What happens when people repeatedly hear God's warnings but refuse to listen? And what can Jeremiah's decades of faithful ministry teach us about parenting children who don't always respond the way we hope?

In this episode of The Dwelling Place Bible Podcast for Busy Moms, Stephanie Hickox walks through Jeremiah 37–40 and Psalms 74 and 79, bringing us to the devastating fall of Jerusalem. After decades of warnings, Judah finally experiences the judgment God had promised.

Yet even in the middle of destruction, we see God's faithfulness, His protection of those who trust Him, and a powerful reminder that our faithfulness is not measured by whether our children always make faithful choices.

As Christian moms, we can sometimes feel responsible for every decision our children make. But Jeremiah's story reminds us that we can faithfully teach, warn, pray, model righteousness, and entrust our children to the Lord—while recognizing that they have hearts of their own.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why Judah's destruction should not have come as a surprise after decades of God's warnings
• What Jeremiah 37:2 teaches us about listening to God's Word
• Why King Zedekiah repeatedly sought Jeremiah's counsel but refused to obey God's message
• The incredible story of Ebed-Melek, the Ethiopian who rescued Jeremiah from the cistern
• What happened when Jerusalem finally fell to Babylon
• Why Jeremiah's faithfulness mattered even when his message was unpopular
• How the destruction of Jerusalem points forward to the new covenant and Christ
• What Psalms 74 and 79 teach us about grieving devastation while continuing to trust God
• How we can praise God even when circumstances are painful
• A parenting lesson about not confusing our children's choices with our effectiveness as mothers
• Why we should prepare our children to walk faithfully through suffering rather than promising them an easy life
• How the presence of God—not perfect circumstances—is our greatest treasure

When Our Kids Don't Listen

One of the most encouraging parenting lessons in this passage is actually found in Judah's repeated refusal to listen.

God had been communicating clearly and persistently. Jeremiah had faithfully delivered His Word for decades. The people had been warned again and again.

And still, they didn't listen.

That reality can be sobering for mothers.

We can teach our children God's Word, establish boundaries, correct sinful behavior, pray with them, model repentance, and lovingly remind them of what is true—and they can still make sinful choices.

Our children's disobedience does not automatically mean we have failed as mothers.

Our calling is faithfulness. We cannot control the hearts of our children.

This doesn't mean we become passive or stop disciplining, teaching, or correcting. Instead, it frees us to parent from a place of faithful obedience rather than fear and guilt.

When Following God Isn't Popular

Jeremiah's message wasn't exactly crowd-pleasing.

He repeatedly told the people something they desperately did not want to hear: surrender to Babylon because God had appointed this judgment.

Because Jeremiah spoke the truth, he was accused of treason, beaten, imprisoned, and thrown into a muddy cistern.

Yet Jeremiah remained faithful.

That gives Christian moms an important question to consider:

Are we more concerned with our children's comfort and approval—or with helping them know and follow God's truth?

Faithful Christian parenting isn't ultimately about producing children who look successful, happy, or impressive.

It is about faithfully pointing our children toward Christ.

The Fall of Jerusalem and the Hope of the New Covenant

Jeremiah 39 brings us to the horrifying climax of Judah's judgment. Jerusalem falls. The temple is burned. The walls are broken down. God's people are carried into exile.

After all the descriptions we've encountered throughout Jeremiah, the devastation is difficult to read.

And yet, this destruction also points us toward something greater.

The temple would not remain God's ultimate dwelling place.

Through Christ, the veil would be torn, and God's people would become His dwelling place.

The story of Jeremiah ultimately points us beyond Jerusalem's destruction toward the new covenant fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

The God who allowed His people to experience judgment was also the God who was preparing a way for redemption.

Finding Hope in Psalms 74 and 79

Psalms 74 and 79 give us a glimpse into the grief surrounding Jerusalem's destruction.

There is devastation. Confusion. Anger. Loss.

And yet the psalmists still cry out to God.

They remember who He is.

And Psalm 79 ends with a beautiful commitment to praise God from generation to generation.

Even when everything around us feels broken, God is still worthy of our worship.

That's a lesson worth passing on to our children.

We don't need to teach them that following Jesus will protect them from disappointment, suffering, loss, or hardship.

