Shed Prison Clothes and Dine at the King’s Table
Neither prison itself nor the clothes prisoners must sport appeal to this girl. And no doubt the entire experience proves undesirable.
Like confinement to a small space, lack of freedom, prison food or no food, missing my family and friends, and dreaming of a future.
Likewise, Jeremiah 52 recounts this kind of story with an evil king of Jerusalem, Zedekiah, who rebelled against God, and also rebelled against the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar (don’t see those names listed in baby-name books).
So, as a result, Nebuchadnezzar sieged Jerusalem; its king, city, and people fell to this utter destruction and despair:
- Imprisoned King Zedekiah until his death.
- Burned down houses and the house of the Lord.
- Broke down all the walls of Jerusalem.
- Plundered items from the temple.
- Killed the chief priest, keepers of the threshold, and men from the king’s council.
- Took thousands of captives from Jerusalem as exiles to Babylon (seventh and eighteenth years of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign). Then, hundreds of captives from Judah (twenty-third year of his reign).
Yet, when we arrive at the final four verses of this last chapter of Jeremiah, we meet Jehoiachin, king of Judah. Exiled to Babylon and imprisoned when he was a young (Matthew Henry Commentary suggests at eighteen-years-old).
Captivity Turned to Freedom
But here’s the rest of the story in God’s Word when despair turned to joy, and captivity turned to freedom. It’s also my story.
And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived (Jeremiah 52:31-34, ESV, Emphasis mine).
And thankfully, I have the same story and hope this is also your story.
King Jesus’ 3 Actions Toward Us:
Graciously Freed Us and Brought Us Out of Prison
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1, NIV).
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36, ESV).
Extended Kindness to Us
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:4-6, ESV).
Seated Us in the Heavenly Realms
“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7, NIV).
Our 3 Responses to Christ:
Remove Our Prison Clothes for Garments of Salvation
“…all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isaiah 64:6, NASB).
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels” (Isaiah 61:10, ESV).
Dine at the King’s Table Regularly
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35, NLT).
It’s time to take our seats at the King's table where a feast is laid before us. All items are free: #grace … unconditional #love … atonement … #salvation … No additional charge for second helpings of forgiveness or mercy. Click To TweetGo to the King for Daily Needs
And the Lord encouraged us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11, ESV).
You see, released from captivity by the enemy of my soul, King Jesus extended kindness to me, seated me in the heavenly realms, and provides my daily needs.
I’ve removed my prison clothes, exchanged them for the garments of salvation, and dine at the King’s table daily. #Jesus Click To TweetThe Exchange and Choice
Are you still sporting clothes of captivity or are you clothed in garments of salvation? Have you made a conscious choice to dine every day with King Jesus?
*Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Ronja Oksanen/ #AboundingGrace, Rachel Lee #DestinationInspiration, Debbie Kitterman/#Dare2Hear, Lori Schumaker/#momentsofhope, Jaime Wiebel/#SittingAmongFriends, Crystal Twadell/Fresh Market Friday, Kelly Balarie/Purposeful Faith, Patricia Holbrook/Soaring With Him, Meghan Weyerbacher/TeaandtheWord, Lyli Dunbar/#FaithOnFire & Crystal Storms/Heart Encouragement.
© 2019 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
Great thoughts as we head toward Easter! It’s amazing to look at the symbols of OT pointing us toward Jesus. I often feel like the men from Emmaus, listening to Jesus tell me stories about the Jews all the while pointing me toward Messiah.
Wonderful thought, Chip. I like that, “listening to Jesus tell me stories about the Jews all the while pointing me toward Messiah.” So thankful we not only have a Rescuer who rose from the dead to free us from captivity, but who also meets our daily needs and makes us joint-heirs. Amazing!
The garments of salvation. What a wonderful blessing! Happy Easter !!
Isn’t it, Melissa! Happy Easter!
“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isaiah 61:10, ESV)
Through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are, indeed, free from the prison of sin and death. Great reflection as we approach the celebration of Easter, Karen! Blessings!
Thank you, Martha! I’ve removed my prison clothes, exchanged them for the garments of salvation, and dine at the King’s table daily. Happy Easter!
Praise the Lord, the King of kings that this is also my story. This is a post that creates that feeling of staking my flag in who I am in Christ, because of Him I am a daughter of the King!! I’m no longer a slave….I am a child of God! Thank you Karen for the boost of inspiration as always! #HeartEncouragement linkup
Yes, April, agree! Stake your claim on who you are in Christ! And never pull that flag out of the ground sister! We’re free, free!
Yes, Karen, this is my story! I’m still fiddling with the prison clothes and working out my diet, but I’m free and dining at Jesus’ table. I’m also glad that God helps me shed off the old day by day and replace it with His new incomparable truth and blessings. I love all the Scripture you quoted here. So appropriate. And I’m glad I can read His Word daily. He meets me where I am, even in His Word written so long ago.
Awesome, Stephen! And great thought on daily shedding our old self and replacing it with our new identity in Christ. Happy Easter…Resurrection Sunday!
