Scripture Daily

Context No. 4062 of 4322 · Jeremiah

Context · Reflection

Jeremiah 39:8-12: in context

8The Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the people’s houses with fire and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the rest of the people who remained in the city, the deserters also who fell away to him, and the rest of the people who remained. 10But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, who had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. 11Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon commanded Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard concerning Jeremiah, saying, 12“Take him and take care of him. Do him no harm; but do to him even as he tells you.”

As Jerusalem falls and is burned, and its people are carried into exile, one man is singled out for care. Nebuchadnezzar, the conquering king, gives specific orders concerning the prophet Jeremiah: take him, look after him, do him no harm, but do for him whatever he asks. Amid the catastrophe he had long foretold, Jeremiah, who had suffered so much for his faithfulness, is now protected and provided for, by God's providence working even through a pagan king.

There is quiet reassurance in this. Jeremiah's whole ministry had been marked by rejection and suffering; he had been mistreated by the very people he tried to warn. And yet, when the judgment fell, God did not forget his faithful servant. In the midst of the general ruin, Jeremiah was watched over and cared for, God moving the heart of a foreign conqueror to protect him. God does not forget those who have served him faithfully, even when their faithfulness has brought them suffering. When everything around us is falling apart, we can trust that God has not lost sight of us, and is able to care for his own in the midst of catastrophe, often through unexpected means.

When everything around me seems to be falling apart, and even when faithfulness has cost me, do I trust that God has not forgotten me but is able to watch over and care for his own, even through unexpected means?

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