Though God's judgment was coming on Judah and Jerusalem, the Lord made a personal promise to Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, to save his life from the destruction and let him die peacefully (1-5). It was God's undeserved grace.

In the face of coming judgment, King Zedekiah called on his people to carry out a radical act of repentance and compassion: to free all of their Hebrew slaves. Actually, it was what the law of Moses required them to do every seven years (8-9, 14). At first, the people of Jerusalem obeyed, but afterwards they went back on their word and enslaved their brothers and sisters again. For this unfaithfulness, God declared that he would totally destroy Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah (17-22).

The gospel of Jesus proclaims freedom for all people who have been held in captivity to sin, by the power of Jesus' blood. We are called to proclaim this freedom to each other in both word and deed. It is easy to claim freedom for ourselves, but selfishness in our hearts can make it more difficult to grant it to others. May we help others experience true freedom in Jesus.


Application: Father, thank you for your undeserved gift of freedom in Jesus. Help me share this freedom with others.
One Word: Proclaim freedom to others