The Bible - 6 Short stories

Humble thyself...

Zedekiah, agitated by the Babylonian siege, summons the prophet who is still in the court of the prison. The Judean soldier asks Zedekiah, "Where will you meet him? I can detect that you intend to exit the palace."

"But not for long," states the king. "I... just do not want anyone to see the prophet come to me in the palace. No no. How about... somewhere in the temple. The third entrance of God's house. Yes, that's the place."

"Very well," the guard accepts. Now he heads to the prison where the prophet is being held at.

+ + +

Jeremiah has only recently been freed from that ordeal at the cistern. At least Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian came to his rescue. But Jeremiah still is kept in this prison.

What have I done to be here? I was just misunderstood. I only wanted to go to the land of Benjamin to claim some family property. I was hindered and sent to... ugh, Jonathan's prison. At least the king was considerate enough not to leave me in THAT prison.

Wait, I hear footsteps. Someone's coming? Who's that?

The soldier arrives and speaks to the captain. Jeremiah tries to overhear the conversation. "The king summons Jeremi... Jeremiah the prophet," says the soldier.

Again? Why would the king call me again?

The order must, however, be obeyed.

+ + +

Jeremiah is led away by the Judean soldier to Zedekiah, at the third entrance of the LORD's temple. The soldier declares, "Behold, Jeremiah." Then the soldier backs off a few paces, leaving the prophet to face the king...

on his back. Zedekiah isn't even facing Jeremiah. Zedekiah speaks after the long silence. "I will ask you something. Hide nothing from me."

Jeremiah thinks Zedekiah wanted the word of the LORD. It figures the king is hoping for a good message. Well, too bad. God's message has not changed... and I doubt it will.

This must be some trap. "If I declare it to you," says Jeremiah, "will you not surely put me to death?" A sigh. "And... if I give you advice, you will not listen to me."

Zedekiah finally turns via Jeremiah. He says, "Here, I'll make a vow for you." He is about to raise his hand when he turns all ways. No one else is here. Just he, the prophet, and the loyal soldier.

Zedekiah swears, hand up, "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 th- those men who seek your life."

"Nervous, huh?" says the soldier.

Jeremiah ignores the remark, and to Zedekiah, he gives the oracle:

"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.' "

"Not new at all!" says the king. "It's the same thing: surrender or die."

Now Zedekiah thinks. Must he obey the message presented so long?

Jeremiah now pleads, "Please, Zedekiah. Please listen to the word of God. No one goes wrong in obeying the LORD."

"It's just that," exclaims Zedekiah. "Uh. Hear me out, prophet; I am afraid of the Jews who have defected to the Chaldeans... lest they - the Chaldeans - deliver me into their hand, and they abuse me."

"They shall not deliver you," affirms the prophet. "Please, obey the voice of the LORD which I speak to you."

Zedekiah sighs and looks down. Does he really want to do it? Jeremiah adds, "Obey, so it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live."

Jeremiah shakes his head at the king's hesitant movement. He continues:

"But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word that the LORD has shown me: 'Now behold, all the women who are left in the king of Judah's house shall  be surrendered to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say:
"Your close friends have set upon you
And prevailed against you;
Your feet have sunk in the mire,
And they have turned away again."

'So they shall surrender all your wives and children to the Chaldeans. You shall not escape from their hand, but shall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. And you shall cause this city to be burned with fire.' "

Zedekiah sees the connection when he heard "your feet have suck in the mire". Jeremiah was stuck in a cistern, but he had friends to help him out. In Zedekiah's case, it'll be his friends who will desert him.

Zedekiah looks up in the sky. "Oh, how do I respond? Humble myself?"

"Yes," says Jeremiah. "Humble yourself."

After a dull scary silence, Zedekiah finally turns on his back. "Let no one know of these words, and you shall not die," warns the king.

The soldier assumes the king is done with the interview, so he walks up to take the prophet back to the prison.

But the king wasn't finished. "Hold on, soldier."

The soldier halts. "Pardon me, O king."

Zedekiah turns back to Jeremiah. "You heard me. Not a single soul. But... if the princes hear that I have talked with you, and they come to you and say to you, 'Declare to us now what you have said to the king, and also what the king said to you; do not hide it from us, and we will not put you to death,' then... you shall say to them, 'I presented my request before the king, that he would not make me return to Jonathan's house to die there.' "

Jeremiah replies, "You... know I would be lying."

"Hey, you actually asked that of me," says Zedekiah. "You aren't really lying, but telling the wrong truth, but still the truth."

Jeremiah takes a deep breath. "Okay."

+ + +

Those princes meet with Jeremiah as he's being led away from the temple complex to the court of the prison. "Now what did you relate to the king?"

Jeremiah said just as Zedekiah had him say. Since the discussion was in secret, the princes have to take Jeremiah's word for it, and they leave him alone.

Now the prophet is taken back to the guardhouse, where he waits.

(Jeremiah 38:14-28; New King James Version)