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Daily Devotions

Jeremiah

Jeremiah 
Day 
Day 414

"I am not defecting to the Chaldeans"

Text: Jeremiah 37:14

THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM

The Chaldeans had laid siege against Jerusalem. Then the Egyptians turned up. The Chaldeans at that time knew that they would not win the war if they fought two enemies at a time. They chose to withdraw.

THE LIFTING OF THE SIEGE

Now that the Chaldeans had lifted the siege, Jeremiah decided that he would go to the land of Benjamin to look at the property that he had bought!

“And it happened, when the army of the Chaldeans
left the siege of Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh’s army,
that Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin
to claim his property there among the people.
And when he was in the Gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there
whose name was Irijah the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah;
and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying,
‘You are defecting to the Chaldeans!’
Then Jeremiah said, ‘False! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans.’
But he did not listen to him.
So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the princes.
Therefore the princes were angry with Jeremiah,
and they struck him and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe.
For they had made that the prison.”
Jeremiah 37:11-15

1. “And it happened, when the army of the Chaldeans left the siege of Jerusalem
for fear of Pharaoh’s army”

a) Some fear was felt by the Chaldeans.

b) This however was not cowardice.

c) They withdrew temporarily to gather an even larger army.

2. “That Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin
to claim his property there among the people”

a) Jeremiah thought that this reprieve would allow him a bit of time for himself.

b) God had instructed him to purchase a piece of property in Anathoth,
which was in the land of Benjamin.

3. “And when he was in the Gate of Benjamin, a captain of the guard was there
whose name was Irijah the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah;
and he seized Jeremiah the prophet, saying, ‘You are defecting to the Chaldeans!'”

a) When Jeremiah reached the city Gate of Benjamin, Irijah seized the prophet.

b) He was accused of defecting to the Chaldeans.

4. “Then Jeremiah said, ‘False! I am not defecting to the Chaldeans.’ But he did not listen to him. So Irijah seized Jeremiah and brought him to the princes”

a) Jeremiah protested against this false charge of defection to the Chaldeans.

b) But his protest went unheard.

c) Jeremiah was brought back to Jerusalem to face the princes.

5. “Therefore the princes were angry with Jeremiah, and they struck him and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe. For they had made that the prison”

a) The princes reacted badly. These were the known-enemies of Jeremiah.

b) They believed the false charge.

i) They vented their anger on Jeremiah.

ii) They struck him.

iii) They imprisoned him.

iv) This was not the regular prison.

v) It was the house of Jonathan the scribe that had been converted
to serve as a prison.