“Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die. 25But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:” Jer. 38:24-25
King Zedekiah was in a tough situation. He wanted to hear what the Lord had to say through Jeremiah the prophet, but he also didn’t want to the princes to know. He didn’t want to offend them. The real problem with Zedekiah is that he feared man more then he feared God. Once that happens to a preacher, his ministry is done, unless he repents of course. Once any believer fears man above God, they will live a life of fear. Unless the man fearing believer repents they will end up like Zedekiah. “Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon” (Jeremiah 39:7).
