Judgement and Mercy

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The Fall of Jerusalem – Jeremiah 39

Dear Friends, Jeremiah 39 records one of the darkest days in the history of Judah. After years of patient warning through the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord finally comes to pass. In the eleventh year of King Zedekiah the city of Jerusalem is breached by the Babylonian army. The king flees by night but is overtaken near Jericho. His sons are killed before his eyes, his own eyes are put out, and he is led away in chains to Babylon. The city is burned, the walls are broken down, and most of the people are taken into exile.

It is a scene of total national collapse. Yet even in the midst of judgement the Lord shows Himself faithful. Nebuchadnezzar gives specific orders concerning Jeremiah: he is to be looked after and not harmed. The prophet who had been rejected, imprisoned and thrown into a cistern is now protected by the very nation that is destroying Jerusalem. God keeps His servant safe when everything else is falling apart.

There is also a quiet but beautiful note of personal mercy. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, the man who had earlier risked his own position to pull Jeremiah out of the muddy cistern, receives a direct word from the Lord: “I will deliver you on that day… because you have put your trust in me.” In the middle of widespread disaster, one man’s quiet trust in God is noticed and rewarded.

This chapter reminds us that God’s word never fails. What He has spoken will come to pass, whether in judgement or in salvation. It also encourages us that the Lord knows how to protect His own and to honour those who put their trust in Him, even when the world around them is collapsing.


Pause & Pray: Thank God that His word is sure. Ask Him to keep you faithful when His truth is unpopular. Pray for the courage to trust Him as Ebed-melech did, and for the assurance that He watches over those who belong to Him.

Verse to Remember: “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. For I will surely save you… because you have put your trust in me, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 39:17-18 ESV)

Question to Consider: In what area of my life do I need to trust the Lord more fully, knowing that He sees and remembers those who put their confidence in Him?

Article written by Shaun Fereday, Leader @SFGH Church

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