Thirty eight chapters of warnings. Vividly told, precisely predicted. Yet in reading chapter 39, there is a shock to the suddenness of the fall of Jerusalem. The siege is described as beginning then within a sentence, two years have passed and there is a breach in the wall. It is over.
The king escapes....but only temporarily. He is taken to Babylon, as are the vast majority of the population of the once great city of Jerusalem. King Zedekiah's children are slaughtered before is very eyes. The nobles of Jerusalem are killed as well. The walls of Jerusalem are torn down.
Aside from the rampant sin and rebellion I have at time sympathised with the kings of Judah during Jeremiah's ministry. The word from God was to surrender to the enemy. They were counseled to seek peace terms before a battle had even been waged. No patriot would do such a thing. No true leader would be party to such capitulation. Nothing could be worse.
Well, God said there was a fate that was worse. And Zedekiah saw it unfold before his very eyes. His family and his friends executed. The city emptied of its people and filled with an occupying force. The walls turned into a heap of rubble.
Hindsight is always much easier than faithsight. Heeding the warning is more difficult than the foreseeing the woe. But be certain of this...God's Word is true. It will be just like He said. These surely must have been Zedekiah's thoughts as he sat in chains reviewing the recent turn of events. Alas hindsight is easier, except for the fact it is useless.
But there were some who had faithsight, including Ebed-melech the Ethiopian. In the previous chapter, he alone had stood to defend Jeremiah to the king. His words even swayed the king to most likely save Jeremiah's life.
The chapter of woe, ends with a footnote. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian was spared the destruction of the city due to his faith in God.
Hindsight may be easier, but faithsight is where I want to live. It is where I want my people to live.
The king escapes....but only temporarily. He is taken to Babylon, as are the vast majority of the population of the once great city of Jerusalem. King Zedekiah's children are slaughtered before is very eyes. The nobles of Jerusalem are killed as well. The walls of Jerusalem are torn down.
Aside from the rampant sin and rebellion I have at time sympathised with the kings of Judah during Jeremiah's ministry. The word from God was to surrender to the enemy. They were counseled to seek peace terms before a battle had even been waged. No patriot would do such a thing. No true leader would be party to such capitulation. Nothing could be worse.
Well, God said there was a fate that was worse. And Zedekiah saw it unfold before his very eyes. His family and his friends executed. The city emptied of its people and filled with an occupying force. The walls turned into a heap of rubble.
Hindsight is always much easier than faithsight. Heeding the warning is more difficult than the foreseeing the woe. But be certain of this...God's Word is true. It will be just like He said. These surely must have been Zedekiah's thoughts as he sat in chains reviewing the recent turn of events. Alas hindsight is easier, except for the fact it is useless.
But there were some who had faithsight, including Ebed-melech the Ethiopian. In the previous chapter, he alone had stood to defend Jeremiah to the king. His words even swayed the king to most likely save Jeremiah's life.
The chapter of woe, ends with a footnote. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian was spared the destruction of the city due to his faith in God.
Hindsight may be easier, but faithsight is where I want to live. It is where I want my people to live.
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