-
Serve the “King of the Nations” and SurviveThe Watchtower—1980 | February 1
-
-
8, 9. (a) In secret interview, how did King Zedekiah free Jeremiah from any pressure to be a false prophet to him? (b) What unchanged advice did Jeremiah give Zedekiah, setting what alternatives before him?
8 King Zedekiah, at whose order Jeremiah had been rescued, called for another secret interview with him in an entryway of the temple. Zedekiah swore by the life-giving Jehovah not to have the prophet put to death for telling him God’s truth, but did not promise to listen to it. Freed from the threat of death that could have turned him into a false prophet, Jeremiah stuck true to the identical message that had earlier put him in danger of death:
9 ‘King Zedekiah, either you yourself as king surrender Jerusalem to the Chaldeans or else Jehovah will take it upon himself to surrender it to be burned down by the Chaldeans. Have no fear of being treated abusively by Jews who have already heeded my advice and escaped to the besiegers.
-