Not a Genie in a Bottle – Jer 21
Jerusalem was surrounded by the Babylonians. King Zedekiah was obviously concerned. In desperation, he turned to the only one he thought could get a message from God – Jeremiah. He hoped that Jeremiah would tell him that God was going to deal wondrously with them and give them the victory.
The message he received was not what he expected. Instead, Jeremiah told him the only way to survive was to surrender. Those who stayed and fought would die. God Himself, rather than defending them, would actually fight against.
Zedekiah really should have known better. For years, he had heard the prophecies. He and the people were not living in obedience to God’s law. Yet, he still wanted God to help them.
How often, do we make the same mistake? We assume that God will deal wondrously with us and give us what we want, even when we are living in disobedience to Him.
Maybe we should do more listening than asking. Maybe we should realise that God actually means what He says. May we learn the lesson of Zedekiah.
God is not and will not always give us what we want, when we want, without any repentance or faith on our part. God is not a genie in a bottle.