Daily Devotional

There are three lessons that one can learn from the story of Jeremiah and Zedekiah.

Firstly, if God gives you a prophetic word to give to somebody, obey the LORD, irrespective of the consequences. Jeremiah warned King Zedekiah to turn from his evil ways so that he could lead his people back to the true and living God. And this got Jeremiah imprisoned. But it did not matter to Jeremiah what man did to him. Greater was his reward for obeying His Father in Heaven.

Second, when you receive a prophetic word make sure that you obey that word. King Zedekiah chose to neglect Gods word, and he paid for it severely. In 2 Kings 25 we read that "they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon." There, he was imprisoned for life. Not only did King Zedekiah get punished, but his lineage destroyed as well.

Finally, The Bible calls you the light of the world. Jeremiah trusted in His God. When God told Jeremiah to buy a piece of land from Hanameel, he obeyed. Now, this purchase was done whilst Jeremiah was in prison. Jeremiahs purchase of the land was astounding.

Not only did Jeremiah know the final outcome of the city, but Judah was already in captivity to Babylon. There was a famine that prevailed in the city, and "there was no bread for the people of the land." In a land of famine, God used Jeremiah to give people hope. The whole purchase of the land was symbolic to show the people that there would be a return to Judah and to give people a hope in a God that can deliver them from any situation. Today, choose to be obedient to the voice of the LORD and be a light to those around you.