The Weeping Prophet

 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Anyone who stays in this city will die by the sword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who surrenders to the Chaldeans will live and have his own life as plunder, and stay alive.’ ³ This is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’” ⁴ Then the officials said to the king, “Please have this man put to death, since he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking words like these to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people, but rather their harm.” ⁵ And King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your hands; for the king can do nothing against you.” ⁶ So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchijah the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes.

Jeremiah 38:2-6

I've been reading with my boys recently, a book that I highly recommend. It's titled, "When the Stones Speak." It's authored by Doron Spielman. It documents the author's personal account of witnessing the uncovering of some incredible finds in the City of David. He was on site when the City of David went from being a nearly "mythological fairy tale" to having physical credible evidence that verified it's existence as a part of the history of the world. This is a find that infused an extra layer of faith back into the people of the Land. And on a very different level, I'm seeing it do the same for my own sons. There's something about concrete evidence that is good for the soul. Faith is the base foundation. And when evidence shows up? There's something DEEP that happens... Something holy. The boys and I have taken to reading at night while their dad is working. It's a comfort to their hearts and minds as we wind down before bed. So we curl up, and we will be transported across time and space to learn about some of Israel's oldest known permanent structures.

The book has lent to some very deep conversations as it tackles the author's view on much of the cause for current events in Israel today. Discussing the fateful events of October 7, 2023 with my sons has been an incredibly sensitive subject, but it has caused a level of awareness in them that I don't think I can quantify with words.

They see the capacity that humans have for hatred. They also see the need for compassion, truth and healing. Due to our decision to have open discussions with them about ongoing current events, I've had to learn how to approach these subjects with prayer, and lean HEAVILY on the Lord for the questions I don't know how to answer. It has challenged me. It has challenged them. We are growing together.

I can say with complete transparency that these stones are speaking into our lives even now, in 2026, giving a new depth and fortitude to my own faith. Watching my children realize the authenticity of Scripture based on physical, verifiable evidence is beyond a shadow of a doubt one of the most holy events I have ever been blessed to observe.

It's one thing to hear our offspring parrot words they've heard us say through the years. While that could feel good on the surface, having once been a teenager who spoke the words... with my heart far from the Lord... That also can feel very flat. I'm not raising robots. I want peace under my roof... Yes! But I want them to ask questions.... To get to know this God I have chosen to serve. Their faith will one day be their own. God doesn't have grandchildren, I've heard it said. And that's true.

It's quite another thing entirely to see these kids begin to make life decisions in their own lives based on the accuracy of God's unchanging Word. What is the right thing to do? not what's acceptable.... Not what's allowed.... Not what is easy.... What is right? The. Lord. Is. Faithful. As we were reading the book, the author was describing how a clay seal was found in the City of David that bore the name of high ranking government officials under King Zedekiah in the Bible. Their names were inscribed in Paleo-Hebrew and perfectly aligned with Scriptures from the book of the prophet Jeremiah. When the physical facts meet the Biblical text??? Oh, how the Word of God comes alive! A good question from smart kids... How did clay survive the centuries? The answer is just as simple. It was baked... In fire. Fire over the city that was predicted by the prophet Jeremiah in response to the people defying the King of Babylon, instead of surrendering to his authority as the Lord warned them.

Jeremiah consistently encouraged the people to repent and surrender to the coming consequences of their stubbornness, pride and idolatry. The Lord prophesied through Jeremiah that the inhabitants of Jerusalem would be enslaved to Babylon for exactly 70 years as a consequence, and in the wake of that capture, He would also rebuild the nation. Throughout the text of Jeremiah, the people rebelled and looked for ways to walk out their own plans without submitting to the Lord. And even though he told them EXACTLY what to expect in the form of death and the burning of the city.... The king refused to submit. There was even a place in the story of the prophet where he was thrown into a deep cistern that contained nothing but mud. The perpetrators were content to leave him there to starve to death... for simply having the audacity to speak the truth. When an Ethiopian Eunuch had pity and got permission to pull him to safety, the King demanded another message. The words of the prophet were unchanged. Surrender to Babylon and you'll live peacefully... But if you refuse to humble yourself and surrender, you will be taken by force and the city will be burned.

The King did not listen. And the words that the prophet had spoken from the Lord indeed came to fruition. In chapter 38 of the book of Jeremiah, history records that:

 Then the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. ⁷ He then blinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in shackles of bronze to bring him to Babylon. ⁸ The Chaldeans also burned the king’s palace and the houses of the people with fire, and they tore down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹ And as for the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had deserted to him and the rest of the people who remained, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard took them into exile in Babylon. ¹⁰ But some of the poorest people, who had nothing, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard left behind in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at that time.

Jeremiah 38: 6-10 It's desperately sad. The king didn't HAVE to be blinded. He could have surrendered without that. He didn't HAVE to be bound in shackles of bronze and hauled back to Babylon... But his actions warranted that.

