them, Judah would be far worse off.
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  Speaker 2: So he lets Ishmael live. It was an honorable choice,
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  Speaker 2: but it didn't work out, as one day Gedaliah was
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  Speaker 2: ambushed and killed by Ishmael. Now Judah was under the
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  Speaker 2: leadership of a very cruel man who quickly went about
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  Speaker 2: killing those who opposed him, including priests and servants who
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  Speaker 2: had shown loyalty to Gedaliah. Johanan will not stand for this,
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  Speaker 2: and once more he responds in anger with more violence.
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  Speaker 2: He attacks Ishmael's men and nearly defeated him. But Ishmael
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  Speaker 2: escaped at the last moment. Knowing there would be retribution
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  Speaker 2: for his attempt, Johanan gathers women, children, and all those
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  Speaker 2: not following Ishmael, making plans to flee to Egypt. It's
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  Speaker 2: an understandable impulse, but Johanan wants to know it is
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  Speaker 2: the right one, so he inquired of Jeremiah. The prophet
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  Speaker 2: goes to the Lord for guidance, and we hear God's
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  Speaker 2: response in Jeremiah 42, verses 11 and 12. Do not
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  Speaker 2: fear the king of Babylon. of whom you are afraid.
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  Speaker 2: Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am
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  Speaker 2: with you to save you and deliver you from his hand.
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  Speaker 2: I will grant you mercy that he may have mercy
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  Speaker 2: on you and let you remain in your own land.
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  Speaker 2: So what was the answer? Don't go to Egypt. God says,
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  Speaker 2: trust me, your life will go from bad to worse
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  Speaker 2: if you run away. Johanan had a choice. Just like
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  Speaker 2: so many to whom Jeremiah had spoken before, Trust God
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  Speaker 2: and do His will, or take matters into your own hand.
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  Speaker 2: Johanan chose the latter, and once more, Jeremiah suffers beatings
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  Speaker 2: and imprisonment from those who refuse to listen to God's word.
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  Speaker 2: The people fled to Egypt, not knowing that soon that
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  Speaker 2: land too would fall to Babylon. If only, if only,
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  Speaker 2: they had obeyed God and trusted Him, life would have
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  Speaker 2: been so much different. It's so important. that we learn
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  Speaker 2: from mistakes, including the mistakes of others. And we always
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  Speaker 2: must remember and reflect daily on the fact that God
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  Speaker 2: can be trusted, that his word is sovereign and secure
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  Speaker 2: and supernatural, and that our future is secure because we
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  Speaker 2: live with the promises of God. And it is always
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  Speaker 2: right to run to the will of God and never
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  Speaker 2: away from the will of God. Dear God, we always
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  Speaker 2: thank you for the scripture, which teaches us how to
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  Speaker 2: live our lives. We know that Even when things seem lost,
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  Speaker 2: you are faithful and you preserve a remnant of people
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  Speaker 2: for your glory. Help us always to listen to your counsel,
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  Speaker 2: wise counsel that comes from you, to seek peace rather
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  Speaker 2: than war, and that we would trust you for your
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  Speaker 2: provision for our every need. In Christ's name, amen. Thank
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  Speaker 2: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 2: We are so glad that you have joined us. I'm
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  Speaker 2: Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the
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  Speaker 2: Pray.com app and join millions of people who are listening
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  Speaker 2: daily to the Bible in a year. I want to
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  Speaker 2: encourage you to make prayer and Bible study a priority
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  Speaker 2: in your life, that you would seek first the kingdom
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  Speaker 2: of God and His righteousness. If you enjoy this broadcast,
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  Speaker 2: let me encourage you to share it with others, people
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  Speaker 2: that you love, people that you know, people in your church,
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  Speaker 2: because we believe the Word of God makes an eternal
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  Speaker 2: difference in people's lives. If you want more resources as
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  Speaker 2: to how you can live the Christian life, be sure
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  Speaker 2: to visit jackgram.org. That's jackgram.org. God bless you.