Daily Devotional for December 2, 2015
Jeremiah 52
Scripture:
1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. 3 It was because of the LORD’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence. Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. They camped outside the city and built siege works all around it. 5 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. 7 Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, 8 but the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, 9 and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. 10 There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. 11 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.
Observation:
Children often play the game “follow the leader.” One child walks, and the others have to follow where he goes and do what he does. In life, the people we have around us influence us, and we all follow the examples of others.
He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done (Jeremiah 52:2).
Zedekiah was appointed king when Nebuchadnezzar deposed Zedekiah’s nephew. Instead of repenting and following a godly example, Zedekiah chose to continue to follow the practices of his recent predecessors on the throne. That decision led to grave consequences both for him and for all those he ruled over.
We must decide who will be our influencers. We can choose to imitate the lives of ungodly people, or we can choose to follow those who are seeking God.
Family and friends are the biggest influences in our lives. Those we admire can also have an impact on our worldview. However, God wants to be the primary influencer in our lives. We should filter all other influences through what He would want us to do, say, and think.
Application:
- Personal Application: Surround yourself with godly influences.
- Family Devotional: Read this passage to your family. Talk to them about the influencers in their life. Encourage them to seek Godly influencers and to be a Godly influencer. Ask them who they think would be good people to listen to. Discuss their choices and pray with them.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God for discernment to choose godly influencers for your life. Also, ask God to help you be a godly influencer to others.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that your family will follow the wisdom of the Holy Spirit when they decide who to seek for advice.
Three-Year Reading Plan for Sunday, November 29 – Sunday, December 6:
- Sunday, November 29: Jeremiah 49
- Monday, November 30: Jeremiah 50
- Tuesday, December 1: Jeremiah 51
- Wednesday, December 2: Jeremiah 52
- Thursday, December 3: Lamentations 1
- Friday, December 4: Lamentations 2
- Saturday, December 5: Lamentations 3
- Sunday, December 6: Lamentations 4
—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
Portions of this devotional are adapted from God’s Word for Today, August 30, 2014, written by Kevin Dawson.
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