Jeremiah 40:2-3 “2 Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, ‘The Lord your God promised this calamity against this place; 3 and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you.’”
STRANGE SOURCE OF TRUTH
Isn’t it amazing that as Jeremiah is being led to Babylon that he is confronted with truth from a pagan? Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, basically repeated all Jeremiah had been saying would happen. But have you ever thought how Nebuzardan knew this? Who told him what the Lord said about Judah?
Have you ever had a lost friend who spoke truth to you? I have. Now, they may not have recognized their words as truth, but the Lord spoke through them. How is that possible? God will use whatever and whomever He pleases to speak to us. His only concern is to have us listen. He could speak directly to us with a loud, thundering boom. But sometimes He uses the unexpected.
TEACHING MOMENT
So how do we tell our children to listen to truth. We must show them how to check it out against the Word. They will get all kinds of advice from people, lost and saved. But the litmus test whether it is from God or not is how it agrees with the Word. Does it line up with the truths taught there? Does it conflict or agree?
Your little Flossie Jane may not know the Word that well, so what does she do? She comes to you. That means YOU must know the Word. You must have a grasp on the truth. You need to recognize falsehoods when you hear them which means you must study the truth.
Are you struggling right now with a decision? Are you seeking advice? To whom do you turn? You have prayed, but God is silent. So, what do you do? You wait! You keep praying. You listen closely to those around you whom you can trust. And then, if they give you counsel, you go to the Word to verify. You have heard it said, “Trust, but verify.” That applies here as well.
A Moment In Time 