In Jeremiah, chapter twenty-one, verses one through two, “The word which came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, Inquire, I pray thee, of the Lord for us; for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the Lord will deal with us according to all his wondrous works that he may go up from us.” Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, was reigning when Jerusalem fell. His revolt against Babylon brought about the invasion of Judah and Jerusalem’s subsequent destruction; the underlying spiritual cause behind the nation’s fall, however, was God’s decree against His people because of Manasseh’s sin and Judah’s apostasy, as in verse four of chapter fifteen.
Manasseh, Judah’s most evil king, the one who led the people into great apostasy, was dead. However, the effects of his sins remained.
The negative inspiration of unfaithfulness and rebellion from this late king, coupled with his influence on Judah’s abandonment of serving God, made them not unconnected to Him. The only option was Jeremiah, a servant of God, to cause Zedekiah’s inquiry on behalf of him and the people. Still, the king’s decision to overthrow another nation without asking God from the beginning shows that he was not serving God or having a relationship with Him in the first place. This explains why he had to ask Jeremiah for help to contact the Lord.
Today, there are many pastors and Christians in general in this situation. Instead of serving God and living for Him by keeping His commandments and abiding by His holy word, these people make decisions without asking God. Then expect to receive help from other obedient servants, and expect to receive answers from Him?