774_Faithful to the Lord’s appointment (Jeremiah 37-38)
Jeremiah 37:16-21 When Jeremiah had come to the dungeon cells and remained there many days, 17 King Zedekiah sent for him and received him. The king questioned him secretly in his house and said, “Is there any word from the Lord?” Jeremiah said, “There is.” Then he said, “You shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” 18 Jeremiah also said to King Zedekiah, “What wrong have I done to you or your servants or this people, that you have put me in prison? 19 Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, saying, ‘The king of Babylon will not come against you and against this land’? 20 Now hear, please, O my lord the king: let my humble plea come before you and do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, lest I die there.” 21 So King Zedekiah gave orders, and they committed Jeremiah to the court of the guard. And a loaf of bread was given him daily from the bakers’ street, until all the bread of the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the court of the guard.
It is one thing to stand for what is right when to do so is creditable in the public eye. It is quite another to remain faithful when it brings misunderstanding, rejection, loss, or even suffering. Hence the saying, “Character is what you do when no one is watching.” Scripture takes that thought even further: faithfulness shines brightest when obedience becomes costly.
Jeremiah 37 and 38 describe what it means to remain faithful when it hurts. God had given Jeremiah a difficult message of impending and inevitable judgment on Jerusalem and Judah. Jerusalem was surrounded by the Babylonian army. The situation seemed hopeless. At this moment, Pharaoh’s army approached, and the Chaldeans temporarily withdrew from Jerusalem.
For a while, people hoped the crisis was past, the danger over. But Jeremiah knew otherwise. And he would not change his God-directed message simply because circumstances appeared to be changing.
Jeremiah warned his people that the Chaldeans would surely return, and Jerusalem would surely fall. His words were not popular, but they were God’s words. This distinction mattered more to Jeremiah than public approval. His faithfulness was not determined by the response he got, but by whether he spoke the words God had appointed him to speak.
Chapter 37 shows us the cost of that faithfulness. Jeremiah was accused of desertion, beaten, and imprisoned for many days in a dungeon. Even there, when the king, Zedekiah, secretly sent for him and asked, “Is there a word from the LORD?”, Jeremiah did not swerve from his responsibility or give the king a more comfortable answer. His response was: “There is.” And he faithfully delivered the word God had given him.
His suffering did not make him less apt to speak the word that the Lord had given him.
Chapter 38 shows us how Jeremiah’s message became so offensive to the officials that, seeking his death, they lowered him into a dry well, to sink slowly into the thick wet mud at the bottom. Imagine the horror and despair of this situation, with nothing to do but to wait for death.
It is the truth that faithfulness need not improve our circumstances. Even if we are found doing God’s good and perfect will, the road does not become easier.
Still, the cistern was not the end of Jeremiah’s story. Enter an unlikely hero, an Ethiopian eunuch called Ebed-melech. This man took his courage in his hands and secretly appealed to the king for permission to rescue Jeremiah and keep him alive, knowing that otherwise he would surely die in the pit.
Truly, God did not abandon His servant. He did not prevent Jeremiah from entering the cistern, but He did not leave him there.
When Ebed-melech had drawn Jeremiah out, Zedekiah again came to the prophet privately, asking for advice in his desperation. Jeremiah’s message carried the ring of truth. He told the king, “Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD.” Jeremiah refused to see this as another opportunity to protect himself, another opportunity to tell the king what he wanted to hear. For he was faithful to his appointment.
How great is the contrast with Zedekiah! Both men were afraid, but their fear produced very different responses. Jeremiah was afraid, yet he remained steadfast in the fear of God. Zedekiah feared his officials and public opinion, and that fear prevented him from obeying the straightforward command of God.
Faithfulness does not mean the absence of fear. Faithfulness means refusing to allow fear to dilute or spoil our obedience. Courage is not the absence of fear; sometimes it is simply choosing to obey God despite our fear.
This is why Jeremiah’s example speaks so powerfully to us. We may never experience a prison or a muddy cistern, but we know what it means to face pressure. It may be pressure at work to compromise our integrity. Or it might be pressure among friends to conceal our faith. Perhaps we fear to live out the truth for fear of rejection. Or we feel exhausted with the cost of doing what is right and good.
In such moments, will we remain faithful when faithfulness hurts?
Speaking to the church in Smyrna, the Lord did not promise the absence of suffering, or an immediate end to their suffering. Instead, He encouraged them, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10, ESV).
The reward of faithfulness is ultimately not found in getting back to comfortable circumstances, but in inheriting eternal life in Christ, living forever in the glory and goodness of God.
This is why Jeremiah 37–38 is so relevant to us. Faithfulness is not tested when everything goes according to plan, but when obedience costs us something. It is tested when prayer seems to go unanswered, when people misunderstand us, and when doing right appears to make life harder.
Scripture continually reminds us that God sees. Hebrews 6:10 says, “For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name.” He sees the routine obedience without expectation of reward. He sees the truthfulness when lying would be easier. He sees patient perseverance in duty, faithful refusal to compromise, steadfastness in prayer for our enemies, and enduring faith despite disappointment.
Let us not pray only, “Lord, take away my tribulation.” Even as we bring our burdens to Him, let us also determine to be found faithful in the midst of tribulation. Let us rely on his grace to speak with truth and love, to live with humble patience, with strength to remain faithful when it hurts.
The real question is not whether God will bring us out of the cistern. It is whether, sunk in the mud, despairing of life, we will still trust Him and be faithful to him who is our hope of eternal life. Jeremiah remained faithful in the dungeon, faithful in the cistern, and faithful before the king. His circumstances changed, but not his commitment to God’s word.
The call comes to us today: remain faithful. When the path becomes difficult and you cannot see the outcome, remain faithful. For the One who called you is faithful, and He is strong to support those who trust Him. God bless.
Before we close, take a moment to reflect honestly on these questions.
What circumstances in your life are currently testing your faithfulness to God, and what pressures are you experiencing?
Why might fear, rejection, or the desire for approval make it difficult for you to obey God fully?
How can Jeremiah’s example help you remain faithful when doing what is right becomes painful or costly?
And what practical step can you take today to choose obedience rather than compromise?
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, show me where I am tempted to compromise because of fear, pressure, or the desire to please others. I trust you and I will believe Your promises and obey You even when faithfulness hurts. May your Spirit guide me in the path of faithfulness to the end. For only so will my life bring honor to Your name. In Lord Jesus’ name. Amen
Post a comment