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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“Come out of her, My people! Run for your lives! Run from
the fierce anger of the Lord. Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are
heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of
violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.”
“For the time will surely come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within her. Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 51:45-48
This ends today’s
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Seventy years.
That’s how long the Israelites had to live in oppression
within a foreign country after their land had been attacked and laid to waste
by the Babylonian forces under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar.
Seventy years of punishment. Seventy years of living outside
of God’s favor. Seventy years of hardship.
It would be enough for anyone to beg and plead for freedom,
to be able to run back into the arms of the Lord where there would be safety
and protection, love and provision.
Well, we continue to look at the words spoken by the Lord in
Jeremiah 51, we find Him giving the Israelites plenty of room for hope. For a
day was coming soon when their weeping would turn to joy, a day when they would
be liberated and able to return home to rebuild their homes, their lives, and
their relationship with the Lord. Look at these verses again:
“Come out of her, My
people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the Lord. Do not lose
heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this
year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against
ruler.”
“For the time will surely come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within her. Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy over Babylon, for out of the north destroyers will attack her,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 51:45-48
The Israelites would have well remembered the horrific
attacks and the destruction that followed as they came under siege by the
Babylonians who now held them captive. But note the words of the Lord and how
they conveyed to the people that a storm of judgment was brewing once again but
this time against their captors in Babylon.
God was no happier with Babylon for the way they sinned
against Him and worshiped false idols than He had been for His own people. The
Israelites had received the fullest brunt of the Lord’s punishment and now it
was the Babylonian’s turn to face His “fierce anger”, an anger that would bring
utter destruction and desolation on what was once a mighty empire. In the
aftermath of God’s consequences carried out by the Persians who would come from
the north, Babylon would see her people slain and her honor lost. The whole
land which was once proud would end up disgraced and other nations would
actually end up rejoicing in the nation’s misfortune.
So what would come of the Israelites who were within
Babylon? Would they get caught up in a second round of God’s judgment?
Not if they listened to God for look again at the commands
He gave to them:
“Come out of her, My
people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of the Lord. Do not lose
heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this
year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against
ruler.”
The Lord did not wish for the Israelites to perish in the land He was about to obliterate and devastate. Instead, He ordered them to come out and run for their lives back into His arms to escape the wrath He was bringing on Babylon. He had promised them liberation after they had paid His prescribed seventy year penalty and, as we know, the Lord always keeps His promises. If you want to read all about what happened after the Israelites escaped Babylon and returned home, read the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Old Testament. Both are excellent reads that show how the Israelites took advantage of their fresh start after returning to the Promised Land.
Ok, so how can we connect this to our lives today here in
the 21st century?
It’s easy. For you see a future day of judgment is coming
that will go way beyond just a nation being destroyed. We know about it because
the scriptures tell us it will happen. It’s not a matter of if but only a
matter of when.
On that judgment day, Jesus will return, sent by God the
Father to judge the world as we know it. When He departs from that visit, the
heavens and earth will be destroyed. No one will survive unless they had done
one thing prior and that’s believed and trusted in Jesus as Savior. For those
who did that and willingly sought the salvation offer God gave them through His
Son, they will run into the arms of the Lord that day and be whisked away
safely to a new heaven and earth as God hits the reset button on His original creation
and starts fresh.
Of course, this leads us to one final question, a fitting
question to end today’s devotion:
Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?
If so, rejoice in the promise that you will never perish but
rather have eternal life and look forward to the day when Jesus returns and you
run into His arms to abide with Him and God the Father forever.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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