Wow! I love the contrasting picture you painted here and yes, this is my story, too! From prison captive to king’s companion! What a mighty Savior we have! The Old Testament passage you shared really helped express this truth well. Our King has done it all! Hallelujah!
Thank you, Melissa. Love that image of transformation, going from prison captive to the King’s companion! Jesus has conquered it all by making us MORE than conquerers by the kindness and provision He extends to us.
Karen, a great message as we head into Easter weekend. Advertisers bring us beautiful new spring clothes we can purchase. But these are nothing compared to our garments of salvation purchased by the blood of Jesus!
So much hope in this post, my friend.
Thanks so much, Beckie. Yes, Easter dresses and outfits are incomparable to the garments of salvation. Love that analogy. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts, you always have a lot to add. Happy Easter!
Such a great post, Karen! Such an encouragement to see that list of blessings upon Jehoiachin duplicated in what the Lord has now done for us – I’d never seen that comparison before! I love how the OT stories are a mirror of what we are promised and given in the NT.
This analogy about prison garb was powerfully effective when I preached in the prison. When they left the prison, I asked how many would keep on their prison garments. Of course, NO ONE! So growth in Christ was just as essential. They needed to take off the prison garments of their past and of their harmful sin habits, and to instead put on Christ and his actions. And SO DO WE ALL have this need. Too often we run around in our old prison clothes.
Hey Melinda, thank you. I love that about the Old and New Testaments as well. How God weaved His story and His promises throughout the Bible. What a powerful story about your prison ministry and how no one released wanted to stay in those garments. Of course not! Yes, Lord, help us take off our garments of the past and put on You and your actions.
I love the text and the images. Great work. The organization makes the reading flow. Great advice! God bless and Happy Easter!
Appreciate that, Nancy. Hope you had a blessed Easter. Thankful He is risen and we are free!
Amen-Amein Sweet Sister in Christ-MESSIAH Jesus-Yeshua Karen!!
Praise Christ-MESSIAH Jesus-Yeshua HE is RISEN and ALIVE, Glory Glory Hallelujah and Maranatha!!
Our ONE True GOD’S LOVE is ETERNAL THROUGH HIS SON Christ-MESSIAH Jesus-Yeshua for Today and Everyday Forevermore Everyone!!
I Love you all Everyone through Christ-MESSIAH Jesus-Yeshua, because HE LOVED 💜💕 EVERYONE FIRST Forevermore!!
Love 💕 Always and Shalom ( Peace ), YSIC \o/
Kristi Ann
Thanks, Kristi Ann. Let’s never put on our prison garments again!
I relate to this blog! I considered myself a free woman for much of my youth, but lived in a cage of my own making. It’s beautiful to be free!
Candice, “lived in a cage of my own making”…so powerful. And it is wonderful to live free from bondage and walk in God’s love.
It is hard to believe the invitation we are given to come to the Lord’s table and to dine with the King. There is there is endless abundance of love, grace, forgiveness and you write, no penalties for second, third, fourth helpings….. Knowing that we will never be hungry again as long as we continue to turn to the Heavenly Father. “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35, NLT).
Isn’t it unbelievable and indescribable, Anne! And yet, it’s true and it all belongs to us. We make the choice. I hope our seats at the banquet are close enough to be grateful to Jesus together!
I’m also reminded of the parable Jesus spoke about the wedding banquet. We can’t simply say we want to attend, but we must also dress accordingly. Like you said at the end here, it’s our choice if we take off our old clothes and put on the new. I’m so thankful God has clothed me in righteousness!
Yes, Emily! It does lend itself with that parable. And God’s salvation and righteousness looks good on you!
There is a choice, isn’t there? We need to take off those clothes and step into the beauty He has ready and waiting for us!
Rebecca, I plan to keep going back to the King’s table and sporting my garments of salvation for all to see! Thanks for commenting!
I love how you’ve anchored us in Scripture and this inspiring story, Karen. There are so many times when I choose the garments of captivity over the freedom I have in Christ. Why would I do that? It’s crazy! But this is a great reminder to consider in what ways I am doing just that! Thanks for sharing and inspiring us, my friend!
Hey Beth, I know what you mean, sometimes we are like the Israelites and choose to go back into captivity. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36, ESV). I pray we both maintain our freedom in Jesus!
I’m always grateful when I read about Jeremiah’s happy reward for faithfully carrying out God’s assignment–one little ray of sunshine in a gloomy story.
God is so good to invite us into His presence!
Agree, Michele. We, too, have a happy reward for choosing freedom in Christ and dwelling in His presence.
This was me! And to be honest, it still is! I was just thinking about this in the morning. Through Jesus we have the keys to the Kingdom and yet we sometimes live in that prison with the keys right in our reach. I have to keep reminding myself that Jesus freed me from the prison clothes so I have to stop putting them on again!! Thank you for this reminder!
I’m so thankful for Jesus. This post and the Scriptures you’ve noted, Karen, simply reinforce that more. Hope your Easter overflowed with hope. Life today too.