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Speaker 1: Let us pray. But Jeremiah said, they shall not deliver THEE. Obey.

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Speaker 1: I beseech THEE the voice of the Lord, which I

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Speaker 1: speak unto THEE, so it shall be well unto THEE,

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Speaker 1: and thy soul shall live Jeremiah thirty eight twenty. With

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Speaker 1: each new breath I take to day, I will give

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Speaker 1: thanks for the words found in the Bible. As in

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Speaker 1: the days of Jeremiah, I thank you in advance for

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Speaker 1: sending people my way, like the Ethiopian eunuch in to

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Speaker 1: day's reading. When others seek to throw me into a

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Speaker 1: cistron and try to muddy my character and name, I

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Speaker 1: thank you that through the clothing of kindness and humility,

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Speaker 1: you will provide a way for me out of that

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Speaker 1: muddy pit. When the hands of influence shift around me.

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Speaker 1: Because I have integrity, I will receive uncommon favor and

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Speaker 1: uncommon choices regarding the desires of my heart, even in

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Speaker 1: the midst of my enemies. No matter what may come

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Speaker 1: my way, I am resting in the finished work God.

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Speaker 1: I am at peace because I know that I am

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Speaker 1: a child of God in Jesus name. Amen, thank you

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Speaker 1: for praying with me today. Continue listening for an incredible

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Speaker 1: Bible story brought to you by Bible in a Year

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Speaker 1: dot com.

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Speaker 2: God protects Jeremiah and our last story, we learned about

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Speaker 2: King Zeddekiah's stubbornness against the Babylonians. He fought against them

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Speaker 2: despite Jeremiah's warnings. Jeremiah continued to warn people that fighting

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Speaker 2: against babylon was a vain attempt, like grasping it air.

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Speaker 2: Those warnings got Jeremiah beaten and thrown into prison. Now

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Speaker 2: Jeremiah remains in the courthouse as a captive and watches

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Speaker 2: as the Chaldeans and Babylonians pick up oart Judah piece

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Speaker 2: by peace. In this story, we watched the demise of

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Speaker 2: Judah through the eyes of Jeremiah. The old prophet is beaten,

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Speaker 2: stripped of wealth, and thrown into mud by his own people.

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Speaker 2: It would be foreigners and enemies that show him kindness.

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Speaker 2: Inspired by the Book of Jeremiah.

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Speaker 3: Hello, I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the

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Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. Thanks for joining us. In

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Speaker 3: our last episode, we saw a desperate but still prideful

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Speaker 3: King Zedekiah seeking good news from Jeremiah. He was holding

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Speaker 3: out hope that Judah could hold off the Babylonian onslaught

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Speaker 3: and drive them out of the land. But Jeremiah was

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Speaker 3: not in the business of telling people what they wanted

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Speaker 3: to hear. He was God's man, God's messenger, even if

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Speaker 3: the message was one of judgment. He delivered. This cost Jeremiah,

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Speaker 3: including scorn and beatings from those who opposed him. Still,

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Speaker 3: devastation was coming from the Chaldeans. And today we'll hear

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Speaker 3: the things Jeremiah experienced as Judah crumbled. God will call

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Speaker 3: him to sacrifice his own wealth and freedom for the

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Speaker 3: sake of others. And through it all the Lord will

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Speaker 3: be with him, protecting his profit and using him to

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Speaker 3: tell a story of ultimate redemption. So let's listen today

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Speaker 3: to God's word.

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Speaker 2: The prophet Jeremiah had been shut up in the courthouse

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Speaker 2: of Zedekiah for a long while. During that time, King

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Speaker 2: Neberkonezza began his second wind of attacks against Judah. The

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Speaker 2: Chaldeans broke down the walls and burned the city streets,

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Speaker 2: and Nebukanezza waltzed in without struggle. The land was lige.

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Speaker 2: It would take the Babylonian's weeks to reach Jerusalem. There

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Speaker 2: was a sense of urgency in King Zedekiah as he

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Speaker 2: rallied more men to fight. He fought against Neberconezzar and

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Speaker 2: the Chaldeans despite Jeremiah's warnings. One day Jeremiah was praying

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Speaker 2: in a solitary part of the court house, God whispered

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Speaker 2: to him, as he once did to Elijah. In that

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Speaker 2: still and quiet voice, the Lord made his will known

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Speaker 2: to the prophet. Your uncle Hannamel will visit you in desperation.

