{"id":71842,"date":"2020-03-16T19:04:54","date_gmt":"2020-03-16T17:04:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=71842"},"modified":"2020-03-16T19:04:54","modified_gmt":"2020-03-16T17:04:54","slug":"he-wants-to-know-but-he-doesnt-want-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/he-wants-to-know-but-he-doesnt-want-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"He Wants To Know, But He Doesn\u2019t Want To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"71842","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34250,"related_cahpter":"438","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"We too struggle to face what we don\u2019t want to know\r\n\r\n","content":"

As food supplies dwindle under Babylonian siege, King Zedekiah summons Jeremiah from prison and asks for the truth the way some of us watch gory or otherwise upsetting TV shows: with our hands over our eyes, peeking through our fingers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to ask you something; don\u2019t conceal anything from me\u201d (38:14) \u2013 but of course, Jeremiah has been open all along about the imminent destruction; it was the king who didn\u2019t listen (37:2).<\/span><\/p>\n

He wants to know, but he doesn\u2019t want to know.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeremiah is understandably skeptical of Zedekiah\u2019s request. What good will the truth do either of them? \u201cIf I tell you, you\u2019ll surely kill me; and if I give you advice, you won\u2019t listen to me\u201d (38:15). The king, understanding his skepticism, reassures the prophet \u2013 but only halfway. \u201cAs the LORD lives who has given us this life, I will not put you to death\u2026\u201d (ibid. 16), but he says nothing about accepting advice. He knows he doesn\u2019t want to know.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is some irony in the way the king swears by his divine soul: As Abarbanel points out, this choice of oath indicates he believes in God; his clandestine demand that Jeremiah give it to him straight also implies he\u2019s certain, by now, that Jeremiah is God\u2019s true prophet. And yet \u2013 he knows, and doesn\u2019t want to know. He believes in God and His prophet but can\u2019t bring himself to fully accept the words of that prophet. He won\u2019t punish Jeremiah for his doomsday prophecies, but he can\u2019t quite accept them, either.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all had similar experiences in many areas of life, not just watching fictional television shows.\u00a0 We seek information and advice, but we don\u2019t want to accept what we hear. Sometimes experts disagree and we don\u2019t know who to believe, and sometimes we\u2019re pretty sure yet still reluctant to act. It can be hard to face the reality of what we must do.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the short time since I began thinking about this post, the challenge has only intensified, as we face a global health crisis with experts calling for unprecedented action in many places. We all want to know; it seems like COVID-19 is all anyone talks about! Yet many of us struggle to fully implement these necessary changes.<\/span><\/p>\n

But while there\u2019s no danger in watching sensationalist television shows halfway, we can\u2019t afford to cover our eyes from real life, especially when we are responsible for others.<\/span><\/p>\n

Zedekiah peeked through his fingers to find out what the prophet had to say, but he stopped there. Taking appropriate action would have required pulling his hands away completely, facing the reality of the situation, and following Jeremiah\u2019s guidance to give himself up to the Babylonian ruler (ibid. 17), no matter how painful or risky (ibid. 19).<\/span><\/p>\n

His hesitation is understandable, but the prophet warns him the consequences will be catastrophic, and he\u2019ll be (partly) to blame: \u201cYou will burn down this city by fire\u201d (ibid. 23). If only Zedekiah had opened his eyes all the way.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":71845,"id":71845,"title":"jer38-scared","filename":"jer38-scared.png","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jer38-scared.png","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/he-wants-to-know-but-he-doesnt-want-to-know\/jer38-scared\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jer38-scared","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":71842,"date":"2020-03-16 17:04:38","modified":"2021-05-19 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