Dodger: Hi there! I hope your week went well. Mine was wonderful. How about you, Lilly?
Lilly: Well, I did enjoy myself. I signed up for a soccer team!
Dodger: That sounds cool! Did your team win any games?
Lilly: Yes. In fact, we haven't lost one yet!
Dodger: Wait. How exactly do you play soccer?
Lilly: The normal way...why do you ask?
Dodger: Um...no reason. Anyway, you said you guys are winning all the games?
Lilly: Yes. There's a reason for it too. Our coach is amazing. He knows exactly what needs to be done and shows us how to do it so well. He's not bothered when some teammates try to give him a hard time because they want to do things their way. Here's how he puts it: "If you want to do okay, then you can do this whatever way you like. However, if you want to be unstoppable, you need to do this the right way."
Dodger: That's interesting. It sounds to me like your coach should have met King Zedekiah.
Lilly: King Zede-who?
Dodger: Zedekiah. He was the very last king of Judah before it fell completely to the Babylonians.
Lilly: Oh. Why would he have needed my coach's advice?
Dodger: Here's a short summary to answer your question. Judah was not in the best shape of its life. It had already been pummeled by the nation of Babylon once before, under King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made Zedekiah king of Judah instead of Jehoiachin, the man who was king before him. Judah was also not doing a great job following God's commands. Between these two circumstances, the nation was in rough shape, and to top it all off, King Zedekiah was about to make probably the worst choice of his entire life.
Lilly: What was he going to do?
Dodger: Rebel. Even though Nebuchadnezzar was the man who made him king in the first place, he was going to try and rebel against him and make Judah independent from Babylon.
Lilly: That doesn't seem very wise. Why would he do it?
Dodger: I'm not sure. One idea I have is that the more powerful nobles (sometimes called princes) in Judah couldn't stand being under Babylon and were pressuring him not to submit. Whatever the reason, he was wavering between rebellion and obedience. One day he had a secret conference with the prophet Jeremiah. Would you please read it, Lilly?
Lilly: Let's see...here we are. It's in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 38. "Then Zedekiah the king sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance of the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.” Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the Lord lives, who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.” Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you surely surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans; they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.’” And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they abuse me.” But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver you. Please, obey the voice of the Lord which I speak to you. So it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live." (v. 14-20 NKJV)
Dodger: Judah had already undergone judgment for sin, but God extends an invitation to its leader to do the right thing here with a promise that he will be okay if he follows God's words.
Lilly: I'm guessing that he doesn't take it, does he?
Dodger: Sadly, no. Did you notice though, that one of his reservations about doing what God says was fear of people?
Lilly: You're right! I didn't notice that until just now.
Dodger: Zedekiah knew what he was supposed to do, but he was afraid of other people. Instead of trusting God to take care of him, he tried to please people, and as a result, disobeyed God. The consequences were really tragic. Look at Ezekiel 17, would you please, Lilly? In it another prophet describes the disaster Zedekiah is bringing upon himself.
Lilly: Starting at verse 11: "Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Say now to the rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon. And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered? ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons. Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’” Therefore thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head. I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and try him there for the treason which he committed against Me. All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.” (v. 11-21 NKJV, boldface added)
What a mess! Did all this really happen?
Dodger: Sadly, yes. Zedekiah rebelled, and God executed judgment on him and on Judah. The results were really sad. Of course, this whole mess is not something to be chalked up completely to Zedekiah. The people of Judah did plenty in their lifestyles to get into a mess, but it was Zedekiah's ignoring God and rebelling against Babylon that did him in, and the nation as well.
Lilly: Yikes.
Dodger: Yes. It's really very sad. However, it does remind us of something.
Lilly: What's that?
Dodger: If Zedekiah had chosen to do right, Judah would not have suffered as it ended up doing. One man knew the right thing to do. Even if no one else wanted to do it, he knew it was right. Yet he was swayed by man's will, and chose to deny the will of God. God wasn't looking for an opportunity to beat him up. He made it very clear what would happen as a warning. He was asking Zedekiah to do right and avoid pain. But Zedekiah would not listen.