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Speaker 2: He will want to sell you his land in Anathoth.

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Speaker 2: Jeremiah's eyes widened at the words of the Lord. Anathoth

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Speaker 2: was already under siege from Babylon. Anyland his uncle would

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Speaker 2: want to sell him would be utterly worthless. It was

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Speaker 2: the Lord's intention for Jeremiah to use his money to

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Speaker 2: redeem his uncle and save him in hard times. Sure Enough,

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Speaker 2: the next day, Hanamel came to visit his nephew at

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Speaker 2: the court house. He begged Jeremiah to buy the land

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Speaker 2: of him. He said that he desired for the land

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Speaker 2: to stay in the family. However, Jeremiah knew it was

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Speaker 2: because the Babylonians had taken it and the land was

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Speaker 2: of no use to anyone now Buying the land would

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Speaker 2: be relieving his uncle of a burden. Jeremiah knew that

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Speaker 2: the Lord had called him to this, so he bought

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Speaker 2: the land and gave the deed to his friend Baruk

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Speaker 2: for safe keeping. The deed would be an image of

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Speaker 2: future redemption. To own that land would mean certain Babylonian slavery,

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Speaker 2: so Jeremiah redeemed his uncle so he could be free.

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Speaker 2: This is what the Lord would do for his people.

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Speaker 2: He would pay the price of slavery so that his

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Speaker 2: loved ones might live free. Jeremiah rejoiced in the Lord,

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Speaker 2: but continued to feel sorrow in his heart for Judah's fate.

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Speaker 2: Days passed and the siege of Babylon continued. Jeremiah went

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Speaker 2: to the roof of the court house. He could see

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Speaker 2: the horrors of the Chaldeans in the distance. They had

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Speaker 2: destroyed most of the walls Jerusalem. Zedekiah and his men

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Speaker 2: had destroyed a few of the homes to create a

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Speaker 2: makeshift wall to keep the Chaldeans out. When that didn't work,

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Speaker 2: they stacked on dead bodies to turn away the enemy.

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Speaker 2: God saw this and his heart broke. The blighted wind

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Speaker 2: came in from the north, and Jeremiah began to sob.

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Speaker 2: The Lord spoke to him again, saying, I am the

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Speaker 2: Lord who has made the earth. I will restore this

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Speaker 2: city once again. I will heal them and reveal my goodness.

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Speaker 2: The Lord's words touched Jeremiah's heart as he looked upon

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Speaker 2: the ashy city below. How could God fix this, Jeremiah

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Speaker 2: must have thought, I will cleanse my people from the

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Speaker 2: guilt of their sins. I will forgive them and wash

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Speaker 2: them clean. After this destruction, there shall again be the

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Speaker 2: sound of wedding bells, the voice of a groom singing

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Speaker 2: over his bride. All shall be made whole again. God declared.

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Speaker 2: This was another image of what God would do in

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Speaker 2: his people. Hundreds of years from then, a new king

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Speaker 2: would arise and walk the streets of Jerusalem. He would

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Speaker 2: enter and wash the people white as snow. Jeremiah continued

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Speaker 2: to do his best to warn the people of Judah.

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Speaker 2: As they passed by the court house. He told them

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Speaker 2: they had a choice remain in Judah and be made captives,

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Speaker 2: or flee to the Chaldeans and be spared. Jeremiah's words

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Speaker 2: were like poisoned to the men trying to fight. The

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Speaker 2: princes and commanders marched to the king and said, you

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Speaker 2: cannot let this man live. His words are quenching the

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Speaker 2: fire of our soldiers. Every time they hear him speak,

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Speaker 2: they lose more hope for victory. I agree. King Zedekiah replied,

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Speaker 2: do as you wish with him. My hands are clean

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Speaker 2: of it. The king's answer only partially pleased the princes,

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Speaker 2: for they desire Jeremiah dead, but did not want his

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Speaker 2: blood on their hands. Jeremiah praying to the Lord in

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Speaker 2: his room when he heard the door creak open. He

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Speaker 2: turned around and saw the princes and some guards with

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Speaker 2: clubs and ropes. More beatings. Jeremiah had become accustomed to them.

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Speaker 2: By now he had come to expect brutality over kindness.

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Speaker 2: The men beat him and bound him. Jeremiah's bruised and

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Speaker 2: bloody body was dragged through the courtyard towards an old cistern.

