October 21

Jeremiah 37:1-38:28; 1 Timothy 6:1-21; Psalm 89:38-52; Proverbs 25:28

Zedekiah is like a train wreck.  It's awful and terrible, and yet you can't look away from it.  He's so repellent in his actions, but you're compelled to see what happens next to him.  Today, I give you: a character study of Zedekiah, the king who sees Judah into exile.

Zedekiah, like so many of his predecessors, doesn't listen to the words of God.  Scripture goes so far as to declare that Zedekiah had not "paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken" (Jer. 37:2).  This is a rebellious man, but even so, he privately desires God's intervention and attention (vs. 3, 17).  He wants God's favor and goodness without any of the obedience that yields such blessing.  

Even when desperate, he refuses to change his ways.  To the bitter end (and it will be bitter), Zedekiah will not yield to the Lord.  Though God offers him a reprieve through surrender to Babylon, Zedekiah's stubbornness prevents him (see Jer. 38:20-21).  The cost of his disobedience will be overwhelming to Zedekiah personally and to those near him.

He's an indifferent ruler - indifferent to his own well-being, to his people's plight, and to his own authority.  He seems to be ruled by others more than ruling himself.  He gives carte blanche to his officials as they deal with Jeremiah (Jer. 38:5), but later gives Ebed-Melech permission to retrieve Jeremiah that directly contradicts the efforts of those same officials (vs. 10).

He guards his privacy highly, perhaps even to a degree of paranoia (see Jer. 37:17 and 38:24-26), and is terribly afraid (vs. 19).  He has the Babylonian army breathing down his neck outside his city, and has gained himself enemies among his own people.

In no way does Zedekiah earn respect; in no way does he follow God's heart.  He ignores the warnings around him, leading himself and the people under him to destruction.  He gives no thought to the future; his decisions are governed by his own self-interest and fears.  He is, in every way, a fool.

It does not seem coincidental to me that our proverb for today is a comparison between the broken walls of a city and the knee-jerk actions of a man without self-control (Pr. 25:28).  

I know men and women like this; I'm sure you do, too.  It is heartbreaking to observe.  It's also possible that we ourselves may be living in the kind of rebellion and stubbornness Zedekiah displays.  We long for God's intervention, but aren't willing to take the scary steps he requires for our future hope and healing.  Today, if the Lord is speaking to you about an area of sin in your life, respond.  Build up those walls; move forward in dependence, trusting in God's goodness.

- Sarah Marsh

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