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WHO TO OBEY - GOD OR MEN?

THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)

DATE: WEDNESDAY, 30TH AUGUST, 2023 

TOPIC: WHO TO OBEY - GOD OR MEN?

TEXT: JEREMIAH 38:15-28

15. Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I declare [it] to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me."
16. So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, "[As] the LORD lives, who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life."
17. Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "Thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: 'If you surely surrender to the king of Babylon's princes, then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live.
18. 'But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylon's princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans; they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.' "
19. And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they abuse me."
20. But Jeremiah said, "They shall not deliver [you.] Please, obey the voice of the LORD which I speak to you. So it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live.
21. "But if you refuse to surrender, this [is] the word that the LORD has shown me:
22. 'Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah's house [shall be] surrendered to the king of Babylon's princes, and those [women] shall say: "Your close friends have set upon you And prevailed against you; Your feet have sunk in the mire, [And] they have turned away again."
23. 'So they shall surrender all your wives and children to the Chaldeans. You shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.' "
24. Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die.
25. "But if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say to you, 'Declare to us now what you have said to the king, and also what the king said to you; do not hide [it] from us, and we will not put you to death,'
26. "then you shall say to them, 'I presented my request before the king, that he would not make me return to Jonathan's house to die there.' "
27. Then all the princes came to Jeremiah and asked him. And he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they stopped speaking with him, for the conversation had not been heard.
28. Now Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken. And he was [there] when Jerusalem was taken.
 

MESSAGE:  
After rescuing Jeremiah from a dry pit, King Zedekiah secretly enquired from him about God's mind concerning Judah. Jeremiah boldly repeated God's message before the king saying, “Release yourself to Babylon and live, do otherwise and perish” (vv. 17-18). The message was direct but sounded troubling to the king's hearing because he was afraid of the people of Judah. At this juncture, he needed encouragement. Jeremiah encouraged him to obey God rather than man so that it would be well with him(v.20). If Zedekiah said Yes to God's Word, his people would seek after his life for delivering them to their enemies. And if he did otherwise, God's word would surely be fulfilled as king Nebuchadnezzar would ruin Judah by force. Who would he obey, God or men?
This is the same condition many of us find ourselves in as leaders. Taking a position as Christians can be difficult, especially when you are surrounded with people that are not like-minded., they would want their opinion to overrule yours. It takes the grace of God and encouragement for you to succeed as a Christian. In the face of opposition, it is better to obey God and face immediate shame of men than to do otherwise and face God's wrath.

THOUGHT: 
But to obey God is better than sacrifice… (1 Sam. 15:22)

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