LIBERATED

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan, commander of the imperial guard, had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The Lord your God decreed this disaster for this place. And now the Lord has brought it about; He has done just as He said He would. All this happened because you people sinned against the Lord and did not obey Him. But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.”

However, before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”

Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go. So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.

Jeremiah 40:1-6

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In the closing verses of Jeremiah 39, we find King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Babylonians, giving his commander of the imperial guard, Nebuzaradan, specific orders as to how to deal with God’s prophet, Jeremiah.

What was he commanded to do?

He simply was to “take him and look after him”, not harming him but rather doing for Jeremiah “whatever he asks.”

Fast forward to today’s scripture passage and you will see that Jeremiah was in a bit of a precarious situation when Nebuzaradan found him. God’s word tells us that God’s messenger was bound in chains and being led with the other captives to Babylon where God’s judgment of a seventy year exile would begin. Jeremiah had tried to warn the people of God’s displeasure with their disobedient lifestyles, particularly in the way the Israelites unashamedly worshipped false gods and idols.

God was not going to stand for being disrespected, disregarded, and dishonored and so through Jeremiah, he basically told His people to knock it off or else He would send disaster on them and their land. The people failed to listen and so God carried out everything He had said through His prophet, completely validating Jeremiah’s prophecies. The Israelite captives deserved the punishment they were now experiencing. They had openly “sinned against the Lord and did not obey Him.”

But why should Jeremiah face the same fate when he was the one who exercised obedience before God, faithfully sharing what God told him to proclaim, no matter what kind of threat that would place him under?

Well, as we see, Jeremiah would not have to face the same penalty as those who chose wickedness over following God’s will and word. Scripture tells us that once Nebuzaradan located Jeremiah, he freed the prophet from his chains and then offered him the following proposition:

“Today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.” He then added, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”

In other words, Jeremiah was liberated and free to go where he wanted to go. The whole country was before him and he was free to go where he chose to go.

So where did he go?

It’s interesting to me that the place Jeremiah ended up was the place that Nebuzaradan mentioned in the addendum to his original statement. For Jeremiah chose to go to Gedaliah and stay with him, living among the poor people of Judah who were left behind to tend to the land.

God had made the way for His faithful servant to be liberated and freed.

Today, we all are captives to a much more sinister and dangerous adversary than the Babylonians. For there is not a person who has lived since the great fall in Eden’s garden that has not been chained to sin in their lives, a sin that will drag them into oblivion unless they find someone to liberate them and set them free.

Enter God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, sent out of love by the Father to bring eternal life for those who would believe in Him as Savior (John 3:16). Through Jesus, the chains of sin are broken and we are liberated from death and destruction to live in the freedom that comes in knowing our eternal futures are set and secured. Through Jesus, who defeated sin, death, and the grave, all Christians are victorious people. Glory awaits when this worldly life is over.

I’m sure Jeremiah rejoiced in his liberation after so many days being oppressed and captive at the hands of Zedekiah and his officials.

We should rejoice every day for how God has liberated us from certain death through Jesus His Son.

Won’t you revel in this good news with me today?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com