While I would not class myself as a prophet, I could foresee what was going to happen if my daughter did not listen to my advice.

Jeremiah 39:1-18

Reference:  v.12  "Take him and look after him; don't harm him but do for him whatever he asks." (NIV Bible)

Explore:  We have just started producing some basil and lettuce from our new vegetable garden.  While we are enjoying the fruits of our labour there is more in our garden than we can eat ourselves.  So a week or so ago my daughter had asked if we could drop some of our produce off at one of her friend's house.  As her friend lives near my daughter's work I had suggested that we pop in one day before her shift at work.  The next time my daughter worked I told her that we would need to leave at 5pm if we were to go to her friend's and still get her to work on time.  Due to poor time management and leaving everything to the last minute, my daughter was not ready at 5pm and hadn't even picked the produce from the garden.  We ended up leaving at 5:15 - which would have been the normal time we left for her to get to work.  I explained in the car that if we were to go to her friends house that she would be late for work.  She tried to convince me otherwise but, because I was a little more time-savvy I held to my beliefs.  I told her that the choice was hers.  I could drop her straight off at work and she would get there on time or we could go around to her friend's house but she would then run late for work.  Still convinced that I was wrong, my daughter decided that we would have enough time to do both and so we headed off to her friend's house.  After delivering the produce and having a quick chat to the family we headed off to her work only to arrive 15 minutes late.  My daughter was flustered and in a hurry and worried that her boss would tell her off as she was running so late.  It was not enjoyable for me to think that she would be in trouble from her boss but it was also important for my daughter to learn that the choices that she makes do have consequences and sometimes it's wise to listen to other people.

Application:  While I would not class myself as a prophet, I could foresee what was going to happen if my daughter did not listen to my advice.  In a more major way, Jeremiah the prophet was also giving the people of Judah advice and could see what the consequences of their actions would be.  It was not an easy job for Jeremiah.  His task was to speak of impending disaster and tell everyone he knew that they were doing the wrong thing.  Due to the fact that no one likes to be told they are wrong, people had made a lot of trouble for Jeremiah and his task was a heavy burden to carry.  39 chapters later and we finally see some reward for Jeremiah.  You can read at the start of this chapter and hear the kind of torture that could have been delivered to Jeremiah.  But instead we hear that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, instructs his men to look after him.  Jeremiah could definitely have held his head high as the words he had spoken from God had come true.  However, I think that his prophetic words coming true would have been bitter sweet.  Yes, he had been proven correct but the consequences for his people were devastating.  It is important for us to speak up and give advice to our loved ones but we can not be held responsible for the choices they make.

Prayer:  Lord, sometimes we just want to wrap our loved ones up in cotton wool so they do not experience any negative consequences.  However, while we can speak our mind and give advice, You have given each person free will.  May we show our love and concern to all people and still be there for them, even if they fall.  Amen.

Have you ever been able to foresee a negative consequence to a friend's behaviour?  What did you do?  How did they respond?