Week 9, November 1, 2026

LESSON 9

The Advice Given to Zedekiah

Lesson Text:

Jeremiah 38:14-28

Memory Verse

"Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylons army, which shall take it "

Jeremiah 38:3

Key Terms
Covert • Covered over; sheltered; obscured from view.
Expatriate • A person who lives in a foreign country.
Siegeworks • Military constructions (like fortifications, trenches, and platforms for artillery) employed during a siege.

Suggested Emphasis

The experience of living through a siege campaign must shred the nerves. Undoubt­edly everyone is on edge and prone to become paranoid. The arrest and extended imprisonment of the prophet Jeremiah during the waning days of King Zedekiah's rule was the result of just such paranoia. When the Babylonians temporarily sus­pended their siege of Jerusalem to answer a challenge from the Egyptians to their south, Jeremiah tried to use the respite as an opportunity to slip away "to the land of Benjamin" (Jer. 37:12). He was probably on his way to his hometown of Anathoth to conduct some family business. But he was stopped at the city gate by a sentry who accused him of fleeing to the enemy, a charge Jeremiah vociferously denied (Jer. 37:14). The officer didn't believe him, and had him sent to the city officials, who flogged the prophet and threw him into a prison house belonging to a man named Jonathan. Nevertheless, Jeremiah refused to moderate his prophecies to soothe the frazzled nerves of the populace. And, when the Babylonians returned to their siege-works, Jeremiah's predictions began to seem inevitable. In the end, Zedekiah's re­solve was shaken and he wanted to consult with the prophet to consider his options.


Emphasis 1

A Secret Meeting

Zedekiah had the prophet brought out of the dungeon to advise him in secret. Jeremiah was conducted to a private chamber just off of the Temple, probably so covert that no one would witness his arrival. The king was seeking a prophet­ic word, and he asked Jeremiah not to hide anything the Lord said, no matter how disturbing. However, the prophet was suspicious: "If I tell you the truth, you will kill me. And if I give you advice, you won't listen to me anyway" (Jer. 38:15, NLT). In response, the king swore that he would neither put Jeremiah to death, nor hand him over to the offi­cials that had already treated him so shabbily.

Jeremiah delivered a familiar word to the king: "If you surrender to the Babylonian officers, you and your family will live, and the city will not be burned down. But if you refuse to surrender, you will not es­cape! This city will be handed over to the Babylonians, and they will burn it to the ground" (Jer. 38:17,18, NLT). He had de­livered the same message to Zedekiah before (Jer. 27:12-15, 34:2-5).

Emphasis 2

Unwilling to Accept the
Terms of Surrender

The king offered an interesting reason he couldn't comply. "But I am afraid to surren­der," the king said, "for the Babylonians may hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them. And who knows what they will do to me!" (Jer. 38:19, NLT). Assuming Zedekiah was being sincere, he claimed that he was intimidated by the Jewish expatriates in Babylon—that he feared they would mock him because of all the nation had suffered from his rebel­lion. Again Jeremiah assured him that if he obeyed the voice of the Lord, no harm would come to him. But if he didn't, he, his wives, and his children would be captured by the Babylonians, and the city of Jerusa­lem would be burnt with fire (Jer. 38: 23).

Zedekiah ended the interview by swearing the prophet to secrecy. "Don't tell anyone you told me this, or you will die! My offi­cials may hear that I spoke to you, and they may say, 'Tell us what you and the king were talking about. If you don't tell us, we will kill you.' If this happens, just tell them you begged me not to send you back to Jonathan's dungeon, for fear you would die there" (Jer. 38:24-26, NLT). Just as the king had predicted, the princes came to Jeremiah and enquired about their conversation. Jeremiah answered them as the king had instructed.

Emphasis 3

Unable to See What God Is Doing

Zedekiah was petrified by the prospect of falling into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. He couldn't bring himself to believe any promise of benevolence Jeremiah offered for his submission. But in this regard, he was like the vast majority of Judeans. The Jews couldn't look beyond their current predicament and recognize the good that would come from it; they would realize the truth only after many years of reflection.

"They would be brought together as a people. Their faith would be strengthened. The Torah would take shape. Although their exile to Babylon was the result of their own sin and disobedience, and God warned them over and over this would happen if they did not change their ways, God brought blessing out of their adver­sity" (Bernis, 2016).

This is the same shortsightedness that can afflict the Church. Sometimes we postpone confessing our sins and seeking restoration because we imagine God as an enraged father waiting to abuse us when we finally come slinking back home. In reality, Christ told us the Parable of the Prodigal Son to illustrate that our Heavenly Father will re­joice when we are reconciled to Him. He wants to restore the covenant-relationship with His prodigal children. And, although our disobedience will have some negative consequences, He still loves us and wants us back in good standing. We have to trust that He knows what's best for us.

Missions Application Questions

What did Zedekiah want from Jeremiah?

Why do you think he met with him in secret?
What was Zedekiah's explanation for why he was afraid to surrender to the Babylonians?

What did this reveal about him?
Why do believers sometimes procras­tinate when they know they should repent of their sins?

World Missions Prayer Points

Let us pray that we never respond to people out of fear or suspicion.
Let us pray that we consistently give people counsel based on the Word of God.
Let us pray to remember that God loves and is willing to forgive His prodigal children.

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