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Speaker 2: It was deep and no longer flowing with water. However,

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Speaker 2: it was filled with mud and moss. Jeremiah was let

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Speaker 2: down into the cistern on ropes. His feet touched the

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Speaker 2: mud below, and he tried to find steady footing.

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Speaker 1: He sank.

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Speaker 2: The mud consumed him, and darkness enveloped him. E Bed,

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Speaker 2: the Ethiopian eunuch, was strolling around the courtyard when he

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Speaker 2: heard the snickering of passing walkers. It came to his

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Speaker 2: attention that Jeremiah was tossed into the muddy cistern to

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Speaker 2: rot with no food or water. He immediately went to

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Speaker 2: the king and said, this is truly evil. Jeremiah is

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Speaker 2: a man of God and was left in that well

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Speaker 2: to starve. Give me permission to fish him out before

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Speaker 2: judgment falls on all of us. The king gave his

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Speaker 2: passive permission, and immediately Ebd gathered thirty men to tie

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Speaker 2: clothing together to make a rope. Ebed brought the makeshift

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Speaker 2: rope and his men down to the cistern. He peered

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Speaker 2: down to see Jeremiah's motionless body, consumed by the mud.

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Speaker 2: We are going to rescue you, he shouted. When the

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Speaker 2: rope comes down, tie it under your arms. Jeremiah was

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Speaker 2: barely conscious. He had gone days without food or water

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Speaker 2: and was beginning to think he would die there in

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Speaker 2: that cistern. He was pulled out and given a little

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Speaker 2: food to eat and water to drink. Not much could

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Speaker 2: be spared, since Judah was still in decline. Jeremiah remained

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Speaker 2: in the court house, recovering from his near death experience

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Speaker 2: in the cistern. He was quiet, of late and filled

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Speaker 2: with contemplation. The prophet was about to go to sleep

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Speaker 2: when his door opened. He had been summoned to meet

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Speaker 2: King Zedekiah. Jeremiah was escorted out of the court house.

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Speaker 2: He walked next to the guard past the palace. He

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Speaker 2: had thought he would meet the king in the palace

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Speaker 2: as usual. However, they were making their way towards the temple.

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Speaker 2: It was late and the distant sound of war had

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Speaker 2: subsided for the night. All that remained was the silent

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Speaker 2: crackling of fire in the moving breeze. Jeremiah saw King

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Speaker 2: Zedekiah sitting at the steps of the third gate of

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Speaker 2: the temple. He approached the king. There was silence for

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Speaker 2: a moment as the king looked blankly into the distance.

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Speaker 2: There was a crack in his normally impassive and expressionless face.

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Speaker 2: Zedekiah sighed, I will ask you this one question, the

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Speaker 2: king said, still looking blankly into nothing, Hide nothing from me.

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Speaker 2: I only want the truth. The truth usually gets me

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Speaker 2: beaten or worse, Jeremiah replied. The king looked at Jeremi somberly.

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Speaker 2: I swear you will not be harmed, nor will I

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Speaker 2: deliver you back into the hands of those who want

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Speaker 2: you dead. The king paused. He looked like a defeated man,

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Speaker 2: a weary man. What will come of us, Zaidekiah asked.

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Speaker 2: There were cracks in his voice as he spoke. Jeremiah

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Speaker 2: sat beside the king, looking into the nothingness next to him.

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Speaker 2: If you surrender, your life will be spared. The city

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Speaker 2: won't be burned to the ground. You and your house

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Speaker 2: shall live, he explained. But if you do not surrender

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Speaker 2: and you continue fighting, many more will die. This city

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Speaker 2: will be reduced to ashes. I fear that if I surrender,

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Speaker 2: I will be given over to the men who deserted

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Speaker 2: Judah to be with the Chaldeans. They are not happy

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Speaker 2: with me and will kill me, the king confessed. Jeremiah

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Speaker 2: shook his head. You won't be given to them. Heed

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Speaker 2: God's warnings now, and the Lord will you well with you.

