The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah:
“When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, and say, ‘O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever.’ When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted.’”
Whenever I read of Babylon I think of "culture" and "civilization". The things in life where man runs around pretending to be god. Where we focus on self, wealth, and status. Where we step on the poor and crush the fatherless.
It will not go on forever. Like all civilizations before us, all civilizations today will be laid waste. As we run to build towers to shoot arrows at God. The foundations upon which we build are being torn down. The worship of self guarantees it.
She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies.
...
He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.”
...
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him;let him put his mouth in the dust — there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.
For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.
Sometimes the best advise ... and worst advise is to Endure. Best because our Hope is in God. And worst because we just want the pain to end. Like the time you sit in bed after surgery and the pain starts to become unbearable. Yet, you still must bear it. Though you scream into your pillow and beg God for the pain to pass. It is still there.
All that is left is the knowledge that in time it will pass. And it will pass.
The difficult times are here and it is between us and God. Not between us and the one that caused the pain. They take joy in our pain, so why focus on them? It must be between us and God alone.
Keep your eyes forward, don't turn to the left (self-hatred) and don't turn to the right (hatred of others). Keep your eyes on God and pray for the strength to Endure.
You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Joyful ... Plundering of MY PROPERTY!? O.K. God what is up with that? :)
An issue we all have with endurance is that it takes actual pain and struggle to build it up. It isn't something you have, it is something you work on.
In the beginning we choose to endure the pain. There is no joy. There is anger, rage, and a desire for God to strike those that hurt us down.
Then over time it is about enduring. We continue to be placed in harms way. In ways that are deeper and much more painful. Yet we continue to hope for the light that God has promised us.
In the end we have endured and grown. We begin to actually feel the Love Christ had for us. For a people who hated Him, tore the flesh from His body, and beat him beyond recognition. A love for a people each of whose sins caused Him unimaginable pain. Pain beyond which the worst you have ever felt is nothing.
You are loved. Upon God was the justice of our sins. God takes joy in your life and your growth. ...
For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.
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