In a cowardly fashion, Zedekiah would consult Jeremiah privately, but he totally lacked the moral courage to obey God, for that would involve the humility of surrendering his pride publicly, the one thing he continually refused to do.

The light of this call continually produces a series of crises. When God’s man or woman sins against our holy, merciful God, an immediate invitation comes from the Holy Spirit: confess the error in sincere repentance. Confess and forsake. Every time, this requires overcoming pride and self-defense.

It is a terrible thing to remove yourself from the divine guidance and protection of the LORD. In this case, the earnestness of the people’s declared intent to follow God’s will amounted to a mere pretense.

Being involved in the enormity of God’s purposes simply means that others are directly affected. I must ask myself: am I willing to suffer the criticism that is likely to result as I follow the Lord?

The new covenant refers to the restoration of the original one, written in a different place by the LORD Himself: upon our hearts.

Jeremiah is urging his brethren to look back at Jacob’s experience when he was threatened by an angry brother who said he would kill him in revenge for past wrongs. In preparation for the crisis, Jacob spent the night in prayer . . .