Instead, we can teach them something far better:

God is worthy of our trust no matter what happens.

A Parenting Encouragement for Christian Moms

Your children will experience disappointment.

They will make choices you don't understand.

They may reject advice you've given them.

They may struggle with sin that you've warned them about repeatedly.

And there may be seasons when you wonder whether all of your teaching is making any difference.

Jeremiah reminds us that faithfulness doesn't guarantee immediate results.

So keep teaching.

Keep praying.

Keep correcting.

Keep modeling repentance.

Keep pointing your children toward God's Word.

And keep entrusting their hearts to the One who knows them better than you ever could.

Your responsibility is not to control the outcome.

Your responsibility is to faithfully steward the children God has entrusted to you.

Questions for Reflection

1. Am I measuring my effectiveness as a mother by my children's behavior?
2. Where might I be tempted to prioritize my child's approval over faithfulness to God's Word?
3. How can I teach my children that following Jesus doesn't guarantee an easy life?
4. What trials have taught me that God's presence is more valuable than comfortable circumstances?
5. How can I help my children develop a deep trust in God's purposes when life doesn't go according to their plans?

Bible Reading for This Episode

Jeremiah 37–40 and Psalms 74, 79

If you're following along with The Dwelling Place chronological Bible reading plan, open your Bible and read these chapters alongside this episode as we continue walking through Scripture together.

Keep Studying the Bible With Us

The Dwelling Place Bible Podcast for Busy Moms is designed to help Christian moms consistently get into God's Word, understand Scripture in context, and apply biblical truth to everyday motherhood.

At Entrusted Ministries, we want to help moms move beyond simply knowing about the Bible and learn to live out God's Word in their homes.

If you're looking for a Christian Bible podcast for women, a chronological Bible reading plan, biblical parenting encouragement, or practical Christian parenting wisdom, we'd love to have you join us for the next episode.

Because what moms do over and over matters to God.

Friend, you don't have to parent perfectly to parent faithfully. Keep bringing your children—and yourself—to the God who is perfectly faithful.Resources Mentioned:

• Entrusted With a Child's Heart
• The Again Podcast: Interview with Chris McKenna Part 1, Part 2
• Full-Circle Discipline Resources
• Journey Through the Bible

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary

This is the Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox, today we encounter

the most detailed account of the climax

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of the judgment of Babylon upon Jerusalem.

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In Jeremiah 37 through 40 and Psalms

74 and 79, we'll read vivid depictions

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of what this historical event actually

entailed I don't know about you,

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but to me it feels that God has

been warning about this forever.

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And even if we didn't include the

other prophets, Jeremiah has been

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warning about it for decades.

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About five, in fact.

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It doesn't seem to me that the

people should be surprised,

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And yet here the moment is.

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With all of the opportunities they had

for repentance, they have chosen this.

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It reminds me of a time when one

of my sons said that all he wanted

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for his birthday was an iPhone.

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Of course, I understood why

he thought it was so cool.

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I prayed about it and read a lot of books

on the topic, some of which I read for

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our Again podcast, and some I read just

because I want to have an understanding

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of how our culture is changing.

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I was also watching my son's

character and how he was handling

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the availability of technology.

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And months before his birthday,

I pulled him aside and said, " I

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want you to know I've prayerfully

considered it, and I don't feel

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comfortable giving you an iPhone."

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He wasn't happy with me, but I could

tell he still wanted to change my mind.

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I waited a while, pulled him aside again,

and explained my reasoning Which of course

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was based upon some of his own decisions.

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And I reiterated I did not feel

comfortable giving him an iPhone yet.

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As his birthday approached, I tried

to be very clear, took him shopping

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for other things, and asked for as

many other requests as possible.

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I reminded him yet again, " I don't

want you to be disappointed, but you're

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not getting an iPhone this year."

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Still, on the day of his birthday,

after he opened up all of his presents,

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he was polite, but he confessed to me

that deep down he was disappointed,

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and he had hoped I would change my mind

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This is a simplistic example

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but it reminded me of how sometimes

when we don't wanna believe bad news,

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we can be blind to it Or if we don't

like what the messenger delivers

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We can walk in denial.

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in chapter 37, once again, we

encounter Zedekiah, who is the last

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king of the southern kingdom of Judah.

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That's kind of easy to remember, right?

