The passage

1Early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 11But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares the Lord.” ’ ”

Also referenced today

The shape of the message

1. Jeremiah’s object lesson: the yoke as a public warning
2. God’s sovereignty over leaders and nations, including Nebuchadnezzar
3. The coalition’s resistance, false prophets, and the cost of refusing God’s will
4. Jeremiah’s word to Zedekiah and the personal parallel of choosing whom to serve
5. A word to priests and people: prayer, remaining losses, and exposed false predictions
6. Bringing it home: resisting versus submitting to God’s known will, and Jesus’ yoke

Questions to hold while you listen

• Where are you tempted to listen to the “optimistic” voice that contradicts what God has clearly said?
• What is a current “yoke” in your life that you most want to break, and why does submission feel humiliating there?
• What would it look like for you to stop “secretly planning your own escape route” and instead obey what you already know God has said?
• How have you seen God use an unlikely person, leader, or circumstance to correct you, and how did you respond?
• Joshua 24:15 frames life as a choice of whom you will serve; what competing “rulers” (like a boss, addiction, or ailment) are you most aware of right now?

Notes

This week

Identify one place you are resisting what you know God has clearly said—an ignored command, an unsurrendered habit, or an authority you refuse to honour—and choose one concrete act of humility and obedience there.