Sermons / Jeremiah / Jeremiah 38:1–28
The Cost of Standing Firm
Jeremiah 38 shows Jeremiah pressured, silenced, and thrown into a muddy pit for speaking God’s word, while weak leadership caves to public fear. Standing for truth will often cost you, but God sees, sends help in His timing, and calls for obedience over comfort.
The recording, chapter markers and searchable transcript appear here once the Sunday video is available.
In this message
- Truth will sound like an attack to people committed to a lie, so faithfulness can be treated like treason.
- Weak leadership caves to fear of people and ends up empowering evil rather than resisting it.
- Obedience may put you in a “pit” of hardship instead of a life of comfort.
- God sees people in the pit and sends help in His timing, often through unexpected people.
- Hearing truth is not the same as obeying truth, and fear of people will keep you from God’s best.
The passage
The verses Lee stops on. Read Jeremiah 38 in full.
Jeremiah 38:1–2
1Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jehukal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, 2“This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague, but whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’
“This is what the Lord says: Whoever stays in this city will die… But whoever goes over to the Babylonians will live…’”
Jeremiah 38:19
19King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”
“King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, ‘I am afraid…’” There it is. Fear. Zedekiah knows what to do…But he’s afraid. Afraid of what people will think. Afraid of how it will look.Afraid of losing control. And Jeremiah tells him: “Obey the Lord… and it will go well with you.” Simple. Clear. Direct. But he won’t do it. Why? Because fear will keep you from obedience. Zedekiah is standing next to the bell.. and instead of obeying God.. He rings it.
When you stand for truth in a world that rejects it…you will face pressure, opposition, and isolation—but God will always honor your obedience.
What we have seen
- Standing for truth will often cost you.
- Weak leadership enables wrong outcomes.
- Obedience may lead to hardship, not comfort.
- God always sees and sends help in His timing.
- Fear of people will keep you from God’s best.
Why did Jeremiah’s message sound like treason in Jeremiah 38?
Truth will always sound negative to people who are committed to a lie. Jeremiah delivered what God said, and the officials accused him of “weakening the people” instead of listening to the warning. The reaction showed they didn’t want to consider his words; they wanted to silence him. Spurgeon’s point was that when a culture tolerates sin and flips good and evil, truth becomes the enemy.
What does Jeremiah 38 say about trying to silence conviction?
People who reject God’s word often move from disagreement to silencing the messenger. In Jeremiah 38, the officials didn’t want debate; they wanted Jeremiah removed. The point is that conviction is uncomfortable, so a culture that loves darkness will try to shut down light. David Guzik noted that hatred of the message often turns into hatred for the one who brings it.
How did King Zedekiah’s leadership affect what happened in Jeremiah 38?
Weak leadership enables wrong outcomes. Zedekiah knew Jeremiah was right, but he handed Jeremiah over because he feared people more than he feared God. That kind of weakness doesn’t stay personal; it empowers the evil around it. J. Vernon McGee specifically described Zedekiah as a weak king without the backbone to stand for what he knew was right.
What does the muddy pit in Jeremiah 38 mean for someone trying to obey God?
Obedience does not guarantee comfort. Jeremiah was lowered into a cistern with mud and sank down for doing exactly what God told him to do. The chapter refuses a sanitized view of faithfulness: sometimes obedience lands you in the pit. The promise held out is not ease but that God can lift someone out in His timing.
Who is Ebed-Melek, and why does he matter in Jeremiah 38?
God always has a remnant watching. Ebed-Melek wasn’t a king or a prophet; he was simply a man who feared God and stepped in when Jeremiah was in the cistern. His presence shows that when someone feels buried, forgotten, or alone, God may already have positioned help. David Guzik observed that God often raises unexpected people to accomplish His purposes.
What does Jeremiah 38 teach about where courage comes from?
Courage isn’t about position—it’s about conviction. Ebed-Melek went to the king and said what was done to Jeremiah was wrong, risking his position, safety, and future. The chapter highlights that God often uses unlikely people to accomplish powerful things. The point is that courage can come from the places no one expects.
What does it mean that God “doesn’t waste the pit” in Jeremiah 38?
God uses pressure and hardship as part of the process rather than random pain. Even after Jeremiah was pulled out of the cistern, he was still in custody—still not free or comfortable—showing the rescue wasn’t the end of the refining. Spurgeon’s point was that God uses the sufferings of His people to refine and strengthen faith. The chapter was used to say that trials can be used by God for good, not wasted.
How did fear of people ruin King Zedekiah’s response in Jeremiah 38?
Fear of people will keep you from God’s best. Zedekiah admitted he was afraid, even though the path forward was clear: obey the Lord. The problem wasn’t lack of information; it was fear of what people would think and how things would look. The claim was straightforward: you cannot obey God fully and fear people deeply at the same time.
What does Jeremiah 38 say about hearing truth but not changing?
Hearing truth is not the same as obeying truth. Zedekiah listened but did nothing, which pictured a kind of silence that looks spiritual but never actually turns into obedience. The warning was that people can hear the Word, nod along, and still delay. James 1:22 was cited to say listening without doing is self-deception.
How does Jeremiah 38 connect to Jesus and obedience now?
Jesus didn’t just call for obedience; He paid the price for disobedience. The response called for is to stop negotiating with truth, stop delaying obedience, and stop fearing people. John 14:15 was used to tie love for Jesus to keeping His commands. The chapter was applied as a choice between being comfortable and compromising or being pressured and obedient, because you don’t get both.
Where else scripture speaks
Every passage Lee reaches for. The ones he teaches from open here; the rest link out.
Passages picked up elsewhere in the series:
- John 3:19–20 — Israel Forsakes God, Jerusalem Under Siege, How to Spot a False Prophet
- Romans 8:28 — Called Before You Were Born, False Religion… Worthless, Why is Life Un-Fair?
- James 1:2–4 — Misguided Worship, Should Christians Drink Alcohol?
- Galatians 1:10 — Called Before You Were Born, Prophets in 2025?, Fire in my Bones
- James 1:22 — Misguided Worship, Should Christians Drink Alcohol?
- Joshua 24:15 — The Covenant is Broken, At the Potter’s House, The Yoke of Babylon, God’s Yoke for Us
Take this with you
Let me leave you with this: Would you rather be comfortable and compromise or pressured and obedient…but you don’t get both.
Keep going
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