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If you think that Z is the last letter

of the alphabet, and he is the only king

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with a Z name in the southern kingdom, not

if you look at the northern kingdom, too.

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Of paramount importance, 37:2 tells

us, "But neither he nor his servants,

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nor the people of the land listened

to the words of the Lord that he

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spoke through Jeremiah the prophet."

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So it's interesting that the next

verse reads, " King Zedekiah sent to

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Jeremiah the prophet saying, ' Please

pray for us to the Lord our God.'"

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at this point, Jeremiah was going

in and out among the people and

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he hadn't yet been put in prison.

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And this is a good time to

remind you that Jeremiah is not

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entirely in chronological order.

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But since Zedekiah is the last

king of the southern kingdom, we

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know this occurs in his 11-year

reign, very near the captivity.

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The Lord tells Jeremiah to remind

Zedekiah, " Don't be deceived.

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The Chaldeans are coming against you

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And just as a reminder, the

Chaldeans and the Babylonians

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were the same people at this time.

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Heartbreakingly, because Jeremiah was

encouraging the people to surrender to

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Babylon, he's accused of being a traitor.

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The officials beat and imprison

him But King Zedekiah keeps sending

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for him secretly, asking if God

has any new messages for him.

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Jeremiah says, " The

message is still the same.

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You're going to be delivered into

the hand of the king of Babylon."

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And also, what did I do

wrong to be put in prison?

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Zedekiah improves Jeremiah's circumstances

But after Jeremiah continues to proclaim

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that those that stay in Jerusalem will

die by sword, famine, or pestilence,

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this is not a crowd-pleasing message,

and he's thrown into a deep cistern, so

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deep that he had to be let down by ropes.

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Because there was a drought in the

land, we read, " And there was

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no water in the cistern, but only

mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud."

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this had to be both a physical and

emotional low in Jeremiah's life.

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I'm sure he felt as disgusting

as he was discouraged.

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Mercifully, Ebed-Melek, an Ethiopian

who was serving in the king's

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house Asked King Zedekiah for

permission to get Jeremiah out.

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The king grants it and allows to

take 30 men out before Jeremiah dies.

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He expects that there will be resistance

to this On the way they make a wardrobe

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stop because they need old rags to

put around the ropes so that Jeremiah

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isn't injured As he's pulled up

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King Zedekiah once again sends

for the prophet, and once again

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Jeremiah recounts,

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Steph: to the king, " Surrender

to the king of Babylon.

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That's the best it can go for you."

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Zedekiah basically confesses he's afraid

of how his own people would handle that

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and wonders if they would punish him.

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And then finally, in Jeremiah 39,

we reach the fall of Jerusalem

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Scripture specifically tells

us the year and the month

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because of the historical and

religious significance of this moment

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And we read that the officials of the

king of Babylon come in through the gate.

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When Zedekiah king of Judah and all

the soldiers saw them, they fled,

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going out of the city at night by

way of the king's garden through

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the gate between the two walls.

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And they went toward the Arabah.

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but the army of the Chaldeans

pursued them and overtook

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Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho.

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And when they had taken him, they brought

him up to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,

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at Riblah in the land of Hamath,

and he passed sentence on him.

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The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons

of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes.

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and the king of Babylon, slaughtered

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All the nobles of Judah.

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He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound

him in chains to take him to Babylon.

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The Chaldeans burned the king's

house and the house of the people and

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broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

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Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of

the guard, carried into exile to

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Babylon the rest of the people

who were left in the city.

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Those who had deserted to him

and the people who remained,

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Nebuzaradan, the captain of the

guard, left in the land of Judah.

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Some of the poor people who owned

nothing and gave them vineyards

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and fields at the same time.

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Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, gave

command through Nebuzaradan, the captain

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of the guard, saying, Take him, look

after him well, and do him no harm,

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but deal with him as he tells you.

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So Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard

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And Rab-saris, Nergal-sarzer, the

Rab-mag, and all the chief officers

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of the king of Babylon sent and took

Jeremiah from the court of the guard.

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They Entrusted him to Gedaliah

son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan,

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that he should take him home.

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So he lived among the people.

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The word of the Lord came to

Jeremiah while he was shut up in

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the court of the guard: " Go and

stay at Abed-melech the Ethiopian.

