775_Our response to crisis (Jeremiah 39-41)
Jeremiah 39:11-18 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying, 12 “Take him, look after him well, and do him no harm, but deal with him as he tells you.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, Nebushazban the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the chief officers of the king of Babylon 14 sent and took Jeremiah from the court of the guard. They entrusted him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he lived among the people.
15 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the guard: 16 “Go, and say to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will fulfill my words against this city for harm and not for good, and they shall be accomplished before you on that day. 17 But I will deliver you on that day, declares the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will surely save you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but you shall have your life as a prize of war, because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.’”
Sometimes the power to a building goes out during a storm. At such a time, the darkness doesn’t create anything new within the building. But it makes the existing layout and navigational difficulties more obvious.
A crisis can be like that. It does not create fear, courage, selfishness, faith, or wisdom in us. Rather, it emphasizes what is already there.
That is what makes Jeremiah 39–41 such a searching passage. It describes the situation after the fall of Jerusalem. For more than forty years, Jeremiah had warned the people of Judah that they were in rebellion against God, and would soon be judged. But every warning was ignored or resisted, and the people went on with their lives.
When Babylon finally overthrew Jerusalem, the crisis exposed the hearts of the people. And it revealed very different responses to the same catastrophe.
Consider Zedekiah, the king of Judah. Jeremiah had repeatedly brought him God’s warnings and instructions. He plainly told the king what God had said: only by surrendering to Babylon would the king preserve his people, his city, and his own life. Yet Zedekiah refused. When the city fell, he attempted to escape, but was captured and his sons killed in front of his eyes. This dreadful sight was the last thing he would ever see before his enemies blinded him and took him in chains to Babylon.
The crisis exposed the fear that had been governing his life. It revealed that he had never known the supreme greatness of God’s love and power. He feared the wrath of his people if he surrendered.
Like Zedekiah, we may know what is right, yet hesitate to do it because of the fear of man. Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” We need to look honestly at our faith and see on what it rests. The question is not, “On a human level, does this seem like the smart thing to do?” but, “Do I believe that God’s will is the only safe thing to do?” When circumstances become frightening, will we allow fear to silence God’s Word, or will we trust Him enough to obey?
In contrast, Jeremiah’s response is very different. Despite his faithful proclamation over the decades, the people refused to repent, and Jerusalem still fell. His ministry had apparently ended in failure. But not before God. Every crisis brought out his faithfulness more clearly.
After Jerusalem’s destruction, Nebuzaradan released Jeremiah and gave him full liberty to do as he wished. Yet the prophet chose to stay in his own ruined land, among his own people, and continued his prophetic ministry amidst very altered circumstances. Prayer does not always lead to situational change. Faithful service may be met by apparent failure. But Jeremiah’s prophecies still stood, proving that his years of faithfulness were not wasted simply because Jerusalem fell.
Next we see Nebuzaradan, the officer of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, who executed God’s judgment on Judah. Jeremiah 40:3 records the words of Nebuzaradan: “The LORD has brought it, and has done just as he said, because you sinned against the LORD and did not obey his voice.”
God’s own people repeatedly refused to listen to him, but this Babylonian officer recognized that God’s Word had come true. And he set Jeremiah at liberty. God remains sovereign even in crisis. An answer or deliverance may arrive through the most unlikely circumstances or people. We may not understand everything He is doing, but nothing is outside His control.
We read of Ebed-melech, an Ethiopian servant in the king’s household. When Jeremiah was in mortal danger, he interceded with the king to bring about his deliverance. Crisis revealed his faith, when doing right might have cost him his liberty or his life. And God did not forget him. The LORD told him, “I will deliver you on that day… For you have trusted in me” (Jeremiah 39:18).
Ebed-melech shows us that genuine faith is not professed only when there is no risk. It becomes visible when obedience becomes dangerous and unpopular. Crisis brought his courage to the surface, because it arose from his trust in God. Our actions under pressure reveal the truth of our faith.
These chapters also reveal Gedaliah, the governor appointed over the people left behind in Judah. Gedaliah assured them of his protection. He encouraged them to settle down and live peacefully in the land. Yet when warned of great and immediate danger, he refused to believe the warning. Tragically, the warning came true, and the people lost all hope.
Gedaliah reminds us that good intentions are not enough. Kindness must be accompanied by discernment. Scripture calls us to love, but it also calls us to wisdom. Philippians 1:9–10 speaks of love growing “with knowledge and all discernment.” Crisis revealed Gedaliah’s inability to recognize a threat to his people, and to take timely action while remaining tender-hearted.
Then there is Johanan. He recognized Gedaliah’s danger, and warned him while there was time. After Gedaliah’s murder by Ishmael, he pursued the assassin and rescued the captives. Yet his courage and clear-sightedness masked his lack of faith. He did not believe God’s promise of protection. Instead, he dragged Jeremiah and the rest of the people to Egypt, in opposition to the Lord’s clear instruction and warning.
Johanan recognized problems, and had physical courage. He could fight the enemy outside, but did not recognize the enemy within his heart. He did not know himself, nor did he know the Lord. He thought he wanted to do the Lord’s will, but when confronted with unpalatable advice, his answer revealed that his confidence was in earthly powers.
Like him, we may plan sensibly, look for the best place to settle down, stand bravely for our families and our people – and yet be driven by fear. In contrast, faith does not mean sitting still; it means acting out of wholehearted trust in God.
Finally, Ishmael shows us the darkest response to crisis. Judah’s rebellion culminated in destruction and exile. Yet this man refused to humble himself and seek God. Instead, he sought to pursue his ambition and become prince of his ruined people. This led to the murder of many innocent people and the final emptying of the land.
The same crisis that revealed Ebed-melech’s courage showed Ishmael’s selfishness. The fall of Jerusalem revealed Jeremiah’s faithfulness but Zedekiah’s fear; Johanan’s practical atheism, Gedaliah’s foolish blindness, and Ishmael’s unlimited ambition.
And that is perhaps the central lesson of Jeremiah 39–41: Crisis reveals character. We cannot predict or prevent crisis. We never know when circumstances will change, when relationships will fall apart, when suffering will enter our lives. But we can prepare now to respond rightly. The Lord said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). Pressure forces out the response that has been growing within us during the days of our life.
We do not prepare to meet a crisis when it is upon us. We prepare beforehand, by knowing and keeping the scriptures that speak to us the word of Christ, by praying that we may know and keep the will of God, by trusting God unconditionally and wholeheartedly, and by seeking the wisdom of love in our walk with God and with others.
So let us settle our allegiance before the crisis comes. Let us learn to trust God before the days of desperation come. Let us cultivate habitual obedience to his Word before obedience becomes dangerous. Then, in crisis, our response will be more trust. God bless.
As you reflect on this passage, consider these questions:
What does my natural response to pressure reveal about what I truly trust?
Why might fear, rather than God’s Word, sometimes influence my decisions?
How can I cultivate the kind of faith and obedience today that will sustain me when tomorrow brings a crisis?
And when circumstances are beyond my control, how can I demonstrate practical trust in the sovereign God?
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, open my heart to see how I respond to crisis. Help me see my failures of trust, of courage, and of wisdom. I seek to prepare myself for faith and obedience in any crisis, while life is still calm. Thus I seek to remain faithful to you in any situation. In the Lord Jesus’ name. Amen
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