“Zedekiah was twenty one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah: she was from Libnah.”
The last king of Jerusalem before the Israelites were taken into exile was none other than the grandson of the great prophet Jeremiah. We read in the book of Jeremiah that Zedekiah sought after his grandfather’s advice by rescuing him from prison and keeping him alive when everyone wanted him dead. But he still did evil in the sight of the Lord, and for this, he was punished. If you remember, he rebelled against the king of Babylon, against the words of Jeremiah. Zedekiah’s last moments as king were spent running for his life with his family, away from the Babylonian army. His eyes were gouged out, but not before Nebuchadnezzar killed his entire family. He spent the rest of his days in a Babylonian prison and died there.
I know the book of Jeremiah ends rather bleakly and is followed by the book of Lamentations. This book is thought to have been written by Jeremiah, witnessing the fall of Jerusalem. Israel would spend 70 years in exile. God has a word in all this distress: listen and obey!
As parents, we all want our children to be more successful than we are, so we strive to give them more opportunity and coach them with situational awareness, hoping they will choose wisely and follow the Lord with all their heart. This was the case with Zedekiah. His grandfather, one of the greatest prophets, was right by his side. Zedekiah had advisors and coaches to help him run Judah, and they often were not aligned with his grandfather. Jeremiah would give a prophecy, and Zedekiah would listen, only to do the opposite.
A struggle exists between the pages of this book. It is a power play between what the Lord would advise and what the world would advise. No matter where you are, this power struggle hits close to home. We have to stay on top of it, or we might find ourselves listening to the wrong crowd. Listening to the wrong crowd could have dire consequences.
Today, take inventory of your advisors. Do not gauge them on whether or not they give good advice. Good advice from the ungodly can point our lives into very wrong situations. Choose to listen to godly friends and elders. Their advice often is not what your worldly friends would choose. In fact, it might even sound odd. If Jesus has overcome the world, then why listen to its advice? Choose wisely, because your ability to see distress down the road of your choices might lead to you being blinded by wrongs and hurts that you could have avoided.
Prayer: Father, I pray that we heed Your direction and Your calling. I pray that we listen to and seek godly advice from godly men and women instead of the world and all it has to offer. Even though it may sound odd, if You have spoken it to me and it aligns with Scripture, then I will obey. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let It Go 
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