37 Now Zedekiah the son of Josiah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had made king in the land of Judah, reigned as king in place of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. 2 But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord which He spoke through Jeremiah the prophet.
3 Yet King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray to the Lord our God on our behalf.” 4 Now Jeremiah was still coming in and going out among the people, for they had not yet put him in the prison. 5 Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s army had set out from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who had been besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they lifted the siege from Jerusalem.
6 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 7 “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Thus you are to say to the king of Judah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me: “Behold, Pharaoh’s army which has come out for your assistance is going to return to its own land of Egypt. 8 The Chaldeans will also return and fight against this city, and they will capture it and burn it with fire.”’ 9 Thus says the Lord, ‘Do not deceive yourselves, saying, “The Chaldeans will surely go away from us,” for they will not go. 10 For even if you had defeated the entire army of Chaldeans who were fighting against you, and there were only wounded men left among them, each man in his tent, they would rise up and burn this city with fire.’”
We fast-forward again, back to the time where Zedekiah was the king in place of his nephew. Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem, and still the people wouldn’t listen to God. In the middle of this somewhere, Zedekiah asks Jeremiah to pray on their behalf. Zedekiah and the people weren’t willing to change what they were doing, but they hoped God would change His mind instead.
So God sends them a message, and it’s certainly not what Zedekiah wanted to hear. He lets them know that Pharaoh wouldn’t be there long, and the Chaldeans would come back, and nothing would have changed. In fact, were the Chaldeans defeated, and left only with a bunch of wounded menu lying in their tents, they would still burn down Jerusalem.
Now to be clear, that wasn’t because the Chaldeans were so strong and mighty, but because God was. His plan would be accomplished, even if He had to use a bunch of crippled soldiers to do it. God doesn’t change, He isn’t wishy washy–like they were, and like we often are. He is constant and faithful, and despite appearances here, He is good. God couldn’t condone their wicked behavior any more than a leopard could have pink spots.
God’s plan is still moving forward, and He is still calling us to join Him. But are we like the people of Judah, or will we listen and follow Him?