“King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah, and…said to Jeremiah, ‘I want to ask you something; don’t conceal anything from me.’ Jeremiah answered the king, ‘If I tell you, you’ll surely kill me; and if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me.’ Thereupon King Zedekiah secretly promised Jeremiah on oath: ‘As the LORD lives who has given us this life, I will not put you to death or leave you in the hands of those men who seek your life.'” Jeremiah 38:14-16
If a man knew the future, would it make any difference regarding how he lived? Zedekiah the king asks the prophet Jeremiah, “Tell me the future and I promise that I won’t get angry,” but he did not commit to doing what God said. In fact, the king ignored what Jeremiah told him. Men are fascinated with the future, seeking to ascertain what lies ahead, but with no intention of it making a difference in how they live.
If a man knew that there are eternal consequences for temporal behavior, would it alter his value system? Throughout the New Testament God warns that present investments make an eternal difference. [1] Most Christians, however, view their relationship with Christ like a life insurance policy; they “buy” the policy to protect their future and then proceed to live life conforming to the values of the world instead of the values of God.
Jeremiah told Zedekiah what he could expect, but Zedekiah refused to listen to God’s prophet. Are you like Zedekiah, or do you invest your life in conformity with the Word of God?
[1] Cf., e.g., Matthew 6:19-20; 1Corinthians 3:10-15; 2Corinthians 5:10; Colossians 3:23-25
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