GOD will REWARD us ACCORDING to OUR ACTIONS
August 19 Bible Reading: Jeremiah Chapters 37-39
GOD will REWARD us ACCORDING to OUR ACTIONS
"In the ninth year of
Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and
all his army came against Jerusalem, and besieged it. In the eleventh year of
Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was penetrated."
(Jeremiah 39:1-2)
Jerusalem was so strong, that the inhabitants believed the
enemy could never enter it. But sin provoked God to withdraw his protection,
and then it was as weak as other cities. After King Zedekiah had ruled Judah
for eleven years, the Babylonians captured Jerusalem in 586 B.C. What we read in chapter 39 is how God
rewarded three different people living in Jerusalem according to their actions:
- God rewarded Zedekiah
for his wickedness
(vv. 1–10). King Zedekiah did not pay any attention to the word of God that He
spoke through His prophet Jeremiah. "But
neither he (Zedekiah) nor his servants nor the people of the land gave heed to
the words of the Lord which He spoke by the prophet Jeremiah." (Jer
37:2) He was specifically requested by Jeremiah to obey the voice of God and
surrender to the Babylonian king as follows: "...please obey the voice of the Lord which I speak to you.
So it shall be well with you, and your soul shall live." (Jer 38:20)
But Zedekiah, his sons, and his men of war tried to flee but were captured. The
last thing Zedekiah saw was the execution of his own sons; then he was blinded.
He walked by sight and ended up in darkness. He lived to serve himself and lost
everything. He learned the truth of these words: “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23).
- God rewarded Jeremiah
for his faithfulness
(vv. 11–14). For forty difficult years, he courageously proclaimed God’s Word,
even though the people refused to obey it. If we measure ministry by “results,” Jeremiah was a failure. Given
his freedom, he chose to remain with his people and minister to them. We see
that the Babylonian king gave instructions through the captain of his guard
that Jeremiah should be well-treated, and eventually the prophet was released
from the court of the prison. How true are these words - "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace
and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
(Psalms 84:11)
- God rewarded
Ebed-Melech for his kindness (vv. 15–18). This is what God spoke to this Ethiopian eunuch
through Jeremiah: "I will deliver
you…and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid.
For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your
life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,"
says the Lord. (Jer 39:17-18) God did not forget the act of kindness done
to Jeremiah. God rewarded this Ethiopian for persuading King Zedekiah to release
Jeremiah from the slimy pit dungeon for his kindness (38:7–13). Now we know why
this foreigner had rescued Jeremiah: he had put his faith in the God of Israel
(v. 18). It must have been Jeremiah’s witness that won him. An outsider trusted
the God of Israel, but the Jews would not trust Him!
Let us clearly understand that God will one day reward us for all that we do in this world. Knowing this fact let our actions be pleasing in God’s sight and worthy of His rewards that he will give us one day in the future. This is what our Lord Jesus Christ had promised while He was in this world: "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." (Matt 10:40-42)
