Jeremiah 37

So king Zedekiah seems like he is on the fence with God. He does several things in this chapter to make me think he wants to just listen and yet worries too much what people might think if he does. First he asks Jeremiah to pray for them. He recognized that they were in a bad way and finally thought God was the answer instead of the power of their own armies and false prophets.
And while the response Jeremiah provides from God ends him up imprisoned again then Zedekiah secretly calls for Jeremiah to see what God might have to say. I am sure he does this in secret so people don’t know he is seeking counsel from Jeremiah who everyone has deemed an outcast for faithfully speaking God’s words at great penalty to himself. finally he releases Jeremiah from imprisonment and even provides daily food….an act of mercy toward someone he is supposed to hate. So many people want to trust God but worry too much about what that looks like for them personally, what they may have to give up, and who they may now not live in agreement with making life uncomfortable. I would certainly rather be a Jeremiah than a Zedekiah!