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Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God

of Israel: ' Behold, I will fulfill

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my words against this city for harm

and not for good, and they shall be

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accomplished before you on that day.

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But I will deliver you on that

day,' declares the Lord, 'and you

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shall not be given into the hand

of the men of whom you are afraid.

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For I will surely save you, and you

shall not fall by the sword, but

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you shall have your life as a prize

of war, because you have put your

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trust in me,' declares the Lord."

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Though Zedekiah tried to flee,

the Chaldeans caught up to him and

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slaughtered his sons before his very eyes.

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As if that wasn't awful enough,

They gouged out his eyes, so

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the very last thing that he saw

was the death of his children.

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He was then carried away to

Babylon while Jeremiah was

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allowed to stay and be protected.

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if we converted this military

attack to our modern-day calendar,

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it occurred from January 15th of

598 BC to August 14th of 586 BC.

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This is a 30-month-long siege to break

down the walls of Jerusalem and take it

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over I'm reminded of the chapters and

chapters we read that described the glory

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of the tabernacle and of Solomon's temple

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And God allows all of that beauty

to be destroyed and overtaken I

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recall years ago watching the

Notre Dame as it had caught fire.

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I was grieved to see such a

beautiful architectural and

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religious landmark be destroyed.

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but Jerusalem is the city

God chose to put His name.

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I find it incredible that ultimately

God allowed temples to be destroyed,

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furnishings to be taken away, and even

the Ark of the Covenant to be hidden

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Because the new covenant that God would

institute had everything to do with God

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finding his dwelling place in our hearts

and no longer requiring a building.

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but it would be hundreds

of years from this point

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before Christ tore the veil

and ushered in the new era.

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There are a couple psalms that

were evidently penned at this

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time because of their description

of the destruction of Jerusalem.

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Psalm seventy-four begins, " O Lord,

why do you cast us off forever?

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Why does your anger smoke against

the sheep of your pasture?"

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And in verse three, " The enemy has

destroyed everything in the sanctuary.

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Your foes have roared in the

midst of your meeting place.

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set up their own signs for signs.

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They set your sanctuary on fire.

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they profaned the dwelling place of your

name, bringing it down to the ground."

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Psalm seventy-nine is similar.

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" O God, the nations have

come into your inheritance.

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They have defiled your holy temple.

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They have laid Jerusalem in ruins.

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They have given the bodies of

your servants to the birds of the

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heavens for food, the flesh of your

faithful to the beasts of the earth.

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They have poured out their blood

like water all around Jerusalem,

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and there was no one to bury them.

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We have become a taunt to our neighbors,

mocked and defiled by those around us.

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How long, O Lord?

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Will you be angry forever?

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Will your jealousy burn like fire?

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Pour out your anger on the nations that

do not know you, and on the kingdoms

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that do not call upon your name.

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For they have devoured Jacob

and laid waste his habitation."

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Do not remember against

us our former iniquities.

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Let your compassion come speedily

to us, for we are brought very low.

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Help us, O God of our salvation,

for the glory of your name.

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Deliver us and atone for

our sins for your namesake.

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Why should the nations

say, "Where is their God?"

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Let the avenging of the outpouring

blood of your servants be known

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among the nations before our eyes.

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And the psalmist finishes, " But we,

your people, the sheep of your pasture,

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will give thanks to you forever.

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From generation to generation,

we recount your praise."

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And if he could praise in that moment,

then no matter what you and I are

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going through, we can as well Heavenly

Father, we rejoice at the confirmation

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of the promise of a new covenant,

and that you continue to make a way

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to make your dwelling place with us

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We rejoice that the temple

building is no longer necessary

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It's the joy of our lives that you

now dwell with us, though we know

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we have nothing fit for a king,

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we pray you would fill us more

and more with the gratitude of

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this honor with each passing day.

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When we continually fall short, may we

still press on to meet with you because

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it's your presence that transforms

us We pray for our kids and for the

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disappointments and devastations that

they're sure to encounter on this earth.

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We ask that in all of it, they would have

a deep trust in your purposes and plans,

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and that they would walk righteously

through trials, also drawing near to you.

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It's in the name of Jesus,

the one who tore the veil that

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we trust, love, and lift up.

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Amen.