The city didn't HAVE to be burned.... And yet it was.

The people were stubborn, and they were trying to walk out their own strength, live by their own understanding. Things truly haven't changed much for humanity since those days, have they?

The Father has a way of getting our attention. And He NEVER starts with punishment. Read Scripture again. The prophets were always there to warn the people in advance. And His Word has always pointed back to the instructions He gave for safety and well being. He doesn't act without telling His people what he's planning. He isn't cruel, springing things haphazardly... creating chaos.

Humans do that. Not God.

Jeremiah's message was clear... Humble yourselves and submit to the king of Babylon. There is judgement coming on account of your sins. Submit to that judgement and you will be taken... But you will live. Fight or flee... and you will be forcibly taken... Or killed. The city will burn. Do not fight back. Just submit. And the king chose not to heed that simple truth. Because... pride has a way of blinding us all doesn't it? We ALL desire to control the interactions around us. No one likes to admit imperfections... True vulnerability is terrifying. It's easy to say we trust the Lord... But do we live it? Or do we try to hold onto safety?

The prophet's words were true. His God was just. As a deep consequence to their idolatry and subsequent refusal to submit, the city burned. The King was forced to watch his sons die... and after his eyes were put out, he was taken into slavery. Meanwhile, many who chose to submit instead of fighting back were allowed to stay on the land and rebuild their lives...

But not those who resisted.

And here's a tiny detail that makes such an impact. The heat from the flames of that specific prophecy... Fired the clay seals that were used by the official scribes of King Zedekiah. Some 3000 plus years after that tragic choice, those fired pieces testify STILL to the holiness of a good God who cares about His creations and desperately desires for us to submit to His will and authority for our daily bread. The words weren't pretty. But they were true.

One thing I've found to be absolutely sure in this life... I'll take truth that stings over flattery and lies every day of the week. Our God is not like the blood thirsty gods of the nations.... Idols representing deities that starve the broken.... Fleece the weak... Take advantage of people when convenient. No. Our Creator cares and sees and knows us each by name and desires relationship with us so much that He gave us the blueprint from the dawn of creation and has given the same message since that day:

LOVE ME. AND LOVE THOSE YOU INTERACT WITH IN THE SAME MANNER THAT YOU LOVE YOURSELF.

The question we need to ask ourselves continually is so simple.... Yet profound. It's the same question we pose to ourselves.... Our kids. And our grandson one day too.

Who do you serve? We're learning His character, seeing His words match His actions. He's consistent when we falter. Do you know Who you serve? Really know Him?

Be honest to your core. In your mind, is He a God of punishment... Spite... Just waiting to judge you and condemn you... Make a mockery of you... Shame you.... Point out your flaws and condemn? Sometimes we flinch at the judgement of God because we see Him through this lens, and we cannot heal from that mindset... Until we can first acknowledge it.

My prayer is that you can begin to see that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.... He's the God who led His children out of Egypt and provided for them gently for 40 years in the desert. He gave them shade in the form of a cloud by day and kept them warm, protected with the fire of His presence by night. He never abandoned them... Even when they complained. He knew their need for bread and made manna appear as dew. Forty years... Millions of lives. He fed and nourished and cherished the people.

And He has not changed.

He's the same yesterday... Today... and forever.

He's calling us to understand Him more... and trust Him more... and lean into Him more... and study His word MORE....

I just keep thinking about Jeremiah... the weeping prophet... The one who was ridiculed and thrown into a muddy pit for being humble enough to just speak the truth he was given by the Lord. He didn't see the fruits of truth in those moments. He was humiliated and shamed. There were a lot of dark years of trying to tell the people of the Land the same thing... Over... and Over... and Over ..... And they didn't listen.

If we judged him by today's standards, Jeremiah was a failure. So many of the people, including the king, disregarded his words. The judgements were not averted. And the precious City of David burned. The king was humiliated. The people were led off in chains.

But because of that fact... those clays seals became as stone in the heat of a fire that bore witness 3000 years later. They are still bearing witness today... To Israel... To the world...To my family.... To yours. Jeremiah was successful in the eyes of the One who mattered. He was obedient, even in affliction. The Father sees it all. And He knows the ending already.

Humble yourself. The sin has already been seen. Forgiveness is there. Healing awaits. Accept the consequences that your pride has earned. Trust that we have a good Father who will restore in His timing. And don't forget that out of the ashes of that city burning also held the beautiful promise of the New Covenant (found in the 31 chapter of Jeremiah) that was fulfilled when Yeshua/Jesus messiah walked the earth. “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ³² not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. ³³ “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ³⁴ They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.”

Jeremiah 31:31-34

In the middle of it all. Please don't forget that He is a Good Father. And He'll hold you... Even in the difficult. He's been doing it for a very VERY long time. He won't lose His grip now. The bending of the knee may be difficult at first... But humility is genuinely the first step towards healing. It gets easier. I'm walking beside you in this. You are seen. Loved. And not ever alone.