Lilly: So where does that leave us?
Dodger: Well, often the right thing to do isn't popular. Sin is pretty much always more popular, and rebelling against what God says is often made to look good, fun, even. But we need to realize that it's all a mess just waiting to happen. God looks out for our best, which is why He defines right and wrong for us. When you know what's right and don't do it, no one benefits. Instead, people just get hurt.
Lilly: Oh. So instead of listening to what's popular, it's more important that we seek to honor God.
Dodger: Exactly. It might not always be easy, but we can avoid a lot of pain if we do things the way God wants instead of the way the world wants.
Lilly: So if you want to be bowed, follow the crowd. If you want to be great, do it God's way!
Dodger: Yes. God will always forgive us of our sins if we repent of them, but it's even better when we don't do them in the first place.
Lilly: I see. I'm glad God is rich in mercy.
Dodger: Me too. I only wish Zedekiah had taken it.
Lilly: Well, let's learn from his lesson, listen to God, and follow His way!
Dodger: Amen to that! Well, looks like it's time to go again. We're so glad you could make it! Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!
Lilly: Until next time!
(NKJV Means New King James Version)
Dodger and Lilly graphic by I-BulldogStudios. Contains background from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4xPDLgpdfMg/T2YjWntkO7I/AAAAAAAAb8g/FpenYgWM87k/s1600/Best-top-desktop-soccer-wallpapers-hd-soccer-wallpaper-sport-pictures-05.jpg, a site not owned or operated by I-BulldogStudios.
God bless!
Lilly: Well, I did enjoy myself. I signed up for a soccer team!
Dodger: That sounds cool! Did your team win any games?
Lilly: Yes. In fact, we haven't lost one yet!
Dodger: Wait. How exactly do you play soccer?
Lilly: The normal way...why do you ask?
Lilly: Yes. There's a reason for it too. Our coach is amazing. He knows exactly what needs to be done and shows us how to do it so well. He's not bothered when some teammates try to give him a hard time because they want to do things their way. Here's how he puts it: "If you want to do okay, then you can do this whatever way you like. However, if you want to be unstoppable, you need to do this the right way."
Dodger: That's interesting. It sounds to me like your coach should have met King Zedekiah.
Lilly: King Zede-who?
Dodger: Zedekiah. He was the very last king of Judah before it fell completely to the Babylonians.
Lilly: Oh. Why would he have needed my coach's advice?
Dodger: Here's a short summary to answer your question. Judah was not in the best shape of its life. It had already been pummeled by the nation of Babylon once before, under King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made Zedekiah king of Judah instead of Jehoiachin, the man who was king before him. Judah was also not doing a great job following God's commands. Between these two circumstances, the nation was in rough shape, and to top it all off, King Zedekiah was about to make probably the worst choice of his entire life.
Lilly: What was he going to do?
Dodger: Rebel. Even though Nebuchadnezzar was the man who made him king in the first place, he was going to try and rebel against him and make Judah independent from Babylon.
Lilly: That doesn't seem very wise. Why would he do it?
Dodger: I'm not sure. One idea I have is that the more powerful nobles (sometimes called princes) in Judah couldn't stand being under Babylon and were pressuring him not to submit. Whatever the reason, he was wavering between rebellion and obedience. One day he had a secret conference with the prophet Jeremiah. Would you please read it, Lilly?
Lilly: Let's see...here we are. It's in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 38. "Then Zedekiah the king sent and had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance of the house of the Lord. And the king said to Jeremiah, “I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me.” Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I declare it to you, will you not surely put me to death? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” So Zedekiah the king swore secretly to Jeremiah, saying, “As the Lord lives, who made our very souls, I will not put you to death, nor will I give you into the hand of these men who seek your life.” Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you surely surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then your soul shall live; this city shall not be burned with fire, and you and your house shall live. But if you do not surrender to the king of Babylon’s princes, then this city shall be given into the hand of the Chaldeans; they shall burn it with fire, and you shall not escape from their hand.’” And Zedekiah the king said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they abuse me.” But Jeremiah said, “They shall not deliver you. Please, obey the voice of the Lord which I speak to you. So it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live." (v. 14-20 NKJV)
Dodger: Judah had already undergone judgment for sin, but God extends an invitation to its leader to do the right thing here with a promise that he will be okay if he follows God's words.
