Listening To God

Throughout history, arrogant leaders have blamed the God of the Bible for the problems that they have brought upon people. However, evil is the tap from which evil flows.

For example, in the days of Jeremiah, government officials heard him, say, “Thus says the Lord: ‘He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes over to the Chaldeans shall live; his life shall be as a prize to him, and he shall live.’” [1]

These corrupt officials responded to Jeremiah’s words by asking the king, “Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm.” [2]

The truth was absolutely the opposite. Jeremiah urged his nation to repent and turn back to God to avoid harm. He worked to strengthen them in the Lord, but they ignored his preaching for forty years, and now, it was too late to avoid the consequences of their evil doings. They needed to face reality, humble themselves, and pay the price for the evil they had done.

His nation’s officials thought they were wiser and more perceptive than God, so they ignored the warnings of God. What was the outcome?

“The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah. Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with fire and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.” [3] The arrogance of corrupt leaders brought their nation to ruins and themselves to an horrific conclusion.

In the days of Jesus, corrupt religious leaders colluded with corrupt politicians to misinform the people. The religious leaders said of Jesus, “If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.” [4] The opposite was absolutely true. It was their evil deeds that brought destruction to Jerusalem and to them, not faith in Jesus Christ.

Please pray for the political and religious leaders of the nations to listen to God and to His servants. The future of any nation depends on how people listen to and respond to the Word of God.

[1] Jeremiah 38:1-2
[2] Jeremiah 38:5
[3] Jeremiah 39:6-8
[4] John 11:48