Small nation states like Judah in these turbulent times had to make big gambles on which major power to align themselves with. They could not stand a chance on their own, so they had to choose sides. In this time, the choice was between Babylon or Egypt. Zedekiah was another puppet king installed by Nebuchadnezzar but was persuaded by the Egyptians to join an alliance against Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah instructed Zedekiah not to enter this alliance (Jeremiah 37:6-8) but Zedekiah had never listened to the word of God and wasn’t about to heed him now when it mattered the most. Zedekiah had a company of false prophets who told him what he wanted to hear, and they would lead him to disaster (see Jeremiah 27). The more you ignore God’s voice the less able you will be to hear from God in the future. Every time you ignore those promptings of God’s Spirit you harden your heart just that little bit more and you become more desensitised to his voice. There are lots of voices in this world telling you what you should do and how you should live. They load us up with goals and dreams that lead us in this and that direction. But, in the end, it is only the voice of God that can lead you to life. God is certainly speaking to you right now. Are you willing to stop and give yourself time to tune your heart to him and listen?
Be still and reflect on what God might be saying to you.
Read 2 Kings 24:18 – 25:7; Jeremiah 27 and 37:1-10