Lilly: I'm guessing that he doesn't take it, does he?
Dodger: Sadly, no. Did you notice though, that one of his reservations about doing what God says was fear of people?
Lilly: You're right! I didn't notice that until just now.
Dodger: Zedekiah knew what he was supposed to do, but he was afraid of other people. Instead of trusting God to take care of him, he tried to please people, and as a result, disobeyed God. The consequences were really tragic. Look at Ezekiel 17, would you please, Lilly? In it another prophet describes the disaster Zedekiah is bringing upon himself.
Lilly: Starting at verse 11: "Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Say now to the rebellious house: ‘Do you not know what these things mean?’ Tell them, ‘Indeed the king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and took its king and princes, and led them with him to Babylon. And he took the king’s offspring, made a covenant with him, and put him under oath. He also took away the mighty of the land, that the kingdom might be brought low and not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. But he rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does such things escape? Can he break a covenant and still be delivered? ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely in the place where the king dwells who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant he broke—with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. Nor will Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company do anything in the war, when they heap up a siege mound and build a wall to cut off many persons. Since he despised the oath by breaking the covenant, and in fact gave his hand and still did all these things, he shall not escape.’” Therefore thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head. I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and try him there for the treason which he committed against Me. All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.” (v. 11-21 NKJV, boldface added)
What a mess! Did all this really happen?
Dodger: Sadly, yes. Zedekiah rebelled, and God executed judgment on him and on Judah. The results were really sad. Of course, this whole mess is not something to be chalked up completely to Zedekiah. The people of Judah did plenty in their lifestyles to get into a mess, but it was Zedekiah's ignoring God and rebelling against Babylon that did him in, and the nation as well.
Lilly: Yikes.
Dodger: Yes. It's really very sad. However, it does remind us of something.
Lilly: What's that?
Dodger: If Zedekiah had chosen to do right, Judah would not have suffered as it ended up doing. One man knew the right thing to do. Even if no one else wanted to do it, he knew it was right. Yet he was swayed by man's will, and chose to deny the will of God. God wasn't looking for an opportunity to beat him up. He made it very clear what would happen as a warning. He was asking Zedekiah to do right and avoid pain. But Zedekiah would not listen.
Lilly: So where does that leave us?
Dodger: Well, often the right thing to do isn't popular. Sin is pretty much always more popular, and rebelling against what God says is often made to look good, fun, even. But we need to realize that it's all a mess just waiting to happen. God looks out for our best, which is why He defines right and wrong for us. When you know what's right and don't do it, no one benefits. Instead, people just get hurt.
Lilly: Oh. So instead of listening to what's popular, it's more important that we seek to honor God.
Dodger: Exactly. It might not always be easy, but we can avoid a lot of pain if we do things the way God wants instead of the way the world wants.
Lilly: So if you want to be bowed, follow the crowd. If you want to be great, do it God's way!
Dodger: Yes. God will always forgive us of our sins if we repent of them, but it's even better when we don't do them in the first place.
Lilly: I see. I'm glad God is rich in mercy.
Dodger: Me too. I only wish Zedekiah had taken it.
Lilly: Well, let's learn from his lesson, listen to God, and follow His way!
Dodger: Amen to that! Well, looks like it's time to go again. We're so glad you could make it! Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!
Lilly: Until next time!
(NKJV Means New King James Version)
Dodger and Lilly graphic by I-BulldogStudios. Contains background from http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4xPDLgpdfMg/T2YjWntkO7I/AAAAAAAAb8g/FpenYgWM87k/s1600/Best-top-desktop-soccer-wallpapers-hd-soccer-wallpaper-sport-pictures-05.jpg, a site not owned or operated by I-BulldogStudios.
God bless!
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