Living God,
help us to hear your holy Word with open hearts
so that we may truly understand;
and, understanding,
that we may believe;
and, believing,
that we may follow in all faithfulness and obedience,
seeking your honor and glory in all that we do.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Jeremiah 34:17-20 reflects the process of making a covenant. We saw this with Abraham in Genesis 15. There was usually a sign with the making of a covenant that would symbolize the penalty for breaking it. Often the sign was cutting animals in half and walking between the halves. Here we see God describing the penalty in terms of the sign made at the beginning of the covenant – the cutting in half of animals. God would make the leaders like the calf that was cut in half (figuratively, though).
Jeremiah 37 begins with another dismal description. Zedekiah and the people would not listen to the word of the LORD that came through Jeremiah, but they asked Jeremiah to pray for them. Did they believe Jeremiah was a man of God? If so, why wouldn’t they listen? If not, why ask him to pray? Zedekiah wanted it both ways, and that can’t work. In 38:15 Jeremiah calls Zedekiah out on this. Even after Zedekiah is gone, we see the pattern repeating. The people say they will obey a word from the LORD, but they choose their own ways over and over.
Let’s take this Word to heart.
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