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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.
Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of
Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked:
This is what the Lord says:
“Arise, and attack Kedar and destroy the
people of the East. Their tents and their flocks will be taken; their shelters
will be carried off with all their goods and camels. People will shout to them,
‘Terror on every side!’”
“Flee quickly away! Stay in deep caves,
you who live in Hazor,” declares the Lord. “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has
plotted against you; he has devised a plan against you.”
“Arise and attack a nation at ease, which
lives in confidence,” declares the Lord, “a nation that has neither gates nor
bars; its people live far from danger. Their camels will become plunder, and
their large herds will be spoils of war. I will scatter to the winds those who
are in distant places and will bring disaster on them from every
side,” declares the Lord.
“Hazor will become a haunt of jackals, a desolate place forever. No one will live there; no people will dwell in it.”
Jeremiah 49:28-33
This ends today’s reading
from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Up to now, we have found the Lord’s sending messages to
powerful nations and cities who chose to oppose Him by the way they lived and
worshiped. Today, we find that the reach of the Lord’s judgment trickled down
into specific villages and towns.
In other words, where sin is present in people, God is right
there too, seeking to eliminate it. Look at today’s scripture passage:
Concerning
Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked:
This
is what the Lord says:
“Arise,
and attack Kedar and destroy the people of the East. Their tents and their
flocks will be taken; their shelters will be carried off with all their goods
and camels. People will shout to them, ‘Terror on every side!’”
“Flee
quickly away! Stay in deep caves, you who live in Hazor,” declares the Lord. “Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon has plotted against you; he has devised a plan against you.”
“Arise
and attack a nation at ease, which lives in confidence,” declares the Lord, “a
nation that has neither gates nor bars; its people live far from danger. Their
camels will become plunder, and their large herds will be spoils of war. I will
scatter to the winds those who are in distant places and will bring
disaster on them from every side,” declares the Lord.
“Hazor will become a haunt of jackals, a desolate place forever. No one will live there; no people will dwell in it.” Jeremiah 49:28-33
Note here that there weren’t mighty fortresses or temples
falling in destruction, no walls crashing down or going up in flames. No, when
the Babylonian forces under the authority of King Nebuchadnezzar came calling
on the Arabian villages of Kedar and Hazor, tents and shelters would be brought
down, flocks would be taken, camels would become plunder, and large herds the
spoils of war. There were no great riches in Kedar and Hazor like you may find
in more affluent nations. The livestock of the people were their most valuable
possessions, possessions that would be taken from them.
In the end translation, the villages would find disaster and
terror coming from every side, driving the people out to distant places and
leaving complete desolation in their place.
So what was the issue with Kedar and Hazor?
Well, the Lord gives us a clue when He says the following:
“Arise
and attack a nation at ease, which lives in confidence,” declares the Lord, “a
nation that has neither gates nor bars; its people live far from danger.”
We get a sense that these two villages were feeling
bulletproof, that no harm could ever come to them. There were no gates or bars.
The people lived as if they were far from danger, a lifestyle underscored by
ease and confidence. Perhaps the people became so self-assured that they
thought they could do whatever they wanted, living separate from God without
worry that any consequence might come their way. In the end, we’re not sure of
the people’s mindset but we know that the villages were far from being out the
reach of God’s judgment, not anymore than the other nations and cities God had
mentioned who would also face His punishment.
As we think about this devotion and how it might apply to
the way we live today, we can see that there’s a danger in being a nation at
ease, a nation who feels it is so secure that no harm could possibly come to
it. And any nation who carries itself as if it beyond God’s discipline is a
nation who is going to find out that there are no exemptions, no free passes
when He chooses to bring His consequences.
None for China.
None for any number of large European nations.
None for Russia.
None for the United States of America.
Ditto for major cities like London or Rome or Cairo or
Moscow or Beijing or New York City.
Perhaps it’s time for the nations and the large cities
therein to change their attitudes and submit all their ways to the ways of the
Lord God Almighty, the One who has established the nations and the cities, the
One who is the chief authority over them.
For the only true way a nation, city, town, or village can
live at ease is if they have fully given themselves over to the rule of the God
who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, the God who has no rival or equal,
the God who is the only One who can bring the kind of protection that drives
out worry and fear.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
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