Doing the Right Thing by Lisa Burkhardt Worley
Doing the right thing is not always the most popular action to take. Often, taking a stand for faith goes against the ways of the world. It may alienate us from family members and friends. There might be times when we do not follow the famous entertainers or ministry leaders because we have a check in our spirits. God might call us to be a friend with someone who we never imagined being friends with—but it is the right thing to do.
There are many examples of biblical characters doing the right thing, but I recently came across a beautiful story in the book of Jeremiah that is not often mentioned. The Israelites are still in the middle of the Babylonian Exile; however, King Nebuchadnezzar had died and his son, Awel-Marduk, is now reigning over Babylon. One of Awel-Marduk’s first orders of business was to release the King of Judah, Jehoiachin, who had spent the last 37 years in prison. It would have been easy to leave the Judean king incarcerated, but Awel-Marduk did the right thing by letting him go. Jehoiachin’s only crime was that he was an Israelite who was taken into the captivity. Not only did Awel-Marduk free this king, Scripture says that Jehoiachin ate for the rest of his life at the king’s table (Jeremiah 52:33). Awel-Marduk also put Jehoiachin on his payroll until he died. It is a beautiful display of mercy and kindness.
My guess is there may have been push back on Awel-Marduk’s actions—what he did was different from his dad’s policies—but it often takes bravery to do the right thing.
What is God calling you to do? Is it something you know is right but you also know it may not be accepted by some of the people around you? Sometimes the LORD desires for us to take a leap of faith, no matter what the consequences, and do the right thing.
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