Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 36:11-12)

Speaking From The Mouth Of The Lord

The work of preaching the word of God carries an incredible burden of responsibility. There is nothing purer than taking the message of the divine to instruct the human heart of its needs, obligations, and requirements. When God created man and woman, He gave them instructions. The Lord spoke to them and told them what they could do and not do. There were many blessings in the Garden of Eden and there was a penalty for disobedience. God relayed His word to Adam and Eve so they could know and understand His will. Those first words came from the mouth of God. Throughout the history of mankind, God spoke to the fathers by various methods and means. Sometimes the Lord would speak directly to the man, reveal His will through visions and dreams, but most commonly transcribe His will for all to read. Ultimately, the will of the Lord came from the mouth of God.

Zedekiah was one of the final kings of Judah when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem. The king tried to flee but was caught by the Babylonian soldiers and brought before Nebuchadnezzar. His sons were killed before his eyes and then Nebuchadnezzar had Zedekiah’s eyes burned out. The king of Judah was taken to Babylon, where he died. Zedekiah followed the pathway of evil, refusing to listen to the words of Jeremiah, the prophet. His demise came as a consequence of rebellion against the preaching of Jeremiah. The gravity of his sin was that refusing to heed the preaching of Jeremiah meant that Zedekiah refused to listen to the words coming from the mouth of God. Jeremiah was not preaching a message of human origin or something the prophet dreamed up. The message of Jeremiah came from the mouth of God.

Preaching the word is declaring the voice of God. The Bible is the divinely revealed message of God and to obey the words of the Bible is to obey the voice of God. Refusing to submit to the words of the Bible is refusing to listen to the words coming from the mouth of God. When men begin to pick and choose which parts of the Bible they will believe, they decide which part of the mouth of God they will accept or reject. The word of God is settled in heaven and no man can change it. There should be a holy reverence to the teachings of the Bible because what is found between Genesis and the Revelation is the mouth of God. Hear it to be wise. Believe it to be saved. Tremble if you refuse. Fear when you ignore it. Zedekiah did not humble himself before Jeremiah, the prophet who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. Do not make the same mistake.