So Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of armies, the God of Israel says: ‘If you will indeed surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will survive. But if you do not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city will be handed over to the Chaldeans; and they will burn it with fire, and you yourself will not escape from their hands.’” Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am in fear of the Jews who have deserted to the Chaldeans, for they may hand me over to them, and they will abuse me.” But Jeremiah said, “They will not turn you over. Please obey the Lord in what I am saying to you, so that it may go well for you and you may live. But if you keep refusing to surrender, this is the word which the Lord has shown me: ‘Behold, all of the women who have been left in the palace of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon; and those women will say,

“Your close friends
Have misled and overpowered you;
While your feet were sunk in the mire,
They turned back.”

They are also going to bring out all your wives and your sons to the Chaldeans, and you yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned with fire.’” (Jeremiah 38:17-23)

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So Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the Lord anointed you as king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are eliminated.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Instead, you loudly rushed upon the spoils and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord!”

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the Lord, for I went on the mission on which the Lord sent me; and I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things designated for destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” Samuel said,

“Does the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice,
And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination,
And insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry.
Since you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He has also rejected you from being king.”

Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have violated the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. (1 Samuel 15:17-24)

There is at least one thing common with king Zedekiah and king Saul. That is, they feared people. They feared people more than God. Listening to people and trying to please them is the first step to corruption. I know there are so-called super ministers in the world. They preach in front of many people, do broadcasting, and write books. They are extremely popular among Christians. And yet, they do not speak truths. Even though they speak of Sola Gratia at the beginning, they deny it at the end. Then we realize that they are false Christians. Almost always, their immoral living is revealed at the end. We who have the Holy Spirit speak truths of God and live according to the Law. They do not have the Spirit and thus, speak lies and live against the Law. Because of their popularity and reputation, people follow their words, not God’s words.

God handed the Israelites over to king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The people and the kings of Judah were comfortable in their kingdom while they despised God. They love to live in a kingdom without the King. Tenants are trying to remove the landlord. When God announced disasters to punish them, they resisted God’s words and persecuted His prophets. Jeremiah was threatened and harassed because of God’s words that he spoke to people. Rather than turning away from their evil ways, they continue to serve idols.

Egypt symbolizes slavery to sins. And the Law reveals that we are sinful. Christ came and died to break us from that bondage. Although people have tasted the sweetness of freedom, they miss their old days of slavery and go back to Egypt.

After the fall of Jerusalem, those remaining in Jerusalem insist on going to Egypt. Jeremiah warned them. But they still did. The end was death. Jeremiah chapter 42 to 46 tells us the end of rebellious people.

God has hardened the heart of Pharaoh, Saul, and Zedekiah because they are to show us who the Lord is. Their demise tells us that human wisdom is nothing. We always come up with various ideas that we think will work well. But we do not have any wisdom or power. We own nothing. Fear of God is the beginning of true wisdom.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

Many Christians think that Apostle Paul had a successful career because he built many churches. Christians often quote verses from the Book of Acts and think they can convert everyone to Christianity. I consider that Evangelism and Acts 29 movement has done much harm to Christianity. People get lured by false leaders all the time. And there is nothing that I can do to stop them. It was God’s will that the Apostles built many visible churches. Many people came to churches, but many did not know God as we read the NT. The Letter to the Galatians tells us about the challenges that Paul had within churches.

Where then is that sense of blessing you had? For I testify about you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. So have I become your enemy by telling you the truth? (Galatians 4:15-16)

At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. (2 Timothy 4:16-17)

Paul’s understanding of how one is saved did not change in his writings. He never taught people work-based or Law-based salvation. He always preached on Sola Gratia. However, false teachers twist his words and confuse people. If anyone wants to go back to Egypt, I won’t stop him/her because people always act according to what they know and understand. God also let Zedekiah do whatever he wants to do. But God’s warnings do not go away. How can we know God unless He gives us the Holy Spirit? Therefore, God alone plans and carries out His plans.