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Speaker 2: Refuse in all your house will be captive to Babylon,

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Speaker 2: he said, with a pleading tone. Zedekiah rose up from

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Speaker 2: the temple steps and began to walk away. He paused

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Speaker 2: and turned to Jeremiah, saying, do not speak of our

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Speaker 2: conversation tonight, and I will let you live. So Jeremiah

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Speaker 2: remained in the courthouse as the city was preached. Jeremiah

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Speaker 2: woke up to the earth shaking beneath him. The Chaldaeans

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Speaker 2: had taken another side of the wall. The rocks fell

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Speaker 2: to the floor and shook the earth. Zedekiah had not

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Speaker 2: listened to the words of Jeremiah and raised his sword

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Speaker 2: against the Chaldeans. However, he was met with a force

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Speaker 2: too great to comprehend. Jeremiah watched from a distance as

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Speaker 2: Zedekiah's army retreated to the palace gardens. One by one,

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Speaker 2: they were picked off, spears were driven through their hearts,

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Speaker 2: and their heads were put on pikes. Tears streamed down

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Speaker 2: Jeremiah's face as he watched King Zedekiah beg for mercy.

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Speaker 2: The king was beaten, bound and sent off to Babylon.

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Speaker 2: Jeremiahs sat in his room and waited. He knew it

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Speaker 2: was only a matter of time before the Babylonian commanders

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Speaker 2: stormed to the court house in search of wealth. The

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Speaker 2: captain of Babylonian guard, Nebuzaradan, had his men searched the courthouse.

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Speaker 2: They took captives, gold, silver, and precious documents. They scoured

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Speaker 2: every room in closet until it was empty. Jeremiah's door

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Speaker 2: burst open and he was drug out into the courtyard

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Speaker 2: before an Abuzaradan. Jeremiah leaned in to receive another beating. However,

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Speaker 2: he was met with a warmness from the captain. King

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Speaker 2: Nebukonezzar had heard of Jeremiah. He heard of his warnings

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Speaker 2: to the people of Judah, and took pity on Jeremiah

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Speaker 2: for being a messenger of reason. Although Babylon was evil,

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Speaker 2: there was a glimmer of mercy in their actions towards Jeremiah.

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Speaker 2: He was given food, water, and a bodyguard to escort

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Speaker 2: him back to his home. He was also offered a

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Speaker 2: place beside Nebuzaradan. Jeremiah had a privilege no one else

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Speaker 2: in Judah had a choice, a choice to remain with

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Speaker 2: his people or live in the comforts of Babylon. With

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Speaker 2: that freedom, he chose to dwell among the remaining inhabitants

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Speaker 2: of Judah. There he cared for them in his old

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Speaker 2: age and helped them pursue God despite their suffering. As

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Speaker 2: Jeremiah looked into the distance. He could see a pillar

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Speaker 2: of flames where the temple was being burned. Everyone watched

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Speaker 2: in sorrow as the temple crumbled. Jeremiah's heart swelled with sadness.

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Speaker 2: He did not turn his eyes from the temple. As

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Speaker 2: he stared out at the distance, he remembered the image

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Speaker 2: of God showed him of the potter and clay. The

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Speaker 2: old pot was broken, so a new one could emerge,

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Speaker 2: more beautiful. Out of death would come new life. This

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Speaker 2: was the rhythm of creation. This was the way of

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Speaker 2: the Lord.

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Speaker 3: As we begin today's reading, Jeremiah is confined to Zedekiah's

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Speaker 3: courthouse while the king and his armies try in vain

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Speaker 3: to hold off the assault of nebkan Azer's forces. But

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Speaker 3: at last the Chaldeans broke through the walls and the

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Speaker 3: Babylonian king entered the land, headed for Jerusalem, and King

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Speaker 3: Zedekiah Judah was in ruins, cities set ablaze as the

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Speaker 3: Chaldeans marched through, taking and doing whatever they please. And

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Speaker 3: so in this context, the Lord spoke one day to Jeremiah.

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Speaker 3: This time the message was not for Zedekiah or the

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Speaker 3: people of Judah. It was for Jeremiah. Himself. God told

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Speaker 3: him his uncle Hanamel was going to come to him

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Speaker 3: desperate and try to sell his land to Jeremiah. His

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Speaker 3: property had no value, as the Babylonians had taken that

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Speaker 3: part of Judah. This wasn't an investment opportunity for Jeremiah.

