Walking in the way of life (Jer 38:14-28)

When some people hear the gospel, their response is, ‘you mean, you need not do anything to merit God’s favour, that it is all grace? Isn’t that too easy?’. The truth is that for many, it can be far from easy. For one thing, it means admitting our need, that we do not have what it takes to gain eternal life, that there is nothing we can do with our efforts to make it happen. It takes humility to accept that. It also involves submission to God’s will and an acknowledgement that we are in the wrong when we try to find avenues to fulfilment apart from God. Dependence on God also goes against the Western ideal of self-sufficiency. We do not like to be beholden to anyone and certainly do not want someone else to tell us what to do and how to live. Finally, God’s way is often counter-intuitive to secular ways of thinking, so it takes faith to believe that His principles work for the best.

The way to life

Whenever I read about Zedekiah’s last interview with Jeremiah before the fall of Jerusalem, I am struck by the similarity between what he needs to do and what God asks of us in the gospel in order to have life. Despite all the times when the king refused to act on the prophet’s advice, he keeps asking for it, as if deep down he knows that Jeremiah truly speaks for God. Probably, he is also hoping for a different answer. Jeremiah once again speaks God’s Word even though he knows the king won’t listen (Jer 38:15). Some interpreters treat the advice to surrender (Jer 38:17) as political expediency, since Judah was too small to withstand the Babylonian empire. But there is more to it than that. Babylon represented God’s judgment for the people’s sin, so surrendering to them would be an implicit acknowledgement of their wrongdoing and God’s justice. Submitting to God brings life (v.17), resisting His will leads to destruction (Jer 38:18).

Refusal to listen

Yet, the choice seems counter-intuitive. For the king, surrender and admission that he cannot do it on his own means giving himself into someone else’s power and how can he know that he won’t be harmed (Jer 38:19)? It is a great blow for our self-sufficiency and pride to admit our weakness, our inability to cope. Much better to fight on with our own weapons and hope for the best. Jeremiah pleads with the king to obey the Lord and once again patiently sets out the options. Refusal to listen will lead to all being taken by Babylon and the city being burnt (Jer 38:21-23). Sadly, the king cannot bring himself to rely on God’s mercy. All he can do is to insist that Jeremiah not betray him to his officials (Jer 38:24-26). While some think that the prophet gave in to fear for his life when he complied with the king’s request, this seems to me rather unlikely given his uncompromising stance throughout his ministry. Others may be uncomfortable about his lie (Jer 38:27), but against the demands of absolute honesty the prophet prioritises the relationship with the king. He will not betray their private conversation and cause trouble for this weak man.

Walking in the way of life

Although the principles evident in the story are essentially the same as the ones present in the gospel, that attitude is also meant to carry on in our walk with God. Submitting to God is what leads to flourishing life, being weak to strength, forgiving others to the possibility of reconciliation, humbling ourselves to exaltation. None of this makes sense to non-Christians and even for us, it can be scary to surrender ourselves to God because deep down distrust still lurks in our heart telling us that God takes away rather than gives and he will make our life a joyless soldiering on if we yield to Him. Yet, the more we trust Him, the more we experience the truth of what He teaches in His Word that He loves us with an everlasting love, that He is faithful and walking in His way truly leads to life. May we choose His way.

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