Appearances

(I originally wrote and posted this to my previous blog on 02/26/2007.)

Reading: YirmeYahu (Jeremiah) 37-39

Jer 37:7 "Thus said יהוה the Elohim of Yisra'el, 'Say this to the sovereign of Yehudah, who sent you to Me to inquire of Me, "See, Pharaoh's army which has come up to help you, shall turn back to Mitsrayim, to their own land.
Jer 37:8 "And the Chaldeans shall return and fight against this city, and take it and burn it with fire." '
Jer 37:9 "Thus said יהוה, 'Do not deceive yourselves, saying, "The Chaldeans shall go away from us," for they do not go.
Jer 37:10 'For though you had smitten the entire army of the Chaldeans who are fighting against you, and there remained only wounded men among them, they would get up, each man in his tent, and burn the city with fire.' "

YHWH has been warning Yehudah over and over again through YirmeYahu what is coming upon them, but they keep trusting in false hope. They have renewed confidence that the siege is over because of Pharaoh's army chasing the Chaldeans away, but YHWH makes it clear yet again that Nebukadretstsar the sovereign of Babel will be triumphant and that their only hope is to surrender to his army because Yerushalayim will be burned.

He wants them to know that even if it looks like the entire Chaldean army is dead, those not quite dead will STILL get up and burn the city. That image reminded me of the horror movies where the serial murderer seems to finally be stopped by having been stabbed or shot multiple times or fallen from several stories or caught on fire or electrocuted--appearing to be thoroughly dead--only to rise up and keep coming after his intended victim.

YHWH shows us over and over how His Word is Truth and WILL stand no matter how things may appear, whether circumstances are painting a picture of false hope or false despair. This is why we need to have ears that listen to His Voice and eyes that focus on Him instead of circumstances.