Daily Devotional For Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Good morning Southside! I am following the One Year Chronological Bible reading suggestion and any Bible verses you see highlighted in bold (ex. John 3:16), means it is a link to that verse. All you have to do is click on the reference and it will take you to the verse online. Our daily devotional reading for today comes from Jeremiah 37:11-21:
“When the Babylonian army left Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s approaching army, (12) Jeremiah started to leave the city on his way to the territory of Benjamin, to claim his share of the property among his relatives there. (13) But as he was walking through the Benjamin Gate, a sentry arrested him and said, “You are defecting to the Babylonians!” The sentry making the arrest was Irijah son of Shelemiah, grandson of Hananiah. (14) “That’s not true!” Jeremiah protested. “I had no intention of doing any such thing.” But Irijah wouldn’t listen, and he took Jeremiah before the officials. (15) They were furious with Jeremiah and had him flogged and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary. Jonathan’s house had been converted into a prison. (16) Jeremiah was put into a dungeon cell, where he remained for many days. (17) Later King Zedekiah secretly requested that Jeremiah come to the palace, where the king asked him, “Do you have any messages from the LORD?” “Yes, I do!” said Jeremiah. “You will be defeated by the king of Babylon.” (18) Then Jeremiah asked the king, “What crime have I committed? What have I done against you, your attendants, or the people that I should be imprisoned like this? (19) Where are your prophets now who told you the king of Babylon would not attack you or this land? (20) Listen, my lord the king, I beg you. Don’t send me back to the dungeon in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for I will die there.” (21) So King Zedekiah commanded that Jeremiah not be returned to the dungeon. Instead, he was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace. The king also commanded that Jeremiah be given a loaf of fresh bread every day as long as there was any left in the city. So Jeremiah was put in the palace prison” (NLT).
Have you ever been falsely accused of something or someone questioned your motives and had others get involved to come after you? In our passage for today, Jeremiah experiences this. No one in Judah likes him due to the prophecies God has had him make. He was a hated and a marked man. All he did was warn them to repent or face God’s wrath. They laughed at him and mocked him. They thought with the wall around Jerusalem, Solomon’s Temple and being God’s people, they were safe. When God used Babylon to conquer Judah and haul away thousands to live as exiled slaves in Babylon, Jeremiah did not say, “Well, I told you so.” But his continued presence was an indirect way they people and the king viewed what was happening.
In Jeremiah’s case, the truth was more than they could handle. It reminds me of a line by Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men. As a colonel in the Marine Corps he is a witness in a military trial. Tom Cruise is the prosecuting attorney, Lt. Caffee and he believes that Col. Jessup ordered a Code Red against a marine, which is against the Marine Corps Code of Conduct. As Cruise presses Colonel Jessup under intense cross examination, Jessup responds with, “You can’t handle the trut.” King Zedekiah and the people of Judah should not handle the truth, God’s truth. You read God’s truth, you hear God’s truth, and you are able to handle it. You may not like to hear it, but ignoring it does not make it un-truth or non-truth or a lie. So, back to our passage. King Zedekiah actually feared Jeremiah and the Lord. This is why he showed compassion and mercy on him, but everyone viewed Jeremiah as a traitor. Old Testament scholar Philip G. Ryken writes this:
“The most famous traitor in the history of the United States was Benedict Arnold (1741–1801). Like many traitors, Arnold began his career as a patriot. He joined the Revolutionary Army as a colonel in 1775 and led several successful military campaigns. He helped Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys capture Fort Ticonderoga. He was one of General Washington’s most trusted officers. Twice he was wounded in battle and acclaimed a hero. Benedict Arnold failed to win a promotion to major general, however, a promotion he thought he deserved. Then he was accused of personal misconduct. Although he was cleared by the court-martial, Arnold was angry about the way he had been treated and began plotting revenge. After a year and a half of secret correspondence he found a way to betray his country. He would hand over the fortress at West Point, then under his command, to the British army. But some of his letters were intercepted, the conspiracy was uncovered, and Benedict Arnold was disgraced forever. Jeremiah was accused of a similar act of treason. During a brief cease-fire between the Babylonians and the Jews, the prophet tried to slip out of Jerusalem unnoticed. He was captured, arrested, beaten, and imprisoned. But Jeremiah was no Benedict Arnold. He was a patriot for God and his people” (Source: Philip G. Ryken, Preach The Word, “Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow To Hope, pp. 558–559).
Reflection Assignment: If you have ever been falsely accused, how did you respond and how did it turn out? Have you ever been part of a group to falsely accuse someone else? There are times all of us are traitors to the Lord. When are you most vulnerable to do this and how did you repent from it?
Scripture To Meditate On: Galatians 4:16, “Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, please forgive me when I have been a traitor to You and when I allowed my heart to falsely accuse someone without getting to the truth. I know I am not in any position to know a person’s heart, yet at times, I play God, and assume that I can. Please forgive me for assuming Your role. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly