After Jeremiah concluded
that it was the Lord's fury and anger that was poured out upon
Jerusalem, he transitions to the people who surrounded Judah and
Jerusalem during that time. In chapter four and verse twelve Jeremiah
shares the unbelief of the kings and inhabitants of the world that an
enemy could defeat Jerusalem. We read:
The kings of the earth,
and all the inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that
the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of
Jerusalem.
The verse begins, “The kings of the earth, and all the
inhabitants of the world,” As though Jeremiah backed off from
intimately looking into the situation of Jerusalem, he puts his focus
on the “kings of the earth” and “all the inhabitants
of the world”. In other words, these were Jerusalem's
neighbors. Jerusalem had a strong presence among them is the
implication, and those who were their neighbors, whether royalty or
pedestrians, knew of the impenetrable city.
The verse goes on to say, “would not have believed that the
adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of
Jerusalem.” The apex of the neighbor's understanding of
Jerusalem was that no “adversary” or “enemy” would ever
defeat them. Their opinion according to Jeremiah was they were filled
with unbelief as they heard of the “gates” or “entry
points” of Jerusalem being overtaken by an enemy. As far as the
kings and inhabitants knew, Jerusalem was protected, safe, and well
guarded so no enemy could defeat them.
The illusion the kings and world's inhabitants failed to factor in
was that Jerusalem had forsaken the true source of their protection –
The LORD. When the people of Jerusalem turned away from the eternal
and living God, they removed His mighty hand of protection of which
the kings and world's inhabitants inferred. As we ponder these words,
we might do well to consider from where our true protection comes
both individually and as a nation. A nation who forsakes God forsakes
their own protection, and if this was the case for Judah and
Jerusalem, what would make us think we are any better? Let our prayer
be, “Lord Jesus, help us never to forsake you lest the world's
kings and inhabitants find themselves in unbelief over our gates
being penetrated too.”
Next
time see the reason the kings and inhabitant of the world's unbelief,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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