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Speaker 3: It was a sacrifice. Buying the land from Hannamel would

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Speaker 3: take an enormous burden off the shoulders of his uncle

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Speaker 3: and rescue him from certain slavery. Jeremiah was faithful to

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Speaker 3: the Lord's will and bought the land. It was a

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Speaker 3: redemptive act that gave Hannemel a freedom he had done

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Speaker 3: nothing to earn and had no hope to attain on

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Speaker 3: his own. Through Jeremiah's sacrifice, God was showing his people

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Speaker 3: what he would do for them and for us, paying

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Speaker 3: the price for our freedom. It is an act of

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Speaker 3: pure grace. The battle continued, with Zedekiah and his forces

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Speaker 3: fighting in futility against Babylon. Jeremiah watched in horror and

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Speaker 3: grief as his homeland was destroyed, the dead bodies piling

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Speaker 3: up left and right, and he wept for Judah. God

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Speaker 3: spoke to him again with words of hope. Listen to

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Speaker 3: God's promise found in Jeremiah thirty three, verses six through eight. Behold,

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Speaker 3: I will bring it to health and healing, and I

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Speaker 3: will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity

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Speaker 3: and security. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and

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Speaker 3: the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were

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Speaker 3: at first. I will cleanse them from all the guilt

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Speaker 3: of their sin against Me, and I will forgive all

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Speaker 3: the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. This

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Speaker 3: is a tremendous promise from God's word to all of

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Speaker 3: us when we confess our sins turn our hearts to Him,

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Speaker 3: even in the most challenging moments. His faithfulness, his goodness,

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Speaker 3: all his promises are there to strengthen and help us,

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Speaker 3: and to encourage us, and yes, forgive us when we

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Speaker 3: need forgiveness. God reminds Jeremiah and all of us that

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Speaker 3: when we face adverse circumstances, God can use these things

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Speaker 3: to cleanse us of our sin and our rebellion against Him.

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Speaker 3: So Jeremiah continued to do what God called him to do,

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Speaker 3: and today we heard how yet again those who didn't

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Speaker 3: want to hear of condemnation and judgment sought to take

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Speaker 3: Jeremiah's life. He was seized and thrown into a cistern,

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Speaker 3: but at the last moment God sent a man to

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Speaker 3: rescue him. We then hear an earnest conversation between Jeremiah

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Speaker 3: and a weary king Zedekiah. The arrogance and anger of

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Speaker 3: the king seemed broken, replaced by fear of what would

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Speaker 3: happen to him. Jeremiah came to him as a caring

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Speaker 3: shepherd and a wise counselor, urging this man to surrender

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Speaker 3: as much to God's will as to the Babylonians. But

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Speaker 3: Zedekiah doesn't listen to the last warning and continues to

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Speaker 3: flee and fight, until one by one his men are killed,

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Speaker 3: along with his sons, slaughtered right before his eyes. Zedekiah's

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Speaker 3: eyes are gouged out, and he's taken away in captivity

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Speaker 3: to Babylon. Such a tragic sad ending that could have

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Speaker 3: been avoided if only Zadekiah had listened to God's warnings.

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Speaker 3: As for Jeremiah, he obeyed and found mercy in the

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Speaker 3: side of the Lord, even kind by the Babylonian commander.

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Speaker 3: He is given a choice to go to Babylon to

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Speaker 3: live in comfort or to stay with his people. Jeremiah

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Speaker 3: chooses to remain in Judah to serve his people, even

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Speaker 3: as Jerusalem and God's Temple crumble to the ground. But

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Speaker 3: this man of God knows that the Lord one day

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Speaker 3: will make all things new, because our God is always

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Speaker 3: faithful to his word, and his goodness and mercy is eternal.

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Speaker 3: Let's pray, Lord God, May we always listen and obey you.

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Speaker 3: May we always do your will and trust you. And

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Speaker 3: when we disobey, may we find forgiveness as we confess

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Speaker 3: our sins. Lord, we thank you for the story of

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Speaker 3: Jeremiah and this man of God who is faithful to

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Speaker 3: you all the days of his life. May we also

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Speaker 3: live in commitment and consecration to you in Jesus's name. Amen.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to Today Bible in a Year podcast.

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Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage

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Speaker 3: you to download the prey dot com app and always

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Speaker 3: make Bible reading and Bible study a priority in your

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Speaker 3: life along with prayer. If you enjoyed this podcast, share

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Speaker 3: it with someone you love. Let someone know because by

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Speaker 3: sharing this podcast, you can truly make a difference in

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Speaker 3: someone's life. And if you want more resources from me,

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham as to how you can grow in your

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Speaker 3: Christian life, then go to Jack Graham dot org. That's

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham dot org. God bless you.

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Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by Meta Share, an innovative healthcare

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