Good morning to all on this great fall day. Waine and I are in Hawkinsville and I have had a great weekend catching up on projects that I have been trying to finish. It's day light savings time y'all so roll those clocks back i hour. It's been an interesting and trying week--one in which I had to call upon the Lord daily for guidance and in the end He is still God and all is right with the world. This was a "growing" week! I trust that all of you have either voted early or are planning on voting. Each man and woman counts! This is going to be historic and monumental.
I am continuing my journey in Jeremiah chapter 39, verses 1 - 18, "In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through. Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah. But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. The Babylonians set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest of the people. But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields. Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: “Take him and look after him; don’t harm him but do for him whatever he asks.” So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers of the king of Babylon sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people. While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Word of the Lord came to him: “Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my Words against this city—Words concerning disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.
Well it has finally happened! Jerusalem has been attacked and overtaken. It took 2 years to knock down the walls and over take the city. Two whole years and what you don't see written is that Zedekiah even tried to repent of his sins during the seize and turn to God. He was probably hoping against hope that he (Zedekiah) would prevail. He still didn't believe in the God of his forefathers; even with the evidence in front of him, his pride and will was too strong to over come. So the city of Jerusalem was over taken, the people of Judah captured and enslaved and Zedekiah's family destroyed. What foolishness! Pride definitely goes before the fall. What struck me was that Zedekiah had evidence of the truth of God's promise for 2 whole years. Everything Jeremiah prophesied was coming to past and yet Zedekiah never repented and turned to God. This is how Satan works. If you let him live your life long enough, your heart becomes hardened against God and your heart is not able to respond to the love of God. A hardened heart will misread and misinterpret all that God sends your way. A hardened heart will blind you much like Zedekiah was blinded--you will not be able to see the love of God but instead see your own blackness and bleakness. This is a situation in which there is no escape and the only one that is ultimately hurt is the person whose heart has hardened. Satan glories in this. One more soul to suffer with him.
As Christians, just like Jeremiah, we have a duty to continue to spread the Good News no matter what the consequence to us. This dying world; this sin sick world needs the love of God and in a real way. This world needs to see the love of God through you and me and when life gives you challenges the world needs to see the confidence that comes through the relationship you have with God. In the end every thing Jeremiah preached came to past. Instead of using it as an opportunity in which to repent, I am sure Zedekiah blamed Jeremiah and God for the calamity. Again, that is what the father of lies, Satan would have you believe but it is not true. God does not desire that any suffer. He loves all His children yet the path to Him comes through a belief that Christ's sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary is the payment for our sins. Everyone must embrace and repent of their sin of not having God on the throne of their life and then accept the Gift of Life through Christ. So easy and yet so hard for so many. There is only one Way to God and that is through Christ. Yes there are many good Muslims, good Buddhist, good people but God's Word teaches that the path to Him ONLY comes through Christ.
In the end, Jeremiah and the Cushite were spared. They had the Arc of the Covenant to shield them. God's promises are as real today as they were in Jeremiah's day. He covers all who believe in the blood of Jesus so that we can be saved. Hallelujah! What a great God we serve. Have an awesome day and an awesome week.
Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
Stephanie
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