October 21, 2020
PLEADING WITH SINNERS TO OBEY GOD’S WORD Even after King Zedekiah had allowed Jeremiah to be thrown into a miry pit, he still had compassion for the ones who heard his preaching. This is the mark of a true prophet. He preaches the Word of God without apology, whether blessing or judgment, yet retains the
October 21, 2016
Jerusalem was extremely dry, especially during the summer months, so its inhabitants dug cisterns to collect rainwater. These cisterns were hewn out of the limestone rock prevalent there. They were usually pear-shaped, with a small 2 to 3 foot opening at the top and 15 to 20 feet deep at the bottom. It was into one of these cisterns that the prophet Jeremiah was imprisoned for preaching the Word of God. There was no place to sit nor sleep, just a muddy bottomed cavern with a narrow ray of sunshine passing through the opening above. Perhaps Jeremiah thought it ironic as he cried out from this hollow tomb, remembering his prophecy concerning broken cisterns, “For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). God heard his cry and sent someone to rescue Jeremiah from the miry pit. And God has sent another Rescuer, who is the Living Water, Christ Jesus, to save us too.
October 21, 2015
Even after the King had allowed Jeremiah to be thrown into a miry pit, he still had compassion for the ones who heard his preaching. This is the mark of a true prophet. He preaches the Word of God without apology, whether blessing or judgment, yet retains the compassionate heart of God for his hearers. Jeremiah was ready to warn or plead in his preaching. He genuinely cared that people repent and return to the Lord. But in Jeremiah’s day, no one did. His preaching went unheeded and the nation fell to Babylon.